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Those of you that follow me (not many I know) will know that I have been very much in the 'Mourinho-In' camp for some time. Whilst many, including our very own Mark Goldbridge, have pitched up tents over in the 'out' camp, I have remained across in my field, like an old man at Glastonbury a week after the festival has finished. Continue reading What is going on??
Tag Archives: herrera
Why Ander Herrera is Man United's Forgotten Man
Voted Manchester United's player of the year last season, the fall from grace of Ander Herrera this season has been one that some Man United fans have found hard to fathom? Herrera has endured a mixed career at United, criminally underused by Van Gaal, to first name on the sheet for Mourinho last season, to forgotten man this season. So what's gone wrong with Herrera? And why is he suddenly such a divisive figure amongst United fans?
The big positive with Herrera is he gets the importance of wearing a Manchester United shirt. In a sentence he gets what Manchester United is all about. Passion, intensity, drive and an appetite to win and play fast football. Herrera at his best is quick across the ground, hard in to the tackle, and has an eye for a defence splitting pass from deep. Not to mention a very good cross when he finds himself out wide on the right. Reading that back, he's exactly what Manchester United currently need to complete a balanced midfield three with Pogba and Matic.
Jose Mourinho has been reluctant to use Herrera this season though. An ever present last season many predicted that the arrival of Matic would see United move to a more dynamic midfield three, with Pogba free to express his game on the left hand side, Matic holding things centrally from deep, and Herrera the tenacious box to box midfielder on the right with a bit of everything to his game. It's a combination, that sat here in mid February with Mourinho's midfield a laughing stock, makes total sense. The question is why has Mourinho ignored it for six months? Or more to the point, why has he ignored Herrera?
Amazingly, Herrera didn't make his first Premier league start until mid September. Benched throughout the start of the campaign in August, Herrera went from Mourinho's most trusted player to a bit part bench player. Mourinho wanted to utilise the now exposed and defunct 4231 formation and Matic and Pogba were the 2 Mourinho wanted to use. By the time Mourinho did turn to Herrera it was evident to everyone that Herrera was no longer the player of last season. The dynamism had given way to sluggishness and an odd reluctance to play a forward pass. In short Ander Herrera was no longer the player United fans loved.
With that came the usual, but somewhat unexpected and shortsighted, criticism of Herrera. "Sell him" "He's useless" were just some of the comments flying around the United fan community, and a player that only a few short months ago had been fundamental to United's season was suddenly on the scrapheap.
The question still remains why? What has caused Herrera to go from that exciting wears his heart on the sleeve player to one that looks lost on a football pitch? When you look back over the season, even when Pogba was out injured Mourinho regularly opted for Fellaini over Herrera. Limited Fellaini over Herrera who at his best optimises what United should be about! With Mourinho ignoring Herrera's talents so consistently there can only be one conclusion. Over the summer something happened between Mourinho and Herrera that destroyed their great relationship of last season.
Some say Herrera wanted a move and Mourinho refused it. Others say it's because Herrera won't commit to a long term contract and is running it down so he can go for nothing. Both points would lean towards Mourinho being right and refusing to use a player who isn't committed to the club. The only issue with that is that whenever Herrera has played for United it's very clear that he loves the place and is totally committed. So what else could be the issue? Could it be as simple as Mourinho decided he wanted to go down a different direction? That he didn't like the speed and dynamism of Herrera's midfield play and he wanted taller more simple players like Matic and Fellaini in there? His selections over the season and introduction of another of those types of players in McTominay would add credence to that theory.
Whatever the reason, Herrera is no longer the player he was and that's a big shame for Manchester United. A midfield three of Pogba, Matic and Herrera at his best would provide United with the perfect balance as they approach the most important part of their season.
Mourinho masterclass mutes Liverpool
Jose Mourinho masterminded a silencing of Liverpool and Anfield while Ander Herrera showed why he should be one of the first names on the team sheet. Just two of the topics discussed by host Paul Gardiner and guests Ashley and Jamie.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:08 — 51.0MB)
GUEST BLOG: Who will partner Pogba in the middle?
We all know that Mourinho is aware of certain issues that our current squad suffers. These problems have caused him to dive head first into the transfer window yet trying not to ruin our reputation of promoting the youth.
We all know that as a club we are interested in pulling back one of our former youth products in Paul Pogba. As we are spending such a big fee on one central midfielder it is likely that Mourinho will chose a current squad member to partner alongside him; yes there are many possibilities but I would like to make note of the more realistic options.
I think it is only fair to take into account that most United fans would prefer Pogba to play in the number 10 role, but given our current squad, the likes of Rooney, Mkhitaryan and Mata would be the most likely favourites to take this role.
This therefore makes it seem wiser to stick Pogba behind the attackers and act as a more box-to-box midfielder, but not being too scared to express himself every now and then when it comes to banging in goals from outside the box!
I have lined up 5 candidates to take on this role and they will be mentioned chronologically in squad numbers.
Straight away we can't ignore the fact that he is a club legend, he is no Roy Keane or Paul Scholes in the midfield, but you have to credit him with what he has offered us for the past years at the club.
As I am sure you've gathered I do like Carrick, however does this mean he deserves to start? Quite simply, no. Many of you will disagree on me with this one but it is my opinion.
I love Carrick, he really is the beating heart of the locker room, but you can't ignore the fact that he is on the decline (no disrespect intended).
This means that we need to find a way to shift him out of the starting line-up as soon as we can – he is incapable of controlling the midfield how he used to so we need to look deeper into our squad to find a suitable replacement; which I feel Van Gaal failed to achieve.
Just to make it clear. This doesn't mean that I don't want him to start; I believe Pogba could learn a lot from him, but I don't think we can afford to start him as regularly like last season.
What's there to say? I don't think anyone dislikes the guy, he's always eager to get up the pitch and create chances and score goals.
The trouble is that Herrera will struggle to find a place next to Pogba as they play very similar roles; if Pogba was at the number 10 spot then I'd have him in behind without hesitation. However, it isn't quite that simple.
I am confident that we won't offload him this summer as he can be a vital squad player for that midfield role, but Pogba will not budge for him no matter the circumstance.
Herrera was restrained by Van Gaal for a long time and is unlucky that we need a world class midfielder in our squad – I strongly believe that if he was given the proper chances under Van Gaal's reign then Mourniho wouldn't be looking to purchase a new player.
I hate his style of play! and his attitude on the pitch! He is not and won't ever be a true Man Utd player! Glad I was able to get that out of my system.
Anyway, he is still a shocking player yet he's still given game time. Mourinho might believe that Fellaini can be a useful tool for his midfield, with his height and excellent chest control of the ball; besides that though he offers nothing to the squad.
His involvement in the team thus so far under Mourinho could possibly mean a few things. One could be that he is being given game time to attract interest from other clubs. Another could be that Mourinho is just testing what he has available.
Although it seems the most likely is that Mourinho is actually considering keeping him as most likely a squad player – which saddens us all.
Realistically though, I think Mourinho will struggle to get him out even if he wanted to, due to the amount of money paid for him in the first place, the lack of skill he has and the simple fact that this could be the last big club Fellaini gets to play for, so he might insist to stay.
Ultimately though he is far from being the player we need to partner Pogba.
Unfortunately given last year's circumstances, Schneiderlin was held back a considerable amount at Old Trafford. Beforehand he was sensational for Southampton which is why he was one of our best signings at the time.
It's clear that the two would probably fit alongside each other perfectly like Yin and Yang. Both having their own individual roles but not being able to perform without the other's effort. I think they will make the perfect duo and it helps that they share the same nationality.
However I am going to lay in a slight twist. Given the current size of our squad, we need to sell certain people and I think that Schneiderlin won't be able to perform the same with this much competition, which is why I think he should go out on loan to a strong mid-table Premier League team, unless Mourinho can guarantee him decent game time.
One of the all time greats of the game, in my opinion he is the perfect choice to be Pogba's partner in crime.
Schweinsteiger is clearly still capable of pulling off superb performances as shown for Germany this summer. He is a true leader on and off the pitch.
Yes, we are all aware that he is on the decline and gets injured a lot; however he is getting older and something we lack is experience in our squad, which he can deliver.
He wasn't actually that bad last season before he got injured, also when you take into account that he was playing under Van Gaal.
Mourinho is apparently treating him like he's a burden according to reports, but he's more like a gift. He deserves so much more at United which I think most will agree on.
He wouldn't be a permanent solution to finding a partner for Pogba, but he should certainly be at the top of Mourinho's list in my opinion.
Thank You for reading. I just wanted to open people's eyes to viewpoints they may not have considered previously.
Please feel free to leave a comment below in the comment section.
By Evan Beviss
Man United 3-2 Arsenal | Match review
United put the breaks on Arsenal's title hopes after a second brace in two games from Rashford and a winner from Herrera secure all three points.
It was a game in which very few, including myself, expected United to emerge victorious. For United, outside of the top four, the squad riddled with injuries and Arsenal are up there challenging for the title, so naturally the gunners were favourites.
Then the game started. United looked bright, moving the ball around quickly and getting forward. When out of possession they pressed very well and frequently won the ball back. And then the unexpected happened. In the 30th minute United took the lead thanks to a goal from none other than Marcus Rashford! Juan Mata and Ander Herrera linked up with a little one-two (as they so often do) then Herrera fed the ball out to Varela who curled in a cross from the right hand side. The cross deflected off an Arsenal defender into the path of Rashford who drove the ball into the top right of the net.
Just three minutes later United doubled their lead. Mata, again playing an important part in the build-up, played a tidy ball out to Lingard who looked up and spotted Rashford in the middle. He hit his cross with enough pace leaving Rashford with nothing to do but direct the ball into the bottom left corner with his head for his second of the game. United were now 2-0 up and the crowd were rocking!
United were brought back down to earth shortly before half time when Danny Welbeck pulled a goal back in the 41st minute. Mesut Ozil hit a free kick into the United box and Welbeck, making easy work of shaking off Morgan Schneiderlin, got his head on the ball to guide it past David de Gea.
At half time I started thinking that Arsenal were going to go on and win the game. I thought that the goal would rile them up and they would come at us. I also thought that we would end up desperately defending the whole second half (especially after the 3-0 drubbing in October), sitting deep and inviting them onto us. But thankfully I was wrong! Throughout the whole second half, when Arsenal had the ball, United pressed and defended high up the pitch and it made the difference.
Although Arsenal had slightly more possession, United's defence did a sound job in keeping the likes of Ozil and Sanchez quiet. And in the 65th minute the hard work paid off as United extended their lead back to two goals with a goal from Ander Herrera! The move building up to the goal again involved Juan Mata. The Spaniard played a through ball out to Marcus Rashford on the right who held the ball up, waiting for support. He then played the ball across the ground into the path of Herrera who rifled a shot with the inside of his boot which went in via a deflection.
At 3-1 the fans were back on their feet and the atmosphere felt relaxed again. That was until the 70th minute at least when Ozil mis-kicked a volley that found its way into the top left corner. This goal set up what felt like was going to be a tense final 20 or so minutes. But it wasn't. United defended very well, again, pressing and defending high up the pitch. They did what they had to do to see out the game and that even involved a little show boating while running down the clock, which the fans loved!
It was a performance that all the players and fans should be proud of. From front to back United were solid. The defence held up well despite having two midfielders as centre backs, the midfield players all linked up well and helped to protect the defence and the attack, led by Rashford, was fantastic.
