text:
A hurtful, unfortunate episode
It's important for me to set the record straight on quotes that were attributed to me in a national publication today. I took part recently in a roundtable discussion about the declining number of black players in professional baseball, a subject that's been close to me my whole career.
I am hurt by how the comments attributed to me went off the track and misrepresented how I feel. My whole identity has been about bringing people together, from my neighborhood to the clubhouse. The point I was trying to make was that there is a difference between black players coming from American neighborhoods and players from Latin America. In the clubhouse, there is no difference at all. We're all the same.
We all come from different places and backgrounds. Coming from Pine Bluff, Ark., my hometown, is no different than being a kid from San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. We all share the common bond of a love of baseball, and it pulls us together on the field and in the clubhouse.
What troubles me most was the word "impostors" appearing in reference to Latin American players not being black players. It was the wrong word choice, and it definitely doesn't accurately reflect how I feel and who I am.
What I meant was they're not black players; they're Latin American players. There is a difference culturally. But on the field, we're all brothers, no matter where we come from, and that's something I've always taken pride in: treating everybody the same, whether he's a superstar or a young kid breaking into the game. Where he was born and raised makes no difference.
I've spent my whole career devoting time and resources to making the game more available to young kids in various communities. I love the game. It's changed my whole life, given me a great life. And it's important to me to spread the message to kids that the game can teach them so much and give them so much, even if they're not one of the lucky ones who make it.
I was a football player as a kid. Football was my life where I grew up. But people like Scipio Spinks, who pitched in the Major Leagues and saw me play, and my grandfather were able to convince me that I could have a long career in baseball and not tear up my body. I am grateful I listened to them and followed this path. Now I'm dedicated to spreading the word to other young kids.
This is dear to my heart, which is why I'm so hurt that people might take it the wrong way. I'll continue to do the things I've always done in trying to inspire as many young kids, in every community I can reach, to get involved in this great game.
I want kids from backgrounds like mine to understand that this road is open to them, and it's a road that can bring them a lot of satisfaction and happiness.
81 Comments
Yo Torii, us smart fans know what you meant. We've been defending you all day over at Halos Heaven and other places. We got your back, man!
Thanks for the clarification and honesty within your response Torii. It's unfortunate that today's "journalists" are more concerned about sensationalizing their content then they are about telling the real story. You are a class act and the well informed fans know it.
Hey Torii, we've got your back. One gaffe can't erase a lifetime of doing the right thing. We all know how tirelessly you work with the community and knew as soon as we read this that you had somehow been taken out of context. And I personally thank you for addressing the "imposter" line, as that was the part that gave me significant pause. You're going to take some heat for it, but keep your head up high and have faith that your fans know what a great human being you are.
Too little, too late I'm afraid.
You have been blessed by God. Do not worry about things and people whom want to abolish what is in your heart. I enjoy watching you play for my hometown team and I enjoy even more your kindness towards the children of our community. There is always going to be mean people in this world to take things out of context to hurt you. Just remember this happens to many others as well. God Bless you and close the door on the nonsense let's go get a World Championship I would love to see you raise the World Series Trophy with your great smile.
K. O'Keefe
It's unfortunate how far some journalists will go to sensationalize their news. I feel like you were taken out of context which is very unfair! A lot of fans who know you by now understand how respectful you are towards fans, teams and media included! It's too bad that this little thing is getting bigger than it should be. However you had some truth in what you were saying it was just taken out of context.
We got your back 😉
Hi Torii,
I just want to say AMEM to what K. O'Keefe said. God knows what is in your heart and what is true. People who judge should remove the log from their own eye before they judge someone eles.
Torii, you are most definately a class act. The problem may be just THAT. This is Los Angeles and the capital of smear, innuendo and twisted words beyond recognition. It may be time for you to be less available to the press but continue the good deeds with the public and in the neighborhoods. You won't remember, but my 9 yr old son attacked you after a Quakes game in Rancho Cucamonga where I play softball. You stopped & talked to him and signed a couple balls for he & his cousins. You were elevated to the top step of the respect ladder with our family on that day and because of that we will always give you the benifit of doubt. Stay focused, turn the page and don't forget to turn on that breaking pitch in order to bring that championship trophy home where it belongs…
Echoing what everyone else is saying, you are a class act, and while I knew exactly what you meant with your words in the interview (I didn't know what all the hubbub was about, you were just speaking loosely, the way you always do, it's what makes you accessible and personable to the fans), I think it means a lot for you to jump on here and clarify your word choice. Takes a real man to humble himself in a public forum, whether it was necessary or not.
Tori: Long time fan of your game and what you have done for the game of baseball. I think you should check the facts and the history of Black people and their journey to America before you refer to us as impostors. Same ships that transported slaves to America made stops all over the Caribbean and South America. For us folks from the islands Black is Black in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, Panama and so on. We do not look a Black's in America in a different way. Are there cultural differences? Yes but there is no difference on the color of the skin. Keep up the good work with the Angels.
Torii – first of all, please don't take offense at my name. I am mad4torii as well =D
I did not read the article because I don't fill my head with all the malicious, hurtful nonsense promoted by much of the media. I take pride in knowing baseball and getting a sense of the players. I know you are a class act and have no doubt that your intentions were not as portrayed, even if you mis-spoke. We all do that at times; we just don't have it published in a national publication.
Your reputation will speak for itself. GO ANGELS!
lets hope this is no BS from Hunter, as a cuban(even if i am not Black or mulatto) this is a total insult to all Latin players, this goes into the hearts of Tony Oliva, Orestes Minoso, Luis Tiant, Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Clemente, Tany Perez, Juan Marichal, Jose de la Caridad Mendez, Torriente and about 65 Cuban black players who played in the best baseball league ever
The Negro League.
Hunter better do something about this, apologize on TV to all Black or dark skinned lating players, or I will personaly make his life miserable and take this farther and to the top of the racist list.enough of this crap against us Latins
I am not going to lose respect on my black brothers on one man opinion or act, but what he said was awfull, he better take all back and in a very dignified way!!!!!
almost all of the players mentioned on my list are Hall of famers, with a few coming in soon voted by the Vets commitee (oliva/Tiant/Minoso) which will make 8 ******* Cubans in the hall, Despite 50 years of non-drafted players and from a tiny frreking little 12 million island (that;s who we are torii!!!)because of that SOB Castro, Latinos unidos por el mundo!!!
we will see the reaction of these names listed here, a couple are dead, no problem, we will be there for them.
"What I meant was they're not black players; they're Latin American players."
torii torii torii.
vladdy IS black. is he "african-american" like you said? nope. but is he black? most definitely.
you are a black 'african-american'.
vladdy is a black 'latin-american'.
"I will personaly make his life miserable and take this farther" You need to calm your crazy *** down spikecool!
Tori, you are a classy person. Don't let a couple bad reporters get you down. You are a wonderful person both on and off the field. You're a good and caring person that has a loving heart towards his fellow human beings.
Torii, I really enjoy watching you play and am very pleased that you are an Angel. You like me and many others do work in the community that we live in. That is very noble cause. Unlike many of the people that live in Rancho Santa Margarita, Aliso Viejo etc my community is very diverse. I was disappointed in your comments. However, I will continue to cheer for you and the Angels.
Mr. Hunter:
i do not blame you for your ignorance. I actually think it's good for people to hear what some blacks in America actually believe about their own "culture". Your comment regarding black being a culture is pervasive among many blacks in America. Black is a race. Sounds ridiculously simple, but you are not alone in not understanding that principle. I have heard many white Americans actually say " He is not white, he's Hispanic." And I'm sure there are many people who read this and still can't figure out the difference. For the record, the Hispanic culture is represented by every race on the planet. Hispanics are not a race. Much to my chagrin, there are many Hispanics who don't understand that notion either. I would never say "He isn't black, he's American" although I'm sure many Nigerians might agree with that phrase.
If you really care, take some time to study the origin of the Hispanic culture. I would be happy to discuss it with you. If you don't have time for that, than take a trip to Barcelona, Spain and let me know what race the majority of the Hispanic citizens of that city belong to. It's time blacks in America employ the same standard that they so proudly and deservedly fought to establish for themselves.
Torii, the fans have such respect for you. We would never believe in a million years that you meant anything disrespectful by your comment (which I'm sure was taken out of context anyway).
As is clear from the many comments on this blog, nobody really agrees on what is a "race" and what is a "culture" anyway.
Hang in there, my friend. We appreciate all you do for the community and your fellow players.
Torii you are my favorite angel. I have one question though, how have the offseason trades affected you and the team
Culture is the shared assumptions, values, and beliefs of a group of people which result in characterisct behavior. It is a total way of life of a given group of people. Culture is not just color it is diabilities, age, social status, gender, locality, religion, or sexual orientatioin. Everything we do is not cultlual or of culture. It is a peronal behavior. The only race that exist is the human race. Please stop slamming, bad mouthing, and judging Torii he is a good human being!!!!
you know what the problem is with people, they always look at race. It's unfair to many people. Thank you for clarifying
A black Dominican is a black man , black Puerto Rican is a black man. black Cuban is a black man.. they are called AFRO-CARRIBEAN and the USA blacks are called AFRICAN AMERICAN…they all came from AFRICA. Yes they were raised culturally different thats it. Tori you are one of my favorites but is was a stupid comment….you need to crack open a history book Brutha.
Torii, please do not allow yourself to be used by your supporters. Half (1/2) of them would not give a Black the time of day. Torii, please do not pit Blacks against Latinos.
Am I disappointed in your bag of Fritos comments. Very.
SuperMex from Texas.
Dikpose: you hit the proverbial nail RIGHT ON the head…
bottom line, ALL black Latinos…are of African blood first and foremost…and as you said…where the slave ships ultimately stopped, that dictated for centuries to come, the language and customs those in the Latin American/Central American or North American countries would live under….
Vlad, Manny, Jose Reyes, Manny, Jose Contreras, Hanley Ramirez, rAroldis Chapman, Carlos Lee, Danny Richar, Yuniesky Betancourt, etc…
ALL of these men are BLACK first….nationality is second…read your history books….
He's right in one sense…that many get confused/twisted or are just uneducated in what is obvious…."..he's not black, he's Dominican.."
OF COURSE these men are black….the country is only your identifier on where you were born…those of us who know what time it is, are talking about the family lineage…
I am African-American (with Cuban ancestry on my dad's side)..I've always loved Mr. Hunter…he apologized and this will blow over….
Vince-Tribeca, Manhattan
By firstname.lastname@example.com on March 10, 2010 4:10 PM
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Tori: Long time fan of your game and what you have done for the game of baseball. I think you should check the facts and the history of Black people and their journey to America before you refer to us as impostors. Same ships that transported slaves to America made stops all over the Caribbean and South America. For us folks from the islands Black is Black in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, Panama and so on. We do not look a Black's in America in a different way. Are there cultural differences? Yes but there is no difference on the color of the skin. Keep up the good work with the Angels.
@ bostonhater13:
your assessments are right on target bruh…
Vince-Tribeca, Manhattan
Mr. Hunter, I respect your mind and I respect your game, but surely you must know how off base you are.
Some slave ships stole people from Africa and brought them to English colonies in North America, some brought them to Spanish colonies in Hispanola, some to Portuguese and French colonies in other places. To the extent that "black" is an acceptable designation to give a man, it is as appropriate a designation for Vladimir Guererro as it is for you.
I realize your experience defines what you think of as your people as defined in part by your experience as Americans, but you can't really be invested in the silly notion that "black" means "African-American." I imagine Nelson Mandela would be pretty surprised to hear that he isn't black.
Would anybody seriously suggest that Jason Bay isn't white because he's Canadian?
(scorpion1957- Thanks for the props, but those comments aren't mine, my post was above that one.)
After reading everyone's posts, I was about to join in and rant on here, but I think it is inappropriate to do so here, so I will post to my personal blog, if you want to read it, check richardpose.com, if not, it's ok.
Again, It takes a big man to humble himself in public… but it takes a small man to continue to try to make him feel bad. A couple of you used the Bible quote, from Matthew 7:3-5, about the log in the eye… so true.
You gotta admit, your true feelings got the better of you. I think you suscribe to the Joe Morgan school of though that mentions how disappointing it is to see so many 'brothers' not being courted by MLB. And I would agree with that sentiment because the representative numers are too great.
Having said that. you are too smart and class act to make a complete lame *** distinction from my black Latino players to the African American ones. Cultural differences between the two? Absolutely. Imposters? Shut the you-know-what up, right now, my brother.
You wanna throw financial numbers in there and reference Scott Boras? You go right ahead and I have your back. But dont forget to mention the real source of the problem: Greedy and cheapskate anglo owners and agents who recognize desperation on the part of Island players. Dont be hating on the black hermanos. Be a real man and go to the source: the owners and agents.
