text:
EA confirms Battlefield 6 is coming in 2018; Battlefield 1 is getting Esports Mode and GOTY Edition this Fall
New Retail Releases: Metal Gear Survive, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, More
The Scientifically Proven Best Video Games of All Time: An Introduction and The Top 100
Get ready to farm like you've never farmed before... Farming Simulator 19 announced
10 Actors (and Actresses) We Think Could Play Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect Movie
Kickstart This! Grood
Fable Fortune, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, more added to Xbox Store
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wins "Game of the Year" at 2018 DICE Awards
Pac-Man CE 2 Plus, Payday 2, SteamWorld Dig 2, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week
EA's E3-adjacent EA Play 2018 event will include Battlefield 6, Anthem, new EA Sports games, more
All Articles: Darksiders II
Xbox Store Today: Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition
Just one new entry to the Xbox Games Store today, but it's one that fans of action RPGs and post-apocalyptic settings should be excited for… and no, I'm not talking about a surprise early release for Fallout 4.
Instead, I'm referring to Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, an updated and enhanced Xbox One re-release of a game originally available for the Xbox 360 in 2012. The definitive Deathinitive Edition includes all the previously-released downloadable content and was even developed by Gunfire Games, a company founded by several members of the now-defunct original developer, Vigil Games.
Are you ready for the End of Days? Here's more information on Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition from publisher Nordic Games:
Xbox One Games
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition ($29.99)
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition features Darksiders II with all DLC included and integrated into the game which offers a total playtime of more than 30 hours. Become the terrifying force which everything fears but nothing can escape. Awakened by the End of Days, Death, the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen embarks on a quest to redeem his brother's name. Along the way, the Horseman discovers that an ancient grudge may threaten all of Creation. Death lives!
Posted in News, Xbox One Tagged Darksiders II
DriveClub Bikes, WWE 2K16, Divinity: Original Sin, more added to PS Store
With Halo 5: Guardians ready to launch for the Xbox One this week and a bevy of Paris Games Week announcements to digest, Sony wisely kept this week's PlayStation Store update to the bare minimum. However, they did surprise-release DriveClub Bikes (PS4), a standalone expansion to Evolution's racer that features a full Tour Campaign, a Challenge Mode, multiplayer, and a ton of customization options.
If you drop all the motorcycle gear, you're left with two men in speedos, which is a perfect segue into the news that 2K Games will bring WWE 2K16 to the PS3 and PS4 this week. Their latest wrasslin' title includes the franchise's biggest roster to date and an expanded Create-A-Wrestler mode.
No speedos can be found in Telltale's Minecraft: Story Mode, which is quickly expanding this week with the release of Episode 2: Assembly Required on the PS3 and PS4.
Finally this week, a pair of re-releases will make fans of RPGs very happy. Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition makes its console debut this week as Larian Studios brings an expanded and enhanced version of their RPG to the PS4. Slightly more familiar to PS4 owners might be this Friday's PS4 release of Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition, which includes the apocalyptic action RPG sequel (originally released for the PS3 in 2012) and all its downloadable content.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) is available found after the break. And, as always, a complete rundown of this week's new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, PSP, Vita Tagged Darksiders II, Divinity: Original Sin, Minecraft: Story Mode, WWE 2K16
New Releases: Halo 5: Guardians, WWE 2K16, Minecraft: Story Mode, More
After last week's soft launch, Microsoft is finally ready to unleash the highly-anticipated Halo 5: Guardians onto the Xbox One audience. Microsoft has been building towards the return of the Master Chief ever since the platform's launch back in 2013. Will it live up to the hype? I don't know, but it'll certainly move a few Xbox One bundles this holiday season.
For players looking for an edge in Halo 5 (or any action-heavy Xbox One game), Microsoft will also release the Xbox One Elite Controller this week. Featuring a slew of swappable components and the powerful Xbox Accessories app to help customize the controller, Microsoft is hoping to establish the Elite Controller as the input option of choice for hardcore gamers.
If you prefer your battle royales to be a bit more Earth-based, you might be interested to know that 2K Games will release WWE 2K16 for the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360 this week. Starring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the latest WWE game includes the biggest roster of wrestlers ever, as well as a redesigned Create-A-Wrestler mode.
Rounding out this week's new releases is a trio of re-releases including the debut of Divinity: Original Sin – Enhanced Edition on the PS4 and Xbox One. It's joined by the coming apocalypse of Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition (PS4, Xbox One) and the dirt track racing of MX vs ATV: Supercross Encore (PC, PS4).
Finally this week, Telltale Games is offering a "Season Pass Disc" for Minecraft: Story Mode on the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360. Players who purchase the Season Pass will receive the first episode of the game on the disc, along with downloadable access to all subsequent episodes as they're released.
A full list of this week's new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One Tagged Darksiders II, Halo 5: Guardians, Minecraft: Story Mode, WWE 2K16
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is deathinitely launching on October 27
The Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition was originally scheduled to be released on October 6, but you might have noticed that the game didn't launch as planned since today's the sixth and the game is currently absent from stores shelves. Thankfully, a new release date is just around the corner…
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition will be released for both the PS4 and Xbox One on October 27. The remake will feature enhanced graphics, rebalanced gameplay, and all downloadable content previously released for the game.
"It's rare that as developers we get the opportunity to revisit one of our previous games. The passage of time and the numerous games we've worked on since Darksiders II shipped has allowed us to return to it with a fresh perspective," said John Pearl, a Design Director at Gunfire Games. "With that said, we went back to what is a huge game and addressed things we didn't have time for or didn't notice the first time. We started by revisiting every asset in the game, increasing the texture resolutions and brought the art up to spec to take full advantage of the new lighting and rendering. Darksiders II has a lot of DLC in the form of weapons, armor and unique locations. These pieces of DLC which felt separate from the main campaign have now been integrated into the game and rebalanced accordingly. Lastly, we've addressed much of the feedback we received after the game's release in regards to balance and bugs. With all these changes, this is truly the 'Definitive Edition' of Darksiders II."
Even with all these updates, don't expect the Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition to break the bank. Nordic Games has confirmed the remake will be priced at $29.99 on both platforms.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One Tagged Darksiders II
Darksiders II comes to PS4 on October 6; Xbox One release date to be announced soon
Nordic Games has announced (via Twitter) that the PS4 launch of the Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is fast approaching. According to the publisher, the end of days will officially begin on Sony's system on October 6:
#Darksiders II #Deathinitive Edition arrives October 6th on PS4! Pre-Order on Play Station Store US http://t.co/CVpMPD875p (save 10%)
— Darksiders (@darksiders) September 11, 2015
Unfortunately for Xbox One owners, Nordic Games is currently unable to nail down a final release date for Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition on Microsoft's new-generation console. Business & Product Development Director Reinhard Pollice confirmed (also via Twitter) that "they're working on it" and that an announcement would be made soon.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One Tagged Darksiders II
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition announced as publisher continues to tease Darksiders III
Nordic Games has officially announced that Darksiders II will get the remaster treatment this Winter and be re-released as Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition for the PS4 and Xbox One.
Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition is in development at Gunfire Games, one of the studios founded in the wake of Vigil's closure. If you remember, Vigil Games created both Darksiders games for THQ before the publisher declared bankruptcy. While the developer is well-versed in how the game originally looked, they do plan to offer some improvements as part of the Deathinitive Edition. The PS4/Xbox One version of the game will include all of the previously-released downloadable content, as well as tuned game balancing and reworked loot distribution. Naturally for any remaster, the Deathinitive Edition will also feature an improved graphical engine for better lighting and shadows with visuals rendered in 1080p resolution.
But while announcing their new project, Nordic couldn't stop themselves from teasing Darksiders III one more time. Reinhard Pollice, the company's Business & Product Development Director, said: "We took over the franchise roughly two years ago and thought about the next chapter for Darksiders ever since then. Naturally (and extremely excitedly!), there will be a large-scale project based on Darksiders, but for now it is very important for us to take care of the existing games and make those available to a broader audience."
Obviously, any official announcement regarding Darksiders III is still a very long way in the future.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One Tagged Darksiders II, Darksiders III
Darksiders II's Definitive Edition is actually the "Deathinitive Edition"
Back in February, Amazon posted a listing for a Darksiders II: Definitive Edition on the PS4. Rather than deny, deny, deny, the publisher confirmed that a current-generation remaster of the cult favorite was indeed in the works.
Today, Amazon has reposted their Darksiders II: Definitive Edition listing with the game's proper title… Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition. Yeah, that sounds about right.
The listing has a placeholder price ($39.99) and release date (December 31, 2015) for the game, but both of those will likely change between now and the real release date. However, the cover, and the "Deathinitive Edition" subtitle, are surely here to stay. As of right now, Amazon is only offering the game for sale on the PS4 (just like in February) and there's no word yet if it'll also be released for the Xbox One.
Nordic Games originally purchased the rights to the Darksiders franchise from THQ in 2013. They've since re-released Darksiders II and its predecessor on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 as part of the Darksiders Collection and announced plans to develop new games in the series last year. However, aside from saying they're "committed" to the franchise, all discussion of Darksiders III has gone silent for the time being.
Posted in News, PS4 Tagged Darksiders II
You know why Nordic Games is here… to confirm Darksiders II: Definitive Edition
A listing for a PS4 re-release of Darksiders II (as Darksiders II: Definitive Edition) appeared on Amazon over the weekend before it was pulled down a few hours later. Game Informer decided to go straight to the source and contacted publisher Nordic Games to inquire about the status of this previously unannounced game. Rather than rattle off the industry standard reply ("No comment"), Nordic Games announced that Darksiders II: Definitive Edition is definitely in development for the PS4 (and probably the Xbox One as well, though that remains unconfirmed) in a rather humorous way.
"Thanks a lot for touching base with us here at NG," the company responded. "Whilst the authenticity of said listing is unquestionable, I am afraid I cannot comment on further details other than in the poetic words of Marshawn Lynch."
Marshawn Lynch famously used his time at the Super Bowl XLIX Media Day to reply "I'm just here so I won't get fined" and "You know why I'm here" to every question he was asked. By referencing the Seahawks running back, Nordic was cheekily saying that they're not going to reveal any other details about Darksiders II: Definitive Edition for the time being.