Let's talk about Rashford for a second. A youth team player who made his debut against Midtjylland on Thursday night after Martial picked up an injury in the warm up before the game. There was no expectation, no burden on his shoulders. Just a chance to shine and shine he did. In that game and today's, he showed his pace, his strength and his positioning and awareness. A true number 9. His second brace in as many games will fill him with confidence and belief that he can go all the way. The likes of Martial and Rooney will certainly have taken note of Rashford's performances and rightly so.
Juan Mata also had a good game, linking up the midfield and playing a part in all three of United's goals. Michael Carrick, despite an early yellow for a foul on former United player Danny Welbeck, also had a solid game at the back with plenty of interceptions and tackles. Morgan Schneiderlin had a very good second half cutting out passes and winning tackles. In general, the whole team performed fantastically and worked together to ensure the three points remained at Old Trafford.
The win lifts United back into 5th, just 3 points behind local rivals Manchester City [who have a game in hand] and United's next game is on March 2nd at home to Watford. The players will be full of confidence going into this game and Watford have only won 2 of their last 10 Premier League games so I strongly believe we can win and put some pressure on a faltering Manchester City! Or maybe I am getting a little carried away?! We'll see!
Paul's player ratings – Man United V Arsenal
David de Gea (6) Protected well by his defence and couldn't do much about the goals.
Guillermo Varela (6) Struggled at times with the pace of Sanchez and Monreal but effective going forward.
Micheal Carrick (8) Made several tackles and interceptions contributing hugely to United's win.
Daley Blind (7) A calming influence on the game, always first to a loose ball.
Marcos Rojo (6) Not much to do but made a couple of good interceptions.
Ander Herrera (7) Scored what proved to be the winning goal and played his part in Rashford's first.
Morgan Schneiderlin (8) An excellent second half reading the play and breaking down Arsenal attacks.
Jesse Lingard (7) Put in a battling performance and provided the assist for Rashford's second.
Juan Mata (7) Fantastic work rate and played his part in all three of United's goals.
Memphis Depay (6) Had few opportunities to shine but proved key in holding the ball and using his strength.
Marcus Rashford (9) Another fantastic performance again showing his awareness, vision and ability to score.
So what did you think of the game? Do you think it was an all round fantastic performance? Do you believe that top 4 is looking a little more realistic? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
You can also watch the United Stand live match reaction by clicking here or watching below:
Man United 5-1 Midtjylland | Match review
After going a goal down against the run of play early on, United rallied together to brush Midtjylland aside with 5 goals of their own.
Very few people would have predicted this scoreline, particularly with the long list of injuries the team has and with Anthony Martial being added to the list just before kickoff with a hamstring problem. But the team pulled together knowing that a loss at home to Midtjylland would be unacceptable.
It was the visitors who found the back of the net first, in the 28th minute. Against the run of play, Sisto found himself with a bit of space on the edge of the box and easily skipped past Carrick and Blind then slotted the ball past Romero into the bottom left corner. United were now 3-1 down on aggregate and pressure was increasing. But, they reacted very well by dominating possession, getting forward and moving the ball around quickly, as they were before the Midtjylland opener.
It only took a few minutes for United to find an equaliser. On the 32nd minute Memphis ran the ball past the Midtjylland defence to the byline and hit a driven cross along the ground which was met by the boot of Bodurov who directed the ball into his own net. Just before half time, Mata had a chance to put United ahead and level on aggregate from the spot after Herrera was brought down just inside the area but Mata's penalty was saved by Andersen.
United did take the lead in the 63rd minute thanks to a goal from youngster Marcus Rashford. The move started with Herrera who floated a cross over to the back post. Mata got on the end of it with a first time cross back across goal. Using his pace, Rashford beat the Midtjylland defenders to the ball and buried the ball into the back of the net. United were now 2-1 up and 3-3 on aggregate.
The game was being played almost entirely in the Midtylland half with United controlling the play and creating lots of chances. On the 75th minute young boy Marcus Rashford got himself on the score sheet again. This time it was Guillermo Varela with the assist. Following some quick, yet patient build up play, Varela hit a cross from the right hand side which dropped to the back post. Rashford found himself in a yard of space and allowed the ball to drop and then slotted the ball under the keeper, putting United 3-1 up and 4-3 ahead on aggregate.
United weren't ready to stop just yet and on the 88th minute, United were awarded another penalty after a Memphis shot was handled by a Midtjylland defender. This time it was Ander Herrera who stepped up and he made no mistake by rifling the ball into the top left corner. United were now 4-1 up in the game and had a two goal lead on aggregate. It was the breathing space they had been hoping for and I'm sure Louis van Gaal would have zipped up his note pad at this point.
As the fourth official announced the amount of additional time there would be, there was a sense that the game was already finished. United were as good as through and Midtjylland didn't look like they had the legs to score two goals in as many minutes. But, Memphis wasn't done yet and he capped off a great performance with a equally great solo goal in the 91st minute. The former PSV player ran at the Midtjylland defence forcing them backwards and when he created a gap he arrowed the ball into the bottom left corner. And that was it. United won 5-1 on the night and 6-3 on aggregate to progress to the next round.
There were a few stand out players in this match and one of those was the young Marcus Rashford. He continuously proved a nuisance for the defenders with his ability to leave them standing with his quick change of pace. His positioning an ability to read the game were also proven with the two goals he scored. No better way to cap off a fine performance than scoring a couple of goals to help secure a place in the next round of the Europa League.
Juan Mata also deserves a mention. Throughout the whole game he put in 110% popping up in all areas of the pitch, linking the play between defenders and attackers, dictating play, winning back possession and getting an assist for Rashford's first goal.
And we cannot leave out Memphis. He was poor in the first leg and against Shrewsbury Town on Monday he showed signs of improvement and a growing confidence. I said in the Shrewsbury review that he now has a great opportunity to prove himself over the coming weeks with several players out injured and he took his chance very well tonight. He had a very high success rate with take-ons, beating the defenders and getting plenty of shots in. But he wasn't greedy by just taking shots, he also looked up to see what was going on around him and played a few key passes into the path of runners. We even saw flashes of skill from him which just indicates that his confidence is slowly returning and the goal he scored in injury time was the icing on the cake.
All in all it was a good performance from United. The team played well as a unit and as fans we can be proud of them. They are all under a lot of pressure and together with all the injuries, they need our support.
United's next game is against Arsenal, on Sunday, at Old Trafford. This will be a real test for Memphis and United as Shrewsbury Town and Midtjylland can't really be considered as tough opponents, but both games have done the team and Memphis some good in terms of morale and confidence. Hopefully both will carry into the game against Arsenal and we can get a result.
Paul's Player Ratings – United V Midtjylland:
Romero (6) Was a little flaky with the ball at his feet but was rarely called upon.
Varela (7) Was good getting forward, linking up with Herrera and Lingard and provided an assist for Rashford's second goal.
Carrick (6) Could have done more to prevent the Midtjylland goal.
Blind (6) Also could have done more to prevent the Midtjylland goal.
Riley (6) Was good going forward, linking up with Memphis.
Schneiderlin (7) A stalwart in the midfield with plenty of interceptions and winning tackles.
Herrera (7) Put in a good shift and scored a penalty.
Lingard (6) Was good going forward but lacked a killer end product often choosing to come backwards.
Mata (8) Dictated play, very high work rate, pressed well winning possession and provided the assist for Rashford's first goal.
Memphis (9) Used his strength, pace and skill to beat defenders throughout the game, created chances for others and scored a great solo goal.
Rashford (9) Also showed great pace and strength when in possession and scored two strikers goals.
So what did you think of tonight's game? Are there any players that you thought stood out? Would you rate any of the players differently? Let me know in the comments below.
You can watch the United Stand's live match reaction with Mark Goldbridge by clicking here or watching below:
Herrera and Jones to miss PSV game
Both Ander Herrera and Phil Jones picked up injuries in Saturday's game at Watford.
Louis van Gaal has confirmed that both players will not be fit to play in the midweek Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven.
Ander Herrera left the field midway through the first half due to a hamstring injury and Phil Jones was substituted in the second half after twisting his ankle.
Better news for Man United is that both Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney could return for the game against PSV Eindhoven after missing the Watford game. Martial due to a foot injury and Rooney due to illness. A win against PSV would secure qualification for the knockout stages.
To read the full article on the Sky Sports website, please click here.
Everton 0-3 Manchester United | Match Report
Before the game started, many thought it would be a close encounter considering Manchester United's record at Goodison Park in recent years. But it was not the case as United made sure that they put the result of their last game, against Arsenal, behind them with a comfortable 3-0 victory. Their first victory at Goodison Park since October 29, 2011.
Apart from two Manchester United goals the first half was fairly quiet. United looked comfortable but the game was very open with both teams seeing plenty of the ball.
The first of United's goals came from Morgan Schneiderlin on 18 minutes. Chris Smalling, on the penalty spot following a corner, chested the ball down into the path of Schneiderlin toward the left side of the box. Schneiderlin then hit the ball first time with some power across a full stretch Tim Howard and into the bottom right corner.
The corner kick that led to the goal was won by an Ander Herrera shot from the edge of the area, which was tipped over the bar by Tim Howard.
Just four minutes later, Herrera popped up again to head home an early Marcos Rojo cross, for Manchester United's second.
After the second goal Manchester United were beginning to see more possession, keeping control of the game. They probably should have gone three up after Wayne Rooney selflessly played the ball back across the box into Martial, who could only shoot at Tim Howard. Rooney had a great chance to shoot and probably should have, instead of playing in Martial.
Everton had one great chance to pull a goal back just before the break when Ross Barkley shot from a tight angle but was unable to beat David de Gea who punched the ball clear.
The second half begun with Everton putting some pressure on United with Lukaku proving to be a nuisance with his ability to hold the ball. But Phil Jones and Chris Smalling made sure that was all he did.
Lukaku did manage to get a shot off in the 54th minute, but David de Gea once again showcased his lightning-quick reactions by blocking the shot with his outstretched left foot.
Everton's period of pressure came to an abrupt end on 61 minutes when Ander Herrera found Wayne Rooney with a perfectly weighted through ball. Rooney, one-on-one with Tim Howard, calmly struck the ball in at the near post with Howard going the other way. This was a much needed goal for Wayne.
Wayne Rooney had a chance to get his second 7 minutes later when his run from just past the half way line saw him only manage a tame shot which was easily saved by Tim Howard. However, there were claims that he was being pulled back.
Midway through the second half Everton looked as though they had switched off with several passes going wayward. But United were not able to capitalise on the mistakes.
On the 80th minute Everton were again close to scoring with a Barkley free kick going narrowly over the bar. This would surely have been only a consolation goal.
Throughout the game Chris Smalling proved to be a rock at the back once again with Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo also putting in good shifts. Ander Herrera also showed why he should get more game time with his goal, assist and fantastic off the ball play, creating space for others.
As it stands, Manchester United now sit second with Arsenal playing their game in-hand this evening away at Watford.
What did you think of the game? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
You can also watch the Everton V Manchester United match reaction on The United Stand's YouTube channel by clicking here or watching below.
Please also visit The United Stand Fan Forum here to discuss the game or start your own discussion.
Everton Team Sheet
Lennon (Deulofeu – 73′)
Naismith (Koné – 45′)
Funes Mori
Manchester United Team Sheet
de Gea
Schweinsteiger (Carrick – 74′)
Mata (Lingard – 45′)
Herrera (Fellaini – 81′)


