text:
Votto anxious to play for Team Canada
Reds first baseman will do whatever manager wants
Joey Votto is thrilled to have the chance to represent Canada in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
"It's pretty special to be able to play for your country, but to be able to play in front of friends and family, and then afterwards go home and enjoy the experience with them, is going to make it extra special," Votto told MLB.com. "Whatever the manager wants me to do, I'll do. I just want to help the team, but obviously I want to play."
Votto, who batted .297 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs in 2008, was runner-up to Cubs catcher Geovany Soto in voting for the NL Outstanding Rookie in the Players Choice Awards.
Samardzija honors late mother with scholarship: Jeff Samardzija was just a senior in high school when his mother passed away. He's now created the Debora Samardzija Memorial Scholarship, which will be awarded each year to a Notre Dame student who has suffered the loss of a loved one while continuing to strive for academic excellence. Samardzija played baseball and football at Notre Dame.
"Obviously, Notre Dame is a pretty expensive school to attend, so we'll do anything we can to help out," Samardzija told MLB.com last week in announcing the scholarship. "We feel that someone in that situation would be very appreciative of it."
He believes his mother would be pleased with the tribute.
"She was the most unselfish person of all time and I just try, as much as I can, to adapt that to what I do," he said. "Giving back to Notre Dame, giving back to the students or maybe it's an athlete that has the same situation -- it just seems like a perfect situation, and she would just be really happy with that."
Loewen switches from mound to field: Former pitcher Adam Loewen hopes he can restart his baseball career as a position player with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Loewen, a native of Surrey, British Columbia, started his career with Baltimore and pitched for three seasons before suffering a series of elbow injuries.
"Wherever he starts the season is not necessarily where he's going to finish," Blue Jays assistant general manager Alex Anthopoulos told the Toronto Globe and Mail about Loewen and his expected start in Class A this season. "We're looking for him to start becoming a better player and to see improvement, and he certainly should be better at the end of the season than he is at the beginning.
"Hopefully by 2010, his real potential and ability will start to emerge."
Chase Wright to get new start with Brewers: The Milwaukee Brewers acquired Chase Wright from the Yankees for Minor Leaguer Eric Fryer in an effort to add pitching depth.
Wright had been taken off New York's 40-man roster after the Yankees signed Andy Pettitte. The team's choices at that point were to trade him or release him if he declined a Minor League assignment.
"[Yankees general manager] Brian [Cashman] didn't have to put him on waivers," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who is on a scouting trip in the Dominican Republic, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He had enough interest from other teams to get a player back. We had to step up and trade Fryer to get him."
Wright will be invited to Spring Training and given a shot to compete for a starting spot in the rotation. Wright was 8-2 with a 2.96 ERA at Double-A Trenton last year and then went 2-1 with a 2.41 ERA at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Atkins puts agent's long hours to rest: Garrett Atkins has agreed to a one-year deal with the Rockies.
"I was working 20-hour days, finalizing our arbitration exhibits, and we were ready to go," Jeff Blank, Atkins' agent, told the Rocky Mountain News. "At the end, Garrett made a decision to sign and focus on the team and get ready for Spring Training."
Atkins is currently slated to play third base this season but will also fill in at first base at times to spell Todd Helton.
Parrish has sights set on starting for Orioles: John Parrish, who spent his first six years as a pro as a member of the Orioles, has signed a Minor League deal with Baltimore that he hopes will allow him to compete for a job in its starting rotation.
"In John's mind, he'd like to come in and compete as a starter," his agent, Joe Longo, told the Baltimore Sun. "I don't think he has a problem if he moves to the bullpen. But in his mind, he started something in Toronto as a starter and he wants to continue that."
Sanchez making progress with rehab: After having all winter to rest his ailing shoulder, Freddy Sanchez is ready for the beginning of Spring Training.
"I have had no setbacks in my throwing program, and I feel as strong as I've ever felt," Sanchez told MLB.com. "We are hitting it hard in rehab. Now I'm trying to stretch it out throwing-wise."
Schumaker may have added value as utility player: Skip Shumaker may be considered for a utility role with the Cardinals' crowded outfield depth chart.
"They just kind of mentioned it to me, threw it out there a little bit," Schumaker told MLB.com. "[T]hey told me to be ready and take ground balls there. If it's a utility thing, where I take some balls here and there and also play the outfield, it's more valuable to the team."
Lowry back to old self after surgery: It's been a rough year-and-a-half for Noah Lowry, but the Giants' pitcher can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Lowry has resumed throwing after being out of action since experiencing tingling in his arm in 2007 and having nerve surgery last March.
"He's like a normal guy, pretty much," Giants trainer Dave Groeschner told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I think he'll be pretty much like everybody else."
Groeschner said Lowry has thrown primarily fastballs but is ready to mix in changeups and should be ready to go at the start of Spring Training.
Johnson impressive after year layoff: Tyler Johnson, who missed last year with bursitis in his shoulder and ensuing surgery, has resumed throwing and impressed Mariners scouts during a workout.
"He's coming off surgery, but his numbers are very good," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "He's got a really, really good curveball. He'll have the chance to prove he's the guy. [He] fits a real need for us."
Trade sees Murton land in Oakland: The Colorado Rockies added some outfield depth by trading Minor Leaguer Corey Wimberly to Oakland for Matt Murton.
Murton, who has played for the Cubs as well as the Athletics, has 28 home runs and 104 RBIs in 308 career games. In the Venezuelan League this winter, Murton hit .321 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 53 at-bats.
"We saw him this winter and liked him, but we've liked him all the way back to his days at Georgia Tech," Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd told MLB.com. "The A's added [Jason] Giambi and Matt Holliday [in another trade with the Rockies] but needed someone for the middle infield. We gave up a good player to get Murton, but he gives us a right-handed corner bat for our organization."
Rabelo happy to ring in healthy new year: Mike Rabelo, who has a chance to become the Marlins backup catcher, is hoping for better luck this year than last when a home plate collision in Spring Training and a fractured wrist in June made it a season to forget.
"When 2009 struck at 12 a.m., I was the happiest man on the face of the planet," Rabelo, limited to 34 games and 109 at-bats in the Majors last season, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "You have to be healthy. Bottom line, I'm excited. It's nice they didn't bring in a catcher, but my focus and the only thing I worry about is my knee. With that healthy, everything else will fall into place."
The 28-year-old catcher, a former fourth-round pick by the Tigers, batted .202 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 103 at-bats.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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text:
Discussion in 'Tennis Tips/Instruction' started by Greg G, Jul 1, 2012.
looking better.
Thanks! Will keep working on it, the new takeback results in a very different feel to the swing. It felt like what I imagined guys with full western grips do on the forehand, if that makes any sense...
Anyway, new page! Time for some backhand maintenance again, its getting neglected.
Topspin is OK, unless I get lazy with my feet. But it does have the easy power that I want to get on the forehand.
Slice gets away from me sometimes. I find sometimes I float them long instead of getting a good slice drive. Drops shots are OK off this wing.
what's up with that grip?
Slice? Continental. TS Eastern. Did I drift?
You need to engage your right shoulder more. It's not being used properly. All the other elements are there but I can see you're not activating the shoulder. When you make contact you can see your hitting structure dissolves. It falls apart because your not getting power/support from the shoulder. It's a big muscle. Use it. When you rotate use more shoulder to pull the racquet. Power through the shot with the shoulder.
Look at your form in the video above and then look at a pro. Compare the shoulder usage. Like djoko here. Look at his right shoulder. You can tell those muscles are being used. The shoulder provides power and leverage. Look how their hitting structure (racquet / arm / wrist / angles - relationship) stays intact after the hit.
djoko http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36v_W1fttOQ&t=12s
fed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmhvKafCYsk
monfils http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl18Cuyytrs
no i mean how you choke up on it so much.
i mean 'power through contact....' not 'power through the shot...'
Oh. Will try moving the grip lower. Wonder how that crept in.
Will work on the shoulder action. How's the takeback looking?
the one at 1:32 looks good
Yup, that's the one where it felt different from what I'm used to. Swing path is much shallower. Will try to work off that, thanks!
Wait- how do I reconcile relaxing the hitting arm with powering through contact with the shoulder?
This shoulder movement?
(image credit: tennispeed)
good question. i'm not sure how to explain that in a good way. the arm is still loose but the shoulder is utilized...
hmm.... let's see...
idk... let me think about that one.
Perhaps that shoulder movement is the "across" movement?
ok i might know what it is.
your kinetic chain is sometimes broken. on some shots your shoulder looks ok like on 1:32 and a couple of others. in those shots you can see that your hips are firing before your shoulders. Then your shoulders have more power. on other shots you rotate your shoulders before your hips or at the same time..., a little more 'arming' going on. not too bad though. Then your shoulders are 'done' before contact is made. Maybe this has to do with you not using your legs enough. most of your shots are hit off the front leg and there is no push off the ground. Maybe if you try to get some more shots from off your back leg it could help.
also on most of your shots your shoulders are turned at the same angle as your hips at the end of takeback. they need to be turned more than the hips to create torque. you are rotating your hips and shoulders as one unit. they should be separate units. like a coiled spring. hips first then shoulders.
this is called separation.
look at the monfils vid above. you can clearly see his shoulders are turned back much more than his hips and then his hips clearly fire first before the shoulders.
like this
Gotcha. I think I get it. Will shadow it to death, and make sure to take vids with fresh legs next time
also you might want to try to rotate more through the shot till you get the feel of the shoulder usage. right now you stop your rotation and then let the arm whip around which is good but as an experiment you could try to rotate through it a little more before your 'let go' like murray does in this vid.
Playing around with Kinovea, it's interesting. Pretty soon I'll be wearing orange ping pong balls on me
Comparison to Fed:
Looks like just a bit more work on the end of the backswing...
Shadow stroking at the gym, it occurred to me that the stick/pole I was using was an excellent tool to show how you drag the butt toward contact. The improved takeback really makes it easier to get the SSC down. I realized that the backswing must be really short for this to be effective, and the stretch does feel quite different from previous efforts.
Naturally the weight/balance of the pole will affect the forearm action a bit, but I think it's looking good...
Look out! Crazy guy at the gym!
Yup, this would do it. Positions 8 and 9 are money, and the key for you.. Keeping that buttcap angled away will inhibit external rotation of the arm until you pull the racquet.
The positions you are demonstrating here would induce a huge stretch shorten effect.
Cool! I'm on the right track! I realized the SSC movement is a much smaller movement than I had previously thought. Hopefully this is the breakthrough I've been waiting for.
All I need is more court time... >.<
Good for you,,,what do you mean the SSC if smaller
Well if you look at my older videos, I thought it was a longer movement that occurred a bit further back. Hence the longer loopier backswing.
On court viewing of high speed video.
Greg G, Now that you have high speed video and, I guess, can view it stop action on the LCD screen at the courts -
When I started high speed video I would practice, say, for an hour taking, say, 6-10 serves in a clip or 30 seconds of forehands and then go home and view my high speed videos on the camera or a computer. It was not unusual that, in the first video of a stroke of a 60 minute practice secession, I could see an obvious flaw. For example, not enough back swing and body turn on the forehand. Or, on the serve, not having the edge of the racket toward the ball when the racket first starts up to impact, etc. These flaws are easy to see. Often, I had practiced with these flaws for an hour!
I now try to review my strokes frequently on court, say, every 5 minutes, and make on-the-spot corrections of obvious flaws.
Now I am considering going even farther and looking at my strokes every 2-3 practice hits. This would be a very cumbersome and unpleasant way to practice. ?
Anyhow, maybe you want to consider your use of single frame stroke analysis on the courts.
hmm... that takeback looks a little roddick-ish. I think it could be better.
and what's going on between frames 9 and 10?
Too funny, that's the mythical stretch shorten, that you are always talking about.
between 9 and 10?
Yes, between 9 and 10..........To induce stretch shorten, the racquet needs to "flip" like it is here. This quick internal to external rotation of the arm is what balistically loads it for the forward swing.
Yes I know what the what's/why's/how's regarding ssc. Thanks.
i was asking him in a 'do you see anything wrong with what you are doing between frames 9 and 10?' type of way.
Yeah Ok, For his sake, please do not advise him to mess with the racquet arm postion in frames 8,9,10. These are absolutely imperative for what he's after, and the crux of his problem...Right now they are mint.
no those positions are mint. he's had the same issue for a long time. it's apparent in all his vids.
Was that none of those positions are mint?
I mean those positions are NOT mint.
Then don't talk about stretch shorten. You have no idea what your talking about.
Once again you are mistaken. If you knew anything about what we're talking about as opposed to just regurgitating what you've gleaned from skimming through forums we wouldn't be having this conversation.
If his positions were so mint as you say then why does he get very minimal ssc and racquet lag? If everything was so mint shouldn't his swing look like a pro?
If you can't answer that then it is you who doesn't know what they are talking about.
Ok no fighting in this thread
Between 9 and 10... Do I allow too much external shoulder rotation, as opposed to ulnar deviation? In racquet butt terms, you mean it should not be pointed down that much....?
Dude, I teach this stuff..Have for many years. This is pretty elementary.
The fact that you don't know what's going on between 7,8,9,10 tells me all I need to know about your knowledge on the subject and corrective measure needed for the OP. I'll make it real simple for you....The arm cannot be rotated externally when the racquet is pulled....It really gets down to that...If you don't know what that means, or can't identify it on video, than look it up. At any rate, do not talk about how stretch shortening works (as some sort of know it all, expert) when you don't understand this necessary position..In the OP's case, it really is the crux of the problem.
is frame 9 the beginning of your forward swing?
if so can you describe what you see happening in those frames (9 and 10)?
Here it that section of the swing broken down even further. Sorry to change the reference numbers
#6 left arm moves across
#7-8 ulnar deviation
#9 shoulder starts to rotate
#10-12 a bit of forearm supination accompanies the external shoulder rotation. That the issue?
Is my hip firing late?
Re the take back form- it's a bit exaggerated to control my tendency to supinate too early.
@Chas Tennis: yes, I have started to take a look at the videos after each basket of balls. Helps a lot, at least I don't end up wasting a whole hour if I spot anything on review. Plus it gives me a chance to catch my breath
yes what you said is good.
hmm... let's see... hard to explain...
You have a semi western grip right?
You seem to be incorporating Fed's takeback style now. Which is fine.
Let me ask you this first... when you do a shadow swing or real swing with that form while holding a real tennis racquet does the racquet move like it does here? I'm asking because I don't want to comment too much if that stick is not behaving like a real racquet would.
I believe a real racquet would alter the swing a bit (for the better). The pole is too light and whippy. But I felt it was a good tool for showing which way the butt was pointing.
Yes I shifted to a semi western, so I understand the racquet face should be more closed vs fed, more djoko like, and I try to feel that in court.
Speaking of grip, I may be a bit choked up on the forehand as well. Since you pointed that issue out on the backhand, I tried moving the forehand grip further out too, which seems to allow easier access to the ssc.
yes. you'll get more rhs and better ssc if you hold the racquet all the way on the end of the butt like this:
The problem I see starts with your takeback. If you want to do the roddick takeback that's fine but then you'll have to make the proper adjustments at the end of the takeback if you want to get into optimal position.
as it is now, this is not happening. everything looks good until about frame 5 or so. Ideally at this point you should just rotate forward with a loose wrist. As has been discussed previously and as shown by Heath and other instructional videos and articles the racquet at this point should go down and back.
Down and back. It goes down because your racquet head should be above the wrist OR when you rotate forward you are lifting up.
It goes back and points behind your body because you have a loose wrist and the racquet head is pointing at that 45 degree angle we discussed before.
But, this is not what is happening in your sequence here or in your vids. After image 5 and on through to image 10 your racquet head actually goes up! You are using your wrist (when it should be loose and neutral) and you are manually supinating your forearm (when it should be neutral or in other words just maintain it's pronated position in image 5). This kills your ptd.
So in other words after your "mint" position in frame 5 you begin to do an old school "loop takeback" like chico9166 does. You do this using your wrist and your forearm which means they won't be loose and they won't be in pat the dog position as they were in frame 5 so you won't get racquet lag or ssc or very little at most.
When you reach your frame 5 position then you should just rotate and go forward. frames 6-11 are unnecesary and detrimental.
Also, I guess it's personal preference but your Roddick takeback doesn't really help because when you reach frame 5 position the racquet head is pointed, imo, too far forward towards the net. From that position the head has to get behind the wrist so that's probably why you do the extra loop take back steps. If you do less roddick then your racquet head position when frame 5 is reached will be pointing less towards the net like fed,djoko, nadal, safin, stosur, kohlschreiber, tsonga etc. etc.. in other words: EVERYBODY. that roddick position is no good.
look at this fed vid: When he reaches your frame 5 position his racquet is not pointing towards the net. He immediately rotates forward. His racquet goes down and back. Not up, over, down and sideways as yours does.
I feel sorry for your students then. I've seen your posts. Off base most of the time.
Perhaps my fear of the 'wrist roll to supination' caused me to overcompensate to the other extreme. I don't trust myself not to roll under pressure from the regular position. I don't plan to keep it this way forever though. Will work on gradually moving it back. Perhaps a few more hundred (thousand more likely) balls will let me work it out.
Now be nice to each other, hehe. Eyes on the prize
Looked at earlier, more relaxed shots...is this somewhat better?
fear of injury?
if you eliminate those steps past frame 5 then you will be able to control spin and trajectory just from the way you setup in frame 5. An angle change here, a mod there and it will move the racquet during the forward change in different ways giving you more or less spin or varying heights over the net etc. It's easier and less steps and less subject to brake down.
No, fear of presupinating (reverting to old technique) under pressure. Anyway, will work it out slowly. BTW, a better sample swing is a few posts above
Too funny, you are the guy that asked last year how to hit a windshield wiper forehand. Look at the position of the arm between 8 and 9 when the torso is starting to unwind..He's not "manually supinating anyting". blah,blah. You have no idea what your talking about..
Btw, I'm quite certain many of kids over the years could rifle balls off your chest..just saying.
Eyes. On. Prize.
lol. do you teach anyone besides your hamsters?
his arm is clearly supinated in frame 10. it's supinated before forward movement... or 'mint' as you would say.
his arm is pronated in frame 5. it's supinated in frame 10. How did that happen if he didn't 'manually' do it? magic? time travel?
Are you serious, his arm has clearly moved forward from 9 to 10..Again, you have no idea what your talking about..Stick with your hacks on saturday morning.
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Another Pitching Duel
While it was delayed by one day due to rain, the rematch of Roy Halladay and Josh Johnson finally took place tonight in Philly. Their last meeting was in Miami for Halladay's perfect game on 5/29 where the Phillies won by a score of 1-0. The same score stood tonight through 8 innings, except it was in favor of the Marlins.
Both starters pitched through those same 8 innings and Johnson did not budge. He allowed just 3 hits while Halladay got into trouble in the first inning. Halladay loaded the bases with no outs and still, escaped with only one run allowed. After that, he did not budge either. Stalemate.
Then came the 9th inning; Danys Baez has been hit or miss for the Phillies bullpen all year. He had a bad April, a really good May and now in June, he has allowed a run in each of his last 3 games pitched. Tonight it was a homer to put the Phillies in an 0-2 hole that seemed insurmountable.
Sure enough, the Phillies offense could not get anything done in the 9th and went down to the Fish by those 2 runs. Yes, another shut-out; it was their 6th time being shut-out in the last 17 games. At least this time, it was against one of the best pitchers in the National League so, it is not as shocking.
Rescheduled Game
Yesterday's rain-out has been rescheduled for Labor Day on September 6th as part of a split doubleheader at 1:05pm. Tickets from Wednesday's rain-out are good for that day and time. The regularly scheduled 7:05 pm game will go on as planned.
All-Star Staff
Charlie Manuel will coach the NL All-Star team again this year and has just announced his staff. The Phillies coaches will all be going, as this is the usual tradition. In addition, Manuel has named Padres' manager Bud Black and Giants manager Bruce Bochy as his coaches. Sean Cunningham, head athletic trainer of the Marlins, and Keith Dugger, head athletic trainer of the Rockies, will also join the team.
The players will be announced on July 4th after voting ends on July 1st at midnight, with 4 more days to cast the final vote for the one extra player on each team after that. So do not forget to keep VOTING for your Phillies All-Stars! Here are the team links for the Phillies Phollowers All-Star campaign:
Chase Utley Ryan Howard Raul Ibanez Placido Polanco
Carlos Ruiz Jayson Werth Shane Victorino Jimmy Rollins
Vote up to 25 times per day, per email address.
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin' Phils Phorum in the My Team Rivals network*