Posted in News, PS4 Tagged Darksiders II


text:
Press Release
6 October 2016: Media charity tve today announces the shortlist for a competition to create the best sustainable world created by users of the gaming platform Minecraft.
The first ever "Sustainable Worlds on Minecraft" competition – sponsored by Connect4Climate – sees entrants use the Minecraft game world to showcase features of sustainability including energy systems, food production and habitat to encourage Minecrafters to think about sustainable lifestyles and climate change.
The three finalists were selected by the judges from entries to tvebiomovies 2016, featuring film and video competitions around the planetary boundaries framework, living within the earth's boundaries. The worlds are now available for download to play and explore on the Minecraft platform. Three walkthrough videos are also online, narrated by the Minecrafters themselves as they show off their creations.
- Hauke and Finne from Germany utilise solar and wind energy to power their world, featuring modern housing and a market place for trade with other lands.
- Michael from the USA collects rainwater, uses natural energy and has a system of recycling.
- Nyasha from the UK uses cutting edge thinking and design to help reduce climate change on her island world.
Voting is open until 30 November, and the world with the highest votes will win the prize of $US1500.
Notes to editors
The Sustainable Worlds on Minecraft competition is supported by Connect4Climate and is part of tvebiomovies 2016, the seventh successful year of the online film initiative competition.
tvebiomovies 2016 includes three other challenges:
- the Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change gives two winners the opportunity to become youth reporters at the UN Climate Change Conference which takes place in Marrakesh, Morocco in November. Winners and shortlisted entries are now online.
- #stopthatdrop on Instagram showcases short, water-saving ideas with three winners now available to view on our website.
- the Short Film proposal competition invited ideas for short film in five categories: Biodiversity, Forests, Oceans and Seas, Family Farmers, and Reusing and Recycling. The final 15 films, three in each category, have now been commissioned and will be streamed online for voting from 16 October.
tve creates and enables others to create powerful, effective communications about the environment and development. Through film, animation, documentaries, debates and social media, the media charity reaches global audiences, giving a voice to a new generation committed to a greener and fairer world.
For media enquiries, contact Nick Turner on +44 (0) 20 7963 7448 or email@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
piped in music is the devil
Unverified Voracity Gets Heavier Over Time
The last walkoff goal line stand. Via Wolverine Historian, Illinois 1982:
Health bits. Rudock should play Saturday. Smith's having issues, he will continue to have issues, he has an injury you can play through but always hurts and won't stop hurting until the offseason.
Excellent, responsive, transparent. The athletic department surveyed 4,500 season ticket holders and is releasing that information over the next couple weeks. I love that. It shows the department is listening to fans and allowing us to talk about the data they gathered in public. That is something I've wanted them to do for a long time. So:
Question 4: Did you enjoy the balance of piped-in music and band during the game (not including pregame or halftime)?
• It was a perfect balance (43%)
• Would prefer a lot more band, a lot less piped-in music (20%)
• Would prefer a little more band, a little less piped-in music (28%)
• Would prefer a little more piped-in music, a little less band (6%)
• Would prefer a lot more piped-in music, a lot less band (1%)
• Didn't care (3%)
That's about a 50/50 split between people who think the music is fine and those who want it toned down. (I am obviously in the 20% group.)
I'm disappointed with this answer:
Question 3: How would you rate the overall video board presentation (highlight videos, replays, prompts, information, etc.)?
• Excellent (49%)
• Good (44%)
• Fair (6%)
• Poor (1%)
Alas! Have I not yelled about pore-o-vision sufficiently to move the mass of public opinion?
I'll say this much for Dave Brandon. He didn't land Michigan in a congressional report about how many of the military patriotism events at sport events are bought and paid for. The NFL, of course, is the biggest offender here, but Wisconsin, Indiana, and Purdue are the college programs that managed to show up. In those teams' case they seem to be selling a bunch of game tickets to their local National Guard units, which 1) is not a good use of taxpayer dollars and 2) in the case of Indiana-Purdue football is just not nice to our military reservists.
But mostly it's just NFL teams taking millions of dollars to pretend like they care about anything other than millions of dollars. Which is the best! It is infinite NFL.
Speaking of things we aren't getting paid for. Flyover this weekend:
A B-17 & B-25 will conduct the flyover for the @umichfootball Military Appreciation game on Sat. #GoBlue #MGoTroops pic.twitter.com/viisURhBJn
— Michigan Athletics (@UMichAthletics) November 5, 2015
The answer is "most deserving." Chris Brown asks what the goal of playoff rankings should be:
What criteria should we use to determine who gets the title?
One answer is that the champion should be the season's "best team," possibly defined as the best overall team or the team we think would be favored to beat every other team on a neutral field. Another answer is the "most deserving team," loosely defined as the team that produced the best overall season. These two things are not always the same. It's perfectly possible for the best team — i.e., the most formidable — to lose a close game or even two on a bad kick or a fluke play, while another team runs the table by winning close games.
Alabama lost a game to Ole Miss in which they had an avalanche of fluky turnovers and this happen to them:
That doesn't really impact my opinion about how good Alabama is. I think they're better than Ole Miss, probably a lot better. But that is just, like, my opinion, man. Once you start talking about "best" because team X has fancy S&P stats or a bunch of NFL first rounders you lose the reason we even play the damn fluky thing that is football. You play to win the game. Bama didn't win.
Now, in a sport like college football you can't just add up wins and losses and call it a day. Schedules are imbalanced and short. Style points have to come into play because a lot of teams will have similar records. A 58-0 blowout of a team should matter more than a 21-20 win. But once you start looking at the why you start eroding the fundamental reason I should care about, say, a one in a million punt drop disaster.
Moving the game to a Vegas-style "eh, don't care about results" model is not good for the sport and is fundamentally a guess that football keeps proving us wrong about, and thus we should dump why and how from playoff rankings in favor of a deeply researched take on what.
I demand a Drake Johnson television show. He killed it at his press availability oh and also
@DRAKEington So does this mean you can Fus Roh Dah opposing linebackers?
— Helios Eusebio (@MGoPhoenix) November 3, 2015
Skyrim bartering is bad but I'll allow it.
On that one site with all the liars. Hey. So Chatsports just lies about things, all the time, in search of traffic. Don't pay attention to them. This was Georgia QB commit Jacob Eason's dad in the aftermath of another Chatsports fiction piece:
The "story" that came out yesterday about him contacting multiple schools really struck a nerve.
Tony Eason called me on Wednesday morning and he was not happy about it.
"Who the h$#** is Marc F&%*% and where did he get that Bull Sh$%$# story at?"
Marc Furballson is the updated nom de plume of Ace Williams. If you post a chatsports link to the message board we will delete all your points. AND THEN WHAT WILL YOU DO
They won't listen. Mike Freeman on Harbaugh availability:
I asked one general manager about Jim Harbaugh returning to the NFL. His response: "He's going to have at least six teams come after him. He'd be able to have any open job he wants." The GM didn't name the teams, but it's not hard to figure out who some of them will be.
Then, the general manager said some NFL teams have already reached out to Harbaugh's camp to see if he'd be available once the season ends. Those teams, the GM explained, weren't told just "no." They were basically told "no freaking way."
Harbaugh isn't going anywhere.
Not that you needed to be told that.
I get it. Bruce Feldman on the Minnesota job:
Hearing more & more this week that there is a lot of key support for interim HC Tracy Claeys is keep the #Minnesota job full-time.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 5, 2015
For one, they don't even have an AD right now. Getting a new coach without a permanent AD is going to be very hard unless you have a Harbaugh; Minnesota doesn't. For two, cheap. For three, this is not a job market Minnesota particularly wants to be in, and you can make a long-term decision on Claeys after a year or two since there should be staff continuity.
Heavier now. MVictors went back and found the average weight of Michigan's starters since the beginning. After a plateau to start weights have crept upwards at a near-constant rate for around 100 years:
Things have leveled off a little bit since the 1990s.
Etc.: Rainman previewed. Dylan Larkin is good at hockey /weeps about last season. Exit Frank Beamer, real good dude. Bill Daley remembered. Rutgers blog is doing a 68-coach bracket to determine who their next dude should be and John Baxter makes a play-in game. Spike profiled. Blake O'Neill and a small child. More of a medium child, actually.
Nebraska's athletic director is… working on extension? That's one way to approach things. Things are going down at Georgia. Chaos there helps Michigan with Isaac Nauta and Mecole Hardman. OSU/M tickets next year will be expensive, still under demand.
Unverified Voracity Is Storing A Sandwich In There
Not dog grooming. Good news! It seems like they're shelving "In The Big House" for something else. That would seem to be this from a couple of walk-ons:
According to the facebook, anyway. It's… not dog grooming. Horrible thought: this may have no impact on dog grooming. Let's move on to happier thoughts.
Vintage Fred Jackson. Man I just don't know how does this even:
"He's got Mike Hart kind of feet, but a lot faster than Mike."
That's about Thomas Rawls, and it goes in the Fred Jackson hyperbole hall of fame. Jackson also got this quote off:
"Usually a guy with good vision is a little bit taller," Jackson said. "Thomas is probably, maybe, 5-8. He tells me he's 5-11 and I'm 6-2, I think, and I look down on him and eat soup off his head."
Why are you eating soup off of someone's head, Fred Jackson? Why is there soup there anyway? What kind of soup? Does Thomas Rawls have a circular depression in the top of his head? Doesn't that seem unsafe for a football player? Are you #$*#$ing serious about this Hart thing? Do you remember Mike Hart? Fred Jackson I am confused.
BONUS I JUST DON'T EVEN HOW DOES I DON'T MAN: Rawls has a "bete noire" tattoo for this reason:
He says it's French for "accomplish your hopes and dreams."
I do not think your tattoo means what you think it means.
Jackson said Rawls also reminds him of another former Flint star, Mark Ingram, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama. Ingram (5-10, 215 pounds) and Rawls are similar in build.
"They were almost identical high school backs," said Jackson. "Obviously, Mark Ingram had a great (offensive) line at Alabama that helped him along, but Thomas is a lot faster than Mark, (and) has the same type of ability. I'm not trying to compare them in any way but when you watched them in high school, they were very similar running backs."
"Norfleet is as quick as any kid at Michigan since I've been here," said Jackson, in his 21st season. "I've not seen a guy that quick…."
