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Let's wrap it up there. What an extraordinary day. From the start it shaped as the day that might provide some sort of resolution to the entire Essendon supplements saga. In the end it was nothing short of hugely significant for the AFL competition, one of its biggest clubs Essendon and, most notably, James Hird, after the Bombers relented and decided to accept the penalties from the AFL. You will continue to hear about this for many years to come and 27 August 2013 will always be a significant day on the footy calendar. Thanks for your patronage during the day. Stay with this website for the latest news and expert analysis from the likes of Jake Niall, Greg Baum and Caroline Wilson.
It has been a simply amazing day.
Matthew Lloyd has just said on Footy Classified that James Hird has agreed to terms to coach Essendon in 2015 and 2016. The former Essendon full-forward also says Hird wants Mark 'Bomber' Thompson to take the reins as Essendon coach next year. Of course Hird can return as senior Essendon coach once his suspension has been served in late August next year. Could Thompson take the Bombers to the 2014 finals, only for Hird to then resume his duties?
Mike Fitzpatrick and Andrew Demetriou fronted the media.
Demetriou: "It was a very complex case, with very complex issues ... there were lots of discussions going backwards and forwards.''
"Hopefully we can all put this behind us."
How did the league dissuade Hird from suing AFL? "We haven't convinced him. The AFL Commission didn't engage in discussions with James Hird. That was done in discussion between the respective legal parties."
Demetriou said Hird "spoke very well" before the commission.
"He apologised for his role. He apologised on behalf of his players and his club. He's genuinely remorseful and he has accepted responsibility that his actions helped the Essendon Football Club breach rule 1.6."
What about Hird returning as Essendon coach after the suspension?
"You've heard the AFL on many occasions say on many occasions that this code is a very forgiving code. In accepting James Hird's suspension we've made it very clear he's welcome back to the game."
Paul Little confirms that a contract extension is in the wind for James Hird.
The Essendon chairman won't reveal details but it's clear the Bombers have offered the coach the guarantee he can return to coach the club once his suspension has been served.
Little also offers the club's sincere apologies to Essendon fans. He won't comment on speculation that David Evans could return to Windy Hill as president.
Fascinatingly, Little said the club had already had three coaches on a short list prepared to accept the Essendon coaching role for 12 months.
He said former coaching great Kevin Sheedy was among those people prepared to assist the club in a new role at the club through the period of turmoil.
Chairman confirms that assistant coach Simon Goodwin will coach the Bombers in Hird's absence for their last match of this season - a now-dead rubber against Richmond on Saturday night at the MCG.
AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick. Photo: Wayne Taylor
More from Mike Fitzpatrick:
"At the outset, Essendon . . . came forward and reported its concerns about the supplements program, and from that point the club and its players and officials co-operated fully with the AFL and ASADA in the investigation process. Their assistance has helped get a much clearer picture of what happened at Essendon in 2012."
He thanked the AFL integrity unit, headed by Andrew Dillon and Brett Clothier, for its "hard work and due diligence in investigating and prosecuting this complex and challenging case''. The unit conducted more than 130 interviews and reviewed 13,000 documents, which were gained by means including searching email servers, backup hard-drives and data tapes, and mobile-phone records.
"This level of forensic inquiry shows the AFL's commitment to finding the truth and protecting the integrity of the competition."
Fitzpatrick also commended ASADA "and its first-class investigators was crucial in being able to take action before finals."
Essendon chairman Paul Little is now speaking to the media.
Among many points, Little says the Bombers are 'sorry'.
"We have learnt from our mistakes ... the club accepts the commission's penalty."
"James Hird told the commission tonight that he took responsibility for the club's shortcomings."
Little reminds the assembled media that there haven't been any infraction notices issued to Essendon players, and he doesn't expect there to be.
Poll: The Essendon supplements saga. Has the right outcome been reached?
- Yes
- No
Total votes: 19143.
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Poll closed 29 Aug, 2013
These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.
The thoughts of commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, who started the media conference by addressing footy fans:
"The AFL Commission shares your anger and frustration that the 2013 season has too often been dominated by headlines we'd rather not see, and hoped we'd never see associated with our game.
"The issues involved in the Essendon Football Club supplements program are deeply disturbing. The investigation undertaken in the past six months and the actions we have taken today reflects this gravity.
"A number of fundamental principles guide our code and collectively contribute to making the AFL a successful competition. Two of these principles are absolute non-negotiables: the health and safety of our players and the overall integrity of the competition. These principles underpin our rules and also our day-to-day decision making.
"On behalf of the AFL Commission I want to send a clear and unequivocal message to everybody, that nothing and no-one comes ahead of the duty of care owed to our players and the need to safeguard the fairness our our competition.
"The pursuit of on-field success can never been allowed to obscure our commitment to these principles. The very essence of sport demands it."
AFL Commission Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick arrives at AFL House on Tuesday. Photo: Pat Scala
The AFL is confirming the penalties against Essendon and the four individuals charged:
- The club: $2 million fine and banned from year's AFL finals series. The Bombers will lose both their first and second round picks for 2013 and 2014, but will be given a pick in 2014 immediately after the first round. Club deemed to have finished 9th in 2013.
- James Hird: 12-month ban from coaching, backdated to 25 August. Hird can't hold a role with any AFL club during that period.
- Danny Corcoran: 6-month ban (two months suspended), effective from 1 October
- Mark Thompson: $30,000 fine
- Dr Bruce Reid: TBC. Reid's case to be considered by commission at 10am on Thursday
Mike Fitzpatrick was adamant on an important point. He agreed no-one at Essendon set out to administer illegal substances. But did admit it was "inadequately vetted and controlled".
"'The AFL acknowledges that neither the Essendon Football Club or any of the individuals charged set out to implement a supplements program that would result in players being administered prohibited or potentially harmful substances.
"However, the Essendon Football Club today acknowledged it had established a supplements program that was experimental, inappropriate and inadequately vetted and controlled, and in relation to that program that . . . it failed to adequately protect the health, welfare and safety of the players.
"Secondly, there was a risk that Essendon players could have been administered substances prohibited by the AFL anti-doping code and the world anti-doing code. Any such risk is an unacceptable risk.
"Thirdly, the Essendon Football Club is unable now to determine whether the players were administered some substances by the AFL anti-doping code and the world anti-doping code."
AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick is addressing the media:
"The AFL Commission shares your anger and frustration," he says. "The issues involved in the Essendon ... are deeply disturbing. Fitzpatrick says the penalties dished out on Tuesday ''reflect this gravity''.
"I want to send a clear an unequivocal message: that nothing and no-one comes ahead of the duty of care of players."
Fitzpatrick says all parties involved in this complicated case ''to their credit'' worked hard to resolve charges, knowing football was best served by it.
From Caroline Wilson: Essendon coach James Hird has dramatically backed down and accepted a one-year ban from the game as his club was expelled from the 2013 finals, stripped of draft picks and fined $2 million.
After the most dramatic day in AFL history one of the game's most revered figures admitted he had brought the game into disrepute and abandoned his Supreme Court action against the league and its boss Andrew Demetriou.
The Hird backdown concluded a season of vociferous denials from the Essendon coach that he would accept any wrongdoing in the risky and experimental drugs program instigated at the end of 2011 and carried out through the 2012 season.
BREAKING NEWS: James Hird has backed down from his strong stance against the charges and abandoned his threats of taking Supreme Court action. He will accept a 12-month ban from coaching. There is still more to be revealed as to what this means for the doctor Bruce Reid.
The AFL Commission has reportedly ended its meeting. Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick is expected to face the media, issue a statement and detail the findings at 8:15pm AEST.
Bombers ruled out of 2013 finals
Essendon have agreed to a deal which will see them miss this year's finals.PT1M39S http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/action/externalEmbeddedPlayer?id=d-2so5c 620 349 August 27, 2013
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Naturally, the reaction from footy fans to the penalties Essendon is facing from the supplements scandal has been mixed. Many Bombers supporters are continuing to voice their support for James Hird. Others, we suspect, have changed their view. But is just one reaction from an AFL follower:
Im not following anything AFL anymore! Unfollow unwatching and lost intresest all im following is ESSENDON #StandByHird #SackAndrewDemetriou— Gary Somers (@BomberGaz) August 27, 2013
With Essendon certain to miss taking part in this year's finals series, it gives clubs outside the top eight renewed hope. Carlton and North Melbourne are in the box seat to take the Bombers' spot, but there yet could be a dark horse.
Poll: Which team will finish ninth at the end of the 2013 home and away season?
- North Melbourne
- Carlton
- West Coast
- Adelaide
- Brisbane
Total votes: 2465.
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Poll closed 31 Aug, 2013
These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.
There's a slightly uneasy and unsure feeling among AFL media types as they await further information. The penalties Essendon the club is facing are pretty clear, but the big question remains: what does this mean for coach James Hird? He is facing a 12-month penalty but there is plenty of speculation that the Essendon legend is refusing to accept this, and is still considering legal action. This all ain't over quite yet.
Thanks to Dave Culbert for keeping the media in his thoughts! Of course many of you may disagree
I reckon media who've spent long days on #AFLSaga stakeouts deserve lap of MCG on GF Day so we can show appreciation for their efforts.— David Culbert (@Culbert_Report) August 27, 2013
The exact penalties dished out to the Essendon Football Club were always going to be the subject of plenty of conjecture. Vote and have your say right now ...
Poll: As they currently stand, are you happy with the penalties Essendon is facing (no finals this year, $2m fine, loss of draft picks)?
- Yes
- No
Total votes: 11647.
You will need Cookies enabled to use our Voting Feature.
These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.
There's still plenty of confusion as to whether AFL and/or the Essendon Football Club will hold a media conference on Tuesday evening to reveal any other details from the negotiations.