I miss seeing more US born Afro brothers between the baselines. But like JAckie Robinson once said, black is black. Period.
I hate your team but love you as a player. See you during the season. I will be the Mexican yelling at you to go to the source and not blame my hermanos negros.
You gotta admit, your true feelings got the better of you. I think you suscribe to the Joe Morgan school of though that mentions how disappointing it is to see so many 'brothers' not being courted by MLB. And I would agree with that sentiment because the representative numers are too great.
Having said that. you are too smart and class act to make a complete lame *** distinction from my black Latino players to the African American ones. Cultural differences between the two? Absolutely. Imposters? Shut the you-know-what up, right now, my brother.
You wanna throw financial numbers in there and reference Scott Boras? You go right ahead and I have your back. But dont forget to mention the real source of the problem: Greedy and cheapskate anglo owners and agents who recognize desperation on the part of Island players. Dont be hating on the black hermanos. Be a real man and go to the source: the owners and agents.
I miss seeing more US born Afro brothers between the baselines. But like JAckie Robinson once said, black is black. Period.
I hate your team but love you as a player. See you during the season. I will be the Mexican yelling at you to go to the source and not blame my hermanos negros.
Tori, I believe that anyone who has followed your career and has seen the type of person that you have always been knows deep down what it is you ment to say. The term Black to you is as much a cultural term as it is one of race. I don't think anybody without an agenda would seriously believe that you have negative opinions about any race or creed. This must be a very upsetting time for you but please remember that we, your fans, will be behind you all the way. Just as we are for any player of the only color that matters to Angel fans. Red
Hey Torii, I know how it is when you say something and it doesnt really explain the point your trying to get across. Then others look at it as hateful in nature. Everyone knows of the contributions you've made to communities during your career so we know you are a good hearted person. Dont let people get to you and just keep being the great guy you are.
Yet another example of our broken gotcha media. Rather than clarifying the comment or even looking back into the character of the person the words came out of… they just assume the worst, play it up to be the worst case and repeat it over and over again to create a story where one doesnt exist
Mr Hunter… dont change one bit… a fun person, who is outspoken on important issues, while bringing humor, sarcasm and lightness. Sure that combination is what this latest incident is rooted in (humorous approach or phraseology on a serious issue) but its also one of the qualities that brightens a room when you enter, makes your teammates want to be around you and your fans want to bring some of your light into their own lives and personality.
Dont let the stupid steal the Torii we have grown to like, love and respect.
Torii, sometimes a small apology is much more powerful than a big, elaborated one. It is obvious that you are not sorry at all.
You are basically saying that a black man is not black if he is not from America? By the way, is the Dominican Republic is Europe? Last time I checked, it is in America, too. Back to your point: your theory is that you are black (because you are "american"), and the dominicans are latins?? You must think, then, that some people from Kenya are not black, but africans, right?
Torii, do yourself a favor and realize that you are good at playing baseball, but you stink at ethnics. Do yourself another favor and DO NOT try to back AGAIN your words. Say you are sorry and finish the matter.
As professional player he should be careful to the moment to make declarations, because these it should reflect the deep sense of what wants to express and not to leave between lines things that wrong they could be interpreted.
I to you respect it as player, but I understand that you as Afro-Americans have fought per centuries so that the racial discrimination doesn't exist, for that reason it is necessary to be careful not to fall in the same thing, to throw to the floor the legacy of blood and pain that the millions of Afro-Americans left as inheritance in the history of that great country, let us don't repeat the same words of hate and discrimination.
"My whole identity has been about bringing people together, from my neighborhood to the clubhouse."
Yeah, right, Torii! is that why you said white players shouldn't be allowed to wear the number 42 on Jackie Robinson day?!! To "bring everyone together" THAT is why his number is retired, to celebrate everyone being EQUAL, and you are such an idiot and obsessed with race taht you don't realize that and you want to go back to the segregated years where only certain races can do certain things or celebrate certain players. You really need to just stop talking to the media because you have already destroyed your legacy. You're an idiot.
"My whole identity has been about bringing people together, from my neighborhood to the clubhouse."
Yeah, right, Torii! is that why you said white players shouldn't be allowed to wear the number 42 on Jackie Robinson day?!! To "bring everyone together" THAT is why his number is retired, to celebrate everyone being EQUAL, and you are such an idiot and obsessed with race taht you don't realize that and you want to go back to the segregated years where only certain races can do certain things or celebrate certain players. You really need to just stop talking to the media because you have already destroyed your legacy. You're an idiot.
Baseball is losing interest fast. Torii Hunter was right. Get over it.
Additionally, what gives you the right to say who is an impostor and who belongs in what league? Do you consider it a travesty that there are almost no white american born players in the NBA? You probably don't care. I don't watch much NBA, but I can think of 3 players off the top of my head with white skin- Pau Gasol (Spanish), Steve Nash (Canadian), and Dirk Nowitzki (German). Are they all "impostors" too? Where is your rally cry for them, Torii? For a slew of reasons, many hispanics and many whites grow up playing baseball, and many blacks grow up playing basketball. Maybe if they had a HERO to look up to instead of someone shooting off their mouth all the time, they would idolize you and maybe start playing ball to be like you. Putting your foot in your mouth every other month does nothing to help your "cause"… which by the way is "oh, look at me". Plus, do you think Vladimir Guerrero, the "impostor" would have been able to play in the 1930s and 1940s? Think before you speak for once in your life.
You may not be racist – in fact I believe you are not – but what you said was pretty stupid and shows your lack of knowledge about what race really means. Latins can be black too you know. And quit whining about the media. You said it, didn't you? So deal with it. Personally, I could care less if you appologize. But don't complain if the media reported on what you said and some people get angry.
Why is Torii Hunter taking inventory of how many blacks are on each team? How many Japanese managers are there in MLB? Or owners? Why is it that blacks can pull the ?race card? all the time, and it?s no big deal? What if Steve Nash said ?Hey, wait a minute ? why aren?t there more whites on NBA teams? I mean, it seems to me that it?s a little unfair that the NBA is made up of 80% blacks.? Man, you would see Jesse Jackson ? Al Sharpton and all these aggressive "black power" idiots calling to have Steve Nash get on his knees and ?apologize? to all the "brothers" across country, for being disrespectful. The NBA might even suspend him ? because of the entire ?black backlash.? Torii Hunter is an ignorant ?peanut head? and should ask ?why is the prison population made up of 62% blacks?? What seems to be the problem there, Tory?
Why is Torii Hunter taking inventory of how many blacks are on each team? How many Japanese managers are there in MLB? Or owners? Why is it that blacks can pull the ?race card? all the time, and it?s no big deal? What if Steve Nash said ?Hey, wait a minute ? why aren?t there more whites on NBA teams? I mean, it seems to me that it?s a little unfair that the NBA is made up of 80% blacks.? Man, you would see Jesse Jackson ? Al Sharpton and all these aggressive black power people coming out of the wood works to have Steve Nash get on his knees and ?apologize? to all the black people across the country. The NBA might even suspend him ? because of the entire ?black backlash.? Torii Hunter is an ignorant ?peanut head? and should ask ?why is the prison population made up of 62% blacks?? What seems to be the problem there, Tory?
You are 100% correct Torii. MLB has not done enough in the way of recruiting young baseball players from across America.
As a Latino baseball fan, your comments were heartbreaking. You're clearly still referring to black latinos as "impostors" you see nothing wrong in calling them that. For your information, black latinos were mostly enslaved through History. In recent years they're still discriminated and scorned by many members of their countries populations. Their only way out of poverty is sport; soccer in some countries, baseball in some others. But even when they achieve success in their sports careers, they're still not seen as equals and many of them are denied entrance to high class restaurants, for example. Comments like yours only contribute to making things worse for your "second class"(here and there) brothers. Why don't you travel to the Dominican Republic or some other country where you can see the conditions in which many of these players are brought up? My feeling is you can have a change of heart that way.
this shouldnt bring u down!! fans that know u well, we know that u didnt mean it like that!! we kno how good of a person u are, helpin kids and communities, yet, next time make it real clear of what u are sayin and use ur words wisely so we dont get a cunfusions like this one. cuz the best players of baseball of all time are mostly latin americans, and by ur words, those players still alive, might of gotten hurt more than u for ur words, im dominican, and i big fan of urs, keep doin ur good work and be carefull wit ur words next time!!
I love reading the comments about how we need to "lay off" Torii because he is a nice guy and he made some uneducated comments regarding black Central & South American players. It does not change the fact that the premise of his statement was indeed racist. He called black Central & South Americans "imposters" as compared to black Americans (from the U.S.). I have to distinguish from race and nationality, becuase apparently Mr. Hunter doesn't. His comments are outrageous and the first thing he should be doing is apologizing instead of taking this obstinate stance that "my comments were taken out of context."
For as much as we say let us talk about race in this country, the double standard exists. Had there been a white player who made the exact quote Mr. Hunter made, he'd be villified. Why change the standard only because the commenter is black? Simply put Torii (BTW who spells their name like that? Probably Andruw Jones) Hunter is an idiot and should learn to shut his pie hole before he lets the world see what kind of an ill-informed, uneducated Arkansas hick he is.
Why do so many people still hate Fuzzy Zoeller so many years after his "fried chicken and watermelon" comments? Cuz he is white. Let's get off the double standard and call Mr. Hunter's comments what they were and are: RACIST.
Torii Hunter = RACIST
Torii, I can double damn guarantee you that San Pedro de Macoris smells better than Pine Bluff, AR. I've been there. I've smelled it. Jesus tap dancing Christ.
Can you imagine how the media would have treated this story if they were made by a white baseball player. As of today, not ONE national, non sports oriented television news outlet has reported these comments…..NOT ONE.
If a white baseball player would have made these comments, the national news media would probably be reporting the nightly news in front of his house and all the news anchors would be hyperventilating while telling us how much of a racist the white baseball player was….Why the double standard, I don't think the media would be boycotting this story. I guess, it just does not fit the template of what color a racist should be according to our glorious liberal news media
Another problem with with the gotcha media is that it brings all the clueless and hateful out of the woodworks. Without the ability to think for themselves they wait for the pundits to tell them its bad, then repeat it and reframe it every which way they can. From here the most ignorant among us get all riled up and turn a non story into a story. Next comes the name calling, the threats ,demands they be fired and chastised by the world. Then those who have the ability to think for themselves or see the whole picture take up the otherside and the situation now is now an argument with two sides.
Bottomline for the ignorant, non thinkers, lazy and hateful. The rest of the picture is the character of the person. When someone engages themselves through their actions to make a difference in race relations, chances are they are one of the good ones. When that person has a lifetime of good deeds and it can all be dismissed because of a one liner that people dont even really understand, then we live in an awfully sad world.
The media has a responsibility to investigate rather than just parrot and attach their opinion. They have a responsibility to give the rest of the story before destroying someones life. Go talk to the latin players on his teams past and present, talk to the latin players around the league and find out their relationship is with Torri. Look into the actions of that person… then go back to that person and ask what was meant by the words that seem so out of character with everything else in the picture. But that ethic hasnt existed in the media in a generation. Now its all about spin, shock and destruction. Making people feel good isnt the goal, giving them a reason to hate is the goal… see Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill OReily, etc.
Well its not just the Political pundits that play the gotcha, spin and hate reporting game. That same energy has taken over all media. Go for the big story… and dont let the facts, truth or good will get in the way.
Hang in there Mr Hunter, There are plenty of people that can see beyond the misplaced hate. Plenty of us that see the big picture. Plenty of people who judge you on your character and not on one word taken out of context or maybe spoken out of context. All stories get replaced in time… a week or two from now most people will have moved on to the next gotcha, the next non story and you can go back to being a great guy.
See what happens when you join a big media market team? You become a straw man…they seek to knock you down.
Come back to Minnesota when your Angels contract is up, or before if the money issue is worked out. We know and respect you and what you do in the community. Play out your career in Minnesota and become a hall-of-famer without being crucified in the media.
You look worse back pedaling then properly apologizing. You just don't understand your level of racism. Latins can be black too. Rather than recognize this and embrace your Black Latin American brothers and treat them equally (like a Black American) you isolated them by language and culture. And the worse sin you committed was insinuating that they are Uncle Tom's. You made a huge mistake using the word impostor and you have only made it worse with the Uncle Tom inferrence. What you said was very very hurtful to black Latin People. Make a cultural adjustment because you just slammed your brothers hard. Accept that and move on.
Torii….being in the lime light of the baseball athletic world…you must be very careful of the words that you choose to speak to the public. I certainly understand your quest for your own race in baseball. Yes, the baseball league is employing many latin players, maybe you must continue your direction in opening up the avenue of baseball to young boys of your race and choose your words carefully and just continue with your quest. So you are not offending any other race. Because in the long run it is best to accept your team members and play as a team. The team will get you success. Opps!! you are not perfect.
