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From EVEWiki
|GoonSwarm [OHGOD]
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|Executor Corporation
|Founding Corporation
|Settled Systems
|Member Corporations
|Member Total
|Date Created
|3 July 2006
|Updated: February 4, 2010
|Corporations · Alliances · Factions · Players
Alliance Overview
GoonSwarm is a small alliance that used to contain the largest single corporation in-game, GoonFleet. They used to control the South and South East with allies Zenith Affinity, Pandemic Legion, and Rebellion Alliance. Their primary enemies in the south were Stain Empire, Red.Overlord, Against All Authorities, IT Alliance and any alliance, corporation or individual who identifies themselves as tenants, vassals or allies of these alliances, e.g. Styx, Ushra'Khan, G00DFELLAS, C0VEN. As of October 2010, GoonSwarm controls Deklein, replacing the previous owners TCF.
GoonSwarm was (in)famous for utilizing "zerg-like" tactics against their enemies with smaller ships such as T1 cruisers and frigates, willingly sacrificing a dozen or more small cheap ships to destroy a single Heavy Assault Cruiser or T2 fitted Battleship. This is partially due to the fact that they have a constant influx of new, inexperienced players without the skills or resources to buy and fit Tech 2 ship or modules, but also due to their rejection of 'kill:death ratio' statistics as a worthwhile marker of alliance strength. GoonSwarm members commonly argue that whilst tracking numbers of ships killed and lost is useful for forum posturing and self-congratulation, it has little bearing on 0.0 warfare where what matters more is the ability to take and control territory, harass hostile industrial and economic operations, and to break the morale of enemy pilots. This was most graphically demonstrated during the war against Lotka Volterra in early 2007, where despite maintaining a very positive kill:death ratio Lotka Volterra lost every one of their stations over a period of seven weeks, disbanding shortly afterward. However, whilst Goonswarm still encourage their newbie playerbase to fly very cheap and easily replaceable frigates, they have a strong force of high-SP pilots able to deploy T2-fit battleships, carriers and dreads for fleet operations if required.
Two member corporations within Goonswarm, Goonfleet and The Greater Goon (Now no longer part of the alliance), recruited the majority of their members from the SomethingAwful.com forums, where they hold regular 'newbie drives' where they encourage non-players to try out EVE Online and join their corporation - members of the Something Awful forums are referred to as "goons" even outside of EVE, and 'Goonsquad' organisations exist in other MMORPGs such as Second Life and World of Warcraft, although for the most part these guilds are made up of different players than those in Goonswarm. Goonfleet and The Greater Goon have no minimum skill point requirements, although other member corporations within the alliance have varying criteria for accepting or rejecting applicants.
On January 24th 2008 Goonswarm announced the construction of their first Titan, an Erebus-class vessel piloted by Goonfleet director Deadtear. Goonswarm unveiled two new titans on May 15th 2008, another Erebus-class piloted by 0mega and an Avatar-class under the command of Lord Azrael. 4 days after, Deadtear's Titan was lost in combat, a swarm of ships and the ever-present lag preventing its exit. In July 2008, Goonswarm unveiled a fourth titan, an Avatar flown by Omec, who has since achieved his personal best of 110 ships destroyed during a double-doomsday assault (Battle Report).
On February 3rd, 2010, a GoonSwarm director kicked all corporations of GoonSwarm except for the wallet holding corp, and transferred the alliance and Goonfleet funds that he had access to into his own wallet. GoonSwarm reformed as GoonSwarm Federation under the leadership of The Mittani.
Source(s): Game solutions
GoonSwarm was founded in summer 2006 as Goonfleet and associated corporations broke off from The OSS in good faith to go their own way. In late June 2006 and almost immediately after forming, GoonSwarm went to war with Dusk And Dawn over the XZH-4X system in Cloud Ring. After a grueling war, Dusk And Dawn eventually bested GoonSwarm in early August 2006 and GoonSwarm retreated back to Syndicate.
Shortly after this, Band of Brothers and the Mercenary Coalition declared war against GoonSwarm and invaded Syndicate for approximately two and a half weeks, effectively immobilizing GoonSwarm in the JQV constellation. GoonSwarm then shifted tactics, creating an entire fleet of characters with the moniker "VCBee XXX" with XXX being a random number. Using these throwaway VCBee characters that cost next to nothing when killed, GoonSwarm engaged in guerrilla warfare against Band of Brothers, both in 0.0 and empire. GoonSwarm also declared war on IRON, RAZOR and a host of other alliances in an act of defiance.
After Band of Brothers moved out of the region, after realizing that continued warfare against freshly created characters was pointless, GoonSwarm waged a short but successful campaign against Black Reign Syndicate in an attempt to remove them from Lower Syndicate. Shortly after, GoonSwarm moved to the South, abandoning Syndicate and moving in as roommates with Red Alliance. Without slowing, GoonSwarm moved to take Wicked Creek, Scalding Pass, Detorid, Tenerifis and Omist away from the Southern Coalition, consisting of Lotka Volterra, Veritas Immortalis and Knights Of The Southerncross.
One of the largest battles in EVE took place on GoonSwarm's watch, where a combined GoonSwarm and Red Alliance fleet destroyed fifteen dreadnoughts and a carrier owned by Lotka Volterra at Planet 2 Moon 1 of the DG-8VJ system, which were engaging in a POS assault against a GoonSwarm tower. Only a couple of weeks later, Tau Ceti Federation performed a strike against Planet 4 Moon 1 of the JV1V- system in Tenerifis, which contained a capital shipyard housing an incomplete Titan that was still in production. After many attacks and counter-attacks against this capital shipyard, with the final climax taking place over seven hours, one thousand pilots and over ten node crashes, Red Alliance, Tau Ceti Federation and GoonSwarm jumped their entire dreadnought force into the system and destroyed the tower, thereby aborting the Avatar-class Titan before it was complete.
After the dissolving of Lotka Volterra, GoonSwarm attempted to make their newly acquired regions (Omist, Detorid, Tenerifis) profitable by opening up a "Free Trade Zone" where access to ores and NPCs was granted as long as POS fuel was delivered in a timely fashion. However, this project was ended with the loss of Omist and the contesting of Tenerifis by Band of Brothers, as neither region were economically feasible to hold on to, with some station systems ranging into 70+ moons. The Free Trade Zone was later transferred to the control of Tau Ceti Federation in Wicked Creek.
At the time Motherships and Titans proved to be an unbeatable force, as they were virtually impossible to tackle. BoB used this to their full advantage, pushing GoonSwarm back with forces spearheaded by Shrike - SirMolle's Avatar pilot. Abuse of supercaps was rife, with constant doomsdays and "POS-bowling". Band of Brothers continued to push on Tenerifis for weeks, taking the 9-98 and XZH stations from GoonSwarm. As BoB began their invasion of the station in JV1V it looked like GoonSwarm was doomed.
In June 2007 CCP deployed the Revelations II expansion with several changes to 0.0 warfare. In particular supercaps could now be tackled by interdictors. Within days of this deployment the course of history changed significantly... Band of Brothers suffered a major loss at the hands of GoonSwarm and Red Alliance, losing SirMolle's Avatar-class Titan in what was the first kill of a "live" Titan (where the pilot was logged in and actively defending himself, as opposed to the ship being probed-out after the pilot logged out). As forces moved into place to fight over JV1V towers coming out of reinforced, Shrike attempted to doomsday a GS reinforcement fleet in 46DP. He after the DD he cloaked above the 9-98 gate. Hrin - a GS member - burned up and decloaked the Avatar, which was quickly tackled as allied forces streamed in to support. Within minutes GoonSwarm and Red Alliance jumped multiple capitals onto the besieged titan. In game footage and Goonswarm's Teamspeak recording of Shrike's death can be seen and heard at [1]
The killing of Shrike proved to be a turning point in the conflict, and throughout the remaining months of 2007 Goonswarm and its coalition partners gradually pushed back the Band of Brothers-led alliances. First out of Tenerifis, then Omist, Feythabolis, Esoteria, Paragon Soul, Providence and Catch, before the invasion of Delve began in early 2008. Without the ability to abuse supercapitals BoB gradually ceded their huge territory to the GS coalition and fell back to Delve. Progress in Delve was initially made with the capture of the QY6 station but later stalled. The invaders failed to conquer N0L-M9, backed by Band of Brothers' deployment of 8 Titans under a cynojammer.
In May 2008 Goonswarm called a halt to the Delve campaign and turned its attentions to the Drone Regions and Geminate where an alliance of SMASH, R0ADKILL, ATLAS, Veritas Immortalis and FIX threatened to take the space of their allies in Ethereal Dawn and Intrepid Crossing. Whilst Red Alliance quickly evicted FIX and Atlas from their drone region territories, Goonswarm shrugged off the loss of their first Titan and moved into the N-K4Q0 NPC constellation in Geminate, assaulting and breaking Roadkill's IPS-QB Sov 4 constellation in two weeks whilst killing over 30 hostile capital ships. Roadkill and SMASH resistance effectively crumbled at this point, and the remaining territory in Geminate quickly fell with little more than token resistance. Both Roadkill and SMASH disintegrated with the loss of their space, many of the corps joining ATLAS Alliance.
With Geminate pacified and Goonswarm, KIA Alliance and Daisho Syndicate dividing the region between themselves, the alliance returned to the south and commenced a fresh campaign against Stain Empire and C0VEN who had taken advantage of the northern deployment capture systems and moon mining operations. Stain Empire immediately proved to be a more stubborn foe than SMASH, unveiling an Avatar titan flown by Armitige, and killing 40 Goonswarm and Tau Ceti Federation capital ships whilst losing 14 of their own in a battle in C9N-CC on 15th July 2008. The next few months saw ATLAS Alliance move south into Stain alongside Stain Empire and COVEN, and several battles erupted over station systems and r64 moons in Esoteria as ATLAS made incursions into Goonswarm territory.
Skirmishes continued throughout GS territory for most of 2008. Despite mixed success GoonSwarm held their space against the Stainwagon and Atlas attacks. Later in the year a disagreement over a static complex exploded into a feud with nync, a Red Alliance FC. Nync left RA to form Red Overlord, with the aim of taking GS space to run as his own.
This was followed by an announcement by AAA leader Evil Thug. After a long period of coexistance Against All Authorities reset GoonSwarm, claiming a desire for 'good fights'. They launched an immediate attack on the constellation containing the AZN station, which was repulsed after only the first weekend. A back-and-forth continued for several weeks, with both sides attempting and failing to take space from the other. The C9N station was eventually lost to Stain following a catastrophic stront timing error, paving the way for StainWagon to push further on GS' money moon income in Esoteria.
As 2008 drew to a close, Band of Brothers decided to take advantage of the turmoil the south to launch their own campaign against GoonSwarm in revenge for the attack on Delve earlier in the year. As new year arrived GoonSwarm were besieged by StainWagon and ROL in Esoteria, by AAA in Tenerifis and BoB in Detorid.
BoB succeeded in taking the DG- station in Detorid, but narrowly failed to break constellational sov as the NC arrived to GoonSwarm's aid. The war progressed with little territory changing hands. GoonSwarm continued to haemorrage it's r64 moons (and most of it's raw income) to StainWagon in the south-west as they successfully defended the opposite end of their territory from BoB and AAA. The defenders could not dislodge the invaders, although GS did manage a surprise counterattack on the BoB capital fleet, killing dozens of dreads and carriers with a sniping dreadnought force.
In early February of 2009, the deadlock was suddenly broken. Out of nowhere Haargoth Agamar triggered the disbanding of BoB, causing all their sovereignty in their home regions to drop and all defensive bonuses to vanish. Adding insult to injury he transferred the majority of BNC isk and assets to GoonSwarm, who recieved a large quantity of the materials being used to invade Detorid. According to RMT research site | mmobux this was the 2nd biggest one-day currency gain by any individual in EVE to that date.
The GoonSwarm directorate saw this as a once in a lifetime opportunity to destroy their most hated enemy. Without hesitation Darius Johnson ordered the invasion of Delve. GoonSwarm would abandon their beleaguered territory and take BoB's home, or die trying. Backed by the NC and Pandemic Legion, a full scale invasion was underway within a day.
The former BoB corps reformed under the name of 'KenZoku' and issued a recall to defend their home. The AAA coalition were slow to follow them, preferring to harass GoonSwarm members evacuating their space in preparation for taking a new home. With limited allies KenZoku were quickly overwhelmed. Lacking cynojammers to protect core systems, capital ship yards quickly fell to massed coalition ships. The final blow was dealt as KenZoku formed to defend a capital yard in west Delve. SirMolle jumped his Avatar into system and attempting to move inside a POS shield. He was quickly spotted, tackled and eventually killed. The titan loss - his 2nd to GoonSwarm and 4th in total - was quickly followed by the death of Waaagaaa Klethr's Aeon and the loss of the capital yards they gathered to defend.
KenZoku was virtually broken by this fight, eventually camped into the PR- station for a month as their former home burned around them. Finally, after a month of camping enough people got bored and KenZoku was able to breakout, but by then much of Delve was under GoonSwarm and allied control. KenZoku eventaully regrouped with AAA to take back 49-U, but were ousted after an extended conflict. GoonSwarm wrapped up control of Delve and Querious by Summer 2009, with allies Pandemic Legion taking ownership of Fountain.
In early 2010, a GoonSwarm director and leader of Goonfleet named karttoon bored with his position kicked all corporations of GoonSwarm except for the wallet holding corp and holding corp, and transferred the alliance and Goonfleet funds that he had access to, totalling upwards of 150 billion ISK in cash and around 300 billion ISK in assets into his own wallet.
Notable Battles
External Links
- Goonswarm Website (Requires registration; only available to GoonSwarm members.)
- EVE-ONLINE Alliance Listing
- Little Bees - song and video by Goonswarm
- GoonSwarm saying goodbye to the south
- Suas singing 'I Robbed a Goon'