This was the message from 3AW's Seb Costello about one hour ago:
Essendon media team arrive at AFL house with the club press conference banner. Announcement soon.— Seb Costello (@SebCostello9) August 27, 2013
From CAROLINE WILSON:
Essendon has been banned from the 2013 finals series and the opening two rounds of the national draft and slapped with a $2 million fine for the derelict failures of its football program over the 2012 season.
The club will also miss the opening round of the 2014 draft but its role in next year's second round of draft picks remained unclear as the club completed a plea bargain with the AFL late this afternoon and avoided a contested hearing of the league commission.
Coach James Hird, who has impeded a settlement between the AFL and Essendon for the past five days, was still fighting to reduce his one year ban from the game and could still be headed for court.
Hird's legal representative Julian Burnside QC appeared close to a deal with the AFL late on Tuesday although the coach's position had not yet been resolved as Essendon chairman Paul Little agreed to the sanctions being presented as the AFL's final offer.
Danny Corcoran has accepted a four month suspension from the game with club doctor Bruce Reid and senior assistant Mark Thompson still resisting the charges levelled against them.
Essendon's VFL team is also expected to be banned from the finals.
Essendon coach James Hird and his wife Tania leave their Toorak home on Tuesday morning. Photo: Penny Stephens
Gerard Whateley on the ABC is reporting that Essendon will lose their premiership points for 2013. This has obviously been a matter of some conjecture, despite the certainty that the Bombers wouldn't participate in September action. Pundits are also predicting that Essendon football manager Danny Corcoran will be banned for a four-month period ....
Scott Spits: Hello everyone and welcome back to our rolling coverage of today's developments in the Essendon supplements saga. There are strong indications that the Bombers will be officially banned from the finals (first reported by Fairfax Media on Friday night) with some sort of announcement expected from the AFL very soon. Will Brodie is now putting his feet up after some frenetic reporting earlier on Tuesday.
We're going to leave live coverage for now. We will reinstate rolling coverage if and when there is movement at AFL House.
Here's where things stand:
- All parties remain inside AFL House, presumably locked in talks.
- The AFL has told Essendon to accept the deal before it or front the commission to contest the charges and risk a harsher punishment. Read more
- James Hird has indicated that he will continue to press on to the Supreme Court if the AFL Commission demands to hear charges against him. Read more.
Other reading of interest:
Matt Murnane reports on Nathan Buckley's view of supplement programs. Read more.
Would a 12-month ban be the end of James Hird the coach? Read more
Rohan Connolly says Bomber Thompson must coach Essendon if James Hird is suspended. Read more.
Player agents are holding discussions about the Essendon program. Read more.
Tim Watson claims the AFL's timing is no coincidence. Read more.
Brinksman: Bombers coach James Hird looks set to take his case to the Supreme Court. Photo: Getty Images
Despite being swamped with off-field concerns, James Hird found time to pen his Word From Hird to Essendon members after the Bombers' gallant come from behind victory over Carlton on Saturday night.
He starts by saying "To say it was an emotional game on the weekend would be an understatement."
But that's about as close to a reference to the club's off-field problems as you get. There is praise for the team's defensive pressure and kudos to ruckman Paddy Ryder, recruit Brendon Goddard and on-ballers Jobe Watson and Heath Hocking. Hird finishes the breif riposte by thanking Bombers fans.
"Thanks for your continued support – as I've said many times, this club has the best supporters in the league."
The crowd on Saturday night - at which neutral observers said there was a distinct lack of Bombers - was 53,630. Just 59,381 watched Essendon a year earlier, when, as part of an horrific slump, it was beaten by 94 points by Carlton.
But 82,639 watched Carlton and Essendon in round 11, and the other crowds recently at Essendon/Carlton matches have been 73,172; 90,370; 74,123 and 78,065.
From Peter Hanlon at AFL House:
2.31pm: Lots of familiar faces among the footy media throng now, and the camera guys are taping a really long cord to the footpath. Does that mean something's about to happen?
Doctor Bruce Reid arrives at AFL House with his legal team. Photo: Wayne Taylor
So, here's where we're at right now:
- All parties remain inside AFL House, presumably locked in talks.
- The AFL has told Essendon to accept the deal before it or front the commission to contest the charges and risk a harsher punishment. Read more
- James Hird has indicated that he will continue to press on to the Supreme Court if the AFL Commission demands to hear charges against him. Read more.
Other reading of interest:
Matt Murnane reports on Nathan Buckley's view of supplement programs. Read more.
Would a 12-month ban be the end of James Hird the coach? Read more
Rohan Connolly says Bomber Thompson must coach Essendon if James Hird is suspended. Read more.
Player agents are holding discussions about the Essendon program. Read more.
Tim Watson claims the AFL's timing is no coincidence. Read more.
Another group firing off plenty of emails to the media are the bookmakers. Many were determined for the world to know they were refunding bets on Essendon to win the premiership or to make the final eight. Others are keen for us to know where and how to spend our money on the Essendon crisis.
Betstar is assuming Essendon's points are going to be stripped, and have set a market as to its replacement.
To play finals:
Carlton $1.70
North Melbourne $3.75
Adelaide $6.00
Brisbane $15.00
West Coast $15.00
Carlton may have to beat Port Adelaide in Adelaide to make it, and North Melbourne are currently considered by many pundits a more troublesome finals opponent than the Blues.
9 CARLTON WLLWL 107 40 (Play Port Adelaide)
10 BRISBANE LWLWW 89.1 40 (Geelong)
11 NORTH MELBOURNE WWLWL 120.2 36 (Collingwood)
12 ADELAIDE LLWLW 103.7 36 (West Coast)
13 WEST COAST LWWLL 99.3 36 (Adelaide)
Our intrepid wait-arounder at AFL House, Peter Hanlon, reports from the frontline:
1.38pm: The journos have found a footy, which is not good news for passing lunchtime traffic, parked cars and some very expensive camera equipment.
Reporters relieve the tedium with some kick to kick on Harbour Esplanade. Photo: Dave Langley
The Endocrine Society of Australia quotes advice from Professor Ken Ho, leading Australian endocrinologist, for young sportspeople considering taking a new product or supplement.
"Four questions need to be asked by anyone considering using a new product; is it safe, has it been proven to be effective and is it legal?"
"Lastly, is the person prescribing and administering the product a qualified medical practitioner? Sports scientists, supplement store workers or personal trainers are not medical practitioners and are therefore not required to maintain standard of care or fall under professional medical code of practice," said Professor Ho.
The ESA states: "Many of the agents used for doping in sport, such as anabolic steroids and growth hormone, are hormones. Peptides are either short hormones or fragments of hormones. Hormones are essential to maintain health and replacement of hormones is medically indicated in patients with well-documented hormone deficiencies.
"However, the use of these agents in an unregulated fashion in adults who are not deficient may lead to serious side effects. Furthermore, the use of these agents is experimental if safety and benefit are not established. Clinical trial of the effectiveness of hormones for other uses is research and requires the full approval of a human research ethics committee and close monitoring."
Endocrine Society of Australia site. Photo: endocrinesociety.org.au
Media organisations receive some curious mail when a big topic captures the interest of the community. But sometimes, relevant experts touch base.
The Endocrine Society of Australia issued a press release after council members at their recent annual meeting expressed concerns about "recent high profile cases of alleged use of banned substances in sport".
They are worried that such cases have "created the assumption that these substances are proven to boost performance, when in fact there is little to no scientific evidence proving their effectiveness."
The ESA represents specialist physicians and scientists involved in the study and treatment of hormone disorders.
Its release says peptide use in sport is based entirely on dubious, anecdotal evidence, most have not been clinically tested for such purposes, and most haven't been cleared for human use.
"It is the ESA's view that proposed benefits of these agents in sports are assumed and not based on rigorous scientific or medical data," said Professor Peter Ebeling, President of the Endocrine Society of Australia.
"More importantly, their use is currently considered unethical and potentially unsafe," Professor Ebeling said.
"The high profile cases of peptides use in professional sport have created the impression that these are effective enhancers of performance that are just banned by sporting regulators," he said.
"We are at risk of encouraging Aussie teens participating in competitive sport to dabble in these, unproven, unregulated peptides, because there is the mainstream assumption that professional athletes are using them because they work and can go largely undetected."
Essendon and the AFL are seemingly playing a game of who blinks first. The League has a deadline ultimatum, while Hird has Supreme Court. — Dunc McKenzie McHarg (@duncanmcmc) August 27, 2013
Caroline Wilson of The Age's reporting on Essendon doping/supplements has stopped fudge/cover-up of the mates & 'boys-club' of the #AFL comp— Gustavus Adolphus (@GustavusA) August 27, 2013
I set up a computer firewall that blocks all incoming material that includes the word "Essendon". It's been a very quiet week. #tumbleweed— Chris Moyle (@chrismoyle) August 27, 2013
The AFL Commission is not completely consumed by the Essendon supplements brouhaha. They have had time enough in the past two days to officially ratify an interchange cap of 120 for the next two seasons.
AFL has advised all clubs AFL Commission has approved a cap on interchange rotations for the next two years across the 2014 & 2015 Seasons.— Patrick Keane (@AFL_PKeane) August 27, 2013
The AFL is also seeking feedback from the clubs on proposals for new interchange rules. Photo: Joe Armao
Colleague Peter Hanlon, braving the boredom outside AFL House, reports: "Corporate catering van just delivered lunch to AFL House - inside, not out. Journos praying they haven't been given a dinner order as well."
One imagines that time is moving faster for those inside whose livelihoods are flashing before their eyes as punishments are negotiated over Essendon's ill-fated supplements program.
Essendon coach James Hird arrives at AFL House on Tuesday. Photo: Pat Scala
First the AFL issues an ultimatum to Essendon — complete negotiations Tuesday or face a contested hearing.