But what about senior quarterback Denard Robinson? Is Norfleet faster?
"No, I don't think (anybody) is faster than Denard," Jackson said. "(Norfleet's) got the quickness that will put him in the same positions Denard gets in quicker than Denard will get in them."
Facial hair watch. Ace points out that walk-on and competitor at left guard Joey Burzynski has the makings of something special on his face:
With careful grooming and time, this man could be a facial hair All-American. This would give Michigan two, since Elliott Mealer either needs an acoustic guitar or a hammer fashioned by Odin to do justice to his face… thing:
BONUS: Mustaches for Michigan, where have you gone?
They might do it. Brady Hoke's old defensive coordinator Rocky Long, now the head guy at San Diego State, has heard of Pulaski High School—the Arkansas outfit that never ever punts—and is thinking about doing it:
After reading articles about an idiosyncratic Arkansas high school coach who never punts, always onside kicks, and has tremendous success doing it, Long is toying with the idea for his Aztecs of no punts or field goal attempts once they've driven inside an opponent's 50-yard line.
Conceivably, San Diego State would go for the first down whether it needed a couple of inches or 10 yards.
And yes, Long — who apparently hasn't yet tried it all in his 40 years of coaching — is serious about this.
"It makes sense," he said, seeming almost giddy in talking about the possibilities.
"Additional plays would allow you to score a lot more points," he said. "It also puts a whole lot of pressure on the defense."
It's not a sure thing yet, but I can't think of any better way to memorialize the WAC. Do it. You'd look so cool.
Oh my gawd. Please CBS, call this show "Boss Hog and the Zooker" and make it a crime procedural:
CBS Sports Network announces Houston Nutt will serve as studio analyst this year. He'll be joined by Ron Zook.
If college football does not take me up on my extremely reasonable plan to have JLS coach a different team on an interim basis every year, he could join up in 2013, and then our piss would indeed be hot.
Are these different? The M-Den says the basketball jerseys are different. I can't really tell:
I can still complain about it, right?
Jolly good show, catching me. I am quite elusive, you know. Fitzgerald Toussaint's OWI hearing is four days before the Alabama game. He's probably still getting suspended, but at least he's nicer than the average DUI recipient:
"He was extremely cooperative and gave us no problems at all," Saline Police Department Det. Don Lupi said Monday. "He was even more pleasant than the average drunk-driving arrestee. He was friendly and easy to deal with, unlike a lot of arrest situations."
"I say, you bobbies are really on your game."
Yes, imaginary Fitzgerald Toussaint is British. Because obviously.
The Fort. Man, running through my feeds and seeing open scrimmage reports from Arkansas and Ole Miss and Iowa plus A Lion Eye chastising himself for not checking out who the holders were at Illinois camp is a little depressing. Michigan's attitude towards this stuff is "please die, kthx." At media day it's clear the players were instructed to not answer questions about any freshmen:
I remember asking Jeremy Gallon how the freshmen receivers were coming along and his reaction was one along the lines of almost trying to keep things hush. He paused for a minute and then told me to talk to the coaches about it.
Will Campbell did the same thing on an interview I caught on WTKA.
Opening some stuff up is not just for mid-level programs (and Ole Miss), either: this space has noted some really cool access provided by Ohio State. Even Alabama, led by hater of all media Nick Saban, lets the media in to see some stuff. If Michigan's access is worse that Alabama's it's got to be the worst in the country, right?
I guess I get it since when Rodriguez was around the Free Press used the opportunity to talk to a couple freshmen to get them to issue misleading statements about how much time they were putting in, thus proving all long-held suspicions about the lizardmedia true. It's still frustrating that the hardest-hitting stuff we get is "what is your favorite Olympic event?" Not a 'wow' experience here. Someone put some pasta in a bread bowl or something.
It's on the up and up. The OHL came down harshly on Windsor for paying players under the table, which obviously never happens. My favorite part of all this is remembering the OHL's crocodile tears for their players when the NCAA was revamping their foreign player rules and hockey got an exception to keep CHL players out. They claimed it was just a shame that their entirely amateur league league was banned. Ugh. These guys are worse than the NCAA honchos.
Anyone want to bet a dollar that a pissed off Jack Campbell was a major source here? The WOTS about how these investigations came about fits Campbell's experience:
The league is choosing not to reveal names, though most believe some of the high-profile American players who played in Windsor could be responsible for the information leading to the sanctions. Some of those players were eventually traded, and it's been suggested the trade could leave them feeling bitter and more prone to talk about their former team during an investigation.
But at least he's in the NHL already.
Etc.: More and more people are like WTF Emmert about this North Carolina thing. More photos from youth day, including a guy wearing an old old Rich Robots shirt. MVictors on achievable Michigan records. The Tigers are having a "Wolverines In The D" event next Friday—22 bucks gets you in, a shirt, and five bucks of it goes to the Pat Maloy Scholarship Fund.
Year Of The Petunias
- 2011 purdue
- big ten divisions
- fitzgerald toussaint
- game columns
- i hope we're not a materialized whale
- injury wranglin'
- inverted veer option
- iowa
- jake ryan
- jordan kovacs
- lolmsm
- photo gallery
- piped in music is the devil
- scoreboards
- special k make big ten wicked sweet dawg
- students never show up
- taylor lewan
- tiebreakers
10/29/2011 – Michigan 36, Purdue 14 – 7-1, 3-1 Big Ten
At some point, Michigan will find out what it is this year. I have no idea when that point will come.
We know they're better than they were last year. How much better remains frustratingly murky. You think you have the answer when Michigan is punked in East Lansing, but then the Spartans get throttled and Michigan beats Purdue and there they are again in the national rankings…
10. South Carolina
11. Virginia Tech
12. Clemson
13. Michigan
14. Houston
15. Penn State
…and you wonder what happened to the rest of college football. This team is transparently flawed, incapable of going ten pass attempts without throwing the ball to the other team, and one year removed from having a defense that couldn't slow down a band of coked-out lemurs. So of course they are on the cusp of the top ten, hanging out with Houston, South Carolina's dumpster-fire offense, and Penn State's bold experiment into quarterback-free football. College football 2011: contagious and 100% fatal.
With one loss and seven wins everything is on the table as long as Sparty manages to biff it once down the stretch (don't get your hopes up)… and no one knows if they're any good.
This must be what it felt like to be a Minnesota fan in the middle of the Glen Mason era. Consider: you were a national power, and then you were wretched forever. One 3-9 year counts as "forever" to Michigan fans. We are sheltered, sheltered people.
You start showing signs of life. One season you get off to a great start, and collapse. Okay. We got off to a great start! It's better than being wretched!
The next season you get off to a great start, and collapse slightly less. Okay. We are building something here.
The next-next season you get off to a great start, are ranked in the top 15, have an unstoppable ground game, and… well… is there going to be anyone on the schedule? No? No teams at all?
Ah, Michigan. Here we go. /dies
It wasn't like this before. Michigan was Michigan, fergodsakes. All victories were expected and all teams were inferior and all losses were inexplicable or unjust and there wasn't a question about any of this. Michigan was just better.
Evidence to the contrary was suspect and invariably proven—or at least argued to be—false. There was this call or this mistake or this thing, and if the game had continued until a victory was well and truly certain, the opponent would have left shattered into a thousand mournful pieces*. This mentality was so pervasive that Michigan fans still have a reputation for the above thought process even after the last five years.
I don't think like that anymore. At first I was like the materialized whale from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
"Big Ten? What's that? I wonder if it will be friendly."
Now I'm trying to figure out whether I am the bowl of petunias…
The only thing that went through the bowl of petunia's mind as it fell was Oh No, not again.
…or if something novel is happening, something like not plummeting to my doom after materializing in an area where gravity is not my friend.
The Big Ten is not helping out here. At all. Michigan's conference wins are over Minnesota, Northwestern, and Purdue, teams which have lost to North Dakota State, Army, and Rice, respectively. Meanwhile, where is the proverbial other shoe? The nearest proximate shoe just lost to the Gopher team so bad they inspired GopherQuest. Gopher blog Fire Jerry Kill shows how this is possible by splitting out various quarterbacks' stats when they are playing Iowa vs Not Iowa. Here's MarQuies Gray:
Not Iowa* 9/19 125 47.3 6.6 .5 .7 104.3
Iowa 11/17 193 64.7 11.3 1 0 179.5
And here's Steele Janz:
This is not much of a shoe.
The next potential shoe lost to the Purdue team Michigan just outgained two to one. They didn't score against the Boilers until there were ten minutes left. And they're coached by Ron Zook. Comparative scores are a dumb way to do anything because football is weird, but it kind of seems like football will have to be weird for those shoes to drop. There is a strong possibility that Michigan reaches ten games this season without playing a decent team other than 1) the one they beat thanks to a fluketasm and 2) the one they lost to in a trash tornado.
Then it's just Nebraska and Ohio State. Just.
The stakes here are simple and vast as the ground that may or may not be rushing up to meet us: a satisfying season. That's something Michigan hasn't had in almost a decade. 2006 left a nasty taste because of the way it finished. Michigan hasn't beaten Ohio State since 2003, hasn't done that and won a bowl since 2000. Expectations keep deflating but we still haven't hit the point where they cross the actual accomplishments of the football team.
I want to believe. I miss the days when accusations of Michigan arrogance were accurate. I just don't know, man. I don't feel the air rushing past my face, but it turns out I'm not very good at identifying certain doom rushing up from below.
*[Unless it was from the Pac-10 or Florida, in which case please take your 30-point victory and GTFO before we have to alter our mentality.]
Via Eric Upchurch and the Ann Arbor Observer:
Maize and Blue Nation also has a photoset, as does AnnArbor.com.
Bullets That Hope To Be In Orbit Or Something
Kovacs. I sort of had the Kovacs information but it was only one unconfirmed source so I held it and hoped it was not true. Now that it is obviously true I can tell you a couple things about it:
- It is supposed to be an MCL sprain, which means he can barely move his leg at the moment and will be out a few weeks. When the coaches say he's "questionable" for Iowa they're in all likelihood…
- …lying their boo-boos off. Kovacs did not practice Tuesday but no one noticed this because they threw Matt Cavanaugh out there in #32.