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I am Willis and I reside in North Dakota in the USA - I am a student getting educated in Accountancy with Japanese and I also take care of a top quality web resource about Cheap Faro Transfers.


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Although the right to vote is the foundation of our democracy, we have known for a long time now that apathy, political manipulation and sabotage have weakened that foundation.
And while those weaknesses have garnered righteous attention here and there over the years, in this election cycle, considered by many to be a bellwether on the state of our democracy, the urgency to address them now has taken center stage.
All over the country, we hear stories of people fighting against elected officials closing polling places in communities of color, purging eligible voters from the voter rolls without their knowledge, eliminating early voting, requiring Native Americans living on tribal lands to have street addresses to vote, barring felons from voting, and creating voter ID laws.
Given the relative lack of such stories in Massachusetts, one would think (if you exclude redistricting for partisan political power) that the state is immune to such shenanigans.
You would, unless you are 66-year-old Fred Hutchings of 27 Congress St. in Fitchburg.
Mr. Hutchings and his partner, Lisa, have been trying to press the case that the voting rights of residents in his ward, particularly those who are elderly and without cars, are being suppressed by the move last year of the ward's voting station from the MART Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Fitchburg to the Finnish Center at Saima Park some 2.8 miles away at 67 Scott Road.
Why, Mr. Hutchings asked, would the city choose to move his precinct's voting station from the downtown area where he believes the majority of his district's population lives, to Saima Park, which he describes as "way out there in the woods?"
"We are writing to you because of all the trouble we are having communicating our grievances with the City of Fitchburg," he wrote me in an introductory email.
"We wrote to them and we hear nothing. We believe that everyone should have the right to vote. Making the polling place so far away effectively takes that right away. Because of this distance, hundreds will not be able to vote."
Since every vote matters, especially this election season, I looked into Mr. Hutchings' case and this is what I found.
The voting change was made just prior to the city's 2017 municipal election, and affected residents of Ward 5A and 5B. Ward 5B, where Mr. Hutchings resides, is located in the downtown area. Part of 5A, a sprawling precinct, runs northerly from the downtown area, sharing borders with Lunenburg and Ashby.
According Fitchburg Mayor Steve DiNatale, the MART transportation center, a public facility, needed more space and an alternative location for the polling place had to be found. The move, he said, was voted on by the City Council and sanctioned by the secretary of state.
It was a very specific process, he said.
"It was not just simply finding another building. We had to ensure the building was accessible, that it was large enough to hold the polling station. It had to remain in the ward, or quite close to it. We have to ensure it wouldn't be disruptive (of other facility clients)."
To limit any hardships that the move might have on Ward 5 residents, the city will provide transportation from the Senior Center at 14 Wallace Ave. to the new polling station on Election Day, with bus service scheduled for 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., he said.
The city is also providing early voting at the Bank of America building at 700 Main St. until Nov. 2, and residents can also use absentee ballots, he said.
"If we could find a facility downtown, we would have done that, but there was a lack of alternatives," he said.
"Is it ideal? No, it's not, but we have taken every precaution to ensure residents have a chance to vote, and so far we have not heard any other voices of concern from Ward 5 residents. That doesn't make Mr. Hutchings' concerns any less important. I feel badly that he feels that way. But we are providing people with a number of options to vote and we are abiding by the law."
Mr. Hutchings, who is battling stage 4 cancer and doesn't have a car, is not impressed.
He noted that he and his partner waited over two hours to catch a ride to polls during the primary, because the one bus the city provided was not heavily advertised and he missed it.
"So, the mayor thinks accessibility is moving a voting station from downtown, where I believe the majority of voters reside, and putting it miles away in the middle of the woods?" he asked. "They have put it so far away, that they have to bus people to get there."
He also noted that unlike it did for the MART facility, the city is paying $800 for a day at the Finnish Center.
"There are lines of empty storefronts downtown, and they cannot find a voting place that would be closer?" he asked.
Comparing the city's municipal election turnout from 2015, before the move of the polling station, to 2017 after it was moved, Ward 5A had 20 more individuals casting votes in the mayoral race, and Ward 5B had 15 fewer voters participating in that race.
The numbers might not seem significant, but given that Ward 5B seems to traditionally have a low voter turnout compared to other precincts, the move of the polling station is not likely to improve things.
Clearly, the city seems to be doing everything it can to minimize the impact of the Ward 5 polling station move, but working hard to minimize a manufactured challenge to people's right to vote is not the same as making it as easy as possible to cast that vote.