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"The AAA's Ad Hoc Commission on Anthropology's Engagement with the Security and Intelligence Communities (CEAUSSIC) continues its work. Our main activities at present include: 1. the writing of a report to the AAA on the widely and hotly debated Human Terrain System of the U.S. Army (by the fall), 2. The editing of a casebook illustrating the diversity of kinds of practicing anthropology, including associated ethical questions, with a primary emphasis upon the security sector broadly conceived, 3. And providing support for the AAA's ongoing ethics process. In an effort to keep our work transparent and part of the public and disciplinary discussion of all of the above, CEAUSSIC is also going to be contributing a monthly entry to the AAA's blog. Each entry, by different CEAUSSIC members, will address topics that have arisen or that we have been thinking about, which we will continue to discuss via the blog, a discussion in which we hope you will also participate."
Anthropological Engagements with Military and Intelligence Agencies: Ethics, Politics, and ongoing Discourse
September 9, 2009
David Price, Saint Martin's University, Lacey, Washington, member CEAUSSIC
Over the past three years the AAA's Ad Hoc Commission on the Engagement of Anthropology with the U.S. Security and Intelligence Communities (CEAUSSIC) has created what strikes me as an unusual and useful space for dialogue between different positions in debates over anthropological engagements with military, security and intelligence agencies. The commission's composition intentionally included critics of anthropological engagements with military and intelligence agencies, anthropologists working in military and security sectors, members with ongoing interest in professional ethics, members working on human rights issues and members of the Executive Board. The commission's discussions have been critical, open, sometimes heated, challenging, honest and ongoing, even though we have sometimes found ourselves disagreeing on fundamental points.
As a group we made progress in figuring out how to talk about these issues without simply backing into corners and shutting down, and I credit former AAA President Alan Goodman with having the foresight and commitment to devote Association resources to try and proactively deal with these issues, while President Setha Low and Chairs Jim Peacock and Rob Albro have worked to keep the conversation progressing.
When we first began our discussions, one of the ways we focused our dialogues was to talk about the different ethical relationships arising when anthropologists conduct research for the military and when they do research on or of the military. While we sometimes did not share the same analysis of the ethical issues raised by particular cases, we did come to a generally shared agreement that the most significant ethical issues raised by anthropologist/military engagements are those that raise the possibility that traditional anthropological commitments to obtain voluntary informed consent, to not engage in research that could harm those studied, to not generate reports that studied populations cannot access, or to fully disclose to those studied what would be done with the data collected by anthropologists. In this way, the commission sought to examine practices of military/intelligence anthropology using the same ethical standards we would use to study other anthropological engagements.
One of the most productive outcomes of the commission has been ongoing dialogues examining the how the AAA code of ethics interfaces with particular activities undertaken by anthropologists working in military and intelligence settings. Such focus on the activities of anthropologists working on specific projects helped illuminate the different ethical issues raised by an anthropologist conducting ethnographic research on a branch of the US military for this same branch of the military, and a military anthropologist studying a foreign culture for the US military, and thus helped clarify the ethical difference in various specific anthropological engagements with the military.
For the Commission to even start such discussions, we had to artificially separate "political" issues from "ethical" issues, and then set aside the larger political issues of how anthropological engagements with military/intelligence/national security sectors relate to larger issues of US foreign policy, neo-colonial military campaigns, the Global War on Terror and a growing military reliance on anthropologically informed counterinsurgency. I suppose that such ongoing political discourse would have overwhelmed discussions to the point where we might have imploded and it would have been unlikely for us to get to the point of making the sort of ethical distinctions we made (and it's not that I and others did not raise these points along the way); but addressed or not, these political issues remain at the forefront of many AAA members' concerns over these issues. While the commission's discussions were productive and worthwhile, the convenience of a categorical separation of "the ethical" from "the political" has left large issues unaddressed, and like most unaddressed issues I suppose that in the future these will surface in all sorts of predictable and unpredictable ways.
To get a sense of how the commission approached the ethical rather than political issues, compare our memo [see Appendix x, pp 29-34] to the AAA Executive Board outlining our ethical (not political) concerns on the Human Terrain Program with the AAA Executive Board's memo on HTS–which raised both ethical and political concerns with a broader focus that included such political concerns as: "In the context of a war that is widely recognized as a denial of human rights and based on faulty intelligence and undemocratic principles, the Executive Board sees the HTS project as a problematic application of anthropological expertise, most specifically on ethical grounds." I suppose some might argue that the Commission's strict attention only to the ethical issues raised by HTS might have provided some different type of credibility (from the Executive Board's additional political critique) with members of the military if anyone was paying attention to such distinctions—but having done a dozen press interviews in the aftermath of the uproar that followed, I don't think anyone was: all people seemed to hear was a political response.
Political issues have always bubbled to the surface of American anthropology; whether it was James Mooney's decision to study native peoples in ways that honored them and their cultural complexities (instead of reporting on their culture in ways that primarily made them vulnerable to military counterinsurgency campaigns), Boas and his students' political advocacy for policies recognizing racial equality, Laura Thompson's World War II warning that anthropologists needed to come to grips with what the war was doing to their discipline or it risked turning anthropologists into "technicians for hire to the highest bidder," or how the efforts by intelligence operatives to access anthropologists' Thai village studies during the Vietnam War led Delmos Jones to call for anthropologists to cease publishing their results. The political issues have always been there, but just as warfare has historically pushed the American anthropologists to develop and revise professional ethics codes, warfare brings political issues to the fore.
There is no political neutrality. Instead there is only silence or engagement on these issues—and silence most usually means acquiescence to national policies, which is itself a very political position. The AAA has a long history of adopting numerous political positions (most obviously on issues relating to race, gender, definitions of marriage, academic freedom etc.), yet there remains a reticence to address the political meaning of using anthropology in military contexts that include the occupation and conquest of the peoples we work with and study—it is as if some believe that addressing these issues would somehow undermine the scientific (or humanistic) nature of our work—yet the measures of our work are generally measured by criteria such as reliability, validity, rigor of method etc., criteria that need not be undermined by directly addressing the political project that seeks anthropologists, our data and methods.
In our CEAUSSIC discussions, some members of the commission have chided me for being what they sometimes referred to as my structural determinist tendencies because my view of recurrent historical interactions of anthropologists with military/intelligence agencies is one in which even well meaning individuals are generally unable to impact the larger structures and the missions of agencies in which they work (truth is my sense of deterministic doom goes deeper than that: I am much more of an infrastructural determinist, finding the contingencies of an overwhelming military industrial economy birthing powerful structures that take on Weberian forces greater than individual wills). It is certainly true that my reading of the history of anthropological engagements with military and intelligence agencies does find recurrent themes wherein anthropologists have little or no say in how the knowledge they produce is used. I do grow increasingly concerned that anthropologists working in these environments may not adequately appreciate how little control they have over the work they produce or how limiting the input they can have in transforming not only the structures of military and intelligence workplaces, but of the neo-colonial policies that the United States government and military are committed to enforcing regardless of these individuals' best intentions. I worry that the sort of sunny Pollyanna optimism of Homer Barnett's inexplicable against-all-odds fictive "innovator" may be rushing into a world governed by the rusted iron determinism of Leslie White—and they aren't rushing in alone, we're all going along for the ride.
CEAUSSIC has been a very useful and significant means for the Association to begin untangling some of the issues raised by anthropological engagements with the military, but it seems only a first step. Given the Obama Administration's talk of increased reliance on counterinsurgency's soft power in Afghanistan, the political and ethical issues raised by anthropologists manipulating other cultures in ways aligned with US foreign policy are likely to rise to the surface. My hope is that the AAA remains attentive not only to the ethical issues raised by these developments, but that the Association begins to more proactively address the political issues raised by the prospects of an increasing militarization of anthropology.