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Not so green
DANNY Green is in full stride running around Melbourne's Gosch's Paddock, but in his mind he's already in his final fight and trading bell-ringers with powerful New Zealander Shane Cameron.
After a career spanning two decades, representing his country at the Sydney Olympics, 37 professional fights - 32 wins (28KO, five losses) - three world titles and a stint in retirement, Green is hanging up the gloves for good after the November 21 bout at Melbourne's Hisense Arena.
In 39-year-old Green's mind's eye his punches sink deeper into Cameron's chiselled body and he pictures each blow cracking his highly ranked opponent's will. From brutal experience Green knows which points to pressure to ensure the Kiwi eventually crumbles like a giant chimney stack under the relentless force of a wrecking ball.
Green, who'll become a four-time world champion if he beats Cameron, throws a volley of punches when the battle raging inside his head reaches it's zenith. Green's air swings - even when he runs - are loaded with intent, as the mother pushing a pram and a few social joggers confirm by their double-takes.
''Scud missiles, mate,'' Green panted in between breaths when he's asked to describe the scenes he visualises. ''I see deadly accurate guided Scud missiles detonating on Cameron's chin; see 'em rattling his eye sockets. With each punch I can feel his will ebbing from him.
''There's no malicious intent at all. I'm just a professional pugilist maximising what I call 'damage output' with my shots. I have to hurt him; need to hurt him. When I picture a fight it goes the way I want it to go … the power in my punches, the way I evade his. It sets how I want the fight to go."
Green, who had his first fight 20 years ago at Perth's Midland Town Hall when he battered Milos Radovic - an older amateur with a KO merchant's reputation, scary tattoos and an intimidating goatie-beard - into submission, is as much a realist as he is gladiator.
He concedes Cameron is younger, is a natural-born heavyweight blessed with a big man's punch and even admitted the ''Mountain Warrior'' from New Zealand's high country had the goods to knock him cold, the result Cameron had promised loudly and proudly to the Kiwi media when he agreed to fight for the vacant IBO world cruiserweight crown.
But Green said Cameron was cursed as New Zealand had not had a world champion since Mascelino Masoe won the WBA middleweight belt in 2004, after Bob Fitzsimmons in 1891 and Billy Murphy in 1890.
''He's carrying the hope of his nation. It's a huge load because they're desperate for a world champion and while he's promised so much in the past he has come up short,'' Green said. ''He has a lot of things in his favour: youth, size, power, strength but he also has the pressure - and it's all-consuming.
''However, he's a serious threat. Cameron could knock me unconscious. It's daunting. He's a big and powerful guy. His last KO [against American Monte Barrett] was spectacular. I'm backing myself but I know my never-say-die attitude will be needed.''
Throughout his career, Green has made it a rule to never speak beyond his next battle. However, with the end near he had no trouble describing his legacy.
''I see the legacy, already,'' he said. ''It's humbling when a car load of young blokes pull up to wish me well, like some guys did this morning. I feel great when I see a Green Machine sticker on a tradie's ute.
''My body is banged up, I reckon I'll be falling out of bed in five years because of the things I've had to do to compete against younger blokes, yet I'm in great shape. And when people pull me up in the street to say 'g'day' it makes me feel as though everything has been worthwhile, that it's counted. I like to think people connected with me because they see me as an everyday bloke who fought like the clappers whenever I entered the ring. I think they've seen I gave blood, sweat and tears.''
Green hoped fighters would learn from his gamble to promote himself, although he warned it had resulted in unwelcome grey hair.
''I certainly put a lot of pressure on myself as a fighter,'' he said. ''I look back on some of my losses with regret … some of the pressure, like mortgaging my family's home to bankroll the Roy Jones jnr fight [in 2009] was incredible. I did it to ensure I fought calibre fighters and even though there was stress I'm glad I steered my own ship.''
Green's trainer Angelo Hyder said he'd cursed the boxing gods on numerous occasions because he's frustrated Green at 39 was a far better warrior than at 28, the age when he turned professional after the Sydney Olympics. He's more angry to think Green, who'd fought such greats as Jones and disgraced steroid cheat Antonio Tarver, hadn't received the accolades he deserved.
''He brought the best out here,'' Hyder said. ''Jones and Tarver are Hall-of-Fame bound; Krzysztof Wlodarczyk - the Pole who beat Dan - is the world's best crusierweight. B.J. Flores couldn't get anyone to fight him but Dan did and while Flores will be a world champion one day [Green] beat him. He brought Stipe Drews to Australia when the Croatian was the WBA champion and took his crown.
''Danny destroyed Roy Jones jnr in the opening round … nailed him … but that wasn't enough for some critics. Amazingly Danny was the 5-1 underdog that night. It meant most people didn't give him a chance, but he stopped Jones; ferocious. Had it been a blood bath that went the distance they'd have called it a great win, and it was. But, the public want blood.''
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text:
|Al-Tayyar Abdelhakim v. Hungary
|Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights
|Second Section
|Publication Date
|23 October 2012
|Hungary | Lebanon | State of Palestine
|Expulsion | Immigration Detention
|Citation / Document Symbol
|Application no. 13058/11
|Related Document(s)
|UNHCR intervention before the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Alaa Al-Tayyar Abdelhakim v. Hungary
|Cite as
|Al-Tayyar Abdelhakim v. Hungary, Application no. 13058/11, Council of Europe: European Court of Human Rights, 23 October 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/cases,ECHR,512639e32.html [accessed 23 January 2018]
|This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.


