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Necturus maculosus (Rafinesque, 1818)
Mudpuppy, Common Mudpuppy
|family: Proteidae
subfamily: Necturinae
genus: Necturus
© 2006 Michael Graziano (1 of 28)
Necturus maculosus (Rafinesque, 1818)
Timothy O. Matson1
1. Historical versus Current Distribution. Mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus) were historically distributed throughout eastern and middle North America (Eycleshymer, 1906). The distribution was further defined by Stejneger and Barber (1923) to include tributaries of the Great Lakes, the Mississippi and Hudson River systems, Lake Champlain, and rivers of Alabama, Georgia, and North and South Carolina. Two subspecies are recognized. The nominate form, Necturus m. maculosus (Rafinesque, 1818; Collins, 1990), occupies a broad distributional range extending from southern Québec, Lake Champlain, and eastern New York state, westward across southern Ontario to southeastern Manitoba and eastern Kansas, and south to northern Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. They are absent from the Adirondack Mountains, northern and far southern Minnesota, all but eastern Iowa, and parts of Missouri and Tennessee. Red River mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus louisianensis; Viosca, 1937; Collins, 1990) occur from southern Missouri into south-central Kansas through eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas into northern Louisiana (Conant and Collins, 1991).
2. Historical versus Current Abundance. Few quantitative data are available. Mudpuppies were reported as abundant in the Great Lakes region (Eycleshymer, 1906; Pearse, 1921). For example, Milner (1874) cited a fisherman at Evanston, Illinois, who set 900 hooks and caught 500 mudpuppies in one night. Pearse (1921) credited Alexander Nielsen of Venice, Ohio, as taking large numbers of mudpuppies for years from Sandusky Bay of southern Lake Erie. Bishop (1941b) recorded mudpuppies as common in the St. Lawrence, Hudson, and Mohawk rivers and as abundant in several of the Finger Lakes of New York. Vogt (1981) relates that mudpuppies formerly were caught by the hundreds in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin. The current status of mudpuppies is unknown in many areas. They are reported to have declined in Lake Erie (Pfingsten and White, 1989), in Iowa (Lannoo, 1994), and in parts of the Great Lakes region (Harding, 1997).
3. Life History Features.
A. Breeding. Reproduction is aquatic.
i. Breeding migrations. Definite breeding migrations are unknown. In the autumn, males occupying both stream and lake habitats search for females within their shallow water retreats. Several males and females may share a communal retreat throughout the breeding season (Bishop, 1941b). Although most mating is believed to occur during the autumn, Bishop (1941b) located a male in reproductive condition beneath a rock slab with three females on 18 April, and occurrences of multiple males and females beneath the same slab become commonplace in August in northeastern Ohio (personal observations).
ii. Breeding habitat. Fall breeding activities take place in the shallow waters of lakes and streams at depths ranging from only decimeters to several meters, where retreats beneath rock slabs, logs, or planks occur. Sperm are stored in spermatheca over winter (Harris, 1959c). Ovulation followed by delayed fertilization and spawning occur in the spring, from April–June; timing is dependent upon water temperature. Locally, most females spawn within a 2–3 wk period (Bishop, 1926; Smith, 1911b).
B. Eggs.
i. Egg deposition sites. Oviposition occurs on the roof of an excavated nesting cavern (Smith, 1911b; Bishop, 1926).
ii. Clutch size. Clutch size in mudpuppies was found to average 66 at Lake Monona, Wisconsin, in lake habitat (Smith, 1911b); 85 in New York (Bishop, 1941b); and 83 at northeastern Ohio in stream habitats (Matson, 1998). Clutch size for Red River mudpuppies was 36 in Big Creek, Louisiana (Shoop, 1965b). The ova measure 5–6 mm in diameter and are yellow spheres containing much yolk. While pendant from a pedicel in the nest chamber, three membranes encompass each egg increasing its width to 11 mm and its length to 14–16 mm. The period of incubation for the developing clutch extends from 38–63 d and is water temperature dependent (Bishop, 1941b).
C. Larvae/Metamorphosis. Larval mudpuppies average 22.5 mm TL at hatching (Bishop, 1941b). Most hatchlings remain in the nest cavity at least 6–8 wk until the large yolk sac has been absorbed. By the end of August, most hatchlings have left the brood site and have found retreats beneath objects in the stream channel (personal observations).
D. Juvenile Habitat. Larvae in their first winter or spring and juveniles through ages 3–4 yr are found in greater numbers in the substrate of pools where silt and organic debris have accumulated to a minimum thickness of several cm (Matson, 1990). Later in spring, many juveniles are found in portions of the stream lacking organic detritus, beneath retreats not occupied by adults or predatory fishes such as stonecats (Noturus flavus; Matson, 1990; personal observations). Cagle (1954) collected larvae during February in shallow holes where organic detritus had accumulated to many cm, and Bishop (1941b) reported that juveniles take up residence in deeper holes. Juvenile mudpuppies have been observed in riffle areas (Pfingsten and White, 1989).
E. Adult Habitat. Mudpuppies are found in both clear and silted waters of lakes, reservoirs, canals, ditches, and streams in the presence or absence of aquatic plants. Large populations may be present where retreats, such as flat rock slabs, logs, and planks are numerous. Lentic streams with mud substrates, crayfish burrows, undercut banks, and tree roots provide suitable habitat. Adults prefer well-aerated water downstream or to the sides of riffles (Bishop, 1941b). Streams or sections of streams coursing over exposed bedrock and providing apparently suitable rock slabs or other retreats will support few mudpuppies if a mud or mud-detritus substrate is absent from beneath the objects (personal observations). Mudpuppies have been reported from depths to 17 m in Lake Erie by White (Pfingsten and White, 1989) and to 27 m in Green Bay, Lake Michigan, by Reigle (1967).
F. Home Range Size. The summer activity ranges of adult mudpuppies in the Grand River of northeastern Ohio averaged 136.1 m2 (Matson, 1998). No other reports of home range size are available. Both Shoop and Gunning (1967) and Matson (1998) cite evidence for long-term site fidelity.
G. Territories. Unknown.
H. Aestivation/Avoiding Dessication. Active all year (Eycleshymer, 1906; Bishop, 1941b; Shoop and Gunning, 1967).
I. Seasonal Migrations. Vernal movements in lakes from deep water toward the shore were reported by Milner (1874), and Pearse (1921), Gibbons (1968); Pope (1947) reported annual migrations up tributaries to Lake Michigan in the Chicago area. Pope (1947) did not report any associated mortality. Gibbons and Nelson (1968) stated that these migrations did not appear to be related to reproduction because a 1:1 sex ratio was observed, mating occurs in fall or winter, and the movement included juveniles. Late mid-March movements in the Mud River and Twelvepole River were reported in West Virginia (Green and Pauley, 1987).
J. Torpor (Hibernation). Active all year (Eycleshymer, 1906; Evermann, 1920; Bishop, 1941b).
K. Interspecific Associations/Exclusions. Only known host for salamander mussels (Simpsonaias ambigua).
L. Age/Size at Reproductive Maturity. Age at first reproduction was reported as 5–6 yr at about 200 mm TL (Bishop, 1941b) and 7–8 yr at 175–200 mm TL (Pope, 1947).
M. Longevity. At least 29 yr (Bonin et al., 1995). Recently, a male has been aged at 34 yr (Gendron, 2003).
N. Feeding Behavior. Prey include scuds (Gammarus sp.), sculpins (Cottus sp.; Bishop, 1941b), crayfish, small fish, fish eggs, numerous aquatic insects including adults and their larvae or nymphs, ostracods, amphipods, plant material in excess of what would be ingested by accident (Pearse, 1921), annelids, small salamanders (Eurycea sp., Desmognathus sp., Notophthalmus sp.; Bishop, 1941b), tadpoles (Harris, 1959b), and eggs of hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis; Abbott, 1934). Evermann (1920) reported mudpuppies feeding upon small fish including brook silversides (Labidesthes sicculus), river shiners (Notropis blennius), and banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus). Mudpuppies will also ingest lamprey ammocetes present in the water column during sea lampricide treatments (personal observations; J. Reblin, unpublished data). Cannibalism is not uncommon (Bishop, 1941b). Mudpuppies are primarily nocturnal but may be active diurnally in clouded, silted, or heavily vegetated waters (Bishop, 1926). Mudpuppies forage nocturnally in shallow waters affording little cover and do so more extensively during the colder months from December–April (Shoop and Gunning, 1967). Increased winter foraging activity may be a behavioral change due to reduced activity and feeding by predatory fishes.
O. Predators. Known predators of mudpuppies include predatory fishes, hellbenders, water snakes (Colubridae), herons, otters (Harris, 1959b), larger mudpuppies (Bishop, 1941b), and crayfish; fish prey upon eggs and hatchlings flushed from the nest cavity (personal observations).
P. Anti-Predator Mechanisms. Primarily nocturnal. Cryptic coloration (Bishop, 1941b). Mudpuppies have a lateral line system consisting of pressure, motion, and electroreceptor sensory cells triggering fast escape (Duellman and Trueb, 1986). Escapes are accomplished through C-starts—a rapid fishlike swimming accomplished by folding legs against the flanks and vigorously lashing the laterally compressed tail (Harris, 1959a).
Q. Diseases. Saprolegnia, water mold (Bishop, 1926).
R. Parasites. Sphyranura osleri, trematode attached to the gills and skin (Bishop, 1941b; Harris, 1959a); Ophiotaenia lonnbergii, a proteocephalid of the intestine; Simpsonaias ambigua, salamander mussel that attaches to the gills (Pearse, 1921).
4. Conservation. Mudpuppies have a broad geographical range, and their survival over the short term is probably secure, but their status over much of their range is poorly understood. Chemical water pollutants and heavy siltation have reduced habitat quality in many regions and have contributed to declines in population size. Agricultural, industrial, and residential practices targeted toward the reduction of pollution and siltation will aid in the conservation of this species. Less reliance upon the lampricide TFM in the Great Lakes and some eastern states for control of sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) would allow chemically depressed populations to recover and approach carrying capacity (see Matson, 1998). Education must overcome the ignorance and misunderstanding regarding the existence and niche of mudpuppies. Erroneous information remains pervasive among biologists, fishers, and others who continue to persecute mudpuppies; consequently, mudpuppies are often used for fish bait, or commonly, hooked animals are discarded to die on the ground or on the ice.
Mudpuppies are considered Endangered/Extirpated by Maryland, Threatened in Iowa, and a Species of Special Concern in Indiana and North Carolina.
1Timothy O. Matson
Literature references for Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species, edited by Michael Lannoo, are here.
Feedback or comments about this page.
Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2023. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 28 Sep 2023.
AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.


