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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Big defenseman Jarred Tinordi, in his NHL debut, set up Tomas Plekanec's tiebreaking goal in the third period, and the Montreal Canadiens extended their winning streak to five games with a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
Plekanec deflected a shot by the 6-foot-6 son of former NHL defenseman Mark Tinordi past Johan Hedberg at 6:49 after the goalie made an ill-advised clearing attempt from behind his net. Tinordi got the puck above the left circle and let it fly.
Colby Armstrong also scored for Montreal, and Carey Price made 32 saves. The Canadiens moved into a tie with Pittsburgh for the most points in the Eastern Conference.
Defenseman Peter Harrold scored for New Jersey, which lost for the second time in two nights (0-1-1).
Tinordi, the Canadiens' first-round draft pick in 2010, was recalled from Hamilton of the AHL on Thursday. He played a regular shift with Francis Bouillon.
Price made Pekanec's 12th goal of the season stand up, stopping 18 shots in the third period. He made a chest save through traffic on Patrik Elias with 1:24 left and stoned Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac in close in the final minute.
Playing for the third time in four nights, the Devils tied it 1-1 on Harrold's power-play goal at 3:54 of the second period.
With Ryan White off for holding the stick, Ilya Kovalchuk intercepted a clearing pass at the right point and slid the puck across the ice to Harrold. The defenseman got a shot off quickly and squeezed it between Price's pads for his first goal since Dec. 2, 2010 _ a span of only 26 games for the journeyman, who has spent much of his career in the minor leagues.
Armstrong snapped a 39-game goal drought, dating to February 2012, to give the Canadiens the lead at 8:08 of the first period.
Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov lost his footing shortly after a faceoff. Armstrong retrieved the puck, skated into the right circle and ripped a shot past Hedberg, who made his career-high 12 straight start in place of the injured Martin Brodeur.
Forward Mike Blunden, who grabbed an early-morning flight after being recalled from Hamilton, appeared to screen Hedberg on the play.
Goal posts kept both teams from taking the lead during the same second-period penalty. Kovalchuk, who leads the NHL with four short-handed goals, just missed another on a 2-on-1 break while Harrold was in the penalty box.
Lars Eller beat Hedberg about a minute later, but that puck also struck a post.
NOTES: The Canadiens have scored first in 21 of 28 games. — Montreal RW Michael Ryder had his streak of 114 consecutive games played snapped because of a lower body injury. He last missed a game in March 2011. — Devils C Andrei Loktionov, who was hurt Friday against Philadelphia, sat out due to an undisclosed injury. — C Harri Pesonen made his NHL debut for New Jersey. .. Harrold was cut badly on the forehead by a shot in the third period, but returned to the game. — The Devils honored former goalie coach Jacques Caron before the game.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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We each provide therapeutic services to individuals, couples, and families who are seeking some kind of change in their personal experience or significant relationships. We also consult to agencies, family businesses, and other organizations that wish to resolve interpersonal struggles or to implement our systemic ideas. Central to all of our professional interests and pursuits is our respect for the integrity, sensibility, and possibilities of those with whom we are working. We practice, always, with a curiosity about relationships and a commitment to helping them change.
Our name—Context Consultants—reflects our recognition that you can only make sense of experiences and situations if you have a thorough appreciation of the context within which they are playing out. Significant change—change that matters, change that endures, change that ripples inward and outward—always involves a shift in context, a shift in the meaning and relationships that define and constitute those experiences and situations.
We offer—individually and sometimes together—professional workshops and trainings locally, nationally, and internationally on a variety of topics, from hypnosis and hypnotherapy, meditation, suicide assessment, and equine-assisted family therapy, to brief therapy, couples therapy, brief sex therapy, spirituality, and writing. This may seem like a diverse set of interests, but for us, they are all intriguingly connected.
I am Co-Director of Context Consultants and Professor of Family Therapy at Nova Southeastern University. I am the author of books on hypnosis and therapy and a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Read my full biography
Contact me here:
I am Co-Director of Context Consultants and Professor of Family Therapy and Director of Equine Assisted Family Therapy at Nova Southeastern University. A member of the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA) and a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), I am coeditor of Quickies: The Handbook of Brief Sex Therapy and author of numerous articles in the areas of sexuality, HIV/AIDS, and clinical training and supervision. I present frequently throughout North America.
Contact me here:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
FRITZ!Box 6660 Cable Service - Knowledge Base
FRITZ!Box 6660 Cable Service
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This document is also available for the following products:
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File is not deleted from USB storage device after transferring it to online storage
Although a file was completely transferred to online storage, it is not automatically deleted from the USB storage device that you used as a cache for the online storage.
Conditions for automatic deletion
After files have been transferred to an online storage, at first they all remain on the USB storage device connected to the FRITZ!Box so that file requests to the online storage can be quickly answered from the USB storage devices's cache.
A file is automatically deleted from the USB storage device when at least one of the following conditions is met:
- Less than 5 MB free space is available on the USB storage device. In this case, the files with the oldest last access date are deleted until at least 5 MB free space is available again.
- There is a newer version of the file on the online storage.
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Emily and I made this fun little box for those times when we are feeling sad or lonely. All we need to do is open the box for an instant pick-me-up. The memories of making this together will bring a smile to our faces too, so it serves double-duty!
|Final product
Next, be sure to use a good amount of tacky glue, playing close attention to the edges and corners.
We glued the papers on in strips. I think it works better than wrapping the paper around the box like a gift, but that's just me.
We went for a Hawaiian Motif since that would make us happy on even the coldest and dreariest Utah winter days.
We didn't like the blue of the box showing through, so we added ribbon around the edges.
Emily used some old scrabble pieces to decorate, along with some flowers. I mean, really, can you ever have enough flowers?!
Finally, we filled the box with things that we thought would make the other happy. Some things we put in were some favorite little candies, photos, a book about kisses, sparkly nail polish, love notes for each other, a craft, a little happy meal toy, a drawing of she and I, pretty stones and marbles, more flowers, and other misc. things that she won't let me see!
I'm kind of looking forward to a sad day so I can open and explore!
If you make one of these, I'd love to see your finished product!


text:
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day.
•Canada had an epic collapse at the World Junior Hockey Championship. Going in to the third period up 3-0, this happened. (Ignore the music. [On second thought, don't. It's awesome.]) (Screengrab via Steve)
•The NFL essentially prints its own money at this point. ESPN has re-upped its deal for Monday Night Football, just a single game each week, though 2022-23 at a cost of nearly $2 billion a year. Just promise me Gruden will find another job by then.
•The Vince Young era comes to a fittingly anticlimactic end in Tennessee, with Bud Adams announcing that they'll be moving on without him. So, Arizona now, right?
•Matt Millen admits he "stunk" at being a GM. Now admit you stink as an analyst too, and maybe we can start a dialogue.
Morning. Let's go.


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A woman who befriended a homeless man on the Upper East Side more than a decade ago paid thousands of dollars out of her pocket for his funeral.
Juanita Vega developed a special bond with Richard Coleman over the past 11 years, becoming attached to him because he slept outside the bank where she worked. She talked to him each day while walking into work, according to her boyfriend.
"He was a fixture in the neighborhood," said Thomas Valek. "People knew him from First all the way to Lexington."
U.S. & World
The day's top national and international news.
Coleman, known in the area as "Smokey," slept and lived in the East 70s between York and Lexington, according to neighbors.
"He never bothered anybody, he was always hanging out outside," said Thomas Elmehdi, a restaurant employee in the neighborhood. "He asked sometimes for a water or something, and we always give it to him."
Coleman died on April 16, and Vega, who declined an on-camera interview, did not find out until mid-May. That's when she and Valek decided to move quickly to give him a proper burial.
"It had to come down to the 11th hour, when they were going to send him to potter's field," said Valek. "She didn't want him to go there. It's just really not a nice place."
Because Valek works at a funeral home, he was able to get Coleman's body released to him, even though they weren't related. The funeral home provided the casket, but Vega paid $2,000 out of her own pocket.
Coleman was laid to rest at Rosemont Memorial Park in Elizabeth, N.J., in a simple, private ceremony.


text:
Search the KVR Audio Product Database
(Plug-ins, Hosts & Apps)
Advanced SearchThere are numerous options - NOT ALL COMBINATIONS WILL WORK TOGETHER.
Try to use as few restrictions as possible to obtain the most results.
Or you can view All Plug-ins / Hosts / Apps On One Page!
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BR404 Free
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Brain2Midi 20 $$
BRAINkILLER Free
Brandulator Free
Brass Buster €9


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Metabo Press.com
Eating Clean for Cellular Health
5 Dietary Hacks to Improve Health and Delay Age
High Metabolism Diet in a Nutshell
The Results of Fast Metabolism Diet
The Appropriate Nutritional Practices For Fast Metabolism
10 Fat Loss Truths No One Is Telling You About!
What Vitamins to Increase Metabolism?
Review Of Fat Decimator Weight Loss Diet
Ten Surprising Diets You Didn't Know About
Metabolic Cooking Program Review
The Paleo Diet – Program
Eat More Food and Lose More Weight Review "2 Week Diet"
The Secrets for a Faster Metabolism
Fast Metabolism Diet Recipes and Tips
How High-Protein Foods Increase Metabolism?
What is the Better Food for Metabolism?
For A Fast Metabolism To Lose Weight You Need These Basic Things
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Expense claims
If you have incurred costs for your work, you may be entitled to reimbursement. Submit your expense claims through SAP Self Service, not forgetting to include a receipt.
Submit expense claims as soon as possible but no more than three months after the end of the calendar year. Ensure that you have an electronic copy of your proof or purchase, for instance an original receipt, before you submit your claim. Your activity holder and budget holder must approve your claim.
Submitting an expense claim
Submit expense claims through Travel and Expenses in Self Service.Submit a claim
Expense claims if you are not employed by the University
If you work for the University but are not an employee, you can still submit a claim for certain expenses. Do this by filling in an electronic claim form. Attach proof of purchase for everything that you wish to have reimbursed. Remember to scan your receipts beforehand. The activity holder and budget holder of the department for which you work must approve your claim.