text:
A year after gambling on aging cornerbacks and getting burned, the Raiders will host 34-year-old Terence Newman on Thursday, according to a CSN-Bay Area report.
A veteran of 148 games and 146 starts, Newman had a solid season for the Cincinnati Bengals last season. He had spent the previous nine years with the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him in the first round in 2003.
Last season, the Raiders signed 30-year-old cornerbacks Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer in free agency. That pair opened the season as starters, but Bartell had his season derailed by a broken scapula and Spencer was sidelined by a foot sprain. Bartell was released late last season and Spencer is a free agent, as is 2012 nickel back Joselio Hanson.
Cornerbacks currently on the Oakland roster include Phillip Adams, Coye Francies, Brandian Ross and converted running back Taiwan Jones.
Cornerbacks have been slow to move on the free agent market, which could benefit a team like the budget-conscious Raiders. Among cornerbacks who have yet to strike a deal, there is Cary Williams of the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, Keenan Lewis of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sean Smith of the Miami Dolphins and Aqib Talib of the New England Patriots.
Former Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, released by the Philadelphia Eagles, is reportedly visiting the 49ers on Thursday.
Newman, who turns 35 on Sept. 4, had two interceptions and 10 passes defensed for the Bengals last season. His 75 tackles were the most since his rookie season in Dallas .
ESPN reported that defensive tackle Corey Williams, 32, was also visiting Oakland. Williams, who played for Detroit last season, was a sixth-round draft pick by Green Bay in 2004 when Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie was in the personnel department.
Williams (6-foot-4, 320 pounds) made $4.9 million with the Lions last season but was deemed expendable because of the presence of a pair of first-round draft picks at the position — Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.
For more on the Raiders, visit the Inside the Oakland Raiders blog at ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders. Follow Jerry McDonald on twitter at Twitter.com/Jerrymcd.


