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Friday, June 03, 2011
Give Plouffe a Chance
Plouffe had a streak of six straight games started at shortstop in mid-May end with a remarkably poor performance against the Mariners. In the contest, a 10-inning loss at Target Field, the young infielder went 0-for-5 and made several ugly plays in the field, heavily contributing to his team's demise.
Ron Gardenhire berated Plouffe after the game and then buried him on the bench. The shortstop started only two of the next nine games (looking rattled when on the field) and last night he was optioned to Triple-A so the Twins could call up Brian Dinkelman, whose upside is about as exciting as his name.
To be clear, I'm no huge Plouffe fan. That's a big part of the reason I was baffled by the Twins leaving him as their only legitimate backup behind Alexi Casilla entering the season. He's nothing special as a hitter and obviously he's got some accuracy issues with his arm.
But he's also a former first-round pick, and a guy who was really tearing it up in Triple-A before being called up. While he batted only .210 in his 71 plate appearances with the Twins, he did hit three homers, and his .383 slugging percentage was the best of any player on the active roster. Yes, he looked shaky at times, but he's a 24-year-old playing in the bigs and desperate to impress a coaching staff he let down in spring training. Danny Valencia was struggling to adjust to Triple-A when he was the same age.
Plouffe might not be a major-league shortstop, but he probably resembles one more closely than anybody else the Twins can trot out there at this point. He's already played close to three seasons in Rochester. It's time to see what he's got.
I simply don't see the harm in saying, "Trevor is our starting shortstop and we're going to let him battle through the yips," as opposed to banishing him and giving playing time to guys like Alexi Casilla and Matt Tolbert, who have had far more opportunity to prove they are not MLB shortstops.
20 comments:
I'm assuming Plouffe will be playing shortstop in Rochester and I doubt this will be the last we see of him. I don't really have a big issue with sending him to Rochester so he can play everyday and hopefully get his head straight.
Call him back up again in a month or two when he is more at ease. He did look pretty rattled out there on the big stage.
Then again if this is the last we see of Plouffe I'll be disappointed. He should be given another extended chance since we are so awful this year.
I have to think that he's shown more glove in the minors that he has with the Twins, or he wouldn't still be playing SS. I hope that you are right and that it is the "yips", but he has to be better than that to play every day in the bigs. That being said, his .693 OPS dwarfs that of Gardy's middle infield triumvirate of Casilla, Hughes, and Tolbert. Add the punchless Revere filling in for Kubel and it seems we could use whatever pop Plouffe provides in the lineup.
Problem with this analysis is that it ignores factors that may explain this move. You can't say how much (or how little?) his defenses lapses have undermined his confidence because you're not close enough to Plouffe to make that kind of reading. Nor do you know how well or how poorly he is handling criticism of his play. If we're dealing with a player whose confidence is shot but who also is not taking well to constructive criticism, and if by "giving Plouffe a chance" you mean do what is required to best manage his potential, then isn't it possible the Twins are giving him his best chance by sending him down as a confidence building and attitude-adjustment exercise?
I don't know if the player I've described is Plouffe. But you don't know either. Seems to me that's someone should know before passing judgment on the move.
Have you watched a game Nick? His defense has been horrid and not just the one game against the Mariners. He makes Alexi Casilla look like Ozzie Smith. His track record in the minors hitting AND defense is poor. The guy isn't a prospect. He was given a chance because he has hit well THIS year in AAA ball in a small sample size. I'm fine with his hitting in the majors actually compared to what the Twins have. It was way below average but his fielding doesn't translate to the majors at short and his poor hitting places him nowhere else. It's not just his total inability to throw the ball to first base but he also has no range at the position. He isn't aggressive and also upset everybody complaining to Gardy about the media and also to why he wasn't starting. Brian Dinkleman also isn't a prospect but he has hit in the minors. His fielding is also poor though. He has hit well, why not give him a chance? The guy has played well this year and in past seasons. If he sucks like Plouffe you send him down as well. There is no loss with letting Plouffe not play everyday to see if he has a future because the answer is that he does not. Not even at a utility spot. Dinks only chance is utility. He may be a better Tolbert. The only AAA fielding guy the Twins should be playing regularly is Ben Revere as he is a propsect and could start/4th outfielder for next year. There is nothing else for hitters in AAA that need to be looked at. Kyle Gibson, Cole DeVries, Anthony Slama, Carlos G and others on the pitching end are a different story. It appears Slama will finally get a good chance which is good to see.
- TT said...
Whatever fans may think. I don't think the Twins have completely given up on this season. They are obviously in a very, very deep hole. But until they get Mauer et al back, I don't think they are convinced they can't make a run at it.
The reason given for calling up Dinkelman was that Gardy wanted a left handed bat on the bench. Dinkelman is sort of a poor man's Cuddyer in the field. He can play a corner outfield spot and second base in a pinch. He is not going to take Tolbert's spot. With Plouffe gone, it looks like Tolbert is the shortstop until Nishioka gets back. Unless they move Casilla back to short again.
As for Plouffe's bat, he has 9 home runs in about 150 plate appearances between AAA and the major leagues this season. If those numbers aren't a fluke, they should be trying him out at third base.
- Nick N. said...
As for Plouffe's bat, he has 9 home runs in about 150 plate appearances between AAA and the major leagues this season. If those numbers aren't a fluke, they should be trying him out at third base.
Or at shortstop, where -- unlike third base -- they have zero appealing alternatives.
Matt Tolbert as starting SS? Seriously? What does that accomplish?
"Matt Tolbert as starting SS? Seriously? What does that accomplish?"
One thing, and that's enough for me: I don't have to watch Alexi Casilla try to play SS.
I'm glad you mentioned that Gardenhire berated Plouffe before the benching and the demotion. That's the most noteworthy thing here: Gardy and Anderson have been doing way too much bashing of our young talent. Irrespective of performance, irrespective even of off-the-field behavior, the treatment of Liriano, Slowey, and Plouffe in the media has been unacceptable. Especially in a down year, you need management to defend young players, rather than alienate them. That's doubly true when the players in question are better than their prospective replacements.
Gardy's a coward if you ask me. Constantly ripping young or yet to be established players and rarely calling out his sacred cows. Did he say anything about Cuddy's idiotic failed attempt stealing 3rd last night? It's getting old seing him support such stiffs as dinkleman, punto, tolbert, hocking and for the money he makes you can put cuddy on the list too. Even if he can play multiple positions(poorly). He's too stubburn in certain ways and a new look at how to run the field needs to be explored. Fire Gardy! But if they did that the formerly failed hitting and 3rd base coach would probably get the nod because by golly, they're promoting from within, the Twins way. This and the teams "folksie" ways are making it pretty boring to follow them. If they're pathetic playoff and A.L east performances weren't enough already. Watch them get the #1 draft pick next year and go after the most "signable", pitch to contact college pitcher who guys like seth stohs will tout as being on the fast track even though everybody on this green earth knows he wont be up until after super 2 status has expired. They're a joke and completely uninspiring.
A coward? I'm sorry, but saying things like "Gardy's a coward" is low. Just ignorant and low. Until you have cold hard facts to suggest that Gardenhire's winning track record somehow warrants his firing, don't accuse him of cowardice. The fact remains that he's taken our team to the playoffs 6 of the last 9 years, a tradition of success most teams don't experience in roughly a decade. It's fine to debate and criticize the finer points of our team, and in many cases encouraged, but no one sits there behind their computer screen and calls you a coward. That's just low. Outrageous and sensationalist claims like "fire Gardenhire!" get you nowhere if there's nothing at all to substantiate it.
- Matt said...
Until you have cold hard facts to suggest that Gardenhire's winning track record somehow warrants his firing, don't accuse him of cowardice.
Whether you want to call it cowardice or not, the fact remains that Bill Smith and Gardy have called out guys like Tolbert, Casilla, and Plouffe, while not saying a word about the hapless Cuddyer, Joe "mystery illness/injury" Mauer, or the beleaguered Morneau and Capps's of this squad.
The millionaires should be called out for poor play to the media. Keep the fingers pointed at the little guys behind the scenes.
- TT said...
" at shortstop, where -- unlike third base -- they have zero appealing alternatives. "
Valencia is an appealing alternative only if he starts hitting. He hasn't so far this year.
They have both Nishioka and Casilla as potential shortstops. And Casilla has been hitting better than Valencia recently. In fact, he has a better average and on base percentage for the season. Nishioka is an unknown, but the Twins thought he was appealing enough to spend a lot of money on him.
Why is calling out Plouffe bad? He is terrible. Yes, I want Tolbert at SS because of the fact that Plouffe can't field his position. That's a major problem. I'd take Nishioka, Casilla the little kid in the stands... Anybody. All by himself Plouffe costs games. If I was Gardy i'd tell him he should quit the game and be a used car dealer. Why should Plouffe play 3d? He can't play short. Valencia has been a pretty solid fielder this year. Medicore at best hitting but compared to most Twins right now he is the 3rd or 4th best hitter on the team.
I like Plouffe. I think he can work out the "yips". I find it interesting that Gardy dogged on Plouffe for hanging around in left field shagging fly balls during practice. I also find it interesting that Plouffe majorly overthrew balls to Morneau at 1B. Maybe SS is the wrong place for him. Maybe he should try the outfield. Does he have any speed for chasing balls to the warning track? He might be better used in a place where he doesn't have to worry about over throwing in the infield. Just a thought, but I like him and hope he comes back up.
- TT said...
"right now he (Valencia) is the 3rd or 4th best hitter on the team."
Of the seven Twins players with enough plate appearances to qualify, Valencia is 6th in AVG and OBP and 5th in SLG. That was going into tonights game. Delmon Young is the only player behind him in all three categories. Casilla was behind him in SLG, but probably won't be after tonight.
Butera, Thome, Tolbert, Hughes and Plouffe don't have enough plate appearances to qualify. Valencia is ahead of Hughes, Butera and Tolbert in all three categories. He's behind Thome in all three. He is behind Plouffe in SLG and OBP, but not AVG.
Valencia isn't getting the job done even by the current low standards of the Twins. With the exception of Delmon Young, he's only hitting better than the defensive specialists and utility players.
"Whether you want to call it cowardice or not, the fact remains that Bill Smith and Gardy have called out guys like Tolbert, Casilla, and Plouffe, while not saying a word about the hapless Cuddyer, Joe "mystery illness/injury" Mauer, or the beleaguered Morneau and Capps's of this squad."
---Oh please. It may be emotionally satisfying to you to see Gardy rip on highly-paid, underperforming players in the press, but that's unrealistic and unhelpful. It would be one thing if these guys weren't trying, there's no evidence of that. Cuddyer's production has been disappointing, but the effort has been there. Same with Morneau who is fighting his way back from one serious injury while dealing with others. Though he declines to use that as an excuse, and even refused a trip to the DL, opting to fight through it instead. A public scolding by Gardy would accomplish nothing but create resentment.
- glida.org said...
I hope that with the way Casilla has been paying lately this entire post becomes moot. From the 4-some of Casilla, Plouffe, Tolbert and Hughes it is Cassila with the most upside.
When a team struggles this is the kind of posts we read. It's OK, we forgot how to hate the Twins -- from top-to-bottom -- in while.
- Matt said...
A public scolding by Gardy would accomplish nothing but create resentment.
My point was that ripping little guy players to the press while not calling out the team leaders is wrong. It should all be behind closed doors.
- Dan Gausman said...
"One opportunity that a team gains in a lost season"
I understand that you are saying this in a broad sense, relating to any team, not just the 2011 Minnesota Twins. But correct me if I'm wrong, this is a blog following the 2011 Twins and about a player on the 2011 Twins so I can only assume you believe that the season is over for the 2011 Twins.
I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that you can declare any AL Central teams season as lost before the All-Star break. Especially a team that has as much talent on offense as the Twins. Poor plate appearances and injuries have certainly damaged the offense, but 2/3rds of the season remain. In 2006 Justin Morneau's batting average was worse than this years at this point, and we all know about the second half tear he went on.
Our starting pitching has been, not dominant, but respectful and I don't see that changing as the season goes on, just too many games blown up by the bullpen and a total lack of offense to this point. Our bullpen is a sore and it isn't going to get much better talent wise, I admit, but it can be managed better and that's on Gardenhire. I think he's starting to figure it out.
If Joe Mauer comes back 100% healthy and they appear to be taking their sweet time to insure just that, and he comes out swinging like he can, motivating the rest of the clubhouse, then calculate in all of our games still to be played against division rivalries, factor in that we are nearly done with AL East match-ups, I then fail to see the 2011 Twins as lost because of being 13.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians on June 5th. Things have been bad, sure, but it's not too late to get better and make a post season run.
- Jay Hamilton said...
The fellow who seems to be hitting the DL every 5 minutes is the Untouchable Jim Thome. Sets a bad example for the other guys; gives them permission to not play hurt. I am not a Thome hater, but he IS a rental, and my heart will not break if he doesn't hit number 600 as a Twin. He would be way valuable to a contender ... just saying. Then Revere could play every day and Kubs could DH. Lets give those precious at bats to kids who we know will be with us next year.