Now James Hird is prepared to issue the AFL an ultimatum, which would bring court action closer, Samantha Lane reports.
"Before day two of negotiations, the plan in Hird's legal camp was clear: if the Commission refused to refer Hird's case to an independent tribunal, proceeding would not continue at AFL House but in the Victorian Supreme Court."
The Essendon supplements saga has entered its 204th day, the key figures have entered AFL House, but an exit strategy to suit all parties still appears some way off. Formal talks between the AFL and Essendon to resolve the penalties over the club's suspect 2012 supplements program started again in Melbourne on Tuesday morning, trying to break the stalemate left on Monday night. Essendon, coach James Hird, club doctor Bruce Reid, assistant coach Mark Thompson and Bombers football manager Danny Corcoran have all been charged with bringing the game into disrepute arising from the supplements program at the club. Corcoran and Reid have arrived at AFL House flanked by their legal teams, while Essendon chief executive officer Ray Gunston is also inside as negotiations over possible penalties continue. The AFL Commission hearing lasted all day Monday, and broke up late on Monday night with no resolution.
Hird has also been sighted inside AFL House, after leaving his home on Tuesday morning without saying anything to waiting media.Essendon being removed from this season's finals appears a certain penalty. Heavy fines, the loss of draft picks and possible suspension for key figures in the scandal including Hird are also among the options being canvassed. The Bombers have been under investigation by ASADA and the AFL since February over the club's supplements program. An interim report was presented to the AFL earlier this month, with sanctions set to be based on that, while the ASADA investigation remains ongoing. Acting on the report, the AFL charged Essendon, Hird, Reid, Corcoran and Thompson with offences relating to conduct unbecoming and bringing the game into disrepute. Hird has filed a separate Supreme Court writ against the AFL that remains alive. That could be a potential sticking point in any negotiations.
AFL Commission Chairman Mike Fitzpatrick arrives at AFL House on Tuesday. Photo: Pat Scala
@Essendon_FC Only way for a fair hearing is to take this outside the commission to the SC. It's the ONLY path to the truth left. — Underbelly (@WCJ32) August 27, 2013
Werribee's new elimination finals opponent is set to be the Northern Blues later today - http://t.co/2rUt5pS3TX #PJVFL— Brent Diamond (@Brent_Diamond) August 27, 2013
Bye bye AFL membership, hello @Richmond_FC membership. @AFL not getting a extra cent of my dosh after its inept handling of Essendon issue.— Chris Riches (@chris8875) August 27, 2013
So not only could Carlton be catapulted to the finals by Essendon bans, so could the Nth Blues...haha this is too good!— Ali (@azee90) August 27, 2013
James looking to remove the weight from his shoulders. HIRD/BURNSIDE is an anagram of RID HIS BURDEN. #Essendon #AFL— Gigs (@AndrewGigacz) August 27, 2013
Here's all of today's updates in one place.
First and foremost, Caroline Wilson reports that the AFL is imposing a deadline on negotiations with Essendon. Read more.
Matt Murnane reports on Nathan Buckley's view of supplement programs. Read more.
Would a 12-month ban be the end of James Hird the coach? Read more
Rohan Connolly says Bomber Thompson must coach Essendon if James Hird is suspended. Read more.
Player agents are holding discussions about the Essendon program. Read more.
Tim Watson claims the AFL's timing is no coincidence. Read more.
Matt Murnane reports that Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley had said he would know if his players were receiving injections, and a supplements program such like Essendon's would "set off alarm bells".
"Buckley admitted that, as coach, he would not be aware of every detail involved in the day-to-day procedures of the supplements at Collingwood, revealing he had to entrust the staff hired to implement the program.
"But Buckley made it clearly he would certainly know if any of his players were receiving injections, insisting such practices in a supplements program would set off alarm bells for him."
James Hird and Nathan Buckley on Anzac Day, 2013. Photo: Joe Armao
10.41: Doctor Bruce Reid (left), flanked by people who probably aren't nurses, arrives at AFL House. Photo: Peter Hanlon
10.34am: Danny Corcoran (right) arrives, says something in French and heads inside. Photo: Peter Hanlon
Caroline Wilson reports that the AFL is imposing a deadline on negotiations with Essendon.
"The AFL will today impose a deadline upon Essendon which would force the club to accept the deal before it or front the commission to contest the charges and risk a harsher punishment.
"Should the Bombers fail to agree to a resolution at AFL headquarters on Day Two of the protracted talks, the proposed sanctions - which seemed close to being settled late on Monday - would be taken off the table with the club facing more severe penalties."
Poll: Will Essendon reach a settlement with the AFL and avoid a contested hearing over its supplements program?
- Yes
- No
Total votes: 7592.
You will need Cookies enabled to use our Voting Feature.
Poll closed 29 Aug, 2013
These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.
Rohan Connolly believes Mark Thompson must take over if James Hird is suspended for 12 months.
"With Hird's 12-month suspension apparently a fait accompli, and Essendon determined to reinstate him after it has been served, never has there been as obvious a candidate to fill the breach in the interim than Hird's former captain."
Mark Thompson leaves AFL House on Monday night. Photo: Joe Armao
10.16am: first sign of Bombers outside AFL House. Photo: Peter Hanlon
The Essendon crowd dropped off for Saturday's match against Carlton, but Peter Hanlon has noticed that some Bombers are keen to lend support to their beleaguered coach and officials at AFL House.
Tim Watson used his appearance on Talking Footy Monday night to marvel at the resilience of James Hird.
"I have because I thought under the weight of what he's been under at some point he would crumble and buckle," Watson said
North Melbourne great Wayne Carey, no stranger to massive media interest on and off the field during his playing days, says Hird's self-belief is the key to his confidence in the public eye.
"It's a real example of where Hirdy thinks and what he thinks he's done wrong here and he's prepared to say 'well, no'," Carey told the program.
"If you think you're right, or you've done nothing wrong, it makes it a lot easier to stand there and walk out and front those cameras every day than if you know in the back of your mind you may have done something wrong.
"In his own mind he believes he has done very little wrong."
In case you didn't catch up with the renewal of Talking Footy last night on Channel Seven, Tim Watson stepped into the breach when Andrew Demetriou was sidelined dealing with the supplements scandal at AFL House.
Watson didn't miss the opportunity to criticise the AFL's handling of the issue:
"Essendon legend Tim Watson has accused the AFL of "engineering" the timeline of the supplements scandal to ensure it ended in the week before the finals, and no sooner."
Tim Watson. Photo: Joe Armao
Kevin Bartlett. Photo: Pat Scala
SEN commentator and Tiger legend Kevin Bartlett is impatient.
"The AFL needs to stop negotiating and start administering," he said at the outset of his Tuesday morning program. He says unless a hard line is taken with the "feisty" Bombers facing penalties, the saga could drag on for days, even a week, as lawyers pick over details of a settlement.
Most of Bartlett's talkback callers concur that the AFL should impose its authority.
Indicative of the advice to the league?
" ... show some leadership here and just throw the book at them ..."


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
This morning broke in unsettling noise. When I looked out back, a familiar neighborhood dog – a large boxer wearing a collar and tags – looked up at me with blood on his jaws.
He's been around before, trotting alongside Our Trusty Dog Pete until I chased him off. He belongs to people down the lane. Not enough people keep their dogs on leashes.
While he grinned a gory grin at me, he stood with one heavy paw on the broken back of our rooster, Chaz. I grabbed my rifle and took a shot, but was too late. This dog, which now has a taste for blood – if it didn't already – tore off into the woods and disappeared.
Chaz was still alive, badly broken and missing most of the beautiful feathers from his back and neck. He couldn't move his legs but stared up at me and opened his beak without sound.
Last night was unusual. Since Chaz was first cast out of the coop by Larry the boss rooster, he has spent most nights sleeping on top of it while his former flockmates rested snug inside. He has been one of the most elusive chickens since we first brought him home at two weeks old. Though he ate cracked corn from my hand like the other chickens, even the slightest move of my foot or the other hand sent him jumping back or rocketing off. Chaz was a no-touch chicken.
But last night, as he nestled atop the coop, he allowed me to stroke him, scratch his neck and beak, and rub his chest. He cooed and moaned the while.
So this morning, when I quickly put him out of his misery, it was exquisitely bitter. I had carefully and affectionately husbanded this bird and the others. He was stout, hale and the most beautifully feathered of them all, with black and copper, white and indigo and some traces of emerald green.
Because his emergence as Larry's rival threw things into turmoil, with Larry venting his anger on the hens for trying to submit to Chaz, something was going to have to be done soon.
I had planned to dispatch Chaz simply, humanely, and with the quiet respect that our animals and our food deserve. We would have carefully prepared him and offered thanks for feeding us, as we fed him since early spring.
Instead he died savagely and in terror.
I'm angry about that, and even a little heartbroken, even if he was just a chicken.


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Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
No toes, no shoes, no soles here folks. In literary circles, this term refers to the most basic unit of a poem's meter.
A foot is a combination of stressed and unstressed syllables. There are all kinds of feet in poetry, and they all sound different, so we'll give you a handy list. If you want to be the nerdiest nerd in the nerd herd, you should memorize it:
A combination of feet makes up a line of meter. So, for example, the most common meter in English poetry is iambic pentameter, which contains five (that's where that "pent-" comes from) iambs, all in a row.
Finding your feet can be as tricky as learning the Viennese Waltz, but that's the main task of scansion, a fancy term for analyzing a poem's meter. Just remember the list above, and read aloud, read read aloud.