text:
I have Zonealarm Pro and after I installed it and configured it, It wouldent let me have access to Firefox which is what I use for my Internet.
I went into program control and set FireFox to full access and it still wouldn't connect....
So is there a tut somewhere maybe or a common config that works good??
Thanks for any help...
Edit: I check my version and its 6.0
but you show 6.5,7.0,8.0 etc
anyway, thanks for any help....
Operating System:Windows Vista Home Premium
Software Version:6.0
Product Name:ZoneAlarm Pro


text: This Federer criticism is a freaking joke. The guy is HANDS DOWN the greatest player ever. Joko or Nadal might be able to catch him, but they need a lot more wins and longevity. Federer has lost at least 1/2 or 1 full step and yet, he's still one of the top 4 players in the world. Does anyone honestly think Joko, Rafa or Murray will be as good at age 31 as Roger is now?? If you do, you're delusional. Federer in his prime from 2006 beats Murray, Joko and Rafa on hard court 90% of the time. The fact that Roger still gets to GS semis or finals and won Wimbledon last year is amazing. Look at his record, consistency, longevity, and all the indicators--he's the greatest ever. There is NO DEBATE --maybe in 3 or 4 years if Novak and/or Rafa win more slams and titles...BUT NOT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


text:
Then either you misunderstood me or I took the wrong term.spiritnoname wrote:Tmingyur, jhana is not to temporarily get rid of the afflictions, you need to rid at least temporarily get rid of the afflictions to enter jhana. People with afflictions cannot enter jhana.TMingyur wrote: The aim is to get rid of the afflictions to be able to benefit others and one methode to get rid of the afflictions temporarily is calm abiding and the jhanas.
Actually jhana is to get rid of the afflictions typical of the desire realm. In this sense mind is "purified". A condition conducive for insight is thusly generated. Of course if there are predominant heavy faults like hatred these have to be temporarily "pushed to the background" through application of antidots in order to be able to concentrate.
Kind regards


text: Hello, I am new here. I have been sewing on and off (mostly off) for 15 years, but have always wanted to quilt. Now that my kids are older I've decided that I'm going to start. I've taken a couple of classes at Craftsy.com, and am already signed up for a few more. The thing I really need help to learn is FMQ. I have signed up to a Leah Day FMQ course and as soon as I complete some blocks I will start learning.


text: MW 1:00-2:15pm BH 241 HONORS CREDIT BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH PROFESSOR. This course traces the history, beliefs, and culture of Iranians from ancient times through the Arab conquest to the twenty-first century. It focuses on politics, administrative and social institutions, religions including Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, and Islam (Sunnism, Shi'ism, and Sufism), relationship between secular and ecclesiastic hierarchies, status of minorities, devotional and communal change, and Iranian influences on Islamic culture. Lectures and discussions cover the Achaemenian, Parthian, Sasanian, Umayyad, 'Abbasid, Samanid, Buyid, Seljuk, Mongol, Timurid, Safavid, Qajar, and Pahlavi dynasties, and the Islamic republic. Readings include the analysis of primary textual materials in translation. Visual aids will be used in class. No previous knowledge or course prerequisites are needed. NOTE: To receive Honors credit for the course, Honors students must submit a library-based research paper, in addition to completing the regular course work.


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By Margo Appel
Controlling energy costs -- a school district's second largest expense after personnel -- is critical for districts that are constantly search- ing for more funds. One way to do that is to build energy-efficient, high-performance schools that combine good lighting, comfort, acoustics, and air quality.
The U.S. Department of Energy's EnergySmart Schools program provides information for districts that want to build these high-performance schools. While obtaining financing is a hurdle for any school construction project, taking this approach to design and construction can give your school district more financing choices.
In the past, the initial cost for such schools could be significantly higher than for their traditional counterparts. Now, thanks to technology advances and integrated design practices, the premium for a well-planned project is far lower -- or even nonexistent. Today, school districts enjoy fast paybacks -- usually five to eight years -- as well as ongoing returns on their energy efficiency investments.
In short, the business case for an EnergySmart approach has become stronger than ever.Would you like to continue reading? Subscribers please click here to continue reading. If you are not a subscriber, please click here to purchase this article or to obtain a subscription to ASBJ.
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Copyright © 2018, National School Boards Association. American School Board Journal is an editorially independent publication of the National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed by this magazine or any of its authors do not necessarily reflect positions of the National School Boards Association. Within the parameters of fair use, this article may be printed out and photocopied for individual use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise, linked, transmitted, or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6739.
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Bill Sammon: Lying Propagandist
You know who's a real bastard? Bill Sammon, the Washington managing editor of Fox News. As the guy whose job it is to direct Fox News' political "coverage," we expect him to be a huge hypocrite about his own company, and to specifically direct his "news" anchors to use Republican talking points on various controversial issues. It kind of goes along with the job.
No, it's Bill Sammon's lying with full knowledge that he is lying that gets us. Media Matters unearthed a recording of a 2009 Sammon speech in which he said:
"Last year, candidate Barack Obama stood on a sidewalk in Toledo, Ohio, and first let it slip to Joe the Plumber that he wanted to 'spread the wealth around.' At that time, I have to admit that I went on TV on Fox News and publicly engaged in what I guess was some rather mischievous speculation about whether Barack Obama really advocated socialism, a premise that privately I found rather far-fetched."
And he then proceeded to ensure that Fox News tied Obama to socialism over and over again. Haha, that is so mischievous! Bill Sammon is such a mischievous Republican propagandist farcically masquerading as a "journalist" for America's most shameless Republican propaganda outlet. You must be proud, Bill Sammon.