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Susan Jarvis, ERA Distinctive Properties, answers our appeal for business sponsors.
Thank you, Susan, for responding to our appeal for local business sponsors for our Annual Spring Benefit.
Susan is an active member of our chapter, and clearly understands the valuable work we do supporting children in need.
Learn more about Susan's distinctive services to her customers at her web site ERA Distinctive Properties.


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Today is my birthday. I'm home writing, working, and researching. But, I'm happy. Happiness is a choice. I write this little note to remind you- Choose to be happy. No matter what is going on around you, find your happy place and enjoy your life.
My life is not perfect. You can read past posts and find my kids are not perfect either. We are all imperfect people who love each other perfectly. We happily come back together and keep living. As happy as we can be.
So, with that in mind, I choose to be happy. I will enjoy my day and pray you will choose to enjoy yours. On the road of life, there are wrong turns, not so nice people and circumstances beyond our control, Do It Anyway.
Be blessed!


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"Get Premium Care With a Personal Touch"
Toronto Anxiety Psychotherapist
Anxiety, if not monitored, can become a crippling pathologic disorder. As a compassionate and experienced Anxiety Psychotherapist in Toronto I have compiled this information on anxiety which I hope will be helpful to you or someone you care about in understanding the symptoms and evolution of this disorder.
You should consider psychotherapy, with a thoughtful professional like myself, when your anxiety starts to become excessive and uncontrollable, and presents with a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms as well as changes in thinking and behaviour. There is help.
Understanding what factors play a role in your anxiety will help you gain greater control over your symptoms. Sometimes early childhood traumas contribute to adult fear responses and behaviours. Considering what makes you vulnerable to stress and exaggerates your symptomology if very helpful in conquering those causes.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
If your worry and tension is chronic, fills a good portion of your day, and at times is provoked by nothing specific you could be suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). You may experience much more anxiety than most people do day to day. You may find yourself always anticipating disaster or predicting negative outcomes. You may feel agitated and troubled but at times may find it difficult to pinpoint the source of your worry and distress.
You may struggle with insomnia and have difficulty shutting down your mind before bed. The following morning, simply the thought of getting through the day can provoke anxiety. I understand your suffering and have successfully worked with many individuals like yourself.
You may realize that your anxiety and response to things is more intense than the situation warrants. Your worries may be accompanied by physical symptoms, especially fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, and hot flashes. At times you may feel lightheaded or out of breath. You also may feel nauseated or have to go to the bathroom more frequently.
It is also very difficult to concentrate when you are anxious and you may easily become upset with yourself. Anxiety may interfere with falling or staying asleep. Individuals with GAD seem unable to relax, and they may startle more easily than other people.
Social Anxiety Disorder
If you have a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and being embarrassed or humiliated by your own actions you may suffer from a social anxiety. Your fear may be so severe that it interferes with your work or school, and other ordinary activities. You may also experience blushing, profuse sweating, trembling, nausea, and difficulty talking.
You may also focus on perceived deficits in your physical appearance and view yourself as unattractive and abnormal. You may continually review what you have said or what you should have said. You may also find that you constantly need reassurance from others. Psychotherapy can help.
Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. Social phobia can be limited to only one type of situation — such as a fear of speaking in formal or informal situations, or eating or drinking in front of others — or, in its most severe form, may be so broad that a person experiences symptoms almost anytime they are around other people.
Panic Attacks
A panic attack is an exaggeration of the body's normal response to fear, stress or excitement. When adrenalin floods your body, it can cause a number of different physical and emotional sensations that may affect you during a panic attack.
In response to a perceived threat stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are secreted causing the fight/flight response. When these hormones flood your body they cause muscles to tense up, you would breathe faster, the heart pumps harder, and sweating increases. You may feel nauseous and dizzy. Panic attacks come on very quickly and you may feel as though you are going to die or go mad.
It may seem that the initial attack came out of the blue. Individuals after having an attack may find themselves becoming more nervous and fearful about having another attack. A person can actually develop a fear of fear causing hyper-awareness of body sensations such as any nervousness, stomach tension, or sweating. Anticipation of a panic attack can itself cause the panic response they feared.
Toronto Psychotherapy For Anxiety
As an experienced clinician, I understand how distressing these symptoms can be and the impact they may have on your life. I sensitively work with individuals in recognizing the origin and evolution of their disorder and help them manage disturbing symptoms.
Sometimes one has inner conflicts that heighten anxiety, for some it can be an amplified fear response due to earlier conditioning and yet for others it can be a tendency to overestimate the potential for danger. Exploring and deeply understanding yourself will help you better manage fearful situations.
Stress management techniques and meditation can help people with anxiety disorders calm themselves and may enhance the effects of therapy. Current scientific research indicates that aerobic exercise may have a calming effect. Since caffeine, certain illicit drugs, and even some over-the-counter cold medications can aggravate the symptoms of anxiety disorders, they should be avoided.
Depression Resulting from Anxiety
It is not uncommon for individuals to experience depression along with anxiety. As one limits activities and places because of fear one's self-confidence is undermined. As one's life becomes more restrictive, and as one's dislike for oneself increases, depression usually follows. It is important to receive treatment as soon as possible.
Dysregulation of emotions can lead to anxious and depressive schemas. Typically themes of threat and danger generate anxiety and fear of loss or failure produce depression. Biases in how one interprets incoming information, how one recalls experiences, and what one pays attention to maintains the disorder.
Toronto Psychotherapy for Panic Attacks
I understand and empathize how your panic attacks can be very frightening and very worrisome. An individual's internal emotional conflicts and past difficulties may lead to anxiety which predisposes an individual to panic attacks. Sometimes experiencing these bodily sensations and physical reactions may be a way of avoiding painful emotions. Psychotherapy can help you to understand your present reactions in the light of past difficulties, and to overcome them. Our thoughts have a very powerful impact on our body. Uncontrolled thoughts can provoke attacks. Poor diet consisting of caffeine and sugar can also affect anxiety.
Avoiding situations that have previously provoked a panic attack is not a healthy response and only will allow your fears to dominate you. This can make someone become more withdrawn and phobic. It is important for you to learn to understand and confront your fears. You will develop tools to unlearn to feel panic.
Early Childhood Experiences and Anxiety
The way a child is raised and early belief systems created can make one more vulnerable to anxiety and panic attacks. Early separation anxiety from parents, school phobias, early traumatic experiences, and various types of abuse will affect one's response to world. Because of past experiences an individual may learn to be overly critical and disapproving of oneself. If one struggles to trust others or themselves they may start to feel insecure and unsafe in the world.
Anxiety Medication
Your physician may have prescribed high-potency benzodiazepines to relieve symptoms. Because people can develop a tolerance to them—and would have to continue increasing the dosage to get the same effect—benzodiazepines are generally prescribed for short periods of time or for isolated situations. People who have had problems with drug or alcohol abuse are not usually good candidates for these medications because they may become dependent on them.
Some people experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking benzodiazepines, although reducing the dosage gradually can diminish those symptoms. In certain instances, the symptoms of anxiety can rebound after these medications are stopped. Potential problems with benzodiazepines have led some physicians to shy away from using them.