subset: commoncrawl


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MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Annual Sodexo Bobcat Classic Golf Tournament, one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for Georgia College & State University athletics, has been set for Monday, Sept. 13 at Harbor Club on Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga.
As always, there will be tee times offered for the morning and afternoon. While the chance to hit the links at Harbor Club is often incentive enough to sign up for the annual tournament, the door prizes at the Bobcat Classic are often second to none.
"It's a great day of fun and fellowship on one of the finest golf courses anywhere," said Athletic Director Wendell Staton. "Proceeds directly benefit the highest academic achievers within the athletic department. We look forward to another outstanding tournament this year as we have had great prior success due to loyal support and volunteers."
The cost is $700 for a foursome, with shotgun starts at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Bobcat athletics had another banner year in 2009-10, bringing home its second-straight Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Commissioner's Cup, the all-sports trophy for the conference. Georgia College baseball and golf brought home their PBC Championships, as these and six of the other programs at Georgia College competed in the NCAA post-season last year. The Bobcat baseball team also had a dream run in the post season, advancing to the College World Series semifinals. One of the best examples of a balance between academics and athletics in all of Division II, the Bobcats also saw 93 of their student-athletes named to the PBC Presidential Honor Roll teams in 2009-10.
For more information or to register as an individual or foursome, contact the athletic department office at 478-445-6341.
The GCSU Department of Athletics, back-to-back winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Georgia College prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/GCSUBobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCSUBobcats.com to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GCSU Athletics Hall of Fame.


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The biggest grant, £4.4 million, is going to Clipper Windpower to develop a prototype blade for its 10 MW Britannia turbine project. Clipper now expects to start work on a plant in north-east England, where the 70 metre blades will be developed. Over £1 million is going to Siemens Windpower UK to develop the next generation of power convertors for its larger offshore turbine. And Artemis Intelligent Power is getting £1 million to transfer its digital displacement transmissions technology from the automotive applications to wind energy. The grants are the latest awarded under the £10 million first phase of the government's Low Carbon Energy Demonstration capital grants programme to bring forward new turbine technology for offshore deployment. Vestas was awarded around £3 million from the programme in August, combined with over £3m of funding from the South East England Development Agency, to expand its research and development centre on the Isle of Wight. Energy Minister Ed Miliband says: "We already have more offshore wind energy than any other country, we have the biggest wind farm in the world about to start construction and now we'll see the biggest turbine blades in the world made here in Britain."
Scottish and Southern Energy refuses to confirm or deny media reports that damage or cracks have been discovered in some of the monopile foundations that are due to be installed at its Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm off Suffolk. However the company firmly denies reports that work on site has stopped. "Work continues," says a spokesman, adding that there are already a number of monopiles in the water. "There were some queries on the state of the monopoles from China," he says, adding that quality assurance work on the monopiles is currently under way. "We have got a process in place that ensures the quality of the monopiles is sufficient when they go into the sea." The monopiles are currently at Vlissingen in the Netherlands from where they are shipped to the site off the east coast of England.