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We continue to develop resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic. See COVID-19 initiatives on Appropedia for more information.
Revision history of "Appropedia:Announcements"
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The following are previous versions of Announcements.
The following are previous versions of Announcements.
To see the difference between two versions, check their radio buttons and click Compare selected versions.


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54 South Asian Hunger Strikers at El Paso Immigrant Detention Center
via freedomarchives.org
October 19th, 2015
Day 6 of 54 South Asian Hunger Strikers at El Paso Immigrant Detention Center
14 Detainees Launch Hunger Strike in Lasalle Detention Center
Since strike began, 11 detainees released, 6 in critical medical condition, and 1 organizer released from solitary confinement
54 South Asian detainees, From Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (known as the "ElPaso54") at the El Paso Processing/Detention Center started a hunger strike at breakfast time on October 14. All of the strikers are asylum seekers. Some detainees have been held for up to 9 or 11 months. The hunger strikers are engaged in a full hunger strike, meaning no food AND no water. (Sign the petition to support the strikers)
They have been joined by the launch of a hunger strike in Lasalle Detention Center in Jena, Louisiana, where 4 Indian and 10 Bangladeshi are on hunger strike (known as the "LaSalle14"). The LaSalle14 are coordinating their efforts with the ElPaso54.
The detainees are demanding an immediate halt to deportations, investigations into unfair hearings and interference with their legal cases, release from detention for those granted parole.
As a result of the hunger strike, 11 detainees (6 hunger strikers, and 5 non-striking detainees) were released on Friday night from El Paso.
As a result of calls from concerned community members into the facility and local ICE office, one of the co-lead organizers, Haji Khiay Mohamed Bilal (A# 202-156-877), who was beaten up in front of other detainees and kept in solitary confinement for 2 days, was released back to the other hunger strikers.
6 strikers are in critical medical condition, Shamsuddin (A# 202-849-636), Md. Mahbubur Rahman (A# 202-156-816), Delwar Hussain (A# 202-156-197), Md. Aminul Islam (A# 202-155-398), Mohammad Shahjahan (A# 202-155-399), Haji Khiay Mohamed Bilal (A# 202-156-877)
The detainees are coordinating their efforts with DRUM – Desis Rising Up & Moving, a South Asian immigrant rights organization in New York City. DRUM organizer Kazi Fouzia said "these hunger strikers are strong and well organized. We need to hear their stories and voices and see how this country treats refugees at our borders and in detention centers."
There is an online petition by the Not1More Campaign to bring attention to the issue:


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Jan Dennis, Business & Law Editor
217-333-0568; firstname.lastname@example.com
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Corporate reputations take a beating when scandals erupt, faulty products force recalls or earnings tumble, yielding sell-offs that leave investors jittery.
But new research by two University of Illinois business professors shows the polished image that companies spend millions of dollars to cultivate is so fragile that it can tarnish even when firms make moves with the blessing of powerful stakeholders such as financial analysts and the business community.
Business administrator professors Geoffrey Love and Matthew Kraatz studied Fortune 100 corporations that joined a wave of downsizing from 1985 to 1994, weighing how the sweeping job cuts influenced their showing in Fortune's annual rankings of most admired companies.
The findings show companies that slashed staff fell more than a position in the next year's rankings on average, even after accounting for financial performance. That trend held until downsizing became a virtually accepted business practice in the mid 1990s, according to the study, which will appear in the Academy of Management Journal.
Love and Kraatz say the drop is surprising because the magazine's ratings are based on a survey of Wall Street analysts, who generally pushed downsizing to boost profits, and corporate executives who had sometimes led downsizing of their own firms.
"What we think is happening is that while analysts and executives pay attention to the numbers, they also say it matters how other stakeholders are treated, even if they support it or have done it themselves," Love said. "When they see a firm downsize, they see a broken commitment to employees and that's a sign of character that plays into their evaluation, too."
Kraatz doubts analysts and executives were aware that downsizing colored their view, and says the findings support earlier research showing corporations are judged based on the same standards as people.
"People ascribe traits to organizations and evaluate them as if they were people," Kraatz said. "Some are trustworthy, reliable and credible. Others are opportunistic, self-interested and shifty."
"That's something managers need to be aware of. Even if there is a good business reason to do something like downsizing and it isn't a moral issue to them, it could be evaluated that way," he said.
Timing was a factor in how much image suffered, according to the study, "Character, Conformity or the Bottom Line: How and Why Downsizing Affected Corporate Reputation."
Companies in financial peril were judged less harshly than already profitable firms that downsized to further boost earnings, according to the study, which accounted for company performance and stock-market reaction related to downsizing. Reputation also took less of a hit overall as downsizing became more commonplace.
Love says that because downsizing is so well accepted now, corporate images likely would still hold up if a new wave follows an economic slowdown that many fear could lapse into recession. But he says there are other moves that could leave a black eye.
"The interesting thing would be to think about business strategies that are relatively new and share some characteristics with downsizing, moves that serve one stakeholder but damage others," Love said. "Outsourcing is one and off-shoring certainly comes to mind as an increasingly common action that might be viewed negatively."
Love and Kraatz say a tainted reputation can be costly. Stock prices can slide if analysts take a dimmer view of companies. Potential customers and business partners also could be influenced, as well as government regulators.
"These findings point to a moral evaluation and to some extent an emotional evaluation," Kraatz said. "Downsizing was viewed as an act of betrayal and opportunism where firms went back on their commitment. It casts worry, making people wonder whether the company might sell out some other constituency in the future to meet its goals."
Editor's note: To contact Geoffrey Love, call 217-333-2194, e-mail email@example.com.
Matthew Kraatz, 217-333-7994; firstname.lastname@example.com.


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GoodSync keeps files up to date between backups
We all know, or at least we should all know, by now that backing up of data is an irreplaceable function of a well-run network. Having your data periodically stored on some external media can turn a case of server failure from total disaster to major inconvenience. However, backups typically are done on a daily basis, and with some files that are constantly modified, or those that tend to reside on more than one computer, you could be missing data should a restoration from backup be required.
Pros: Smart enough to handle complex sync processes.Cons: Requires a bit of a learning curve to use.
Performance: AEase of Use: B+Features: BValue: A-Price: $30
GoodSync from Siber Systems provides an intermediary step between backups. By being able to synchronize files between any computers, GoodSync provides a great deal of flexibility in the ways a user can propagate changes and keep versions current of all copies.
Synchronizing files is different from backing them up in both function and purpose. File backups are done by copying a file from one location (typically a computer) to another (typically backup media, such as tape). This is an important process when files or an entire computer system are lost, making restoration possible. When files are synchronized, any updates to a file on any of the synched devices -- that is, two or more computers or storage devices -- will be reflected on all of the others. This process allows changes to be consistent in all copies of the same file. This is absolutely necessary for anyone who works on more than one computer, which is practically everyone these days.
GoodSync's interface takes a bit of getting used to for anyone unfamiliar with file synchronization software. But once we created a job it became quite easy. A "job" is essentially a list of files that are to be synchronized between two locations. To set it up, you select the two folders that are to be synchronized, then click 'Analyze.' A list of files then shows up, with data for the copy on each side. You can also see green arrows indicating whether a particular file will need to synchronize to the right or left, depending upon which side is newer. Between the arrows is a place to click to prevent a certain file from being synchronized.
We could set up synchronization between not only local network computers and portable storage devices, but also remote systems using File Transfer Protocol, Secure FTP, Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV), and Amazon S3 methods to transfer data. This level of flexibility allows files to be kept up to date no matter where they are stored.
With GoodSync we were also able to set up a complicated synchronization scheme in which files needed updating in several locations, with different jobs including the same file and running simultaneously. For example, we had it synchronize a file between locations A and B, as well as B and C, and so on down the line. The program is smart enough to find the most current version among all of the locations, and replace all of the other copies with it.
We were also able to set when a job would analyze and/or synchronize automatically. We could have it perform just analysis or both analysis and synchronization whenever the GoodSync program started, when it stopped, when a portable device such as a Flash drive was connected, or even periodically. The last condition could either be every so many hours or minutes, or through the use of a scheduler we could have had it perform on more complicated intervals, such as every seventh Tuesday at 9:37 a.m. if we had felt that was necessary.
We found that, in addition to the two-way synchronization mode, a job could also be set for one-way propagation, essentially turning it into a back-up method. While in this mode Goodsync can in fact back up your files to a remote server, just like any other backup system. However, it doesn't perform any of the file compression that would be necessary to back up an entire network's data onto something like tape or optical disks. So, while this extra functionality would probably come in handy in certain circumstances, we don't see it entirely replacing any existing backup method.
GoodSync is available as a download from the Siber Systems Web site for $30 for installation to a single computer, and an additional $10 for a second license. Beyond that, there is volume licensing for an enterprise version. We found this to be a very good price considering the hassle you may save yourself.
GoodSync would be a great investment for anyone who needs to keep versions of multiple files consistent and up to date. Its flexibility and automated scheduling capability make it a valuable companion to any backup system.
Siber Systems, 703-877-0550, www.goodsync.com
About the Author
Greg Crowe is a former GCN staff writer who covered mobile technology.
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Nokia New Zealand and Telecom acknowledges the Lumia 800 compass is faulty.
Nokia New Zealand and Telecom NZ will NOT guarantee the Lumia 920 compass is free from the same defect affecting the 800.
So there you have it. Buyer beware I suppose. This actually sets an interesting precedent as it means Nokia and Telecom will openly sell you a Lumia 920, listing the compass as a feature, but will not guarantee that it will perform accurately. I guess the only argument Telecom could make is that it has a compass (it just points the wrong way).
If you're stuck with a Windows Phone with a faulty compass, unfortunately neither Nokia or Telecom can provide you with a device with a working compass - as they won't guarantee any of their compasses work.
So my advice to everyone who has a Windows Phone with a faulty compass - return it immediately for a full refund of your purchase price. If like me you received it free on contract, then unfortunately Telecom won't give you a refund or let you exchange it. Your best hope is that they allow you to cancel your contract, but this is extremely rare.