I been reading all these blog and first I'd like to comment on how lossly people are using the words racist and racism. To be a racist is an ACTION not the use of a word. Racism is like a linching or segragation which results in discrimination and prejudices. If memory service me correctly I don't recall hearing about Torii every taking and action of racism. Second, there has been alot of name calling and labling and one person even used Jesus's name. As a Christian women I find this very offensive, but I will not condem them for it.
Finally, people should stop telling Torii to open a textbook and study up on certian things when you to should be studing up on what words mean.
After reading your post, you might want to open up a text book on spelling and grammar. First off, the word is "loosely" not "lossly." Lynching is spelled with a "y" not an "i." A lot is spelled with the "a" separate from the word "lot." It is not one word as you incorrectly spelled it.
Besides the obvious spelling issues, I must address your line of reasoning regarding what it means to be racist. Racism is not entirely about action. It implies thought and and a given philosophy. Mr. Hunter would not have spewed his ill-conceived line of reasoning if he did not feel and think the way he did. THE THOUGHT ALWAYS PRECEEDS THE ACTION. So before action is taken, it is thought out; be it carefully planned, or in Mr. Hunter's case, haphazardly.
Carmine, you are just as thoughtless and inarticulate as a majority of the posters on the comment section of this blog. Hopefully, you and Mr. Hunter can both open up the same history and grammar textbooks and learn something. To quote was was written earlier, just because Mr. Hunter is a black man doesn't mean he cannot be racist.
And by the way, I am a black man who is put himself through college and earned a master's degree. Don't down on using education to open the mind and increase understanding. If the aforementioned Mr. Hunter had done that, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
My apologies for misstating your name. And no I'm not throwing my degree in anyone's face, but you seem to think that the idea of Mr. Hunter educating himself on the notion of race and race relations is a novel, yet unnecessary concept. The nature of my post was to emphasize that education is the beginning of understanding. It leads to mutual foundations being established and provides the basis for disagreement and discussion; as opposed to the molotov cocktail method that Mr. Hunter employed to call black Central and South American players "imposters" as a means to open up dialogue on race in baseball.
I hope with that explanation you can better understand my post. I wish you luck in the pursuit of your degree. Hopefully, you'll be able to pay forward your knowledge and help open the windows of understanding to someone who desperately wants and needs it.
I appericate you correcting me on my spelling. And I appericate the fact that we have the right to agree to disagree. Thank you. Oh and by the way my name isn't Carmine It's Pam
I also forgot to add that I am pursing a degree in human services so don't throw your degree in my face!!!!
If the saying ?actions speak louder than words? has any merit at all, you are truly the epitome of a world citizen and ambassador of baseball. You are probably one of the most charitable and genuine players in the game, and it hurts me that people would write you off so quickly for something like this.
I read the original article, and understand what you meant in context. Getting inner-city kids away from the streets through baseball is a cause close to your heart, and I do not see how that is racist at all. You acknowledge that you worded it poorly, and that should be the end of the issue. I think the fact that your fellow Latino teammates and friends were so quick to jump to your defense speaks volumes about your character.
As a fan, I realize that what I say probably has little meaning, but I feel like the things being said about you are despicable. I managed to talk to you in Rancho and at Dodger Stadium last season, and I must say that your demeanor completely changed the way I look at professional athletes. You are a good man.
Hey Torii,
Huge fan, go to games all the time and represent my Torii Hunter stuff every game and I got your back. People make mistakes some time and this is such a hard topic to talk about and I understand. The media blows up every story so this will be gone in a week. Keep up the good work and get this Angels team to a World Series team this year for this organization. Just let this go, keep speaking what's on your mind and represent the city of Angels.
What does it meant when you said: 'Come on, he's Dominican. He's not black.'…maybe in your mind we are supposed to call our self: "Dominican-African, Cuban-African or Venezuelan-African?. We Latinos have a more diverse mix of colors than just "black". You like to call your self "African-American", like a very you belong to an exclusive group..I feel pity for you..
If you were white, you probably would belong to a white supremacist group. Guarantee.
If you are so concern about the percent of "truly blacks" in baseball, why don't you use your influence and fame, not to mention your wealth, which by the way, it was possible due to the generous contract you received (not a bucket of KFC for sure), and go around trying to convince the "truly blacks" to play baseball and not Basketball or Football…yeah, maybe you can convince LeBron James to do that.
Torii, I thought you were different but in the end you suffer from the same conspiracy syndrome as most black people born in the USA. If you really believe that MLB has planned a conspiracy against black people born in your country you really are a morron. It would be better if you blame the NBA or the NFL. Those leagues are atracting most of the BLACK talent right now. I want to clarify to you that there are black persons that were born in other countries and those guys are from the same race you are. The only difference is that you were born in the USA, but that does not make you different or more special. By your own comments I think that you did not know that. Guys like Vlad Guerrero, David Ortiz or Robinson Cano are black but they were born in Dominican Republic. The word "impostors" is very rude and a very big insult to them and the rest of black persons born in latin america. You should apologize for this openly and publicly and then move on. For me as a latin american person (I am not black by the way)the use of the word "impostors" was included in the less insulting phrase you used. For me the most insulting phrase you used was "….when you can get a Dominican guy for a bag of chips?". Are you implying that latin american prospects are so stupid to do that? of course is cheaper to find great talent in latin america but do you know how much money are earning guys like Johan Santana or Mariano Rivera right know? Baseball is a business and if I were an owner of a team I would also go to latin america to find prospects, not only because they are cheaper but also more talented. To name a few that are more talented than you: Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez and Mariano Rivera. You should also know that there is a lot of poverty in latin american countries but that does not make us impostors or stupid. You should apologize for all this and do not try to explain all the stupid arguments that you said. The explanation that you post in this blog only confirms that you really believe what you said. Please be more careful next time you talk about something you do not know.
Your successor Span did well for himself !!
Yes, you could use part of your salary to convince BLACK AMERICANS to play baseball instead of football or basketball.
Torii, I see past your unfortunate choice of expression, and that you are trying to make a positive impact on youth (African Americans in particular), who generally have much less access to playing baseball than other populations in the U.S. After reading about your life it is easy to understand why this is so important to you. I also understand the reference you make to the economic advantages the MLB might choose to seek by signing latino prospects vs American ones, despite the fact that both may have black skin. I must also say that I recognize the American preoccupation with skin color that so often causes folks to generalize people of different cultural backgrounds into one single ethnicity, solely on the basis of having black skin – and that this masks the fact that blacks in the U.S. have certain impediments to getting involved in professional baseball that are often overlooked, compared to Latin Americans of the same skin color who are recruited and supported by the league in a different way. Since I am a product of both worlds I recognize what the realities are because I have seen a lot for myself. So in the end, the fact that you chose your words very poorly here does not distort the heart of the issues you were trying to get at…and as yet another afro latin weighing in on this, I remain one of your biggest fans.
hey torii, im going to arizona this friday to see your game. goodluck man. my family has been going for 6 years! we are the biggest fans=)
It's a shame that we still feel the need to "segregate" ourselves in almost every aspect of life. While I appreciate the passion every culture feels about "their" race, color or country, we would do better to forget such backgrounds and just strive to motivate any youngster to play any game he or she wishes. Just let things happen. Whomever wants it regardless of their background they will find a way to achieve their goal. Torii, don't worry about the fuss, this too shall pass. White Black Latin Japanese Korean it doesn't matter. If you can play, you will succeed. Just give everybody a chance.
"THE MISEDUCATION OF TORI HUNTER" goes beyond OUR(his)STORY. As a double history major [American Hist. / African (his)Story I was appalled at the latest bashing of a people who established the model of African liberation in the so-called New World / America.
Before there any Africans in North America [1619] – roughly 100 hundred years earlier, Nicolas Ovando makes reference to the type of slaves he wants in the island [DR/Haiti]. He wanted Ladinos slaves [born Catholic in Spain] as opposed to Africans from Africa / Bozales [Bozal means muzzle as in the facial one one puts on a dog]. The St. Domingue slave revolt which gave birth to one of the greatest revolution the world has seen & never spoken / taught about; hence the Haitian Revolution – which served as the liberation model for all African Peoples in the American Hemisphere. Many African Americans fled to the Island of "impostors" & not for a mere "bag of chips" as you so irresponsibly alluded to. In baseball you may face some of those "impostors" descendants of South Carolinean Blacks such as Fernando Rodney of the Detroit Tigers. He comes from a region in DR where there's even an AME Church. From San Pedro de Macoris in DR you get the descendants of the Caribbean English speaking islands, the so-called Cocolos – where you get the George Bell, Rico Carty etc… My own grandfather was born in St. Kitts / Nevis.
In short we're the best kept secret when it comes to African Culture in America aside from the Garifunas of Central America.
[2nd of two-part comment]
There's so much you need to learn about African folks in the two-nation island that this medium is not enough. When in NYC I invite you [and would not mind being your guide and teacher] to visit the Dominican and Haitian enclaves in the City as well as Harlem and the Heights. In Harlem we can visit the largest collection of African documented History started by an Afro-Puerto Rican named Arturo / Arthur Alonso Shomburg who was born nine Months after the Abolition of Slavery in Puerto Rico and was inspired to dedicate his whole life in "digging up the Negro's Past" [A.A. Shomburg] by a teacher who told him that Blacks did not have a history. The Negro League is a great start for your education. Read about Black Latino players who struggled in the Negro League and even Roberto Clemente's struggled with segregation in the minor leagues and his team mates [I believe you received the Roberto Clemente Award at one time].
Now, moving forward and to address your & others warped reality about Afrolatino ball players in the States. Like Ozzie Guillen said; all we have is baseball, a one shot deal – while as an American you have all these opportunities to choose from. However, the inner cities of America has descended into a dysfunctionality when it comes to supporting sports, especially baseball. Rich ball [players such as yourself do not invest some of your spending 'chump change' in organizing winter baseball clinics and summer little / Babe Ruth / Pony etc.. leagues as the the poor players of the past who had to subsidize their baseball income with offseason employment. I met a young Lee Mazzilli, Sparky Lyle, Elliott Maddox, Fran Healy, Ed Kanepool, Rafael Santana, Felix Millan etc……at winter baseball clinics held in inner cities high schools. In the Summer, I played in the Ed Kranepool and Felix Millan leagues. Nowadays you can find leagues supported by ballplayers and major league teams. The government has virtually wiped out the 'ballfields of young people's dreams'
as well as the fundings available to develop African-American talent in the inner cities. Joe Morgan had a documentary a few years ago in which he articulated the disappeareance of African-Americans in baseball. If you look at basketball and football you'll find at lot of baseball players there alas Michael Jordan. So please you may want to invest on a good education, not only for the historical aspect – but also to develop your ability to articulate your thoughts in a better and intelligent / intellectual approach.
We know that you didn't mean it the way it sounded…You're a classy guy!!!
Wow, what a disgusting show of support for a disgusting comment. For those of you who "understood" what he meant, you don't. You're just as ignorant as he is. What a way to show how "LOW CLASS" you really are. I will boo you at every at bat and on the field. Thanks for setting back race relations. Idiot.
I'd play for a bag of chips and a plane ticket any day! Every college ball player that I know that didn't get drafted has said that. I get it Torii…we get it.
Also, I've been using the "imposter" comment and getting the biggest laughs out of my buddies. I am a Hispanic (I won't tell you exact country) and have been saying that other "brown" people are imposters. What a great comment Torii. I get it! We get it! It is too bad that the idiots that didn't "get it" can't get over themselves. I bet the majority of those "offended" by the comment are neither Latin American nor black…go figure?!
Journalism is no longer about truth, it is only about drawing readers, and if character assassination is the means to the end, so be it. We see it constantly in political reporting, and it's unfortunate it has happened to you. The story should have been about what you were doing for America's inner city children, and instead, the reporter leapt on an unfortunate phrasing on your part. What you meant was not important, the words you chose provided an opportunity for sensationalism, that simply could not be passed by. Your're right, it is no wonder so many in your field opt simply not to speak to reporters at all. Kudos for your good works.
Journalism doesn't exist anymore is the true sense of the word. Anyone who can get on the internet and tweet is a journalist in 2010. No longer is the news about the content, rather how fast it is delivered. We are obsessed with knowing everything first. Well said Tori!
Aprilaire Cook email@example.com
Taxpayers will get about an extra $13 a week in their paychecks starting this spring. So, with spring break and the summer tourism season coming, we did a little snooping around Washington to see just how you can spend that cash.
Yes, you could use part of your salary to convince BLACK AMERICANS to play baseball instead of football or basketball.
I understand what you feel.. don't give up