The Cavanaugh thing is the clincher after a season of mysterious fake-seeming injuries that conveniently explain things like why the national defensive player of the week immediately ate bench. Hoke will bend the truth for better PR or gamesmanship purposes. It's back to the Fort. This is a 180 from the injury-report-issuing Rodriguez, though IIRC Rodriguez would occasionally surprise by leaving off a guy who was not already known to be dinged up.
Anyway, the plan going forward is to take any Hoke statement about the injury status of a player with a grain of salt. So no, I don't believe Woolfolk was moving to safety before this happened.
We have to talk, scoreboard person. An artist's impression of the replays on the brand new scoreboards at Michigan Stadium:
The scoreboards are very big. The replays are even bigger, to the point where they are useless unless you're a helmet fetishist. Widen your shot, good sir, and the blessings of Bo will be upon you.
The next defense. After years of being an untenably young defense, Michigan has reached average-ish. Despite that they're slated to lose only four players next year, one of them a walk-on. With the swap at WLB and the seemingly permanent insertion of Blake Countess into the starting lineup the breakdown is like so:
- Three freshmen (Ryan, Morgan, Countess)
- A sophomore (Gordon)
- Four juniors (Roh, Floyd, Demens, Kovacs)
- Three seniors (Martin, RVB, Heininger)
And then there's Woolfolk, who is a starter as long as Kovacs is out. If only Rodriguez had recruited some dudes in the middle of the line you could project the returners to be non smoke-and-mirrors good. Even as it stands you've got a senior Campbell and hope for decent play from Washington, Rock, and a bunch of freshmen. They should be able to maintain their play next year.
The one true tiebreaker. Everyone's talking tiebreakers in the West division because it was looking like a bunch of cats in a sack at the end of the year before Iowa went out and ended GopherQuest. The Big Ten's are typically goofy, prioritizing head to head over a better measure of superiority: the record of your conference opponents.
The first tiebreaker should be the conference record of your opponents in the other division, which works for two- and three-way ties. Right now that looks like this:
- Nebraska: 9-4 (Wisconsin (2-2), PSU(5-0), OSU (2-2))
- Michigan: 6-7 (Purdue (2-2), Illinois (2-3), OSU (2-2))
- MSU: 4-9 (IU (0-5), Wisconsin (2-2), OSU (2-2))
If the season does end in a three-way tie here* any system that would give the nod to the team that played Illinois and Purdue or IU and Wisconsin instead of Wisconsin and Penn State is a broken system. Instead the tiebreakers are all head to head and divisional record, which makes no sense. You've all played eight conference games and proven yourself equal—it's time to figure out who played the tougher schedule.
*[Say M beats Nebraska, loses one other, MSU loses to… uh… Iowa, Nebraska wins out with exception of M loss.]
Jake Ryan edge update. I have negative complaints this week. This is also known as praise. There were no sections confused by my "AAAARGH JAKE RYAN" outbursts because the most notable thing that happened in This Week In Jake Ryan's Edge Play was Ryan annihilating a sweep in the backfield by submarining a blocker on a blitz and tackling. +3, Mr. Ryan.
Quite a find there, especially considering that Michigan picked him up because he was an effective blitzing OLB in a 3-3-5 in high school. He could be a fish out of water in this scheme.
Michigan under-center running update. It… worked? Somewhat. I have no idea how to classify things like Fitzgerald Toussaint taking a toss play opposite that Denard jet action and motoring 59 yards. That's not really manball. It's not spread 'n' shred. It's gimmickball.
It worked, though. It looked like Michigan finally got that pin and pull zone operational, possibly because they identified an issue with Purdue's DEs. If they're easy to seal the pin and pull gets you the advantages of an outside sweep in a faster-developing play. The pulling linemen have less distance to cover.
The I-Form stuff did work to some extent. As we'll see below, the extent was such that every newspaper in the state is running a piece on how
1: Lo, Bo looked down from Football Valhalla and said "I am pleased, my son." 2: "It is the will of Old that the quarterback shall taketh the ball from the center by hand and turn his back to the line of scrimmage." 3: "Motion of the ball through the air, whether forwards or backwards, is an abomination to Old." 4: "Pitches are excepted."
Judging the effectiveness of the base offense will have to wait for the UFR to break down the yardage. I'll probably have to categorize the gimmickball separately.
Inverted veer. Rodriguez played with it some but never really put it in the offense for realz; Borges whipped it out against the Boilers to good effect.
That's a play that gets Robinson going north-south with a pulling lineman if the defense doesn't force a handoff, which Purdue didn't. That was to their detriment.
I probably won't complain about showing it against a weak opponent if/when it doesn't work down the road. Purdue was nowhere near the baby seal that Minnesota was. The game remained in contact until the third quarter. This is a different thing than knowing you can name your score after the first drive.
Taylor Lewan. @mgovideo tweeted "Taylor Lewan is undead" and I have nothing that can top that. Shoot him in the head, Gholston, or he's coming for you next year. Make sure to double tap.
Students who are not reading this: you suck. Weekly complaint about student section is lodged. No one reading this is included. It is your slothful classmates who must feel the lash.
Now, there are some extreme bottlenecks upon section entry that mean a lot of student who show up on time spend 15 minutes waiting in line before actually getting into the stadium. Vitriol towards the student section up to halfway through the first quarter should properly be directed at the athletic department's crappy logistics.
HOWEVA, when half of the upper reaches remain empty throughout a Big Ten game that's on various students who don't know what MGoBlog is. There's no reason to sell those people tickets at discounted rates if they're not even going to show up and be loud. The carrot and stick:
- Assign points to students based on ticket scans. 5 for 20 minutes before the game, 2 for before kickoff, 1 for showing up at all. Validated tickets do not score.
- Reduce the size of the student section by 10%.
- Prioritize renewals based on points, not seniority. Also prioritize bowl lotteries based on this. Top 10% get half off. Anyone below some crappy cutoff gets no tickets.
I'd love to see a similar policy enacted for regular season ticket holders but that's infeasible since they're already pressing them for maximum cash and cannot easily replace people pissed off by something like that with other super rich dudes.
This is the cost of luxury seating: seeing the most expensive seats in the building half-full at best. This is most obvious at Yost, where the club seats are literally 40% full for every game.
Special K: die in a fire. I've linked to various Penn State blogs complaining about the environment at Beaver Stadium to provide ominous warnings about what our future is like, but I thought that would be in five years… not five games. Volume: ear-splitting. Choices: inane. Seven Nation Army: played one dozen times, including before opening kickoff. It's bad when I am tired of 7NA. I once listened to 7NA for a half-hour straight until someone yelled at me to stop.
HSR suggests another White Stripes song:
That works. He probably would have gotten one that does if he had chosen at random. There are more Stripes songs that are plausible than ones that aren't. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground. You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told). Fell In Love With A Girl. Icky Thump. Conquest. Blue Orchid. Never has a local band had a better collection of killer opening riffs plausible for pump-up purposes. If the athletic department prioritized having their own thing instead of having the same thing everyone else does they might look into this.
Meanwhile, we're treated to "GET LOUD" and an animated train exploding on the videoboards. (Instead of replays, of course, because who wants to watch a football game anymore?) We are Michigan State. It took less than a season. I was all like "you go girl" to this Bando Calrissian comment:
Yesterday was the closest to a minor league baseball game experience I've ever had at Michigan Stadium. The RAWK was out of control(and more often than not earsplittingly loud), the Rocket Man deal struck me as an unnecessary gimmick (play the Space, Bitches PSA and call it a day), that train graphic on the scoreboards, everything felt extraordinarily cheap and generic. Very un-Big House-esque.
And, here' s a fun fact: One of the highlights of Homecoming has always been the alumni cheerleaders doing gymnastic tricks in the end zones during stoppages in play. It's fun, and always gets the fans really into things during lulls in the action. They were told this year they were not allowed to do flips and such on the field, or so one of them told a few of us in Alumni Band. And it was true, they basically just sat and did nothing for the entire game.
A little bit at a time, the uniqueness of Michigan is being chipped away in favor of a generic, corporate, sterile experience. Seems to me "revenue streams" and marketing gurus rule the day in DB's Athletic Department, and it really doesn't need to be that way.
Corporate ass-covering and focus-group research, all of it. What's happening to Michigan Stadium is reason #1 this site will always remain independent. This is what you get for hiring someone who made his living sending people things they didn't want in the mail.
Yeah, guy who doesn't care about any of this and complains about people who do, you're cooler than those who do. Pop that collar.
THE ONE GOOD THING: No dog groomers except once before the band came out.
ST3 goes inside the box score:
With apologies to Denard, this section belongs to Fitzgerald Toussaint this week. In fact, I will refer to him as Filthgerald. Filthgerald gained 170 yards on 20 carries, scored 2 TDs, had a long of 59 yards, and averaged 8.5 YPC. Can someone explain to me again why he only got two carries against staee? Forget that last comment, I've moved on.
There is also a way-too-early BCS standings look. No Hoke for Tomorrow, unfortunately.
Media, as in unwashed blog masses. Sap decals. Trends from MGoFootball. Maize and Go Blue with a game recap. MZone autopsies:
Yes, I'm so damn scarred by the previous three seasons that, after Purdue's initial drive, I felt a flash of deju vu all over again. But Michigan stayed the course and eventually put Purdue away, pretty much by halftime and certainly before the 3rd quarter was over.
How refreshing.
TTB on Toussaint:
Fitzgerald Toussaint is hitting his stride. Finally healthy after two years of long-term injury issues, Toussaint is showing what he can do. He had 20 carries for 170 yards, including a spectacular 59-yard touchdown run (Michigan's longest run of the year). He's averaging 6.1 yards per carry on the season. Perhaps the best part of Toussaint's game is the way he finishes runs. Despite not being particularly big, he always seems to churn his legs for an extra couple yards after contact. His yardage total was the best by a Michigan running back since Michael Hart had 215 against Eastern Michigan back in 2007.
At this point, Michigan is grabbing wins like items at an Old Country Buffet; these things might not be of high quality, but this is America and MORE is better than anything else. Yes, I am comparing the quality of Big Ten competition to the lukewarm comestibles of a buffet chain.
The Purdue point of view is unenthused or bizarrely optimistic. The former:
Purdue's execution, especially when it was really needed was atrocious. Conversely, UM shored-up the issues that had been exposed v. MSU following their bye week...and played soundly all game.