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Friday July 31st 2020 Forme d'Acqua was in Cannes for the Annex Beach restaurant inauguration, reopened following an important restyling signed by Jacques Garcia, Architect and interior designer which has
We create unique works, beautiful, exciting, who can tell the world our story and that of the territory that hosts us: Venice.
We work with the best professionals to create something new, playing with the finest materials and the element of water, using the techniques of craftsmanship together with the most modern mechanical and technological systems.
We deal with the creation, design, construction, maintenance of fountains in satin, mirror, outdoor, dancing fountains and water features, water walls and artistic fountains.
Ecosistem sas di Orazio Gianluca company benefited from state aid for more than 10,000 euros in the previous year.
For more information click here.

subset: commoncrawl


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"It still comes back to, 'Do we have the right solution in Los Angeles?' And that comes back to a stadium," Goodell said Thursday at The Beverly Hilton during a panel on Thursday Night Football. "Do we have a stadium that we feel can be competitive with the high-quality stadiums? I just came from San Francisco, from a ribbon-cutting for a new stadium (in Santa Clara) and we're excited about that and we're investing billions of dollars in creating those kinds of stadiums."
Said Goodell: "We would like to do that. We think there's a great opportunity to be successful (in Los Angeles). I think opportunity's starting to develop, maybe in part because we have that long-term planning in front of us."
Patriots owner Robert Kraft was on hand for the panel and told the room that league-wide "ownership is collectively very concerned that we don't have at least one team" in L.A.
"In the end, we want young people here branded to a team," Kraft said. "I know that Roger and I and a number of the owners who care about the long-term health of the NFL feel it's very important for our future to have at least one -- if not two teams -- in downtown L.A."
On the potential of launching a franchise in London, Kraft wasn't shy about setting a tangible goal for expansion across the pond.
"I can see the kind of reception we got there," said Kraft of New England's visit to the United Kingdom in 2012. "... I would not be disappointed, and I would also believe that we should work hard to try and have a franchise in London before the decade was out."
For two cities currently feeling the void on Sundays, there is hope.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" invites Bucky Brooks in-studio for a team-by-team AFC training camp preview.