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Scone Thugs-'n'-Harmony Recipe
But hip hop and high tea aside, these Scone Thugs are pretty awesome: delicate, buttery, and packed with loads of bright lemon zest. Cake flour and plenty of butter give them a wonderfully tender crumb. And while they're gorgeous on their own, we certainly wouldn't balk at Jensen's suggestion for topping them with lemon curd or rhubarb jam.
Reprinted with permission from The Sugar Cube by Kir Jensen. Copyright © 2012. Published by Chronicle Books. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.
- Yield:makes 8 scones
- Active time: 15 minutes
- Total time:40 minutes
- 2 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Grated zest of 2 large lemons
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup cold heavy cream, plus extra for brushing
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder and pulse a few times. Add the lemon zest and butter and pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of cornmeal. (If you don't have a food processor, just whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then cut in the zest and butter with a pastry blender.)
Transfer the mixture to a wide mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in 1/2 cup of the cream and the vanilla. Using your hand, draw the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing until just combined (you don't want to overmix, or the scones will be tough). If the mixture feels too dry and crumbly, add the remaining 1/4 cup cream.
On a lightly floured surface, form the dough into a patty about 9 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer each wedge to the prepared baking sheet and chill in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. (This will firm up the butter so it will create flaky layers when baked.)
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the scones from the freezer, brush the tops with heavy cream, and sprinkle with sugar. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through, until the scones are golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving...that is, if you can wait that long.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I'm paraphrasing here, but one of the guys on a local geek/tech mailing list said Kansas City will continue to have snow every weekend until our demands are met...
At first, I chortled merrily. I'm a bit of a mad scientist myself (although I'm not terribly evil and I'm certainly not a genius)
And then, I groaned. I really don't much care for this weather. It's been intermittently sleeting, raining, snowing and flurrying very lightly all day and it looks like I'm in for some abysmal elements in the morning. I'm probably going to need to take The Goat out of hiding for this one. Try to stay shiny side up out there tomorrow, fellow midwesterners.
Random Tunage:
Ferry Corsten - Shelter Me
Britney Spears - Everytime
Not that I really give two farts what anyone thinks of my (lack of?) musical taste, but check it out before you flame me for the Britney track. This ethereal gem was hiding in her 2003 album In The Zone. This was an otherwise barely-tolerable album toward the beginning of an era where the line between pop and hip-hop was fading fast. Its only chart-impacting single was "Toxic" - in more than one way. All that aside, "Everytime" managed to pull off a vibe that's distinctly out of its element, and I like it. You might, too.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Evil Geniuses
I'm paraphrasing here, but one of the guys on a local geek/tech mailing list said Kansas City will continue to have snow every weekend until our demands are met...
5 comments:
Morning Noah,
I had an epiphony the other day. We've just had the highest snowfall from November to March in 125 years here in Calgary. It's been a tough slog. Last week was brutal with heavy snow and lots of ice. But I could see the forecast for the upcoming week was real spring weather. Around here that means temperatures in the 40's and 50's. Then I realized...a fall with injury right now would be a disaster. Break something in December and you hobble and recover through a period of miserable weather. Break something now and you miss the beginning of a prolonged and great riding season. So...stay sunny side up indeed. When joy is this close at hand...caution is at it's maximum right now. Good luck.
- April 06, 2009 7:55 AM
- Jeff said...
I'm writing from Global Ride Productions (www.globalride.net). We make virtual cycling training DVDs for indoor cycling. As a cycling blogger, we thought you may be interested in writing a review of our product. We are willing to send you our entire Hawaii series DVD boxed set, something we sell on our site for $75, in exchange for you writing a review. You don't have to send the DVDs back - we see giving them to you as a thank you as you help spread the word about a new company.
Our virtual cycling DVDs are different from any others you may have tried. We travel to exotic locations, have multiple coaching tracks on every DVD, licensed music, and bonus yoga, pilates or strength training sessions designed for cyclists. They're a great product and we just want to spread the word.
If you'd like to receive the set, just shoot me back a message with a mailing address and we'll get them out to you asap.
Thanks a lot. Feel free to email with any questions.
Jeff Saporito
Global Ride
- April 06, 2009 9:54 AM
- Jeff said...
- This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
- April 06, 2009 9:54 AM
- Joshua Kriegshauser said...
lol@the Britney rebuttal comment.
At your request I did check it out and it actually is one of the most palatable of her songs.
You could always move down to my neck of the woods. It was high-70s and clear yesterday down here in sunny Sandy Eggo. :D :D :D :D
- April 06, 2009 12:32 PM
Darn, I missed the Britney comment! Anyway, I find your taste in music to be eclectic, for sure. Here in the east, nothing but rain for the next week, or so it seems.
And, yes, from a weather perspective, San Diego is unbeatable for the cyclist. Why I ever moved back east, I'll never know...
- April 06, 2009 9:18 PM
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text:
Compass & Rule: Architecture as Mathematical Practice in England, 1500-1750, is a lovely online version of the physical exhibition held at the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, in 2009. Compass and Rule focuses on design and drawing, exploring the role of geometry in the dramatic transformation of English architecture between the 16th and 18th centuries. During this time new concepts of design based on geometry changed how architects worked and what they built, as well as the intellectual status and social standing of their discipline. Identified as a branch of practical mathematics, architecture became the most artistic of the sciences and the most scientific of the arts.
As well as a great online exhibition covering the geometry of stonemasons, the design of St Paul's and the architectural apprenticeship of King George III, it also has some fascinating videos of how to construct technical drawings or design classical architectural features using just a straight edge, compass and right angle.