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Hi, everyone. I decided to start making a mini-series called the "Advanced Field Guide". It will cover most of what you need to know about certain techniques and other stuff. Episodes will be released irregularly since I don't have a flexible schedule in real life. I will post all the episodes here on this thread's main post when they are made. Enjoy!
If you have a suggestion for an episode, leave a comment on one of the videos and I'll see what I can do.
Episode 1: Traditional Cuts
8/2/15 - Thread created. Added Episode 1: Traditional Cuts. Added a logo to the top of the thread.


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Owning a house in Aspen is about "As Good as It Gets" for most celebs, but for Jack Nicholson, his days spending time in the mountain town will soon be over. According to The Wall Street Journal, the three-time Academy Award winner just listed his traditional home for $15 million, which he co-owns with producer and director Lou Adler.
Nicholson and Adler's house sits in the historic district of downtown Aspen and spans 5,800 square feet. The green-gabled house features five bedrooms (two of which are master suites) and seven bathrooms, as well as an attic that's been converted into a screening room (we can only imagine the sweet films that were viewed there). Details of the Nicholson's house include original hand-carved railings, a wood-burning fireplace in the living room, and a large Jacuzzi with a sliding barn door that opens to the picturesque outdoors.
Nicholson and Adler snatched up the home, known as Newberry House, together back in 1980. Realtor.com reports that not only does the house boast celeb owners, but the structure is on the National Register of Historic Places, having been built in 1985 for one of Aspen's early residents, William Shaw.
A view of the exterior of Nicholson's Aspen house.
Nicholson's historic house is for sale for $15 million.


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Hello there!
I'm working on a program that will take an input (i.e: "This is a test"), and outputs it scrambled, but having the first and last letter of each word in the same place (i.e: "Tihs is a tset"). I know that I should first separate the input string into their own string values. I'm aware of using input.split(), but I'm not sure how to assign each word to it's own name (i.e: word1, word2, word3 etc...)
Any help would be appreciated!
Thank you,


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patterns > Jenna Wingate Designs
> Husky Patch
- Pattern
Husky Patch
Looking for Sales and Giveaways? Go HERE.
This is a crochet pattern, not a finished product
Breed: Husky
Size: 8 inches tall
No. of Pages: 4
No. of Images: 12
Crochet Terms: American
Language: English
Detailed step-by-step photos.
This pattern requires small amounts of #4 weight yarn and a 4.00mm crochet hook. It requires some simple sewing and embroidery to complete.
This pattern was designed as part of the Patchwork Puppy Project - an ongoing collection of crochet dog breed appliques. See jennawingatedesigns.com for details.
Pattern Usage
You are welcome to sell finished items made from this pattern. If you do so online, please link to the website and give designer credit. Please do not reproduce, share, sell, or 'borrow from' this pattern in whole or in part, including all text or images. If you intend to offer items made to order from any of my patterns, please do not use my images to advertise. Your customers will want to see the quality of work YOU do, not the quality of work I do. Above all, your honesty is appreciated and allows designers to continue doing what they do. Please email only if you have any questions. No other form of communication is as reliable as email. Thanks!
- Page created: September 8, 2017
- Last updated: January 3, 2018 …
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The haute dog making its debut around town these days is something else altogether. It's a hot dog with pedigree, a frankfurter with personality, fast food that has been gussied up with homemade mustard and fancy toppings.
The terms "mechanically separated" or "meat trimmings" never come up in the ingredients list.
Take the hot dog with corn relish and bacon from the Chaud Dogs food truck, one of three or four different hot dogs on the menu every day. It's a handmade frankfurter made from beef chuck and pork shoulder seasoned with garlic, celery seeds, black pepper, paprika, a little chili pepper and half the salt of most mass-produced frankfurters. It is wedged into a bun studded with sesame and poppy seeds grilled until golden brown and heaped with corn relish and bits of just-fried bacon.
This is the kind of hot dog that moves the person who just wolfed it down to say "Thank you, my life is complete now," as did one lunchtime Chaud Dogs patron last week.
The new hot dog purveyors are serious foodies like Jonathan Cheung and his Chaud Dogs partner Mark D'Aigle. They obsess over the quality of their ingredients and the variety of their toppings. They grind the meat themselves and stuff the sausages into natural casings. They hire a local baker to bake their buns, following a recipe they themselves developed. They even whip up their own mustard and mayonnaise.
"It's exciting for us to come up with new stuff all the time, thinking about different flavour combinations," said Cheung, the owner of Appetite for Books, the Westmount cookbook store, who has donned a baseball cap and stationed himself at the stainless-steel counter in the vintage food truck he outfitted for serving his gourmet hot dogs around town.
The most successful gourmet dogs, he says, are made with carefully sourced ingredients. They stray from the traditional by borrowing flavours from other well-known dishes, but they don't stray entirely from the classic.
Chaud Dogs' popular shawarma dog, for example, contains the familiar wiener and white-bread bun. But it features garlic sauce, hummus, cucumber and pickled turnip you'd otherwise find in the well-known Lebanese grilled beef pita sandwich. The bibimbap hot dog plays with the kaleidoscope of colours and flavours of the classic Korean dish and features pickled carrots, sesame dressing and bean sprouts.
Over at Dirty Dogs, the pop-up restaurant that serves its dogs at bars and parties around town, the zeitgeist is entirely different. Alex Levi and his fellow 20-something partners Freddy Bouchard and Dave Brunelle are what you might call frankfurter explorers. Their main aim, it seems, is to have fun with toppings. Their frankfurters, supplied by local sausage-maker William J. Walter, are topped with all manner of condiments, sweet and sour. They have experimented with Korean kimchee, foie gras, even chocolate.
They've named their hot dogs after celebrities. The Morgan Freeman features a jalapeno and cheddar sausage with pulled pork, pickles and grilled onions. For unabashed bravado, there's the Maurice Richard, a $13 extravaganza of veal and truffle sausage, bacon, caramelized onion and seared foie gras.
Sometimes they seem to go overboard, as with the corn dog named Paula Deen, which featured an apple and bacon sausage wrapped in bacon, dipped in blueberry cornbread batter and deep-fried.
"We tried it for the shock value," said Levi, who preps the ingredients for his Dirty Dogs in the kitchen at Gibby's restaurant, which is owned by his father.
"What we really want to do is bring a sense of fun back to hot dogs."
Hot dogs are having their moment, swept up in the gourmet fast-food craze that is gaining ground across North America and Europe with its high-end burgers, home-brewed sodas and handcrafted, locally sourced pizzas. In Montreal, a city with a long-time addiction to steamies, the gourmet hot dog trend is just starting to catch on. Until now, a hot dog here was a cheap eat, a wiener wedged unceremoniously into a soggy white steamed bun under a mess of mustard, relish and coleslaw, most likely from one of the Lafleur or La Belle Province joints around town, or maybe from Paul Patates in Point St. Charles or Victoire on Beaver Hall Hill.
If you weren't headed for a meeting or on a date, you got the chopped onions. If you were picky, you paid extra to have your bun toasté. And if you wanted to shake things up, you ordered a Michigan all slathered in meat sauce. And that was pretty much it.
Elsewhere, though, hot dogs have been going upscale and adventurous for a while now. In London, England, the restaurant Bubbledogs serves gourmet hot dogs with champagne. At Dragon Dogs in Vancouver, the meat in the wiener of the eponymous dog is infused with expensive cognac and then sautéed in olive and truffle oils. In Rio, street vendors sell samba dogs crowned with corn relish, hard-cooked egg and green and black olives.
It was at the Chicago restaurant Hot Doug's, which bills itself as a "sausage superstore and encased meat emporium," that Levi and his Dirty Dog partners first got a taste of hot dog nirvana. On a road trip through the United States last summer, they stopped in at Hot Doug's based on rave reviews from the celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. At Doug's they found 11 different dogs, each one with a personality of its own. They joined the lineup out the door and decided to try the idea back home. First they brought their grill to friends' parties, then to local bars and privately catered parties. They've had a running gig at the Crescent St. bar Mad Hatter's and this month they will be at Le sur le Boulevard Belmont bar on St. Laurent Blvd.
The current hot dog craze is fuelled partly by nostalgia and partly by our search for healthier food. Hot dogs are associated with fun. They remind people of their childhood. Of amusement parks and baseball games. Of backyard barbecues and bonfires at summer camp.
All that, though, is mitigated by the guilt associated with eating unhealthy fast food. Like most processed meats, wieners are high in fat and loaded with salt, artificial colours, flavourings and preservatives such as nitrites, which are added to extend shelf life and lend a pinkish hue, but have been linked to cancer. According to the Canadian nutrition website The Perfect Bite, a hot dog in a bun with ketchup, mustard and relish can contain up to 2,000 milligrams of sodium, which is more than the daily recommended allowance for a Canadian adult.
At Charcuterie de Tour at Atwater Market, where they sell more than 70 different house-made sausages, don't even try asking for a hot dog. The popular lunchtime special is referred to as a "European sandwich."
"I don't even like the term hot dog," sniffs owner Dominique Fortier. "It conveys poor quality."
Cheung, who has loved hot dogs since childhood when his mother served them on his birthday, says he's on a mission at Chaud Dogs to change the lowly frankfurter's bad rap.
"We are doing our best to make hot dogs that taste like the hot dogs of our memory," Cheung says as he takes another order.
"Best of all, we've removed the many levels of guilt attached to eating them."
Over at the Lafleur in Ville St. Pierre, a favourite among truck drivers, West Island commuters and visiting expats, guilt never even occurs to Antoine Laroche as he washes down his second all-dressed steamé with a long swig of Coke. This gourmet hot dog fad he's just heard about, it will never last, he predicts.
"A fancy hot dog?" he asks. "What's the point of that?"
Twitter: susansemenak