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Cafe Du Parc
- Address:
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004Neighborhood:
- Cuisine:
FrenchPrice: $31 to $50
Cafe Du Parc
- Dining Style: Casual Dining
- Website: http://www.cafeduparc.com/
- Phone: 2029427000
- Hours of Operation:
Breakfast: Monday - Friday: 6:30am- 10:00am (buffet is open till 10:15)
Breakfast:Saturday-Sunday:7:00am - 11:00am (buffet only 10:30-am-11:00am)
Lunch: Monday-Friday: 11:30am-2:00pm
Lunch: Saturday - Sunday: 12:00pm - 2:30pm
Dinner: Monday - Friday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Dinner: Saturday - Sunday: 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Brunch Sunday 12:00pm - 2:30pm
- Payment Options: AMEX,Diners Club,Discover,MasterCard,Visa
- Cuisine: French
- Executive Chef: Antoine Westerman
- Dress Code: Business Casual
- Accepts Walk-Ins: Yes
- Additional Details: Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Cafe, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Personal wines welcome, Personal wines welcome (corkage fee applies), Takeout, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine, Wine Bar
- Catering: A catered lunch and dinner menu is available as a pick up option for off site events.
- Private Party Facilities: Please ask the Restaurant Manager for an email of the Private Event Menu for group lunches, dinners, and cocktail receptions. We welcome private parties up to 35 people. We could also accommodate your group at our courtyard, weather permitting. Please inquire for availability.
- Private Party Contact: Goksel Gozen 2029427000
- Special Events: Cafe du Parc is participating in Restaurant Week February 2013 from Feb 4 to Feb 10 featuring Restaurant Week Dinner menu for $35.13 plus taxes only .
Cafe du Parc has a special menu for Valentine's Day Dinner for $75.00 menu per person & $99.00 per person with wine supplements . Call 202-942-7000 to make reservations or go to www.opentable.com.
Getting there
- Cross Street: 15th Street
- Public Transit: 5 minute walk from 13th Street Metro Center Station. Various bus stops are within walking distance.
- Parking: Valet
- Parking Details: Valet parking is complimentary for restaurant guests during lunch and dinner only. Parking is accessible by use of The Willard InterContinental's valet parking service. Street meter parking is also available.
A word from Cafe Du Parc
Located next to the Willard InterContinental Hotel, Café du Parc embraces classic French Bistro cuisine with moderate pricing ranging from $8 to $35, serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon "petit plats" (small plates), dinner and casual takeaway items. With dishes such as Moules à la Marinière, and simple, sophisticated décor, Café du Parc is a celebration of classic bistro cuisine and casual fine dining. Café du Parc is overseen by one of Europe's top Michelin-starred chefs, Antoine Westermann, who supervises the menu to ensure that his vision of French cuisine is appropriately transposed in an American setting. Café du Parc is led by Chef Antoine Westermann's hand-picked brigade trained by the master in Paris.Continued
Foodspotting photosSee all photos
Awards voted by OpenTable diners
- Diners' Choice WinnerOutdoor Dining
Cafe Du Parc - Best Restaurants in Downtown ›
Cafe Du Parc reviews from OpenTable diners
104 reviews since May 20, 2014
- Food4Service3.9
- Ambiance4.2Noise LevelModerate
great for outdoor dining (68)great for lunch (33)scenic view (29)fit for foodies (29)romantic (27)neighborhood gem (27)special occasion (24)great for brunch (19)good for groups (6)late-night find (5)kid-friendly (5)notable wine list (5)hot spot (1)Show More
- Al fresco Gem!OpenTable Diner Since 2014Dined on 9/13/2014We were initially disappointed to see the very casual decor at cafe du parc, which we had booked for a special occasion. When the time came for dinner, however, the weather was delightful, and we were seated outdoors. What a pleasant change of events. The ambiance was really special, and the food was outstanding. Our group all ordered different entrees including halibut, steak, duck, mussels, etc. all were absolute perfection. Our experience was capped off by the impeccable friendly service of our waiter, Franklin. The whole evening was a very memorable treat.Special Features:
- Slow, Expensive but PrettyStar13Dined on 9/12/2014The food was lovely but expensive. The service was slow. The outdoor experience was perfect.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Cheesy vibe but the food was goodCamPVIPDined on 9/5/2014This place needs a major reno. to bring it into this century- the 80s-90's vibe with the blue leather banquettes and the splatter painted glass is bad...but the mussels and salads we had were good. For the price though, the ambiance should be brought up to par...
- Dependable experienceSusanVIPDined on 8/31/2014We invited friends to dine on the terrace of Cafe du Parc. Despite the warm weather, we were very comfortable. Good food, very nice ambiance, and a very nice way to spend a weekend afternoon.Special Features:
- Patio luncheonGeminiDined on 8/30/2014Always enjoy my experience at Café du Parc especially the patio in the summer. Wait staff is always attentive without being intrusive; food is done to perfection. Excellent choice for a busy day of sightseeing.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Problem with accessNYDinerVIPDined on 8/23/2014Cafe du Parc is located up a large flight of stairs and there is a handicap elevator for those who need it - unfortunately it was not operable making it difficult for a member of our party to get up to the restaurant and also to leave - the staff mentioned that it had been out of service for two weeks - this is not acceptable in my mind and then should be some notice on their website and OpenTable alerting customers that the restaurant is not accessible to those who have problems with stairsSpecial Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- really good...YummyVIPDined on 8/20/2014Great lobster salad sandwich, fresh Tina Nicolise...could have maybe a bit more than three small slices of tuna...but still good. Yes, will black.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- LiloVIPDined on 8/19/2014I visited Cafe Du Parc for the first time and I was very impressed, I guess it's a "the Willard" way, everything from service to good were beyond my expectations, food took some time to come out but it was well worth it, our server was very attentive and courteous, I enjoyed the outside seating where you can see lots of action going on,Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- FoodieDined on 8/15/2014I guess because it was restaurant week the service was a little slow. But in general it's a great restaurant. Good food and love the outdoors seating.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Disappointed...AirlinePrincessVIPDined on 8/13/2014Being an Intercontinental Ambassador, I've always had great experiences at their restaurants. But while the ambiance and outdoor seating was great, it took HOURS to receive all three courses of their prix fixe meal this week, and by the time I could pay I was more than ready to leave. Had the food been spectacular, I might've overlooked the timing, but it was just "ok".Special Features:
- jmcbaltDined on 8/13/2014I've been to Cafe du Parc several times, and have never been disappointed. Yesterday was no exception: lovely food and great service. I'm a creature of habit and tend to stick to certain menu items (croque monsieur, soup, macarons), but was delighted by the scallops and the chocolate cake recommended to after discussion with our waiter. Will definitely go back.Special Features:
- A1 Setting, C+ FoodseattlesunDined on 8/7/2014One couldn't find a better outdoor dining setting. It is simply lovely. However, on this our 5th visit to Cafe du Parc, the food was just not up to the standard of prior year visits. The entrees had way too much salt as did the mushroom and asparagus side dishes. The pistachio ice cream didn't have any pistachio pieces. We'll try again. Maybe it was just an off night.
- Great food, but awful serviceAnonDined on 7/30/2014Lunch for two outside. We skipped the appetisers and ordered entrees. We ordered the salmon and the scallops. Salmon was cooked to perfection and i thoroughly enjoyed it. My colleague enjoyed the scallops, but they were on the very small side (you get three scallops) - even with a side of mashed potatoes, she left feeling hungry. We waited at least 25 / 30 min for it to arrive. (I think our waiter forgot to put the order in). Our waiter seemed more interested in chatting with his fellow waiters than waiting on our table. With such a great selection of restaurants in DC, I'll only be returing to Cafe Du Parc for the coffee and pastries.Special Features:
- Poor Service - Mediocre FoodOpenTable Diner Since 2011VIPDined on 7/27/2014Disappointing quality for the brunch. Nothing worse than poached eggs that are like hard-boiled eggs with no runny yoke. Also, waiter was poor. Didn't bring over bread for the appetizer (which needed bread) and only offered bread when main course came (which didn't need the bread). Also, when I enquired about sitting at a different table (before anything had been ordered), he made it seem like it would be such a chore (there were only 3 other tables in the whole inside restaurant being used) - so we didn't bother.
