text:
OBJ Import for 3D Studio MAX is a plug-in for 3D Studio MAX. This plug-in gives 3D Studio MAX the ability to import geometric data from ASCII Alias Wavefront OBJ files.
Alias is the world's leading innovator of 2D/3D graphics technology for the film, video, games, interactive media, industrial design, automotive industry and visualization markets. Their OBJ ASCII file format is widely accepted the world over for exchanging data between CAD applications.
OBJ files contain solids which are made up of 3 or 4 sided faces. OBJ Import for 3D Studio MAX converts these faces into a single 3D Studio Mesh object and adds it to the contents of the currently opened model.
OBJ Import for 3D Studio MAX is very easy to use. It adds a new import file type to 3D Studio MAX called "Wavefront OBJ Files (*.obj)". To import an OBJ file simply select "Import" from the "File" menu and select an OBJ file.
Water Garden Studio TRIAL 1.3
Design your Water Garden, House, Deck, and surrounding landscape with Water Garden Studio. Walk through your designs in fast, photo-realistic 3D. It's surprisingly realistic, easy & fun.
OBJ Import for 3D Studio MAX 1.0
OBJ Import for 3D Studio MAX is a plug-in for 3D Studio MAX. This plug-in gives 3D Studio MAX the ability to import geometric data from ASCII Alias Wavefront OBJ files.
NC Editor 1.0
NC Editor is a Numerical Control (.NC) file viewing, editing and printing application.
Powerbullet Presenter 1.44
Easily create slick Flash presentations for business, sales or educational uses. Simple drag and drop interface means no technical expertise required. Publish to the ubiquitous Flash format for maximum exposure. Supports graphics, sound, animation.
muvee autoProducer 3.5
The award-winning muvee autoProducer is the fastest, easiest and most fun way to turn dull videos into professional-looking productions...automatically.
FLASH-Album Author 1.5
FLASH-Album simulates, with high quality, realistic, digital, 3D photo album. Simply to use, it creates high impressive graphic layouts. The ideal Sw for viewing, printing and sharing photos, it's one of the best accessories for digital photography.
STL Import for SolidWorks 1.0
STL Import for SolidWorks is an add-in for SolidWorks. This add-in gives SolidWorks the ability to import graphical data from ASCII as well as binary Stereolithography (STL) files.
CamStudio 2.6
CamStudio is a powerful desktop recording software, capable of recording all audio and video on your computer directly to AVI or SWF streaming flash files. CamStudio lets you easily publish or share online and save your media files or stream in Flash
Terrain for Rhino 3.0 1.0
Terrain for Rhino is a terrain modeling plug-in for Rhinoceros (commonly known as Rhino). This plug-in gives Rhino the ability to create a terrain mesh from a set of unordered points.
IGES Import for AutoCAD 1.0
IGES Import for AutoCAD is a plug-in for AutoCAD 2000, 2000i, 2002 and 2004. This plug-in gives AutoCAD the ability to import geometric data from ASCII IGES files.
CamStudio 2.6
CamStudio is a powerful desktop recording software, capable of recording all audio and video on your computer directly to AVI or SWF streaming flash files. CamStudio lets you easily publish or share online and save your media files or stream in Flash
IphotoDVD 2.0 b77
A tool to archive digital photos into DVD/SVCD/VCD compatible MPEG files with hundreds of transition effects. The transformation includes photo to dvd, photo to vcd, photo to mpeg, jpg to mpeg.You can creat photo video, photo show on DVD/SVCD/VCD.
Flash Banner Designer 5.0
Banner Designer Pro Flash Banner Designer is an easy to use tool. This flash software offers various features like animated backgrounds, font styles, filters, color tools, clear output and many more. You can work on multiple banners at same time
Axialis IconWorkshop 6.80
Use the industry standard to make, edit, convert icons for Windows, MacOS and Toolbars. It supports all formats up to Windows 8 and Lion (OSX 10.8). Hundreds of features permit to produce high quality icons using a professional tool.
Label Design Studio 5.0
Label Design Studio is a user-friendly label creation software. This Label Maker Software let you create stunning designer labels with the help of pre-designed Label Templates. Customize the templates by adding images or changing font style and size.
Flash EXE Builder 1.30
Convert Flash SWF into an executable EXE file. Create professional Windows application from .SWF files. Choose various Window skins and styles, add splash screen, customizable context menu, etc. Use Windows API via FSCommand. Publish to EXE, CD, DVD.
IncrediFlash Intro and Banner Studio 2.04
Create Flash Intro and Banner easily without Flash knowledge in 3 minutes. Support 100+ text effects. Adjust text font, font size, bold, italic, underline, color, shadow, alignment. Support gradient color, background image and effects.
Flash Fluid Effect 1.25
Flash Fluid Effect is a tool to easily and quickly create cool flash animation effect such as melt, vaporize, warp, blur, etc. No need to know any scripting language. Simply select an effect from library and customize it by adjusting the parameters.
Flash Demo Builder 3.08
Software for creating tutorials, presentations, quizzes and product demonstrations in Flash SWF. Utilize powerful screen capture, records keypresses and mouse movements. Add artworks and multimedia components. Publish to Flash Movie, DVD, EXE, etc.
progeCAD Standard Commercial IntelliCAD 2011
IntelliCAD edits AutoCAD DWG files at minimal cost. Edit view print and convert Autodesk AutoCAD DWG files from most any version of AutoCAD. Similar icons, commands and interface. Supports XP Vista Windows 7 - Edit 2010 AutoCAD DWG files
Soft Categories
Related tags:
obj import for 3d studio max
OBJ Import


text:
Yesterday I forgot to even provide a title to my posting. However, since my prediction that some sort of nuclear bomb control agreement with Iran would be reached, that accord actually was announced today. Teheran celebrated to the left.
When you reach back to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis or the continued threat of First Strike during the Cold War, and the cataclysmic consequences that would have occurred, we can only be thankful that the World today is now relatively safe. Aside from picayune terroristic events and the looming potential of global warming, all is mostly well today for Humanity.
The most likely trigger for a hot war anywhere was the matter of Iran having a nuclear capability. The odds were high that Israel would have bombed suspected sites and initiated a major new crisis that could have spread throughout the region, leading to an economic recession and even depression, for the global oil supply would have been seriously impacted.
No matter what the 17 (Governors John Kasich and Jim Gilmore will soon announce) Republican presidential candidates say, that agreement with Iran is a landmark compromise of historical proportions. Of course, the Republican controlled Congress will be a major hurdle to be cleared in September, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not said OK yet. Additionally, there are soft spots in the concessions that will need to be resolved over time. But just the fact that the negotiators actually arrived at a workable treaty is clearly monumental.
The klutz in all the above is Vladimir Putin, who just announced that he will add 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to his arsenal. However, this was just posturing to irritate the West. He already has more than 8,000 of them. We have almost as many.
Fittingly, world economic order was matched with the transition to a more stable Greece. The country most to gain from all this good news is the USA. While the Nikkei has doubled since Prime Minister Abe's second term, keep in mind that the 20,385 high today is less than a third what the Nikkei was worth (in 2015 dollars) in 1989 when their all-time high was reached. Almost the same for China, where the Shanghai Composite went up to 4,000 today, but had a high of 7000 (2015 dollars) in 2007. The Dow Jones Industrial Average crept back up to 18,000, within shouting distance from the record 18,312 attained two months ago.
As also indicated yesterday, New Horizons sent back photos of Dwarf Planet Pluto (above) and moon Charon. Nearly eight years ago the craft flew by Jupiter (left). Next, the Kuiper Belt, heliopause (boundary between our solar system and interstellar space), and, perhaps, to be uploaded, sights and sounds from Planet Earth, to announce our existence to some alien civilization. The whole project will eventually cost a billion dollars if continued beyond 2016. In the grand totality of our Federal budget and the trillions spent for wars, I think New Horizon is a justified expense of our tax monies.
The 15C Monday night table featured last night White and Black Russian, essentially Kahlua, vodka, cream over ice, with the Black version deleting the cream:
This was a rather strange evening with a dessert drink at the top, and our pupus being roast pork, turkey tails and chocolate:
Dinner featured an excellent teriyaki chicken. Next week, coconut margarita with Mexican music.
The 15C Monday night table featured last night White and Black Russian, essentially Kahlua, vodka, cream over ice, with the Black version deleting the cream:
This was a rather strange evening with a dessert drink at the top, and our pupus being roast pork, turkey tails and chocolate:
Dinner featured an excellent teriyaki chicken. Next week, coconut margarita with Mexican music.
Typhoon Nangka is now up to 105 MPH, will strengthen into a Category 3, has a projected track Thursday right over Kochi on Shikoku Island, then over Japan into the Japan Sea:
Typhoon Halola is at 100 MPH, moving away from the Hawaiian Islands, will strengthen into a Category 3 and ease past Wake Island, then move north of the Mariana Islands towards Japan:
Hurricane Dolores is at 85 MPH, will also become a Category 3, but move sufficiently west of Baja and weaken:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Memorial Day Link May 30, 2016Posted by geoff in News.
Though my and my wife's families have strong traditions of military service, I never really know what to say on Memorial Day: none of our family members have died on active duty, a record which I pray holds true for my son in the Navy. Fortunately, DaveinTX always has a worthy Memorial Day post, so I recommend heading over to Ace's and reading that.
One thing I haven't liked about this years' Memorial Day posts is the "don't thank me on Memorial Day" breed of posts coming from current and former service members. The notion is that they lived, so Memorial Day isn't for them. I say balderdash ==> remembering those who live is a complement to remembering those who died. It's an acknowledgment that, survivor or casualty, they offered their life for their country.
There's never a bad day to honor the contributions of those in the military, and Memorial Day is a particularly good day for it, fallen or not.