Michigan seemed to want to test Purdue physically in the trenches and Purdue failed as they looked pensive, slow and soft when popped in the mouth. The end result was a sound defeat for Hope's squad, 36-14...but it felt much worse than that score.
Yes, the final margin was 22 points, but we were close through three quarters and the difference of a few plays swung the scoreboard wildly in their direction. Things got wildly out of control after a few key mistakes, as often happens in college football.
I'm just all like… it was 36-7 at the start of the 4th and Purdue had 200 yards of offense to Michigan's 510. That's not a game that swung on a few plays. Elsewhere in his post Hammer and Rails's T-Mill gives Michigan plenty of credit, so this isn't a lol delusional homer thing. I'm just surprised anyone could do the point-at-critical-plays thing after that.
Media, as in dying legacy organizations (and ESPN). Before we get into the scoffing, the Daily covers the jetpack flight in column-length detail.
The scoffing! Man, does everyone want to seize upon this as proof Brady Hoke Gets It, This Is Michigan, and This Is Not Last Year:
Just like that, Fitzgerald Toussaint proves the Michigan football team can resemble its old self
…against Purdue.
Sometimes I wonder if my brain has mutated to the point where I'm not even watching the same game as some of these people. This is about the MSU game:
With the backs providing little to no punch offensively, Robinson was forced to become Michigan's exclusive run threat. Partly because of that, he was also subject to immense pressure in the passing game, as he was sacked four times and eventually forced to leave the contest early due to injury.
My version of this paragraph is "With Al Borges inexplicably enthralled with the passing game, Robinson only got twelve carries to go with Toussaint's two. Because of something entirely unrelated that also impacted the ground game, he was also subject to immense pressure in the pocket. Later he left with an injury caused by a late hit."
Yes, this is the usual mumbling about media narratives that have no relation to reality. You're like 3000 words into this post and are clearly addicted. Suck it up. This is the point in Requiem for a Dream where your arm is a mass of black veins and you're still shooting up.
Martin leads resurgence of traditional Michigan defense against Purdue
…against… yeah, them.
This is a different Michigan team
…than the one that beat Purdue last year.
Wolverines' 'old-school' whipping of Purdue would've made Bo Schembechler proud
This one is a wow experience. I mean:
[Toussaint] transforms into a sledgehammer when he runs between the hash marks.
He's not Carlos Brown but come on, dude. And I challenge you to distinguish this from a seventh-grader's B- paper:
Even against a powder-puff Big Ten team such as Purdue, the Wolverines regrouped after surrendering a 48-yard pass on a simple slant-screen that shredded the defense for a touchdown in the opening minutes of the game. No one panicked on the sideline. Instead, the much-maligned unit discussed it and agreed the appropriate response called for equal parts inspiration and perspiration, but no more excuses.
Holy pants. Someone agreed this paragraph should be set down in print and copied thousands of times so its wisdom could spread throughout the land, no more excuses.
Even Wojo fell prey to some extent:
In finding running game, Michigan re-joins Big Ten title race
Ann Arbor— As the day's events unfolded, one thing became clearer and clearer. Michigan is back in the running, and it got there by getting back to the running.
The Wolverines pounded a weaker foe Saturday, which isn't a big deal unless you acknowledge how it happened, and what happened elsewhere in the Big Ten. Michigan bashed Purdue, 36-14, and did the job without everyone waiting around for Denard Robinson to do the job.
Michigan's rushing offense before playing Purdue: 12th nationally. Rich Rodriguez: not involved with the decision to throw two-thirds of the time against Michigan State.
Strategy matters, simple things unrelated to hearty grit toughness can provide huge swings, coaches make mistakes frequently, and no one at a newspaper ever watches a game a second time. Facts.
Sonic Survey Results
After about a week we had just over 3000 responses, 2983 of them male and 120 female. We are all dudes.
- high school or younger: 16
- undergraduate: 287
- 22-34: 1874
- 34-49: 760
- over 49: 166
- Student: 283
- All or almost all games: 659
- A few games a year: 1173
- Every once in a while: 920
- Never: 68
If anyone wants the full dataset it is available as a csv here.
Graphs? Graphs. I had to shorten some of the Qs so they'd fit on the axis.
Piped In Music: If And When
Denard After Dentist
- 100% pure colombian awesome
- 2003 minnesota
- 2004 michigan state
- 2011 notre dame
- al borges denard fusion cuisine
- brandin hawthorne
- craig roh
- denard robinson
- denard robinson makes rainbows
- desmond howard
- facepalm guy
- game columns
- i am a spread zealot no foolies
- junior hemingway
- matt wile
- michigan legends
- piped in music is the devil
- stadium experience
- vincent smith
9/10/2011 – Michigan 35, Notre Dame 31 – 2-0
is this real life?
Not only can Denard Robinson redefine All-America teams, average nearly 500 yards per game against Notre Dame, and pilot the most insane fourth quarter Michigan Stadium has ever seen, but he can sum up what happened on Saturday in a single word:
If you still need evidence that Denard can do things other people can't, there you go. Because I've got nothing. I can gape, slack-jawed and twitching, if you'd like. Oh, and I can put my finger between my lips and go "brrrrrrrrrbbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrrbb" with crazy googly eyes. Also I can spin in a circle going "yip yip yip yip yip."
These are my capabilities. All other functions are currently offline. Attempt to access higher cognition and you will receive 503 Gateway Not Found.
That's fine. There's nothing to say that "brrrrrrbrbrbrbrbrrbrbrb" doesn't cover anyway. I am so high, you guys. I don't even know what I'm saying.
Seriously. I'm really struggling here to put words in the computer. I guess… okay.
The thing I really really hated about the first three quarters (other than everything) was the way the offense made Denard mortal. This extended beyond the usual reasons 90 yards of offense in a half make you homicidal. Not only were we lost and hopeless in our first serious game after returning nine starters from one of the nation's most explosive offenses, but the guy who didn't transfer when his offense got fired out from under him was busy playing out everyone's worst-case scenarios.
I don't think I can take football games in which I'd rather have Alex Carder than Denard Robinson. A return of freshman Denard looking like a sad panda is too depressing for a multitude of reasons but mostly because just look at him:
Shoehorning him into an offense that doesn't fit him is a crime against man and panda and manpanda. He had to be dying in the first half as he flung balls to Tacopants and ran waggles the entire stadium could predict. People twittered me about moving him to RB so Gardner can get on the field. I couldn't block them from my phone. The tweets sat there, whispering evil things into my ear.
As I projected Denard's state of mind my own got inky black. The road ahead seemed like another two years of painful rebuilding towards a goal Denard will never see, his career relegated to that of Brandon Graham when Desmond Howard seemed in reach. It's going to kill me if Denard ends up a really good player on a mediocre team for the duration of his career and Michigan doesn't end up making anyone who wants 16 in the future wear a patch with dreads on it. It's going to be worse if he's not even a really good player. Someone is at fault for this travesty.
I was running advanced equations of blame assignment amongst Bill Martin, Rich Rodriguez, Al Borges, Dave Brandon, and bloody fate when Denard rolled out. Corralled by a Notre Dame defender, he stood perfectly still but still delivered a game-changing dart to Junior Hemingway before two more ND players could close in.
From there the delirium took over.
That game was delirious because of the many improbable events stacked on each other. Jeremy Gallon jump-ball touchdowns. Tommy Rees's aiming device locked on Michael Floyd. Tommy Rees throwing a ball backwards for no reason. More jump balls to Junior Hemingway and Roy Roundtree and Jeremy Gallon turning invisible with 23 seconds left. All the reasons it left you with your finger between your teeth are reasons to wonder about the smoothness of this transition (not very), the repeatability of such miracles (even less).
This isn't to blame anyone—it seems that coaches are who they are and as much as I want to, you can't hire a guy based on the two years left you've got with Denard. But I hope I'm not the only one who felt a sense of foreboding in the midst of the joy and relief. We've seen this script the last two years, and never has it been as rickety.
Michigan has to fix some stuff—lots of stuff—by the Big Ten season. The stakes are only Denard's career, everyone's faith in the Ethical Les Miles theory of Hoke's success, and the very survival of pandas in the wild. I'll take the escape. I wonder what happens when the drugs wear off and real life reasserts itself.
For now, though:
The game is ova!
Non-Bullets Of WHAT?
Pantheon placement. I think this is below Braylonfest—but only just—in the competition for Best Comeback Ever (that people 32 or under remember). For Michigan to pull Braylonfest out they had to recover an onside kick and survive not just triple overtime by an oft-forgotten 50-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation that was set up by a horrible pass interference call.
A good proxy for the level of kickass in your comeback is how many people left the stadium early. While there were some people who took off when ND made it 24-7, they don't compare to the legions who left early during that MSU game. And winning that eventually got Michigan a Rose Bowl appearance. The season-long significance of this ND game is going to be lower.
It easily beats out the Buffalo Stampede game, since it's not against Minnesota or in the Metrodome, and then it's a long way to fourth place.
As far as best game ever… it depends on what you're rating it on. I like my defining victories to be well-played and not hinge on the opposing quarterback throwing the ball backwards for no reason. In terms of pure drama it's up there but with both teams unranked and not looking likely to defy that I'd say most Ohio State games before we stopped being competitive had more salt to them. We lost all the ones that came down to the last play, though.
The entire Denard interview. If you missed this, you should fix that:
Commence the bitching about the offense. Watching Michigan run a play-action bomb from the I-formation after averaging exactly two yards per carry out of the I on previous attempts was exactly what I was beating into the ground over the offseason. No one is scared of Michigan's crappy backs running power out of the I-form so no one has to cheat to it. Thus instead of Worst Waldo plays featuring Roy Roundtree and twenty yards of grass we got a lot of hopeful downfield jump balls into excellent coverage.
Michigan was lucky as hell to get most of those. That was a Jeff Bowden special right there. I'm not alone in this. There has to be some adaptation now that we know the relative success rates of manball and Denardball. When Denard's averaging 7.5 YPC (sack excluded) and the rest of the backs under are 2, power is a lost cause.
Denard has to be the focal point of the offense, fragile or no. And the new offense seemed to remove Denard's legs as the primary threat without actually reducing his carries: he had 15 carries* in just 50 snaps. Project that to last year's 72 offensive snaps per game and Denard would have carried 22(!) times. What's the point of throwing away snaps on two-yard runs from the I?