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In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
In his hugely influential treatise The Omnivore's Dilemma , Pollan traced a direct line between the industrialization of our food supply and the degradation of the environment. His new book takes up where the previous work left off. Examining the question of what to eat from the perspective of health, this powerfully argued, thoroughly researched and elegant manifesto cuts straight to the chase with a maxim that is deceptively simple: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.†But as Pollan explains, "food†in a country that is driven by "a thirty-two billion-dollar marketing machine†is both a loaded term and, in its purest sense, a holy grail. The first section of his three-part essay refutes the authority of the diet bullies, pointing up the confluence of interests among manufacturers of processed foods, marketers and nutritional scientists—a cabal whose nutritional advice has given rise to "a notably unhealthy preoccupation with nutrition and diet and the idea of eating healthily.†The second portion vivisects the Western diet, questioning, among other sacred cows, the idea that dietary fat leads to chronic illness. A writer of great subtlety, Pollan doesn't preach to the choir; in fact, rarely does he preach at all, preferring to lets the facts speak for themselves. (Jan.)
Release date: 01/01/2008
Genre: Nonfiction


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More than 150 Gospel music artists came together to record, "Are You Listening: A Love Song for Haiti," to raise funds for the island nation ravaged by a 7.1 earthquake.
The Gospel Music Channel is producing the official music video and will air it Friday (Jan. 21) at 5 p.m. Mountain time, right before GMC's "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon. The special will also air Saturday at 4 p.m. Mountain
Some of the musicians who participated in what Kirk Franklin, who organized the event, called the Gospel music industry's answer to "We Are the World," include BeBe & CeCe Winans, Yolanda Adams, Marvin Sapp, Natalie Grant, Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, Shirley Caesar, Jeremy Camp, Marvin Winans, J. Moss, Smokie Norful, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Karen Clark-Sheard, Kiki Sheard, Donald Lawrence.


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Thanks to the startling grace and gentleness of the majority of the Tunisian and Egyptian peoples, we suddenly remember that human beings can be unexpectedly peaceful, loving, and inclusive in our millions. We've seen these nations' streets graced with laughing children and jubilant men and women singing, praying, and freely mixing without regard to class, gender, or faith.
Thanks to their bravery and sacrifice, we understand why the love of freedom so evident in Tahrir Square has spread to Bahrain, Libya, and even Iran and China, setting oligarchs and dictators from Beijing to Belarus trembling.
While images of the demonstrations in Tahrir Square still linger in our minds, signs have already begun to appear of a response by the Egyptian military – now openly in charge – that is far less than what the people who have dared so much deserve. There are signals that the country's military leaders hope to give the appearance of reform, while safeguarding their hold on economic and political power.
Constitutions play a critical part in revolutions, nowhere more than in Egypt after the miracle of Tahrir Square. The new political order defined by a constitution is what provides the final test of a revolution, not the breathtaking pageantry of demonstrations and martyrdom. The freedom born in Tahrir Square, the nationwide participation in self-government, and the collective rejection of corruption and misrule all deserve to be enshrined in a new constitution that is drafted by the people, not merely for the people.
How to draft a constitution: six steps for the Middle East
Only a constitution written in convention by delegates chosen by the entire Egyptian people through free and internationally supervised elections can assure the continuation of the freedoms that were recovered in Tahrir Square. Only such a constitution can change the freedom won by the protesters from a conditional grant by powerful Egyptian military officers into a universal human right, enjoyed by every Egyptian because he or she is human.
Weak reforms, weak freedom
It seems that the timidity of Egypt's military rulers – their fears of losing power, wealth, and privilege – are threatening to turn the country away from what could have been, and still might be, a truly new beginning. Instead of a new order, a commission of experts and their military overseers have proposed constitutional amendments that may return Egypt to the same sad condition of the past, no doubt with some alterations around the edges.
For example: Although it is surely a good thing to widen eligibility for the presidency, and to limit an incumbent to two terms, no change is proposed to the current restrictions on establishing new parties. The Egyptian judiciary is to regain its role in supervising elections, but a new electoral commission is to govern the electoral process, and the powers of both the judiciary and the commission remain "to be determined by law."
Five ways Egypt's old Constitution stifled opposition
Lastly, the Egyptian people are to be excluded from creating a new or revised constitution because the members of any constituent assembly must be drawn exclusively from the newly elected legislature.
If Egyptian military leaders exploit these and other ambiguities, they will leave the government and society slightly reformed but still unrepresentative and unresponsive. This is one of the two most likely outcomes.
Failed dreams destroy order
The other outcome is that a widening gap between the soaring hopes of Tahrir Square and the modest changes granted so grudgingly by the Egyptian military will inflame the great mass of the people. Captives of poverty, taunted by failed dreams – they could grow violent and destroy the established order.
Under these circumstances, it's fair to predict that new leaders would emerge, those who offer terrible simplifications, who practice the cruelty of the just, acting now in the name of the people to punish the old rulers, but who ultimately prevent their supporters from regaining control of the state. Then the revolution begins to devour its own, and the violence can spread throughout the society.
This is the appalling trajectory of the failed revolutions of the past, of Robespierre's France, Lenin's Russia, Mao's China, and Khomeini's Iran – with all their death and loss and crushing of hope. It is not too late to turn away from such a violent ending or from partial and stalled reforms in Egypt.
A constitution by the people, not just for them
The best way to avoid both would be for Egypt's rulers to order national elections for a constituent assembly to write a new constitution. If this approach were taken, Egypt would become a school of democratic self-government for the Egyptian people, for all Arab countries, and the entire world.
People-powered democratic revolts – do they last?
In supporting such endeavors, the military rulers of Egypt and their American supporters must not allow fears for stability to cripple their commitment to freedom derived from the decency and common sense of the people. Here is the true antidote to extremism and the old regime. The new Egyptian constitution will be of the people and for the people, as Egyptian constitutions have been written before, but this time, it must also be by the people.
P. Edward Haley is W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of International Strategic Studies and director of the Center for Human Rights Leadership at Claremont McKenna College.