text:
Organic Canihua (Baby Quinoa)
Be the first to review this item
Organic Canihua is closely related to quinoa, and often referred to as "baby quinoa". This gluten free superfood has a high content of protein and essential amino acids, as well as minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and iron. Unlike quinoa, Canihua is free of saponins so it does not need to be rinsed before cooking.
Last Changed: 11/25/2015


text:
It's a waxing moon, new calendars hung on the wall (antique tractors in the kitchen, Gary Patterson cats in the office) and this "long term variable periodic" housekeeper (a term I borrowed from my astronomy days) who follows the path of a hearth Goddess, has finally been kicked in the butt to do some serious cleaning!
The worst parts of being such an irregular housekeeper, especially when coupled with working in town, having a business that requires much of my time actually creating stuff, AND farming/homesteading are that the mess can rapidly get out of control and the time available to shovel it back out again quickly vanishes into painting that needs doing, food that must be harvested and processed or go to waste and similar tasks. Eventually, though, Frigga kicks my butt and I get it in gear again.
One of the big tasks in my life involves "putting by" food -- canning, freezing and just plain stashing away root crops and long keepers for the winter. Not having a proper root cellar, and not even a basement, nor the prospect for one any time in the near future, can make this a challenge. I had planned to construct a space the the room that was added on to our mobile home (AKA the back porch) that was lined with recycled styrafoam panels from work. Some of the impulse purchace goodies come in cardboard boxes lined with 1 or 2" thick pieces of the stuff. But as life got away from me and winter arrived early, that did not happen.
What DID happen was a bumper crop of potatoes and a massive harvest of winter squash, and a less than anticipated sale of same to the buyers club. All of which resulted in several large paper bags of potatoes and piles of squash "stored" in the back porch when the temperatures dropped below freezing and stayed there.
The first part of my turn of the calendar project was to rescue as much of the bounty that the land had provided as possible. I dragged the heavy bags of potatoes into the kitchen to allow them to warm up a bit and piled squash into laundry and bushel baskets to the same end. Many of the squash proved to be a bit soft, upon thawing and I have been busy cutting, seeding and baking them to scoop and mash. Once mashed, the wonderful orange flesh can be frozen in one cup "glops" on a cookie sheet, then placed into freezer bags for later use as a quick, vitamin A-rich side dish or in baked goods. I still have over a bushel of "good" squash, and have stored them in the slightly warmer environment of the master bathroom for now.
The potatoes are a different challenge. I have yet to find an acceptable storage option beyond just keeping them in the cool and dark. Freezing does not do well by them, and I had feared that most, if not all, of the crop was lost. Upon warming them, though, it appears that our bumper crop has left us with a lot for storage despite losing around half of them to rot. I am most thankful to The Powers That Be for this blessing, despite my failure to properly husband my harvest. We still have around a hundred pounds of potatoes of various varieties, which have been sorted, washed, dried and stored in the dark under a built in china cabinet in the kitchen.
After getting all the squishy and wet potatoes and bags out of the kitchen, I was well motivated to attack a much-neglected kitchen floor, and then the living room floor. Still not done, but a least it now looks like I am trying!
Tomorrow I have a short day at my town job, then another day off and hopefully I will be back on track with the cleaning so that I can resume work on the hex signs that have been ordered. Previously, the chaos pretty much made it impossible for me to concentrate on the work, let alone be in the proper mind set to work the energies needed to paint the signs as more than "just for pretty."
So what does all this have to do with "putting threads into the warp?" Well, you see, I view life, the universe (and everything... apologies to Douglas Adams) as a tapestry, with threads made up of the life of everyone and everything, moving back and forth, touching and parting, beginning and ending. Intentions take form in the Tapestry of Life and, sitting on the weaver's bench with the Norns, one can tweak, adjust and even add threads. And that is what I have been doing, as I work with the harvest stores and run the vacuum and the mop... I have been setting threads in the Tapestry to move ahead into the future... threads that will help me keep on top of the work... threads that will help organize the remaining months of my Year of Transition and move on into the rest of my life.
This time of year is good for these things. It's what folks try to do with "new years resolutions." And with the input of the moon as well and the change of the calendar, things done with intent have extra oomph.


text:
Seeing the world one day and one mile at a time...tag along.
*All images that are on this website have been taken by myself, unless otherwise stated.
Far From Home.
I was born in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico. A big city that I don't really know much about. I moved to the United States when I was just shy of six years old. I grew up in the small town of Dixon in California, where I lived until I graduated from High School.
Once I graduated from High School I reported for Navy Boot Camp in Great Lakes, Illinois. I have been in the Navy for a little over twelve years and I plan to make it a career.
During my time in the Navy I traveled to Italy, Japan, Guam, Turkey, France, Greece, Bahrain, and the UAE. Not to mention a few states. I have enjoyed my time in the Navy and will continue to enjoy it.
I am currently working on getting my pilot's license which is pretty exicting. Looking forward to flying around the islands of Hawaii.


text:
Heya guys!
I've sadly been away from blogging alot due to alot of changes in my life :-), Mostly positive tho ;).
I've quit gaming to some degree since i haven't been playing LoL in 2 months, The only thing i've played since the start of the year is Crysis 3 singleplayer (post human warrior was quite easy, but maaan that story is awsome, They somehow managed to salvage the scrapes of the terrible Crysis 2 and fix the story quite well! ;-) ) & Battlefield Bad company 2.
Also me & the girlfriend broke up around the start of the year, Which i thought for like 2 weeks was the worst thing ever to happend, but now i'm glad that it happend since now when i think about it, i only got negative experience from that girl..So oh well, "there is other fish in the sea " ;-).
So whats up this weekend for me? Well..Im going up in about 7 hours (gotta be at the stables at 07:45) for another horseback riding lesson, then i'm going shopping with my mother for some furniture stuff, then i'll see what happend @ the evening.
I also need to get a new lamp for the bed..since i managed to kinda...crush the one i have right now with my bed, broke of the plug thingy.
Sunday is the same, but i'll go to the stables at 10.45 instead since i got a private lesson for the best teacher at the riding school :-)..
Gotta add 1 thing tho for everyone that has been playing Battlefield for a long time or perhaps new fans? (Myself..1942 veteran here ;-) ):
Can't wait! Let's hope its only next gen consoles & PC. More games to wait for? Bioshock infinite <3


text:
Thanks to art show supporters
The Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County wishes to express its sincere thanks to the artists, sponsors, patrons, designers and the many local businesses and individuals for their support of our 22nd Art Show. Because of you, we are able to collectively strive to make our community a place where children grow up healthy and arrive at school prepared to succeed.
A women's leadership and volunteer organization, the Junior League has been making a difference in the greater Bridgeport area for more than 93 years. Our largest annual fundraiser, the Art Show had Fairfield's Burr Homestead as the canvas to showcase hundreds of pieces of original artwork from 132 professional artists.
Proceeds will benefit our "Healthy Families, Healthy Futures" community projects in the areas of literacy, healthy lifestyles and hunger, to better prepare at-risk families and children in the greater Bridgeport area.
Proceeds also empower our 300-plus members to be trained to collaborate with community partners to identify a community's most urgent needs and address them with relevant programs that not only improve lives, but also change the way people think
Finally, our deepest appreciation goes out to the many Junior League members for their time and commitment to taking on this monumental task.
President, Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County


text:
If you've ever been to Motherhood Maternity clothing store in the mall, you know it's a small, narrow shop, the kind that's clearly not built for strollers or kids of any kind. The kind of store where the design reflects that they probably figure pregnant women will come in alone because it's not in the least bit interesting for kids or husbands.
It was a Friday after school, I had just taken my 4 kids to Build-A-Bear workshop to fulfill a back to school tradition started years ago when my oldest started school, as a fun kick off to the new school year. Fast forward a bunch of years and stuffed animals later, it is now a money drain, but the kids look forward to it so much that the tradition is worth the cost. But I digress.
I walk into Motherhood Maternity, with 4 kids stomping beside me, hugging their new adorable decked out Build-A-Bears, pushing a double stroller overflowing with 4 of those ginormous cardboard boxes that are the "homes" of the Build-A-Bear animals, leaving no room for actual people to sit in the stroller.
As soon as we enter the narrow clothing store, trouble begins. The kids are wound up and hungry, the snacks I brought don't cut it. They start chasing each other through the clothes racks, which are so close together I can barely walk between them myself. Clothes gets knocked down while they run around, and my 2 year old thinks its pretty funny to throw piles of matching shirts off the shelving displays onto the floor.
I collect an armload of clothes to try on and go into the dressing room, which is nothing but a small curtained off fitting area located directly across from the cash register, don't know who designed that. And the curtain does nothing for me, as my 4 kids keep swishing it aside and running in and out of my stall. Sorry people in the store who have to see that. I tell them to stop and sit outside the stall on the floor and be quiet. Famous last words.
My 7 yr old son starts sobbing that this is the worst place I've ever taken him to, he's so bored and my daughter keeps pushing him. My 5 yr old daughter is screaming that she's getting picked on by the older two, and can we go now. My 2 year old keeps throwing his new stuffed puppy around and losing it, then crying. My 9 yr old daughter, who gets ornery when she's hungry, is being mean and cranky, until she finds the stuffed belly pillow in the fitting room, the kind that pregnant ladies strap onto their bellies to see how clothes will fit when they're nine months pregnant. I don't need to try on this belly bump because I know what size I will be at nine months pregnant... HUGE. My daughter thinks its hilarious to put it on under her shirt and prance around. It just scares the heck out of me, to see my 9 yr old girl playing pregnant!
Finally the kids are causing such noise and turmoil, I say the worst thing I can think of...
"You are making all the pregnant ladies in this store not want to have a baby anymore!"
Ok maybe I over-reacted, I admit. I hastily exit the fitting room, still wearing the comfy maternity pants I just tried on, and apologize profusely to the gals at the register as I ring up and buy my stuff, including of course the pants on my legs.
I realize then and there, "Who on earth brings their FOUR little kids, all under the age of ten, into a maternity store!" Four kids AND four build a bears AND four of those jumbo build a bear boxes...
I swear people are looking at me saying in their minds,
"...and she's pregnant AGAIN?!"
Yes, I am.
And I will never again take four kids to Motherhood Maternity, thank you very much!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Motherhood Maternity Fiasco
Labels: Diary of a Whimpy Preggie Mama
2 comments:
- Amanda said...
Andrea your posts are cracking me up!! You hang in there and you drop those sweeties off here any time you want to go shopping!!! I can't wait to meet your new little one!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
- September 26, 2013 at 9:29 AM
Hilarious! Nice post!
- September 26, 2013 at 2:31 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Because she's cute and more talented than me, I just thought I would pass along a give-away from Kim Wheeler's blog, Endless Possibilities.....She has launched her new site Small Words. She was a feature of mine a while ago. She does those amazing monograms. She would love your feedback......and for your feedback, she is having a give-away. Gotta love that!
Women helping women...........love it!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
4 comments:
- Cassie said...
love a good give away..thanks for the info....she has beautiful work...
- April 19, 2008 at 5:11 PM
- Melissa Lester said...
Adorable site! Thanks for sharing.
- April 19, 2008 at 6:23 PM
- tales from an O.C. cottage said...
Love your blog! I am a blog newbie (about 2 weeks) what a treasure & a resource your blog is! Thank you!
- April 19, 2008 at 6:42 PM
- little dresses said...
I just found your blog tonight! Where have I been? As long as I have been blogging I should have seen you before now! I love it!
- April 19, 2008 at 9:38 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Pg 02
June 23rd, 2017, 5:41 am
Average Rating: None
Author's Comments:
Reply Advertisement, July 20th, 2018, 7:12 pm
User's Comments:
Reply Vallany, July 5th, 2017, 12:24 pm
Wut? How come I didn´t know about this? XD
Reply Fiora Aroura, July 6th, 2017, 8:19 pm
@Vallany: Heh, sorry ^^; I've been working on this on the side but didn't really want to put it on DA until I had a fair amount of pages made. So I just kinda threw it here for now XD
Post A Comment