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Since the time of Aristotle, people have noticed that the moon looks a lot bigger just as it's rising than it does when it's high in the sky. We're now in the time of NASA, and we still don't exactly know what it is that causes a low moon to be a monster moon. We do have a few good ideas, though. Explore the enduring mystery of the Moon Illusion!
When I was a kid I used to get very annoyed when people told me that the moon on the horizon was the same size as the one high up in the sky. I had eyes! I could see the moon and it was far, far bigger sitting right on top of the roofs of houses than it was directly above us! It seemed to me that, when I compared the far-away moon to much-closer houses, it would seem smaller not bigger.
Well, it's been a while, and I've learned that eyes in general and my eyes in particular can be pretty stupid. But greater eyes, that were hooked up to greater minds, have also been fooled by the infamous Moon Illusion. In Aristotle's time they were so sure of the Moon Illusion that it was thought that the atmosphere created some kind of optical lensing effect and made it bigger when it was on the horizon. NASA, which has tackled this illusion too, has confirmed that there's no physical reason why the moon should look bigger on the horizon. No one has been able to conclusively prove why exactly the moon seems huge when it's just rising or setting but puny up in the sky, but there are a few theories.
The Ponzo Illusion
When I reasoned that, compared to the houses, the moon should look particularly teeny, I was getting it backwards. Twenty-nine-year-old psychologist Mario Ponzo let everyone know why in 1911, when he demonstrated a simple illusion. A woman lying on her back in a field turns her head and sees above the line of the grass a young male child walking nearby in a t-shirt and jeans. Fine. When the woman sits up, she gets a couple of visual clues and sees that the "child" figure is considerably farther away than she originally assumed. Immediately her mind kicks in and realizes that the "child" she saw is actually a full-grown man. He only appeared smaller because she assumed he was closer. That's not the illusion.
The Ponzo Illusion carries over from that. When we see two figures, one that appears to be close up, and one that appears to be farther away, we assume size difference. Like the woman in the field, we will see the farther-away one as bigger, because our brain understands that farther-away objects are bigger when we get up to them. Our brains, for whatever reason, go a little overboard on this, and have us perceive faraway objects as even bigger than they are. So the two yellow lines above, the one that appears to be farther away looks bigger. When the moon is close to the horizon, the objects in our visual field let us see it as far away, and we assume that it's bigger. When it's up in the sky, with no nearby objects to compare it to, it looks nearby and we assume it's smaller.
The Flattened Dome Illusion
The plain Ponzo Illusion sounds good, until people do experiments in which they blot out the horizon and people looking at a low moon will still see it as bigger than a high moon. Airline pilots also report seeing rising moons as bigger than zenith moons even if they can't effectively see the ground. What now?
Remember, the Ponzo Illusion isn't dependent on us seeing that objects are closer. It's just the way our brain reacts to thinking that objects are closer. We know that the "sky" isn't a physical thing, really. It's us staring out into a layer of gas and then out into space. The depth of both of those things is pretty much even everywhere you look. Still, people don't perceive it as an even distance. People see the sky as dome, but not a perfect dome. It's a wide, shallow dome, like an overturned mixing bowl. Our brains know the moon is floating in space, but our eyes interpret it as a paper circle sliding over this mixing bowl. Because the bowl is flattened directly above us, and wide at the edges, we think that moon directly above us is closer than the moon at the horizon, and see it as smaller.
Angles and Micropsia
As anyone who clicks the "optical illusions" tag on this blog knows, the eyes never get tired of playing us for suckers. It's like they know we haven't come up with suitable replacements for them yet, and so they can get away with anything. One of the ways they distort the world depends on how you focus them.
Turn towards a light fixture, or other distance object. Hold your finger up in front of your face and focus on the finger. You should see the object in the background. When you focus on the finger, the object will look a little smaller. Look at the object, and it will look a little wider. When we are looking up into the sky and seeing it as 180 degrees, the moon will take up a certain number of those degrees. Focusing close by will cause the moon to look smaller. Focusing into the far distance will make the moon look bigger.
When we look to the horizon, with houses and trees, our eyes adjust for far away viewing, and we see the moon as wide. If we look up into the sky, we have no visual cues, and our eyes adjust to only a few meters ahead of us. As a result, the moon looks shrimpy up there in the sky
Whatever the reason, I've never met anyone who thought the moon looked just as big on the horizon than it did high up in the sky. Is there anyone that's particularly clear-eyed reading today?
Top Image: Ed Yourdon
High Moon Image: Thomas Quine
Via PNAS, University of Wisconsin, and NASA.


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As the search for this year's "must-have" holiday toys heats up, a remote-controlled flying Iron Man is almost guaranteed to make the list.
"There have been plenty of remote-control toys before this. But no one has created a flying superhero in this category," said Chris Wilson, executive vice president with EB Brands, the company behind the toy.
Remote-control toys are typically hot holiday sellers because of the "'wow' factor attached to them," said toy industry expert Chris Byrne. "They do cost more, but consumers are willing to spend more on these toys as gifts."
The Iron Man Extreme Hero, which costs $70, clocks in at 19 inches and weighs just two ounces -- which lets it fly as high as 200 feet, according to Wilson.
But the idea for a flying remote-controlled super hero didn't originate at New York-based EB Brands. It was the brainchild of Greg Tanous, 49, a CNC machinist and aspiring inventor who lives just outside of Portland, Ore.
For the last 15 years, Tanous, who's had a passion for planes and remote-controlled toys since he was 10, has worked diligently on a side project in his garage. "I've wanted to invent a life-size flying fictional super hero," he said.
His finished prototype was a 6-foot-3 flying man sculpture that weighed just four pounds and could take off vertically from the ground. In 2009, Tanous posted a video on YouTube showing his flying super hero in action.
Related Story: Hot toys for Holiday 2013
The video quickly started racking up views -- it's received over a million hits so far -- and Tanous realized he could market his invention. He set up a website where people could pay $20 for the PDF instructions to make their own flying super hero, or pay $400 for a kit and assemble it themselves.
Over the next three years, sales took off and Tanous sold more than 50 kits and hundreds of the plans. At one point, he was making more than $25,000 a month from his side business.
Wilson contacted Tanous in early 2012 after hearing about the invention from a colleague. "My immediate thought was that this was incredible, especially if we could scale it down and make a toy version of it," said Wilson.
EB Brands collaborated with Tanous to create the current version and inked a licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment to use the Iron Man character and other Avenger superheroes for future iterations of the toy.
Byrne is betting that EB Brands' flying Iron Man, which launched in Wal-Mart (WMT), Target (TGT) and Toys R Us stores this month, could become a game changer for remote-controlled toys.
"Not only does it look and move remarkably like the Iron Man character in the movies, it's also very easy to use," said Byrne. "This appeals both to kids and adults."