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I met Peter Burr and Christopher Doulgeris for the first time about five or six years ago. "Hooliganship," the name of their performative duo, was on tour with the second issue of a DVD cartoon compilation called Cartune Xprez. They came to do a screening/performance at the old Green Lantern Gallery. Cartune Xprez is Peter Burr's curated compilation of independent, short animation—sometimes I think of it as an animated equivalent of an intensely gratifying literary magazine, or portable gallery exhibition. The biannual DVD is an event of imagination that colludes and clashes on the brink of psychedelic experience, precisely because it celebrates the idiosyncratic visions of its participants. As is often the case with non-commercial media, my appreciation for the project serves as both a reminder and a relief, reminding me that the larger behemoth of mainstream culture is not the only world of creative insight. When Hooliganship arrived, we set up couches for audience members while Peter and Christopher inflated neon crystals that glowed in the dark. We couldn't plug them all in, because we kept blowing the fuse. We projected the video on the street-side window, so pedestrians outside would have another experience in reverse. Christopher and Peter both wore tight fitting neon yellow sweat suits and when the screening began, they rose—aside from the crystals, the room was otherwise dark—playing instruments (a clarinet and a guitar). Meantime, these very idiosyncratic cartoons by various artists screened in the background. It's probably one of my favorite experiences from running a space. The habitat of the cartoon-world had been built out into our literal experience, lending additional form to the 2-d and sometimes crude projected imagery. As I said, that was years ago—at that time they were traveling with their first 2006 video. Since then Cartune Xprez has released two additional DVDs and, having recently seen the 2011 edition, I wanted to ask Peter Burr some questions about how he curates, what he loves about the project and how he situates his practice in relation to the more commercial television outlets we are accustomed to.
Caroline Picard: Where does your love for cartoons come from?
Peter Burr: I can't entirely say I LOVE cartoons across the board. I love the way an individual's spirit is captured when making a motion picture, especially an animated one. It takes such tenacity to produce anything of substance in cartoon form. There's this sweet spot for me where the cartoon balances the energy and ideas and images so casually and confidently that takes my cake. A large number of commercial productions and studio jobs lose my interest in the way things get overwrought. I think that's where CARTUNE XPREZ emerged for me…… as a platform to showcase those sweet spots in one place.
CP: It's interesting to me that you wouldn't boast an unequivocal love for cartoons given that you must dedicate so much time curating work for CX. Can you talk a little bit more about that sweet spot? Is it a sweet spot peculiar to the cartoon genre? And what do you mean by 'overwrought?'
PB: Perhaps on point, my day-job is making children's cartoons which, as I reread my last response (and your follow-up question), probably colors my approach to CARTUNE XPREZ. As with any medium, I believe, our ability to accept creative work with 'unequivocal love' is challenged when market forces dictate the decisions behind the practice. This feeds my desire to give life to CX, creating a platform outside the commercial industry that holds a space for ebullient animated spirits. There's a bravery behind a lot of the work CX shows that just doesn't exist in most main-stream cartoons I come across. I guess that's part of that sweet-spot you're asking about….bravery, independence, risk, failure. It's work that is not outright trying to appeal to a mass which in turn yields really strange, really personable results.
CP: Do you have a sense of the community of contemporary cartoonists?
PB: I can't keep up! Sometimes I feel like I could be surfing around the Internet 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and still never have a clear sense of what animation artists are out there. When I was in university back in the 90s I started to explore independent animation for the first time, searching blindly with vague keywords like 'animation + art' or 'cool + cartoon' and it ultimately just tired me of the web. Granted, I was learning how to use search engines for the first time and YouTube didn't exist, but still;Â in the course of that year I think I only ever found one artist (mumbleboy) who clicked into my sensibilities. In subsequent years of peeling my eyes for this kind of work I've found that most of the work that gets integrated into CX emerges when I go on tour and just talk to people. It's a lot more fun than sitting on my computer trolling the net, but of course it also keeps my vision somewhat limited to the countries/cultures I visit.
CP: What would you say your aesthetic is? (that thing you're looking for in independent cartoons) and how does it differ from your commercial work?
PB: That's a tough question! I can't really speak to a single aesthetic, but I can talk about some of the core values that we try to put forth with the project.
Let's see……the boundary for work that comes into the CX world outlines a quest for independent, mostly single-artist productions. This means that we exclude music videos and other types of work that could be construed as 'selling something.' Studio productions tend to get left out too, mostly because I find a special magic imbued in single-artist or small collective projects that comes from a tenacious, intuitive, working process. Rarely does work we show seem storyboarded or acutely planned (even though some of it, in fact, is). Takeshi Murata is a great example of this. Take a video like PINK DOT…… It comes across as a crazy compression error that coalesces around some striking images from Rambo. Of course, these aren't straight accidents, which becomes especially clear if you compare Takeshi's work from this period (2005-2008) with other datamosh videos on youtube. The means of representation here feel glued to the topical concerns. I suppose this is the 'aesthetic' CX gravitates towards.
Another great example of this can be found in the work of Bruce Bickford, an older gentleman whose work is mostly known from his days as Frank Zappa's in-house animator. Like Murata, his work is baffling on both technical and conceptual levels. I've watched some of his pieces hundreds of times and I still read new ideas in them each time I watch. Part of this comes from Bruce's utter dedication to his practice. He lives alone in a dreamy complex outside Seattle where his art practice is the focal point of everything including house chores. (There's a great doc called MONSTER ROAD that you can watch to see what I'm talking about). Anyway, it's this commitment to a practice that I really admire and like to put forth with CX.
CP: It's interesting to hear you talk about the way you research cartoons, the way you follow artists and their various practices. It seems like that must be an integral part to your administration-life with CX. What kind of other duties would you include in that? What does it take to put out one of your compilations?
PB: I think about my 'research' as a way to put framework between my consumer interests and my desire to produce.  Yesterday this meant watching a couple hours of cartoon network before and after Ben Jones' PROBLEM SOLVERZ to see what cable TV is nesting around some of the artists CX has affiliated with. Day-to-day, these research duties are a lot more casual (I haven't owned a TV in about a decade so it took some work to find a place to watch cable for a few hours). Thanks to the fact that I live in New York City, freestyle conversation with wonderful artists/critics/organizers is quick to come by. Going on tour provides a similar stimulation. One of my favorite research paths in recent times came when I was in Riga, Latvia with our FUTURE TELEVISION tour. I spent a week there after our show, which gave me time to learn about the cartoons my friends there grew up on. I was blown away by the trove of Soviet animation that had been produced in the 80s. For months afterwards I dug through Russian-language video databases, finding some gems like Captain Pronin and Pereval. This kind of exploratory work is so much fun!
The heavier administrative duties are a bore to talk about…… emailing venues, learning new video compression techniques, managing boxes of amaray-cased DVDs, etc. Its like an episode of "The Office†without the employees.
CP: What is your vision for CX? To me, it kind of seems like it's fulfilling itself as it is. I mean, I so love and enjoy each of the DVDs you've already put out, I'd be psyched if you just did that forever. That said, I can imagine you think about the project differently, or imagine moving in different directions, or presenting the work in different ways. Can you talk about that a bit?
I think my fundamental vision for this project has a lot to do with integrating youthful dreams with my adult experiences. This certainly IS fulfilling in itself! Its also really squirrely and challenging. The biennial compilations feel like a good way to bring some permanence to our activities and touring has been a sweet way to stir up the project's spirit (bringing new energy and voice). You're right, though….. in tandem with what we have now I DO envision the project working in different directions. I think about LIQUID TELEVISION, POSTERDISC, RAW MAGAZINE, CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE, THE EXPLODING PLASTIC INEVITABLE and still watering the plants at home.
Caroline Picard
Latest posts by Caroline Picard (see all)
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- Reading with My Whole Body: An Interview with Essi Kausalainen - August 29, 2016


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THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
I 've been a writer of trade level technical materials for over 13 years now, writing books, articles, blogs, and even tweets for a variety of outlets, almost exclusively about Microsoft SQL Server. While I won't claim to be the best writer in the world, I feel like I have the process of writing down fairly well, yet, for the life of me, there is still the question of "why do I do this?" stuck in the back of my mind that I have yet to appease.
Note that my quest specifically deals with non-verbal communication, because it seems to me that presentations are a completely different sort of "why" altogether.
So I have decided to survey as many of my technical writing colleagues and find out their answer to the "why" question. The only criteria for being included in this set is that you write about a subject like programming, gadgets, computer administration, etc.; and that you don't make your most of your living from writing (in other words, if you stopped writing today, tomorrow you would not be in fear of sleeping in the gutter.)
To get the process started, I have asked Thomas LaRock to be my first survey participant. Tom is a SQL Server MVP, has written a very popular book called DBA Survivor for Apress, frequently tweets as @sqlrockstar, and blogs at www.thomaslarock.com where he maintains a popular ranked list of SQL bloggers (of which I am listed in the tempdb category). He is a member of the executive committee of SQL PASS, and is very active in the SQL community as a speaker. He currently works for Confio as a Technical Evangelist. Tom is also quite well known in our SQL communitiy as a lover of the delightful cured porcine meat known as bacon.
If you want to see Tom in person, he will be doing a pre-conference seminar with Grant Fritchey and Dandy Weyn this year at Tech-Ed North America in early June in New Orleans entitled How to Be a Successful DBA in the Changing World of Cloud and On-Premise Data.
1. Every good superhero (or in your case, SQL Rockstar) has an origin story. What got you involved in writing?
Tom: The birth of my daughter. I wanted to record as many details as possible and since I had 10MB of available space for a website as part of my cable package (yeah...10 MEGABYTES BABY!) it was easy enough to get a website up quickly and easily. The writing came easily, too, since I was writing about something so close to my heart, something I remain passionate about to this day.
2. We all have influencers that have advanced our careers as writers. It may be a teacher who told you that you had great potential? Another writer who impressed you that you wanted to be like? Or perhaps on the other end of the spectrum it was a teacher who told you that you were too stupid to write well enough to spell your own name, much less have people one day impressed with your writing? Who were your influences that stand out as essential parts of your journey to the level of writer you have become? Tom: I never try to be exactly like someone else. If I did then I would always be second best. Instead I've learned to take bits and pieces of different people and shape them into who I am today. The writer I admire most these days is Bill Simmons followed by Gregg Easterbrook. Both are known more for their sports writing but their style of writing is one that I try my best to emulate: it's human. I do not enjoy the dryness of technical writing, I prefer to write from my heart about things that I enjoy. That makes it less of a chore.
3. My writing process is pretty drawn out, often starting on my phone in OneNote, sometimes finishing in 10 minutes, but often taking a year (or years) to finish an idea. Can you describe the process you go through to write, from inception of an idea until it gets put out for consumption? Tom: I used to start a draft inside of WordPress but lately I have been using EverNote to track my ideas and take notes. From there I just decide to go and get it done. I do my best to follow a very loose format: describe a problem, explain why it's an issue, help readers understand any and all tradeoff (cost, benefits, risks), and a few action items for them to use as a take away. Once I have that framework in my head it doesn't take long to get to a finished product. I think I may spend more time on finding a decent image to use with my post than the actual writing itself.
4. Assume a time machine has been created, and you are allowed to go back in time to speak to a group of potential writers, in which you and I are in attendance. What would you tell "past us", and do you think that your advice would change where you and I are in our careers now?
Tom: Write for yourself first. Feed your own soul. Don't worry about what your readers want. You can't write for others, they will never be happy with what you have done. The only person that needs to be happy with your words is you. When you write and share yourself then your readership will grow with people who are naturally drawn to you, and it makes it easier for you to keep sharing your words with people that want to hear them. And no, this advice wouldn't change. Ever.
5. Finally, beyond the "how" questions, now the big one. There are only 24 hours in a day, and there are no doubt tremendous pulls on your time from family, friends, and pork products, yet, even considering just your blog output, you obviously sit down at a keyboard very often to write. Why? Tom: Most of the time I just feel that I have words that need to be written. Doing so helps to feed my soul. I'm at a keyboard a lot because my job requires it, and I am able to spend a lot of my day just writing as a way to communicate with others. Sometimes it's an email, sometimes it's a support ticket, other times it's a blog post.
I want to thank Tom for being my first participant in my experiment. I find his answer to the "why" question very similar to mine, in that he doesn't so much offer a tangible reason, but more that he feels compelled to do so. I have to say that the question of how he got started is really quite unexpected, and very interesting, and is going to affect my future questions I ask because more than just the origin story, it will be interesting to see whether people started writing technically first, or for some other reason. I know that before I wrote my first book, I had never written 2 pages of material that wasn't graded rather harshly by someone with PhD behind their name (or at least one of their low paid minions.)
Unfortunately (or fortunately if you enjoyed this first entry) Tom certainly did not resolve any of my questions to any level of satisfaction so I am going to have to continue to ask more of my technical writer colleagues for their opinion as well.
To that end, my next interviewee will be Mark Vaillancourt, whose website is http://markvsql.com/ and whom has a degree in English and Theatre (so he will know if it should have been whom or who earlier in this probably run on sentence), so that could make for quite an interesting interview. Perhaps he may resolve my curiosity about how one can go from the seemingly non-technical to spending his time working on SQL Server Business Intelligence. I don't know but I look forward to finding out.
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Jeepers, I found some typos in the last few paragraphs and cleared them up, if you happen to be reading this multiple times and have become confused as to why the content has changed ever so slightly.
My second guest is Mark Vaillancourt (whose last name makes me very happy for the copy and paste feature),