text:
Corny sticks. I used to write this musing mondays column in order to have more regular schedule posts here and decided to end it with graduation. I spent all summer non-committal to this blog and finally figured an appropriate new column that would help reflection and processing of my next steps.
"Word on the Street" will be my response to the challenges, stories, people, and day-to-day interactions as I work in New York City. New York is an overwhelming place, where being rude is a norm, you always feel underdressed, taxi drivers are unforgiving, and the 'concrete jungle where dreams are made of' (thank you Jay-Z). It is easy for me to be dismissive of New York City, a place where I have easy access to; its groves and cracks familiar to my worn feet. I hope this column will enable me to think beyond the surface of what I see, that when I encounter injustice or inequality or oppression — even if I may not be able to act in the moment; I can process it here and walk towards action.
Even though not every post will be literally "from the street," I picked this title because the street is raw — sometimes dirty, smelly, crowded, tiring, and exhausting. Like HONY, I hope these written snapshots can echo the rawness found on the street, showcasing the real in the day to day.


text:
HIVsport Annual Report Download PDF
Fact or Fiction? Eduction Pack Download PDF
Sport, HIV & AIDS Facts Download PDF Download Text
1280 new HIV infections occurred during the period of four hours 16 minutes it took Roger Federer to beat Andy Roddick in the 2009 Wimbledon Men's Final. more information on tennis coming soon.
Tweets by @HIVsport
HIVsport would like to thank
HIVsport is a registered charity No.1143754.
Keep In Touch With HIVsport
HIVsport would like to thank
Durex for their support
HIVsport is a registered charity No.1143754.
Registered Office: 94 Eldon Road, London N22 5EE


text:
by Mark Gabrish Conlan • Copyright © 2016 by Mark Gabrish Conlan • All rights reserved
I went into the DVD backlog and broke open my boxed set of
the first three movies in the Jason Bourne cycle starring Matt Damon, The
Bourne Identity, based very loosely on the book by Robert Ludlum. According to
Ludlum's Wikipedia page, "Ludlum's novels typically feature one heroic man, or
a small group of crusading individuals, in a struggle against powerful
adversaries whose intentions and motivations are evil and who are capable of
using political and economic mechanisms in frightening ways. The world in his
writings is one where global corporations, shadowy military forces and
government organizations all conspire to preserve (if it is good) or undermine
(if it is evil) the status quo."
Virtually all his titles are three words, the first being "The," the second a
proper noun and the third an abstract noun: The Ostermann Weekend,
The Parsifal Mosaic, The Rhinemann Exchange, The Chancellor Manuscript, The
Prometheus Deception — and Ludlum's three
Bourne books were The Bourne Identity (1980), The Bourne Supremacy (1986) and The Bourne Ultimatum (1990). Since Ludlum's death in 2001 additional books featuring his
characters have come out as what Wikipedia politely describes as "written under
the Ludlum brand," and his publishers, executors or whoever have picked an
author named Eric Van Lustbader (whose name sounds like one Ludlum would have
made up for one of his characters) to continue writing additional Jason Bourne
books. The Ludlum bibliography on Wikipedia also lists three "co-authored"
books, The Hades Factor (2000)
and The Paris Option (2002) with
Gayle Linde and The Cassandra Compact (2001) with Philip Shelby, all in his "Covert-One" series.
Bourne Identity was first filmed in 1988 as
a two-part TV miniseries featuring Richard Chamberlain as Bourne, a show
Charles and I got on DVD and watched some time ago — my notes on it describe a
plot line considerably closer to Ludlum's novel (which I haven't read but
various contributors on imdb.com described in terms of the differences between
the 1988 and 2002 films) than the version we watched last night, first of a
series of Ludlum movies starring Matt Damon as Bourne. The box contains the
three films at least ostensibly based on the novels actually written by Ludlum
(as opposed to the 11 listed on Wikipedia as written by Van Lustbader after
Ludlum's death): The Bourne Identity
(2002), The Bourne Supremacy
(2004) and The Bourne Ultimatum
(2007). Since then there have been at least two more Bourne movies, one
continuing the casting of Matt Damon in the lead and one replacing him with
Jeremy Renner. The 2002 version of The Bourne Identity was the brainchild of director Doug Liman, who
sought out Ludlum to get the rights (curiously Ludlum is given an executive
producer credit and also an "In Memoriam" acknowledgment!) and then went for
backing to Universal, who according to the "trivia" section on the imdb.com
fought Liman through much of the film, asking for repeated rewrites and at one
point threatening to delete one of the most powerful scenes in the movie,
towards the end of the story, in which the fleeing Jason Bourne (Matt Damon)
and his companion Marie (Franka Potente, a brilliant actress who turns in an
indelible performance and makes her character far more interesting and complex
than the usual dumb damsel-in-distress — indeed, she totally out-acts Damon!)
seek out her former boyfriend Eamon (Tim Dutton) at a farmhouse in southern
France. Eamon lives there with two kids, whom he's apparently raising as a
single parent, and he's living a totally normal life when his old friend
suddenly shows up with a strange man whose mere presence puts everyone in
mortal danger, and Liman effectively builds up the suspense as to whether Eamon
can get his children into his basement in time to avoid them and him becoming
collateral damage from whatever Bourne was doing and the enemies he'd made
doing it. For future films in the series, Universal and its co-production
companies, Kennedy-Marshall and Hypnotic, went to a more compliant director,
Paul Greengrass, instead of Liman.
The basic premise of The Bourne
Identity, according to the imdb.com
"Trivia" page on the 2002 film, was that a man would lose consciousness and
then suddenly regain it, but with no clue as to who he was, what he did or how
he had got to where he was when he came to. It came from a real-life case
Ludlum discovered from 1887, when a minister named Ansel Bourne from Rhode
Island forgot who he was, moved to Pennsylvania, lived there under the name
Brown, and opened a store. Three months later, he snapped back to awareness of
his Bourne identity and forgot the entire time he'd lived as Brown — and of
course had no idea how he'd ended up in Pennsylvania. From that Ludlum
constructed a story of a hired killer for an intelligence agency who comes to
when he's rescued at sea and is carrying a microfilm which contains the number
to a secret Swiss bank account. Once he's well enough to travel to Zurich (the
script by Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron for the 2002 version omits the
character of the drunken ex-surgeon who slowly nurses him back to health,
included in the 1988 TV-movie and played therein by Denholm Elliott) he is able
to open the safe-deposit box and finds a U.S. passport therein in the name of
Jason Bourne — and several passports from other countries, all showing his
photo but different names. One of them is Jon Michael Kane ("as in Orson
Welles, not the Bible," I was tempted to joke, though apparently the name was "Cain" in Ludlum's book), along with quite a few
bundles of currency from various countries and an automatic pistol, which for
some reason he leaves behind though he takes the passports and the cash. Bourne
goes to the U.S. Embassy in Zurich but is ambushed there by people he doesn't
recognize; he flees (his flight involves a 30-foot drop off the side of a
building and, according to imdb.com, even though he had two stunt doubles on
the project Matt Damon did this stunt himself) and offers a young woman named
Marie (Franka Potente), a so-called "gypsy" who's lived in various European
cities and come and gone without any discernible pattern, $20,000 in U.S.
dollars to drive him to Paris. She hesitates a bit at first but eventually
accepts, and since her car is a British Mini-Cooper subcompact, when they
finally get to Paris they're able to escape police cars much faster than theirs
because they have such a tight turning circle. (There's also a nice scene that
reminded me of the 1965 comedy The Great Race, in which they drive down an outside staircase.)
From then on the film is basically a series of action scenes intercut with the
people who are trying to find and kill Bourne, who are members of a rogue CIA
operation called Treadstone (inspired, according to imdb.com, by the real-life
operation "The Enterprise" that organized the Iran-Contra affair) who sent
Bourne to assassinate a former African dictator named Wombosi (Adewale
Akinnuoye-Agbaje) who was threatening to write a tell-all book about how the
CIA kept him in power, which would have "outed" some of the agency's undercover
agents. Bourne, we find out towards the end of the movie, worked his way onto
the crew of Wombosi's yacht and stalked him but drew back from killing him
because his kids were with him at the time, so Wombosi plugged him twice in the
back and he fell into the water, where he was rescued by a fishing boat and
brought to safety. The 2002 Bourne Identity is actually a pretty good movie — not a
world-beater, and somewhat handicapped by Ludlum's and the screenwriters'
attempt to make neither a James Bond secret-agent superhero story or a tougher,
grittier John Le Carré-style tale, but something in between, but blessed with
finely honed acting (especially by Potente and Clive Owen as the mysterious
"Professor," who takes Wombosi out and is about to do the same to Bourne when
Bourne tricks him into blowing his sniper's cover, overpowers and kills him)
and excellent suspense direction by Liman. Much of the film is wordless, and
the music is kept to a minimum, indicative of a director who has enough
confidence in his images to tell his story in strictly visual terms. One
humorous way in which a movie just 14 years of old manages to seem out of date
is the high technology it depicts; the computers in Treadstone's office all
have cathode-ray monitors and the cell phones are all of the clamshell design.
I could have wished for an edgier actor as Bourne (like Sean Penn or Nicolas
Cage) but Damon looks fine and handles the action scenes quite well. I was amused at the sex scene between Bourne and Marie
that seems to come out of the blue, and which she is the sexual aggressor; I joked that she'd be
with you? You're James Bond … well, at least you have the same initials."