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|Active substance
|Medicinal product name
|Pharmaceutical form
|ATC code
|Max. price range (€ incl. VAT)
|Is available (according to the information provided by wholesalers)
|Prescription (Pr.)
|Natrii chloridum, Natrii hydrogenocarbonas, Calcii chloridum dihydricum, Magnesii chloridum hexahydricum, Glucosum monohydricum
|Duosol without potassium solution for haemofiltration
|Solution for haemofiltration
Is available (according to the information provided by wholesalers)
Prescription (Pr.)
|€ 50.83
|skatīt informāciju par zālēm un iepakojumiem
|Is available (according to the information provided by wholesalers)
|Prescription (Pr.)
|Natrii chloridum, Natrii hydrogenocarbonas, Calcii chloridum dihydricum, Magnesii chloridum hexahydricum, Glucosum monohydricum
|MultiBic potassium-free solution for haemodialysis/haemofiltration
|Solution for haemodialysis/haemofiltration
Is available (according to the information provided by wholesalers)
Prescription (Pr.)
|skatīt informāciju par zālēm un iepakojumiem
Medicinal Product Register of Latvia contains information only about those substances and methods, that are prohibited for use in sport and are included in World Anti-doping agency's Prohibited list. The Register contains information only about those Medicinal Products, which can be purchased in Latvia. The Register does not contain information about food supplements.
If You search in the Medicinal Product Register of Latvia and do not find the necessary information about use in sports, it does not mean that use of substance or method in sport is not prohibited.
Information about use in sports to Medicinal Product Register of Latvia is provided by Anti-doping bureau of Latvia. Information for use in sports is included for information purposes, it is not considered as an authoritative information on the status of the substance or method for use in sports. Anti-doping bureau of Latvia shall make all reasonable efforts to provide up-to-date and accurate information but does not accept liability for errors or omissions. Please be informed that there may be special circumstances or situations that require a doctor's or pharmacist's consultation. Please note that information about new products or changes in Prohibited list shall be renewed after accession of these products in the register or publication of the Prohibited list on the World Anti-Doping Agency's website.
The purpose of the Meds75+ database of medication for older persons is to support the clinical decision-making on the pharmacotherapy of patients over 75 years of age and to improve medication safety in primary health care. The database contains classification and recommendation for almost 500 substance or their combination when used in older persons.
The Meds75+ database is maintained by the Finnish Medicines Agency, Fimea. Information regarding the use of medicinal products in persons over the age of 75 has been included in the register only for informative purposes. Patients should talk to their doctor before using medicinal products. The State Agency of Medicines does not take responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of this information. If you note any errors, please contact email@example.com.
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Meds75+ data source is Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea (licensed under CC BY 4.0).
Data updated on Mar 30, 2021.


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There's a new NVIDIA GeForce driver out on the loose and it's in fact the first series 190 driver ever. This is Forceware 190.15 The driver is available for Windows Vista 32- and 64-bit and for Windows XP a 32-bit flavor is available.
Very little is known about this driver but we need to stress that the original .inf file shows it was targeted at Quadro cards. We replaced the index with a modified .inf files (courtesy of laptopvideo2go) making the driver compatible with all current GeForce cards..
Interesting is that the Vista / Win 7 drivers also contact 3D Stereo drivers revision 190.15, look inside the archive to spot that yourself.
These drivers are to be considered very beta and thus treated as such. You install them at your own risk, don't complain to us or NVIDIA if they do not work out for you. We have a discussion thread open on these drivers right here.
Have you read our GeForce GTX 295 single PCB review already?


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The natural instinct is usually to assign blame and pick a side, but let's be clear about the situation between the Patriots and tight end Rob Gronkowski: There is no right or wrong here.
Gronkowski and the people in his corner are allowed to be cautious about sending him back out to the field. He has had five surgeries in the past year — four on his left forearm, one on his back — and a nasty infection in his forearm that have kept him out of the Patriots' first six games. He already has rushed back twice from injury to poor results, and at just 24 years old, he has a lot at stake.
The Patriots, meanwhile, aren't necessarily wrong if they want Gronkowski back in the lineup (publicly, the players, coaches, and management have stood behind Gronk's decision to sit out). His last forearm surgery was in May, and Gronkowski has been practicing well for weeks. If Gronkowski is indeed waiting for final approval from Dr. James Andrews, is the bone really going to be that much better next week than this week?
A league source insisted that the reported rift between Gronk and the team is overblown, and that the Patriots are understanding of Gronkowski's precaution; they want him to be productive for several more years. But the Patriots feel he is as ready to play as he'll be this season, and they have put the decision to return squarely in Gronk's hands.
Gronkowski is leaning on Andrews, the noted orthopedic surgeon who consulted on the fourth and final forearm surgery. Patriots president Jonathan Kraft said on Sunday's pregame radio show that he knew of the Gronkowski-Andrews relationship only through media reports, but he said he encourages all players to seek outside medical counsel.
"No one here questions Rob's desire or passion for the game," Kraft said. "Rob's going to know when he can play."
Andrews, who operates on hundreds of athletes a year and is on the Redskins' medical staff, is being portrayed as the key person who will allow Gronkowski to finally get back on the field. But league sources say that isn't necessarily the case; one said that Gronkowski's father, Gordy, is heavily involved in the decision-making.
Which makes sense, of course. Gordy, a former college football player who started a successful gym equipment business, has been a key figure in Rob's athletic career for all 24 years, and still accompanies him when Rob holds youth football camps and book signings.
The Gronkowskis have seen their son rush back from an ankle injury to play in the Super Bowl, and rush back from the broken forearm last season only to re-break it two games later. Who could blame them for wanting to keep him off the field a little longer this time?
And let's not kid ourselves, there is a lot of money at stake here.
Gronkowski signed a contract extension in 2012 worth a maximum of $55 million, but he needs to stay healthy all the way through the 2015 season to receive most of it — which, after the medical scares of the last 12 months, looks like a daunting task.
Gronkowski will get his $3.75 million base salary (plus a $250,000 workout bonus) in 2014 no matter what.
The key year is 2015. Gronkowski's $4.75 million base salary is fully guaranteed, but only if he's on the team on the fifth day of the 2015 league year (sometime in mid-March). If he's not an effective player anymore, the Patriots can cut him and save $5.35 million in cap space for the 2015 season.
Assuming the Patriots keep Gronkowski for 2015, he really needs to have a big season. He has a $10 million option bonus in his contract, and the Patriots have until the very last day of the 2015 league year (sometime in March 2016) to make a decision on it.
If Gronkowski is good and healthy, he gets his $10 million, and as much as $27 million more on a contract that runs through 2019. If he's hurt or not productive? The Patriots can cut bait before or after 2015 and avoid paying up to $41 million of a contract with a maximum of $55 million.
Add in the fact that Gronkowski is making only the league minimum $630,000 this season, and it's easy to see why his people don't want him rushing back to the field so quickly.
But it's not wrong, either, if teammates and coaches think Gronk should be back by now. The offense is struggling without him, Sunday's 30-27 win over the Saints notwithstanding. They are 30th in red-zone offense and quarterback Tom Brady still goes long stretches where he struggles to move the football.
Most of Gronk's teammates are playing through injuries. The way Gronk has practiced the last few weeks, they wonder why he's not helping out on Sundays.
I can't sit here and say what Gronk should or shouldn't do this season. I don't know his full medical condition, and it's not my treasure chest of money at stake. Gronk also hasn't been healthy for the last two postseasons.
So if the Patriots can afford to keep using a roster spot on him, maybe it does make sense to keep Gronk out for a while, perhaps until Thanksgiving or later. The Patriots' 5-1 record certainly makes it more palatable to remain cautious.
But the team's now-lengthy injury report — with Danny Amendola (head), Jerod Mayo (shoulder), and Aqib Talib (hip) joining Tommy Kelly (knee), Vince Wilfork (Achilles'), and Shane Vereen (hand) on the sideline — may force action on Gronkowski's situation soon, as every roster spot becomes precious.
Gronk is dealing with a bone that has had five months to heal, not a torn ligament or concussion. It's hard to imagine that an extra week or two of rest will put all of his fears to rest.
If he's not mentally ready to play soon, the Patriots may as well just put him on injured reserve, give him a year off from the brutal beating of football and let him have a healthy offseason for a change.
Ben Volin can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin.