- Cafe Du ParcJbellVIPDined on 7/19/2014Café Du Parc is an excellent choice for dinner. The food was outstanding and our server was fantastic! We sat in the outside dining area which was adorned with beautiful plants and lighted trees. The view of the Capitol building from our table was amazing and got even more beautiful as the sun set.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Cafe du ParcOpenTable Diner Since 2006VIPDined on 7/19/2014A beautiful setting, interesting menu and incredible service. We had a lovely outdoor table on a perfect summer evening. We dined there for dinner as a break in our day of stay-cation. We had our 8-year old this time and our waiter was perfection with him and with us.Special Features:
- Thank you so much!!OpenTable Diner Since 2014Dined on 7/18/2014Our trip to D.c. was made complete thanks to Cafe Du Parc. wonderful service, food, and presentation.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- A Must in DCMabelDodgeDined on 7/17/2014During the summer there is no more vibrant a place to have lunch than the Cafe du Parc. Great service, attractive out door setting. Watch the world go by under a summer umbrella.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- OpenTable Diner Since 2006VIPDined on 7/10/2014Service was very slow. We waited 30 minutes for our lunch.Special Features:
- Taylor4meDined on 7/5/2014We did not actually eat here even though we had reservations. Enough said about that. We actually dined at the restaurant next door and it was fabulous. I would highly recommend it - everything was exquisite!Special Features:
- Good food but way overpricedOpenTable Diner Since 2008Dined on 6/28/2014Since they were no longer serving afternoon tea at The Willard some girlfriends and I decided to go here for brunch on a Saturday. The website wasn't clear that they only serve brunch on Sunday so we ordered from the lunch menu instead. One of the lunch menus we received was actually the dinner menu so we were unable to order one of the dishes that we had been excited about. My friends got the "lobster roll" served in a pita, which they said was good but had a lot of lettuce tucked in the bottom of the pita as filler. My Shenandoah trout was good, but probably not worth the price. The service was only adequate - we had to ask the waiter multiple times for things like ketchup and more water. Not a big deal except for the price you're paying.Special Features:
- OpenTable Diner Since 2004VIPDined on 6/28/2014Lovely outdoor venue and the staff is superb. The menu is light enough to be healthy but the french fries are also great.Special Features:
- Just what I hoped it would beIluv2eatDined on 6/28/2014I had a wonderful lunch with my sister. It was exactly what I was hoping for and the food was delicious. I will defiantly be returning to try dinner.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- CBarrettDined on 6/23/2014Took my boss and his boss for an early dinner on a Monday. Restaurant was quiet and food was brought out promptly - nice cocktail, excellent wine.Special Features:
- great outdoor spaceLT11VIPDined on 6/19/2014This is a very nice, casual restaurant. To be honest, I wish they were more adventurous and have more than one vegetarian option on the menu. Too much fish and meat.Special Features:
- LunchOpenTable Diner Since 2014Dined on 6/17/2014Although I made reservations and got two email reminders, somehow when we went to the resteraunt we were told there were no reservations. However, we were still given a table. Food was fine not delicious but the service was excellent!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- BEAUVIPDined on 6/15/2014We dined outside - It was great place to people watch and have a great meal - we had brunch/lunch which was fabulous!!Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- DisappointingreeseVIPDined on 6/14/2014It was our second time eating here recently. The first time was really good. This time, we came with friends, bragging about the food. We ordered the same things, and boy, were we disappointed. The pork was overcooked, the salad was overdressed and the frites were stale and hardly warm. The staff didn't seem to know what to do about it. Finally, the waiter took one of the plates back to the kitchen and brought out a fresh plate about 20 minutes later--this time, the pork was just right.Special Features:
- Great French foodNautilus1Dined on 6/14/2014No guaranty though on outdoor seating, even with a reservation.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Swell LunchOpenTable Diner Since 2009Dined on 6/11/2014We declined to sit outside where the tour bus exhaust can garnish your meal. Plus, it was too damn hot and noisy out there. Upstairs seating was quick and comfortable. Very tasty ham and cheese sandwich with best fries since McDonalds. Attentive service. I'd been there for a pre-theater dinner and wanted to try it out for lunch. Both experiences were positive. I'll be back.Special Features:
- Convenient to the MallOpenTable Diner Since 2010Dined on 6/10/2014Not noteworthy. The area "hungers" for an authentic French bistro/cafe/restaurant...
- Upscale casual FrenchErikaJLDined on 6/7/2014Enjoyed our before theater dinner. Food was very good, service was good, ambiance upstairs where we ate was fine. We would go back easily.Special Features:
- New FindUnhappyDined on 6/6/2014This was the first time eating at Cafe du Parc. We have eaten at The Willard (Occidental) many times but this was a first here. We were going to National Theatre and chose this restaurant to eat in before the show. We ate outdoors and LOVED it. Atmosphere was great and food delish. This is going to be our new find before each show at The National. Can't wait until our next one and go back again.Special Features:I would recommend this to a friend.
- Not up to its reputationOpenTable Diner Since 2008VIPDined on 6/5/2014We heard great things about this restaurant, and it is true that the outside seating is pleasant on a summer evening. But the service was slow and indifferent, which really annoyed us because on top of that the prices are too high for the unimpressive quality of the food, just because the restaurant is associated with the Willard Hotel. We will not dine there again.
- The following 1168 reviews are from the Cafe Du Parc reviews archive.
- Lives up to its high reputationIsaiahDined on 5/19/2014During the window of time when lunchtime weather is really pleasant in D.C., I can think of few better places to go for an impressive business lunch than Cafe Du Parc. The menu is great year-round of course (try the scallops!), but the sidewalk cafe dining, between Freedom Plaza and the Treasury Department at the foot of the Willard Hotel, is what really sets it apart.Special Features:
- They weren't very accommodatingVDC0526Dined on 5/18/2014They would not accommodate me much. I am a health nut and wanted a sandwich to be grilled without the butter and the waitress told me I couldn't do that, the chef will get very mad. As a patron, that is not what I wish to hear. Even if it couldn't have been done, she could have at least said, let me go speak with the chef to see if we can do that. She just immediately shut it down. I did not like that at all, most restaurants will accommodate simple requests such as that. I will not eat there again.
- The patio is lovelyRudyVIPDined on 5/11/2014Aside from being a great location, everything else was disappointing. The kitchen was extremely slow, server not very attentive (forgot to bring items, interrupted conversation) and the food wasn't that great. I recommend you skip the meal but come for a drink and perhaps an appetizer.Special Features:
- Good and nearly badTimbovaDined on 5/11/2014We ate dinner there, caught a show, and returned for dessert. Sat outdoors. Dinner was very nice, food was very good, service excellent. Dessert was a different story - long wait for food, inattentive waiter, and lights from cars parked across the street and cabs in front of the hotel shining into the seating area. However, the maitre de was thankfully on the ball and very apologetic and at least made up for the bad waiter (I can't blame the restaurant for the lights), which corrected an otherwise bad dessert experience. Overall, good, would return.Special Features:
- Mother's day lunchOpenTable Diner Since 2014Dined on 5/11/2014I went with the family for mother's day (May 2014) and made rerservations ahead of time. (The four of us sat upstairs, indoors.) We ordered two soups, a type of fish, and two desserts off the special mother's day menu and french toast and chicken off the lunch menu. The desserts, a chocolate cake with pistachio ice cream and a raspberry macaroon with raspberry sorbet, were very tasty. The chicken was tender, but the french toast and cappuccino were just average. I think we waited longer than usual for our appetizers as it was mother's day and the restaurant was busy. The restaurant is a good place to go for a special treat; the decor is really nice.Special Features:
- Great diner on the terrasseGlobeTrotteuseDined on 5/8/2014Great diner on a beautiful terrasse. Excellent service. Coquille St-Jacques was outstanding. My husb got the duck; very good as well. Very charming.Special Features:


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OBJECTIVE: This study was done to update and expand information given in recent reviews, provide a more systematic critique of past research, identify current research trends and issues, and explore possible strategies for future research in child psychiatric epidemiology. METHOD: The authors identified and reviewed 52 studies done over the past four decades that attempted to estimate the overall prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. RESULTS: About as many studies have been published since 1980 as were published before. Sample sizes ranged from 58 to 8,462; most were in the 500–1,000 range. Studies were carried out in over 20 countries, most frequently the United States and the United Kingdom. Subjects' ages ranged from 1 to 18 years. Rutter's criteria were the most frequently used for case definition; more recent studies were more likely to use DSM criteria. The most frequently used interview was the Rutter schedule. The most common time frame for calculating prevalence was the present, followed by 6 months and 1 year. Prevalence estimates of psychopathology ranged from approximately 1% to nearly 51% (mean=15.8%). Median rates were 8% for preschoolers, 12% for preadolescents, 15% for adolescents, and 18% in studies including wider age ranges. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence is less informative than expected because of several problems that continue to plague research on child and adolescent disorders. These involve sampling, case ascertainment, case definition, and data analyses and presentation. Progress in understanding the epidemiology of child disorders will largely depend on whether future research successfully meets these challenges.
Understanding the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents is an essential component of a sound public policy for the provision of mental health and other services. Given the current rapid and extensive changes in social policy and service delivery, such as welfare reform and adoption of managed care, it is timely to review published information about the prevalence of psychopathology among children and youths. A review of published studies can help shape the direction of current and future research and provide the baseline context for interpreting new information as additional data become available.
Our goal was to provide a synthesis of epidemiologic studies that have tried to estimate the prevalence of childhood disorders. To do so, we pursued a strategy that was inclusive temporally and geographically, that focused on clinically meaningful definitions of disorders, and that interpreted the body of empirical data in terms of extant criteria for conducting epidemiologic research on childhood disorders. We limited studies to those that attempted to estimate the prevalence of overall psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents.
Although Rutter (1) identified the research carried out in the early 1950s by Lapouse and Monk (2) as the first large-scale epidemiologic study in child psychiatry, others (3, 4) have pointed out that community surveys of child mental health problems were conducted at least a quarter-century earlier. Links (4) cited Long's (5) as the earliest community survey of child mental health, while Gould et al. (3) cited Wickman's (6) as the earliest school-based survey of child maladjustment. Regardless of how one defines the origins of such research, it is clear that descriptive epidemiologic research on children has a relatively long history (3, 4). The number of epidemiologic studies has steadily increased, with a concomitant need for periodic analysis and synthesis to assess progress in our understanding of the epidemiology of child and adolescent disorders.
Since the early 1980s, several literature reviews have been published which assessed studies that investigated clinical psychiatric disorders and that used systematic strategies to minimize the impact of sampling and nonsampling errors in epidemiologic studies. The strategies addressing the latter have involved the use of standardized diagnostic criteria (e.g., DSM-III) to reduce criterion variance and the use of structured diagnostic interview schedules (e.g., the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children [7]) to reduce information variance. For example, Costello (8) reviewed five studies and Brandenburg et al. (9) reviewed eight studies published in the 1980s (10). Not surprisingly, there was considerable overlap, albeit not complete, between the two sets of studies reviewed. Although these more recent research efforts reflected considerable diversity in geographic location and research methods, they also reflected increasing sophistication in diagnostic procedures and study design. These studies, relying more on structured clinical assessments and explicit diagnostic criteria, have generated more homogeneous results than earlier efforts. This newer generation of studies, in addition to providing estimates of the prevalence of clinical disorder, have confirmed the finding from earlier studies that disorders of childhood and adolescence are relatively common.