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10th May 2017
In a crisis situation. when is it right to say sorry? US crisis comms lead, David Schraeder explores.
In 2016, the band Chicago was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, along with Dr Dre and other musical masters. The band's chart topping album "Chicago 16" features the song "Hard for me to say I'm sorry." It hit #1 in the US on September 11, 1982, just four days after the album was released. Written by lead singer Peter Cetera and producer David Foster, the song's chorus evokes emotion in us as we recollect moments when we needed to apologize, and perhaps found it hard to do. Saying sorry is truly one of the most difficult things for many people, and companies, to understand and communicate.
The chorus to "Hard for me to say I'm sorry" contains some hidden wisdom about crisis communications and connecting with your most important audiences when things have gone wrong:
Hold me now (that's right, you've got a crisis on your hands and this is going to hurt a little)
It's hard for me to say I'm sorry (is it really my fault? But my lawyers won't let me!)
I just want you to stay (how am I going to retain you as a customer?)
After all that we've been through (I can't believe this happened…)
I will make it up to you (you've made it clear this is a requirement)
I promise to (and we'll be watching and holding you to account)
And after all that's been said and done (what did we know and when?)
You're just the part of me I can't let go (this is now part of our story)
What the song doesn't contain is an actual apology! So what is it about saying "I'm sorry", or "I apologize" that makes it such a challenge not only for us as individuals but for companies that have done something to arouse the ire of the masses?
Reason 1: We don't like to admit when we've done something wrong – one study linked refusal to apologize to increased feelings of power, control and value integrity. Individuals may let this bias get in the way of apologizing, even when it is often the best strategy to take. No one likes to make a mistake or have to deal with a mess, and once you've faced up to the fact that something is going wrong, you often don't choose whether to respond – the situation chooses you.
Reason 2: We don't believe we've done anything wrong – unfortunately many crises are made worse when this reason dominates. See my previous article on the United crisis here. Being able to see a situation clearly, and to read the emotional fuel for its combustibility, is an absolute must for managing a crisis situation appropriately and effectively.
Reason 3: We're afraid that saying sorry means we're admitting to doing something wrong and we're going to have to pay for it. Attorneys view apology through the lens of the law and minimizing liabilities, while the comms team sees it from a reputational perspective to minimize damage to corporate reputation. Depending on circumstances, a sincere and immediate apology can often blunt the public outcry and allow the lawyers to resolve any legal issues – win/win.
And more importantly, why is communicating a heartfelt apology so powerful? It can in fact be worth billions. Ahead of the opening of "Straight Outta Compton", and perhaps (likely) at the urging of the Apple comms team, Dr Dre, another Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2016 inductee, of NWA, Beats, and Hip Hop fame, owned his past and delivered an apology that felt sincere, and raw.
"Twenty-five years ago I was a young man drinking too much and in over my head with no real structure in my life. However, none of this is an excuse for what I did. I've been married for 19 years and every day I'm working to be a better man for my family, seeking guidance along the way. I'm doing everything I can so I never resemble that man again."
He added: "I apologize to the women I've hurt. I deeply regret what I did and know that it has forever impacted all of our lives."
Is it too late to say sorry now?
The chart topping Justin Bieber song, "Sorry", written by Justin Tranter, asks that simple question. In the song, Bieber is seeking forgiveness from Selena Gomez, and his fans. The chorus provides us with insight into the timing of an apology and asks, "Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?"
I'm sorry, yeah
Sorry, oh
Yeah I know that I let you down
Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?
It is truly hard to say you're sorry, and often what's transpired becomes a part of you that you can't let go. There is wisdom in Justin Bieber's simple question, "Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?" And, as evidenced by Dr Dre, I think it's safe to say, no, it's not too late – though apologizing sooner rather than later can often mitigate the severe decree.
So if you're a brand, or an executive with a tough apology to make, perhaps it's time to have a heart-to-heart with your comms team about how to say you're sorry, mean it, and find a way to make it up to those you've let down. It's just the start of making it up to whomever has been wronged. Then the real work of fixing the problem can begin.
David Schraeder leads Grayling's crisis management team in the US and is sorry if you now have that Chicago song stuck in your head. For more details download the PDF.
Grayling Team
15th November 2016
Will Kunkel, Executive Vice President for Creative and Content in Grayling New York, on the final of our #7for17 trends, Live and Uncut'Timing is everything' has been a favorite line to many but...Read More
8th November 2016
Danica Ross, Grayling San Francisco US Executive Vice President, on how brands can guide themselves through the 'the new space race' – part of our #7for17 trends series.In an era where brands...Read More
3rd November 2016
Russell Patten, Chair of Grayling's European Public Affairs practice, looks at one of the major political trends as part of our #7for17 series. It's been a turbulent year in politics, with the...Read More


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Jolt Awards: The Best Testing Tools, May 21, 2013 The best testing tools of the past year
Finalist: BlazeMeter
Are you working on a publicly accessible website that you need to test for scalability and performance? Rather than downloading bits to a bank of computers to simulate the load of hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of simultaneous connections, you can save yourself a lot of time, hassle, and money by using a cloud service optimized for Web application testing.
BlazeMeter offers more than 15 major features that help test, capture, and report on a website's performance under varying degrees of stress. Using its expansive cluster of JMeter resources, BlazeMeter can easily simulate a wide range of load, and launch over a hundred thousand browsers at your testing target to see how it holds up. Data visualization tools allow you to see how your application is holding up in real time, as well as deeply inspect performance post tests for bottlenecks and stress points. The job of creating and running tests is intuitively simple, as is reviewing the results in colorful and meaningful performance charts, graphs, and statistics.
Mike Riley


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The conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR) has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Amid ongoing insecurity, WFP is distributing food assistance to families in need. Here are nine key facts about the hunger crisis in CAR.
1. Because of the conflict, an estimated 2.6 million people in CAR currently need humanitarian assistance.
2. An assessment in late December found that many families are now eating one meal a day, instead of two or three previously. This adds to the risk of malnutrition.
3. The same assessment found that 60% of households have no food stocks available.
4. Across the country, food prices have increased substantially because fighting has disrupted transport, markets and traders.
5. Almost all communities – 94% – have reported not having enough seed for the next planting season. This raises the risk of a poor harvest in 2014.
6. Even before the outbreak of conflict, 30% of households - some 1.3 million people - were living without reliable access to nutritious food.
7. At the moment, insecurity is the greatest obstacle to delivering aid. Humanitarian agencies have to plan operations by the hour to exploit windows of opportunity.
8. With the rainy season coming in May, it is critical to pre-position food stocks. In a few weeks road transport could become impossible.
9. WFP has launched an appeal for US$107 million to assist 1.25 million people in CAR in 2014.
If you would like to support WFP's emergency operations, you can make a donation here.
Sources: WFP Emergency Food Security Assessment (Oct.2013) and Multi-Cluster Sector Initial Rapid Assessment (Dec.2013)


text: Search results 16 items matching your search terms. Filter the results. Item type Select All/None Blog Entry Web Page Event Folder Link News Item Message Board Comment Forum Collection New items since Yesterday Last week Last month Ever Sort by relevance · date (newest first) · alphabetically 13th Libre Software Meeting by Jeanne Rasata — published May 30, 2012 — filed under: Meeting Geneva, Switzerland - Uni-Mail, Plain Palais Located in FSF Events 2005 Associate Member Meeting by Matt Lee — published Feb 08, 2005 — last modified Feb 12, 2005 05:13 PM — filed under: Meeting All FSF associate members are welcome to join FSF leadership and staff for a day of presentations and conversation. Located in FSF Events 2008 Members Meeting: "Tackling the Big Issues" by Matt Lee — published Mar 05, 2008 — last modified Mar 14, 2008 02:21 PM — filed under: Meeting Location: MIT, Building 6-120, Cambridge, MA. Located in FSF Events Event - GNU Hackers Meeting (Madrid, Spain) by Jeanne Rasata — published Jun 19, 2019 — last modified Jun 19, 2019 12:43 PM — filed under: Meeting Madrid, Spain Located in FSF Events FSF Compliance Lab IRC Meeting for October by Matt Lee — published Oct 18, 2007 — last modified Oct 18, 2007 04:58 PM — filed under: Meeting The FSF Compliance Lab will hold a Q&A about all GNU licenses. Located in FSF Events FSF Members Meeting 2007: "Year of the Upgrade" by Matt Lee — published Mar 14, 2007 — last modified Mar 14, 2007 11:48 AM — filed under: Meeting This year's meeting will focus on the practical efforts underway to increase free software adoption and strengthen the free software movement. With the theme "Year of the upgrade", we will discuss the FSF campaigns and projects, and elicit a conversation with members about where we need to focus our efforts. Eben Moglen will set out a vision for the future with his speech "After GPLv3", and a panel of FSF board members will lead an interactive discussion on the work of the FSF. Following on from the success of last years members forum, we have invited a few distinguished members to speak and discuss their work, and this year we welcome Mako Hill to talk about his work "Defining free culture". Located in FSF Events GNU GPLv3 Launch by Matt Lee — published Jun 27, 2007 — last modified Jun 29, 2007 10:03 AM — filed under: Meeting On Friday, June 29, at 12 noon (EDT), the Free Software Foundation will officially release the GNU GPL version 3. Please, join us in celebration as we bring to a close eighteen months of public outreach and comment in revision of the world's most popular free software license. Beyond the creation of an improved license, the process of drafting version 3 has helped highlight vital issues for the community of free software users. This is a moment to thank both the thousands who participated by commenting on the license and those who represented stakeholders through the GPLv3 committee process. Now, with the release of GPLv3, we will see new defenses extended to free software. These defenses will continue the long history of fighting all efforts to make free software proprietary. Please, join us as we stream live footage of Richard Stallman announcing GPLv3 from Noon (EDT) at www.fsf.org. If you are in the Boston area you can also join us at the FSF offices from 11:30am. Please let us know at <firstname.lastname@example.com> if you would like to attend. -- Peter T. Brown Executive Director Free Software Foundation 51 Franklin St. 5th Floor Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA Located in FSF Events GNU Hackers Meeting by Jeanne Rasata — published Apr 05, 2011 — last modified Apr 05, 2011 02:39 PM — filed under: Meeting Paris, France - 23, avenue d'Italie, 75013 Paris Located in FSF Events GNU Hackers Meeting 2013 by Jeanne Rasata — published Jun 26, 2013 — filed under: Meeting Paris, France - IRILL, 23, avenue d'Italie, 75013 Paris Located in FSF Events GNU Hackers' Meeting by Jeanne Rasata — published Apr 16, 2010 — last modified Jun 30, 2010 03:27 PM — filed under: Meeting Theme: Free Secure Networking and Decentralized Applications. This is a technical meeting; all GNU contributors are welcome. Located in FSF Events Next 6 items » [1] 2


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This information was the most current on file in criminal division of Marion County District Court as of May 3. Information often is not available until more than a week after hearings. Journal entries must be checked by the defense, prosecution, and judge before they are filed.
Cody L. Fistler, 785 Old Mill Road, Peabody; preliminary hearing continued from April 1 to April 17 on a charge of possession of stolen property.
Andrew Logan Meier, 211 E. Maria, Lehigh; information filed May 3; charged with non-residential burglary, felony theft (of a 1918 Indian motorcycle), criminal trespass, and five counts misdemeanor theft.