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Inbetween times
Mileage: 12 and 29.5
April mileage: 188.8
Temperature: 41 and 39
I yelped as wet snow soaked through my socks, filling the empty space where I stood in a snowdrift, thigh deep and sinking. It was a struggle to even lift my leg in this slush, so close to liquidation that it had become a solid, like wet cornstarch or quicksand. A deceptive solid. Not solid enough to hold me, just solid enough to trap my foot - soon to be, I feared, trench foot.
I swung around to search for the trail. I had abandoned my bike a mile back to press on as a hike. Now I was swimming. It was time to swim home. Time to give up on this whole snow hiking/biking thing. Time to leave the mountains alone until their permanent surface re-emerged from this rotting seasonal veneer. Time to think about "summerizing" the Pugsley to prepare him for the season of salt water and sand. Time to give up on winter.
So we wait now, for something. Summer, I guess. I know summer only in vague terms. It begins the day the Mount Juneau trail finally clears; the day the first black bear makes a raid on the Rainbow Foods dumpster; the day I can finally wear bike shorts. Geoff, on the other hand, knows exactly when summer begins. He has the date marked on the calendar. April 22, 6 p.m. The day the last spring ferry heads south out of Juneau.
Then I will be alone all summer long, and it's starting to sink in. I remember the last time I lived alone in Juneau, watching 2 a.m. Cartoon Network in a damp hotel room and eating my best meals at the Safeway deli. I like to think I can keep my own bad habits in check. But then I think about the Subway guy who saw me so many times he had my *exact* sandwich memorized and even asked me out, and remember there are fates worse than loneliness.
Geoff asks me every day why I don't just leave with him. "Because I have plans," I say. "Because I have cats," I say. "Because I have health insurance," I say. "Because I have a job," I say.
"Always with the jobs," he says.
"I need to feel like I have a grasp on the future," I say.
"And that too," he says.
When I'm at work is when I feel most content about my decision to stay. It's earlier, when Geoff is elsewhere and my time is only mine, that I wonder why it's so right to aspire to life in front of a computer screen and so wrong to aspire to life on a bike ... even with cats to support.
But then I ride my bike and feel happy. And I go to work and feel content. And the snow will climb higher up the mountains. It will finally disappear. And then it will return. Not every moment inbetween has to be an adventure. There will be time for that later. Always later.
18 comments:
life is strange, eh jill? :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 8, 2008 at 6:17 AM
Not every moment inbetween has to be an adventure.ReplyDelete
When everything is an adventure, nothing is an adventure.
Live Strong, girl.
Living in the capitalistic world with responsibilities, jobs and providing for those who love and depend on you is a great way to live. It's comfortable, it's secure, it's satisfying, it's enjoyable and it offers tremendous rewards.ReplyDelete
Living off the land, off the grid, without a "nest" or a responsibility in the world isn't so great. The appearance of "freedom" in that type lifestyle is a mirage.
"this rotting seasonal veneer" I love it.ReplyDelete
For that little bit of art, I will put a link up for you at my site.
The thing that pisses me off is your control over the unweildy world of puntuation. Unfortunately, I couldn't cover for you at work.
glad to find your blog. Love the strong writing; I'm probably doomed to put in the time to read lots more in spite of ready bikes and good weather. The world is just too big.
Anyhow, I think it's an error in your favorite books bit? Miles from Nowhere is by Barbara Savabe. Richard Leo is new to me but also looks very interesting.
Andrejs, Ithaca, NY
- AnonymousApril 8, 2008 at 8:38 AM
Hey Jill...ReplyDelete
I've followed your blog for some time and have to tell you that more often than not (this past Winter)you've gotten me out the front door to train. Thanks.
- AnonymousApril 8, 2008 at 8:51 AM
Hey Jill,ReplyDelete
The Subway guy has a job, perhaps health insurance, maybe even cats.
to rkn - VERY well put!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 8, 2008 at 9:40 AM
As one who has "lived off the grid" since I turned 40 in 1993, working seasonally (in Alaksa!) and spending almost 7 months a year living with my partner (no cats or dogs) in a 9 1/2 foot camper travelling, hiking, biking, LIVING... I cannot recommend highly enough this lifestyle! Contrary to what Bounce believes, I have lots of responsiblities but very few obligations, just enough work to be financially okay and even have some savings. Health insurance is an unnecessary mirage, particularily if you don't have children, as are the "tremendous awards" of the typical 40-hour-a-week, year-around wage slave. Of course, it's all a matter of perspective, character, and dreams. Loving your life is the most important goal....ReplyDelete
Thanks for all the great honest writing!
Skagway Suz
There are many different kinds of adventure. Even work and responsibility can be one of them. Hell, life is an adventure. Just living...seeing what comes next...dealing with it...dreaming...it is all part of the adventure.ReplyDelete
You're both welcome to crash with us this spring/summer.ReplyDelete
You gotta make moments happen when they can.
- AnonymousApril 8, 2008 at 1:37 PM
Oh yeah, wet oatmeal: When you sink down in it like that, and some goes up your pants leg, and then it packs around your ankle assuring that you'll have that icy ankle collar that melts slowly into your boot. That's a very special feeling.ReplyDelete
yr pal DrCodfish
Thanks Dave... i'm certain we'll be crossing paths at some point this spring/summerReplyDelete
"You gotta make moments happen when they can":
well put.
- AnonymousApril 8, 2008 at 3:20 PM
There are plenty of ways to live your life. What was it Freud said on his deathbed? The two things that matter are love and work? Something like that. How you pursue each is really your own call. I found tremendous rewards in work but I really enjoyed the challenges I found there...! Keep exploring...........ReplyDelete
I'm leaning to agree with Bounces comments. Job, security, etc. is a nice thing and it also gives you the opportunity to make some $$ to actually pay for the things you love to do with going too much in debt. I've been there and it's no fun.ReplyDelete
On the other hand I did spend my time having fun in my twenties. A vagabond drifter looking for the next adventure. That too was fun, but you have to be realistic also.
Now that I'm turning 50 I'm looking at retirement savings etc. and wishing I would have started my teaching career a bit earlier. What the hell, that's life. I'm enjoying now just as much as before, but the only difference is everything is paid for. Accept the house of course.
Nigity- "Always keep smile in your heart."
Skagway, to each their own.ReplyDelete
After a long day on the MTB trails I prefer a spacious cabin with associated washer and dryer, a jacuzzi tub for soaking with a bottle of red from the wine cellar and, last but certainly not least, my super-duper king-size Select Comfort air bed.
The creature comforts that life on the grid can buy are mandatory equipment in my life these days.
- AnonymousApril 8, 2008 at 7:12 PM
It is not wrong to want health insurance and the security that comes with a job. You gotta do what feels right for you.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 9, 2008 at 1:07 PM
There's nothing wrong with havingReplyDelete
affluenza and living the unexamined
life...wait, it is wrong...Nothing
wrong with someone else having
affluenza and living the unexamined
life...wait, that's bad too...
Nothing wrong with not fighting
that battle...I guess. Spreading
affluenza and getting others to
live the the unexamined life, well,
that's pernicious.
Matt Newlin