We identified 52 separate studies, reported in 47 sources, that were designed to estimate the overall prevalence of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents. The studies are summarized in T1A.T1BT1CT1D They were conducted over a period of nearly 40 years, beginning in the 1950s. The samples came from over 20 countries; the United Kingdom and the United States were the most frequent sites, with six and 13 studies, respectively. However, studies were carried out in sites in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Sample sizes ranged from 58 to 8,462 (mean=1,201, median=831). Thirty-three of the 52 studies used single-stage designs, in which all study subjects received some type of psychiatric assessment; sample sizes ranged from 58 to 2,679 (mean=898, median=756). Nineteen studies had two-stage designs, with sample sizes ranging from 294 to 8,462 (mean=1,769, median=1,127) in the first stage and 74 to 1,015 (mean=291, median=233) in the second stage. Mean prevalences were 15.0% in single-stage studies and 17.5% in two-stage studies. Overall, the mean prevalence was 15.8% (median=13.7%, mode=12.0%).
Prevalence rates varied from approximately 1% to almost 51%. The ages of the subjects varied substantially across studies. Accordingly, we grouped samples into four broad categories: preschoolers (ages 1 to 5 or 6 years), preadolescents (ages 6 to 12 or 13 years), adolescents (ages 12 or 13 years and older), and samples including wider age ranges. The 10 preschool samples had a mean prevalence of 10.2% (median=8.3%, range=3.6%–24%). The 21 preadolescent samples had a mean prevalence of 13.2% (median=12.2%, range=1.4%–30.7%), and the 12 adolescent samples had a mean prevalence of 16.5% (median=15.0%, range=6.2%–41.3%). The 14 samples that included multiple age groups had a mean prevalence of 21.9% (median=18.4%, range=7.4%–50.6%).
These rates were generated by diverse methods of data collection (case ascertainment) and equally diverse methods of diagnosis (case definition). By far the most popular case ascertainment procedure was some variation of the Rutter interview schedules or questionnaires (13) (19 studies). In addition, 12 other studies utilized an unspecified psychiatric interview for case ascertainment. Similarly, Rutter's classification procedure was the one most frequently used for case definition (17 studies). DSM-III and DSM-III-R were also used frequently (15 studies), particularly in the more recent studies.
Did the methods of case ascertainment and case definition make a difference? The answer is yes. There was considerable variation in prevalence across all methods. For example, Rutter procedures yielded prevalence rates clustering around 12%. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS) yielded rates in the 14% range, and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children yielded prevalence rates in the 20%–25% range. With respect to case definition, DSM-III and DSM-III-R criteria generated similar prevalence rates of 19%–23% and 20%–22%, respectively, while clinical opinion yielded rates of 10%–14%. However, the various procedures yielded prevalence rates that varied by 10%–15% or more across studies, with substantial overlap in ranges across the various procedures. Thus, it is possible to find studies that used a particular method of case ascertainment and case definition which found both higher and lower prevalences of psychiatric disorder than a study that used other procedures.
One of the perennial questions in mental health is whether prevalence rates of psychopathology are changing over time—in particular, whether they are increasing. To examine this question, we grouped studies into those conducted in 1970 or earlier, in 1971–1980, in 1981–1990, and after 1990. The mean prevalence in studies undertaken in 1970 or earlier was 15.4%. The mean prevalence was 14.1% in studies in 1971–1980 and 13.8% in studies spanning 1981–1990. For studies carried out after 1990, the mean prevalence for youths meeting symptom criteria was 26% (range=12.1%–50.6% for child, parent, and combined reports). However, three studies (48, 56, 59) constitute special cases: unlike most previous studies, they used both the child and a parent as the informants, and two of them (48, 59) reported prevalences based on both separate and combined information from the informants. Two of these three studies (56, 59) also reported prevalence rates adjusted for severity or impairment. Therefore, the studies conducted after 1990 are difficult to compare with earlier studies. Excluding these three studies, there appears to be no trend for increasing prevalence among studies carried out since the early 1950s.
There is growing consensus concerning the use of impairment criteria in determining "caseness" (58), and we examined that as well. Twenty-three studies either presented only prevalence rates adjusted for impairment or presented prevalence rates for subjects who met symptom criteria and those who met symptom criteria and had some degree of functional impairment. The prevalence rates adjusted for impairment were typically less (sometimes much less) than one-half the prevalence rates based only on meeting symptom criteria. However, from the data of the 23 studies that did adjust for impairment, it is very clear that there is little consensus on how to assess the degree of impairment in children or adolescents who meet or exceed diagnostic criteria. A variety of impairment measures were used. The two most frequently used were need for treatment and impairment scores derived from some scale, typically the Children's Global Assessment Scale. Upon review of these studies, it is clear that incorporating impairment into diagnostic algorithms substantially affects prevalence rates. What is not clear is what the resulting prevalences mean, as illustrated by two recent articles by Jensen and his colleagues (58) and Shaffer and his colleagues (59).
In the Jensen et al. study, the prevalence of any disorder based on the child interview was 13.6%. This rate dropped to 8.8% if there was impairment in at least one life domain (home, school, peers) and to 7.0% if there was any indication of need for mental health treatment. In the Shaffer et al. study, the prevalence of criterion symptoms based on child interview was 32.2%, and the prevalence for symptom criteria with impairment in one or more life domains was 19.6%. When Children's Global Assessment Scale scores also were incorporated, the rates dropped even more dramatically—to 2.8% for the child meeting symptom criteria with impairment in at least one of the three life domains and a Children's Global Assessment Scale score of 50 or less. Shaffer and colleagues selected as their "true" prevalence rate one that combined 1) meeting symptom criteria, 2) having impairment in one or more life domains, and 3) having a Children's Global Assessment Scale score of 70 or less. This rate was 10.2% for the parent version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, 12.3% for child version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, and 20.9% for combined interviews. While this procedure appears reasonable, there are no data indicating its criterion or predictive validity.
As is apparent from the studies summarized in T1A, the body of evidence from descriptive epidemiologic studies is less informative than might otherwise be the case because of several problems that continue to plague research on child and adolescent disorders. These problems, which we designated as central research challenges, involve sampling, case ascertainment, case definition, and data analyses and presentation (60, 61). Progress in our understanding of the epidemiology of child psychiatric disorders will depend in large part on whether future research successfully meets these challenges. We now examine each of these.
Two key problems in sampling relate to represen~tativeness and sample size. Representativeness has been problematic from two perspectives: 1) only a portion of the studies to date have actually used probability sampling designs, and 2) the samples studied do not represent, even when taken as a group, the diversity of the child and adolescent population generally. Most studies have focused on either a narrow age range (middle school, high school) or a specific age (age 3, age 8, age 11, etc.), so we cannot determine how prevalence changes or does not change over the lifespan of childhood. This is a critical issue, since we are unable to ascertain whether there are developmental thresholds for risk of disorder that might be indicated by changes in prevalence by age (62). The larger issue, of course, is the external validity of our results (63).
Sample size was almost without exception small (the median size was 831). This means that the actual number of cases of clinical disorder identified was also quite small in many studies. For example, a prevalence rate of 12% would yield only 120 cases in a sample of 1,000. In the second stage of two-stage studies, the average sample size was only 291, which would yield only 35 cases of clinical disorder at a prevalence of 12%. The most obvious disadvantage of small sample sizes is decreased precision in estimates of prevalence and in estimates of the relative contributions (associations) of putative risk factors.
At this juncture, there are basically two types of standardized interviews for research purposes: structured (such as the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children) and semistructured (such as the K-SADS [57, 64]). From an epidemiologic perspective, Edelbrock and Costello (65) made a provocative observation about the impact of the two types of interviews. They argued that the semistructured interviews require more clinical inference (and expertise), focus on specificity, and use higher diagnostic thresholds; hence, fewer children meet criteria. Structured interviews focus on sensitivity and use lower diagnostic thresholds; hence, more children should meet criteria. What this distinction means for estimates of prevalence is that when the latter interviews are used, prevalences should be higher, and with use of the former, prevalences should be lower, all other things being equal. The three studies based on the K-SADS had prevalences around 14%, whereas those that used the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children had prevalences clustering around 21%–25%. Given the lack of studies using both strategies, the epidemiologic implications of these two alternate strategies remain an empirical question.
A number of writers have argued that estimates of prevalence can be obtained with greater accuracy and less cost by using a multistage design (66, 67). The field appears to be moving in this direction, as two-stage procedures are being used increasingly in epidemiologic studies (for example, reference 9). We found that 19 of the 52 studies used a two-stage design. However, as noted above, the average sample size in the second stage was only about 300. Beyond the issue of sample size, the viability of multistage strategies depends in large part on the efficiency of the first-stage assessment, or the screener (1, 68, 69). Thus far, the efficiency of most screeners for childhood psychopathology leaves much to be desired (70).
Most interview schedules, whether structured or semi~structured, are designed to collect data on child psychopathology from both the parent and the child (65, 71). We found that 26 of the 52 studies collected data from the child and at least one other informant (usually, a parent or teacher). A major issue is that there are no agreed-upon decision rules on how best to use information from multiple informants to make diagnoses in order to estimate prevalence in epidemiologic studies. The problem is that no two studies use the same decision rules in deriving estimates of the prevalence of caseness.