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World Class Sigatoka Rugby
Since rugby was first introduced to Fiji in the late 19th century, it has evolved into the national sport. For such a small and remote group of islands, Fiji has done remarkably well on the international rugby scene. In fact, their national team has made it as far as the semi-finals in the Rugby World Cup. However, their sevens team has taken the Rugby World Cup Sevens two times.
The sport of rugby permeates all the way through the local culture of Fiji. As a result, some of the provincial teams are fiercely competitive. Lucky for us Sigatoka is the home of the Nadroga Provincial champion rugby club and we had the opportunity to watch them in action while we were visiting Sigatoka beach.
Fiji Prime Minister at Sigatoka Rugby Match
There were good seats available at midfield and we sat in the VIP section. However, this is in the stands where the general population sits. Apparently, Fiji's rugby fans can get pretty emotional about the game.
We did not have any issues and everyone was friendly. In fact, we were sitting a few seats away from the Prime Minister of Fiji – Frank Bainimarama. This completely caught us by surprise because he was sitting in the stands with the general public. Although it was not too difficult to spot his security agents that were sitting in close proximity.
We wanted to get some photos of him but be inconspicuous at the same time. Fortunately, my girlfriend had a great idea.
Anyway, my hunch that he was the prime minister of Fiji was confirmed when he went down to the field to participate in the opening ceremony.
Nadroga vs. Naitasiri
Of course, the home team in Sigatoka is Nadroga. Their opponent was from Naitasiri Province in the Fiji Highlands which is about a 4 hour drive from Sigatoka. However, I was slightly confused because on the scoreboard the visiting team was spelled "Natsiri". But I suspect that it was a necessary abbreviation due to lack of space.
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Whether you know it or not, you're in the data business. As our lives continue to migrate to the Internet – combined with 5 billion mobile phones by 2017 – we're producing a constant stream of digital exhaust. In fact, 90% of the world's stored data has been produced within the last two years, and this data footprint continues to double each year. The result is a rapid expansion of data, and we're witnessing the "Big Bang of the dataverse," which is truly the next new frontier.
Malibu and Beverly Hills have long been hot neighborhoods for entertainment execs. But the tech culture of Los Angeles is shifting real estate's center of gravity. As the line blurs between tech and entertainment, and as Silicon Valley seeks synergy with L.A.'s creative talent pool, Silicon Beach is the new center for both homes and headquarters.


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An elegant style that keeps delivering. Focused and tight, the wine has benefited from bottle age. Layers of fragrant citrus florals and bright citrus …→ more
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(Marlborough) Grown in the Waihopai Valley, this wine has that "Marlborough factor" in abundance. Citrus and apple notes are lifted …→ more
The breadth of experience of chief winemaker Jeff Clarke shows in this pristine beauty. Pure and juicy, with an attractive …→ more
'Balance' is the word for this wine, made by the seasoned practitioner Jeff Clarke. It offers an attractive mix of …→ more
From the family-owned winery about to celebrate 100 years in the business comes this elegant, precise wine. With attractive flavours …→ more
After a year in the bottle, this beautifully crafted rendition is just starting to show what it can do. It's …→ more
Yes, the Bay can do sauvignon too. Most of this wine's fruit was drawn from a cooler site at Matapiro, …→ more
"Very appealing in a lighter vein – it has generosity without sweetness," said John Belsham of this wine. Spicy and …→ more
"That is a superb white wine," said John Belsham. "And it's at a perfect drinking age right now." There is …→ more
Ara (recently acquired by Giesen Wines), has been producing some outstanding wines over recent vintages. This 2014 is a nicely …→ more
Having had a year in the bottle to find its feet, there is a calm, languid quality to this 2014 …→ more
Tending towards lean in style, this lively expression has the six-pack abs and sinewy structure of eager youth. Floral scents …→ more
The panel loved the complexity of this astutely made 2012 with plenty of life left in it. A toasty, edgy …→ more
This wine from one of Marlborough's most experienced labels is well endowed with the 'delicious factor'. Powerful, generous and weighty, …→ more
A ripe style with nectarine aromas complemented by ripe limes, nettle, herbs and spices. The palate has terrific texture and …→ more
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It's worth lingering over this wine's perfume, which conjures visions of a feijoa and guava-based tropical fruit salad. In the …→ more


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Modern Sofas And Couches
Modern Sleeper Sofas: Contemporary sleeper couch beds are nice selections for an workplace/visitor room, so that you can accommodate household and friends after they stay over. Be sure to measure the height between your wall art and the ground, the height of your finish tables in addition to the peak of the espresso desk that the sofa will likely be next to. You wish to go away a foot or so between the top of the couch and the underside of your wall artwork, to ensure that there is some white space in between furnishings.
During the 2016 workshop of SOFA participant Dumitru Marian from Moldova did some very nice and informative interviews with some of our mentors. I bought it as a result of it is inbetween sofa and loveseat sizes – perfect for my small living room. During the 51st International Film Festival Karlovy Vary, SOFA Director Nikolaj Nikitin introduced the names and projects of eight contributors to participate in the fourth version of the workshop initiative. As a common rule of thumb, your couch cushions needs to be 1-2 inches higher than your espresso desk.
Modern Leather Sofas: Leather and faux leather-based are very popular selections for up to date homes, and help add a sleek and clear look to any living room or bed room. Rated 5 out of 5 by Drake55 from Fantastic Sofa My intent is to buy two, now I have just one and am so very proud of this couch, perfect for my small place. For busy, active households, a slipcovered couch or loveseat is a great, easy-care solution.
Since the cushion is in-built and the sofa already upholstered, there is nothing else to purchase. Our couch beds are perfect for guest rooms, kids's rooms or for turning dwelling area in to an additional mattress for when visitors arrive to stay! Rated 4 out of 5 by Ultraviolet23 from Stylish, simple, handy, & comfy LOVE how straightforward it's to buy alternative cushions and cushion covers. You can create something from a timeless loveseat to a spacious U-shaped couch with an open end. The directions had been pretty easy – the one thing that confused me was whether to put the fabric on the again portion of the couch earlier than placing it collectively (however I figured out that you put on the material afterward).
The first expanded workshop of SOFA – School of Film Agents in Poland (2016) and Georgia (2017) has concluded after another amazing and intense workshop week within the capitol of Tiblisi, Georgia. The mission of pricey SOFA – School of Film Agents participant Inesa Ivanova is the "Startup Of the Week at Startup Lithuania ! This service is simply accessible when you purchase a new sofa or armchair from us and should be in your purchasing bag concurrently if you order and pay on your new sofa or armchair. Place the couch in the middle of the room and the mesh again becomes a pretty element.


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Swaddling is an age-old practice that helps babies to sleep longer and sounder. When done properly, swaddling can be the single most important sleep tool a mother or daycare provider can master.
Some key benefits to Swaddling:
• Swaddling helps to mimic touch, which is so important for your baby.
• It also recreates the confinement felt in the womb easing the transition from "womb to world."
• Swaddling prevents the startle reflex (arm jumping) so baby sleeps longer without intermittent wake-ups from having free arms.
• Swaddling also helps to maintain the "back is best" sleep position.
• The most important benefit is a good sleep pattern for mom and baby.
Known risks with traditional swaddle blankets:
• Traditional swaddle blankets, when wrapped too tightly, can reduce necessary movement in the hips causing hip dysplasia.
• Strong babies can easily break out of traditional swaddling blankets which unravel and cover baby's face (potential suffocation risk)
• Blankets too thick or layered can cause overheating, which can be linked to SIDS.
• Swaddling with a blanket is not an easy technique to master; parents and caretakers can swaddle baby incorrectly (too tight for example).
"The good news is in today's market, there are many great options!" says Karen Barski. A perfect example is her invention, the Woombie, which is a peanut-shaped swaddle sac that requires no wrapping and is designed to gently hug baby while allowing for natural movement.
Features of the Woombie that eliminate multiple swaddling risks:
• 4-way stretchy fabric cocoons baby but allows for hip movement.
• The Woombie will not unravel like traditional swaddle blankets. Prevents issues such as startling, face scratching, overheating and dangerous loose unraveled blankets from covering baby's face.
• Light and breathable - new Woombie Air technology allows for excess body heat to escape creating the first ventilated swaddle.
• Easy for mom to use: just put baby in and zip (2-way zipper for easy diaper changes); moms who swaddle their babies are less likely to put their babies to sleep on their stomachs when exhausted.
Five safe swaddling tips for parents and caretakers:
· Always place your swaddled baby on his/her back to sleep.
· Use a swaddle where baby can have good hip range of motion- this will prevent hip issues.
· Use a swaddle that will not unravel - this will prevent blankets from ending up covering baby's face.
· Once baby is actively rolling, consult with your Pediatrician for next steps. Also, try an arms-free swaddle to help the transition such as the Convertible Woombie
· Don't over-swaddle your baby or double swaddle - be mindful that overheating baby is linked to SIDS.