text:
timex - time a command; report process data and system activity
timex [-o] [-p [-fhkmrt]] [-s] command
The given command is executed; the elapsed time, user time and system time spent in execution are reported in seconds. Optionally, process accounting data for the command and all its children can be listed or summarized, and total system activity during the execution interval can be reported.
The output of timex is written on standard error.
The following options are supported:
Report the total number of blocks read or written and total characters transferred by command and all its children. This option works only if the process accounting software is installed.
List process accounting records for command and all its children. This option works only if the process accounting software is installed. Suboptions f, h, k, m, r, and t modify the data items reported. The options are as follows:
Print the fork(2)/ exec(2) flag and system exit status columns in the output.
Instead of mean memory size, show the fraction of total available CPU time consumed by the process during its execution. This "hog factor" is computed as (total CPU time)/(elapsed time).
Instead of memory size, show total kcore-minutes.
Show mean core size (the default).
Show CPU factor (user time/(system-time + user-time)).
Show separate system and user CPU times. The number of blocks read or written and the number of characters transferred are always reported.
Report total system activity (not just that due to command) that occurred during the execution interval of command. All the data items listed in sar(1) are reported.
A simple example:
example% timex –ops sleep 60
A terminal session of arbitrary complexity can be measured by timing a sub-shell:
example% timex –opskmt sh session commands EOT
See attributes(7) for descriptions of the following attributes:
sar(1), time(1), exec(2), fork(2), times(2), attributes(7)
Process records associated with command are selected from the accounting file /var/adm/pacct by inference, since process genealogy is not available. Background processes having the same user ID, terminal ID, and execution time window will be spuriously included.


text:
How Many Mean Parents Made Their Kids Go See Ice Age This Weekend?
Sure, sure, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince raked in a gazillion dollars this weekend. But who are these people who went to Ice Age? Our guess: creationist parents who wanted their kids to watch a nature documentary.
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince — $79.5 million
Did you have to sit in the front row this weekend because all the cineplexes were packed with hooch-swillin hipsters and wonderment-enthusiasts? We did! But wasn't it grand (in spite of Snape's man bangs)
2. Ice Age: Dawn of The Dinosaurs — $17.7 million
What kind of fun-hating parent dragged their kid to see this CGI'd kind of dullness instead of Harry Potter this weekend? Shame on them! Is it because of Potter's pagan themes or sexually subversive undertones? It's a bewildering world when a project involving Dennis Leary is considered family friendly.
3. Transformers: Rise of the Fallen — $13.8 million
Bay's mediation on the illusory nature of plot still continues to resonate with movie goers. In the cacophony of noise and the visual abyss nestled between Megan Fox's chest orbs, the modern movie man can confront the terrifying absurdity of existence. I mean, it's tough now-a-days to get audiences to sit through an art flick so a drop to third place this week is still an admirable position to be in.
4. Brüno — $8.4 million
Aw, you guys remember Brüno? You know that hateful little mockumentary that shoved a mirror in Appalachia's meth ravaged face and said "Look! Look at what an ugly homophobic face you have!" And how we talked about it! As if it would be some kind of milestone in cinematic gay-straight relations. But now, just two weeks since Brüno's shoved his gadfly tushie in our bigoted faces, we realize that the culture has shifted beneath Brüno's Bavarian feet. Audiences don't seemed thrilled to witness others humiliated just to prove a political point.
5. The Hangover — $8.3 million
The man driven laffer continues to pull in the cargo-short set. And good for them! Warners hasn't made this much money with an R-rated summer comedy since Beverly Hills Cop — not to be confused with Beverly Hills Ninja which stared Chris Farley. Hm, is Zach Greekname the thinking man's Farley? Or is he like the hipsters' Eddie Murphy?
6. through 9. The Proposal Up My Sister's Public Enemies — various millions
Sandra Bullock's embargo on time travel movies has proved to be a wise decision with another $ 8.3 million for The Proposal this weekend. Public Enemies, Michael Mann's 2-hour love letter to boring made $7.6 million. What's Up is that Pixar is still being beautiful and rich at the box office with $ 3.1 million this weekend. And even though My Sister's Keeper, which made $2.8 million, looks like 90 minute paper cut we should all still think good thoughts about Abigail Breslin because she's just a walking glob of adorable talent.