text:
Published: 2009/07/17
Mike Gordon Will Open Fall Tour in Brooklyn
Three weeks after he wraps up a summer tour with Phish, Mike Gordon will return to the road with his solo band. Gordon has confirmed a 21 date tour that opens on September 8 at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg and closes out on October 4 Burlington's Higher Ground. Along the way, Gordon and his group will travel to the South and on through the Midwest. Once again he will be joined by Scott Murawski on guitar, drummer Todd Isler, Tom Cleary on keys and Craig Myers on percussion. The full itinerary appears below.
09/08 – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY
09/09 – Somerville Theatre, Somerville, MA
09/10 – Port City Music Hall , Portland, ME
09/11 – Bearsville Theatre, Woodstock, NY
09/12 – State Theatre, Falls Church, VA
09/14 – Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh, NC
09/15 – Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
09/17 – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
09/18 – Freebird Live, Jacksonville, FL
09/19 – WorkPlay Soundstage Theatre, Birmingham, AL
09/21 – Minglewood Hall, Memphis, TN
09/22 – Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN
09/24 – The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN
09/25 – Park West, Chicago, IL
09/26 – Barrymore Theatre, Madison, WI
09/28 – 20th Century Theatre, Cincinnati, OH
09/29 – The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, MI
09/30 – Mr. Smalls Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
10/02 – Mod Club, Toronto, ON
10/03 – Town Ballroom, Buffalo, NY
10/04 – Higher Ground, Burlington, VT


text:
AT&T was quick to announce the storage options for its upcoming HTC One and now we know why. The AT&T HTC One will evidently be the only variant, at least at launch, with the larger 64GB storage option leaving those on Sprint and T-Mobile with the 32GB HTC One.
Read: HTC One U.S. Release Mysteries.
In February, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile all announced the HTC One. At the time, the only carrier to announce any kind of specifics in regards to the storage options was AT&T. The carrier pronounced that it would carry both the 32GB and the 64GB models of the device. Sprint and T-Mobile on the other hand remained mum and now, it's clear as to why they did.
AT&T, in a new promo video for the HTC One, proclaims that it will have an exclusive on the 64GB HTC One. It's unclear if it's a permanent or temporary exclusive but this, at the very least, likely means that the Sprint and T-Mobile HTC One models will only be available in 32GB for at launch. For those that are looking for a ton of space, this might complicate things as the HTC One comes without a microSD card for expanded storage. Instead, users are left with the on board storage space and the cloud.
It's possible that things could change, we haven't seen Sprint and T-Mobile confirm their storage options, but at this point, prospective buyers should be resigned to this fate for Sprint and T-Mobile.
It's unclear how this might affect the launch of the Verizon HTC One, thought to be coming soon. The Droid DNA, the device that the HTC One is thought to be replacing, only has 16GB of on board storage space.
Read: Verizon HTC One Launch Might Come Soon.
The release of this teaser video comes shortly before the start of April, the month that carriers in the U.S. are expected to release the delayed HTC One. None of them have confirmed specific dates yet but we've heard late April is the target at this point.
The HTC One is HTC's flagship smartphone and it comes with a 4.7-inch 1080p display, quad-core processor, Ultrapixel camera, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and HTC Sense 5.


text:
Can you afford to buy here? If you like, we can get one of our mortgage experts to tell you exactly how much you can borrow, which is the best mortgage for you or how much they could save you right now if you have an existing mortgage. Click here to get help choosing the best mortgage rate
Godfrey was Canada's 2246th most expensive suburb by listed median house price this month.
With Godfrey's median house price at $239,450 in Aug , it is below average compared to the rest of Ontario.
Is Godfrey a good investment prospect? It's never a perfect science, but the data we have given us a number of indicators.
In Godfrey, housing stock has increased over the last three months, which would tend to mean that more sellers are listing their houses than there are buyers to absorb the housing stock.
As one of Ontario's many potential real estate investment neighbourhoods, Godfrey needs to be carefully researched before investing in – and remember to check especially the locations within an area before spending - the old estate agent's mantra of location, location, location has never lost its importance.
The amount of homes for sale in neighbourhood has stayed the same over the last three months – this means that supply and demand economics would mean that the pressure on house prices has also remained constant.
Just fill in a few details, and we'll arrange for a Mortgage adviser to help you find the best mortgage for your needs


text:
LGBT Psychiatry Clinic: Hello, we're returning your call.
My Partner: Hi! I'm calling… Um, well, because I want to start on hormone replacement therapy. I'm a trans person!
LGBT Psychiatry Clinic: Okay, and what can we do for you?
My Partner: Well, I'll take whatever you can do to get me started on that.
LGBT Psychiatry Clinic: ….
My Partner: I guess… Ideally I'd like to begin an estrogen regimen, you know, with regular check-ins. I was recommended to call here by Dr. XXXXXXX.
LGBT Psychiatry Clinic: Is she your primary care physician?
My Partner: No. I don't have a doctor.
LGBT Psychiatry Clinic: So how can I help you?
My Partner: Wait, I'm sorry. Is this the MCV LGBT Psychiatry Clinic?
LGBT Psychiatry Clinic: Yes it is.
My Partner: Oh. Well… As I understand it, the first thing I would need to get a prescription would be a letter from a psychiatrist or counselor..?
LGBT Psychiatry Clinic: ….
My Partner: Is that something that you do here?
LGBT Psychiatry Clinic: No, we don't provide evaluations for sexual reassignment or hormone replacement treatments.
My Partner: Oh. Sooo… Why is there a letter T in your LGBT?
LGBT Psychiatry Clinic: If you're experiencing any anxiety or depression relating to your sexuality, we have counselors who will see you for that.
My Partner: ….
My Partner: Now that you mention it.


text:
The Library promotes the use of RSS-newsfeeds within the UMCG and the University of Groningen.
Download News about UMCG publications and the CMB! (Use mouse over the text and choose Rightclick; Save Target as)
The Windows University Workstation(UWP) offers you by default the Sharpreader with IT News to staff and students
The Central Medical Library (CMB) now offers you a so-called OPML file , which can be IMPORTED into this SharpReader or your preferred RSSfeed reader.
The Library advices you to use the online personal startpage tool, Netvibes (www.netvibes.com).
This OPML CMB news file contains the new UMCG publications in PubMed and the repository, tables of contents of top medical journals etc.
How to "import" an OPML-file in theSHARPREADER?
- Click RightMouse above the link of the OPML file (CMBoktober2007.xml), and choose "Save Target As" (or "Save Link As" in Firefox. The files MUST be saved as .XML óf .OPML, and not as .html or .txt).
- Open de Sharpreader; Click File;Import Subscriptions,
- Change "Files of Types from "OPML files" into "ALL files" IF you save the file as .xml.
- Select the file in the pop-up menu en choose "Open"
- the new feeds are now included in YOUR selection of newsfeeds.
The library can make tailor-made news selections for you. Móre info.


text:
Eggy in a basket was a staple for our two years as Peace Corps Volunteers. Jeff and I lived without electricity in a tiny rural village up on the continental divide in Panama. This was our kitchen:
One of our chief luxuries was the stove and oven we ran off a 10 gallon tank of propane.
While in Panama I learned how to bake simple bread, much like Miranda's Onion and Herb Bread recipe
. We had neighbors who sold us eggs from their pollos de patio (patio chickens). At least once a week, we'd make eggy-in-a-basket. It is such a simple comfort food.
Back in The States, we live in an apartment with no room for a bevie of backyard beauties like Miranda's. I found the next best thing, a country house along my way to work with a sign that reads, "Brown Eggs $2.50 a Doz." The yolks of these eggs sit high and pert and are a dark rich marigold color. Fresh eggs are essential for good eggy-in-a-basket.
I like my yolks a little runny while Jeff prefers them set but not opaque. This is how I make eggy-in-a-basket for the two of us.
I start with a couple thick slices of bread. They don't have to be homemade, but you can't go wrong with fresh bread.
Then poke out the middles out of each slice. You don't want to break the ring. That's what's going to keep the egg in place.
Butter a large skillet with about a half tablespoon of butter. I use a non-stick skillet, but I bet a cast iron skillet would be divine. Place the bread in the skillet. Put the centers you poked out of the bread in there too. Then crack one egg into each bread ring.
If you prefer your eggs over hard puncture the yolk. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper then cook the eggs over medium to low heat.
Flip the eggies over once the albumin of the egg has started to turn solid white, should take one or two minutes. Continue to let them cook for another minute or so. I pull mine off the heat a little before Jeff's because I like dipping the bread center into the soft yoke. You can tell if the centers have set by prodding the middle. If it jiggles it's not set.
Eggy-in-a-basket is delicious alone or make a meal out of it by adding some veggies. We had ours with a side of Brussels sprouts pan roasted with onion and bacon. If you want the recipe hop on over to my blog, Foy Update: Garden. Cook. Write. Repeat.
I hope you will try eggy-in-a-basket. They are a simple pleasure and I know you'll like them.


text:
Two of Britain's wealthiest families will be united today at the wedding of Kate Rothschild and Ben Goldsmith.
The ceremony takes place at St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, near the Rothschild family pile Rushbrooke Hall, where a reception for 600 will be held.
But, despite the union between the two renowned dynasties being hailed by social commentators as "the wedding of the decade", acquaintances of the couple say it will be a "very traditional" ceremony. Few celebrities will be present - other than family members such as Ben's brother-in-law, Imran Khan, the Pakistan cricketer, and those who have become close friends.
"It will be a society wedding, rather than a celebrity wedding," said one. "Ben and Kate are very conventional, normal people - albeit it very wealthy. Their guests will be drawn from close family and friends."
The two, who have been dating for three years, have lived together in London for the past year and are expecting their first child in February.
Miss Rothschild, who is studying fashion, is believed to have designed her own wedding dress, which has been made by Lady Puttnam, wife of the film producer Lord Puttnam, who are family friends.
Although the bride is just 21 years and the groom a mere 23, marriage at a young age is almost a tradition in the Goldsmith family.
The groom's father, the late Sir James Goldsmith, married his first wife at 21. His sister, Jemima, married Imran Khan at the same age. And his older brother, Zac, married Sheherazade Ventura when he was 23.
Miss Rothschild, daughter of the late Amschel Rothschild, who committed suicide seven years ago, is from the family of bankers who trace their roots back to the Jewish ghettoes of 18th century Frankfurt.
She is also, through her mother Anita, who married at 23, a member of the Guinness brewing and merchant banking dynasty.
Mr Goldsmith, known as "Ben-Ben" to family and friends, eschewed university to follow in hs father's business footsteps, and is a shareholder in quintessentially.com, an internet business. He is also an investor in Marco Pierre White's new venture, Drones, a private dining club - and the chef is almost certain to be among the guests.