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The uplifting postgame photo of Peyton Manning talking to Ray Lewis
When one of the wildest NFL games in recent history was complete, two future Hall of Famers, one from each team, quietly met in the victors' locker room.
The picture of the Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning and the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis is worth more than 300 wins, two Super Bowl titles and the possibility of more to come.
Robert Klemko of USA TODAY Sports wrote about the postgame summit:
They met in the empty visitors locker room a little more than an hour later -- Lewis in a grey three-piece suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses; Manning in a darker jacket and slacks, standing a few inches taller than his rival.
They talked about an epic of a football game that served as a goodbye -- but Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, and not Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, will play next week.
Manning got flak for not talking to CBS commentators after the game. He was similarly criticized for walking off the field after a loss in Super Bowl XLIV to the New Orleans Saints without shaking hands with his opponents. To some, these acts signify a lack of sportsmanship, as if perfunctory words in the first moments of defeat make Manning a better man.
A photo like this is the measure of both athletes. Two of the all-time greats – one on one of the highest highs of his career, another on one of his lowest lows – just talking football.
Manning and Lewis exchanged postgame words on the field too. Lewis was giving a scripture-spouting interview to CBS (he makes Kevin Garnett sound introverted) when Manning approached and congratulated him. The linebacker appeared sincerely touched by the gesture and let Manning know it by giving him a slap on the helmet, although Lewis was really hyped so instead of a tender, "good job, bro" slap it became a vicious Harbaugh-on-Schwartz type of congratulations. Manning didn't appear to mind, bad neck and all.