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Tense up your buttocks, Gentle Reader, we're going in:
It is the most obvious of observations, that as humans we are entangled—by intimate experiences such as parenthood, death, love, and by commerce, culture, politics. And today we are entangled as never before—by the global consequences of our actions, small and large.She's right: that is the most obvious of observations. No worries, though, she can easily save this opening from banality with a novel metaphor.
A dolphin in captivity is taught tricks to please a human audience and then, once released, teaches these skills to wild dolphins an ocean away.Amazingly, this has been documented. (Though, if you think about it, humans have been doing this for a while. We're Number One! We're Number One! Suck on that, dolphins!) Fucking with nature almost always has hidden repercussions, but in this case, the idea of trained dolphins teaching tricks to wild ones is fairly cool. Though it'll be a real pisser when they realize that beach balls and "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins do not exist in nature.
Moving on….
And now, of course, another entanglement: in the local high street of the Western world, in the length of two blocks, about a minute's walk from home, the shopkeepers come from everywhere—Italy, Estonia, Mexico, Thailand, Britain, India, Germany, China, France, Sri Lanka, Trinidad, Spain, Poland, Jamaica, the Czech Republic, Japan, Greece.That's a minimum of 17 shopkeepers of different backgrounds in a single two-block stretch. Imagine what that "local high street" looks like during World Cup.
At the local milk-mart, the man behind the counter reads Goethe's Faust in Korean.Yes, and the butcher reads Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy in Farsi, the cobbler reads Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in Swahili, and the haberdasher reads the complete works of Virginia Woolf in Cree….
Somehow, I think they're all reading the Toronto Sun. Or The Da Vinci Code.
Though this kind of multiculturalism through labor migration or political exile has become commonplace, one question never loses its poignancy, no matter how often it is asked: Do we belong to the place where we are born, or to the place where we are buried?Some would put that as "Do we belong to the place where we grew up, or to the place where we live now?", but Anne is an award-winning novelist – it's her job to soak this stuff in literary sauce.
When one is dispossessed of everything—home, country, landscape—what is left?Faust?
Language, memory, one's own body.Oh. Well, if ye ain't got nothing, says Anne, ye can always have a talk, have a think, or have a wank.
Not too long ago—an instant ago, in terms of evolutionary history—we knew one thing with a fair amount of certainty: the place where we were born would likely be the place where we would die.I'm not feeling so good, myself.
We are marinated in our childhoods, in the places of our earliest memories.Ew.
Even when a writer decides never to write overtly about his childhood—perhaps the food of that childhood is too hot and burns the tongue, or is too cold to be eaten with pleasure—nevertheless, for a writer, it is a metaphorical meal that must be eaten, even if only in private.Thus are the meals of our childhood preserved in the Tupperware of memory, burped by emigration and displacement, left at the back of the fridge by time and loss, until served up, with most of the moldy parts cut out, by internationally celebrated literary novelists.
In Canada, we have been politically stable enough to be able to define a national literature by way of geographical region: Arctic, prairie, east and west coasts, the looming wilderness. In some sense, this definition has not changed. Two great themes weave through our literature—our relationship with the wilderness, and the immigrant experience. These themes were combined even in the beginnings of published writing in this country, and this continues.Wilderness and the immigrant experience. Wilderness and the immigrant experience. Wilderness and the immigrant experience.
Who said Canadian literature was predictable?
I heard a comedian once say that all British humour can be reduced to "Toilet" and "Royalty." Which sounds like an infinitely more interesting basis for a culture.
On the other hand, I plan to start a band called "Wilderness and the Immigrant Experience." We'll never play a single show – okay, maybe a Writers' Union general meeting or two – but we'll all buy ourselves houses with the proceeds from our many Canada Council grants.
The changes now, in global influence and global consequence, in a global witnessing, will of course change what there is to say, and how we say it.We'll have to say "global" a lot more, for one thing.
But will it change how we read? What will a national literature mean to a society that reads globally with ease, absorbing novels online and downloading instant translations of books?Kids today, with their online absorptions and instant translations…
Despite the new ease with which we cross borders and enter the experiences of others, some truths will not change: love finds us wherever we are, a child is born in only one place, the ground where we bury our dead becomes sacred to us; these places do not belong to us, we belong to them.And that which is thrust heavenward, must soonafter return to the rocky ground from whence it came. What goest around, does surely comest in that same direction, with time.
And where does a writer metaphorically wish to be laid to rest? In a book, in a reader.Were these Frank McCourt's last wishes? Because I'm not sure that's even hygienic.
Not laid to rest in terms of immortality, but in terms of common experience; laid to rest in this common ground. A writer may be born in one place and write in another—but who claims him? The reader—who may live in a very different place and in a different time. In this sense alone, perhaps, globalization cannot be considered a new idea.Actually, Anne, none of what you've written here can be considered a new idea. Except the for the dolphin bit – again, that's pretty cool.
A national literature is made not only by writers, but by readers. Recently, a project was launched in Toronto to "bookmark" the country; passages of Canadian literature, set meaningfully in real locations, will be commemorated in those actual locations. We can cross an ordinary bridge or an intersection and read a passage describing a fictional event that takes place where we stand. Where we stand, there is a story. And perhaps that is the simplest, and most privileged, definition of what a national literature is.You remember that one, don't you? Methinks Anne is looking for some plaque action of her own.
When people are dispossessed, a national literature can reside in a single voice. What makes a home for words is a reader; and what makes a home for a reader is words.And what makes a reader for words is a home; and what reads words for a home is a make; and home readers make what a is.
When the dead cannot be laid to rest in ground that remembers them, sometimes literature is the only grave we have. And that grave is one way a migrant claims a place in his adopted country—a place, ironically, for the living."Sometimes literature is the only grave we have" – and people say I hate books…


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Report: Kansas' November jobless rate slips to 4.0 percent
Kansas Department of Labor says its lowest level in 14 years
Kansas' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a percentage point to 4 percent last month -- the lowest level in 14 years.
Kansas Department of Labor figures released Friday show that November's jobless rate compared with 4.1 percent the previous month and 4.2 percent in November of last year.
The department said that the adjusted figures show that while the state lost 2,800 private-sector jobs from October through November, the year-to-year number actually rose by 10,000, or nine-tenths of a percentage point.
The state's jobless rate when not seasonally adjusted was 3.5 percent in November. That's down from 3.7 percent in October and 3.9 percent in November of last year.
Nationwide, the federal Labor Department said jobless rates fell in 27 states and rose in 11.