text: DSE 3 #1 June 29, 2010 OK all...here is the list I have compiled from personal experiences, PM's, emails, and a couple of threads. I am going to keep this thread locked to prevent it from going astray. If you have a story, PM it to me and I'll add it to the list. We're keeping names, specific DZ's out of the list because this is not a finger-pointing exercise, it is a reference list for those that insist they have the skillz developed to jump a camera "because it's small." Please note that in almost every instance, the camera is a distraction vs being a physical impediment. Thanks for the stories, cooperation, and attention to safety. Be careful out there! ############## Late Summer 2009 Southeastern Region I was playing with mounting options of my recently purchased little camera. Having just over 1,000 camera jumps at the time, this seemed like no big deal to stick it on the foot and go out and play. Given the nature of my jumping history, I have jumped non-standard gear on several occasions, including cameras mounted on the leg and chest but always with thorough planning beforehand. However this was a toy to me so I just took it lightly, grabbed it and went out to the boarding area for the dirt dive, fiddling with it the whole time. It was not till about 10,000 feet where I realize that my helmet is sitting on the bench in the boarding area and that I've been so distracted this whole time by the little plastic camera on my foot. I didn't even notice on takeoff, when I always wear my helmet, that I had nothing on my head. This whole thing kinda spooked me so I told everyone that I would hang out on the outside of the tracking dive and break off early so that I can play it safe. To sum it up, the skydive sucked, didn't get any good footage because I was outside, and was mad at myself that I could be so careless. I think the small camera has been in the closet ever since and I went back to wearing camera only on camera jumps and no camera on fun jumps. Sorry the story has no blood and guts, but it's still a big lesson on how sometimes things seem like no big deal when they really are. It may have ended different if I decided to stay in the skydive. November 27 2009-NorCal Area Female with approx 40 jumps exited aircraft with friend (about same number of jumps) Female claims to be "very active" BASE jumper, so going low (approx 1000 feet) was "no big deal." She did not have a CYPRES. She was trying to shoot her friend's deployment "from below." No injury. December 17, 2009 –SoCal Area Male from Switzerland. 30 jumps. "I'm a paraglider pilot, so I know how to fly already." Flew into fence while trying to get video of his shadow. Minor cuts/abrasions. Exact Date unknown-SoCal area Female jumper, around 80 jumps was warned on ground and in aircraft about flying with a camera. She indicated that she felt very confident about flying with the small format camera taped to her helmet. She left the aircraft with her goggles around her neck and after landing, admitted that in the process of trying to get the camera going, she had forgotten to put on her goggles. She was shaken up by the experience. No injury. January 1 2010 Southeastern Region Skydiver was shooting a friend on a high clear n' pull. Neither one noticed their location and both ended landing far off the dropzone. Sprained ankle resultant from downwind landing on uneven and unfamiliar terrain. March 21 2010 Southwestern Region Skydiver "just shooting my jump" saw another canopy in the pattern and wanted to shoot it not noticing his own altitude. Downwind landing (against pattern). No injury, merely a talking-to by S&TA. February (day unknown) SoCal Two skydivers, each with fewer than 100 jumps, wearing small format cameras. They were practicing sit-flying and went low. Both deployed at approximately the same time and had a collision during deployment. Both suffered bruising, contusions. One jumper had 4 broken lines and 3' tear in his center cell but did not cut away. He described the canopy as "really cool in the video" indicating he'd spent a lot of time looking up at the canopy. Neither had serious injuries. March, exact date unknown Area/location not disclosed. Tandem instructor with small format hand cam has a malfunction. He cuts away main but does not reach for the reserve handle, apparently anticipating a MARD save. He later explained that he wanted to keep filming the student and the cutaway (He did get great footage). No injury. April 13 2010 Western Region Skydiver with around 100 jumps wearing camera on head has spinning malfunction. Delays cutting away and disconnects chinstrap on helmet before cutting away, losing altitude awareness. He was worried about the snag hazard, but still left his RSL connected anyway. He did not pull his reserve handle because "he felt the Skyhook take over as he was putting his hand on the D ring." Skydiver had allegedly been warned about wearing a camera before 200 jumps. No injury. April 19 2010 SoCal Same skydiver from Switzerland mentioned earlier (Paraglider pilot) working on his swooping skills @ 200 jumps (while wearing wingsuit). Flew into fabric side of packing area breaking tension cables and damaging wingsuit. Claims camera wasn't part of his incident. April 21, 2010 Southeast Region Skydiver with 242 jumps got a small format camera for Easter and was anxious to jump it. He pulled the camera from the USB charger and was rushing to the aircraft. He could not get the camera to turn on/stay on/go into record mode, and as a result of his rush, forgot to connect his chest strap. He was experienced enough to grab his MLW and hold on during deployment. His PM said "I think I need to work on my mental skills more because the camera kept me from doing my regular routine." No injury. May 3-5 (exact day unknown), 2010 Western Region Skydiver could not get his small format camera to turn on and when the exit light came on, was still playing with his helmet. He delayed the other jumpers to the point that two others went past him. This created a snag hazard for the other skydivers, plus he had a helmet loose in the door area. The tandems on the load requested a go-around. No injury, was talked to on the ground. May 2010 Central Region AFF instructor was jumping a small format camera that they just had only just purchased. He was slightly long on climb out but still within reason. AFF jump goes normal until student deployment when the instructor flips to his back to film the opening of the student then tracks and deploys. This AFF instructor landed off while the other side instructor easily landed on the DZ with the student. Instructor was distracted by wanting to get "the shot." The instructor that landed off was carrying the student radio. The student landed uneventually without radio assistance. June 7, 2010 South East area Similar incident to tandem handcam incident posted above. Malfunction of the main (lineover followed by linetwists), TI cuts away but does not go for reserve handle. His left hand does not move in the entire video, and in the video, makes a comment about "getting that on camera." Skyhook save. Reserve opens with several line twists and still, instructor does not move left hand, using right hand to twist and legs to kick. June 20, 2010 SoCal area (Actual jump number unknown, 3 months in sport). Newbie Jumper wearing small format camera on his chest was trying head down for the first time, got low (admitted he was geeking his camera) and deployed while head down. He flipped into his lines and one of the lines snagged his chest mount. "I was going for my hook knife but was able to clear the line first." No injury. June 21, 2010 Area unknown (from a post on DZ.com) A jumper with approx. 50 jumps was gearing up and getting ready to board the plane, a highly experienced camera person noticed that this jumper had a Go Pro camera attached on top of his helmet. The jumper was questioned about his skill level, the jumper stated that the Go Pro is very small and that in no way will it ever get hung on his risers on opening, so his opinion was that it should not fall under USPA guidelines: of a recommendation of 200 skydives should be performed before flying a camera. The jumper boarded the plane and performed his skydive. The incident was brought to my attention and the jumper was questioned by me immediately following his jump. As we were talking I could tell the jumper was visibly nervous, he began to explain to me that after he deployed his parachute he noticed that his chest strap had been misrouted. Lesson learned! A camera is a DISTRACTION! Like it or not! I asked this jumper how many times he checked his camera to make sure it was on before he left the plane? He said he checked it multiple times. It is obvious that after he geared up, he never once checked himself, before he entered the plane, never checked his gear, while in the plane and before exiting he never checked his gear.....he checked his camera multiple times. June 22, 2010 SoCal area From S+T: =========== Jump number 200, which is the minimum requirement for strapping a camera to your head at our DZ. Strapped a camera to my head. Plan was to film two handsome skydivers jumping in only boxer shorts after some bets from the night before. This was in March, with plenty of snow on the ground. And to make it interesting, we planned a downwind landing - unless the wind was too strong. Can anyone say "recipe for disaster"? (= Freefall was uneventful. Followed one of the guys down in canopy. Looked at the windsock and decided it was "too strong". Of course, the other guys on the load thought otherwise. Coming out of the 180 degree hook I see one of them coming towards me. Not very close, but it grabbed my attention. Even got it on tape. But I didn't notice the ground coming up on me... Didn't flare at all, hit with feet, knees, upper body, bounced back through the risers in a somersault and landed on my back about 5 meters away. Thank SkyGod for the meter of snow on the ground - I walked away with a stiff neck for 1 week. Conclusion: Camera is a distraction. Never plan for "downwind, unless it's too much", it would be much better with "downwind, or other side of the runway if you think it's too much". 