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I got one of the best speaker's gifts ever given by a conference thanks to Bess Sadler Of
UCSD Stanford. She got RENCI's Jeff Heard to do this very cool & beautiful visualization of ibiblio virtual host traffic. The X, Y and Z axises of these globes are the top 3 octets of the IP numbers of the sites accessing the various ibiblio-hosted sites. Don't worry so much about the analysis tho; it's a beautiful work of art. Thanks Jeff and Bess.
Here's one globe representing the Groklaw World. More globes and a better explanation at Jeff's RENCI Visualization blog.


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GPPR Holiday 2012 Lookbook
Inspired by the well dressed anti-hero archetype prevalent throughout popular culture, this Holiday 2012 collection from GPPR seeks to outfit the men who talk fast, dress sharp and walk tall. Revolving around this idea, the collection lends itself to seamless coordination and is solidified by timeless color palettes and modern silhouettes, a justified approach when keeping the modern renaissance man in mind.
Check out the entire collection right now over at GPPR online.
GPPR Holiday 2012 Lookbook is a post by Brian Farmer on Highsnobiety.


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[Verse 1: Pinder]
Yo, touch the sky we always reaching for things that's impossible
Why you do that? You know that's uncomplable
Seem doubts, unstoppable
Obstacles, no matter where you go
Go so hard then end up in the hospital
You in the waiting room, gotta wait your turn
Doctor, doctor can you help me? Man I'm so confused
A lot of times I don't know what to do, uh
I'm coming in low, I ain't got too much control
They always tell me to drive slow
I don't listen, tell them no
Amy Winehouse is dead, out here sniffin all the blow
Am I in over my head? Out here tryna steal the show
Can I get a little dough? That's all I'm really asking for
Couple models, couple bottles, thing of ice to keep it cold
Can play the whole night, underneath the city lights
What happens here stays here, swallow cyanide
If they ask you any questions, you ain't prepared to answer
You ain't prepared to live this, who really is?
Even though you so gifted, yeah you the shit
This game will kill you, you ain't know it
You mad innocent
But in the end, this conversation in our mind is what we dealing with
All the damn time, got me thinking that I'm ill, I'll sick
Hand to forehead
I hope you're feeling it
I hope you're feeling it, I, I hope you're feeling it
(I'm feeling it)
I get lost sometimes, I don't know where to go
I know, the realness is, the pilgrimage, the mission there's
The realest trip, let's go
[Verse 2: Pinder]
All the way, I half-ass my own work sometimes
Gotta dig deep to find these rhymes
I thought that, the hard work was in my work itself
I found something quickly changed my mind
See my chick, she fine
Couple degrees, she mine
A dime and she give me what I need every time I fly in
I'm out on that road, out of the mold
I ain't like these other niggas, in fact, I'm out of control
Insecurities, on the other side of the phone
Rightfully so, I put her through something that's so unknown
But in the moment, (I Dont see it) I'm unhappy (I dont need this)
Am I in over my head? Go hard or should I leave it?
To music I pledge allegiance, prides my biggest weakness
Know it, I should have listened, I don't want to feel defeated
I'm lost, but in the end, I'm still feelin it
[Hook] x2