This lack of comparability of prevalence rates across studies led Costello (60) to argue for the importance of reporting diagnostic rates separately by informant. The rationale for such a strategy is twofold. First, the derivation of the prevalence is more readily apparent, more directly interpretable, and, at least theoretically, more reproducible. Second, given the low concordance among different informants (65, 71, 72), it provides separate estimates based on the sources of the diagnostic data; this could be extremely important from an epidemiologic perspective. The critical epidemiologic question is whether different sources yield different prevalences, different natural histories (incidence, duration), and different risk factor profiles. The available data, albeit meager, suggest that prevalences do differ by source (58, 59). In this group of studies, those with a child informant and one other informant reported a prevalence of 20%; in those with a parent informant only, the prevalence was 14%; with a teacher informant only, 9%; and with a child informant only, 15%. Whether natural history or associated risk factors also differ, and in what ways, is essentially unknown.
With the exception of a few studies that used Rutter criteria (17, 25, 28, 73), the overwhelming majority of recent studies have used DSM criteria to define caseness. This accounts, in part, for the narrower range of prevalence rates reported. But definition of a case involves more than just application of diagnostic criteria to ascertain the presence of a psychiatric disorder. It also involves the severity of the disorder, in terms of either functional impairment or perceived need for mental health services (9). The concern about severity emanates in part from concern about whether community or epidemiologic "cases" are cases in the same sense as the cases of children brought to clinical settings (58–60). Part of this concern no doubt stems from the fact that only a small minority of children and adolescents diagnosed in community surveys have had any contact with mental health professionals (74–76).
There is growing concern (58, 59, 77) about the validity of a diagnostic nomenclature that identifies one-fourth to one-third or more children and adolescents as meeting criteria for one or more clinical psychiatric disorders. The degree of inclusiveness is not only counterintuitive but calls into serious question the usefulness of DSM nomenclature in its present form. Future research should focus more on assessing severity of symptoms as well as functional impairment and need for treatment. The available data (58, 59, 78, 79) indicate that a substantial proportion of individuals who meet symptom criteria for a DSM diagnosis appear to be functioning adequately in their lives. This suggests that caseness is best determined by the presence of both symptoms and impairment. If a common strategy could be adopted, it would constitute an important step. In this regard, research comparing treated and community samples in terms of phenomenology, severity, and need for treatment would help resolve the question of comparability of clinical and community cases.
Assessment of severity in the studies reviewed varied substantially. Only 16 of the 52 studies reported prevalence rates adjusted for severity as well as crude prevalence rates. An additional seven studies incorporated severity into their case definitions, while four used multiple "caseness" scores. Clearly, there is little consensus on how to operationalize severity of disorders. Equally clear is the substantial impact on prevalence rates when severity criteria and need for treatment are introduced into case definition; prevalence rates are greatly reduced, sometimes by a factor of three or more. (In a number of cases, prevalences adjusted for severity of impairment and/or need for treatment are in the range of 4%–8%.) From the perspective of planning mental health services, the policy implications of prevalences of 4%–8% compared to prevalences of 18%–22% (60) are profound.
There is an additional consideration which, although seldom discussed, has impeded progress in psychiatric epidemiology: the lack of common analytic techniques and uniform modes of presenting data (60, 61). There are still no uniform modes of presenting data from epidemiologic studies of child and adolescent disorders. Prevalence rates may be either point or period prevalences. If the latter, the referent period may vary, but typically it is 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, or lifetime. Thirty-two studies reported current prevalence (median=12.0%, mean=14.9%), another 10 studies reported 6-month prevalence (median=15.9%, mean=19.4%), and another eight reported 1-year prevalence (median=14.1%, mean=15.1%).
For estimates of prevalence to be most useful, one must know the precision of the estimate. That is, one must know the tolerable error or the size of the interval around the estimate with a specified degree of confidence (80). Given the small sample sizes in most child studies, the estimates no doubt have large confidence intervals at the 95% level. More recent publications have begun to provide such information (46, 51, 58).
Comparability across studies also would be enhanced and cumulative evidence from different studies facilitated if more child psychiatric epidemiologists employed analytic techniques commonly used in other areas of epidemiologic research. For example, in the presentation of prevalence rates for subgroups based on age, gender, or socioeconomic status, calculation and reporting of odds ratios could indicate the relative risk of disorder in specific subgroups, such as middle adolescents, males, and lower-status youths.
Few would probably disagree with the conclusions by researchers such as Earls (81) and Rutter (1) that we now know a good deal about child disorders—certainly, a great deal more than we did even a decade ago. Few also would disagree that we still have much to learn. From an epidemiologic perspective there is, in fact, a myriad of the most fundamental scientific questions for which we have few or no empirical data. These basic questions focus on issues of incidence, prevalence, natural history, and etiology of psychiatric disorders in nonpatient or community populations. Of these, we note eight in particular.
1. The available data on prevalence are quite limited. For example, there are almost no data on the prevalence of clinical disorders among diverse ethnic minorities, different socioeconomic strata, and rural compared with urban populations.
2. From the perspective of prevention and treatment as well as epidemiology, understanding the natural history of child and adolescent disorders is critical, yet there are essentially no data on incidence, duration, and recurrence in community populations.
3. Comorbidity is increasingly recognized as a key phenomenological feature of psychiatric disorders among children and adults (82, 83), yet there are basically no community-based epidemiologic data on the prevalence, incidence, and natural history of comorbid disorders in children.
4. A key to understanding child disorders is understanding the role of developmental factors (76), but at present there are few data on the role of development in the manifestation of psychiatric problems, because there are few data from epidemiologic studies examining the relation between developmental milestones or stages and clinical psychiatric syndromes.
5. Ultimately, the goal of child psychiatric epidemiology is to explain the etiology of mental disorders. A necessary requisite is data from prospective, longitudinal studies assessing the roles of multiple risk factors drawn from both psychosocial and biological domains in specific disorders and the specificity of effects of these factors. Few such data are available.
6. In addition to examination of the role of risk factors in etiology, there also is a need for community-based epidemiologic studies aimed at understanding the factors affecting duration and recurrence of child disorders, in particular, factors that affect help seeking, including use of mental health and general medical services (76).
7. To date the role of biological factors has been little studied and is poorly understood vis-à-vis child and adolescent disorders. Fuller knowledge of the etiology of such disorders will require inclusion of biological and genetic variables in our conceptual models (84–86).
8. It is also essential to understand the relation between the presence or absence of psychiatric disorder and the utilization of mental health and other health and human services, and how the presence of a diagnosis and the level of impairment can be combined to provide estimates of the need for services.
How do the studies reviewed fare in terms of addressing these research issues? Poorly, overall. In our opinion, only one study (56, 57) does even a reasonable job of addressing the eight criteria outlined. That study, the Great Smoky Mountains Study of Youth, is a large community-based, prospective study of the incidence and prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders among 9- , 11- , and 13-year-olds. The study has a two-stage design, with 3,896 youths screened at baseline and then 1,015 assessed with a diagnostic interview. Parents also are interviewed. All subjects in the second stage are followed up annually. In addition, there is an extensive array of putative risk factors assessed, among them age, gender, socioeconomic status, rural or urban residence, physical health, child development, family burden of the child's mental health problems, maternal depression, and family psychiatric history. A key feature is linkage of the epidemiologic data with extensive data on utilization of mental health services.
Great Smoky Mountains Study procedures include assessment of both diagnostic status and functional impairment (in three domains—school, home, peers). Thus far, prevalences have been reported (56) for youths who met no diagnostic criteria and had no functional impairment (63.7%), who met diagnostic criteria but were not functionally impaired (9.1%), who did not meet diagnostic criteria but had sufficient symptoms to be impaired (16.1%), and who met both diagnostic criteria and functional impairment criteria (11.1%). Overall, 20.3% of the youths met diagnostic criteria on the basis of combined parent and child reports. At baseline, the diagnostic interview sample (N=1,015) was large enough to permit stable estimates of most major DSM-III-R diagnoses and to examine the role of major risk factors, with the exception of biological factors, which were not assessed. Major limitations are the absence of children under 9 years of age, the limited age range at baseline (ages 9, 11, and 13 years), and a sample size that on successive follow-ups will not be large enough to estimate the risk of many specific disorders or the effects of some risk factors. Still, the study stands out for its many features designed to yield maximal epidemiologic knowledge.
Where do we go from here? As Rutter (1) has noted, child psychiatric epidemiology indeed has made considerable progress in the 30 years since the landmark Isle of Wight study began. But, as we suggest in the preceding section, research on the epidemiology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorder is very much a journey in progress. The central research challenges discussed provide a point of departure for the next segment of the journey, as well as a map for at least some alternative routes that may make the trip more productive and more informative for policy and mental health services. The destination is resolution of the research questions outlined above, questions that define the limits of our current knowledge of the epidemiology of child disorders.
Received Sept. 23, 1996; revisions received June 24 and Oct. 10, 1997; accepted Dec. 1, 1997. From the School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, and the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco. Address reprint requests to Dr. Roberts, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center, P.O. Box 20186, Houston, TX 77225. Supported in part by NIMH grant MH-46122 (Dr. Attkisson), grant MH-51687 (Dr. Roberts), and grant MH-43694 from the Center for Mental Health Services Research (Drs. Roberts and Attkisson); and by evaluation research contracts from the California State Department of Mental Health (89-70225, 90-70195, 91-71106, 92-72090, 92-72347, 93-73346, 94-74252, 94-74285, and 95-75217 (Drs. Rosenblatt and Attkisson). The authors thank Harold Baize, Nancy Mills, Juliana Ortegon, Susan De Magri, and Sue Tico for ongoing contributions to their research and scholarship.