180 degree hooks make it hard for others to see what you're doing and for you to see what others are doing. Stupid stupid stupid. June 28, 2010 Central Cal region Guy I was organizing this weekend at XXXXX. The jumper in question has plenty of skydives but is not the most heads up guy you've ever met. We were first out of the PAC on a 4 way freefly jump. He was having a hard time getting the camera to turn on, so he started putting his helmet on without the Small Format Camera attached, turning on the camera and then sliding it into the locking mount. He put his helmet on, thought he turned the camera on and then put the Small Format Camera on, but he put it on backwards. He realized his error just as the green light came on. The jumper started to take his helmet off to correct the problem and I told him to forget about it. He listened to me and started to climb out when someone behind us yelled, "And it's not on either" He then stopped his climb out and started to try and turn it on. I again forcefully told him to forget it and he finally finished the climb out....ready set go. It was a light load so we had room in the spot but he was clearly more concerned with that camera than anything else going on around him. My opinion is that this is a guy who wouldn't jump a camera if the smaller form factor were not available. I told him on the ground if he was going to jump a camera he needed to be ready to go once the green light was on, and if he wasn't he needed to forget about it and exit anyway. I think I should have told him he shouldn't be jumping a camera. Date unknown, Southeastern Region Jumper with 133 jumps had a small format camera and this was her first jump with the camera. She removed the camera from her helmet and was talking to the camera when a gust of wind grabbed her canopy and picked her up. She landed on her side and broke her wrist. Her helmet probably saved her from additional injury. July 4, 2010 From I/E, S&TA Western Region: Jumper with 112 jumps decided to sneak a (brand deleted, small format) camera on a load. We do not allow them before 200 jumps, period. Filming his own landing he failed to flare as he was watching either his feet or his shadow. We haven't heard back from the hospital yet but it appears he sprained both wrists, maybe broken. This jumper will be monitored very closely in the future but I believe he has learnt his lesson with this injury. Please keep posting these incidents. They make for strong arguments against these dweebs that think it's about the size of the camera that counts. NorCal, July 10 Tandem-master is doing Handcam. Spinning main due to one break toggle being stuck. He never attempts to clear break toggle! Cut-away! Never uses left hand to pull reserve. RSL/skyhook safe. Not sure if camera was the problem. Didn't look like he tried to film everything (or at least the footage doesn't look good) He claims to have had TM cut-aways before where the skyhook beat him to the reserve....so he decided this time not even going for the reserve? TM has PRO rating too. [dse note;I have requested a copy of this video so I can pixelate/blur faces but post the incident.] August 19 2010 From S&TA/Southern area Younger jumper [edited to say] Small format camera] tied to helmet Riser caught camera on deployment and broke plastic clip. Camera flew out but the Spectra tied to camera case caught riser and brake. [edited to remove name] landed with helmet attached to chest strap because the way his helmet got wrapped on riser. October 1, 2010: Mid-Western region A jumper with approximately 120 jumps was competing in a 4-way scramble event. He had a [[namebrand deleted]] mounted on the side of his helmet with velcro and a tether. One the first jump of the day, he knocked his helmet on the door on exit and the camera came loose. Because the camera was tethered, it was floating next to his head, smacking up and down in the wind. They ended up funneling the exit and went pretty low while he spent several seconds trying to fix it. Eventually he gave up and continued the skydive. On the next jump he hooked up the camera again. We told him that perhaps he shouldn't wear it given the circumstances and his less than 200 jumps, but he insisted it was fine. Since our DZ doesn't have a set rule about no cameras before 200, there was nothing anyone could do. Because I was right above the formation when the camera nearly came off, I'm not too happy with the situation. There's a good chance that I could have gotten a face-full of camera if there hadn't been a tether. Have you had any success in convincing jumpers not to use these types of cameras with such low jump numbers? Western Region (Chicks Rock) Oct 1 Visiting jumper borrowed helmet from experienced skydiver. Small format camera on helmet. It was this visiting jumpers first jump on this parachute/main, first helicopter jump, and second jump from below altide. He had around 50 total skydives. After exiting the helicopter, he kept looking around the sky for his partner, but couldn't locate her, His audible can be heard going off. He does not deploy. He appears to deploy at approx 1.5k based on pausing video with his alti in view. He has sufficient altitude to get back to DZ at that point, but he chooses to geek teh camera instead, throwing hand signals etc. He does not make it back to the DZ landing area, and instead lands on the motorcycle racetrack. Had he deployed at proper altitude, or had he not geeked the [brand name deleted], he'd have easily made it back. South Eastern Region PM rec'd Nov 4 2010 I should have listened to you guys. My [{edit} small format camera] was glued and taped on the top of my helmet. When I deployeed my breaks excess got caught over the camera and I couldn't see what was caught so I tryed to pull off my helmet and then saw my break lines on it. I couldn't steer and couldn't know what to do so I chopped my canopy and had my first reserve ride. My helmet stayed tied to the canopy and even the camera was OK. (video of this incident has been requested. This jumper has 66 jumps) Western Region PM rec'd Dec 13 2010 Heres another 1 for your dz.com list. Dude has a [[brand name deleted]] on his helmet @ about 65 jumps dzo he dont care. Head down and delpoys and lines caught on the [[name brand deleted]] and he had to chop. and the [[brand name deleted]] broke off but it made his reserve twist up when it pulled his head. He got lucky to get out of the twists at about 1grand. Midwest DZ, April 2011 First jump with a small format camera. Have owned one for about 2 years, using it for things like mtn biking, rock climbing, kayaking, snowboarding, etc. (not saying this made me ready to jump it, just more aware of what I was attaching to my helmet). Uneventful 2 way, was aware of the small format camera on my head but remained altitude aware, tracked off at 5.5, waved, deployed. Nasty spinning line twists, didn't want to chop because it was my first camera jump although I remained altitude aware in the spins, making the decision at 3K that I could kick out, started spinning out around 2.8, fully out of twists by 2.6. SouthEastern Region June 18 My friend was jumping his [small format camera] and hit it on exit. He was trying to fix it so it was pointing the right angle after the exit and started to sping. He spinned very fast and hit me in the side and almost made my hackey come out. After he hit me we both were spinning pretty fast so he pulled his main because we said cameraman pulls first. People should know to leave alone the camera if there is a problem in the jump so more problems don't happen in the jump. 8-22-2011: Location unknown. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCu-KfMhH4g SouthWestern Region 9-1-2011 Got another one for ya. One of our young jumpers travels a lot on business. Got his a license here. A few weeks back was up in Washington. Bought a contour from [deleted] no one ever said a word. Had 35 jumps or so. Jumped it there side mounted and at [deleted]. Came back to Texas and jumped at [deleted]. Gorgeous day was flying around enjoying the clouds and the view. When he landed realized he had lost the camera to a riser strike. Went out to a local store and bought another. A few days later went down there, manifested on a 13 minute call. Spent the time taping his camera to his helmet to make sure he didn't lose it again. Halfway to altitude realized that he was so focused on his camera that that he didn't bring an altimeter. Hid that fact from everyone cuz he was embarrassed. Left the plane and counted to 55-one hundred and pulled when he Was getting serious ground rush Came back to his home DZ yesterday. Walking out to the plane saw his camera and promptly told him he didn't have the experience and he didn't argue and took it right off. Sad part is he's completely ok with not jumping it here but he openly admits that when he is somewhere they don't care, he is wearing it. Western Region 10-8-2011 (this person has 31 jumps when the incident occurred, according to their DZ.com profile) Here's one for your report list. I was flying just fine after deployment but did a really hard turn. When I was looking over my shoulder my camera got stock in my lines and I couldn't get it off. I was low to take my hands off my breaks. I landed, but it cranked my head over and I sprained my wrist when I fell over. I'm going to take off the camera for a while. North East Region 11-6-2011 Short story: Four low experinced jumpers exiting the OTTER at 13,500' with seemingly a very poor plan. The jumps turns into a 2-way and maybe another 2-way or two more solos (two other just vanish from the frame) The guy with about 110-115 jumps wearing a Drift camera trying to video the person (same experince level or even less) a who he was able to "catch" in free fall. When I viewd the video I knew it's going to show some trouble because it was getting awefully long. Finally the "video subject" deploys and the guy with his Drift trying to film the deployment. At the mean time the two other jumper's canopies show up in the frame while he passing them in freefall. Of course they were low... Now the dude deploys his main as expected his AAD fires his reserve at the same time. The lucky bastard had a biplane not an etanglement or other more dangerous two out configuration. He lands on someone's roof miraculously not hurting himself and not making any property damage either. Back at the DZ proudly showing his "adventure video" without showing any strong feelings. The guy could have died 3 times this jump! I hope you'll post this one too. Western Region Jan 2011 A picture is worth a thousand words. In this 'incident' both jumpers each have 18-19 jumps. They had been turned away from wearing a camera at one DZ so they found another one that didn't ask. They both rented rigs and warned that the rental rigs weren't freefly friendly. "Cameraman" tries to backfly so he can "get the shot." The non-freefly friendly rig has other ideas and he has a premature deployment. Although this incident is related to the non-freefly rig issue, the jumper would not have been freeflying/backflying had he not been attempting to get a shot of his buddy from below. Note the buddy lower than him; he could have easily fallen through his buddy's canopy at the cutaway. The buddy could have just as easily hit the cameraman during the premature deployment. Had the camera not been there, this would likely not have happened. Chain of 3; -Low time jumpers -Non-Freefly friendly rig -Camera Southeastern Region Feb 4, 2012 This guy was on the plane with us and had two new {small format cameras] on his helmet. He was filming his deployments and solo jump. He kept asking if the cameras was on and was fidling with it when the door opened. He jumped out and his helmet flew off because he forgot to snap it on. He recovered everything but the cameras and helmet was badly damaged. It could have hit a house or a car. Mid-Atlantic Region