text:
The Defense Department's ambitious shared operational network, the Joint Information Environment, is a favorite topic among Pentagon brass making the rounds on the public-appearance circuit. A number of officials have, over the past year or two, emphasized the importance of sharing critical information in real time while increasing efficiency and security.
JIE is supposed to do all of that and then some: Other aspects include data center consolidation, improved bandwidth availability, enterprise services and updated IT infrastructure. Cutting-edge technologies, officials say, are essentially the backbone of JIE. So why is it so unclear what exactly DOD is buying, how it is acquiring IT and what is going into building JIE?
The description of JIE itself is not as straightforward as many government program managers and industry stakeholders are used to. There is little in the way of a well-defined goal or a path for getting there. Timelines are equally ambiguous.
JIE "is not a program of record or a joint program office," Adm. David Simpson, Defense Information Systems Agency vice director, said earlier this year. "It is an organization of alignment across the department around shared IT infrastructure, enterprise services, and a single security architecture that is designed from the very beginning around the information sharing that needs to occur across the department."
At its core, transitioning DOD's numerous components, departments and agencies from separate assets and functions to military-wide capabilities will be one of the Pentagon's biggest challenges. Officials at the highest levels all are involved in making JIE happen, but many admit it has been and likely will continue to be a struggle.
"It's hard to herd all of us down that path, so we are constantly trying to make sure we're on common definitions and a common path. We're really working very hard to add clarity. There are sometimes issues from the different points of view, but we're working on them," Gary Blohm, director of the Army Architecture Integration Center in the CIO/G-6 office, said Aug. 8 in Washington.
Blohm noted there has been some progress – JIE's Increment 1 reached initial operating capability on July 31 with the opening of the first Enterprise Operations Center in Stuttgart, Germany. It's the first step of many to come, but no one seems to be sure when.
"There are other areas that aren't as well-defined as we'd like them to be," Blohm said. "There are timelines for some capability upgrades, and now as we get through those upgrades we need to build the next schedule."
Blohm did not specify what those upgrades are, but it's a safe bet at least one of them involves a comprehensive upgrade to the military's U.S.-based network infrastructure.
With troops returning from Afghanistan and DOD's move to everything-over-IP – which requires a major bandwidth boost to support – that modernization indeed is under way. DISA and the Army are calling the upgrade multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), a high-tech, robust mechanism to facilitate fast communications, data sharing and cloud utilization.
According to sources familiar with the effort speaking on background, MPLS effectively will underpin JIE's contiguous U.S. (CONUS) network. It will be a key platform for providing the military with IT capabilities for years; one source likened the transition to moving from copper to fiber cables.
Mike Krieger, Army deputy CIO, said MPLS will align the Army with JIE, and the goal is to roll it out by 2014. He said roughly $22 million in fiscal 2012 funding was spent on the project, along with $175 million to purchase the security stacks to be used with MPLS. Krieger also said savings from the move will be sustained in out years, and that MPLS' cloud transport capabilities will free up precious bandwidth and provide better analytics.
Sources say MPLS's architecture is a direct extrapolation of the architecture used in the Pentagon renovation and expansion of the Mark Center that began in 2008 and wrapped in 2012. DOD officials did not confirm if that is true, but if it is, it would mean that an IT network architecture originally deployed as far back as four years ago, encompassing a roughly 10-mile radius, would be used across CONUS for the foreseeable future – possibly decades.
But the origin of MPLS's architecture is far from the only concern. A number of industry stakeholders, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed uneasiness over a lack of transparency in how DOD leadership is carrying out the structuring of JIE.
In an FCW analysis of acquisition documents, including requests for information and requests for proposals that specify "brand name or equal" for materials and services associated with MPLS, there appeared to be few, if any, functional requirements given, no information on the requirements-generation process and no evidence of analyses of alternatives.
Furthermore, in descriptions of salient characteristics in an RFP for the purchase of security stacks, technical information provided for potential "or equal" bids were essentially identical to specifications for similar products made by Sourcefire Inc. In other words, under the RFP's description, technical specifications for Sourcefire's particular makes and models of products become U.S. government requirements. The Sourcefire example is just one instance of a pattern in the acquisition documents.
At press time, DOD officials did not respond to requests for comments on the acquisition documents.
Such explicit requirements for such a foundational undertaking could be problematic, painting DOD agencies into a corner instead of putting them ahead of the fast-moving technological curve. For a fundamental part of military operations, and one that hinges on both technology and interoperability, the specificity puts constraints on what can be added on as technology advances and limits who can participate, sources said.
It is essentially the opposite of the open-standards movement currently afoot in the government IT community.
"With something as large and complicated as JIE, you have a bewildering number of components, all of which have to interact and work with each other. Interoperability becomes really important, not just for procurement but as practical matter," said Gunnar Hellekson, Red Hat's chief technology strategist. "It's not a program office, so they're going to have to interact with dozens of program offices of differing levels of maturity...to get them working together in a meaningful way, they almost have to use open standards to make that work."
Given DOD's long view of the future of JIE, it is critical to keep the barrier of entry and exit low in order to have as much flexibility as possible, particularly as new technologies emerge that can improve communications and security.
"If you're committed to legitimate open standards, it means that you have the maximum number of possible bidders. You have alternatives if companies don't give you what you want, and you can switch companies for relatively little cost. Otherwise, it becomes expensive and difficult to switch horses," Hellekson said. "It's dangerous to think that one vendor or one predefined set of solutions will deliver all the functionality DOD needs now and in the future."
About the Author
Amber Corrin is a former staff writer for FCW and Defense Systems.
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Check it out today!
Large parts of the federal government will shutter at least temporarily as Congress fails to enact a four-week stopgap spending bill. As agencies prepare to power down, officials say cybersecurity is being given a higher priority than it was in the 2013 shutdown.
An individual's walking gait will be the first biometric used to continuously authenticate mobile warfighters.
The former chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the lead sponsor of the IT procurement bill FITARA is calling it quits.
Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord has been replaced as the chair of the group overseeing the massive cloud initiative known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure.
Government application of the ledger technology lags behind the hype, but expect more experiments to take off in the coming months.
After a 2017 filled with uncertainty and slipped deadlines, the Census Bureau faces a critical 2018 that could make or break the constitutionally mandated count.
JIE has been a concept in development since 2009, following DISA's failed NECC strategy seeking similar goals and outcomes. NECC burned $300M without delivering any capability, and was later cancelled by Congress with "extreme prejudice". OSD NII oversaw this program, making sure their beloved DOD Acquisition processes and paperwork were in order. Frankly, its hard to blame DISA for this Disaster, as NECC had the same fatal flaws as nearly all major DoD IT program failures, some of which JIE is bound to repeat;
- Failing to utilize commercial best practices in decision analytic
- Over reliance on DIB resources that lack any real world IT expertise
- Disconnected from commercial IT standards and lessons learned.
DOD collectively represents less that 1/2 of 1% of the Global IT Market, so why does it rely on the contractors who only serve this sector. I guess Einstein would have some pithy statements had he been around for this one.
JIE is nothing more than a grand standing self promotion of current and former Army G6 staff looking to enrich their friends. The JRSS contract was drafted by CISCO engineers under a RedRiver contract that was supposed to consolidated disparate network support contracts, but added $15M/year in solution engineering services designed to build a CISCO monopoly across DOD.
I can appreciate DoD's desire to shorten the cycles in order to bring continuity across the services network chain. That being said, they are treading on unlawful practices in acquisition which will lead to more protests and longer lag times. Proper evaluations, testing and fair and open competitions will lead to continued "best capabilities/best CAPEX-OPEX scenarios. Just because someone is comfortable with a particular vendor does not give them carte blanche to choose them. This act is becoming increasingly a defacto standard.
"DISA and the Army are calling the upgrade multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), a high-tech, robust mechanism to facilitate fast communications, data sharing and cloud utilization." Perhaps you should have said that DISA and the Army are planning to upgrade to MPLS as a JIE enabler. MPLS is a commercial standard that has been around since at least 2001 and is formally defined in Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) documents, e.g., RFC 3031.
Limiting choices. No doubt. The J2CA architecture document calls out specific processor architecture, operating system and above that. What happens in 5 years when x86 is not de facto standard? Or Windows is not? Tech industry changes too quickly. DoD's own initial JIE docs had the same low level of detail instead of principles of architecture and open standards. Fortunately they changed it and backed off specific vendor names in final version. But this is happening quite a bit across DoD. Surprised nobody has filed law suits against this
8251 Greensboro Drive Suite 510, McLean, VA 22102 703-876-5100


text:
LEGO The Lord of the Rings
LEGO The Lord of the Rings Latest News
Warner Brothers make LEGO The Hobbit official, due Spring 2014
TT Games is putting their LEGO set together this time for The Hobbit, which some promotional artwork had already trot out of the Shire. Now its official as Warner Brothers decrees it so with a Spring 2014 release.
It comes out for practically every platform there is with Peter Jackson's movie adaptation of Middle-earth given life in plastic form once again. Feel better? Good.
Report: LEGO The Hobbit "coming out in 2014"
Promotional artwork on the back of LEGO instruction booklets reveal that LEGO The Hobbit will be "coming out" next year in video game form. Bilbo, Thorin and Gandalf figures are shown in the booklets.
The third and last Hobbit film is due for release December 17th, 2014. It's likely that LEGO The Hobbit will launch around the same time to maximise wallet gouging as fans want their precious.
Fifth week for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 atop UK chart
Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has just enjoyed its fifth consecutive week leading the UK all format chart, matching LEGO Batman 2 for number of weeks at the top spot in 2012.
Hitman: Absolution makes a surprising climb to second, while FIFA 13 keeps dribbling third for its sixth consecutive week. Halo 4, Need for Speed and LEGO LOTRO keep their posts.
Xbox 360 version of LEGO The Lord of the Rings facing recall
It seems that Activision and Electronic Arts aren't the only publishers dealing with a shipping screwup, as some copies of the Xbox 360 version of LEGO The Lord of the Rings has shipped with a demo disc.
LEGO Lord of the Rings gets release dates
Warner Brothers Interactive has announced the release dates for Traveller's Tale's latest building block adventure, LEGO The Lord of the Rings.


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The rumors are true. Cult of Mac has been working hard on a podcast and it's finally here for your listening pleasure. Episode one of Cult of Mac's frosty new podcast, The CultCast, is ready for your listening pleasure. And if you subscribe right now, we'll throw in our "Welcome to The CultCast!" episode absolutely FREE!
But wait, what is this CultCast, you ask? Why, it's the best 30 minute conversation about Apple you're going to hear all week long. Join Leander Kahney, Buster Heine, and me, Erfon Elijah, as we banter about all our favorite Apple news, gossip, products, and Cult of Mac stories. Get caught up on all the best things from the world of Apple in just 30 fun-filled minutes.
Sound good? Well, alright! We'll be premiering new 30minute episodes every Thursday night. You can subscribe to The CultCast in iTunes and listen to our first full-length episode right now. After you've given it a listen we'd love to hear your thoughts. What did you like? What could we do better? Let us hear about it in the comments.