text:
Washington DC, USA, based Great Nation Van Lines Gnvl DC Movers is a highly revered, reliable and reputable name in moving business that offers comprehensive moving solutions to its clients at the most affordable prices.
New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/16/2014 -- With the base of operations in Washington DC, USA, Great Nation Van Lines Gnvl DC Movers has emerged as on the most reliable, credible and a much sought after name in the moving business. The moving company comprehensively caters to the diverse moving needs and aspirations of people. What makes the moving company stand apart from the competition is the fact that the services on offer are superior and the prices are unbelievably low. Being in the business for a while, the company understands the myriad needs of its client and offer moving solutions that are high on flexibility, reliability and affordability. Moreover, the moving company has emerged as the most preferred destination for people with long distance moving needs.
"Owing to the hassles involved, moving is a highly cumbersome and tedious task. It requires great planning and impeccable execution. Therefore, it should be left to the professionals that are highly endowed and well versed with the nuances of the moving business. Therefore, we at Great Nation Van Lines stand committed to address the moving needs and desires of our clients in totality. No wonder, we have served millions of clients in the recent past to a nicety. For the benefit of existing as well as prospect clients, we are high on offering viable, feasible and highly cost moving solutions to our clients" a senior official at Great Nation Van Lines Gnvl DC Movers in a recent interview had this to say.
Great Nation Van Lines Gnvl DC Movers provides both residential as well as commercial moving services, over local and interstate distances. For the benefit of the aged clients, the moving company has a special department at its disposal. The professionals carefully plan moves for the senior citizen while keeping in consideration their health status and various other factors. The moving company also caters to the car moving needs of its clients by ensuring the timely delivery at the desired destination.
"For us at Great Nation Van Lines Gnvl DC Movers, customer satisfaction is paramount. We do our every bit to make the moving experience of the client hassle free, convenient and memorable. The professionals at our disposal are highly proficient, experienced and dedicated to the cause of the customer. Well trained and well versed with the nuances of moving business, they offer valuable assistance to the client at every step of the moving process. With the massive fleet of trucks and tractor-trailers at our disposal, we ensure that the moving process is safe, reliable and timely", the official further added.
Great Nation Van Lines Gnvl DC Movers is a leading provider of moving and packing services to a diverse set of clients. Those interested to know more about the best long distance movers in DC, can contact the company officials.
About Great Nation Van Lines Gnvl DC Movers
Washington DC, USA, based Great Nation Van Lines Gnvl DC Movers is a force to reckon with in offering superior, feasible and highly affordable moving solutions to its clients scattered around the world. The moving company with proven credentials keeps customer satisfaction at the top of its priority list. Those who are looking for moving company From DC to NY can visit the official website of the company for more information.
Contact Details:
92 Streetname, New York, NY 12212
United States
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Web: http://www.gnvl-dcmovers.com


text:
11 Oct 2013
Grumpier than ever, Dan Milner heads off to North California to the mountain bike mecca Santa Cruz to see what this legendary bike riding destination has to offer us in his latest Trail Ninja ride-guide.
The result is a tale of surf, sweat, singletrack and beer-swigging.
So does Santa Cruz really have anything to offer a true mountain biking aficionado? Find out in this video.


text:
As most of you who follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram will know, I gave birth to my baby on January 10th at 21:58, a whole 3 weeks early!
Hence the sudden and lengthy absence from my blog!
On Friday 10th Jan I woke at 7am to drive my hubby to the station to go to work. I reluctantly lugged my heavy body of bed and made my way to the bathroom. At that exact moment I felt something warm running down my legs. "Oh fab, I've peed myself" I thought.
I got to the bathroom and realised it definitely wasn't pee and was fairly sure my waters had just broken. In a mild state of panic and confusion i rang our hospital and told them what had happened, not truly believing it could be my waters as I was only 36 weeks and 6 days pregnant and 3 weeks away from his due date of Feb 1st.
The hospital told me to come in to get checked, but told me they'd likely send me home. I came downstairs to see Mr B packing our hospital bags in the car. "Don't bother" I told him, "we aren't having a baby today, its too early, we'll be coming home again soon."
Famous last words.
By the time we were en route I was having tightening pains every 4-6 minutes. They weren't particularly painful, just uncomfortable.
We were taken to the assessment ward and i was stuck on a monitor which showed that I was having fairly regular contractions.
I was asked to get off the bed so they could examine me to see if my waters had in fact gone, at which point the second i took my bottoms off, I was standing in a lovely warm puddle, which pretty much confirmed that my waters had gone!
I was warned that because Baby B was now clearly going to be early, that he may require some extra help once born, to breathe and feed etc. This put the fear in me, especially as he was only 1 day away from being considered 'term'.
"Will I still be able to have a water birth?" I asked. I was told No, because he was considered premature, if only by a day. I was pretty gutted to be honest.
|Being monitored
Not much happened between then (about 8am) and 2pm when I first got examined. I went for a coffee in the cafe downstairs with Mr B and my mum and dad who were now here, then when Mr B went home to get the car seat (which we hadn't even had a chance to get out of the box yet, let alone fit in the car and to sort out our dog Dexter) I walked around the ward with my mum, pausing between contractions to brace myself.
The contractions were getting stronger, more regular and more painful!
They were reluctant to examine me due to the risk of infection as my waters had gone, but they told me I was 3cm.
Things from here are fairly hazy. My contractions ramped up a gear and pretty soon I was kneeling beside my bed on pillows sucking on the gas and air, which gave me some relief.
Mr B was still awol sorting out stuff and I remember getting very impatient and kept asking my mum to find out where he was and started shouting that I wanted him here.
After what felt like forever, I heard he was back. By this point I was unable to open my eyes- I felt like it helped me cope better through the pain to keep my eyes closed. I was still on my knees on the floor bent over the bed and was still in the assessment unit as no beds on the labour ward had been free yet.
|The monitor showed i was having regular contractions
Eventually I remember being helped into a wheelchair and taken to a private room, where somehow I was undressed, put into a gown and put on a bed.
This is where it got so much worse. I was on all fours, hugging the head of the bed, sucking on gas and air with every ounce of energy I had.
It wasn't enough and I was screaming for an epidural. I was examined again at around 5pm I think and was about 5cm dilated.
I was given a shot of morphine, which in my opinion did very little, and on all fours, with my eyes closed, screaming i begged for an epidural to anyone that would listen.
"He's just in theatre", " you're next on the list", "he'll be here soon" I was repeatedly told. I didn't think i could go on.
I then remember being told by Mr B, my mum and widwives to get up and try to go to the toilet to empty my bladder. There was some discussion that as I hadn't been for a wee in hours my bladder could be full and preventing the baby from moving lower.
I shouted at them that i could barely see, let alone get off the bed and walk anywhere. My contractions were on top of one another and I wasn't getting a break, and had no idea how id make it to the loo.
That said, I did, so sat on the loo while a midwife sat next to me holding my gas and air. It was whilst sat there that I became aware that the sounds i were making had become more guttural, and i thought I felt like I was pushing.
I told the midwives that I thought I needed to push and they rushed me back to the bed.
I remembered being told that it is dangerous to push unless you are fully dilated, and as I hadn't been examined for ages and didn't know if I was ready to push yet, was reluctant to do so, but my body was doing what it wanted regardless.
Shortly after this at around 8pm i think I finally had my epidural. I didn't feel anything, I was in so much pain that I was entirely unable to feel the needle going in.
I remember laying back after it had all been put in, still able to feel the contractions and screaming that it hadn't worked! The anaesthetist then told me that it can take 20 mins to work, and of course, it eventually did.
It was at this point i was examined again, only to be told I was 10cm dilated and had they known, wouldn't have given me an epidural as i was almost at the end of my labour and ready to push.
I didn't care, It had been 12 hours since my contractions started and i was shattered. The midwife gave me an hour to rest and to give time for the babys heads to come lower.
I was then being asked if i wanted to give pushing a go. I couldn't feel a thing! I was pushing how i thought i should push, and from the midwifes comments, knew i was doing something right.
After about 15 mins I was asked if i wanted to feel the mop of hair on my babys head, which was crowning.
"Yes, my baby has hair!" I remember thinking.
Next thing I knew she'd said 'babys head is out', then with another push my baby was here.
He was put on my chest, all warm,wriggly and wet. I lifted his leg and saw that he was a boy, looked at my hubby and said "we have a son!"
A beautiful, healthy son who didn't need any help breathing or feeding and for 3 weeks early, weighed a healthy 6lb 7oz.
I had him on my chest while the midwife did her best to repair some damage that little mr caused on his way out, but thankfully due to the epidural couldn't feel anything.
I couldn't stop staring at him. My son, Finally here. I say 'finally here', I hadn't had to wait for him at all and recall shouting at my mum through contractions "But mum, I haven't even got to this chapter in my birthing book!".
Those 15 hours of labour, as exciting, scary and painful as they were, brought me the most wonderful gift.
A beautiful, healthy son who we love more than anything in this world.
So world, please say hello to my son, Franky Michael Frederick Berryman. Born on Friday January 10th 2014 at 21:58 weighing 6lb 7oz.