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(This report is part of the Morning Edition series "2 Languages, Many Voices: Latinos In The U.S.," looking at the ways Latinos are changing — and being changed — by the U.S.)
One place the Hispanic population is growing is in the overwhelmingly white state of Iowa. The latest census figures show the Hispanic population, while only 5 percent of the state, has almost doubled since 2000.
And one small town — West Liberty — is the first in Iowa to have a majority Hispanic population.
Downtown West Liberty, Iowa, is quintessentially Midwestern American, both quaint and historic, with brick buildings lining brick streets. A typical stroll involves walking past the bank, a renovated theater, a hair salon, restaurants and stores.
West Liberty Mayor Chad Thomas says that unlike a lot of other small Midwestern towns that are dying, West Liberty is alive.
"I see a lot of businesses that are open, and not vacant storefronts," Thomas says. "Probably half of the businesses are Hispanic-owned."
Next to Paul Revere's Pizza on 3rd Street is Tienda La Luna, and next to the American Legion Hall is the popular Acapulco Mexican Bakery.
Now at 3,700 people and counting, the eastern Iowa town is growing and thriving, Thomas says.
"If you didn't have the Hispanic population here in town, yeah, we would be much more like a lot of smaller towns, and there would be a lot more storefronts that are empty," he says.
And unlike other parts of the Midwest that are attracting Latino immigrants, the Hispanic population in West Liberty is not new.
"I mean, we're very unique in that there's folks in this community, in the Hispanic community, that are here in their fifth and sixth generation," Thomas says.
In the 2000 census, West Liberty was already well over 40 percent Latino, and has been steadily growing for decades.
The first big surge in Latino immigrants arrived in the 1930s for jobs in what was then a Louis Rich turkey processing plant.
That plant, now called West Liberty Foods, is still a draw for some newcomers. But most of the recent increase in the Hispanic population comes from growing, established families who came for the Louis Rich jobs, stayed and planted roots in this quiet, safe and friendly small town.
Jose Zacarias is among them. The 56-year-old moved to West Liberty from Mexico in 1984, working first in the turkey processing plant, a job he said was dirty, grueling and dangerous. By learning English, he was able to get better factory jobs. They were farther away, but Zacarias continued living in West Liberty.
He bought a big old farmhouse on the outskirts of West Liberty 20 years ago and raised three boys there. He called it and the two acres around him "a quiet piece of heaven" — until the new high school was built nearby a few years ago.
He considers many Anglos among his closest friends, and says the white and Hispanic communities in West Liberty get along well. But he says it wasn't always this way.
"When I arrived here in '84, they told me that such and such businessman wouldn't allow it, like for instance, the bar owners, wouldn't allow Mexican customers there, or they despise them openly, or things like that," Zacarias says.
But Zacarias and others in West Liberty say such conflicts gradually faded away, especially as Hispanics became more economically integrated into the community, and as the schools better integrated the community's children.
The West Liberty school system has what was the first dual-language program in the state.
Students take all of their classes in both Spanish and English, switching from an English-language teacher in the morning to a Spanish-language teacher in the afternoon.
West Liberty Elementary School principal Nancy Gardner says the program is voluntary, with half of the spots reserved for kids who speak English primarily at home, and half for those who speak Spanish.
"And in the end, all the students then become bilingual, biliterate and bicultural," Gardner says.
The dual language program is now in its 14th year, and last spring graduated its first high school senior class of students who started as kindergartners.
The program is so successful, several Anglo families have moved to West Liberty from nearby Iowa City, Muscatine and other towns specifically to enroll their kids. The program, which now has a waiting list, is being duplicated in a handful of other Iowa school districts with growing Hispanic populations.
At a time when many communities around the country struggle with an anti-immigrant and anti-Latino backlash, West Liberty is embracing and celebrating its cultural diversity. But according to many here, including Zacarias, West Liberty is still not a bicultural utopia.
"What I'm saying is we don't have an integrated community," he says.
Zacarias, who was sworn in as a U.S. citizen only a few weeks ago, says this is especially true when it comes to civic involvement. For example, with local elections coming up next month, he says he recently attended a forum for school board candidates. About 30 or 40 people showed up, but he says he was the only Hispanic there. He says he is taking matters into his own hands by running for a seat on the West Liberty City Council.
"We need to get together with the Hispanics and say, we are no longer a minority, we have some responsibilities, and we need to get organized," he says. "We've run out of excuses. It's time to do some work."
It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.
And I'm Renee Montagne.
We're going to spend some time now with America's largest minority - Latinos. Their numbers jumped in the last census and are growing fast. Sociologist Ruben Rumbaut has been studying thousands of children of immigrants since the 1990s.
PROFESSOR RUBEN RUMBAUT: The population growth of Hispanics has been stunning. That population was estimated to be about four million in 1950. It is over 50 million today. And it is about 16 percent or so of the total U.S. population, but it is expected to reach 25 percent of the total U.S. population in less than two decades.
INSKEEP: So the growth remains huge. Now, these days most of that growth comes not from immigration but from Hispanics born in the United States. And these young Latinos are growing up immersed in two worlds.
RUMBAUT: To be bicultural, to be bilingual, means to feel comfortable in two cultural worlds; to feel comfortable and proficient in two languages, to be able to dance salsa, to be able to enjoy TV programs, movies, songs on the radio and song that touch on many different genres. The U.S. American culture is a multi-layer construction made up of the contributions of many people over many, many decades. So the Hispanic or Latino contribution will be one more that will be layered upon that.
MONTAGNE: This morning, we begin a series called Two Languages, Many Voices about bicultural Latinos and their impact on education, entertainment, religion, technology and the workplace. We begin in a small town in Iowa called West Liberty.
INSKEEP: Iowa's Hispanic population has almost doubled in the last decade. Latinos still make up only 5 percent of the state, but West Liberty is the first Iowa city with a Hispanic majority. NPR's David Schaper reports.
DAVID SCHAPER, BYLINE: Downtown West Liberty, Iowa is quintessentially Midwestern American. It's both quaint and historic with reddish brick buildings lining brick-paved streets.
MAYOR CHAD THOMAS: What we're coming up to is Third Street.
SCHAPER: Walking past the bank, the renovated theater, a hair salon, restaurants and shops, Mayor Chad Thomas says West Liberty is thriving. And he says about half of the businesses downtown are Hispanic owned.
THOMAS: If you didn't have the Hispanic population here in town, yeah, we would be much more like a lot of the smaller towns and there would be a lot more store fronts that were empty, and...
SCHAPER: Next to Paul Revere's Pizza on Third Street in West Liberty is Tienda La Luna. Next to the American Legion Hall is the popular Acapulco Mexican Bakery, among others. And many of these Hispanic businesses are not new. Mayor Thomas says this growing eastern Iowa town of 3,700 has had a significant Hispanic population for decades.
THOMAS: I mean, we're very unique in that, you know, there's folks in this community in the Hispanic community that are here on their fifth, sixth generation.
SCHAPER: Fifty-two percent of West Liberty residents identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino in the 2010 census, up from just over 40 percent in 2000. The first surge in Latino immigrants arrived in the 1930s to fill jobs in what was then a Louis Rich turkey processing plant.
That plant, now West Liberty Foods, is still a draw for immigrants, but the bulk of the recent increase in the Hispanic population in West Liberty is in the growing, established families. Many of the recent newcomers to West Liberty are those like Mayor Thomas, who moved here with his wife 11 years ago seeking a quiet, friendly small town, and diversity.
THOMAS: A big factor for us, since we were thinking about kids, was the dual-language school program. So, you know, the thought of our children being able to go through the school system and come out speaking Spanish relatively fluently...
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Foreign language spoken)
GROUP: (Foreign language spoken)
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Foreign language spoken)
SCHAPER: The dual language program in West Liberty's schools was the first of its kind in the state. These fourth graders learn all their subjects in both Spanish and English. West Liberty elementary principal Nancy Gardner says the program is voluntary, with half of the spots reserved for kids who speak English primarily at home, half for those who speak Spanish.
NANCY GARDNER: And in the end, all the students then- become bilingual, bi-literate and bicultural.
SCHAPER: The dual language program is now in its 14th year, and is so successful it has a waiting list and is now a model for other Iowa school districts.
Parent Martha Rodriguez says the program helps the younger generation hold onto their culture, while giving them a competitive advantage. In addition, Rodriguez says her kids are able to build cross-cultural friendships.
MARTHA RODRIGUEZ: My kids have always been doing good with either both Anglo and Hispanic kids. They hang around with both.
SCHAPER: Was it that way when you were young?
RODRIGUEZ: No. It was completely different when I was young.
SCHAPER: The 42-year old Rodriguez immigrated to West Liberty from Mexico when she was 10. And says back then, she and other Hispanics felt more isolated and segregated in West Liberty, especially those who didn't speak English well. But Rodriguez and others say those tensions, for the most part, are history.
JOSE ZACARIAS: We don't have the conflicts we used to have in the past.
SCHAPER: Jose Zacarias moved to West Liberty from Mexico in 1984 and took a job in the turkey processing plant.
SCHAPER: As soon as he learned enough English, he found work elsewhere. But he sunk his roots in this close-knit small town, saved his money and 20 years ago, bought this old farmhouse on a couple of acres on the outskirts of town.
ZACARIAS: As you can see, this is a very quiet place and nice. Before they built it, the school; that was about eight years ago, this was heaven.
SCHAPER: Zacarias raised three boys here. Two are off at college, the third working full time, and if that's how you measure success, he says he's done OK.
Like others here, Zacarias says at a time when Hispanics elsewhere around the country face an anti-immigrant backlash, it's refreshing that the small town of West Liberty is clearly trying to embrace and celebrate it's diversity.
David Schaper, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Decision : 30 COM 7A.6
Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (N 137)
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-06/30.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 29 COM 7A.4, adopted at its 29th session (Durban, 2005),
3. Commends the State Party, in particular the Park authority ICCN and its conservation partners for the efforts to improve the state of conservation of the property and for submitting a report on the state of conservation of the property;
4. Urges the State Party to implement immediately the recommendations of the UNESCO monitoring mission which could constitute possible benchmarks in order to safeguard the outstanding universal value and integrity of the property, and in the interest of conservation:
a) The Congolese army (FARDC), in consultation with the Park authority ICCN, needs to develop a strategy to evacuate all armed groups from the property, in particular rebels belonging to FDLR (Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda) and implement this evacuation in cooperation with the MONUC. The strategy will also need to take into account the closing of all illegal mining operations inside the property. The strategy has to avoid driving FDLR rebels inside the property, as is currently the case, where they engage in mineral extraction and poaching;
b) Substantially strengthening the presence of ICCN Park guards in the lowland sector of the Park, with the assistance of FARDC;
c) Reclaiming as soon as the security situation allows the farms inside the Park on the basis of the results of the 2001 provincial committee ("Commission des Etatiques Provinciaux concernés par le Conflit foncier du PNKB"), noting that the delimitation of the Park limits in the ecologically important corridor between the lowland and highland sectors remains a priority;
d) Strengthening the cooperation between ICCN and its partners by developing a joint planning for all interventions in the Park, with clear responsibilities and benchmarks;
e) Conducting as soon as the security situation allows a survey of flagship species present in the lowland sector of the Park, in particular gorilla and other primates;
f) Strengthening the law enforcement in the property, thereby gradually increasing the amount of the Park that is covered by guard patrols, in cooperation with MONUC and the army. At the same time it is important to reinvigorate the Park staff and improve their efficiency through specialized training;
g) Establish a trust fund for the rehabilitation of the DRC World Heritage properties, to which the Government of the DRC committed to contribute at the 2004 UNESCO conference on Heritage in Danger in DRC;
5. Requests the Director General to ask the United Nations Organization Mission in DRC (MONUC) to continue and strengthen its cooperation with ICCN and its conservation partners for the conservation of the property;
6. Calls on international donors to support the efforts of the State Party to rehabilitate the property;
7. Requests the State Party to provide the World Heritage Centre with an updated report by 1 February 2007 on the state of conservation of the property and progress with the implementation of recommendations of the UNESCO monitoring mission, for examination by the Committee at its 31st session in 2007 ;
8. Decides to retain Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
DocumentsDecisions Report
Context of DecisionWHC-06/30.COM/7A
2006 Kahuzi-Biega National Park