text:
Vt. man held in NH to be charged in armed robbery of Bethel pharmacy
BETHEL, Vt. (AP) � Vermont State Police say a Tunbridge man will be charged in a pharmacy holdup in Bethel last month.
Police say 22-year-old George Akroyd was arrested in New Hampshire and is being held at the Strafford County jail.
Akroyd is accused of robbing the Rite Aid Pharmacy in Bethel on Oct. 30.
He's scheduled to be extradited to Vermont on Monday to face a charge of assault and robbery.


text:
Quoting myself here – I just said this to myself out loud so I figured I could go ahead now and put it in quotes and post it. I wanted to write something profound and thoughtful about this whole situation today, but frankly, I'm tired of putting much thought into it anymore. So, I'll simply leave you with the thoughts that seem to occur to me most often:
- Brett Favre is a tool for playing on the Vikings.
- For the last year and a half, I have felt like you do when you puke inside your mouth a little bit. I haven't felt like you do when you all-out puke, but, you know, just a mini-puke. But ever since Favre cemented his anti-Packer stance by joining the Vikings, that bad taste has gone away. Thanks for your advice Brent, I have moved on.


text:
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text: Warning: Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen contains this DLC pack. Do not purchase this pack if you have already purchased Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen. All quests in the series, 'From a Different Sky,' collected into one handy bundle. Can you complete all 100 quests? Check the notice board beneath the Pawn Guild to find out! *Only up to 6 quests appear on each notice board at a time. New quests become available as quests are cleared. Certain quests are only available at certain points in the story, and require certain combinations of vocations and skills to complete. *This content is the same as the individual quest packs. Be forewarned.