text:
My sister Tara was born with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and is confined to her wheelchair. Living in Kansas, there aren't always many resources to get her the equipment she needs. One thing she has always done without is a van with a lift. For years we have had to lift her into a vehicle in order to take her anywhere. This is no longer possible as it is hard on her body as well as ours. A van with a lift would completely change Tara's quality of life. She has many medical appointments as well as things she would like to be able to do. (We cannot take her anywhere with us, including something as simple as eating at a restaurant). I have struggled with doing a fundraiser for this for a very long time and feel this is the only way Tara is going to get what she needs. If you feel compelled to help, we thank you. (I did not know what to set our goal as, it may seem out of reach, but if we are doing this we are going for as reliable a vehicle as possible)Help spread the word!
Help this girl out.
Tara Needs a Van


text:
We've devoted 35 years to refining our resident-centered care, building the most passionate and skilled teams who get to know our residents, and filling every community with the special touches of home.
Bridge games are held every Monday and Wednesday evenings in the Auditorium. Our more informal games are held on Monday evenings so there is no competition in winning. On Wednesday evenings, more serious players can come with a partner or by themselves for an evening of duplicate bridge. Winning results are posted on our TV channel and posted on bulletin boards. Enjoy good company, entertainment, refreshments and fun while you enhance your bridge skills!
Don Spitzer is the chair of duplicate games and Hannah Hayman is the chair of social games.
The Fitness Committee oversees outdoor sports, arranges competitions, and coordinates its activities with the Fitness Director.
Bill Crawford is the Chair.
The Quadrangle has a 6-hole, par 3 golf course for the use of residents and their guests. Once a year an open tournament is held on the course, with golf carts available and prizes awarded. We also have a putting green where frequent tournaments are held.
Barbara Hayes is the Chair.
There is a well-maintained tennis court near the cottages. Players themselves arrange informal games and competitions.
Harold Haft is the Tennis Coordinator.
Croquet is another popular activity of The Quadrangle's well-rounded Fitness Program. Our natural grass court, on the south lawn of the Manor House overlooking the beautiful South Brook Valley, provides an ideal setting for both recreational and competitive croquet. We play a relaxed competitive Lawn Croquet rules on Sundays throughout June and Wimbledon rules in September. Modest prizes and trophies add spice to the competition! All residents are invited to play so it becomes a social event also.
Pete Ridgway is the Chair.
The Fitness Committee offers both indoor and outdoor walking opportunities for residents. Each month the group sponsors a walk in arboreta, college campuses and other verdant locations nearby. They are a good way to see new vistas as well as exercising. For those who prefer to be shielded from the elements, an extensive system of walkways connects the seven apartment buildings and offers climate-controlled walkways all year-round. The Quadrangle's residents can walk indoors for half a mile without retracing our steps. Additionally, the Haverford Township Community recreation and Environmental Center has an indoor walking track just a short distance away, which is free to all Quadrangle residents. Other nearby walking opportunities includes the Haverford College campus as well as the Haverford Reserve and the Radnor Trail – all within a 10-minute drive.
Steve Floreen is the Coordinator.


text:
Ghana hopes to attract more black visitors with tours that show how Africans aided European slavers
Karen Palmer:
As Ghana prepares for next year's 50th anniversary of gaining its independence — the first country in sub-Saharan colonial Africa to do so — it is launching a major tourism campaign aimed at blacks scattered across the globe by the slave trade.
"Project Joseph" is an invitation to blacks who trace their history to the slave trade to reconnect with the land of their ancestors. It's an invitation that comes with an apology — not from the Western countries usually associated with slave masters, but from Ghanaians themselves.
Says Emmanuel Hagan, director of research and statistics at Ghana's Ministry of Tourism and Diasporean Relations: "The reason we wanted to do some formal thing is that we want — even if it's just for the surface of it, for the cosmetic of it — to be seen to be saying, `Sorry to those who feel very strongly, and who we believe have distorted history, because they get the impression that it was people here who just took them and sold them.'
"It's something we have to look straight in the face and try to address because it exists. So, we will want to say something went wrong, people made mistakes, but we are sorry for whatever happened."
UNESCO, the United Nations' culture and education agency, estimates that 17 million people were forced to leave western Africa in wooden ships bound for the Americas.
Millions more died anonymously, far from home and without proper burial, during the brutal overland march to reach the slave trading forts like Elmina Castle, where blacks were kept shackled in dungeons, then branded with hot iron rods before being packed like "pieces of ebony" into waiting ships.
Most textbooks exploring the history of African slavery blame the trade squarely on Western colonial powers and the New World colonies that trafficked in human cargoes.
The fact that Africans sold their own people into slavery is mostly ignored.
But Ghana — a stable English-speaking country in conflict-ravaged, mostly francophone West Africa — has never shied away from it.
"Long before the coming of Europeans to the Guinea coast of Africa, our local people here themselves already had slavery in existence," says Philip Amoa-Mensah, a volunteer guide at the Elmina fortress, which was built in 1482 by Portuguese traders.
Ghana's trapped slaves
Ghana's Uneasy Embrace of Slavery's Diaspora