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The greatest bench pressers of all time spend lots of time honing their bench pressing skills. Maybe you should too…
The bench press is the 2nd exercise after the squat in powerlifting competitions, but nr. 1 in popularity.
There's no question that the bench press is the most popular exercise on this planet. There are even separate bench only competitions.
In the 50's Canadian Doug Hepburn became the first man to bench 400, 450, and 500 pounds in nothing more than a t shirt.
In 1967 Pat Casey was the first lifter that pressed 600lbs.
All of these were done without a bench press shirt.
Then in 1985 Ted Arcidi benched over 700 for the first time in 1985 in a crappy bench shirt prototype. Arcidi's shirt was 50% polyester and 50% regular cotton. It was nothing like the bench press shirts of today.
Here's a 10 second video that classic bench press record. Just see how easy it looks.
It wasn't until 1996 that this record was broken by James Henderson by bench in a t shirt.. Today's biggest RAW bench press of all time is on the name of Eric Spoto.
In 2013 he benched 722 lbs. Check it out.
Every great lifter needs to spend a lot of time honing their bench press technique skills. They know how to get into the correct position and make the barbell move in the most efficient path possible.
The further you edge off from the perfect bench press technique, the more strength you'll lose. And the higher your risk of a torn pec or shoulder injury.
So let's first take a look at how to bench press for powerlifting. After that we will take a look at fixing weak points.
The Right Way To Bench Press for Powerlifting
Bodybuilders bench press for to grow their pecs. Powerlifters bench press to move the most amount of weight.
That's why bench pressing for powerlifting is a bit different than bench pressing for bodybuilding.
To bench press for powerlifting you should take the following 5 steps – we'll dive deeper into each step in a minute.
- Lie down on the bench so that the bar is directly underneath your eyes. Put your feet on the ground. This is as important as any other part of your set-up.
- Pull your shoulder blades back and grab the bar. Try to bend or break the bar to tighten your upper back and create a stable position for your shoulders. Squeeze your glutes, push the knees out and try to 'screw' your feet into the ground.
- Now lift the bar out of the rack. Place it directly over your shoulders. Make sure you have the correct grip before you lift the weight out of the rack.
- Keep your shoulders blades back. Keep your upper back tight and lower the bar under control. But still as fast as possible. Try to lead with your elbows.
- You can extend your arms when the bar touches your chest. Again leading with your elbows and lock out the weight.
Congratulations. You just completed a 3 white lights bench press.
If you make a mistake in any of the 5 steps above then your bench is cursed from the start.
Let's dive into these steps in more detail. To make sure you're getting everything right next time you step into the gym.
But before we do that there is one thing that we need to talk about first. Even before you even get on the bench.
Perfect Rack Height
If you're in a commercial gym with a crappy bench and you can't set the rack height just right for you… then you know how important rack height is.
If it's too high then your shoulders need to come of the bench and you lose tightness and stability. And that's no good if you want to bench heavy. It's hard to keep heavy weights under control.
If the rack heights are too low then you need to put in too much effort even before you get to benching.
You need to set the rack height to a height so it allows for a slight bend in your arms. Something like Mark Rippetoe is showing us below.
With this position all you need to do is to extend the arms a bit and press the weight out of the pins. Make sure to keep your shoulders firmly on the bench.
With that out of the way, lets start looking at your set-up. Let's start with your position on the bench.
Where To Look While Bench Pressing
Sit down on the bench and lie down. When you're on the bench your eyes directly beneath the bar or just past the bar when looking straight ahead. I prefer directly underneath.
Any other position will make it harder to unrack the bar.
Tight Upper Back For Benching
When you're on the bench,you need to have a tight upper back and it needs to be firmly planted on the bench.
One way to make it easier to keep more stable and a firm position on the bench is to create a tight upper back.
This will also help you to keep up your chest during bench pressing. You will have a slightly less range of motion in this way.
Less range of motion = more weight you can press. WIN!
Most people find it hard to keep their upper back tight and their shoulders retracted. Understandable, there's a lot going on when you are trying to break your bench record.
Just to make sure, you will want to look like the picture on the right below when you're lying on the bench.
Here's a tip that will teach you how to keep that position.
I am sure you're familiar with "standing to attention". Like in the army. Part of that "drill" is to stand upright with your chin up, chest out and shoulders back.
This is how you should like when you're getting to ready to take the bar out of the rack. And the position you should keep while lowering and pressing the bar back up.
Try a few reps like this on the bench. Put the bar back after a couple reps and get back in the correct position every time you feel you've slipped.
You won't be able to keep this position with high rep sets, so try to limit it to about 5 or maybe 6 tops.
If you can do that, then try to progress to sets of 8 or 10. You will see that after a few reps you will a bit looser.
It will get worse with each rep. Just try to keep tight as possible long as possible. In time you will be able to maintain it throughout a complete set.
During the press movement itself your shoulders and upper back should move as little as possible.
One way to keep tight and in the correct position is by pushing the bar with your elbow. Don't try to push with your hands, but lead with your elbows.
It might sound strange, but try it next time you bench.
Bench Press Foot Placement
Where you put your feet during the bench press is just as important as any other part of your set-up.
Most lifters don't pay much attention to it. And don't press as much as they could because of it.
Proper foot placement will allow for a stable position on the bench while pressing massive weights.
That is why you can't press as much when you're bench pressing with your feet up in the air. You lose stability and because of it you can't bench as much weight.
There are 2 important things you need to be aware for foot placement, and that's foot placement and stance width.
Stance width is almost alway a matter of personal preference. The only thing you should know is that a narrower stance makes it easier to raise your butt off the bench. This will give you red lights at a powerlifting meet. No bueno amigo.
Foot placement is something you will need to pay a bit more attention to. Your feet should be placed so your shins are near vertical. Like on the left. Not like the one on the right.
In this way you will be able to generate most force with your legs and you will be able to generate a good amount of tension in your upper body. This will help to stabilize your trunk when benching.
But not only that. Being able to generate good leg drive will help to get the bar of your chest.
When you place your feet too far back under the hips, it will again make it easier for you to raise your butt off the bench. Still no bueno amigo.
You can avoid this by placing your feet way, way back. All the way back so you need to stand on your toes. Just like in the picture on the right above.
But you run the risk that you will be less stable on the bench.
A less common problem is the fact your feet are placed too far in front of your knees.
This is a newbie mistake most of the time. Place your feet under your knees, or around there, and practice driving the heels in the floor when pressing.
Bench Press Hand Position
When you grab the bar, make sure you use a grip that allows you to keep your elbows at a 30 to 45 degree angle of your body. While maintaining a vertical forearm.
The Ideal grip width is dependent on the width of your shoulder girdle. So it's very individual.
Use the rings on the bar to make sure you grab the bar the same each and every time. Practice makes perfect.
Most importantly, keep in mind that when the bar touches your chest that your forearms should be vertical.
Bench Press Wrist Position
If you are holding the bar wrong you can get some serious wrist injuries. You'll want to distribute the weight of the bar across the bones of the forearm. Not your wrists.
Besides, if your wrists are behind the bar the bar could slip out of your hands. You don't need me to tell you why this is bad.
Keep the bar in the heel of your palm with your hands in line with your wrists. The bar should be directly over your forearm.
That covers it for the set up. As you can see a lot of this stuff is also important in the squat. Stuff like hand position, stance, etc.
But if you feel you need something more audiovisual to see how to bench press for powerlifting then I can highly recommend this video from Art Of Manliness.
Mark Rippetoe On The Bench Press
Mark Rippetoe gives you a very detailed overview on the bench press in this 18m34s video.
Now you know how to bench press properly, we can take a look past the setup and look at the actual bench press itself. And in which part of the bench you are failing. And why that is.
Keep in mind, I'll be talking about how to bench press for powerlifting. So in other words: how to get a stronger bench press.
The Bench Press As A Full Body Exercise
As you see, the bench press can be considered a full body lift. The whole body needs to as one complete system if you want to press the most weight possible.
If you can bench press with perfect form with an empty bar, then you should be able to do so when you perform that same movement under increased load.
Let me explain.
If you know how to bench, then you know how to bench. Then the only reason your technique is getting worse under heavy loads is because of a weak muscle group.
If you want to know what your weakest muscle group is in the bench press, then you need to know how all the muscle work during a bench press.
You probably know that your chest and shoulder muscles enable you to get the weight off your chest. And that your triceps are the muscles that lock out the bar.
But the muscles on your back are also involved. They help to stabilize you during a bench press. The trapezius and rhomboids make keeps your shoulder blades firmly planted on the bench.
Your lats keep your elbows from moving out when pressing the bar. This is to make sure the angle between your upper body and upper arms doesn't change in the bottom of the bench press.This is the way you can generate maximal force.
Even your legs play a part when you are benching maximal weights. For one, they make sure you are firm on the bench and that you are stable.
But more importantly is that with proper leg drive, you will be able to get the bar of your chest for that first inch or so.
Good leg drive can help you bust through your plateau if you are weak of your chest.
So yeah, the bench press is a full body lift. Very much so like the squat and deadlift.
Bench Press Fail
There are a few options for a bench press fail:
- The bar comes down too fast
- The bar doesn't come off your chest
- The bar drifts towards your face
- The bar moves to one side
- The bar gets stuck in the middle
- The bar gets stuck at the top
Knowing how every muscle functions during the bench press helps to analyze and solve these problems.
Let's take a look how solve these weak points.
The bar comes down too fast
When the bar comes down to fast then the weight is just too heavy for you. Im sorry, but that's the way it is.
Sorry nothing fancy about weak lats or anything.
It's time to check your ego at the door and lower the weight.
The bar doesn't come off your chest
Maybe you can lower the weight under control, but you can't get it off your chest when it's there.
That might be because of 1 of the next 3 problems:
- The weight is too heavy for you to press
- Your chest is too weak.
- Poor leg drive
Problem 1 and 2 sound the same, but they're not.
Everybody is stronger in the negative portion of the lift. This mean you can always lower more weight under control than you can lift.
When the bar just won't budge of your chest then it's possible the weight is just too heavy for you.
Again. Check your ego at the door and just lower the weight.
But if you manage to get it off your chest just a few millimeters to even a few inches, it could because of a weak chest.
If you think that this is the case then you should focus on:
- Bench pressing with a pause
- Extra wide grip bench presses
- Dumbbell presses
Exercises like flyes are not effective to increase your strength.
The weights you can use on those are just too small to make any real strength gains on the bench. So they are of no use in this situation.
If there's nothing wrong with your chest, then it could also be a lack of leg drive. Good leg drive will make the bar pop of your chest that first inch or so.
Go back and read the part about foot placement.
The bar drifts towards your face
Another problem is when the bar drifts towards your face when pressing. This turns the bench press in an impossible heavy triceps extension.
Since your triceps can't support the weight, they will give out and this is what makes the bar drift to your face.
So you need to work on your tricep strength.
The best exercises to solve this problem are:
The bar moves to one side
This problem is a lot less common. If 1 of your elbows is flaring out, it is probably because of weak lats.
Because your lats can't support the weight, it will transfer to your shoulder. But your shoulders are a small and relative weak muscle group.
So the bar will start drifting towards one side. Soon after your shoulders won't be able to support the heavy weight and the bar will come down.
Another bench press fail.
You need to strengthen your lats. So work in some of the following exercises:
- Barbell rows
- DB Rows
- Seated Rows Cable Rows
- T-Bar Rows
- Chin ups
- Pull ups
The bar gets stuck in the middle
Another possibility is that both your elbows flare out. When this happens the bar won't drift to the right or left. It will just get stuck in the middle of the bench press.
It is probably because of weak shoulders. And not because of weak lats.
To get stronger shoulders do the following exercises:
- Standing Overhead presses, with barbells and dumbbells
- Seated Overhead presses, with barbells and dumbbells
Or anything else that requires your to press heavy weights over your head.
Exercises like side laterals will not help you with this. Much like flyes, they are useless for strength development.
The weight is too small and the movement is too different.
You can't lockout the weight
Your triceps are too weak if you can't lockout the bar completely.
If you're having this problem, it's probably the lower tricep head near the inside your elbow thats too weak. The medial head.
But to be honest, you don't want to focus just on that area.
You need to strengthen the whole triceps. So try the next exercises to do that.
- Small grip 4-board and 5-board presses
- Rolling triceps extensions
- Elbows out dumbbell extension
How To Bench Press For Powerlifting
That should cover it for you on how to bench press for powerlifting. Head to toe.
We covered the perfect bench press setup. You know what muscles are used during the bench press and how they work.
We also covered tips and exercises to address your bench press fail.
With all this information PR's are just waiting for you the next time you step into the gym.
(NOTE: Want to build your own powerlifting program in just 5 simple steps? Yes… it's really that simple! Get my personal simple 5 step formula here for free!)
Lifting is hard. We all need some opinions on our technique now and then… And a bench press form check can help. Click here to see some of the form checks I did for visitors of Powerlifting University.
If you enjoyed the How To Bench Press For Powerlifting blog post feel free to tag and share this with your friends. They will appreciate it.