text:
Unsaving the planet: Will our efficiencies lead to catastrophe?
By Clive Thompson
We put a lot of stock in energy efficiency. It is regarded as the quickest and easiest way to reduce carbon emissions. Al Gore even ended An Inconvenient Truth with a plea for everyone to install low-power lightbulbs and appliances.But in 1865, British economist William Stanley Jevons offered a skeptical take on efficiency. In The Coal Question, he wrote that energy-efficiency technology has a backlash effect. By increasing efficiency we make energy cheaper, thus spurring people to use more of it. As Jevons pointed out, when steam engines became more efficient, the consumption of coal (for steam production) didn't decrease– it expanded, because steam engines became cheaper to run and thus attractive for more and more things.
Adherents call this the Jevons paradox, or rebound effect. And the idea is at the heart of David Owen's new book, The Conundrum, which argues that not only will efficiency fail to solve global warming– it'll actually make things worse. The good news is that Owen's analysis is likely off target. But it's worth hearing him out.Owen makes a number of grim observations that ring true. Automobile engines have become much more efficient, but we've responded by demanding larger cars loaded with more electrical gewgaws. Air-conditioning has become more efficient, but we've made it a cultural norm that every room and vehicle nationwide must be cooled in summer.
Or consider lighting. As a source of illumination, light from modern bulbs costs just 0.03 percent of what candles did in 1800. But a recent study funded by the US Department of Energy found that the amount of global GDP spent on lighting has remained at about 0.72 percent over the past three centuries. The astonishing increase in lighting efficiency merely drove an explosion in the number of things we light up– like kids' sneakers. Efficient power usage has made it 'so that there's almost nothing you can do that doesn't require power,' as Owen tells me.
But if efficiency will just make things worse, how can we avert climate disaster? Owen says we need to start living smaller, quickly and dramatically– by traveling less and consuming less and taxing energy much more. It is not, he admits, a pleasant message.
Assuming he's correct. The Jevons paradox has long been controversial, with economists arguing that Jevons got it wrong. Rebound effects are real, they say, but much smaller than he believed.
That's because we modern folk spend very little on energy. Plus, if we save money through energy efficiency, we don't immediately spend those savings solely on more energy. We spend it on more food or movies or clothes, where energy accounts for only a small part of creation cost. As a result, economist James Barrett calculates, rebound probably decreases the total amount of energy saved by at most 30 percent–hardly the catastrophe predicted by Jevons and Owen.
There's also evidence that efficiency standards work. After California imposed them in 1974, per capita electricity consumption stopped growing, even as it rose throughout the rest of the United States. Yes, globally Americans chew through more power every year, but that's due to economic growth, argues Amory Lovins, an environmental scientist with the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Owen and other rebound Cassandras "have a critique of growth, which they then blame on energy efficiency," Lovins tells me. But perhaps we're buying two air conditioners simply because we're wealthier, not because air conditioners are more efficient.
I suspect both sides have a point, practically speaking. Efficiency doesn't seem as big a danger as Jevons feared. But Owen is probably correct that we're kidding ourselves if we think merely buying highly efficient stuff is going to avert global warming.
So sure, go buy those low-energy bulbs. Just don't turn them all on at once.
Clive Thompson is a contributing writer to the New York Times and Wired, the latter the magazine where this essay first appeared.Read more on: energysaving energy
3 comments
Humans, like all organisms are opportunistic, technological improvements will only serve to accelerate our demise.
The only real option we have is to abandon all technologies beyond what the early indians used.
"Humans, like all organisms are opportunistic, technological improvements will only serve to accelerate our demise.
The only real option we have is to abandon all technologies beyond what the early indians used."
Skin was quoted as saying as they tried to pry his hands away from his humus stained Commodore 64.
No, more like tried to pry my hands from my homemade longbow.
No sights, just a stick and a string standing over a dead whitetale.


text:
Sugar Shout Out February 27, 2012
That's a Wrap — See the Hottest Oscars Hair, Makeup, Dates, Dresses, and More!
Red-carpet beauty coverage:
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- Try Emma Stone's lovely looped Oscars bun
- Get Jennifer Lopez's sophisticated French tips
Red-carpet fashion coverage:
- Vote for best dressed and play Fab's Oscars dress bracket!
- Name game: find out who wore what designer
- Michelle Williams, Emma Stone, and Natalie Portman heat up in shades of red
- Textured black gowns dazzle on the red carpet
- Find out what the stars wore to the annual Vanity Fair Oscars party
- Recap the sexiest looks from the Oscars
- Get the style breakdown from Elton John's viewing party
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- Casa translates Rooney Mara's Oscar look to your home
Highlights from arrivals and the show:
- See all the Oscars red carpet, show, and party pictures in one place!
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- Video: Angelina and George lose Brad and Stacy during Oscar date night
- Cameron, Kate, Katie and Posh — all the fun pics from inside Vanity Fair
- Top 20 Oscars red carpet moments
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- Video: J Lo on her posterior pose with Cameron Diaz — "We were just being playful"
- Take a closer look at the cutest Oscar couples and Meryl Streep's date
Winner photos, press room excitement, and much more!
- Did you hear that? The best quotes from the 2012 Oscars
- Do you agree with the 2012 Oscar winners?
- Dynamic duos: see the best presenters at the Oscars
- The cutest Oscar press room pics you have to see
- Benedict Cumberbatch showed his love for Union Jack at Vanity Fair's party
- Find out how the Oscar red-carpet standouts stay fit
- Aww — Uggie's all about Oscar


text:
To celebrate July 4th, why not pull out (or purchase) a US map puzzle!
J adores maps. I think his fascination began because of his love for puzzles. His grandma bought him a USA board puzzle back when he was one year old that required a little more skill than all the other pegboard puzzles and I guess he liked that challenge. We have since bought quite a few map activities and puzzles as he remains fascinated. My thought is run with what they enjoy! Most of what he's learned, he's initiated on his own. I don't consider knowledge of all 50 states or all 7 continents essential for a 2 year old but since he's continually asking questions, we answer and encourage that interest.
I do find that maps offer great practice with shape recognition, spacial recognition, directional and locational instructions (north/south, above/below), and even speech as he practices saying each name (many of which are not easy for adults to pronounce, let alone a toddler). These are all great benefits!
So onto our geography games.
1. Bean bag drop – This came about on the fly after he completed one of his puzzles. I pulled out some bean bags (ours are each a different color) and started calling out a color bean bag for him to use and then a state to distinguish. He would then try to drop the bean bag on top of that state while standing straight above it. This was my attempt to encourage some practice with motor skills and hand-eye coordination while taking advantage of his interest in maps. We first tried tossing it to the appropriate state, but he is far from able to accomplish that. We then reversed rolls and he called out a color beanbag and a state for me to hit.
2. Flying across the US – We've also played a similar game using our map puzzles and a free helicopter we got from a fast food kid's meal. If you pull the tail of the helicopter the propeller flies off and lands, spinning like a top. So we used that, again practicing motor skills (to work the toy) and he had to name the state that the spinning propellers landed on.
3. Photos across the USA/World – J has family all across the country (and world), so this game is something he can relate very well too. We use photos of family members for him to place in the correct state or country. I often pull this out when we're about to travel so that he can get a good idea of where we're going. He flies his toy plane from one place to the other, mimicking what we will do in the air (or car if we're driving). We also use favorite characters/toys to help him relate to the state (ex: Mickey Mouse lives in Florida, cars are made in Michigan… a generalization of course, but something a 2 year old can relate to).
4. Twister Geography – You would need a large map for this activity (we use the foam floor maps). He has to touch a certain location with a designated body part. "Right hand on Georgia!" or "Left wrist on the Pacific Ocean!" So far J can only handle one set of instructions at a time. With preschoolers you could give multiple instructions similar to the game Twister.
I'm actually really excited about his love for geography (since I love it too!). As a jr. high teacher we did a ton of geography games and activities that I'm currently trying to figure out how to adapt for a toddler.
So what is your little one interested in? Maybe it's not geography but cars or animals. How can you use that interest to capitalize on other skill practice (perhaps even more needed skill practice)?
Age attempted: 34 months
Here are some of the map products we have that have served their purpose well:
Battat Wooden USA Puzzle: My mom got J a set of puzzles that included this. This was his first map puzzle. There are no pegs in the US puzzle. He played with the others in the set much earlier since they had pegs and were far more simple. The states are mostly grouped together by region to create larger pieces (only Texas and California stand alone). This isn't a great puzzle for state recognition but it was a great transition puzzle from the simple wooden peg puzzles to the traditional cardboard puzzles.
Imaginetics Magnetic USA Map – they simply lay each piece on top of the corresponding spot in the magnetic book. This was J's 2nd geography "puzzle" and worked well. Since you don't have to complete the entire map, this was a good step up from the board puzzle. We also used the magnetic sheet that each state came in as a shadow activity for shape recognition (just play on a cookie sheet). Many of the pieces are small and a few with tiny parts have broken (Michigan and Maryland). It is still worth the cost for us.
Melissa and Doug USA Puzzle – this is a cardboard puzzle we got J for Christmas; I should note that each state is cut according to its shape and does not have the traditional puzzle cutouts. The border (oceans) fit together like a normal puzzle, but the states do not. I love this feature. J has had to learn how to deal with this so that the states aren't moving around as he builds. IMO this has helped him learn even more skills than a normal puzzle would offer, but it can be frustrating before they figure it out the best process.
Wonder Foam Giant USA Map – J's grandparents bought him this for Christmas (so yes, now he has two USA floor puzzles… and he loves them both!). This is a very large puzzle. Each state fits together like a traditional puzzle. I like that they attempt to teach the general location of Alaska and Hawaii in relation to the continental US whereas most puzzles just place them in a corner.
World Map Foam Puzzle – This is a REALLY large puzzle with very thick pieces so it is very sturdy. This map is pretty busy and a newer concept for J by introducing all the countires. This is definitely one we work on together, though it's amazing how fast you see improvment with practice!
Globe – When school supplies were really cheap at Target, I bought him a globe that he loves. Since we have family both across the country and around the world, he has been encouraged to locate where they live on the globe. I think a globe is a great resource/toy for kids since it really helps put geography into perspective. Through playing with it and asking questions about it, he has learned the names of each continent (though he can't locate them all).