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1. Number of meetings in a month: 4
2. Day or days of the week available: Tues., Thurs., Sat. .
3. Times of day/night you'd like to meet: In the early afternoon.
4. How far are you willing/able to travel from your home? 50 miles or so.
5. When we meet outside the Burlington area, do you need a lift? No.
6. If you don't need a lift, do you have room for others in your car? How many? 1
7. What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? I don't know what this means.
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Now there's another option for supporting Houston Restaurant Weeks without packing on the pounds.
This week HRW founder and radio/TV personality Cleverley Stone has introduced a line of logo clothing including T-shirts, caps and aprons that — just like the meals — will include a donation to the Houston Food Bank.
Available in black or white, aprons, tees and caps cost $20 each with all profits going to the food bank.
To order your HRW logo gear, call 832-526-0992 and ask for Jay Pluff.
Also you can always text a donation during Houston Restaurant Weeks. Text HRW to 20222 to donate $10. Find details here.
Houston Restaurant Weeks runs through Sept. 2. During HRW, nearly 200 Houston-area restaurants offer prix-fixe lunches and dinners with a portion of the cost of each meal going to the Houston Food Bank.
This year, prix-fixe lunches priced at $20 will generate $3 for the food bank; a $35 prix-fixe dinner will mean $5 for the food bank; and a $45 dinner will contribute $7 to food-bank coffers.
Houston Restaurant Weeks earned more than 1.22 million last year for the Houston Food Bank, which feeds 137,000 people each week. The all volunteer-run HRW is the largest annual fundraising event for the food bank.
Read: Steakhouses provide good value on Houston Restaurant Weeks