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Dear Origin, You Stink
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Shamus believes EA is the underdog here, with Steam the clear favorite.
You know what the sad thing is? Even if this piece somehow got to the deciderers at EA's HQ I'd bet their reaction would be to start doing some mental gymnastics to justify their 'strategies'. A great case of corporate cognitive disonance if I've ever seen one.
Loved ME and ME2 to bits (although I'd really, really prefere more of ME's Larry Niven-esque feel rather than well, whatever solid, action-packed, pew-pew-in-space author may be applicable we got with ME2) and it's a shame I'll have to give ME3 a pass*
*There are some things on which I'm not willing to compromise. Everything I've heard about Origin makes it a big no-no.
To counter one thing you said here... "If you were actually thinking of your customers (and if you were smart like Valve) then you would give free copies of Mass Effect 1 & 2 on Origin to people who already have copies through Steam."
I've actually put my steam keys (and D2D cd keys) for quite a few EA titles and instantly got access to them on my origin account free of charge (in Origin its under redeem cd key or something like that in the gear menu). I can only think of one title where I wasn't able to do this and it was my D2D copy of the Red Alert 3 expansion thingy, which is old at this point anyhow.
Otherwise, yeah, Origin is fairly stinky, and I agree with all your other points.
Great article, but I doubt EA will change anything. It seems like all of their projects to top big dogs fall short. Battlefield 3, Origin, and SWOTOR (A little early on this one, but it doesn't look like a massive hit with 4+ years of staying power). They just need to get used to playing second fiddle.
I don't think ea are capable of thinking like underdogs. Not whilst they can still act like some heavily censored words and people still buy their games. They can do what they like and still get money. Note the tor fraud scandal, dragon age 2, permabanning people for doing nothing wrong from origin forums AND all their games, etc, etc.
And gamers line up and still pay them.
I'm not buying ME3 even if it comes to steam, or dragon age 3, or any other EA products.
I wonder; why is this posted now, in late January, while the whole Origin spiel went on almost three months ago.
It's sort of, y'know, not really relevant. We all complained about it long before, the EULA was changed (really, an article from August 2011?) making it only a bit more harsh than Steam, feature-wise it's a bit pointless but other than that it doesn't do much at all and hardly affects your actual gaming experience.
Really, Origin rage has come and gone and this article tells us nothing we don't know already. Not quite sure what's the point of it, but that's me.
Except that Battlefield 3 and SW:TOR has been recieved very well, so I'm not sure what constitutes as a fail here. Of course you're right though about SW:TOR's staying power, that's something it has yet to prove.
I have ME and ME2 on steam, but am not planning on getting ME3.
(To be fair I wasn't able to actually finish either ME or ME2, so maybe its not origin...)
(...then again, I don't have a burning desire to play SWTOR either...)
To be honest I think EA just need to quietly give up and go back to Steam. They've already failed as far as I'm concerned, between battlelog and Origin I sent my (pre-oredered) copy of B3 back unopened.
If it was on Steam and used Steam's server browser, I'd have kept it, if it appears with those options, I'd buy it again.
As it is, who ever thought that having no less than three layers of separate DRM that all require log-ins to operate a multiplayer shooter that boils down to a cut down version of something that was released eight years ago needs to be taken outside and beaten.
It's a hard hard decision we all have to make. Mass effect one was a fantastic game. Mass effect two was possibly my favorite game since I played as an odd blue man with tattoos and weird memory loss syndrome.
But it's possinle I may never play mass effect three. Origin is, as far as I can tell and by all accounts of those who have used it, utterly horrible. Their "privacy" policy (which is essentially how much they loathe the idea that I have a right to any) is an abomination. Their pricing is absurd.
I want Mass Effect 3 *really* badly. I've been talking with friends about it regularly since the moment I finshed ME2 the first time - having finished it half a dozen times since.
And your press is - somehow - getting *worse* on this whole issue. Banning people for life for using a term like 'e-peen' - which while not in the best possible taste is hardly likely to offend, well, anyone - is absurd and makes users feel like they are in the fourth grade. Locking them out of there games is completely off the walls. Banning people for having their user ID mentioned in a post where someone else uses a naughty word is - whats a word for more absurd than just regular absurd?
I mean, if I'm walking down the street and I shout at a cop "Shamus Young is a <words deleted>" then maybe I might be able to get arrested for it. But for Shamus to get arrested for it is...well I would need that missing word again.
And the games pricing...!!!
The reason a game from game stop costs sixty bucks is as follows:
You pay some guys to make the game, and test it (well...sometimes) and market it, and that costs 15 bucks. You pay someone to cut the disks and print the manuals and put together the boxes, and they take five bucks. Then you pay someone to transport it from A to B and that costs 5 bucks. Then gamestop pay you 40 bucks for it, and sells it for sixty. SO all said and done, you make 15 bucks.
Online, you can sell it for the same 40 bucks you sell it to gamestop for, and still make 10 dollars of profit for, essentially, free. And as noted in the article, it means I can't loan it to a friend or sell it back to gamestop for 10 bucks so they can re-sell it for fifty bucks, a transaction on which you make zero bucks.
What is your mental problem on this front?
Dear EA,
Stop spying on us. Stop banning us for absurd things. Stop locking me out of my games - which I've paid for, and which, by the by, is probably illegal in several countries - for nothing. Stop charging full price for games when you have no middle men to pay just so you can make more profit*.
everyone in the world.
*Particularly as profit isn't linear. Higher price does not mean higher profits.
Great article and this is my main reason to entirely boycott every new release of EA and subsequentially, my personal boycott of Mass Effect 3... until they decide against using Origin as a mandatory stuff to get to play the thing, until then, they won't be getting a single cent from me ever again.
Interesting article. Always good to see anything written by you Shamus.
In response to this I decided to open Origin to see what was new. As usual (since I don't run it very often) I was obliged to re-install, because that's just the way Origin's updater rolls. This immediately annoyed me of course. Running an installer and resetting my preferences each time I start a program tends to provoke this irrational ire.
I've got no personal beef with EA and would be perfectly happy to use Origin if it brought something - anything - to the table. You're right, EA's not evil, they're just criminally complacent and entitled. What a waste.
You're also spot-on about Valve. Video game dev my arse. Where they've truly proven they shine is as masters of marketing (an area EA is notoriously weak in). As each year's sales arrive I watch in unabashed admiration at the artful and increasingly sophisticated way they capture and direct my attention exactly where they want it. Vouchers, prizes, daily challenges the gradual trickle of unbelievable deals. Intellectually I am so very impressed even as money I don't have is teased from my pocket almost by it's own will.
When EA learns to make Origin less of a burden to it's users and more of an end in and of itself then they will have a chance of competing with Valve in the digital distribution space.
And that article is basically why I love Steam so much.
I've bought oh so many games simply because the were on 50% or 75% off.
Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition
I even bought Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Skyrim (which was on sale at X-mas) on Steam because it was considerably cheaper and more convenient.
So all in all, good deal for the developers and many good deals for me.
SW:TOR and BF3 HAVE been well received but due to the feelings towards origin they havent done as well as they could, case in point a gaming geek with disposable income (me) has made a point of ignoring both titles purely because of origin and so have a considerable number of my friends.
The reason why this has been posted now is possibly so the Steam christmas sale could be included in the article as a point of evidence? You know? The article above comparing steam and origin?
Regarding the article it says everything I think about origin. I have no desire to use the system due to my invested time in steam coupled with my distrust of EA. This is along with my game to dollarpound value felling. Why does a game that is just a download cost more than a physical copy? Why does a game with no middle man taking a cut cost more than a direct sale from the publisher?
Origin is a system with no reason to exist apart from the greed of its creator, It speaks volumes that I am foaming at the mouth for mass effect 3 but I am hoping instead to find some way to convert my mass effect pc save to the xbox
Agree wholeheartedly.
I'll add my recurring technical issue to the mix. Origin doesn't remember my password. Every time I want to log in, I have to go the "forgot your password?" route...and that only works because it auto-signs in as soon as the password is changed. I can log out again immediately and my password has become useless.
This causes me to not log in very often.
Mass Effect 3 is going to be the last EA published title that I ever buy. I am unfortunately, as it's where my saves are, going to be buying it for the PC ergo I will have to deal with Origin. That said I am thankful that I have some pretty tech savvy friends as once Origin is installed onto my machine I'm going to turn it into a eunuch.
One should really understand that Origin is not an online games service that happens to function as DRM. It is a DRM and info-gathering service that happens to sell you some games online. Honestly, EA has done about everything possible to stop me from buying Mass Effect 3. I really want to play the game, but they seem intent on convincing me not to.
As a PC gamer, I agree with EVERY single point you made..
The only reason I can think of for Origin's existence is to purposely kill the PC gaming market and direct them to consoles... EA is barely making profit, PC gamers are no-way-near satisfied with it and the only trafic it is getting is forced through DRM... Even EA games like Crysis are cheaper on Steam!
EA should just listen to their senses and run back to Steam with their tails inbetween their legs if they want profit...
Sigh... Mass Effect is my favourite franchise, last game I buy from EA is going to be Mass Effect 3.
How can something so obviously moronic even happen?
It's almost as if they don't want customers.
You realize that TOR doesn't need origin if you buy it retail right?
And The article is spot on, Origin is a burden and a annoyance to gamers because it treats everyone like they are a potential thief (3 DRM methods just to play bf3 , wtf ) . That and their seemingly stupid policy of making PC gamers put up with all this agro when they want their money is just not a smart move.
Valve as others have said are masters at marketing , plus they are not complete assholes about DRM and actually have good sales.
BF3's multiplayer has only been well received by players too young to have owned BF2. I don't think I've read a single positive review of BF3's single player campaign, about the best I've seen of it has been 'average'.
It's had solid sales, but it's safe to say BF3 failed to meet any of EA's grand objectives to make it the launch pad for Origin, a critical darling and the product to knock Call of Duty off number 1 spot, or at least put up a good fight.
Call of duty doubled BF3's sales inside 72 hours, the reviews were largely average and aside from Origin exclusives, is anyone buying from it?
Battlefield 3 was supposed to be the CoD killer. It didn't come close. It did well, but failed to meet their lofty expectations. I'm guessing that SWOTOR will go the same route.
Yay Shamus! Are you back from a hiatus, or what? I've missed you and your stealing of pixels and what not. And such things. Etcetera. I havn't seen nearly enough Shamus articles lately.
I was too busy knee-jerk frothing at the mouth over origin to actually install it and try it out. Most of my concerns with the company and the business model appear to be well-justified in your report on how its actually running.
Steam has completely changed PC gaming. What used to be a mess-- finding and installing patches-- is now a hassle free, easy experience. I've had very few technical problems with steam. None of the common steam complaints (Grahhhh [email protected]@! graaahhhh offline [email protected]!) have affected me one iota. And it is a pleasant product to use.
The only game i'd consider buying from Origin are the effects of mass. I gave ME2 a miss already-- guess whats going to happen when ME3 comes out. Sure won't be purchased on origin, i can tell you that.
Bravo! Well said.
(I still bought ME3 on Origin... I can't help it!)
Steam doesn't need corporate competitors, because they are already facing and conquering a competitor that very few corporations have handled: massive piracy. Piracy forces Steam to have low prices and good service, because Valve already knows that if they fail to provide those things then PC gamers will return to piracy.
The next mistake is to assume Origin intends to "compete" in the sense of free market competition. Everything EA has done with Origin so far shows that their business plan is to strong-arm customers into using it with monopoly, not to entice them by competing in an open market.
So this article is good for pointing out obvious problems with Origin, but it's premised on two key errors: that steam needs a corporate competitor, and that Origin has any intention of competing in an open market.
I could almost argue that this is in light of recent tactics, but as you bring up:
Indeed, bringing up dated information from the start was poor form.
Not being MW3 and WoW respectively?
Seems to be the watermark these days.
I'm oblivious to digital distribution but for what i've read this sounds spot on. Great ideas.
Megaupload's id shot whos license?
Typical EA user unfriendliness, force customers to give them money once (provided you still care about Mass Effect) and scupper any thought we might have of ever buying from them again. And its arrogant acting as though its not even worth examining Steam's business practices on top of being undoubtedly unprofitable. Self destructive is what they are.
Oh and expecting everybody to rush towards their service on the sole basis of it having a cover based third person shooter now devoid of depth and a bigger version of COD is cute, just cute.
It's been a little while since I've clapped after reading an official Escapist Article guys.
Here is your internet gold medal.
Great read. And very very painfully true. Now weather EA will consider this as truth rather than listening to the geniuses they have running their marketing department. (2 Chimps smoking cigars and smearing feces on peices of paper no doubt.)
Three layers? There's Origin, Battlelog and what else? Also Battlelog will automatically start and log you on to Origin if you join a game from it. To be honest if it wasn't for the notifications I get telling me that my friends are playing things I wouldn't even know I had Origin on my computer. At the moment Origin is basically the same thing as EA's old download manager except with a store, rudimentary social features and some spyware loaded into it.
I'm not so sure steam doesn't need a competitor, I'm in Australia but Origin's download speed shits on steam's and this is something most of my friends have noticed too. This is both in terms of max speed and general reliability. With steam my download will go at 5 kb/s until I restart the download then it'll jump up to 500 kb/s for about 5 minutes before dropping back down again. Origin just chugs along steadily at a couple of mb/s and then bam the 4 gig BF3 patch/DLC is down in record time. Steam claimed to have fixed this a while ago by changing how the servers handle load distribution but it's still a problem.
But hey, when you're competing against torrents then for anything other than popular/new games you're setting the bar fairly low.
"Wow, that's a lot of valid complaints! I bet EA is going to change it's policies and treat its customers better so that EA can make more money!"
Is what I would say if EA was any sane company.
I'd love to pick fault with your arguments Shamus, but I can't.
Nothing else to say except well done.
Oh look, it's Shamus' annual column. Just kidding, I love you man.
Sorry to hear that they are giving Aussies a crappy connection. I'm in the same part of the US as Valve headquarters, so downloading from Steam always maxes out my connection at 3 MB/s. I agree they need more competition in that area if they are giving you guys crappy speeds.
I call bovine feces upon you, sire.
It's true that Steam is competing against pirates. What's also true, and that most people forget, is that pirated games rarely compete against original games. It's basic marketing: different prices plus different means of distribution means a product so commercially different it's a completely different one. However, that also implies that brand new games are an entirely different product, one that Steam also deals with; so piracy is only a partial competitor. Even if it wasn't, more competition doesn't mean worse services. It may after a point, if there were so many services that you needed four different programs just to play the biggest hits of a given year, but I assure you two isn't that point. Even if you include GFWL and piracy that's only four, still far from that. Steam sure as hell needs corporate competitors - the fact that they wear a nice hat doesn't mean they're not Microsofting.
Your second point also shows how little you know of marketing. Would you say Valve is strong-arming its costumers into downloading Steam by offering Team Fortress 2 for free but only if you have Steam? Because I assure you I wouldn't have a Steam account or care about its existence in the least if it wasn't for that, so I pretty much was strongarmed into it. What EA is doing is the most basic way to wrestle into a market dominated by a strong competitor: make it extremely beneficial for consumers to try it, for after they get past the hurdle of registering and getting used to the interface they'll start buying. (That was my story with Steam.) The problem is that EA fails with the followup, which is pretty much what the article covers; and also that Valve always wears its nice hat, while EA wears its corporate hat. So when EA forces you to use Origin to play BF3 they're strongarming you into playing it, while when Valve forces you to use Steam to play TF2 they just want you to use their awesome gaming thing. And when EA's privacy policy is bad it's because it's EA, what do you expect, but when it turns out it's actually just as bad as Steam's I think you're mistaken, because Valve really respects us. I'm not pulling EA out of the hook here though; changing its public perception to be like Valve's is possible and should be a priority, but they leave it to the marketing department, when it should be a company-wide effort to be nicer to their customers.
They could even turn Origin into their own little "used shop" for digital games. Does a gamer have a game they don't want anymore? Let them trade it in for half the current price. Give them credit to spend on Origin. Now they have a reason to keep shopping with you, and if they don't like a game, they can trade it back for more credit. Now they have a sense of security. I'd be more likely to buy a game if I knew I could get something back if I didn't like it/finished it a bit too quickly.
Reward continued spending with digital coupons. If someone, say, buys Dead Space 1, give them a coupon that halves the price of Dead Space 2 (or vice-versa). Do this with all franchises, give them coupons for other games in the franchice. Do they have each game in a particular series? Let them swap the coupon(s) with some others so they can use that to help pay for more games.
Reward spending. Give people reasons to use and buy from your service EA. Steam has proven that if you offer a better service, people will buy from you. Right now, all Origin is doing is showing how good a service Steam really is.
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text:
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the Affordable Care Act at the White House
By Richard Valdmanis
BOSTON (Reuters) - Young Americans are unhappy with virtually every major thing President Barack Obama has done since he was re-elected, but they would still vote for him today, according to the results of a Harvard University survey released on Wednesday.
The national poll by Harvard's Institute of Politics of more than 2,000 people aged 18 through 29 is intended to provide insight into the political views of the youngest U.S. voters. This increasingly influential demographic known as the "millennial generation" has been a traditional base of Obama's support.
More than 50 percent of respondents in the survey, taken between October 30 and November 11, said they disapproved of how the Democratic president handled key issues in his second term, including Syria, Iran, the economy, healthcare and the federal budget deficit.
Most cited the economy as their top concern.
Still, disapproval ratings were higher for both Republicans and Democrats in Congress. And a plurality of respondents, 46 percent, said they would still vote for Obama for president if they could recast their 2012 ballots, compared with 35 percent who said they would vote for the then-Republican nominee, Mitt Romney.
Some 55 percent of the survey respondents who reported casting ballots in the 2012 presidential election said they had voted for Obama, compared with 33 percent for Romney.
Institute of Politics Director Trey Grayson said the poll revealed cracks forming in Obama's base.
"This isn't a problem for Obama because he's not coming up for election again," Grayson said in a conference call with reporters. "But it is a potential problem for any Democratic candidate seeking to mobilize young Americans."
The results follow a CNN/ORC poll released on November 25 that showed a growing number of Americans doubted Obama's ability to manage the nation, amid ongoing problems plaguing the president's signature domestic policy achievement, the healthcare reform law known as Obamacare.
Obama's administration has also come under fire. Critics claim it is dealing poorly with the Syrian government over its alleged use of chemical weapons and Iran over its nuclear ambitions, and has failed to rein in U.S. public spending or revive the economy.
Some 57 percent of respondents in the Harvard poll said they disapproved of the Obamacare law, with 40 percent expecting the quality of healthcare to worsen and about half expecting such costs to rise.
"Among the 22 percent in our survey who report that they have no insurance, less than one-third tell us they are likely to enroll," according to the report detailing the survey findings. "A plurality however are 50-50 and are therefore open to enrolling under the right circumstances."
The Harvard survey respondents spread out the blame for Washington's shortcomings beyond Obama and the Democratic Party. In terms of job performance, 54 percent said they disapproved of the president, 59 percent disapproved of Democrats in Congress, and a whopping 75 percent disapproved of Republicans in Congress.
Conservative U.S. Republicans took a hard line in the fight over October's U.S. government shutdown, which was waged over the party's demands to stop the launch of Obamacare. But delays in pay to some public workers, closings of national parks and reductions in public services only deepened Americans' frustration.
"Nobody was happy with anybody after the shutdown," Grayson said.
Asked which proposals they would prefer to see enacted to cut the federal deficit, respondents tended to favor increasing taxes for the wealthy and cutting certain types of military spending - including on the nuclear arsenal and the size of the Navy fleet.
More than 70 percent also said they would prefer not to see any cuts to education spending on kindergarten through high school, the poll showed.
In a sign of ambivalence over the role of Edward Snowden, a contractor for the National Security Agency, in unveiling details of the U.S. spying program, 52 percent of survey respondents said they were not sure if he was a traitor or a patriot. Some 22 percent labeled him a traitor and an equal 22 percent labeled him a patriot.
Snowden is living in Russia as a fugitive after President Vladimir Putin granted him asylum against Washington's wishes.
"The Snowden stuff shows that these 18-to-29-year-olds are not that supportive of giving up personal information for the interests of national security," Grayson said.
(Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Scott Malone and Lisa Von Ahn)