text:
I have been using the following function to enqueue some CSS to my theme. However, they are used in the admin area as well:
I don't want them to be used in the admin area. Sadly I cannot find anything about that neither here nor on Google in combination with this function. The codex doesn't explain it as well and the function does not support an option to apply to a specific style the exclusion of the admin area.
I hope somebody could tell me how to exclude a specific css from the admin area.
Thanks in advance.


text:
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Not my normal stuff
Too busy too busy and too busy to do anything else, so, here is a sketch of a sketch!
Ho well... I gotta try, right?
Posted by pascal at 9:33 AM 7 comments:
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Posted by pascal at 1:36 PM 14 comments:
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
winter loving..part deux
ANother one on the love date in winter theme. ( Check out http://scribiling.blogspot.com/ for the first one!
The funny thing is, that in California, especially now, winters are pretty mild!
(^_^)SO, no dramatic snow or blizzards. Just cool light and light sweaters!
Have a good day.
Posted by pascal at 5:34 AM 7 comments:
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
who's ark is it anyway?
..ok..that's an easy name for an easy peezy piece!
Have a nice day.
ps..also, remember to check my other blog, Scribiling.
When I don't post on this one, it means there is a good chance I'm posting on Scribiling
Here's the link
Posted by pascal at 4:43 AM 8 comments:
Friday, January 16, 2009
Easy like a Friday Morning
Posted by pascal at 6:06 AM 10 comments:
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Andrew's house
I rediscovered Andrew Wyeth over the xmas break....and got inspired to do this piece. It's loosely inspired, but inspired nonetheless.
Cheers, and have a GREAT( and warm) Tuesday.
Posted by pascal at 7:49 AM 7 comments:
Monday, January 05, 2009
This sketch is the beginning of something a little different.
I'm starting a new blog with Matthieu Forichon, another French artist who is incredibly talented.
We're doing this new blog, called Scribiling ( all the other names we were going for were taken.. do you guys know how hard it is to create a new blogname?) with the intent of creating one piece a week at least, and getting a book published next year, compiling our various creations.
We're hoping to learn from one another, and inspire each other, hopefully, learning a thing or two from the experience, and, well...we're just looking to have a good time!
I'll still be posting on my regular blog, and will also keep doing the sketches of the day, for as long as I can..depending on how 2009 will be shaping up!
Also..I know today's sketch if similar to the last one I did, but that's because I'm trying a little harder now to capture certain things about the Light here, and the city in general.
In case you haven't gotten this by now, I am totally in love with this city, and the bay area in general.
That's it!
My apologies for the unusually long post.
Cheers, and have a GREAT day.
Pascal Campion
Land 415 695 2925
Cell 415 430 8141
Posted by pascal at 8:21 AM 7 comments:
Friday, January 02, 2009
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Anthony Bourdain: Koreatown Los Angeles
"Good Korean kids grow up to be doctors, lawyers or engineers, goes the story," said Anthony Bourdain. "There are expectations. But what if you're a bad Korean? What if you were Korean-American and you just didn't give a f---?"
The host of CNN's "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown" traveled to Los Angeles for the series' second episode. While the City of Angels may not sound like an unknown part, Bourdain specifically explored Koreatown, where he ate like a local with his two guides, Korean-Americans Roy Choi and David Choe.
Choi, a self-described bad Korean, an executive chef and Koreatown native, owns several restaurants and a fleet of food trucks in LA.
Choi attributed his "bad" Korean-ness to the fact that he dropped out of law school. His parents wanted him to be a doctor or a lawyer, Choi said, and in their culture it was far more respectable to be a mediocre accountant than a top chef.
Choi's food trucks, Kogi Trucks, serve up Korean fusion food. Choi and his employees announce where the trucks are going to be parked ahead of time over Twitter.
Kogi trucks go to every single corner of the county and the city, Choi said, not just the trendy areas. (Yes, he's been to Bel Air. No, they don't kick him out.)
Choi also took Bourdain to a Koreatown mainstay, the restaurant Dong Il Jang. Bourdain called the Koreatown mainstay "as unwaveringly old school as you get." They were joined by another Roy -- Roy Kim, whose grandfather opened Dong Il Jang in 1978. Kim has never updated the eatery's decor -- which includes redwood paneling and cherry red vinyl booths -- or waitress uniforms that resemble a cross between Alice's uniform from "The Brady Bunch" and Alice's uniform from the diner-based sitcom "Alice."
The 1970s style remains because Kim refuses to go against his father's wishes. Besides, the outdated digs certainly don't hinder business.
After a little tableside cooking, the trio dined on fat-marbled beef, thin-sliced rib eye and spicy squid with the traditional fixings, including kimchi, pickles and preserves.
Bourdain also visited popular Filipino fast-food joint Jollibee, where after devouring a fried Spam slider known as the Little Big Bite and an Aloha Burger (it's got a pineapple slice), he enjoyed a most unique dessert: halo-halo.
Halo-halo consists of red beans, white beans, chick peas, Jell-O, coconut, shaved ice and flan.
"It makes no Goddamn sense at all," said Bourdain, "I love it."
Bourdain also called the purple, yellow and green treat "oddly beautiful."
Artist David Choe was hired by Facebook to paint murals in the then-startup's offices back in 2005. Facebook paid Choe in stock, and he's now a multimillionaire.
At Choe's art studio in Downtown LA, Bourdain noticed a good deal of weapon-themed art, such as an AK-47 piñata.
"You need a puppy, man," said Bourdain.
Bourdain sat for a portrait in Choe's studio.
Then the pair went to the last place one might expect to find a world-renowned chef and an artist reportedly worth $200 million: Sizzler.
As it turns out, Choe loves Sizzler. This was Bourdain's very first time at a Sizzler.
The CNN host explained that he learned Sizzler "holds an unexpectedly cherished position in the collective memories of many second-generation Korean-Americans."
Choe elaborated, but not before pouring Bourdain's beer, because, he noted, Koreans pour for their elders. He then explained that Koreans very rarely eat out because they almost always cook. But when they want to step a celebration up, they go to Sizzler.
Bourdain and Choe agreed that Sizzler was to be a judgment-free zone where they would take full advantage of the unlimited salad bar and mistakes simply did not exist. They combined a slew of cuisines (two words: meatball tacos) and delighted in the complimentary cheese toast.
Bourdain further described the salad bar as "a world to explore incongruous combinations without shame or guilt. Free of criticism from snarkologists, because there are no snarkologists at Sizzler."
Tune in to "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown" on Sunday, April 21, at 9 p.m. on CNN to learn more about Choi and Choe, Korean cuisine from delicious mini-mall dumplings to soondubu to chestnut rice to avocado eggrolls, and why Korean food is among the least altered international cuisines to hit American shores.
The next week (April 28), Bourdain is off to Colombia.❚
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text:
Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician
Katherine G. Johnson is a pioneer in American space history. A NASA mathematician, Johnson's computations have influenced every major space program from Mercury through the Shuttle. She even calculated the flight path for the first American mission space.
Born in 1918 in West Virginia, Johnson was a talented student who entered college at only 15 years old. At West Virginia State University, W.W. Schiefflin Clayor, the third African American to earn a PhD. in mathematics, recognized Johnson's abilities and motivated her to take advanced math. Johnson would go on to earn a graduate degree in mathematics. In 1953, Johnson was contracted as a research mathematician at the Langley Research Center with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the agency that preceded NASA. She worked in a pool of women performing math calculations until she was temporarily assigned to help the all-male flight research team and wound up staying there. Johnson's specialty was calculating the trajectories for space shots which determined the timing for launches, including the Mercury mission and Apollo 11, the mission to the moon.