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A ring of fire, flares, fireworks, tear-gas, an ambush.... welcome to one of the maddest places in the world to watch football, Thessaloniki. Fasten your seat belts as Graham Kenworthy takes us on an exhilarating ride....
Being a teacher one thing I can't really complain about are the holidays but, occasionally, there are drawbacks, created by the dates you can take for trips being dictated and inflexible. So, for the past couple of years, when the rest of the EFW crew have been planning their festivities across Eastern Europe, I've been unable to make it and have been left trawling the fixture lists in search of an attractive alternative for the half-term break or 'Potato Picking Week' as it was always called in my youth. Last year I was blessed with the outstanding option of a weekend in Belgrade incorporating the Crvena Zvezda v Partizan 'Eternal Derby', a couple of third division games and the Serbian Rugby League Grand Final. This year the fixtures proved to be equally kind with the standout game being another high ranking but high risk match - The Derby of Northern Greece - Aris v PAOK in Thessaloniki. This was a game I had long had an interest in but due, in part to it's fearsome reputation, and also because I thought tickets would be impossible (the capacity is a mere 22,800), it's one I never thought I'd get to. Added complications to planning this visit were to be the economic situation in Greece and the prospect of general strikes being called at short notice. Fortuitously we manage to avoid any of these potential hurdles.
First step was to secure tickets, following a swift bout of e-mail tennis with Nick, the fantastically helpful Commercial Manager at Aris, we were guaranteed a pair of 30 euro seats. Safe in the knowledge that we would 'get in' our flights and accommodation were duly booked, out via Zurich, back via Dusseldorf, with 3 nights in the 4* Hotel Anatolia sandwiched between. My travelling companion was to be my son Matthew, aged 20 but already a relative veteran of almost 40 games outside of the British Isles. In recent times our football weekends have been of almost military precision, full to the brim trying to squeeze in as many games as possible, dashing across cities to lower division matches, rushed stadium visits and swift sight-seeing photo stops. This time we made a conscious decision to limit ourselves to just the main event, taking a couple of relaxing days in the city building towards the Derby on Sunday night. As it turned out this was actually quite easy to adhere to as there were no other games in the area over the whole weekend. Although the lure of a brief sojourn to the Kaftanzoglio Stadium, home of the third team in Thessaloniki, Iraklis (recently relegated from the Super League to the regional leagues) and venue for the Leeds Utd v AC Milan 1973 ECWC Final proved difficult to resist.
The game, and clubs, are not commonly acknowledged therefore a little background information and historical context, is perhaps needed:
Aris FC - 'The Gods of War' - were formed in 1914 and became the first ever Greek League title winners in 1928. Their support is now solidly united under the banner of 'Super 3' a group which was created in 1988 in order to prevent the all too frequent internal fighting which took place amongst Aris fans through the years preceding this. The club crest incorporates the team colours of yellow and black and a seated Ares – the Olympic God of War. However, most importantly for me Aris fans are renown for their pyrotechnics, Nick from the club had 'warned' me to 'expect many flares' and, unwittingly, totally sold the game to me in that one sentence. Big games at Aris are often accompanied by the stadium being described as a 'Ring of Fire'.
PAOK - Panthessaloníkios Athlitikós Ómilos Kostantinopolitón were founded by Greek refugees, fleeing from Istanbul, in 1926. Their stadium, little more than a mile from the Aris ground, resides under the sinister moniker of 'Toumba' and they have a nickname which they have often lived up to of 'The Black Devils'. The PAOK emblem, features a two headed eagle or, as Aris antagonistically title it, a chicken.
The game does have a notorious history, there have been serious disturbances both on and off the pitch, never worse than after a 4-1 Aris victory in 1998-99 which saw some of the worst crowd violence in Greek football history. Understandably away fans are now outlawed and even the wearing of club colours is discouraged away from the stadium.
Having not arrived until the early hours of Saturday we decided upon a leisurely morning of strolling around the city, then a 'dummy run' to the Aris stadium to be combined with collecting our tickets. The #10 bus runs from the centre directly to the Kleanthis Vikelidis or Stadio Harilaou. It takes around 30 minutes to wind through pleasant, residential streets to the East of this generally wealthy, cosmopolitan city. From the bus stop it's a mere five strides to Aris Mobile, which doubles as the ticket collection office. With our tickets safely tucked away we explored the area around the ground which nestles between apartment blocks. The club crest, colours and other assorted Aris symbols were in abundance; even a childrens' playground has been transformed into a kaleidoscope of yellow and black. Perhaps most intriguing were the signs for the 'Fans Infirmary', and Aris Boxing Club, not your standard fare at a football stadium. After dining at a fantastic taverna, recommended to us by the girls in the ticket office, we returned to our hotel and spent a while perusing the Super 3 website, indignant with it's almost military style calls to arms such as; 'We expect to see 11 Warriors of God……' or 'We are ready and aware of what to do in the grandstands, to melt the team with the chicken breasts', not the sort of rallying cries you hear everyday. So the scene was set and we were thirsty with anticipation which we attempted to quench with plenty of the local Mythos beer and a few ouzos that night.
We had been advised to get to the ground early to sample the famous pre-match atmosphere and it didn't disappoint. Papanastasiou Avenue runs like a spine down the back of the 'Harilaou' and scattered like vertebrae liberally along it, are numerous bars, restaurants, cafes plus the usual collection of vendors offering nuts, grilled chicken, a variety of other snacks, beer and…….huge piles of polystyrene. Every few strides it was piled high in rough hewn squares, usually pinned down with a knife plunged through the middle, with mostly young women trying to convince people to buy their wares. Comfort in your seat here must be more prevalent than 'styrophobia'. At the centre of everything is the Beer FC 1914 bar, set into the back of Gate 2. It is a fabulous football bar, free programmes were distributed inside the doors, memorabilia on the walls told of Aris v Boca Juniors and other great nights, big screens showed QPR v Chelsea live (sadly we'd missed the earlier Man Utd v Man City game), hardcore punk music at ear-splitting levels dovetailed with classics from The Cure and New Order psyching fans up to the max and beer at, 2 euros a pint, flowed freely.
Outside, on the street, there was a real buzz but it was positive and exciting. However things changed somewhat when the police riot vans, and heavily armed officers, who had been situated a couple of hundred yards away, moved across and blocked off the end of the road. Clearly this was the arrival of the PAOK team and officials. Chants rang out and missiles were thrown. Starting with bottles and cans it rapidly escalated into flares and fireworks then, finally, a burning litter bin was hurled into the fray causing the roof of one of the riot vehicles to catch light. Understandably the police did not take kindly to this and the next thing we knew our eyes were burning and we were coughing and spluttering. Being tear-gassed is not something you experience everyday and it doesn't come highly recommended. I guess from the Aris supporters reaction that this is relatively commonplace, there was no stampede to escape, just a change of direction and stoical trudge away from the scene. Those with plastic beer glasses found a unique use for them fitting them snugly over their nose and mouth, creating a makeshift gas mask. We made our exit from the chaos to the relative sanity behind the stadium close to our Gate, number 9, where we ate huge double sausage sandwiches covered in salad, condiments and chips, washed down with a couple of cans of beer – to clear our heads - all served by a man with a double chin so large it moved long before he did.
Entry to the stadium was swift with no security checks only a till roll, to use as ticker tape, thrust into Matthew's grasp by the steward. We headed eagerly up the stairs and took in our first views of the 'Castle of God'. The stadium has three uncovered stands each overlooked by apartment blocks, is compact, tight to the pitch and atmospheric - in other words perfect for football. We were in the front row, top tier of the main covered stand, directly above the press box and home dugout, giving us totally unobstructed views. To our right was the famous 'Gate 3' where we anticipated that the majority of the pyrotechnics would take place. In the centre of that stand was a space, akin to Argentina, reserved for the drummers and leaders of the chanting. To the fore, tied to the fences amongst the many fine banners, were several PAOK flags to be burned in sacrifice at an appropriate point. Unusually the most overbearing sensation was of the brightness of the floodlights, so powerful you needed to shade your eyes from them. We stood for a while just taking in the sights and sounds as the crowd warmed up their vocal chords in unison to the players preparing their bodies.
The stadium rapidly filled, even the section usually occupied by visiting fans was taken up by Aris supporters. The air of anticipation was palpable and then it was time for the entry of the teams. As Aris emerged from the tunnel, Gate 1 welcomed them with fountains of ticker tape as till rolls cascaded from the main stand, but all eyes were drawn to Gate 3 in expectation of the 'Inferno' to come. As if sparked by some unseen signal hundreds of flares flickered, then burst into light, until the whole end was simply a mass of flames. Red, pink and grey smoke overpowered the night sky leaving the fans, who had climbed the surrounding fences, silhouetted in a hellish glow. Simultaneously fireworks began exploding in deafening blasts, not just a handful but from all parts of Gate 3, jetting through the smoke and flames into the pitch black night, clearly 'Light the touch paper and stand well back' simply does not translate into Greek. This fiery reception continued for several minutes and, as it died down, so the noise levels rose and a crescendo of 'Oh Super Aris' echoed from every stand, with the drums beating out a tribal rhythm to underpin the chants.
So to the match which, in truth, would always struggle to live up to its introduction. The teams were comprised of 9 home-grown players plus 10 other nationalities and neither side had made a convincing start to the season, with Aris yet to win. Following the now seemingly obligatory huddle the game kicked off. Aris forced the PAOK keeper into early desperate action and he made a brilliant save. From the resultant corner Nikos Lazaridis (no relation to Stan) headed home for a second minute lead. Cue crazy celebrations, incredible noise levels and, like a nasty rash that won't go away, Gate 3 'flared up' again, in almost as impressive fashion as before. The scoreboard behind having to work overtime for its GOAL! message to be seen through the plumes of smoke, PAOK flags burned as frenzied fans mounted the fences to celebrate such a start. The remainder of the first half was largely uneventful, Aris were creative in midfield and solid defensively but unwilling to commit enough players to attack. PAOK were allowed too much possession and grew in confidence as a result. Irrespective of the state of play Gate 3 maintained their superb support, singing out loud and strong. Half-time came with the score still 1-0 but, shortly into the delayed second half - PAOK officials had objected to a very offensive banner and the referee had left the field until it was removed - there was an equaliser. It was almost identical to the Aris goal but the response to Papazoglou's header was in marked contrast. The whoops, yells and celebrations of the PAOK players cut through the initial silence then the expected torrent of abuse and small missiles burst forth. The remainder of the game was played out with Aris pressing but never really threatening a winner and, at the full time whistle, there were disappointed boos from some sections. The players may have failed to heed the battle call but Gate 3 could hold their heads up high, they had played their part in full, giving their all with incessant noise for the full 90 minutes.
So the game was over, we took our time leaving, wanting to savour the occasion but eventually, reluctantly boarded the #10 bus again. As expected it was packed to the rafters and took a while to get free from traffic, just the regulation scenario after any big game; however this journey was to take a rather disturbing twist. The #10 is the only bus that goes directly from stadium to city, naturally everyone travelling on it has been to the game and is an Aris fan. So, as it entered the downtown area, now about half full with people relaxed and ready for home, just after pulling up at a stop there came a shocking and frightening incident. About a dozen PAOK fans, some on motor scooters, most on foot, ambushed and attacked the bus, some came on board through the middle doors and starting punching anyone in range, others dragged Aris fans off the bus and waded into them outside, two fighters careered down the bus and fell out of the front doors as the driver, reacting quickly, floored the pedal and sped away. Fortunately we had been seated to the front, towards the driver and, save for being shocked, and a little shaken up, we were unscathed but angry at such cowardly and premeditated acts. It had been an unexpected and distasteful ending to an otherwise memorable night making it a relief to get back to the sanctity of our hotel.
Thessaloniki is a fine city, not tarnished with the usual trappings of tourism. The residents are friendly and welcoming. People we met at the game were astonished that we had come from England just to see the match. The pyrotechnics were fantastic, the best we've ever seen, and the atmosphere was outstanding. It is a place I would highly recommend for football but only for someone who is not faint-hearted and is relatively experienced in travelling to games abroad.
The hottest ticket in town