text: Poison Prevention for Teachers Did you know... More than 2 million poisonings are reported each year to the 57 poison control centers across the country? More than 90 percent of these poisonings occur in the home? The majority of non-fatal poisonings occur in children younger than six years old? Poisoning deaths among 15 to 19-year-olds have nearly doubled in the last decade and the misuse of prescription drugs is an increasing cause of poisoning death in teens today? Use these tips to ensure that the children in your care are safe: If you carry something that can be poisonous, such as a medicine or cosmetics in a purse or backpack, make sure to store it up high and out of sight and reach of the children. Don't take any medications in front of children. Safety latches on drawers or cabinets, and child-resistant caps on bottles, are helpful in keeping poisons out of the hands of children. But remember, they are not "child-proof" and do not substitute for your careful and constant supervision. A curious and determined child can find a way to get into something. Keep cleaning or painting products in their original containers. Do not put them in used soda bottles or other household containers. Remember that coin-sized button batteries – the types used in television remotes, car key fobs and other small classroom electronics – can be poisonous if ingested. Keep them out of the reach of children and be on the look-out for a child who is drooling, coughing or seems to be uncomfortable or in pain. Educate teens that pain relievers, antidepressants, stimulants and other pills dispensed by a doctor for a family member or friend can be deadly if shared or misused in other ways. For more information, please visit the following websites: e-Cigarette Poison Warning Poison Prevention Week Council "Sharing Pills Can Kill" Teen Posters Poison Peril Infographic - English & Spanish A Teacher's Guide to Poison Prevention National Capital Poison Center Teacher's Poison Prevention Program


text:
The Gargamel Music Family is pleased to confirm that music icon, Buju Banton, has indeed been moved back to general population at the Pinellas County Jail after spending over 30 days in maximum security for the seemingly minor infraction of giving his food away to a fellow inmate.
The move has lifted Buju's spirits tremendously as he is able to move around a bit more freely, plus he has access to hot water and other simple provisions that were not readily available in South Division aka "max."
Buju wants his fans to know that all of the guards on his floor are treating him with the utmost respect and he also says he is receiving so much mail from around the world that the jail is even considering giving him his own mail bag! Buju is thankful for all the uplifting correspondence and promises to write back to his supporters as much as he can.
Well wishers can continue to hail up the boss at the new updated address below:
Mark Anthony Myrie – Docket # 1387202
Pinellas County Jail
14400 49th Street North
Clearwater, Florida 33762-2877
Please note *new housing info, which must be included in address to ensure delivery.
In the meantime, Buju remains prayerful and optimistic as Team Gargamel, led by esteemed criminal defense attorney, David Oscar Markus, prepare to fight for his liberty and his life. The trial date is presently still set for Monday, June 21st at the Sam M. Gibbons Federal US District Courthouse in Tampa, Florida.
The high-profile, highly controversial case will be tried by Assistant US Attorney, James C. Preston, Jr. and presided over by The Honorable Judge James S. Moody, Jr.


text:
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text:
Here's an interesting exchange with an AIG executive from the FCIC interviews. As I explained a while ago, what really killed AIG were the terms of its CDS contracts on subprime CDOs and RMBS — specifically, the contracts included Credit Support Annexes (CSAs) which required AIG to post collateral based on the mark-to-market value of the underlying CDOs. When the CDO shut down in 2007, mark-to-market prices collapsed as well, forcing AIG to post tens of billions in collateral on their CDS contracts.
In the FCIC's interview with Andrew Forster (mp3), who headed AIGFP's London branch, the interviewers — to their credit — actually directly asked asked Forster about this. His response is fascinating. The two FCIC interviewers were Chris Seefer and Dixie Noonan, and I've transcribed the exchange to the best of my ability, since it's pretty short: (emphasis mine)
Chris Seefer (FCIC): Did you know that the contracts for the multisector [CDS] book included terms that would require AIGFP to post collateral if there was a decline in the market value of the reference collateral?OK, to be clear, it's simply not true that the "market standard" was for CDS on asset-backed securities to include full-blown CSAs, which require counterparties to post collateral based on mark-to-market prices. The only other big protection sellers for CDS on asset-backed securities at this time were the monoline insurers, which did not post collateral based on market prices. (The monolines did, however, agree to post collateral when their credit ratings were downgraded, but that's another story.) Whether protection sellers would have to post collateral based on market prices was a fairly contentious and prominent issue, and yet Forster was apparently unaware that a debate even existed. To him, CDS on asset-backed securities were just another derivative, and since most derivatives included full CSAs, CDS on asset-backed securities should naturally include CSAs too. (It sometimes took weeks to negotiate CSAs for bespoke derivatives, so I don't know why Forster thought all these deals should just include routine CSAs.)
Andrew Forster (AIG): Um, as I've looked back over my emails and notes, it's clear that there were times that I was copied on an email that would have that sort of information. Did I recall that? Did I look at it? No, I didn't. But it would be disingenuous for me to say that I clearly had no knowledge of it, because I must've, I should've had some back at that time. But it wouldn't really have rang any great — it wouldn't have resonated with me on the basis that my understanding was pretty much every derivative product that you write is gonna come with a CSA and a collateral agreement. That's just the market standard. So it wouldn't be odd if that was the case. But the exact specific terms of the different ones, no, I didn't really focus on it at the time.
Dixie Noonan (FCIC): You said that it was typical for the contracts to have collateral provisions. Was it typical, based on your understanding at the time, for the collateral provisions to be based on declines in the market value of the underlying securities?
Andrew Forster (AIG): Yeah I mean a typical derivative, or any credit derivative, they would all come — my understanding is that the market standard would be that that came with a CSA agreement and a collateral agreement, and that would be based on some estimate of market value for those products.
Dixie Noonan (FCIC): And would that be true not just for asset-backed security CDOs, but also for corporate CDS?
Andrew Forster (AIG): Yeah, I mean we wrote lots of other single-name corporate CDS. If you write one of those, it all comes with a collateral — I mean, 99% of the time it's gonna come with a collateral agreement. And it's based on the, you know, replacement value, or something like that, for the product.
Of course, there's a reason why the collateral-posting issue for CDS on asset-backed securities was so contentious: because a full CSA exposes the counterparties to significant market risk. So if you're a protection seller on a CDS, you would specifically want to avoid a full CSA when the underlying security trades in a particularly illiquid market, where prices jump around a lot, because that could require you to post large amounts of collateral on very short notice. AIG learned that the hard way.
That Forster gave this really very fundamental issue so little thought is just amazing.