Feb 25, 2012 I thought you might like to add this to the list.., we had a 55 jump individual jumping with a Go-Pro who was seen cutting away almost immediately after main deployment.... he reported that the camera entangled in some fashion with the risers, "shreddding" them and spinning the canopy up. He landed without incident under a reserve, losing his freebag and camera, ruining a set of risers but quite proud that he kept his handles. Southwest Region March 6, 2012 Witnessed this weekend in XXXX Jumper with more than 500 jumps and a coach rating jumps small format camera (GoPro) for first time. Camera mounted on shoe, facing up. After much deliberations with several experienced camera fliers. "Your shoe is as far from your lines as you can get" - According to jumper: practiced several times with ShoeCam on the ground. At the 20 minute call is all geared up. Asks two experienced jumpers to check his gear while waiting for a solo. Asks for another gear check at 9,000 ft from a load organizer on the jump (With helmet fastened and goggles on). Turns on camera and when the door is opened the camera does not start recording. Ignores the camera, does a solo. Land uneventfully on the DZ. After getting back to the packing hangar and taking off the rig, begins fiddling with the camera...SD card was resting comfortably in the gear bag. I know your thread is for all the crap you should not do, but this might go into the "take this shit seriously" pile. Be a student: - Get a gear check or two. - Do solos before jumping in groups. - Mount the camera initially in places where snags are less likely: shoe, wrist - Get competent help. Not DZ.com. - Practice, practice, practice. Maybe we can put together a procedure for FPC "First Photo Course" like the WS course. If we make it, and have camera flyer course (even if its just a 30 minute briefing and a solo jump) it might save some people and in time will become standard. Don't need more BSRs. (Some dropzones do have camera flyers with a standard camera course/requirement) Central Region August, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p7FPCqbZ-M Take a look at the above linked video and then return & read on. THAT is any demo jumpers worst nightmare, dropping something from altitude that could hurt or even kill a spectator...it was caused by a GoPro. At the beginning of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow this year the people from GoPro had a HUGE marketing program in place. They had a large semi sized mobile facility that had several wide screen TVs going showing all the great things one can do with this little camera. They ALWAYS had several hundred people gathered around hoping to win a give-a-way or buying one of the units...GoPro had a great bunch of people there and in speaking with one I know they had a very successful time at the convention, I think I remember 1/4 million in sales being tossed out as a number. One of the ways they were promoting the product was to outfit the performers with a Hero2 or more and then edit & playback that footage on the outdoor displays. Quite effective as it was very interesting to see the perspectives from the performers view ~ and the spectators just ate it up. On the other hand...THIS grumpy ole fart saw problems from the get-go. One of our more experienced demo jumpers was damn near out of control...'jump a cool little camera HERE, that WILL let me do just as they advertise...Be A Hero' ~YOU BET! Problem is, although we jump with all kinds of extra stuff attached all over us, it's something we practice, something that's well thought out, and something that is actually the REASON for making the jump in the first place. . . attaching a camera with no training only serves to increase the complexity of an already edgy skydive. It was obvious that my protests were not going to be heeded, after all I jump a camera on demos all the time and have for years. But then again, I have 6-700 camera jumps and yes I DO turn it on and forget about it...that's obvious to anyone that's ever seen one of my demo vids! The best I could do was sit everyone down who was jumping a camera for the time and explain a few of the issues 'we have' discussed on these forums... define & warn against GoPro-itus. By the 2nd day of the show - it was off the chain! People filming our briefing instead of listening, discussing the best shot angle instead of the spot...on & on. A couple of guys even FORGOT gear they needed once we were on board and had to go chasing after our support van to retrieve it...we had ANOTHER long talk that evening. It did little good, the following day a good friend, long time jumper (42 years) and one of the better demo jumpers I know...shows me his SECOND camera attached to his 'standard Protec'...it's sticking 4-5 inches out off the right side of the helmet on a mount that MUST have been designed to foul parachute deployments! WTF...I explained how 3 possible things could happen and two of 'em were really bad. Wouldn't be deterred even after I explained in detail how well the noose he created would work and thankfully we'd have footage of his demise! ...he landed ok, but deployment riser smacked that camera so hard the impression of it is in the side of the helmet forever, not such a great shot on that one. Time to throttle it back...I discussed with the GoPro rep some concerns the next day. Showed him my GoPro mount which is side mounted on an L bracket, with a strong bungee going over it, with a short piece of super-tack holding the whole thing to the helmet so that even IF it were to detach it wouldn't drop on the crowd....overkill the rep thought, but he did go with less that day with regard to where and how attached. Wasn't only US, as seen in the above attached vid, the Military team also had it's problems. Let me preface by saying these we some of the coolest people and most professional demo jumpers I've ever met...we got along well. I doubt they would take offence to my using this example as a learning tool. That sequence was only 1/3 of the way through, the flag jumper wearing the camera was supposed to turn 90 and the side-by re-docks. He himself open and honestly admitted he was concentrating on the shot and missed this cue to turn...thankfully the flag, WITH the heavy weight....landed out in the Pyro field and not on any spectators. The next morning the airshow briefing was quite concise about things...'Start pulling those cameras OFF the aircraft & jumpers before someone DOES get hurt....do it NOW' Think about this for a minute...THE BEST professionals in the business were not able to 'set it & forget it' ~ as many of the Norm Kent wanna be n00bs claim they will be able to do. Make NO mistake about it, adding a camera adds complexity...IF your don't receive training, practice with it, have the right gear to go along with it ~ just a matter of time until something unexpected happens. It might kill you or someone else..OR it just might end up being hilariously funny. The icing on the weeks cake was the last day, my buddy 'snuck' one more camera jump in. This time it was a low in front mount. It looked ok and we had a quick re brief on EP's & forgetting it was there. WELL...I'll have to look for it but I have the download, GREAT shot of him coming in for a landing, the sun behind giving surrealistic detail to the shadow ever increasing in size. Right up until he no flares into a two foot deep puddle of muddy icky drainage water...face first! Reviewing the vid...hands in the toggles never move until WAY too late, the splash is gut busting funny, especially when all ya hear is ~ 'hope these things are water proof!' SO... MY ~advise for beginning camera jumping~ Get good at skydiving FIRST, then get some camera training and use appropriate gear. . .be SAFE, not a HERO! Holland Sept, 2012 It is being reported that this incident may have been camera/snag related http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4381398;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread Western Region Oct, 2012 Jumper had 55 jumps/Blicense. Turned on [small format camera] on the heli ride up 'so it wouldn't distract me.' Exited the heli unstable @ 5k, tossed the PC (unknown altitude)and caught a line on the [small format camera]. Jumper was spinning fast and chopped. Main didn't release so [removed] released the helmet cutaway. Deployed reserve and was OK. Camera was OK too, asking [removed] jumper for copy of footage. NOT AN INCIDENT Just a worthwhile video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsEI_6cErbM Kansas October 2012 Jumper distracted by toe camera. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4378030#4378030 Germany Oct, 2012 http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4386002;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread January 2013, NorCal http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/02/10/skydiver-accident/ The small format camera is not related to the gear failure, yet the footage indicates the jumper was focusing more on the camera than on the jump (that ole' distraction thing again), and the instability led to a premature deployment. March 2013 Western Region Jumper wearing camera filming his jump partner. Jump partner deployed at 3000, camera flyer roled on his back to film the deploying partner. Stayed to long on his back and CYPRES fired when he pulled out his main to late. Main canopy caught on his [small fomat camera brand deleted] and he landed two parachutes. He got grounded for a week. April 2013 Southeast Region Not an incident: Wingsuit rodeo, rider deploys without dismounting the wingsuit pilot. Pilot chute wraps his head (2x). https://vimeo.com/64251059 July 2013 SouthEast Region I watched a newbie on plane at Skydive _______________. She has about 75-80 jumps. First she delayed everyone at the exit because she couldn't see if her camera was recording and then she jumped with her goggles around her neck and she had to put them on in the jump. On her landing she forgot to turn the camera off and was trying to. She got to her brakes too late and had a hard landing. Ambulance came but she was OK. [moderator note; I edited this email to offer better clarity] July 2013 Western Region Tandem student was allowed to wear a [small format camera] on there wrist. On deployment the risers or lines caught on the camera and tore it off the students wrist. Student was slightly cut when the strap tore off. We couldn't find the camera so we don't know what part for sure hit the students wrist. March 2013 Norway Wingsuiter had an extension "POV death bar" on the back of his helmet, main entangled with the arm. Post cutaway, the extension also interfered with the reserve deployment. More info: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4468418#4468418 April 2014 East Coast USA http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4631451#4631451 Although this was not a POV camera, all the same concerns apply. The synopsis is reserve bridle entanglement with the helmet-mounted camera. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites