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HP Large Format Negative Solution
October 12, 2011
HP is offering a free, downloadable software package that allows photographers to use the HP DesignJet Z3200 Photo Printer to produce classic silver halide prints or hardcopy image archives from photo negatives. The new Large Format Photo Negative software package includes a paper preset for the DesignJet Z3200 Photo Printer that enables users to print a digital negative onto a transparent substrate. Once printed, these large format photo negatives can be used as masters to produce high-quality black-and-white fine art prints using a contact process. The final print size is the same as that of the transparency, allowing an original 35mm negative to be blown up as large as a 44-inch print. More info: www.hp.com/go/digitalnegative


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" Brand: Cadbury / Type: Truffle "
* Prices may differ from that shown
I recently received a bag of Koko by Cadbury's truffle collection and I definitely have to thank the person who gave them to me.
I love Cadbury's chocolate as I think it's the tastiest on the market, made with lots of milk and proper cocoa and so anything they produce is usually always a winner in my book. I had never seen these chocolates before. They come in a nice little bag which makes a really nice little gift, better than say just a box of Roses or the like. The bag has a little ribbon at the top which allows you to carry the bag and it has a pretty brown and blue colour scheme with a nice pattern on the bag.
The truffles inside are amazing. They are described as, "A sumptuous assortment of smooth milk chocolate truffles, heavenly almond truffles and hazelnut praline truffles. There are three different chocolates inside the bag as it says above and each is individually wrapped in a nice shiny wrapper. Each variety has a slightly different coloured wrapper. THe milk truffle is in a dark brown wrapper, the hazelnut truffle is in a light brown wrapper and the almond truffle is in a light gold wrapper. Each of the wrappers have a swirly patterns on it which makes them look very posh and good looking chocolates.
Each chocolate is round with a thick shell of chocolate around it and a smooth centre. The centre is very very smooth and each variety is amazing. They all taste fairly similar but the almond one is my favourite as this has quite a strong nutty taste. Obviously if you don't like nuts or are allergic to them then this chocolates are not for you but they are great and well worth a try.
We got plenty of sweets given to us at Christmas time from friends, work colleagues, and visitors to our home over the festive period, and we are slowly working our way through them, not that it takes much persuasion. One box of sweets that we received that I was totally unfamiliar with was a box of Cadbury's Koko truffle collection, a box of which will cost around the £4 mark, according to my research online, although Tesco have these currently on offer for £3.
THe packaging itself it quite different, and I am therefore quite surprised that I had never noticed these on the shelf of my local supermarket before. The chocolates do not come in your usual square/rectangular chocolate box, and instead come in a 195g giftbag style, with a ribbon handle. There are two types of chocolate truffles in this Cadbury's Koko collection - one being entirely milk chocolate, whereas the one that we received as a gift is a truffle collection, featuring three different types of truffles. My packaging is therefore in turquoise green and brown, whereas the milk cholocate collection is more pinky/red and brown in colour, with a complementing ribbon handle.
The three truffles included in our set were: milk truffles, hazelnut truffles and almond truffles. On the front of the bag, it states at the bottom that this is a 'sumptuous assortment of cmooth milk chocolate truffles, heavenly almond truffles and hazelnut praline truffles'.
There is also some nutritional information on the back of the bag, though sometimes it is better not to look at this when consuming chocolates. Each chocolate truffle contains 75 calories, 5.4g of fat, 5.9g of sugar, and 0.03g of salt. So eating one or two may be fine for those watching their weight, but anymore and it really isn't going to do your any favours in terms of healthiness.
The chocolates themselves may come in a gift bag style, however there aren't really a lot of chocolates inside, and it certainly isn't filled to the brim. The three chocolates come very stylishly wrapped in three different shades of brown shiny foil wrapping, with a further silver foil wrapping around each chocolate, so you are ensured the chocolates both look chic and are kept fresh. The only problem I encountered was that the three brown shades looked pretty alike and it was difficult to discern from the guide at the back which was which truffle, although you could argue it didn't really matter as they all tasted yummy anyway.
My only other criticism of the otherwise delcious, though rich chocolates, were that I didn't really notice a huge difference in terms of taste between the three truffles Yes, there was a hint of praline, or a hint of almond, but not overtly, and thus I felt that none of the truffles really stood out for me in terms of taste, as they were fairly similar. All in all though, they are nice chocolates, and there certainly won't be any left over in our house, just a pity there aren't a few more in the bag!
We received a packet of these as a gift over the Summer and only just started eating but they are going extremely quickly!
In the triangular shaped bag/pouch pack, each chocolate is wrapped in a beautiful plastic then foil wrapper which you can easily unwrap to reveal the chocolates. The design of the pack is very classy and beautiful that you can just give it as a present without having to wrap it again. The colour scheme is extremely neutral and complimentary that is appealing to everyone and easy to spot in the supermarket.
The chocolates after being unwrapped are round in shape with a luscious swirl of chocolate that looks really well made. Biting into it, the hard milk chocolate shell reveals the soft luscious chocolate within.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the chocolate was very creamy, milky and smooth and not the sickly sweet stuff I would usually associate with Cadbury's. I have hated almost everything they've done previously- they were too sickly and just not pleasant. This is more geared towards the milky stuff Galaxy produce and that is a good direction to go in.
The chocolates cost around £4 and can be bought from supermarkets. Chocolates in the same price range are more appealing than this is, so I'm surprised of the cost. I don't think I would buy this again.
I quite like this chocolate and definitely think is the best from Cadbury's but on the scale of chocolates on the whole, it is mediocre. Whilst the packaging is very presentable and great for gifts, the chocolate themselves aren't as amazing as other brands that cost about the same amount- Guylian, Ferrero Rocher, Lindt. I wouldn't buy this again, but if given to me as a gift, I'd happily eat it.
I had never heard of Cadbury Koko until yesterday, when i received them as a gift from work. I didn't even realise they were cadbury until this morning and thought they were Thorntons or another 'posh' chocolate shop.
I have no idea what the RRP of these is, I have a little advert on my screen that says £3.98. £3-4 sounds about right to me.
*What are they*
Cadbury Koko is a 'sumptuous assortment of smooth milk chocolate truffles, heavenly almond truffles and hazelnut praline truffles'.
The truffles come in a small cardboard bag, which looks very smart indeed! The bag is mainly brown with pale blue writing. Also, there is a pattern of pale blue and different pinks along the bottom of the bag. The bag has a little ribbon handle at the top with a small card describing the three types of truffle inside.
The truffles themselves are wrapped in a soft foil. Each type has a different coloured wrapped. However, these colours are quite different to tell apart.
*Nutritional Values*
Although these sound amazing, they are still chocolate. I happened to glance at the back of the bag whilst eating one and felt like throwing the lot in the bin!
Each truffle contains:
75 calories
5.9g sugars
5.4g fat
2.7g saturates
0.03g salt
At 75 calories per truffle, I am keeping the box to use as very special treats! Imagine eating a whole box!!!!
*The truffles*
As I have already said, there are three different truffles in the bag; milk, hazelnut and almond.
I am not a great fan of Cadbury's chocolate but, trust me, one of these and you feel like you're in heaven!
The outer chocolate is hard but easy to break with you teeth, it tastes just like your average Cadbury chocolate bar. Once you are inside this outer layer, you hit a smooth, creamy chocolate. With the milk chocolate ones, this tastes just like soft dairy milk. However, the other 2 have little bits of nut in which give a good texture to the chocolate.
*In conclusion*
Cadbury Koko truffles are delicious! There is no question about it! Any chocolate lover would adore these.
However, they are very creamy, which makes them very sickly. I can just about manage 2 in one sitting before I feel I must stop eating them!
I love the packinging that they come in, the bag looks very smart, nothing like Cadburys at all, and they are very feminine. I'm not a big fan of the wrappers that the truffles are in, although these continue the theme of looking 'smart' they are very difficult to tell apart from each other.
I don't think I would buy these for myself, mainly because of the nutritional value, but they are lovely as christmas or birthday presents and I would be happy if I unwrapped them.
Well Im sat here actually eating some of these as I write the review :) I got given these for my birthday by Casper the pet dog (although I have a funny feeling it was my mum who actually purchased them)
*** Packaging & Price
These tend to cost around £3, I have never seen them any dearer than this. It's a 200g box which I think comes with approx comes with around 14 individually wrapped chocolates. The packaging is quite quaint, it's in a rectangular shaped box, yet when looks at from the side its a triangular shape, as it goes in at the top; you carry it with the dainty pink ribbon also which constrasts the pink on the side of the box. The packaging opens at the top and is resealable so does make it slightly easier when you want to close it, in an attempt to stop you eating any more :). The indivisual chocolates inside are a good decent size and wrapped very nicely into a tall swirl.
*** Bad Bits
At the end of the day, these are a box of chocolates and so the calories arn't just going to dissapear into thin air. Each truffle contains a whopping 75 calories, which I just gasped at, considering I managed to scoff 6 (i counted the wrappers) with ease; which thus means I'm deffinatly gonig to have to push myself at the gym tommorow. Anyhoo moving on.
*** Product & Brand Info
Basically these are a truffle made by the company Cadbury. They are called KOKO, why; I am still unsure, I can not see what relevance they have at all, however it fits. The truffles have an extreamly soft and delicate centre, which as they described is encased within a milk chocolate shell. For me as soon as I bite into them the soft centre is truely heavenly, which Im not surprised at after reading the calorie intake, anyways. These are relativly new, I only saw these for the first time Christmast 09, however I have seen them everywere, supermarkets, home bargains, B & M's ect, so they appear to be widley available.
*** Would I repurchase?
Yes, deffinatly. These are the ideal present for someone who you may not be super close to, yet need to buy them little gesture gift. Or for example someone has got a promotion or passed a driving test, their ideal to put with a little card, and the price is very good for the product and brand which you are recieveing in return.
Hope this Helps :)
The first time I saw these choccies was yesterday, when I recieved some as a gift. I had certainly never heard of them before, seen them in shops, or seen any sort of advertising for them.
Koko are chocolate truffles made by Cadbury, but this is hard to tell when you first see them. Where is the bright purple packaging?!? Koko are packaged in a more subdued chocolate brown and salmon pink bag/box, with a pink ribbon handle. Methinks Cadburys are aiming for a more sophisticated market here....
The box boasts "Sumptuously smooth milk chocolate truffles encased in milk chocolate." Mmmm...got my attention there then.....
The chocolates themselves are wrapped in shiny brown cellophane, in the style of continental sweets. You twist the top to open them. There is another inner foil paper surrounding the chocolate itself.
The chocolate is a dome shape,topped by a swirl, and immediately I think this is Cadburys attempt to break into the same market as Lindor by Lindt. These are after dinner style choccies. The chocolate has that distinctive yummy cadbury smell.
On biting into the chocolate, the outer shell cracks, leaving a softer truffle centre, which is creamier and slightly buttery. They are lovely to eat, but you couldn't eat loads because they are quite rich.
Each chocolate has 75 calories (oh no, how many have I already eaten for this review?) and 5.3 grams of fat.The chocolates themselves don't contain nuts, but the box warns about nut traces, which may affect some sensitive individuals.
Koko is a lovely addition to the Cadbury family, which offers something a little different. They would make a lovely gift, or something to bring along to a dinner party. They are more "grown up" choccies, although the kids pinched a few!
I thought these were really good, nice quality supermarket chocolate truffles.
Following many years of receiving Guylain chocolate seashells as 'treats' from my other half, I finally bit the bullet this Christmas and admitted that I've never really cared for pralines all that much, actually. I duly received these Koko by Cadbury Chocolate Truffles as a stocking filler instead.
'Koko' truffles cost £3.00 for 200g in Tescos at the moment, which, given the pretty good quality of the chocolate, I'd say is a reasonable price for them. I didn't count the exact number of truffles you get in your 200g, but I'd say there were 'lots' (at a rough guess, at least a dozen). This is opposed to comparably priced, notionally 'higher end' supermarket sweets made eg. by the Ferrero Rocher company, where you buy a big fancy box containing about five elaborately-wrapped chocolages in the bottom. The Koko truffles are individually packaged, and do come in a very appealing, attractively designed 'gift bag' style cardboard carton, there is more to the product than just fancy packaging.
The truffles all the same flavour (milk chocolate) and the individual wrappings take the form of slightly retro 'bon-bon' style top-furled plastic foil wrappings. I thought the individual wrappings were a bit excessively large, personally, and would have benefitted from being slightly scaled down, though this is a minor point.
The truffles themselves take the form of little flat-bottomed spheres of smooth chocolate, each about 3/4 to an inch in diameter. The truffle inside is near-indistinguishable form the milk chocolate coating as regards taste, though it does have a noticeably smoother texture - so when you eat these it's like consuming a little bolus of pure chocolate. The taste is very good - nice and 'chocolatey' (which may seem an odd comment to make about chocolates, but after having pretended to eat pralines for so long, I'd say it's certainly possible to buy chocolates that taste barely chocolatey at all) and if the texture was slightly too smooth (and therefore overly reminiscent of praline) for my taste, that's just my personal preference speaking.
I would rather find myself eating a lot fewer Koko truffles than a whole load of other 'treat' type chocolate confectionery (eg Quality Street, Celebrations etc).
My sister bought me a box of these for Christmas this year and I had never heard of them before so did not know what to expect.
The label says they are chocolate truffles and I have had truffles before and quite like them although some can tend to be sickly.
The box itself was very luxurious looking, it is brown and pink and is shaped very differently to your usual box of chocolates, it is more like a hand bag shape and it has a pink ribbon on the top like a little handle. The packaging is very impressive and I like the swirly pink and brown pattern across the bottom, it would certainly make the box stand out on the shelves once I knew what to look for. There is a tag attached to the ribbon that looks like a gift tag and it has a picture of what the truffles look like. The wording on the label says "Sumptuously smooth milk chocolate truffles encased in milk chocolate". This really fits in with the style of the packaging and makes you expect you are getting something special.
Now to the chocolates them selves. There were 15 truffles in the box and they were individually wrapped in lovely foil paper. The outside wrapper is brown metallic with gold writing on and it looks again luxurious. The paper is twisted on the top with the sweet enclosed at the bottom.
On opening this wrapper you find the sweet itself is also wrapped in another wrapper, this time it is paper with a silver coating.
Then the best bit, tasting the truffle. The sweet is quite big, about twice the size of a Rolo or a bit bigger even and has the shape of a small dome with a shiny appearance. If you put the whole thing in your mouth at once it is quite filling so I tried to bite it in half but found it a bit fiddly as the outside chocolate was crumbling off so had to go the whole hog and put it all in. It tasted lovely, the centre had a cold feeling to it and then there was a big taste of the chocolate. You certainly wouldnt need to have many of these in one go to get your chocolate fix for the day.
Now to the information on the packet. The total weight you get is 200g. The warning on it says it contains milk, soya, and may contain nuts. This is written in clear writing on the back so you would see it straight away and wouldnt have to hunt for it.
The nutritional information is per truffle - 75 cals, 6.2% sugars, 5.3% fat, 2.9% saturates, and 0.03% salt.
This is a nice addition the Cadbury range and I would be proud to give a box of these as a present and would just love to receive another box of them as unfortunately they have all gone now.