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Albany, NY—The Sage College's department of athletics gathered to recognize and honor the outstanding performances of the 2017-2018 year with the naming of the athletic award winners for the 15 varsity athletic teams. In addition to awarding the Gator Award, for the Most Outstanding Player, the department also named the 2017-2018 Female and Male Athletes of the Year as well as the Dean Sharon Robinson Senior Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, which is given to the senior student-athlete with the highest overall grade point average, as well as the Aggie Stillman Perseverance Award.
Sage also awarded the Gator of the Year to members of the varsity teams, often awarded to the team's most valuable player. Named the Gator of the Year in men's tennis was junior performer Henry Golden (Troy, NY/Troy).
Head women's and men's tennis coach Tom Fashouer noted of Henry, "Henry Golden has been a great addition to our team this season." Fashouer added, "He is our team leader on and off the court and played in the very difficult No. 1 position and competed with the best players in our league."
A newcomer to the team this season, Golden helped the Gators with his play as they moved from the Skyline Conference to the Empire 8 Conference. Playing at No. 1 singles, he went 0-8 on the year, but helped the team with a 1-4 record at No. 1 doubles as well.


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Hi Zoey, Papa again.
You're hearing our voices alot more now, Mommy Megan is wearing the BellyBuds and sending bedtime stories and Vivaldi to you. We worked hard on that, 'cause we wanted you to feel safe and used to our voices before you arrived.
Daddy insisted we get more clothes for your first growing months. Suffice it to say, you're going to be styling those first few months. We'll probably lose a few to spit-up and poopy, but there's ALOT of backup clothes. We should've tipped that forklift operator....
Daddy and I went to a newborn care class the other night to hone our skills a bit on taking care of you those first few weeks. The doll baby was very compliant as I diapered and re-diapered it. I just KNOW you'll be that helpful, and won't wiggle at all. We got to see what to expect with your diaper changes. Having peered into a box of newborn and first months diapers, I think we'll save time by using a "diaper gun". There's guns for drywalling in construction, shirt guns for passing out shirts to attendees at stadiums, why not a diaper gun? It LOOKS like a weapons magazine when you open a box of diapers, hundreds and hundreds of diapers all in a row. Otherwise Daddy will get tired changing all of them. Six a day....Sheesh!!
Your next ultrasound is coming up, and we'll get to see how you're doing, and even a little of what you look like right now. It's been many many weeks since we last got to see you, but we know you've been swimming around pretty good all along. Mommy Megan can attest to it.
There's so many details before you arrive. I myself have to stop, breathe, and focus that this is all about you. I looked at Daddy during the newborn class, for a while actually, and saw how READY he is for you. I could see in his eyes he was dreaming about you, already taking care of you, and planning your days.
I spoke with a friend that you were our little girl. His comment was between his boys (sons) and his daughter, his daughter had him wrapped around her heart. He always is ready to "jump in" when she neeeds something. Being a Former Marine my chest puffs out and stiffens as I tell myself no baby will run me down like that. My heart says different. It says "That's our little girl......".


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When was the last time you flexed your company's core (value) muscles?
No matter what size your company is now, growing it in a smart, lean way and recruiting the best people is – or should be – one of your top priorities. Maybe you've already started building your team, or you're just beginning to think about making your first big hire. Either way, establishing your company's core values helps you make smarter decisions in moving your business forward and creates a foundation for your company's culture.
Over the course of running Little Pim for nine years, I hired over forty people. I made some awesome hires and had a few who lasted only a week! Over time I read many books and resources about the best methods for hiring—as well as practices that should be avoided (like hiring on gut instinct). Of course, I still made my share of mistakes, but do believe that having core values helped us to hire a lot more of the right people for our company and waste less time bringing on people who were not a fit.
In the last Million Dollar Monday post, we covered two of the three legs for the "hiring stool": 1) finding the right people and 2) creating a strong onboarding process. Now let's take a look at the third leg, having the right culture—a step that's often overlooked because it can be seen as a business practice that doesn't drive revenue (even though that's not true).
Culture builds character and community
Company culture is a huge factor in the hiring process yet it often falls to the wayside—mostly because as entrepreneurs we have so much on our plates when establishing our business, brand, and team. When it comes to culture, doing one simple exercise will help you create it for your company. And this is creating your company's core values. Utilize this core values template to get started!
What are core values? They are your company's characteristics and priorities that support the vision, shape the culture, and are what makes your company culture unique. If you are a solopreneur then your company core values are your core values, but it's still worth doing the exercise because it can be used to help you attract your first hires, advisors, coaches or mentors.
Core values are fundamental, enduring, and actionable
Having core values allows you to follow your "true north" when it comes to decision-making. They can guide you through recruiting the best people and planning activities that are in line with your company culture and say no to opportunities or ideas that are not in line with those values.
At Little Pim, we created our core values as a team during our strategic retreat and posted them in a frame right by the main entrance to keep them top of mind.
Little Pim Core Values
● Be creative risk-takers
✓ Take risks, stay creative, embrace change
● Help each other grow personally and professionally
✓ We encourage outside of work activities and support each other in ongoing learning
● Celebrate our achievements & unpack our mistakes
✓ Recognize accomplishments big and small
✓ Review what happened and learn from it
● Keep it balanced
✓ Maintain work-life balance, humor, and humility
Core values are usually for internal use (though we added them to our fundraising deck, because we thought investors would want to know what we are all about). They're for your company and employees to know by heart, act on, and think about. They demonstrate how your business operates and what it prioritizes; that's why developing strong core values isn't a "soft" business practice, even though it might seem that way at first.
When hiring anyone in your business, core values are a great tool because cultural fit is key to your new employee succeeding. Do they naturally exemplify the core values? Having employees that enjoy working for your company, relate to your mission, and are in sync with your company's culture will increase the likelihood that they will want to do their best and stay for a long time.
Values in motion
Here are some best practices around core values drawn from my coaching clients and entrepreneurs I respect.
- My friend Carrie Kerpen is CEO of a social media agency called Likeable Media in New York that has prospective hires review a slide deck presentation about their company culture and what it's like to work there. Likeable's company culture is so unique and fun (think potlucks, silly games and dress up days), it was awarded SmartCEO's Corporate Culture award this year, and made the list four years in a row of Crain's best places to work in New York City! You can bet Carrie is getting ROI out of the work she did on core values and creating a great culture.
- One of my Masterclass graduates has core values are all about social responsible innovation. For example, one of their seven core values is that "great companies of the future will also create psychologically safe environments to create great leaders, rather than dutiful followers". Everything they do, inside and out, is geared towards innovating for social good and the people who work there are proud of being part of a company that is doing good while doing well.
- I once visited a publishing company called PRI in Texas that was voted best place to work in Texas. They have their core values painted on the wall of their conference room, posted along hallways and even printed up a little booklet they give out to staff and visitors alike. Some of their core values are "be positive, be passionate, and be accountable." During their daily morning meeting, the staff takes turns highlighting what their colleagues have done to embody least one of the values. Everyone in the room got into it, calling out wins, laughing and blushing and they leave feeling energized and inspired at the start of each day.
- Zappos is famous for their company culture which is built around their 10 core values and "out there" company culture. Part of their on-boarding process is having every single new employee trained on their values. Zappos is so dedicated to company culture that if employees aren't putting their all into it, they're offered $2,000 to $5,000 to look elsewhere for employment. That way, Zappos only has people on their team who are 100% dedicated to the core values.
Core values are necessary to have in place for consistently choosing the right people for your team and developing an on-boarding process that sets your new hires up for success. By incorporating them into daily and weekly routines, they even become an integral piece of your company's brand and culture.
Stay brave,