text:
Saturday, June 28, 2014
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa says IRS Commissioner John Koskinen was "one step shy of perjury" in his testimony on the missing emails in the agency's targeting scandal. "He didn't tell the whole truth." [Full Story]
Posted by giveusliberty1776 at 8:21 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Arsenal v Barcelona
Wow!!!!! We get to watch 90 more minutes of that? Are you kidding me? That is what sports are all about. I love this game!
Arsenal v Barcelona update
Injuries are really going to have an effect on the first leg of this tie. Andres Iniesta, Barcelona's extremely influential Spanish midfielder/forward, is out of today's match, and probably a doubt for the return leg next week. This is important because it is Iniesta who links play between the midfield and the strikers. Argentinians often wonder why Lionel Messi looks so much more impressive for Barcelona than he does when playing for his country, and I think the answer is he has Iniesta to get him the ball for his club.
Several other Barcelona players are either questionable or just returning from injury, including Xavi Hernandez and Gerard Pique.
Arsenal always seems to have an injury crisis, and today is no different. Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri, who tore Porto apart in Arsenal's last Champions League encounter, are both expected to be available despite slight injuries. Cesc Fabregas is very questionable though. He was injured against Birmingham at the weekend. I like Arsene Wenger, but just as with Robben and Bayern Munich, I have to ask why Fabregas was not rested at the weekend with such a critical match this week.
Arsenal's most important injury doubt may be William Gallas, who was expected to miss the quarterfinal entirely, but has surprised everyone by returning to training this week. He is in the squad tonight, but no one knows if he will feature in the match. Thomas Vermaelen will anchor the back line for Wenger, but without Gallas he doesn't really appear to have a worthy partner.
I predicted that Arsenal would win in London, and I am sticking with that prediction.
Posted by Dennis at 10:07 AM No comments:
Labels: Andres Iniesta, Andrey Arshavin, Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Barcelona, Cesc Fabregas, Lionel Messi, Samir Nasri, Thomas Vermaelen, UEFA Champion's League, William Gallas, Xavi Hernandez
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
If's and buts...
I can't help but think how different today's match between Bayern Munich and Manchester United would have been if Arjen Robben had played. Some might think that irrelevant since Bayern won by 2 goals to 1, and probably could not have asked for a better result, but hear me out.
Because Robben was unable to play, Hamit Altintop started on the right wing for the Germans. Save for one tricky run, which ended in a relatively tame shot straight at Edwin van der Sar, Altintop was terrible. He often gave the ball away, when he did get into a good position his crossing was poor, and he didn't really provide any help defensively.
Now, in some cases, nothing can be done about this sort of thing. Players get injured, it's part of the game. But in this case, I think the Bayern Munich brain-trust is to blame. I won't single out Louis van Gaal because Bayern Munich, much like Real Madrid, don't really give their manager a whole lot of autonomy. All of the "directors" sitting in the stands have a great deal of say over what happens on the pitch. Given that, the questions I would have to ask them is, "Why the hell was Robben playing against Stutgart over the weekend?! With a Champions League quarterfinal 3 days later?!" It just makes no sense.
Manchester United were thoroughly outplayed though, in all honesty they were lucky to only lose 2-1. But Rooney got the away goal, as I predicted he would, and Bayern couldn't get another goal to put the tie away. In fact, they barely got the win, scoring late in injury time when Patrice Evra was careless with the ball in his own box.
I have to believe that Robben, with his finishing ability and the form he is in, could have gotten another goal for the Bavarians, even if he had only come off the bench. And that makes me think, despite their victory, Bayern Munich missed an opportunity to really put themselves in the driver's seat. Manchester United will make them pay, and I suspect the English club will win quite handily at Old Trafford next week. Although I do have to add one caveat. Wayne Rooney limped off the field at the end of the match with what looked like an ankle injury. Alex Ferguson played it down as not serious, but if it does turn out to be serious, that makes things far more difficult for United, and gives Bayern a much better chance of advancing.
Bayern Munich v Manchester United - Update
Arjen Robben looks unlikely to play in the first leg of this tie at The Allianz Arena in Munich. This is a huge blow for the Germans, as Robben has been their best player, and one of the best players in Europe, this season. If Robben doesn't play against Manchester United, Bayern has about a 1% chance of advancing.
As for the English club, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand both sat out the win against Bolton Wanderers, but are expected to start today. As I mentioned earlier, I don't think the Bayern defenders will capitulate in the way AC Milan did a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean they will be able to stop Rooney either. His form is so good that it will almost be a surprise if he doesn't score an away goal.
When it was first announced, this one looked like an intriguing match-up, but given the injury concerns and Munich's loss of form, it could be an easy one for Manchester United.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Jlloyd Samuel
Let me start by saying I think Jlloyd Samuel is a good left-back. He is not outstanding, but he is competent, and that is often all we can ask for at a smaller club like Bolton Wanderers. Well, that and a pork pie vendor inside the ground. For most of the season I have actually felt that he was our best option at LB, but Gary Megson preferred to play Paul Robinson (who was terrible for the first few months of the season, and who may in fact be the worst professional footballer I have ever seen).
When Megson was removed and Coyle came in it looked like Samuel might get a chance to re-establish himself, but Coyle moved Sam Ricketts to LB, and he put in some good performances. The Gary Cahill got a blood clot in his arm, Ricketts moved into the middle, and again it looked as if Samuel would finally get his chance. But no, Coyle went back to Paul Robinson, who performed better than he had under Megson, but still seemed to be a disaster waiting to happen in my opinion.
So, when Robinson picked up an injury last week and Coyle moved Samuel into the starting LB spot, I was pleased. Honestly, to give a player his first start in 3 months against Manchester United is a bit unfair, but Samuel (Really, the whole team) played well in the first half. Until a ball came in from the left in the 40th minute. It got past Darren Fletcher, who had made a good run into the box and Samuel, running towards his own goal, tried to put it behind for a corner. Unfortunately, instead of putting it behind on his side of the goal, he tried to play the ball out across the face of goal. He was a bit off, and passed it beautifully into the bottom corner for an Own Goal.
Was it a lack of match sharpness that caused this error? I think so. Last season, Samuel started all 38 league matches and was as steady as they come. He has not shown a previous penchant for putting the ball in his own net. I just hope Owen Coyle does not relegate Samuel to the subs bench for the remainder of the season. I still think he is a better choice than Paul Robinson at left-back, and Bolton will need all players fit and ready to contribute in order to ensure another season of top flight football.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Focus on The First Half
The final scoreline against Manchester United was not pretty for Bolton, but it was not entirely unexpected. Truth is, we were over-run in the second half. A team like Bolton can't expect to get anything from the matches against United, and those results will not determine our fate. But you can't pretend the match never happened. So I am choosing to focus on the positive, and the positive is that we played a brilliant first half. If not for an absolutely absurd own-goal, it would have been 0-0 at the break. It could have even been 1-0 to Bolton. The Wanderers had the best chances, and a fair bit of possession.
If I were Owen Coyle, I would show the players video of the first half, and focus on that performance. If the team can duplicate that level of play going forward, we should be comfortably above the relegation zone on May 9, which is the only thing that is important at this point.
If I were Owen Coyle, I would show the players video of the first half, and focus on that performance. If the team can duplicate that level of play going forward, we should be comfortably above the relegation zone on May 9, which is the only thing that is important at this point.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Bolton Back-line
Wayne Rooney will probably be on the bench today for Manchester United, but truth be told, it is often the players like Dimitar Berbatov that give Bolton the most trouble. Rooney is active and physical for 90 minutes, so the defenders are focused on him for 90 minutes. Berbatov on the other hand, often drifts in and out of a match, and is not a very physical player overall. But he is supremely talented, and is always only 1 deft touch away from creating a chance for himself or a teammate.
There is also some upheaval in the Bolton defense. Right-back Gretar Steinsson is suspended. Sam Ricketts, who can play anywhere along the back 4, is returning from suspension. Central defender Gary Cahill is returning from 2 months out because of a blood clot problem. And left-back Paul Robinson is nursing an injury, although he is likely to be available.
If I were to guess, I would say Ricketts will play at right-back, Cahill in the middle with Zat Knight, and Robinson at left-back. Will that group be able to handle the Manchester United attack, I don't know. But hopefully we will make it interesting, and if we can make the title race a bit more interesting, and the relegation race a bit less interesting, then so be it.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Champions League Draw - Arsenal v Barcelona
Here it is, the one everybody has been waiting for (The match, not my blog post). The two best passing teams in the world. The two most attacking sides in Europe. Two sides oozing with talent and quality who seem to bring world class youngsters through their academies just for fun. Just about guarantees it will finish 0-0 and come down to penalty kicks in a shootout.
Seriously, given all of the attacking talent on display, it is safe to say this tie will be decided by defense. The problem for Arsenal here is that a major part of their defense (William Gallas) has a calf injury and is out for the first leg, and probably the whole tie. This leaves Thomas Vermaelen, who has been a rock at the back, along with Sol Campbell, who will struggle to keep up with the likes of Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi. Alexandre Song will play the holding midfield role, and he will attempt to shield the back four. THis is especially important because a lot of what Barcelona does in possession starts deep, with Xavi and Iniesta working their way through the midfield to create chances for Messi, Pedro, and Ibrahimovic.
As for the Catalan giants, they have their own defensive frailties. Puyol is well past his prime, and Dani Alves is not exactly known for his defending. A lot will fall on Busquets, who has been patrolling central midfield recently, as the manager does not appear to be seeing eye-to-eye with Yaya Toure. The movement of Arshavin and Nasri, coupled with the passing of Fabregas, will give Barca's back-line a lot to deal with. I would like to think we are in for a couple of rollicking 4-3 games, resulting in a wild 30 minutes of extra time at the Camp Nou, but that is unlikely.
I am going against the grain a little bit here, as I think Arsenal will nick it. They will take a lead to Spain, and score an away goal that allows them to progress. In fact I am going to go ahead and make a bold prediction. Arsenal will not only win this tie, they will get to the final, and lift the trophy in Madrid in May.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Champions League Draw - Bayern Munich v Manchester United
I find the talk about 1999 to be largely self-serving on the part of the English and utterly irrelevant to the match itself. Of the 36 players in the squads that day, 3 still play for Manchester United, plus 1 who was suspended, and none still play for Bayern Munich. It just has no bearing on this game.
Bayern are one of the few club teams left in Europe who play 2 true wingers, in Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. And both are very good. Robben, in fact, has been one of the best player sin Europe for the past 6 months. He will get the Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher treatment whenever he ventures forward. I still think Bayern will manage goals in both legs. The real questions is, can Manchester United score more goals than they allow. There is no central defender from the German side that can "handle" Wayne Rooney, so to speak, but he will not have the uncontested free reign he had against AC Milan.
I am going to go out on a limb here and make a detailed prediction. I think Bayern Munich win 2-1 in Germany, and Manchester United win 3-1 in England, with the winning goal coming late on in the 30 minutes of extra time.
Bayern are one of the few club teams left in Europe who play 2 true wingers, in Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. And both are very good. Robben, in fact, has been one of the best player sin Europe for the past 6 months. He will get the Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher treatment whenever he ventures forward. I still think Bayern will manage goals in both legs. The real questions is, can Manchester United score more goals than they allow. There is no central defender from the German side that can "handle" Wayne Rooney, so to speak, but he will not have the uncontested free reign he had against AC Milan.
I am going to go out on a limb here and make a detailed prediction. I think Bayern Munich win 2-1 in Germany, and Manchester United win 3-1 in England, with the winning goal coming late on in the 30 minutes of extra time.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Champions League Draw - Lyon v Bordeaux
There will be a French team in the semi-finals, this much we know. And whether that club plays Bayern Munich or Manchester United, be prepared for WWII jokes aplenty as well as ironically worn berets and striped black and white shirts.
The first leg will be in Lyon, just as it was when they played Real Madrid. Bordeaux won't underestimate Lyon in the way Madrid did though. Both sides are relatively attack-minded and strong through the middle of the pitch. Some might give Lyon a slight edge as they have been to this stage of the Champions League relatively recently, but most of the those players have long since left the club.
Gourcuff runs things from the middle for Bordeaux, and if Lyon can shut him down, they will shut down Bordeaux. I like Chamakh, I think he is a good striker, but he is not the type to create too much for himself, he will be dependent on service from the midfield. I favor Lyon in this match-up. They shut down Kaka over two legs, and he does a lot of the same things Gourcuff does.
Another interesting thing in this tie will be what type of formation Lyon play. They have a lot of attacking talent, and could certainly play with two, or even three up top if they want to. That is unlikely though. I feel like these matches will show us a lot of possession in the opponents half for both clubs, but few good chances created. I think Lyon will win the first match at home, although Bordeaux might snatch an away goal. Regardless, I think Lyon will hold on in Bordeaux and advance to the semi-final.
Posted by Dennis at 10:02 AM No comments:
Monday, March 22, 2010
Champions League Draw - Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow
As I stated in an earlier post, CSKA are no pushovers, and Inter Milan will certainly be challenged in this tie, but it will be absolutely shocking if the Italian side does not go through.
The first leg of the tie is at the San Siro, which I think is an advantage for Inter. Maybe CSKA will be confident after their impressive away win to knock out Sevilla, but Inter are an entirely different kettle of fish. Inter's only concern in the first leg will be preventing an away goal for the Russians. And they have just the manager to do it.