subset: commoncrawl


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Philip Seymour Hoffman was a bit coy when asked whether he plays L. Ron Hubbard in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, saying, "It's not the L. Ron Hubbard story… there were a lot of movements at that time." At the time, we all assumed that was just something one says when dealing with the notoriously litigious and deep-pocketed Church of Scientology, because multiple trailers (which were apparently cut by Anderson himself, no wonder they're so good) contained basically verbatim quotes from Hubbard and Scientology questionnaires. And now Anderson admits what we basically all knew anyway:
Director Paul Thomas Anderson said it's no secret that the central character in "The Master" was inspired by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
The highly-anticipated film, which premiered Saturday at the Venice Film Festival, stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a charismatic spiritual leader who captivates Joaquin Phoenix's troubled World War II veteran.
Anderson said he views a love story between two men.
Anderson said the fact that Hoffman's character was inspired by Hubbard "is not an elephant in the room." He says he has shown the film to Tom Cruise, who starred in Anderson's 1999 film "Magnolia" and whose Scientology beliefs are well-documented.
"We are still friends. I showed him the film, and the rest is between us," Anderson said. [AP]
In perhaps the easiest joke in the history of easy jokes, Cruise said he objected to the negative portrayal of Scientology, but couldn't resist a love story between two men.
But on a serious note, I'm kind of bummed that the film goes so easy on Scientology that not even Tom Cruise objects to it. On a less serious note, I think a good pick-up line for a chick outside the Scientology Center would be to tell her that if she wants a free personality test all she has to do is hold onto the e-meter, and then point at your dick.


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Former Alabama running back Mark Ingram will visit the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, according to a league source.
The Heisman Trophy-winning tailback visited the New Orleans Saints last week. The Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Giants have been monitoring him as well, but the former Crimson Tide star faces the possibility of slipping out of the first round at this point.
The 5-foot-9 Ingram shed about 10 pounds before the NFL Scouting Combine -- down to 215 pounds -- and told reporters he felt "more explosive" at a lighter weight. He helped ease concerns about his speed at Alabama's pro day last month, improving upon his 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the combine with runs of 4.53 and 4.56 seconds. He also looked outstanding in position drills.
Ingram is considered the best of this year's running back class. He didn't post sensational numbers as a junior, but carried the ball 271 times for 1,658 yards during the Crimson Tide's national championship run in 2009, which included seven games with 20 or more rush attempts.


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Bernard Antony was initially a travelling grocer, of which there were many at that time, criss-crossing the countryside in his little van delivering butter, sugar, coffee and even clothes to the most isolated communities in the surrounding area. One chance meeting, however, was to change his whole professional life.....
Bernard and Jeanine Antony's passion for cheese has come down to us thanks to a 1979 meeting with Maître (Cheese Master) Pierre Androuët, at that time recognised as the leading light on this our white gold. As a result, the first Antony cheese cellar was established in 1983, then the cellar reserved for tasting in 1986. Today Maison Antony houses a total of seven maturing and refinement cellars for its cheeses.
Over time, a considerable number of top class chefs have fallen under the bewitching spell of the Antony cheese cellar, such that today there are around 19 Michelin three star restaurants which place their trust in Antony for their cheese platter selection.
A veritable globe-trotter, Bernard Antony likes nothing better than to spread the word about quality French cheeses - a passion which has taken him from Paris to Hong Kong, from New York to Berlin.
Should you so wish, you are more than welcome to download our entire Pressbook.


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Printable Nanotube RFID Tags Could Make Wireless Checkout Aisles a Reality [Supersupermarkets]
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5503451/printable-nanotube-rfid-tags-could-make-wireless-checkout-aisles-a-reality
Wireless checkout is many a grocer's dream. It's like Amazon's one-click shopping in the real world, maximizing efficiency for the customer and cutting costs for the supermarket. A new printable RFID tag could make it a reality.
RFID checkout is far from being a new idea—it's already seen small scale implementation in various pockets around the world—but it has never been cheap enough to be a viable, cashier-replacing option. Current RFID tags, made with silicon, cost about 50 cents each to produce, so stamping one on every single item in the store just doesn't make sense.
But a collaboration by researchers at Sunchon National University in Suncheon, South Korea and Rice University in Texas has yielded a new RFID tag that can be printed directly on paper or plastic packaging, eliminating the need for silicon altogether and bringing the cost down to 3 cents a tag. Now we're talking.
The invention was made possible by the wonders of nanotechnology (what isn't these days?). The researchers developed a semiconducting ink, made with carbon nanotubes, that is capable of holding an electric charge. They're currently refining their invention, trying to pack more data into smaller tags and bring the cost down to one cent each.
A fifty-fold reduction in price makes RFID a much more attractive checkout alternative. I just hope someone's still going to bag my groceries. [Wired]


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A general view shows the Russian embassy after Germany expelled two Russian diplomats in Berlin, Germany, December 4, 2019. PHOTO: Reuters
Germany expelled two Russian diplomats Wednesday over the brazen killing of a Georgian on the streets of Berlin in August as prosecutors said evidence suggested the slaying was ordered either by Moscow or authorities in Russia's republic of Chechnya.
The allegation by Germany's federal prosecutor's office was the latest from a Western European nation accusing Russia of an attack on its soil, after Britain last year blamed Moscow for an attempt to poison a former Russian spy in the English city of Salisbury.
Russia denied those allegations, and similarly Russia's ambassador to Germany Sergey Nechaev rejected the accusations in the Berlin killing, while threatening consequences for the expulsion of its diplomats.
"Such German action will have a strong negative impact on the Russian-German relations and naturally will not be left unanswered," Nechaev said in a statement.
The case comes at a delicate time in relations between the two nations, as Germany pursues a hard line on sanctions against Russia for its annexation of Crimea, but at the same time is working on a joint pipeline project to bring Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic.
ALSO READ: Low happy to see Germany in 'group of death' after Euro 2020 draw
Germany also needs Russia's help to salvage the nuclear deal with Iran, which has been unraveling since President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of it unilaterally last year.
On Aug. 23, a 40-year-old man initially identified as Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, an ethnically Chechen Georgian citizen, was gunned down in a Berlin park on his way to a mosque by an assailant on an electric bicycle who sped away and ditched the bike, weapon and a wig in the Spree River, according to news reports.
German authorities said Khangoshvili was also known as Tornike K., and that Russian authorities had him on a terrorist list and accused him of being a member of the "Caucasus Emirate" extremist organization.
Tornike K. was known to have fought against Russian troops in Chechnya. He had previously survived multiple assassination attempts and continued to receive threats after fleeing to Germany in 2016.
Witnesses saw the suspect disposing of the evidence after the killing and alerted police, who quickly identified and arrested the man, identified at the time as 48-year-old Russian national Vadim K. Prosecutors said he went by the alias Vadim S., and German and international news outlets have reported his full name as Vadim Sokolov.
Prosecutors said they had found multiple indications that he carried out the attempt with official help and no evidence that the hit was "contracted by a nonstate actor."
Federal prosecutors took over the investigation from Berlin state prosecutors after the political nature of the case became evident, spokesman Markus Schmitt told The Associated Press.
"There are enough indications of the fact that the death of Tornike K. was either contracted by government offices of the Russian Federation or the autonomous Chechen Republic as part of the Russian Federation" to suggest a political motive, Schmitt's office said in a statement, using only a last initial for the victim in line with German privacy laws.
Immediately after Schmitt's office said it had taken over the case, the Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of two Russian diplomats, citing a lack of cooperation with the investigation.
"Russian authorities, despite repeated, high-level and insistent demands, did not participate enough in the investigation," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It did not identify the two diplomats being expelled.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose office issued a statement saying Berlin's "politicized approach to the investigation is inappropriate," said Moscow will look into the claims made by German authorities but that it would take time to respond.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the allegations of Russian involvement "absolutely groundless."
Speaking on the sidelines of a NATO meeting outside London, Chancellor Angela Merkel said she planned to talk about the issue with Putin when she meets with him next week in France for talks on the Ukraine peace process.
"We have received no active help from Russia in solving this case," she said, sidestepping a question on whether it would harm bilateral relations between the two nations.
Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky, head of the Duma's foreign affairs committee, called Germany's expulsion of diplomats "completely crooked logic."
ALSO READ: Brazil could lose its UN vote due to $400m debt ― Officials
"The symmetrical position of the Russian Foreign Ministry is absolutely reasonable in this case," he added.
German investigators used facial recognition techniques to match the suspect to a photograph Russia had sent partner agencies in 2014 as it sought help finding Vadim K. in connection with a killing in Moscow. That request was canceled on July 7, 2015, and a person with the identity of Vadim S. first appears on Sept. 3, 2015, with a Russian passport.
Russian authorities confirmed the suspect's passport, found on him at the time of his arrest, was valid, prosecutors said.
Under the identity Vadim S., prosecutors said he flew on Aug. 17, 2019, from Moscow to Paris and had been granted a visa by French authorities. In his visa application, prosecutors said the suspect claimed to work for a St. Petersburg, Russia, firm known as Zao Rust.
Investigators found that Zao Rust had only one employee in 2018 and on April 10, 2019, was listed as being in "reorganization." The company's fax number was one used by two firms that are operated by the Russian Defense Ministry, prosecutors said.
He left Paris on Aug. 20 and flew to Warsaw where he had a hotel booked until Aug. 25. Upon arrival, he extended his room to Aug. 26, but left at 8 a.m. on Aug. 22 and never returned, prosecutors said.
It is not clear, they said, what he did between his departure from the hotel and the killing in Berlin at 11:55 a.m. on Aug. 23.
The case evokes memories of the attempt to poison Sergei Skripal, a Russian spy turned double agent for Britain, with the nerve agent Novichock in Salisbury in 2018. Britain blamed the attack on Russian intelligence and Moscow denied involvement.
Afterward, Western nations banded together to expel more than 100 Russian diplomats they accused of being spies, including 60 from the U.S.
[Associated Press]