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Environmental Law
ELC participates in 2013 BfN/ENCA Conference: Climate Change and Nature Conservation in Europe
The IUCN Environmental Law Centre (ELC) participated in the 2013 Joint European Conference on Climate Change and Nature Conservation in Europe convened by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the European Network of Heads of Nature Conservation Agencies (ENCA), 25-27 June, Bonn, Germany. The conference brought together experts from science, policy and practice to highlight and debate the importance of adapting to climate change in conservation from an ecological, policy and economic perspective. It also showcased successful conservation partnerships across Europe. …
09 Jul 2013 | News story
La Guía Explicativa de la UICN sobre el Protocolo de Nagoya sobre Acceso y Participación en los Beneficios disponible ahora en español
27 de Junio, 2013. En octubre 10 de 2012, durante la 11° reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes del Convenio de la Diversidad Biológica que tuvo lugar en Hyderabad, India, se llevó a cabo el lanzamiento de la Guía explicativa del Protocolo de Nagoya sobre acceso a los recursos genéticos y participación justa y equitativa en los beneficios derivados de su utilización en su versión en ingles. Desde hoy dicha Guía Explicativa está disponible en su versión final en español. …
27 Jun 2013 | News story
ELC welcomes climate change expert
Please join us in welcoming our new colleague Santiago Martínez Ochoa, who joined the ELC as Legal Officer at the end of May. …
24 Jun 2013 | News story
Marine Protected Areas workshop in Croatia
On June, 14, 2013, a national workshop on Marine Protected Areas was organized in Zagreb, Croatia by the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (UNEP/MAP – RAC/SPA) the IUCN Center for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) and the IUCN Environmental Law Centre (IUCN ELC). … | French | Spanish
18 Jun 2013 | News story
IUCN at the United Nations Intersessional Workshops on Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdiction
According to UNGA Resolution 67/78, two intersessional workshops were organized from 2-3 and 6-7 May 2013 in New York as part of the work undertaken by the UN Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (UN BBNJ). …
17 May 2013 | News story
Marine biodiversity legal profiles for the Mediterranean!
On 30 April 2013, the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) and the Environmental Law Centre (ELC) of IUCN organized an Editorial Board meeting in Malaga, Spain in the context of the NEREUS project (Towards a Representative Network of Mediterranean Marine Managed Areas) related to the preparation of strategic documents for marine conservation in the Mediterranean. … | French
02 May 2013 | News story
Timor-Leste: Protected Areas workshop on the draft decree law
Representatives from Ministries and civil society met on 19 March 2013 in Timor-Leste, Dili to bring together ideas and inputs for finalizing the draft decree law on protected areas. …
25 Mar 2013 | News story
Timor-Leste: Visit to the Legal Training Centre
On March 18th, the ELC was invited to visit the Legal Training Centre (LTC) in Dili, Timor-Leste. Dr Marcelina Tilman, Director of the LTC, presented the work of the Centre and it was an opportunity for the ELC to offer complimentary copies of EPLP publications, and contribute in this way to the environmental law section of the LTC library. …
25 Mar 2013 | News story
World Water Day, by Mark Smith
Blog article by Mark Smith. "World Water Day is like any themed global day: it's not really to 'celebrate' water, it's about getting people to pay attention and decide they're going to take action to solve water problems." …
22 Mar 2013 | News story
Global learning from regional experience in water cooperation
IUCN's BRIDGE project, which stands for 'Building River Dialogue and Governance', is holding a Global Learning workshop in Lima, Peru, gathering key actors from the 9 river basins where BRIDGE is active. Regional coordinators from Asia and South and Central America have joined, bringing crucial viewpoints on project progress and understanding of the political, social and economic contexts of their countries and basins. … | Spanish
13 Mar 2013 | News story


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February 18, 2011
Women's Basketball Plays At Central Connecticut State, Saturday At 1 P.M.
Bobcats Face Blue Devils
The Quinnipiac University women's basketball team travels to play Central Connecticut State University on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. at the Detrick Gym in New Britain, Conn. The Bobcats are coming off a 66-54 loss to Sacred Heart, while the Blue Devils enter the game after defeating Bryant, 61-53, on Monday, Feb. 14. Quinnipiac, Long Island, Monmouth and Sacred Heart are tied in fourth at 9-5 in the Northeast Conference standings, while Central Connecticut State finds itself in seventh place at 8-6.
Live stats, audio and video of Saturday's game will be available by clicking on the appropriate links on the women's basketball schedule at
. Fans can listen to the game live with Bill Schweizer, Bill Mecca and Bob Tipson on AM-1220 WQUN.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Central Connecticut State won both of its NEC Rivalry Week games against Bryant last week. The Blue Devils played Bryant to a 78-70 victory on Saturday, Feb. 12 and won 61-53 on Monday, Feb. 14. Central Connecticut State is 9-1 at home and 6-7 in away games. The team currently averages 56.3 points and 40.2 rebounds per game. The Blue Devils are second in the conference in blocks per game (4.96) and points against average (55.9). Central Connecticut State is also first in the NEC, holding its opponents to a 33.9 field-goal percentage. The team is currently shooting 37.4 percent from the floor, 62.5 percent from the line, and 26 percent from three-point range. The Blue Devils' Justina Udenze averages a team-high 10.3 points per game, while Leanne Crocket leads the team with 35 blocks on the year. Crocket also is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 9.2 per game. Alexzandria Dowdy leads the Blue Devils with 55 steals this season.
All-Time Against CCSU
Monday's game marks the 39
meeting between Quinnipiac and Central Connecticut State. The Bobcats lead the all-time series, 26-12. Earlier in the season, Quinnipiac won, 76-75, in a match-up against CCSU at the TD Bank Sports Center. The Bobcats' Felicia Barron gave Quinnipiac the one-point advantage with a three-pointer at the buzzer. Senior Courtney Kaminski picked up a career-high 32 points, while Barron pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and added 11 points. Freshman Brittany McQuain recorded 12 points in the Quinnipiac victory. In addition, Crocket posted a team-high 19 points and nine rebounds for the Blue Devils.
NEC Rivalry Week
Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart each put up a win last week, in the Northeast Conference's rivalry week games. The Bobcats defeated the Pioneers in the first match-up, 61-56, on Feb. 12, while Sacred Heart won, 66-54, on Feb. 14 on their home court.
The Bobcats Can Block
The Bobcats earned a season-high 16 blocks against Sacred Heart, on Monday evening. Quinnipiac's Courtney Kaminski matched a career-high six blocks in the game, while Felicia Barron recorded a career-high four blocks for the Bobcats. Kaminski's six blocks put her as the fourth player in Quinnipiac's Division-I history to record more than five blocks in a single game.
Season Milestones
Felicia Barron earned her 100
assist against Sacred Heart on Feb. 12. With 103 assists on the season, Barron is seventh in assists in a single season in Quinnipiac's Division I history. In addition, Barron looks to close down on 300-season points against CCSU, with 296 points on the year. Brittany McQuain recorded her 200
career point against Sacred Heart, also on Feb. 12.
Leading Ladies
Courtney Kaminski leads the Bobcats with 13 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. The senior center has earned a team-high 31 blocks this year. Felicia Barron has been a huge asset for the team's offense, posting 11.8 points per game. Barron also leads Quinnipiac with a team-high 103 assists and 51 steals this season. Brittany McQuain has made an immediate impact for the Bobcats in her freshman season. She currently averages 8.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
NEC Notes
Quinnipiac is second in the NEC, averaging 64.2 points per game. The Bobcats are also third in the conference in rebounds and assists, averaging 40.2 rebounds and 13.76 assists per game. Courtney Kaminski is sixth in the NEC in points per game (13.0) and 15
in rebounds, with 6.4 per game. Felicia Barron is ranked fifth amongst conference players in assists, averaging 4.12 per game.
Double Trouble
The Bobcats' Courtney Kaminski has picked up four double-doubles this season, while Brittany McQuain has picked up three this season.
Kaminski Keeps Going, And Going...
Courtney Kaminski has recorded 1,269 career points. placing her as the 11
all-time career-scorer at Quinnipiac. Kaminski became the 17th Quinnipiac women's basketball player to score 1,000 points, as she scored 10 points in Quinnipiac's home-opener against Holy Cross this season.
Charity Stripe Stats
In each of the Bobcats' 12 wins this season, the team has outscored their opponent from the free-throw line. The Bobcats recorded a season-high 28 free-throws at Monmouth on Jan. 7.
What's Ahead In The NEC
Quinnipiac will take on Bryant on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, R.I. The Bobcats defeated Bryant, 85-74, earlier in the season at the TD Bank Sports Center.


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By Brendon McCullin, Hollywood Staff
It's impossible not to notice the similarities between Divergent and The Hunger Games. Both feature dystopian futures and strong female protagonists. Both are based on best-selling young adult book series and are the creation of female authors. Each features young people in very real danger where things don't always work out for them.
While The Hunger Games has become a phenomenon in both publishing and films, helping to catapult Jennifer Lawrence to superstardom, Divergent is closer to the beginning of the process. The movie's star, Shailene Woodley, can only hope that her film enjoys the same level of success. The Hunger Games might be the veteran and Divergent the newcomer, but which is better?


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October 15, 2013
Elevate your game in these camo-covered kicks
Photograph courtesy of Jordan
What it is: Air Jordan XX8 SE Basketball Shoes, $150
Why we like it: It's rare that a true performance shoe also ups your style quotient on the street. But that's exactly what the folks at Jordan have created in their new Air Jordan XX8 SE. Lightweight and equipped with Flight Plate technology to maximize energy efficiency, these cool camo print sneaks have all the technology you need for a slam-dunk, both on and off the court.
Where to get it: nike.com
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Fall 2013 Style Guide
Wear This: Dockers Game Day Khakis


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By IndiaTimes | December 6, 2012, 2:23 pm IST More Bollywood
Malaika Arora Khan and Arbaaz Khan are the brand ambassadors of a new promotional marketing campaign aimed at getting men to shave even in the evenings. Malaika says,"Evenings are important because that is the time our men spend with us. If they can shave in the morning for their boss why can't they do it for us?"
The couple was part of a promotional event and product launch for the same.
Courtesy: Gillette/Shave Or Crave