*[sack removed.]
Primary thing that may just work. "Chuck it up to Hemingway" may be the world's most primitive passing game but dang if it doesn't work. Hemingway not only has great leaping ability, he's enormous and therefore capable of boxing out opponents. Add in an uncanny knack for being able to high-point the ball and he's a hell of a lot like Marquise Walker before Walker got the dropsies as a senior.
Primary thing that did work from under center. Vincent Smith's throwback screen touchdown was a great call since it used Denard's legs. He rolls, defense freaks, he throws back, Smith should have an easy touchdown if any of the offensive linemen block that one linebacker, Smith makes it happen anyway. Contrast with the earlier screen where a short Denard has to float a ball over a guy leaping in his face and ends up throwing it eight yards too far and getting it picked off.
And introducing… Facepalm Guy. The facepalm guy from the sad fugee face picture in the "So I Was Like" post: the the new Lloyd Brady? He's already won an award for "Media Criticism" from Doctor Saturday.
1) He caught ESPN's camera's capturing his facepalm moment and gave them an oh-no-you-di'in't:
2) After the game he… well, he did this:
Can a brother get a Facepalm Guy touchdown Jesus photoshop?
(HT to MGoUser Haterade.)
Defensive events. Brandon Herron and Mike Jones were supposedly out with injury but if I had to guess they were not so badly hurt they couldn't play and Michigan was trying out their other options at WLB. Desmond Morgan started, played poorly—he got trucked like he was in a BTN practice highlight-type substance—and was yanked. Then Brandin Hawthorne came in and may have been plausible. He knifed into the backfield for one key TFL on third and short. I'm guessing he was at least partially responsible for a number of Cierre Wood runs that went for big yardage, but we'll see. WLB remains a sore spot.
The other sore spot is an alarming, unexpected one: WDE. Craig Roh had zero tackles for the second straight week and while he did get a QB hurry or two he seems less impactful from that spot than he did last year. I mean, last year he split two ND linemen and picked up a huge TFL en route to a +11 day. This year he'll be lucky to break even. Hopefully he's still sick. I wonder if we see more Black in the short term.
How did Jordan Kovacs only have eight tackles?
BONUS: Will Campbell got held! By an offensive lineman!
Special teams. Matt Wile has been at least average spelling Hagerup, and with only one more real-ish game left before the latter returns it looks like Michigan will escape that suspension without much real damage. I still hate the regular punt. If ND's John Goodman hadn't made inexplicable fair catches he had tons of room on two of Wile's five punts despite Wile's excellent hangtime.
The patch thing. It's pretty cool. Some potential tweaks and additions:
- Should we un-retire numbers? I could get behind a 98 if it meant someone was going to be sitting in front of a locker that said Tom Harmon. You'd have to ask whoever the nearest relative is.
Further locker room additions. Everyone who's been an All-American should have their name engraved in a fashion more understated than this legends designation…
...but still be there. Having Chappius and Oosterbaan and Friedman and McKenzie and Dierdorf and Long's names up in the locker room would be a nice way to recognize All-Americans past.
- Next up. AC and Woodson. If they don't put the retired numbers back in circulation. Jake Long would probably be next up way down the road.
- The patch is too big. That's just, like, my opinion, man.
So there's this. Exploit your children for fun and profit:
Profit not applicable.
Pom-poms and RAWK and crowd noise. Is it just me or was the stadium not actually very loud when it would help out the most? The pom-poms encouraged people to use their hands shaking pom-poms instead of making noise and while the piped-in music was indeed loud, when it cut out the people in the stadium making noise were largely going "OH oh oh oh oh, OH oh oh oh oh" instead of "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA." The latter is louder.
Putting aside the insults to the Great Tradition they represent, is the noise level created by the frippery mostly cosmetic? It has seemed much louder in Michigan Stadium—I was frustrated as I was screaming myself hoarse on the last drive while people around me shook their little plastic thingies. Plastic thingy shaking is not that intimidating, people.
And then there's the guy two rows in front of you who's shaking the thing constantly so you can't see the game. In the South they have a protocol about these things: raise that thing above your shoulder during a play and you're not getting that arm back. Here we get them every five years or so and there's always someone who thinks row 14 is the last one.
Ace took a video of the final kickoff. I'm going to point you to "so I was like" again because dammit I can. Chunkums took some killer photos, but hasn't animated them yet:
ST3 goes inside the box score. Michael Scarn says trying to describe that game was like taking a picture of Bigfoot. Post-ND MonuMental riff by ppToilet. (You can't choose your username, man, it chooses you.) MonuMental himself shows up to modify his Denard action figure for the occasion.
Pretty much the best. An obviously drunk Jeff at Maize Pages digs up the fantastically entertaining Roundtree-Shaw Newlywed game BTN video in response to the delerium.
Photo galleries and assorted media. Pregame shots from MNB Nation. Other shots from MNBN. The Shredder took a zillion shots. Tailgating from AnnArbor.com. Also the game. Here's a great stadium shot from Melanie Maxwell:
Also here's this dude:
The whole gallery is worth checking out.
The Desmond Howard emospective has also been youtubed. Try not to get dusty. Ryan Terpstra is making a habit of filming the hell out of ridiculous ND victories:
Wolverine Historian put together a 28 minute highlight reel.
Column-type events. Wojo. More Wojo. MVictors also fills you in on the techno viking behind Hoke: yes, it's Steve Everitt, and no, you do not want to get between him and his cubs. Kyle Meinke says Denard was a big part of the offense and the running backs weren't and that's not so cool. Florek in the Daily.
UGA/M dual-fan Michael at Braves & Birds wonders whether it's better to play poorly and win (as Michigan did) or play well and lose (as Georgia did).
Entertaining serieseses of bullets. MVictors:
On the sunny side, they pulled out all the stops in the press box for the media on hand. Witness the butter dish of victory:
This might have been Brandon's special bonus.
[Robinson's] total of 446 yards and 5 touchdowns was excellent, but how he got there was strange. Through three quarters of football, he was 4-for-14 passing (if that accuracy rate sounds familiarly horrible, that's because it's the same as Michigan's kickers circa 2010) for 136 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. In the fourth stanza, Robinson went 8-for-11 for 217 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, plus a recovered Stephen Hopkins fumble that he turned into a touchdown.
That graph is intended as a baseline estimator for a team's real-time win probability and is independent of situation, but the site also offers a crude win probability calculator, which, while it's calibrated to an NFL scale, can at least give us a decent estimate of how unlikely Michigan's victory was: four percent, Michigan's win probability after Notre Dame's slot receiver scampered into the endzone without a defender in site. Denard Robinson laughs at your probabilities and says, "Really? Oh man, that's crazy," and throws the ball to Jeremy Gallon standing alone in the Notre Dame secondary.
Maize and Blue Nation wins best headline: "The Denard. The Denard. The Denard."
National takes: Adam Jacobi marvels and notes that Robinson couldn't throw the ball even when he was completing passes; he also points out that uh… the Big Ten is not so much this year. Doctor Saturday:
Here, instead of merely covering poorly, Notre Dame subsequently failed to cover Wolverine receiver Jeremy Gallon at all, incredibly freeing him for a 64-yard sprint to the Irish 16-yard line with eight seconds left for a) A couple shots at the winning touchdown; b) A shot at a field goal to tie; or c) A confused catastrophe that left 110,000 people contemplated mass hara-kiri. With all of every one of those people secretly fearing c), Robinson delivered the dagger.
Robinson was, again, heroic for Michigan. He has brutalized the Irish the past two seasons, rolling up a mind-boggling 948 yards of total offense to go with eight TDs. His performance in the fourth quarter Saturday night was downright epic: 7 of 9, 202 yards, three passing touchdowns to go with six carries for 24 yards and another TD. In all, he accounted for a staggering 226 of his team's 229 yards.
In Case You Live Under A Rock
Unverified Voracity Is Incredibly, Unbelievably Good At Ice Dancing
Pyongyang would be proud. While Brandon Graham continues to kill opponents at the Senior Bowl, the other enormous Michigan star in attendance is reportedly struggling. These are lies. I can tell:
Michigan P Zoltan Mesko ruined the punt return drills by being unable to kick the ball far enough to allow a return more often than not (my rough count was 2 returnable out of 7), and his kicks consistently bounce backwards or straight sideways.
I'm sure this person meant to say Mesko ruined the drills by punting the ball into low Earth orbit. Either that or Jeff Risdon—if that is his real name—of RealGM is a compulsive liar who lies. These are the only two options.
That goes for you, too, "Chad Reuter":
This year's class of specialists is not very strong, and Michigan's Zoltan Mesko has been rated as the top punter on the board most of the year. However, his punts have lacked height and spirals, rarely turning over to gain maximum hang time and distance. He'll need a strong game performance to regain the confidence of scouts.
During the game on Saturday, Mesko will shank a punt that nails both of these fellows in the head.
Yost Hall of Fame. You know the monster Swedish flag that's taken up residence in Yost?
Yeah… it's homemade. Engineering sophomore Rob Eckert's mother is a hero of the people:
"I asked my mom around Christmas time when I saw her if I could borrow her sewing machine," Eckert said. "She was like 'What are you making?' I (told) her I was making a Swedish flag, a big one. And my Mom made it for me for my Christmas present."
I assumed that someone had purchased it off EBay or something, but it was a modern-day Betsy Ross. Someone get her a medal.
Expansion bits. Nominal Chicagoland/Illinois sports blog "Frank the Tank's Slant" has turned into an all-Big-Ten-Expansion-all-the-time sort of place, and it continues its long-running series with an analysis of the main thing: money. The Slant is a weird combo of useful information and totally bats conclusions like "Pitt is a ridiculous idea" and "a 14-team conference is worth spending 1000 words discussing."
I think the bats conclusions come from an excessive focus on money and only money. Pitt doesn't expand the BTN footprint but does make sense in a zillion other ways from academics to providing Penn State an actual rival to geography. A 14 team conference might make more money on average but is a nightmare on the field. Money is important—it's one of the many reasons Iowa State is not a candidate—but it's not everything.
Elsewhere, evidence that Missouri will give the Big Ten a good hard look continues to mount with a KC Star article on Mizzou's willingness to make a move. The main issues are Mizzou's century-long membership in the MVC/Big 8/Big 12 and the hit the Tigers would take in Texas, one of their main recruiting hotbeds, when they don't make regular trips to Tech, A&M, etc.