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A slick art thief snatched a Salvador Dali painting right off the wall of an Upper East Side gallery, dropped it in a shopping bag and calmly strolled unnoticed out the front door, law-enforcement sources said.
Famed art dealer and radio baron Adam Lindemann told cops the crook snatched "Cartel de Don Juan Tenorio" from his new Venus Over Manhattan gallery on Madison Avenue at around 4 p.m. Wednesday, the sources said.
"During regular business hours, with a security guard," Lindemann told The Post today.
The small watercolor-and-ink painting — a Dali original completed in 1949 — is worth $150,000, insurance adjusters told cops.
"We're cooperating fully with the police and have no further comment," added Lindemann, a polo-playing socialite who founded a chain of 20 Spanish-language radio stations.
Surveillance video shows the crook walking into the darkened, third-floor gallery carrying a heavyweight paper shopping bag, sources said.
The thief told a security guard who was keeping an eye on him, "I want to take a picture of this painting," meaning the Dali, according to a source.
The guard told him he could take a photo but could not use a flash.
But, distracted by another visitor, the rent-a-cop left.
When he returned, it was too late.
The surveillance video footage shows the thief slipping out of the gallery with the purloined painting's frame protruding from his bag.
The guard notified Lindemann, who reported the theft to the NYPD today morning.
He didn't recognize the thief from the video.
Sources described the crook as a white male, about 5-foot-6, 160 pounds and 35 to 42 years old. He wore dark jeans and shoes and a black-and-white checkered dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
Lindemann is an art lover who opened the gallery on May 9 with the kinky exhibition "À Rebours," which included a few dozen works from the 19th century to the present.
He is married to the art dealer Amalia Dayan, granddaughter of former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan.
In 2006, Lindemann published a collection of interviews with art-world bigs in the 2006 book "Collecting Contemporary."
Art lovers were saddened they couldn't see the Dali work today.
"We went inside to see the show, and we were wondering where the Salvador Dali painting was," said Jacquie Tellalian, 58.
"It's a small painting, but how did he just put in his bag and walk out like that? I hope somebody finds it."
Additional reporting by Lorena Mongelli


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My Son's Magical Birth Story
The day before you were born, I felt a need to get the house ready for you, so I did some cleaning. When I woke up from taking a nap with your sister that afternoon, I began to feel the pressure waves telling me you were on your way to meet us. I listened to the Special Place track again and you moved a lot again during it and I felt very connected to you.
As your father drove me to the hospital late that night, it was cold, but clear out. Dr. I and our nurse Dianne did a wonderful job creating a calm atmosphere in the room where you would be born, just like I wanted. My womb was very close to completely opened when we arrived in the room. The water that surrounded you in the womb came out of the birth canal not long before you did. Your father's kisses helped me relax so that I could open the last bit I needed to for you to come out. You were truly born into a room full of love. With no medication numbing me, I felt very deeply "in the moment" as you came into the world into the hands of Dr. I. Before you were even all the way out, I reached down and grabbed you under your arms and pulled you up to me so that I could hold you. I was so happy you were here and so proud of myself for having a drug-free birth. Your dad did such an amazing job supporting me while I gave birth to you. He was so excited and proud to meet his first born son. You looked at him like you knew him already.
Photo by Jordan and Chelsea (JCPhotography, Utah)


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This "Daylight" concept from Phillips is being touted as "the hotel room of the future" thanks to a window that can be customized to suit the visitor's preferences. Guests can change the ambiance, lighting, block out noise, and add some awesome virtual foliage with a simple wave of the arm. In time, Phillips hopes that guests will be able to pre-order the atmosphere in their room to help them recover from the stresses of traveling and the effects of jetlag. Still, if you have the cash to stay in a hotel like this you shouldn't have too much to be depressed about in the first place. After all, the only "ambiance" you are likely to get a a Motel 6 is a room strewn with condom wrappers and drug paraphernalia. [T3]
Meet Microsoft's New Surface Laptops


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Robert Bindschadler stood on a remote stretch of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and searched the horizon with a growing sense of anxiety. That is, he couldn't see the horizon! While Bindschadler focused on his workdriving flagged poles deep into the ice and carefully recording their precise coordinatesclouds gathered quickly overhead, cloaking the dazzlingly bright blue sky in a shroud of sameness that disoriented him. In a matter of minutes the world around him became a vast featureless white space where he could no longer distinguish sky from surface.
With no shadows and no contrasting color shades, humans lose depth perception. Bindschadler had to concentrate just to walk without stumbling. He gathered his gear and trudged back to his snowmobile. He knew it was dangerous to be alone in such conditions so far from base camp. He also knew it was dangerous to attempt driving back to base camp. The ice held hidden hazards that could claim his life in an instant.
"When ice moves rapidly, it can experience stresses large enough to crack it," Bindschadler explains. "Some of these cracks, called crevasses, can be quite large and dangerous30, 50, even 100 feet deep. Some crevasses are covered by thin bridges of snow so they are hard to spot."
Such bridges collapse easily under the weight of a person. "Unless one is roped and connected to something or someone else, one usually doesn't survive a fall into a crevasse," Bindschadler says in a tone that conveys self-admonishment. He knew better than to allow himself to get caught in such a predicament. Nevertheless, he faced a difficult decision: hunker down until the weather cleared, or keep going and risk getting lost in the white-out conditions, or worse, falling into a crevasse.
In hindsight, Bindschadler admits, he should have stopped and dug himself a snow shelter. "Given that weather conditions can change rapidly in Antarctica, field workers need to always be prepared with the essentials for survival: food, fuel, and shelter," he recites. "If you have a shovel, you can build shelter. If you have food and fuel, you'll be okay."
He had a shovel, food, and fuel. Yet there he was astride his snowmobile, in white-out conditions, squinting ahead at the flat expanse of ice for signs of his previous passage. He felt he would be safe retracing his path back to base camp. But it was hard to focus and the surface yielded precious few clues. What would have been a 30-minute trip under clear skies on a beeline back to base camp became a 3-hour meandering ordeal during which Bindschadler constantly second-guessed his decision to keep going. He heaved a sigh of relief when the shadowy silhouette of base camp finally appeared out of the whiteness ahead.
Crevasses and rapid, extreme shifts in the weather are just some of the hazards Bindschadler faces in his
work as a glaciologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "A
glaciologist is somebody who studies ice," he says flatly. Specifically, his job is to measure the
shape of ice sheets. How thick are they? How long are they? Are they growing thicker or thinner? Are
they surging forward to cover more area, or retreating to expose more of the underlying land? How fast
are they moving?
A glaciologist's goal is to be able to measure the "mass balance" of a given ice sheet. That is, how much ice the sheet accumulates from snowfall over the course of a year minus how much it loses due to melt as well as the periodic calving off of large ice chunks. Ice sheets can be good indicators of what the climate is like in a given region; changes in the climate can cause changes in Earth's ice sheets. This simple fact points to the ultimate question facing glaciologists today: As the globe warms will Antarctica's ice mass remain in balance? Or, will the southern continent gain or lose ice mass over time?
When Bindschadler and his colleagues first visited Antarctica in 1980, they brought with them the traditional wisdom gleaned by generations of explorers and glaciologists before them that large ice sheets are slow, plodding things that wax and wane on cycles ranging from centuries to millennia. But the evidence they painstakingly pieced together over the course of 13 expeditions to Antarctica over 25 years suggests that the perceived permanence of Antarctica's ice sheets is an illusion. They focused their studies in West Antarctica where the ice sheet is draped over a layer of marine sediments that is much more slippery than rock. They suspected that this slippery sediment layer and the above-average amount of subterranean heat the Earth vents in West Antarctica, including numerous volcanoes, made the West Antarctic Ice Sheet more prone to movement than scientists had previously thought.
Linking Land Ice to Sea Level
Twenty-five years ago glaciologists used standard surveying techniques to measure changes in ice sheets over time. They would venture out from base camp with sleds full of bamboo poles that they carefully planted every half a kilometer or so along a straight line. This way they knew what routes were safe for human passage as well as where and how much the ice was moving.
They used theodolites to monitor the flagpoles' movements. (A theodolite is a small, calibrated telescope mounted on a tripod that surveyors use to measure angles between objects.) Bindschadler's team became proficient in tracking their own position relative to magnetic north, relative to the position of the Sun, and relative to those few stars that were visible in the daytime sky. Once they established their own position, they then measured the relative angles of all their flagpoles to a tiny fraction of a degree. These measures allowed them to determine how fast the ice was moving and in what direction, both vertically and horizontally. Bindschadler and his team were surprised by what they observed.
"When I first got into Antarctic studies, ice sheets were thought to be very slow to respond," he recalls. "We had this preconception that any changes would be on scales of centuries. Yet there were rapid changes taking place. Ice streams would start and stop suddenly. And they are organized in a vast, interconnected network of streams." Similar to tributaries on land that flow into larger rivers, Bindschadler's team discovered a vast network of coalescing tributaries feeding into ice streams flowing toward the ocean.
Based on those discoveries and others over the past few decades, glaciologists began to suspect that Antarctica's ice sheets are not only sensitive to global warming, but that there could be observable changes in our lifetime. What does that mean for sea level? Spread across a land area roughly equal to that of the United States, the southern continent contains about 90 percent of all ice on our planet. Enough water is locked in ice there to raise global sea level by about 60 meters (197 feet). Considering that at least one-third of humanity lives in coastal areas, it would be catastrophic should the ice sheet suddenly and totally collapse.
Preposterous! Conventional wisdom says it is inconceivable to melt Antarctica's ice fast enough to significantly affect sea level in our lifetime, or even that of our great grandchildren. So why worry? Antarctica is remote and irrelevant to the lives of ordinary citizens in the world today, right?
On the contrary, Bindschadler asserts, Antarctica's ice sheets are entirely relevant. "The West Antarctic Ice Sheet has, does, and will continue to affect sea level. We know that if this sheet changes in size, it will change sea level. That connection is direct and irrefutable."
Over the last 18,000 years, in the wake of the last major Ice Age, Earth's ice sheets dwindled and drove sea level up by about 127 meters (381 feet). Paleoclimate data records indicate the rate of sea level rise varied with the climate; warmer temperatures led to rapid rise while cold spells slowed the rate of rise. Over the long term, sea level has been rising at an average rate of about 2 millimeters per year. In the coming decades, as heightened levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases drive up Earth's temperatures, how will sea level be affected? Today, locked up in the West Antarctic Ice sheetroughly the size of Greenlandis enough water to raise global sea level by another 5 meters (16 feet). Speaking of Greenland, its ice sheet has seen dramatic melting in the last decade. Greenland contains about 9 percent of all ice on Earthalso enough water to raise sea level by 5 meters. Should either West Antarctica or Greenland surrender its ice sheet to the ocean, much of the southern half of Florida would be under water.
Today, scientists see serious signs of stress on both ice sheets. Should they both collapse, sea level will be 10 meters (32 feet) higher, and cartographers will have to redraw the contours of all Earth's continents. Neither ice sheet has changed much in recent centuries, but does that mean they can't change in the near future?