text:
Search website:
Security at Grantley Adams International Airport is about ensuring the safety of all our airport users. We work together with the Barbados Civil Aviation Department (BCAD) to provide the best air travel security possible.
Knowing some simple security requirements before you leave home can speed your time through airport passenger screening. GAIA encourages travellers to "know before you go." For information about the latest security guidelines, questions about baggage screening, lists of items allowed or prohibited in baggage, please click here.
All persons travelling from GAIA are required to be screened in accordance with international security regulations. Please remember:
This section is a detailed information guide designed specially for you the traveller. Below you will find information to assist you when using the Grantley Adams International Airport


text: I'm bit puzzled about what happens to web server logs after they have been split off and analysed by webalizer. They seem to get put into a directory for each month, but what happens then? Do they get deleted? I think I'd like to have some emailed away but i'm not sure where to set this. This may become a bit of an issue, becasue I notice that one of the sites has managed to collect 50MB of web server log since Monday. Give that a few months and it'll get silly.


text:
Parsing the Wall Street Journal's Catastrophic News Corp Defense
Even in the deepest, most gloomy depths of the worst scandal of a lifetime, Rupert Murdoch cannot contain his fundamental not-giving-a-fuck-about-public-opinion nature. It permeates every level of News Corp, the company he made in his image. But it is possible—believe it or not!—for public opinion to overwhelm even the staunchest self-justification.
We say all this as a prelude to, "Hey, how about that fucking WSJ editorial today, eh?" On one hand, a proudly defiant editorial defending something ignoble and privileged is a longtime trademark of the WSJ; on the other hand, everyone kind of expected that the utter destruction of the current scandal would force Rupert Murdoch's editorial writers to, at minimum, keep their mouths closed this time around. But no! The WSJ's version of a corporate defense is here, and boy is it a tone-deaf disaster! The intro:
When News Corp. and CEO Rupert Murdoch secured enough shares to buy Dow Jones & Co. four years ago, these columns welcomed our new owner and promised to stand by the same standards and principles we always had. That promise is worth repeating now that politicians and our competitors are using the phone-hacking years ago at a British corner of News Corp. to assail the Journal, and perhaps injure press freedom in general.
From here, you can almost use your imagination to fill in the rest. The poor, poor media underdog—the WSJ—under assault by liberals, competitors, and opportunists, merely because of the actions of a few dead-enders across the pond. Hey, it's not like the WSJ is some robotic corporate mouthpiece, okay?
The British politicians now bemoaning media influence over politics are also the same statesmen who have long coveted media support. The idea that the BBC and the Guardian newspaper aren't attempting to influence public affairs, and don't skew their coverage to do so, can't stand a day's scrutiny. The overnight turn toward righteous independence recalls an eternal truth: Never trust a politician.
Haha, did Nick Denton ghost write this editorial? This "But someone somewhere else also did something bad" school of defense is not recommended for offenses severe enough to get high-level corporate executives arrested. Save it for when accidentally leave the toilet seat up.
We also trust that readers can see through the commercial and ideological motives of our competitor-critics. The Schadenfreude is so thick you can't cut it with a chainsaw. Especially redolent are lectures about journalistic standards from publications that give Julian Assange and WikiLeaks their moral imprimatur. They want their readers to believe, based on no evidence, that the tabloid excesses of one publication somehow tarnish thousands of other News Corp. journalists across the world.
You get the idea. This is standard News Corp newspaper rock-throwing, the type of stuff that—in normal times—can be cute coming from a scrappy tabloid, and is at worst a tolerable annoyance at the WSJ, which has always made up for its idiotic op-ed page with good reporting. But these, of course, are not normal times for News Corp. A scandal of this magnitude does not automatically blow over as soon as the full-page apology runs. And while we would *never* imagine that a distinguished news organization like the WSJ would run an editorial inspired by a simple base desire to defend its own corporate meal ticket, we would suggest that News Corp's highly paid flacks send a gentle message to all of the company's editorial pages: "Hey, shut up."


text:
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Prices starting at $125 for return flights and $66 for one-way flights to Miami Beach were the cheapest prices found within the past 7 days, for the period specified. Prices and availability are subject to change. Additional terms apply.
Reviewed on Jan 31, 2023
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text:
Pay off your Mortgage in 5-7 Years and save over $100,000* in Interest
Learn how Australians pay off mortgage in 5-7 years, and how you can do the same.
Imagine you would save well over $100,000* in interest doing so.
How come nobody knows about this?
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