As always, it's dolla dolla bill ya'll making the most compelling case in favor:
"Illinois and Indiana will make $9 million more from its televisions contracts this year," Alden said. "Arkansas and Mississippi will make even more. That's our comparison. In five years, they'll have generated almost $50 million more than us without selling a ticket."
If Mizzou is willing to go, I think the additional markets they bring outweigh Pitt's superiority in basketball and academics.
You find a playlist 100,000 people can agree on, we talk. Maize n Brew Dave makes a case for improving the Michigan game day experience re: piped in music. My solution is simple: find Special K and have him transfer to Michigan State. His solution is removing stuff like "Lose Yourself" and "Don't Stop Believing" because while he likes piped in music "only when it's good." He suggests this playlist instead:
Guns n Roses: Paradise City, Nitetrain, Welcome to the Jungle
Motley Crue: Kickstart My Heart, Dr. Feelgood
AC/DC: Thunderstruck, Back in Black, Shoot To Thrill, Highway to Hell, Hells Bells (Defense only), Rock n Roll Train
Motorhead: Ace of Spades
Quiet Riot: Metal Health (opening scream only)
Metallica: Enter Sandman (Defense only)
KISS: Detroit Rock City
Problem: all this music sucks so hard. It's generic. It's played out. It's being RAWKED at an ECHL arena right now. And oh my god:
So how bout "Breakin the Law" by Judas Priest for penalties? "Why can't we be friends" for personal fouls? "Mama's little helper" when the refs screws us? "Sympathy for the Devil" when Tressel's around? "Play that Funky Music White Boy" for Tate Forcier and the "Speed Racer" Theme for Denard Robinson? This stuff isn't rocket sciene.
Dave is Special K. I can (barely) tolerate Don't Stop Believin'. When Special K plays Bob Seger at ear-splitting volume during a critical review I want to die. If he started making stupid little jokes about on-field events when I am on the verge of a panic attack it would make me want to stay home and that would make me feel terrible. The arrow on this points exactly one way: Joe Louis.
Dave makes this argument for piped in music:
The best example I can give is the Jagr-led Washington Capitals* … whose PA dude put together the most awesome montage-collages of heavy metal/death rock this pathetic planet has ever known. That Caps intro would melt your face right into your beer cup. … They knew their target audience and they fed it guitar heavy ROK like you'd feed makrel to a trained seal. We ate it up.
So… let's think about knowing your audience. At Michigan Stadium you have a vast variety of Michigan fans, students, and alums ranging from 18 to 80. Maybe 5% of them grew up driving a Camaro and rocking a rat-tail. "Knowing your audience" this is not. Keep the eighth-grade sense of humor ("boners!") and your 1985 hair metal where it belongs—everywhere else on the planet—, please, and let's go back to the things Michigan fans can actually agree on: Temptation, War Chant, Let's Go Blue, The Victors.
The thing that bothers me is that I really loathe the piped in music and, from the reactions I've gotten it seems like a lot of people do. For the people who hate it, the music ruins one of the few pristine sporting events luddites have left. For people who like it, it's just another opportunity to hear the same fifteen seconds of that one song you hear fifteen seconds of everywhere else. The cost to one group greatly exceeds the benefit to the other.
Rooting interest. I admit that I have no plans to watch ice dancing no matter what personal connection I have to it—I could be actively participating in a routine and be screaming "SWEEP" at my slingbox-enhanced smartphone—but others might be less curling-obsessed so it's worth mentioning that two current Michigan students are the sequined Brandon Graham and slightly-less-sequined-but-still-pretty-damn-sequined Brandon Graham of ice dancing. They are Meryl Davis and Charlie White:
White and Davis, both native Metro Detroiters, are University of Michigan students and die-hard Wolverine sports fans.
They're about to become very famous, as they head into the Olympics as the No. 1-ranked ice dancers in the world. White, a sophomore who has not chosen a major yet, and Davis, a junior in cultural anthropology, could become the most famous Michigan students in the Olympics since star swimmer Michael Phelps.
That's pretty remarkable. This bit goes beyond remarkable into the bizarre, though: the third-place team at nationals, and therefore the third Olympic qualifier, consists of fellow Michigan students Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates. Four of the six competitors for the US at the Olympic ice dancing competition will be Michigan undergraduates. Bates and White are freakin' housemates. I bet one dollar the four hit the ice at Yost during an intermission sometime before the year is out.
So, yeah, Tanith Belbin and Anonymous Partner can fall in a ditch. I want big, sequined block Ms on the medal podium.
Ask Vlad Emilien anything! Seriously. However, he will sometimes answer incorrectly:
Who wins: Mike Barwis or Chuck Norris?
i dont really know maybe chuck norris
Has Barwis ever brought his wolves to workouts?
More lies!
There's a couple of interesting responses, though. Molk is the "strongest, hardest working" player on the team, and this oddly grammatical question shoots down the idea that a lingering knee injury kept Emilien off the field:
Hey Vlad, Just curious, did a lingering injury keep you off the field last year? Did it affect your play? A lot of us expected to see more of you and that was the rumor. I'm looking forward to seeing you play next year. Thanks for making Blue proud!
to be honest i dont know why i wasnt playing... my coach told me he felt i wasnt ready yet
Sammi Sweatheart or Jwoww?
who is these people lol
So there you go.


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Perceptions of Fake and Legitimate Laughter
Science World Report comments on a new study that purports that the human brain can distinguish between genuine and manufactured laughter.
In a paper entitled "Individual Differences in Laughter Perception Reveal Roles for Mentalizing and Sensorimotor Systems in the Evaluation of Emotional Authenticity" published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, Dr. Carolyn McGettigan of Royal Holloway University of London makes the case that there is a link between the parts of the brain actively involved in laughter perception and the kind of laughter being perceived.
Two kinds of laughter were looked at in the study evoked laughter and emitted laughter. Evoked ("real") laughter was perceived as being more contagious, than Emitted ("fake") laughter, and the two kinds of laughter (Evoked vs. Emitted, or "fake") elicited responses in different areas of the brain when fMRI results are analyzed.
Furthermore, the behavioral post-test indicated that "participants were able to classify the laughs in "Real" and "Posed" categories with a high degree of accuracy." This high degree of accuracy indicates that participants are aware of the differences in how their brains perceive the two varieties of laughter. Such awareness is essential to a person's navigation of social cues. The study further analyzed the amount and the kind of brain activity that goes into recognizing Emitted (fake) laughter, "it is the social-emotional ambiguity of the Emitted laughter that leads to the stronger engagement of mentalizing processes."
In other words, our brains are working harder to distinguish the non-genuine laughter from its authentic counterpart. This causes humans to be more aware of their own responses when they are in the presence of laughter that they do not perceive as authentic.
Dr. McGettigan summarizes the researchers findings, "Our brains are very sensitive to the social and emotional significance of laughter, which is the social glue that promotes and maintains affiliations and group memberships. During our study, when participants heard a laugh that was posed, they activated regions of the brain associated with mentalizing in an attempt to understand the other person's emotional and mental state."


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Edit Flip Video files with Sony Vegas
April 28, 2012 9:51 am / Posted by Bill Smith to Camcorder Tips
Follow @BillSmi97843805
Import & Edit flip video with Sony Vegas
Part one: FAQ about import flip video to sony vegas
Sony vegas as a great video editor compare to Windows Movie maker or Adobe premier doesn`t support all mp4 videos but supports some special mp4(avc video codec,aac audio codec). Flip camera is not the standard MPEG-4 format(it is h.264 video codec, aac audio codec) .
So if we try to import flip video to Sony Vegas directly, following problem will pop up: only playing sound(vlc player can paly it but Windows Media Player failed); videos aren't playing the right way, skipping and looking like just pictures playing, choppy, pauses, sound very delayed etc.
However, Iorgsoft flip video to Sony Vegas converter can give you a friendly hand-help you import flip video to Sony Vegas freely.
Secure Download
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Part two: Convert and import flip video to sony vegas
Sony Vegas likes mov, wmv, avi, mpg video, flip video to Sony Vegas converter supports convert flip video mp4 from flip Mino(HD), Ultra(HD), SlideHD to wmv, avi, mpg, mov, dv, mpeg-2 etc, import flip video from flipshare to Sony Vegas 7.0, flip video to Sony Vegas 8.0, flip share video to Sony Vegas 9.0 with best output quality and fast speed, then edit flip video with Vegas freely.
Additional, flip Video Converter can also edit flip video, for example, adjust video parameter:resolution, Bit Rate, Frame Rate and Encoder, set aspect ratio (16:9/4:3/full screen/original), clip and trim video to just get you favourite part, apply effect:adjust brightness, contrast and saturation etc step by step edit flip video with easy to use video editor.
Step by step convert and import flip video to Sony Vegas on windows
Step1: Download flip video to Sony Vegas converter software on your PC, run it.
Step2: Click "Add video" to add flip video from flipshare, click "profile drop-down list" to set output as mpg, wmv or avi etc, then click "output arrow" to save it.
Step3: Click"Start", whole progress will be complete automatically. Then import flip video to Sony Vegas directly.
Surely, flip video to Sony Vegas Converter can convert flip video to other video formats mp4, avi, mpg, 3gp, flv, rm, mkv, m4v, dv, mov, swf, divx, xvid etc, extract audio from video and save as wma, wav, wma, aiff, flac, mp3, m4a, mka, aac, ac3, amr, ra, etc, import flip video to WMM, Adobe premiere, iPod, iPhone 3G/3GS/4G, iPad, Mobile Phone, Blackberry, PSP, PS3 etc. Also supports import these common video to Sony Vegas, say avchd to Sony Vegas.
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Sheila dikshit
Sheila Dikshit be sacked as governor and booked for corruption
The Aam Aadmi Party demands the dismissal of Mrs Sheila Dikshit as Kerala governor and registration of a criminal case against her and ministers of her cabinet for having looted the poor people of Delhi and having siphoned off around Rs 3,000 crore.
The Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) reports tabled in the Parliament on Friday have confirmed that the Sheila Dikshit government wasted around Rs 3,000 crore in the name of providing basic services like sewer lines, water lines, roads and drainage to all the 895 unauthorised colonies – which in reality were not provided at all. The CAG has corroborated the findings of the former Delhi Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin on the issue.