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Sheffield - The Factory: Age 18+
- Duration: 3 Hours (approx.)
- Location: Sheffield, Sheffield
- Product code: SHZI
- 3 Hours of award winning immersive entertainment in squads (6-10)
- Optional weapon upgrades (choose from 4 different strategic types)
- Set in a 120,000sqft 4 storey factory in the heart of Sheffield
- Free photos with cast and crew on survival as mementos
- Film realistic SFX zombies
- Limited dates available
- 18+ Only
- Perfect for Stag and Hen parties.
Synopsis :- "Sheffield was a covert test site where an isolated ZI regiment were working to understand the behavior & cognitive capacity of the infected. You're advised that the last communication from the site came in the form of a distress call sent by one of the on-site virologists 24 hours ago who advised that the facility had come under attack from an unquarantined rebel group believing that the infected are lost souls and can be saved. Since there was only a small security force on site, they were unable to contain the attack resulting in mass breakouts and an almost instant increase of infected numbers. Reports from Harvertech satellites suggest that the facility has succumbed to a fire which has caused considerable damage to the structure. A Harvertech sentinel AI has been deployed and now monitors the facility. Staff on site must be rescued & important data retrieved before the sentinel activates a purge."
Where will you hide in this enormous abandoned factory, the main floors, the stairwells, toilets or workers offices. Will you venture across the sky bridge into the old administration block, or down to the dark, eerie loading bay? What is for certain, the dead will hunt you down so you'll need to grab your weapon (upgraded if you can handle it!) pick your squad leaders, work out your tactics and join the fight!
Known as the "home" of Zombie Infection our creative team have crafted a zombie experience like no other! Suitable for small groups and large stag/hen parties its the perfect mission for any hard core zombie fan.
Please note this is 18+ only, late arrivals or guest arriving intoxicated may be refused entry. Eye protection will be provided for your protection and must be worn at all times.


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sacrifice, no cross, no desolation, no trial, no temptation, oh! absolutely nothing should be too difficult for you with the help of God's grace. I can do all things in God who strengthens me.
Albania Australia Austria Belarus Belgium Brazil Cameroon
Canada Colombia Comoros Congo Czech_Republic Ecuador
England Germany Guatemala Hungary India Ireland Italy
Mexico Montenegro Mozambique Philippines Poland Romania
Russia Scotland Slovakia Spain Sri_Lanka Suriname
Switzerland Taiwan Tanzania Ukraine United_States Venezuela


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Hope College graduate Lunga Sinuka will present a one-man performance of "The Cool Train," his memoir of growing up in South Africa during the repressive Apartheid era, on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at Hope College in the DeWitt Center main theatre.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
Following the performance, Earl James, who is coordinator of multiracial initiatives and social justice for the Reformed Church in America (RCA), will lead a discussion with the audience on the performance and on the Belhar Confession.
As noted on Sinuka's Web site at www.thecooltrain.com, his journey reflects he lives of many black South Africans before the end of Apartheid in 1994--from his childhood in a Xhosa village with no electricity or running water, to working as a glass cleaner at one of South Africa's best hotels, and eventually joining the African National Congress in the violent struggle for freedom.
Sinuka immigrated to the United States in 1992. He has a B.A. in public administration from Cape University of Technology in South Africa and a B.A. in business administration from Hope, from which he graduated in 1995. In America he has worked for the American Red Cross and other social service organizations, and also as a loan officer with First National Bank.
He now lives in Minneapolis, Minn., with his wife, Sara. "The Cool Train" is his first play and the first time he is performing on stage since high school.
The Belhar Confession is a confession of the Christian church in South Africa written out of the struggle against Apartheid in the 1980s. Following several years of study and reflection on the confession by the RCA's members and congregations, the 2009 General Synod of the RCA voted to adopt the Belhar Confession as a standard of unity, a decision that now needs approval by two thirds of the RCA's 46 classes. More information about the Belhar Confession may be found in the Belhar Confession Study Center on the RCA's Web site at www.rca.org.
The DeWitt Center is located at 141 E. 12th St., facing Columbia Avenue at 12th Street.


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Tutto su Andritz
ANDRITZ is a globally leading supplier of plants, equipment, and services for hydropower stations, the pulp and paper industry, the metalworking and steel industries, and for solid/liquid separation in the municipal and industrial sectors as well as for animal feed and biomass pelleting.
Other important business segments include automation and service – altro... business.
The publicly listed technology Group is headquartered in Graz, Austria, and has a staff of approximately 25,400 employees. ANDRITZ operates more than 250 sites in over 40 countries.
– meno


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Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American heiress and media personality. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton (founder of Hilton Hotels). Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood best friend Nicole Richie. She is also known for her 2004 tongue-in-cheek autobiography, several minor film roles (most notably her role in the horror film House of Wax in 2005), her 2006 music album Paris, and her work in modeling.
In recent years Hilton is perhaps most known for starring in a number of her own produced reality shows such as Paris Hilton's My New BFF which was filmed in Los Angeles and aired in 2008 and which also resulted in a second season. The show proved to be a success and was branched out to Paris Hilton's British Best Friend filmed in London, UK and Paris Hilton's Dubai BFF filmed in Dubai in the UAE. All seasons were broadcasted on MTV. In 2011, Oxygen Channel gave the go-ahead to air Hilton's reality series The World According to Paris following Hilton's everyday life.
As a result of several legal incidents, Hilton served a widely publicized sentence in a Los Angeles County jail in 2007. She is an example of the modern phenomenon of the 'celebutante', the celebrity who rises to fame not because of their talent or work but because of their inherited wealth and controversial lifestyle. Despite the controversies, Hilton's various product lines have been sucessful with stores in 31 countries. In 2011, Hilton was named "Billion Dollar Entrepreneur" by Variety magazine and was featured on the cover.


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Smart Football has moved!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Breaking down the Oklahoma State offense
10 comments:
Posted this on another entry but probably better here.
Great Dr. Saturday article on OK. St offense.
As an NC State fan I watched 4 years of the "Scat" pass. It was Rivers' go to play and was really unstopable fo a first down. We ran it like 8-9 times in a row to come back against Ohio State and take the game into double overtime at thier place.
As far as the Ok St. offense, I really think that offense and Texas's are the type of spread offenses that could be successful in the pros. They don't have run first guys at QB but they can run it enough to cause defenses problems.
- Chris said...
I tend to agree. Imagine the benefits to the run game were Steve Young to have been given rein to run these plays 5-6 times a game.
The common logic in the NFL though is that it's not worth the risk to the QB, and that might be right. (And in college a "decent" speed QB can still hit the D for 5-7 yards if it is wide open; in the NFL he still might get clocked for a short gain.)
But I agree that how OSU uses Zac Robinson and Texas uses Colt McCoy could be decent models for how a team might use a QB who can throw and run a bit. (Incidentally, I will be breaking down Texas's passing game on this site soon.)
If you were to run it at the pro level you could line up in one back 3 WR in the gun and essentially run the same passing game as the patriots run.
All you would need to do is add zone read and speed option and tell the QB to give the ball to the RB unless he thought he could get 5+ yds before getting hit. Almost all the time he would give it to the RB, but the defense would still need to honor him a little.
You could also tell him to slide if he can. That would keep injuries down.
Speed sweeps to WR's (ala Wake Forrest) also would seem to be a good addition. If the rules let you get a running start why not take advantage of that?
Anyway, if you totally anounce that your QB will NEVER run it seems that you are giving away one of your options. Just by saying my QB MAY be a running threat you would seem to gain a great advantage at relatively little risk.
Hits on a QB running are less damaging than hits standing in the pocket. One, they usually know it is coming and two, they tend to be more glancing than a full tee off on the QB, like with a sack.
IIRC, option QBs are taught not to cut back to the middle out of their running alleys because that leads to the head on hits.
Hello I'm relatively new to this site and new to advanced football strategies that you all discuss on this site. However, in terms of the Ok. St. and Texas offense being useful in the pros, first it all can't be out of the 'gun as the defense has enough speed to pursue down the sidelines, instead wear them out with a good downhill running game with a formation just as or more deadlier than the 'gun, the Pistol Scheme. The Chiefs used the pistol offense a bit last season, also many of these 3 wide spread teams like Texas and OSU like using zone read, Nevada also used a zone read out of pistol and ended being 4th in the nation in rushing. So instead of using the gun, the pistol is a better option as you can still zone read, use option and pass, yet it allows for a downhill running game where you can dabble around with more blocking schemes as opposed to some pulling and zone that shotgun teams use.
Great to hear about the Texas passing game. They run their 3 step drop game out of the shotgun better than anyone out there right now.
NC State did some cool things with "scat." They sometimes released Y upfield on a seam route and ran scat with A off of Y's back hip. It created a nice, little crossing route against man coverage.
Hey Chris, correct me if I'm wrong, but scat looks a lot like mesh. Obviously the main difference is that the receivers running the scat routes never cross, but other than that, it seems like a lot of the principles are the same. The main crease in the defense is often caused by using the swing/shoot routes to stretch out the flat defenders horizontally, thereby opening up room for the "scat" route receivers to post up the inside backers and move toward the sideline to catch the ball in the areas vacated by the outside backers.
I'd love to see a post on the history and evolution of the scat. Did Chow invent it as a variation of mesh?
Having watched all of the NC State games from Philip Rivers time multiple times(I have quite a few of them on tape) I think I can answer your question.
I never saw us run scat much while Chow was at NC State. He was only there 1 year.
I think the play evolved from Mesh as you have alluded to. Chow used to run a tag for Mesh called "Return" that had the guys start out like Mesh then break back out like scat.
Under subsequent OC's (Marty Galbraith Noel Mazzone) at NC State this developed into a play of its own and utlimately became Rivers' favorite and the back bone of the NC State passing game.
I think the main advantge of scat over mesh is how quickly the WR get to their spots that allows you to free release the backs because the QB can hit the WR or the Back on a hot pass.
Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense.
Two of the main problems with mesh are (1) after it pops open it can take the QB a little too long to make the read and (2) if the mesh receiver has to angle deep to get away from the backers, the throw can become more difficult than a simple crossing route.
Scat eliminates these two problems by (1) not forcing the QB to wait so long to figure out who's going to pop open (b/c they never cross) and (2) allowing both scat receivers to post up their inside backer and then move to the outside instead of having to create an oblique angle to get open. In this way, scat is actually a lot like Y-stick. It's a quicker read, and the inside receivers are able to use their hands and bodies to create separation from the inside backers rather than just using their legs to angle themselves into the seam.
As you and Chris also pointed out, it's also really effective against blitzing teams b/c the hot reads are so quick and simple.
[End scat post ... begin ramble ...]
I'd love to see a post on how the BYU/AirRaid guys use tags in their offenses to make slight modifications to their base plays. I've watched Hatcher's DVD's and he talks about it a little bit. My questions: how often do they tag receivers to run different routes than the normal routes? Are all tags practiced throughout the off-season or do they make adjustments on a week-to-week basis? Do they ever make in-game adjustments to tag certain receivers, based on how a team is defending them during the game?
I know the AirRaid is a system that relies on hundreds and hundreds of reps of a few base plays, but how many changes do they make on the fly if a team they are facing starts doing something that is best defeated by a tag on one of their normal plays?