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Facebook announced a new nationwide initiative in Nigeria to further cement its commitment and investment in the country, and across the continent. Incorporating a series of high profile partnerships, training programmes and a physical space that will serve as a center for learning and skills development, this set of initiatives is aimed at helping to develop and nurture communities, including small businesses, the tech and start-up ecosystem, youths and creatives.
"In Nigeria, more than 22 million people use Facebook every month and 87% of SMEs say that when they hire, digital skills are more important than where an applicant went to school. This demonstrates that the power of digital skills to aid economic growth and development has never been more important", commented Ebele Okobi, Facebook Public Policy Director, Africa. "At Facebook, our mission is clear: To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Our investments and commitments announced in Lagos today further reflect our intent to partner with Nigeria's policy makers and its vibrant tech and entrepreneurial eco-system to create economic opportunity and independence in Nigeria and across Africa.''
NG_HUB from Facebook
In partnership with CC Hub, Facebook will be opening the doors to its first community Hub space in the heart of Lagos, scheduled to open early next year. 'NG_HUB from Facebook' will be a multi-faceted creative space, which will connect and bring together developers, start-ups and the wider community to collaborate, learn and exchange ideas.
The NG_HUB will also host a start-up incubator programme, as well as bespoke trainings, guest speakers and a dedicated event space, all aimed at attracting the best talent and driving innovation in Nigeria's tech ecosystem.
Additionally, across Nigeria, Facebook will be supporting a number of existing tech Hubs to serve the communities outside Lagos. The hubs will function as learning centres for local communities, providing multiple opportunities for training and access.
Commenting on the announcement of NG_HUB in partnership with CC Hub, and Facebook's further support of local hubs across Nigeria, Emeka Afigbo Head of Platform Partnerships, Middle East & Africa said "Nigeria is producing a new generation of exciting start-ups that have incredible potential.
We understand the important role Facebook plays here in Nigeria with developers and start-ups and are invested in helping these communities build for the next billion. One of our key passions at Facebook is nurturing and helping to develop the tech and start-up community, and I'm excited to announce our partnership with the Nigerian tech hub ecosystem especially the NG_HUB space, here in Lagos."
Facebook Nigeria Skills Programmes
Facebook is committed to working with Nigerian small businesses, tech entrepreneurs and the next generation of leaders to better understand and utilise the power of digital tools for economic growth.
Launching a series of learning-based programmes facilitated by local training partners, these have been designed to provide skills that lead to employment and to support the growth of small businesses.
The goal is to train and support over 50,000 students, small businesses and creative entrepreneurs across the country through a series of scaled digital skills trainings, as well as long-term impact programmes. The training programmes will include:
- Aspiring Entrepreneurs: Digital (in partnership with the Fate Foundation) – a four-week intensive programme for entrepreneurs across Nigeria. This will be offered throughout the year in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Ibadan, Kaduna and Enugu
- Jobs for Youth: Coding for Employment– a training programme to develop Nigeria's next generation of coders – designed to upskill developers and prepare them for employment
- Boost your Business – designed for small, medium sized businesses owners, teaching the fundamentals of digital marketing for business growth, with the goal to help business owners better understand their brand, audience and how to best reach and service them online
- Creative Entrepreneurship Training – specialised training designed specifically for creatives, including photographers, filmmakers, musicians, artists, bloggers and other creative content creators
- Online Safety + Digital Literacy Training in Schools and Universities – featuring a series of online safety and digital literacy courses for secondary school and university students
Ahead of the programme launch, Facebook undertook a detailed 'Economic Impact Study' to further understand how communities like small businesses and consumers in Nigeria use the platform, and the effectiveness of social media as a growth tool.
Nearly 1 in 2 small businesses on Facebook say they built their business on the platform, and 62% stated they have been able to use Facebook to help find employees for their business, whilst over half (58%) of small businesses on the platform say they have been able to hire more employees' due to growth since joining Facebook


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Carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal, oil, and gas have been increasing over the past decades, causing Earth to get hotter and hotter. There are concerns that a continuation of these trends could have catastrophic effects, including crop failures in the heat-stressed tropics. This has led some to explore drastic ideas for combating global warming, including the idea of trying to counteract it by reflecting sunlight away from Earth. However, it has been suggested that reflecting sunlight away from Earth might itself threaten the food supply of billions of people.
New research led by Carnegie's Julia Pongratz examines the potential effects that geoengineering the climate could have on global food production and concludes that sunshade geoengineering would be more likely to improve rather than threaten food security. Their work is published online by Nature Climate Change Jan. 22.
Big volcanoes cool the planet by placing lots of small particles in the stratosphere, but the particles fall out within a year and the planet heats back up. One proposal for cooling the planet is to use high-flying airplanes to constantly replenish a layer of small particles in the stratosphere that would scatter sunlight back to space. But such so-called sunshade geoengineering could have unintended consequences for climate, and especially for precipitation.
Although scientists know that climate change in recent decades has negatively impacted crop yields in many regions, the study by Pongratz and colleagues is the first to examine the potential effect of geoengineering on food security. Pongratz's team, which included Carnegie's Ken Caldeira and Long Cao, as well as Stanford University's David Lobell, used models to assess the impact of sunshade geoengineering on crop yields.
Using two different climate models, they simulated climates with carbon dioxide levels similar to what exists today. A second set of simulations doubled carbon-dioxide levels -- levels that could be reached in several decades if current trends in fossil-fuel burning continue unabated. A third set of simulations posited doubled carbon dioxide, but with a layer of sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere deflecting about 2% of incoming sunlight away from Earth. The simulated climate changes were then applied to crop models that are commonly used to project future yields.
The team found that, in the model, sunshade geoengineering leads to increased crop yields in most regions, both compared with current conditions and with the future projection of doubled carbon dioxide on its own. This is because deflecting sunlight back to space reduces temperatures, but not CO2. "In many regions, future climate change is predicted to put crops under temperature stress, reducing yields. This stress is alleviated by geoengineering," Pongratz said. "At the same time, the beneficial effects that a higher CO2 concentration has on plant productivity remain active."
Even if the geoengineering would help crop yields overall, the models predict that some areas could be harmed by the geoengineering. And there are other risks that go beyond the direct impact on crop yields. For example, deployment of such systems might lead to political or even military conflict. Furthermore, these approaches do not solve the problem of ocean acidification, which is also caused by carbon dioxide emissions.
"The real world is much more complex than our climate models, so it would be premature to act based on model results like ours," Caldeira said. "But desperate people do desperate things. Therefore, it is important to understand the consequences of actions that do not strike us as being particularly good ideas."
"The climate system is not well enough understood to exclude the risks of severe unanticipated climate changes, whether due to our fossil-fuel emissions or due to intentional intervention in the climate system," Pongratz said. "Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is therefore likely a safer option than geoengineering to avert risks to global food security."
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Materials provided by Carnegie Institution. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
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Welcome, Guest
We like to welcome new members to our forums and a great way to start is for you to say 'Hi' and maybe even tell us a little about yourself!
Simply click the button above and type something :) Put your username in the 'Subject' if you like.
Click here to see a video of how to do it
TOPIC: Hello world!
Over 50 forums just for seniors Join Free here!
Buzz50 is one of the few sites where the forums are strictly restricted to those who are over 50 only.
Our senior forums are run by over 50s purely for over 50s to enjoy. If you like serious or even light hearted discussions then this is the place for you.