The onus of providing justice to the people of Delhi now squarely rests with the Narendra Modi-led BJP's central government. This government has over the past month removed governors appointed by the UPA on political grounds – then the obvious question is why is it shying away from sacking Mrs Sheila Dikshit ? The AAP demands that Mrs Dikshit be immediately removed and Delhi's Anti-Corruption Bureau be directed to register a case against her and ministers of her government, under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Read More
Sheila Dikshit stays mum on Kejriwal's invite for open debate
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday chose not to answer a question if she would accept the invitation of Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal for an open debate on a range of issues concerning the national capital. Read More
Arvind Kejriwal invites Sheila Dikshit for open public debate
Arvind Kejriwal has caught people's imagination, says Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit
Will Sheila Dikshit accept Arvind Kejriwal's challenge for a public debate ahead of Delhi Assembly polls?
Headlines Today | New Delhi, October 19, 2013 | UPDATED 20:20 IST
Arvind Kejriwal has told Headlines Today that he will write to Sheila Dikshit early next week officially inviting her to participate in a public debate ahead of the Delhi assembly elections. Sheila Dikshit had told Headlines Today in an interview last week that she was willing for a public debate with Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi CM had said, "Let Arvind Kejriwal write to me officially, laying out the format and the terms and conditions and I will look into these. I am not shy of a political debate. I have debated with Sushma Swaraj in the past. Public debates are healthy in a democracy." Read More
The Challenger: Kejriwal's aggressive campaign in the Delhi Assembly polls is turning conventional politics on its head
October 18, 2013 | UPDATED 23:35 IST
"You are misguiding the people." Sheila Dikshit's mid-morning telephone call on October 12 took the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) constituency in-charge in New Delhi, Gopal Mohan, 28, by surprise. Read More
Kejriwal trumps Dikshit as Delhi CM choice, claims AAP survey
Hindustan Times New Delhi, October 18, 2013
Arvind Kejriwal is the most popular choice for the next chief minister of Delhi, claims the latest survey carried out by his own Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Read More
Arvind Kejriwal dares Sheila Dikshit for a public debate
Updated: June 25, 2013 21:34 IST
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal today dared Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for a public debate ahead of the assembly elections scheduled to be held later this year.
"I invite you for a public debate. This debate may happen at Ramlila Maidan. Date and time will be of your convenience. But I know you will not accept this challenge," Mr Kejriwal said in a letter to the Chief Minister. Read More
More trouble for Sheila, Arvind Kejriwal will join auto drivers strike in Delhi
New Delhi, June 9, 2013 | UPDATED 12:36 IST
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal will tomorrow join auto drivers in their protest against the Delhi government's plan to ban advertisements on three-wheelers.
The protest will be held at Jantar Mantar. Read More
Arvind Kejriwal's party calls off protest after Sheila Dikshit accepts complaint letters
Updated: April 28, 2013 19:12 IST
New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today called off its protest march to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's residence after she "agreed" to receive 10.5 lakh protest letters on "inflated" power and water bills but it announced gherao of the residences of Delhi MLAs next month. Read More


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Banzhaf Scores 19, but CUA Falls to Washington and Lee,
LEXINGTON, Va.-- Jason Banzhaf went 7-of-15 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line to drop 19 against the Generals (4-1) but CUA (3-3) fell on Monday evening, 64-52.
Matt Fazzini added nine points for the Cardinals while Spencer Reed grabbed seven rebounds.
Ben Goetsh dropped 20 for Washington and Lee grabbing eight boards, while J.D. Ey and Zac White added 13 and 16 points respectively.
The Generals led throughout the first half and by as many as 15 but CUA cut that lead down to eight at the break, 30-22.
The Cards opened the second half with an 8-1 run that gave them a 32-31 lead with 16:14 remaining. The Generals answered immediately with a three-point play by White after he was fouled by Chris Kearney on a layup.
CUA jumped back in front on a Fazzini triple, and extended the lead to three on an R.J. Dixon layup. The Cardinals led by as many as four but with 8:25 left White's jumper on a Doug Poetzsch pass put the hosts ahead by two and sparked an 11-0 run that put the Generals up by a score of 55-44.
The Cards cut the lead to five down the stretch but solid free throw shooting in the final three minutes sealed the game for Washington & Lee.
CUA shot 21-59 from the field in the game (35.6%) but 21 personal fouls sent the hosts to the line 23 times where the Generals converted 14 chances.
The Cardinals will return to action on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. as the Gophers of Goucher College will travel to the DuFour Center to open the 2009 Landmark Conference schedule.


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This weekend I decided that I wanted to go and try a new restaurant and so headed into town to one of the local eateries. Now, imagine my surprise when I was handed a menu in English. Interesting, I thought to myself as all of the other patrons of the restaurant seemed to have a different menu and on that menu? Yes, you guessed it, the prices were much much lower. While I was accustomed to this in China and I am now becoming accustomed to this once again in South America I have to ask myself: Is this discrimination?
I have been thinking about racism in Argentina since I have arrived here as it is a country which is filled with such a great divide between classes, races and people in general. It is frequently said that there is no racism in Argentina because the country is basically mono-racial and mono-culture in nature, however, with immigration becoming a greater issue all the time The National Institute against discrimination, xenophobia and Racism recently published figures which claimed that discrimination against foreigners is one of the the most common forms of discrimination in Argentina. The study stated that Bolivians were the number one target followed by Peruvians and Paraguayans. While discrimation against Chinese, Koreans and black people aren't on the list I can certainly attest to the fact that it certainly exists and that it is expressed most often and through the every day vernacular of people here in Buenos Aires.
This is apparent most obviously in the relationship with the Argentinians and the Chinese who have quite a strong presence here in Buenos Aires. The general relationship between the Asians and the Argentinans appears to be one of mistrust. The very fact that here in Argentina corner shops are called los supermercados chinos or simply "Chinos" (which just means Chinese) seems to me to incate that the Chinese people and the supermarkets that they run have become synonymous with one another. This synoniminity also translates to the Argentinians relationship with the Chinese which seems to be mostly based on mistrust and misunderstandings. Many attitudes and myths prevail here including that the Chinese mafia has a strong hold in Buenos Aires, that the Chinese unplug the freezers at night to save money, that they do not pay their employees fair wages, or that they do not pay taxes or are reimbursed for their taxes by the Chinese government. In fact, it is increasingly difficult for Chinese people to get legitimate visas to come to Buenos Aires due to this prejudice.
Another term that I have heard used a lot here is "Cabecita negra" which literally means little black head) and is a historical racial term which has come t have a wider meaning. The word actually came from the Spanish name of a native bird, the Hooded Siskin. It is used to refer to people who have black hair and medium-dark skin, those who belong to the working class, criminals or lower class Argentinians who live in the villas. Also, nicknames such as "Bolita" Paraggua" or "Boliguayo" are used as everyday expressions for immigrants from neighbouring countries and for me are somewhat telling about the cavalier attitudes to race that are on display in Buenos Aires. Let me clarify and say that when I have heard these terms used although they are clearly meant as disparaging comments the people who have used them clearly do not identity or think of these words as at all racist. While I am the first to say that in some countries, like my own, political correctness has gone overboard I also do feel that such a general acceptance of these terms constitutes as a problem for those people who may feel excluded or discriminated against
Coming back to my initial gripe about foreigners being taken advantage of I have to chime in with my own experiences here and say that I consider that the word "gringo" here is used in a somewhat rude and derogatory manner. While in itself the word just means someone who is non-spanish speaking in Buenos Aires it is a collect term for "foreigners from english speaking countries" in Buenos Aires the word takes on a whole other meaning in itself and the discrimination. The assumption in Argentina seems to be one that exists in many other countries in the world and that is that English speaking people go home at night and roll around in their vaults of money like Scrooge McDuck. The discrimination against gringoes is just as real, albeit different, as that towards other races and nationalities here in Buenos Aires. In fact, recently there was an extensive debate about whether on not a word like gringo is acceptable to use in certain situations due to a jounralist using this vernacular in one of her articles. It is in interesting debate but I am My treatment in the restaurant is sadly not the only place where I have to endure hiked up prices. When I book a hotel room I pay double; when I try to book tickets online in English the prices are higher; when I want to rent an apartment I pay a foreigner price (around double the "Argentinian" cost) and when I want to buy an airline ticket? Well of course the office is government sanctioned to charge me more. Foreigners appear to be nothing more than a cash-cow to be exploited. Of course this exploitation of tourists happens everywhere but nowhere have I felt the sting of it quite so much as here in Argentina.
Of course, in this article I have no way to delve into the complexities of race relations in argentina or any other country and I am certainly not condoning the idea that anyone who uses these phrases are racist or that Argentina is in some way a racist country or in fact more racist than any other country. What is interesting for me is how this kind of discrimination manifests itself in the language and every day lives of the people around me and how much I have actually noticed it since I have been here. The first time I heard these phrases I was in shock but now I have just come to accept that it is a normal way of life to talk this way for the locals. I guess that living before with the absence of this kind of vernacular has made me very sensitive to when I hear it.
I would love to hear some more views on this topic. Do you have an interesting story about tourists being taken advantage of? Have you been a victim of discrimination in your own or another country? Do you think that words which could potentially be deemed as racist be socially acceptable?


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Token Pack: Creation Green
Keep track of all of your game effects with the Creation Token Pack! Filled with over 30 tokens to keep track of everything happening in your game, the tokens are designed to work perfectly with Relic Knights® or any of your other favorite Ninja Division games!
Product Information
- NJD Code: SPM148006
- Studio: Soda Pop Miniatures
- Price: $9.95
- Materials: Plastic
- Packaging: Bag with Hanger Tab
- Release Date: February 27, 2015
- 1x 50mm Primary Objective
- 2x 50mm Secondary Objective
- 28x 30mm Game Effect Tokens numbered 1 – 8.


text: We spend a week in Kuramathi Island for our honeymoon. We stayed in a Deluxe beach villa with Jacuzzi and had chosen the select all inclusive meal plan. On arrival we received a non alcoholic cocktail at the main reception while waiting for our room to get ready. The staff was extremely welcome. We were shown to our room where... More