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Dir: Rich Moore. US. 2012. 101mins
A nostalgic affection for vintage gaming and an openhearted, family-friendly story of self-acceptance and friendship are skillfully interwoven in the colorful Wreck-It Ralph, a very fun and engaging adventure about a lonely bad guy who wants to be a hero. Powered by a standout concept delivered upon in a winning manner — that, in similar fashion to the Toy Story franchise, videogame characters exist in worlds awakened when humans aren't looking — the film serves as the most natural and effortlessly readymade animated feature for future franchise exploration since Shrek.
The film's unique blend of different animation styles is one of its chief selling points (all the videogames have their own distinct world, and then there's a separate look for Game Central Station), and the art and animation departments do due diligence.
If there's a challenge for distributor Disney, who is spending heavily on promotion, it will be in surmounting some nerd-hurdle cultural prejudice that Wreck-It Ralph is "just" a videogame movie — and one tied to outmoded arcades, at that. Still, cross-gender box office prospects should be bolstered by micro-demographic targeting as well as strong critical response and positive word-of-mouth; given the ranginess of the material, it's easy to see a big hit with potent awards prospects.
The story centers on title character Ralph (John C. Reilly), the 643-pound, giant-fisted foil to Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) in a classic, Rampage-meets-Donkey Kong-style videogame named after the latter. Tired of playing the bad guy for three decades, and ostracised by the Nicelanders, the imperiled apartment dwellers who lionize handyman Felix as their hero, Ralph slips out of his game at the end of each day via Game Central Station, a surge-protector hub that serves as a weigh station between videogames. There, he mopes and attends support-group meetings for other videogame villains.
Ralph wants to be a hero, and appreciated. Obsessed with winning a medal (Felix's reward in his game), Ralph slips into Hero's Duty, an intense first-person shooter in which a player joins Sergeant Calhoun (Jane Lynch) and other soldiers in doing battle with marauding "cy-bugs." Ralph soon gets his medal, but loses it in Sugar Rush Speedway, a racing game ruled over by the merrily demented King Candy (Alan Tudyk). It's there that Ralph meets Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman), a spunky outcast and improperly coded "glitch" who just wants a chance to compete with her game's other girls.
Ralph helps out Vanellope, and an unlikely friendship ensues. When the unleashed cy-bugs escape their game and threaten the entire arcade, though, it's up to Ralph to band together with Calhoun and Felix to save the day.
Director Rich Moore (a small-screen veteran of The Simpsons and Futurama) oversees Wreck-It Ralph with considerable skill. The film's unique blend of different animation styles is one of its chief selling points (all the videogames have their own distinct world, and then there's a separate look for Game Central Station), and the art and animation departments do due diligence. An explosion of light and color, Sugar Rush Speedway is an inventive, candy-coated fantasy world. Even more amusing in its simplistic detail, though, is the purposefully jerky, 8-bit animation of the older Fix-It Felix game.
The movie's vocal performances are a large part of why it's so agreeable. Reilly captures Ralph's forlorn longing in sympathetic fashion; Silverman is a whirling dervish of rascally, adolescent energy; and Tudyk's lispy, gaily manic King Candy is entertaining and perfectly at home in the more frenzied Sugar Rush Speedway. Only McBrayer stumbles, as his Felix a bit too strongly echoes Kenneth, the earnest but bumbling page he portrays on 30 Rock.
On a narrative level, Wreck-It Ralph flags a bit in the homestretch. The idea of Game Central Station feels like a resource that isn't quite fully tapped, and the manner in which some of its action plotting ties together is rushed and not fully fleshed out. Still, screenwriters Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee, working from a story by Johnston, Moore and Jim Reardon, deliver inventive characters and cycle through plenty of solid one-liners. They also make amusingly effective use of cameos from older videogame characters, like Qbert and Pac-Man's Blinky.
Composer Henry Jackman's infuses arcade sounds into his lively score, and his work is complemented by original music from, among others, Skrillex and Buckner & Garcia. The latter's peppy, 1980s-pop-flavoured title tune gives the backstory of the game over the movie's closing credits.
A black-and-white meet-cute informed by magical realism, John Kahr's six-minute Paperman precedes the 101-minute feature, telling the story of a chance encounter and the lengths to which a guy goes to reach out to the unknown gal who's caught his eye.
Production companies: Walt Disney Animation Studios
Domestic distribution: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Producer: Clark Spencer
Executive producer: John Lasseter
Associate producer: Monica Lago-Kaytis
Screenplay: Phil Johnston & Jennifer Lee, based on a story by Phil Johnston, Rich Moore and Jim Reardon
Art director: Mark Gabriel
Animation supervisor: Renato dos Anjos
Director of look and lighting: Adolph Lusinsky
Editor: Tim Mertens
Music: Henry Jackman
Visual effects supervisor: Scott Kersavage
Website: www.Disney.com/Wreck-It-Ralph
Main voice cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Joe Lo Truglio, Ed O'Neill, Dennis Haysbert, Adam Carolla, Rachael Harris, Edie McClurg, Horatio Sanz, Stefanie Scott, Raymond Persi


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Counseling Services
The Gardner-Webb University Counseling Center provides academic, emotional, social, and vocational support as well as mental health consultation to students in a face to face setting on the main, Boiling Springs, campus. A team of professionals trained in education and counseling help University community members in developing constructive life plans, handling crisis situations, and coping with day-to-day problems. Short-term individual, group, and couples counseling sessions are available at no additional cost. The University Counseling Center adheres to the American Counseling Association's code of ethics and operates within a Christian perspective. All services provided are confidential and no information will be given to others without the consent of the individual. The University Counseling is located in Tucker Student Center and is open for appointments, Monday- Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For after-hours emergencies, an on-call counselor can be reached by calling the crisis number (704) 406-2599 or University Police at (704) 406-4444.


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Climate is changing the Great Barrier Reef
Satellite measurement of sea surface temperatures has yielded clear evidence of major changes taking place in the waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef over the past 25 years, marine scientists have found.
The changes have big implications for the future management of the GBR and its marine protected areas say Dr Natalie Ban and Professor Bob Pressey of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University, who led the study with Dr Scarla Weeks from the University of Queensland.
"When we looked back at satellite data collected since 1985, we found evidence that most of the regions of the GBR are changing significantly, in terms of sea surface temperature – especially in the southern part of the reef," Dr Ban, who is the lead author of a new scientific paper on the issue, says.
"Risk of coral bleaching increases with higher water temperatures. Across the whole reef we found water temperatures increasing by an average of 0.2 of a degree over a quarter of a century – but the increase was significantly more in some areas.
"For example, off Rockhampton the water has warmed by about half a degree over the last 25 years."
The changes were also altering the seasonal patterns of water temperature at particular places along the reef, Dr Ban says. "In some areas summer is coming earlier and lasting longer; in others, both summers and winters are warmer than in the past. This all affects the sea life."
The research has revealed temperature conditions are dynamic, with warmer waters moving in both space and time – posing new questions for the management of Green Zones and other protected areas which tend to be fixed.
"Some people think we ought to have the highest levels of protection for areas that are changing the least, so they remain as refugia to recharge the surrounding reef areas," Dr Ban says.
"Others argue the opposite – that the greatest protection should be afforded to the most vulnerable areas.
"Others still argue that Green Zones and other types of restrictions should migrate geographically along with the climate – that their boundaries should change gradually in line with trends in water temperature and reef biology.
"Our aim in publishing this paper on what is actually happening is to stimulate and inform this discussion, so that we can come up with the best and most flexible system for managing the GBR through what will undoubtedly be momentous environmental change."
The present Green Zones, where fishing is prohibited, cover the same temperature ranges as the whole reef, she says – but the debate on what to do next is only now getting under way.
With a view to encouraging discussion, the team has put forward three alternative scenarios for how the temperature data can be used to design appropriate management strategies for protected areas.
"We need to understand what we are managing for, to have the best management plan," she explains.
Australia is recognised as a world leader in managing coral reefs, and was again leading global thinking about how to best manage them as waters warm and conditions change. "We hope that our research will also prove valuable to countries of the Coral Triangle who are trying to manage the world's centre of coral diversity through this challenging period," she says
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