Jose Mourinho is a master at frustrating and eventually beating teams that rely on the counter attack. This describes CSKA, who like to get forward with pace, especially after the other side has committed too many bodies to attack. But Inter won't do that. As Mourinho has shown in the past, when he plays a team that likes to counter attack, his side just doesn't attack. With no attack, there can be no counter attack.
As a spectacle, this match will be dire, 180 minutes (possibly 210 minutes) of sheer tactical boredom. The players themselves will be all but irrelevant and the talk will be only of zonal marking and formations. Rafa Benitez should enjoy it immensely, but even the most ardent of fans risks falling asleep should he or she attempt to sit through both legs.
So, it may be dramatic, it won't be entertaining, but Inter will be through to face the winner of Arsenal v Barcelona, a mouth watering tie that I will break down in (much) more detail at a later date.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Gretar Steinsson
He has had a good season for the most part. But the sending off against Everton was just stupid. Even if a forward is on a breakaway, he still has to keep his composure, beat the keeper, and do it before the other defenders get back. Steinsson could have just kept running next to Yakubu and made things difficult before he got a shot off. Instead the Icelandic defender got sent off, and gave Everton a free kick in a great position, which Arteta put in the back of the net.
On the whole Bolton played well, although very defensively, and you could argue they deserved a point based on the first 70 minutes, but once the red card appeared there was only going to be one outcome.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Everton vs. Bolton
A big game for these two clubs. If Everton win, they will probably leapfrog Birmingham and put themselves within striking distance of Aston Villa and a Europa League spot. And if Bolton lose, they could be dragged back into the relegation struggle. On the other hand, if Bolton win, they pass Blackburn and move within striking distance of Fulham and the top half of the table, while also effectively guaranteeing a 10th consecutive season of top flight football at the Reebok Stadium.
Landon Donovan has returned to Los Angeles, and though the Toffees will miss him, he hasn't started the past few matches, and it is the recently fit combination of Mikel Arteta and Yakubu that Bolton need to watch out for.
Unfortunately, Owen Coyle has bit of a dilemma in his selection of a starting back line. Gretar Steinsson and Paul Robinson seem to have established themselves as Coyle's fullbacks of choice, and Zat Knight will certainly play from the start, but who will partner him.
Andy O'Brien played reasonably well in Bolton's 4-0 triumph last weekend, and Coyle seems to prefer keeping a winning side intact. But Sam Ricketts returns from a suspension, and he played well in several games at centre-back before his red card in the disastrous Sunderland match. Let's not forget Gary Cahill, who had been Bolton's best player this season before a blood clot was thought to have ruled him out for the season. Wanderers claim the problem is solved, and the young England hopeful is on contention for a spot in the team at Goodison Park, but I can't imagine he would go straight back into the starting XI after two months of very limited physical activity.
If I am honest, it is hard to see Bolton getting anything out of this match, and we can only hope to keep it close as not to damage our goal differential too much. Maybe, maybe, a draw is a possibility, but I won't hold my breath.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals
The teams are set. Who plays who will be determined Friday morning.
CSKA Moscow are probably the team everybody wants to play, the least known and the least respected, a midget amongst the giants of European football. I suspect they will give whomever they face a real scare, but will lack enough to go through in the end.
Bordeux are also not expected to pose any real threat, but I think against the right team (Bayern Munich or Manchester United?) they could pull of a shocker. Gourcuff is capable of unlocking any defense, and their defending in Europe has been superb.
Lyon are also not fancied (The French clubs never are), but they seem to have a certain look about them. It would be ironic if the least talented Lyon side of the last decade advances the furthest in the Champions League. Arsenal or Barcelona would tear them apart, but if I were Bayern or Inter Milan I would not want to face them.
Bayern Munich are an attacking force on paper. Schweinsteiger, Olic, Gomez, Mueller, and/or Klose through the middle with Ribery and Robben on either wing should lead to a goal bonanza most weeks. But it doesn't. Frankly, they shouldn't even be here. Fiorentina were the better side over two legs, and the German club only advanced because a blatantly offside goal was allowed in Munich.
Inter Milan have all the talent in the world (as usual) but still play the dreadfully boring Jose Mourinho style of football. They have not played well in quite a while. I can't see them winning the tournament, but they should get to a semi-final unless they draw one of the clubs below.
Manchester United are not very good. I watch them almost every week, and they seem to always be outplayed. But somehow Wayne Rooney pops up with another goal, or a ball ricochets into the net off Paul Scholes' ass or an opponents knee. As I said, they are not that good, but they may be the luckiest side I have ever seen. I think they are through if they draw anyone besides Barcelona. The French teams could cause them trouble, but the French striker will get sent off and Fletcher will mis-hit a ball off 6 defenders and into goal to put them through.
Arsenal are my pick to win the competition. I just think they are the most talented team overall. Their downfall could be that Almunia is a bit shaky in goal, but when it comes to attacking talent, they are second to none, and I think their defense is a lot more reliable than Bayern Munich's or even Barcelona's.
Barcelona are the consensus favorite to retain their title, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did so, but this year's squad seems to be lacking something. It reminds me a bit of Chelsea the last two seasons. The talent is there, strength and depth at every position, a good manager, but I just don't trust them.
We will have a better idea of each club's chances very soon, when the draw is completed.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Wesley Sneijder
This 25 year old midfielder for Inter Milan and Holland is an incredible talent. He is also one of the most exasperating players in world football. When he is motivated he is clearly a top class playmaker, able to create numerous scoring opportunities for his teammates and really control an entire match from his advanced central-midfield position. But when he is not in the mood, for whatever reason, he completely disappears from the game. I have seen matches where you wouldn't even know he was on the pitch. And when you play an attacking role in the middle of the park, this is no easy task because everything goes through you.
As Inter progresses through the Champions League it will be interesting to see how he performs. If he is at the top of his game, Inter might be able to win the competition, yet if he is not giving them top class performances, I can't see them getting much further.
When things get really interesting will be after the World Cup begins. Nigel de Jong is an outstanding defensive midfielder, and he will give Sneijder the freedom to go forward with little to no defensive responsibilities. If Sneijder plays well, setting up Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie, and the other Dutch attackers, the Netherlands could make a serious run in June. I will be watching him with great interest in the next few months.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Bolton Wanderers 4 Wigan Athletic 0
Brilliant result for the Wanderers! And the play was outstanding as well. Wigan had a few bright moments, Hugo Rodellega was a constant threat, but overall Bolton really dominated the match. And the onslaught of goals can only help the player's confidence, especially considering who scored them.
Johann Elmander scored the first. I don't know that any player has ever needed a goal more than he did. Hopefully he will build on this moving forward. In fact, I predict he will do so emphatically. My bold proclamation is that he will score 5 goals in the next 8 matches, and finish with 10 in all competitions for the season.
Fabrice Muamba has been a rock defensively for most of the season. He defended well under gary Megson, but offered nothing going forward in Megson's ultra-conservative system. Even when he has gotten forward more under Coyle fans behind the goal have been well advised to wear helmets. But recently his composure on the ball has improved, and his supreme athleticism and pace allows him to get into excellent positions. If he starts offering something going forward, the 21-year-old immediately becomes one of the top holding midfielders in the Premier League.
But the immediate news for the Wanderers and their supporters is that the club has put some considerable distance between itself and the relegation zone. And, given results elsewhere, Bolton can start to look at catching clubs above them, rather than nervously glancing back at the clubs behind them.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic
It's another relegation 6 pointer for Bolton as they host a Wigan side who are loaded with confidence after defeating Liverpool on Monday. Bolton have had to make some changes as Sam Ricketts is suspended.
Andy O'Brien (a disaster waiting to happen) comes into central defense, which does not bode well for the Wanderers.
Tamir Cohen returns from suspension and steps right into central midfield. Cohen has been solid, if unspectacular, this season. A large part of the support has not taken to him, but Bolton's best performances this season have come with him on the pitch.
Johann Elmander has been playing quite well, but still has struggled to find the back of the net, his fine strike for Sweden notwithstanding, and if he misses another tap-in this week the predictable groans and Ivan Klasnic chants from the moodier amongst the supporters will only serve to sap his confidence even further.
Speaking of moody, winger Vladimir Weiss is one again starting from the bench, which the 20-year-old will be unhappy about. I would like to see both he and Mustapha Riga get a solid chance to show what they can do, but injuries and red cards the past few weeks have prevented it.
As for relegation, Burnley and Wolves also face each other today, and they will be even more desperate than Wigan and Bolton for 3 points. We could see both these matches drawn, which is fairly common for these high pressure encounters, but if Wigan or Bolton manage to take all 3 points they will go a long way towards securing top flight football for next season. For me, the traditional 40 point threshold will put a club 13th or 14th in the table at the end of this season. A win for Bolton would give them 32 points, and while they should't pack up their boots and go on holiday if that happens, 32 points may keep you up this season.
Posted by Dennis at 10:05 AM No comments:
Labels: Andy O'Brien, Barclay's Premier League, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Ivan Klasnic, Johann Elmander, Mustapha Riga, Relegation, Tamir Cohen, Vladimir Weiss, Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Three Porto defenders are still spinning around in their penalty box looking for Samir Nasri. What a finish!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
West Ham United 1 Bolton Wanderers 2
Great result for the Wanderers! They were outstanding for the first 60 minutes or so, and then defended valiantly for the final half hour as they were down to 10 men. Kevin Davies and Jack Wilshere got the goals. Now things get interesting. If Wanderers get all three points against Sunderland in their next match they will be on 32 points, not exactly safe (although it might be this season), but well clear of the scrum at the bottom of the table.
Friday, March 5, 2010
West Ham United vs. Bolton Wanderers
This is a big match between two teams trying to pull away from the relegation battle and settle into mid-table mediocrity. West Ham currently sit 13th with 27 points and goal differential of -8. Bolton are 15th with 26 points and a -19 goal differential. Hull City and Burnley play Everton and Arsenal this weekend, so it is a good opportunity for the Wanderers or the Hammers to put some distance between themselves and the bottom 3.
It will be interesting to see what team Owen Coyle picks, especially in the central attacking positions. Of course Kevin Davies will start at forward, and I would expect to see Lee Chung-Yong and Jack Wilshere on the wings. But Stuart Holden and Mark Davies are both unavailable because of injury, and Tamir Cohen seems to have fallen out of favor. That leaves Matt Taylor, who has been in poor form most of the season, or Vladimir Weiss, who really doesn't look to be capable of playing in the center of midfield.
I think most Wanderers supporters would like to see Wilshere moved into the middle with Weiss on the wing. I don't know if Coyle will do that away from home, we might see the return of Ricardo Gardner.
The other questions is who will partner Davies up front. Ivan Klasnic has returned from injury, but Elmander has continued to start, and he scored an outstanding goal for Sweden Wednesday. I am very much looking forward to seeing the team sheet tomorrow morning.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Stuart Holden
The young American had a rough night Wednesday, but it may yet have a silver lining.
Holden started for the US against Holland yesterday, and it was a one hundred eighty degree turnaround from just a month ago. At the beginning of February Holden was coming off an injury, not playing for his club, and barely surviving at the fringes of the US squad, not even certain he would be on the plane to South Africa.
Then, just last week Bolton Wanderers had an FA Cup replay against Tottenham, and Holden finally got an opportunity. Even though Bolton were knocked out of the cup, young Stuart played well enough that he was given the chance to start the next league match. He played great, Bolton won, and Stuart Holden went on to the Amsterdam Stadium, full of confidence and ready to play Holland.
When he arrived in the Netherlands, Stuart discovered that, thanks to 4 midfielders and 1 striker being out injured, he would be in the starting line-up. In the first half hour played well, maybe the only US player to play well, and I was thinking not only had he secured his place in South Africa, but he would be full of confidence and ready to take the Premier League by storm when he returned.
But alas, it was not to be. Manchester City midfielder Nigel DeJong wen tin high, late, and hard on a tackle at midfield, breaking Holden's leg and putting him out of action for at least 6 weeks. Damn the luck. Hopefully he will recover quickly.
There was other good news though. Holden had originally signed with Bolton on a short term contract through the end of May, with an option for Bolton to extend it to the end of next season. This week, despite the injury, Bolton decided to exercise that option. A good decision in my opinion.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Vladimir Weiss
This young winger was signed on loan from Manchester City in January on a six month loan deal. He made a couple appearances straight away, starting one match, and it looked like he was going to establish himself ahead of the other young midfielders at Bolton. He has plenty of pace, a few tricks, and an obvious desire to score goals.
The Slovakian was not the only winger brought in by Owen Coyle. Both Jack Wilshere from Arsenal and Stuart Holden from Houston are more experienced than Weiss and play on the wing, although Holden played in central midfield this past Saturday. Maybe the manager has decided that Weiss, of the three, is more effective as a change of pace off the bench. This is fine with me, as long as Coyle continues to play two out of the three along with Fabrice Muamba and Lee Chung-Yong, in an all under 25 and very attacking midfield, I believe Bolton Wanderers will end up in a decent position at season's end.
I would also think, given the size of the Manchester City squad and the extensive resources of the club, that if Weiss impresses there is a good chance that the loan will be extended through next season.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)