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July 4, 2013
Joselyn Garcia, 12, and Carolina Reyes-Rubalcava create patriotic messages on plexiglas at Shepherd of The Valley's paint station at Jackson Park.
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First Round CMA Nods Announced
First Round CMA Nods Announced
The first round of 44th Annual CMA Awards nominations has been announced with GRAMMY winners Lady Antebellum and GRAMMY-nominated artist Miranda Lambert receiving multiple nominations, including Single of the Year and Song of the Year for "Need You Now" and "The House That Built Me," respectively. Recent GRAMMY winners Zac Brown Band were also nominated in multiple categories for New Artist of the Year and Vocal Group of the Year. Additional nominees will be announced Wednesday, and the 2010 CMAs will take place on Nov. 10 in Nashville, Tenn. (8/31)
EMI To Release More Beatles
EMI Music has announced it will release re-mastered editions of the Beatles' The Beatles/1962–1966 (the red album) and The Beatles/1976–1970 (the blue album) on Oct. 19. The re-releases will include expanded booklets with original liner notes, new essays from VH1 Editorial Director Bill Flanagan and rare photos, and will be re-mastered by the same team that handled the 2009 reissues, which sold close to 3.3 million units in the United States last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. (8/31)
BMG Rights Management Gets Acquisition Infusion
BMG Rights Management has received an infusion of more than $500 million, to be used for further acquisitions, from its major stakeholders, investment firm KKR and media company Bertelsmann. BMG Rights Management has been rumored to be interested in acquiring EMI Music Publishing, which the company did not deny in a Billboard report. Bertelsmann CFO Dr. Thomas Rabe also refuted speculation that his company was looking to scale back its 49 percent interest in BMG Rights Management. Recent BMGRM acquisitions include Cherry Lane, Cross Town Songs and Stage Three Music. (8/31)