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Metropolitan borough facts for kids
A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England and covers urban areas within metropolitan counties.
Current metropolitan boroughs (post 1974)
The current metropolitan boroughs were created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 as subdivisions of the new metropolitan counties which were created to cover the six largest urban areas in England outside Greater London
The new authorities were actually defined by law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have borough status or city status. The new metropolitan boroughs replaced the county boroughs, municipal boroughs and urban and rural districts which existed before. The districts typically have populations of 174,000 to 1.1 million.
In 1986 the old metropolitan county councils were abolished by the Local Government Act 1985 and most of their functions were given to the boroughs, so they are to a large extent unitary authorities. Some of the functions of the abolished county councils were taken over by joint bodies such as Passenger Transport Authorities, and joint fire, police and waste disposal authorities.
The 36 current metropolitan boroughs are:
|Metropolitan County
|Metropolitan Boroughs
|Greater Manchester
|Manchester, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan
|Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral
|South Yorkshire
|Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham
|Tyne and Wear
|Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Sunderland
|West Midlands
|Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton
|West Yorkshire
|Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Wakefield
See also
In Spanish: Municipio metropolitano para niños
|Eden Espinosa
|Cameron Diaz
|Eva Longoria
|Rita Moreno


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The U.S. government has collected more data than it could ever possibly read
Only 40 percent of government IT professionals say their agency is analyzing collected data.
Few large organizations are better at collecting data than the federal government, but actually making sense of it all is one challenge they might not be up for. Read Write Web points us to a recent survey with more than 150 IT professionals who work within the U.S. government. They all agree that the capabilities of online data gathering and cheap, reliable storage has vastly increased the amount of information that we have collected in last few years. Unfortunately, only 40 percent of those IT pros say that their agency is even bothering to analyze the data that they have and even fewer are using it to make strategic decisions on a regular basis. Even more worrying is that they also say they are years away from having the tools necessary to properly make use of their massive storage piles, which grow bigger every day. From the press release:
Of those who could accurately estimate their current big data storage capacities, some 57% said it was already too late: The infrastructure is not in place for them to be able to work with what they have, and that includes cloud capacity.
(Image via aldegonde /Shutterstock.com)
NEXT STORY: Navy seeks proposals for new network


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One of the issues we deal with constantly at the Mesa FamilySearch Library is patrons who have forgotten their username and password for FamilySearch.org. Many of these sessions end up with a call to the FamilySearch.org telephonic support and even then, may not end up with the patron having the username and password restored. However, developments on the FamilySearch.org website are making this process much less painful.
The first step in restoring a user name and password, using the new features of the program, involves trying to sign in to the program. Here is a screenshot showing the link to sign in:
When you click on this link, you will be asked to indicate whether you have an LDS Account (member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) or a FamilySearch Account (everyone else). After clicking on the continue button, you will be given options about how you would like to have you username and password restored. For FamilySearch accounts, the restored information will be sent to the email address you used when you registered. For LDS account members, the restored information can go to a cellphone by text, to an email address or be restored directly online by providing a membership number.
Here is a screenshot of the selection screen for those with an LDS Account:
If the patron can supply an LDS Membership number, the username and/or password will be provided immediately. For those of us who do this regularly, this is a great improvement and will reduce the number of calls to Support.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Lost Username and Password
1 comment:
- AnonymousAugust 30, 2013 at 12:03 PM
Dear Mr. Tanner: You are an amazing writer. When will you address the issue that software developers won't talk to genealogists? Also, that software developers don't know ANYTHING about genealogical research. Why are the developers denigrating genealogical researchers who use "old, dusty microfilme?" I can't give you my name because I'm very close to the situation here in the Family History Department.ReplyDelete
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This past week has NOT been a great training week. Apart from my first workout of the week (1o min warmup then 10 x 400M at 13.7 km/h, followed by 10 min cooldown) the rest of the week was tough. I was meant to do 5M at 8:15 min/mile on Wednesday. Went out into the park in London (we went down for a few days for the half-term holiday) and gave up after 2.5 miles. It was too hard - I just couldn't hold onto the pace. Thursday morning I got out there again and ran the 5M at 8:12 min/mile pace, without stopping once. Much better. Not easy - but I felt so much more accomplished. Driving home from London on Friday I decided to do my 15M on the treadmill at the gym - the weather was horrible and very windy and I was meant to stick to an 8:40 min/mile. Well - another fail. I think I managed 2.5 km before I gave up. The will to live people! I could NOT do it. So I thought I would go for a swim in the pool and do my routine of 250m warmup (100m kickboard, 100m kickboard with 2x5m acceleration each length, 50m slow freestyle) and then my freestyle pyramid exercise (50m breathing every 2 strokes, 50m breathing ever 3 strokes and so on till 7 and then back down again). But another fail! I just could not manage the long intervals - I would come up gasping for air! I am struggling with this breathing out under water business - I just seem to keep swallowing water. So I headed home, tail between my legs. Saturday morning I was at the gym, bright and early, ready to tackle that beast again. I had, by now, resolved to warm up for 5K and then run 16K (10M) at the required pace, before cooling down. I made it to 13K this time before losing the will.
I don't know what is going wrong here. Here are my theories:
- I have said before, I don't enjoy running all my long runs at a prescribed (fast) pace. I found it hard on the Pfitzinger program when he interjected marathon-pace runs but I could do those - they were never the full-length of the run and they were not every long run either. Having said that, I'm following a half-marathon plan at the moment and looking at the full marathon plans in Run Less, Run Faster - those long-run paces look more reasonable. But I basically like running my long runs at a pace that does not make me out of breath so I can chat to a friend / listen to my podcasts = zone out for an hour or two, or three.
- nutrition. I have been on the go so much in the rest of my life that I don't think I'm watching what I eat / drink enough. I don't eat to train. I don't think I eat unhealthily (very often) but I could definitely eat in a more targeted way. I think. Funnily enough, the most succesful training cycle I have ever had (the one leading up to London 2009) was when I was on Weight Watchers. I ate lots and lots of vegetables, drank very little alcohol and was quite assidious about post-run nutrition. What do you think?
- General tiredness. I am not sleeping very well at the moment - for some reason, something disrupts my sleep every night and I end up being tired, a lot. Another reason for my tiredness might be continued iron deficiency? Maybe - I'm going back to have my iron levels tested. I've been off iron pills for a few months now to see if my ferritin levels have stabilised but I fear they may not have.
- General aimlessness. The loosey-gooseyness of my training - despite the training plan I have no target race - is not helping, mentally, to keep me in the game. It was nice for a while, but now I'm feeling lacking in focus.
So if my life were a Hallmark movie, my running would now be amazing. You'd see me running in slow-mo, with "Chariots of Fire" in the background, medals overlapping on my chest. Not so people, not so.
So this is where you all come in. I need your practical and emotional insights and advice on my training. Let me lay it out for you:
- I have entered two main events next year; the Boston Marathon and the London Triathlon. I intend to race shorter distances in the run-up to both - a hilly half-marathon (TBT) and the Ashby 30K (very hilly) before Boston and 2 local sprint triathlons before London.
- I think - but please tell me if you don't agree - that this means that between December and April I will focus my attention on running, using swimming and biking as crosstraining and improving my skills in both.
- Then, from April (but look at my caveat below) I will focus on tri-specific training - spreading myself more evenly across the disciplines.
How am I going to train? Which program am I going to follow? Do I carry on with Run Less Run Faster, running three times a week and cross training? I'm liking the tempo and the speedwork but the long runs - not so sure. And is 3 days a week really enough? Or do I add cross training onto the Pfitz? Bike one day, swim one evening? Or do I find a coach to somehow mesh something up for me? I know some of you are coaches - do you do this remotely? Could any of you help me transition from running to multisport over the course of the year? Help me?
Finally - just let me finish off a thought that's been dangling in my head for about 2 weeks now about the Boston marathon filling up so early. A lot of you have posted about it, and a lot of you have made lots of valid points. I found myself, in the days after registration opened and closed, feeling very antsy and defensive and when I actually started to think of why, I realised it was because I feel that am one of the people in the group that critics think "have it too easy" - I am in the 35-39 age group with a qualifying time of 3:45 and I'm well aware that many feel that that is too lenient, that men my age have to work harder to qualify and that there are many many women out there who are far faster than me (in my age group and often above). Moreover, I'm well aware that if they change the qualifying times by more than 12 seconds (likely) I would not have been in, at all. So I am quite aware that this is probably going to be my one and only Boston - and I am totally fine with that. I never thought I would have a shot at it, at all, and I'm going to give it my best. And then run some of the other awesome races that can be run all over the world..
So now can now all tell me how you think I should my next training year. And if you're thinking - hey, she's leaving the second half of the year unplanned - well, I'm kind of waiting to see how the first half unfolds. But if you have other thoughts on that - bring it on! I want to hear it. Till then my friends - bottoms up! (Although I'm sure you'll be telling me to make that a protein shake if I really want to get my mojo back and I might even listen!).


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Carleton Ravens Men's Hockey 2009 - 10 Season
With the final regular season home game now behind us, this gallery is complete. It includes my best and favorite images taken during most of the team's home games. See the playoff gallery for additional images, featuring their post season run.Read More


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The correct approach needs to be adopted when consolidating and restoring historic buildings or when carrying out conservative renovation work. This is why every Mapei product in this line is formulated to have characteristics as similar as possible to the mortars used in the past to make them compatible with any type of original wall or structure.
The line includes various types of slurry, dehumidifying, breathable and structural render, binders for mortar and render, masonry and skimming mortars in various textures, products to form chemical barriers against damp and systems to strengthen wooden structures. Our technical assistance service is an important part of identifying the exact cause of a problem and choosing which remedial action should be adopted, as well as the correct technology.