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"Black Budget" - NCIS: Los Angeles S6 E5
Pictured: LL COOL J (Special Agent Sam Hanna) and Chris O'Donnell (Special Agent G. Callen). Callen and Sam head to Mexico to track down the only employee who managed to escape a professional shooting at the Department of Defense. Meanwhile, the rest of the team works to uncover the motive behind the shooting, on NCIS: LOS ANGELES, Monday, Oct. 27 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Magician Bill Malone and John Billingsley Guest Star. Photo: Richard Cartwright/CBS ©2014 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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Marquee grand opening with Erick Morillo It's the moment Vegas nightlife has been waiting for: The new megaclub inside the Cosmopolitan officially opens for business December 31. Forty-foot custom visuals will play behind the superstar DJ as he counts down to 2011 and celebrates the grand opening of the electronic-dance-music-focused night/dayclub. Doors at 9 p.m., $300 and up, ticket price includes open bar from 9-11 p.m.
The Spectacular Spectacular at the Palms Okay, here's what you've got at the just-west-of-the-Strip hot spot: Start your night with 30 Seconds to Mars at the Pearl (see interview in Thursday's Weekly), then hop up to the Playboy Club and ogle Kara Monaco and friends, check out a bit of Mark Stylz and Exodus' sets at Ghostbar, hear LMFAO tell you what city they're in, and, finally, dance the alcohol off with Paul Oakenfold at Rain. Various door times and prices. Visit palmsnewyears.com for complete details.
Eddie Griffin and Ashanti at Crown An entertainment-packed evening is planned for the dual theater/nightclub, with the Undercover Brother comedian hosting and performing. Also scheduled: a set by DJ G Minor and a special appearance by R&B vocalist Ashanti. Be careful not to act "Foolish," as you drop another $80 for all-you-can-drink domestic beers and champagne. Doors open 8 p.m., $100 and up.
Nelly at Haze You can't keep a rapper off the mic in a club for long, so Nelly's hosting/performing gig at Haze this New Year's is liable to go beyond the requisite three-song sampler. He'll likely spit a few rhymes from his brand-new album, 5.0, but we're pulling for the Grammy-winner to go old-school with some Country Grammar jams. Doors open at 10:30 p.m., $150 and up.
The Circus at Krave The circus isn't in town, but Krave is bringing the big top to Sin City for one night only! Aerialists, fire-eaters and clowns will accompany Janice Dickinson as she plays ringmaster for the three-ring throwdown as only the former supermodel can. Free breakfast buffet for anyone still partying into the first hours of 2011. Doors at 10:30 p.m., 18+, $25-$60.
Diddy at LAX The man with a thousand nicknames is hosting—and offering advice in the form of his Cîroc Smooth Talk: "Ladies, open-toed shoes. Make sure they fit. If you're feet are hangin' over the front, it means your feet are too big … and it scares me." Doors at 10 p.m., $150 and up.
Rihanna at Pure Grammy winners are everywhere this New Year's Eve, and if you're at Pure Friday night you can tell the DJ, "Please Don't Stop the Music" when R&B superstar Rihanna hosts the club's soiree. Seeing what spiked-out, futuristic, pantless outfit Rihanna shows up in should be at least as entertaining as finding a midnight kiss. Doors at 10 p.m., $200 and up.
Kim Kardashian at Tao Not keeping up with the Kardashians? Missed Kim's recent big 3-0? Don't fret, the celebrity socialite returns to Sin City to toast the topping-off night of 2010. And for fans of her much-viewed home movie: mark your calendars! Ray-J celebrates his milestone birthday January 15 at Vanity. Doors at 10 p.m., $200 and up.
Snowball at Beauty Bar Looking for something a little more underground? The Downtown hipster hangout has you covered. The venue boasts an extensive indie and electronic lineup, including local favorites and international acts from Italy and Toronto (See full story in Thursday's Weekly). Not sold? Your first drink is on the house. 9 p.m., $20 advance tickets.
F#@! 2010 Party at Rockhouse Our sentiments exactly. If your 2010 sucked, give it the finger and start drinking early with $5 shots all day and 2-for-1 wells and domestics. Doors at 10 a.m., party starts at 9 p.m., $100 cover, includes open bar from 9 p.m.-midnight.
Jay Sean at the Bank "Do You Remember" last December 31? Well, get down, down, down to the Bank nightclub to see the British signer-songwriter perform. This NYE you won't want to forget. Doors at 10:30 p.m., $150 and up.
Estelle at Tryst Everyone's favorite "American Boy" isn't in town this weekend, but British R&B star Estelle is. Forget Kanye and kick back to the smooth stylings of this Grammy-winning singer-songwriter. Doors at 9 p.m., $150 and up for men, $75 and up for women.
NYE at the Double Down Saloon Dressing up and spending thousands on tickets and drinks at megaclubs not your thing? Vegas' "Happiest place on earth" parties 24/7—and there's never a cover. DJ Rex Dart spins until noon (no, really) while local bands like The Quitters, Tinglerz and Dirty Panties stop by to get loud. Party at 10 p.m., free.
Ludacris at Vanity "Move Bitch" should be the theme song for every NYE on the Strip. But that song is years old. Now we're thinking Luda might be able to take a break from hosting and help us find the "Sex Room." Awwww, yeaah. Doors at 10 p.m., $150 and up.


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Christmas in Auckland: the Franklin Road Christmas lights
Auckland's inner city suburb of Ponsonby lights up for Christmas.
After spending a few weekends at the beach we decided it was time to go urban! Friday night, and a beautiful evening, so we headed into the CBD and the waterfront. We wandered through the Viaduct and down to the fantastic Wynyard Quarter. This recently revitalised part of the waterfront is now a vibrant mix of bars and restaurants, working wharfs and harbour views. Perfect for an evening promenade.
We stopped off at the popular Playspace, a playground reflecting the area's maritime past complete with sand, recycled building materials and over-sized kina and mussel shells to clamber over. Nestled under the imposing silos is the Silo night market. The night market runs on Friday evenings from 5pm til late and on Saturday afternoons, 12 noon til 6pm with a wide range of tasty food options, a bar, djs and a regular outdoor film viewings on offer. It's a great place to hang out with the kids.
From there, we walked over to Victoria Park to check out the Telecom Christmas tree. It's about a 15 minute walk. There is live music and colouring-in on offer and phone boxes for calls to Santa for last-minute Christmas list updates. The tree is lit up every night til Boxing Day and beanbags are provided so you can sit under the tree, watch the lights, and listen to Christmas music to your hearts content. It wasn't quite dark enough for the show so we wandered over to Franklin Road to check out the famed Christmas lights. It's a 15 minute walk from Vic Park to Franklin Road. Bravo to the residents of Franklin Road! The lights are a 19 year community tradition and it's a pretty magical setting made even better by some very talented busking musicians. The lights are on every night until Christmas Eve from 6:30pm til 11pm but, after 9pm is best when it is fully dark. You can drive the street but we think it's well worth the walk up and back down the road. We retraced our steps back into the CBD stopping at the now fully lit Christmas Tree before heading home to put one very tired, but very happy, four year old to bed.
Well done Christmassy Auckland, you're beautiful!


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Disaster Preparedness
Family Disaster Plan
Disaster can strike quickly and without warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home. Families can and do cope with disasters by preparing in advance and working together as a team. Knowing what to do is your best protection and your responsibility. Therefore, we urge you to develop a Family Disaster Plan.
To be properly prepared, you need to be able to answer certain questions, such as: Where will your family be when disaster strikes? How will you find each other? Will you know if your children are safe?
Suggested steps to create and implement a family disaster plan:
Practice and maintain your plan:
Ask questions frequently to make sure your family remembers the designated meeting places, phone numbers and safety rules in your Family Disaster Plan.
Conduct drills.
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For those wanting to see Kobe Bryant pretty soon, don't hold your breath.
For those who want to see Bryant take his time healing his injury, it appears he's doing just that.
For those who believe Bryant's long-term absence could ultimately benefit his health and the Lakers' chances in the NBA lottery, well, we'll have to wait and see.
Either way, Bryant hardly offered an encouraging sign surrounding the rehab with his fractured left knee.
"It's progressing slowly. It really tests my patience," Bryant said in a recent interview with Jacques Slade from Kustoo.com that mostly centered on his work with Nike. "There's only so much I can do. I find myself relegated to a bike. The first few weeks, it's cool. I'm getting a good workout in. Third or fourth, I'm thinking I need to do something else. I want to play. I want to run."
Bryant plans to get reevaluated Friday, but the Lakers anticipate he would need a couple of weeks to progress fully toward full-court practices.
Bryant missed the first 19 games of the season while rehabbing his left Achilles tendon. He appeared in six games, averaging 13.8 points on 42.5 percent shooting, 5.7 turnovers and 6.3 assists, a far drop from his career 25.5 points on 45.4 percent shooting, three turnovers and 4.8 assists.
Bryant then injured his left knee after colliding with Memphis forward Tony Allen on Dec. 17.
Does Bryant know when he will return?
"It's really tough to say," Bryant said. "These injuries are really weird. I've never had this kind of fracture before. You're almost at the mercy of the bones. There's nothing you can do to speed up that process. You almost have to sit and just wait and wait for the bones to heal."
The Lakers rested Monday and Tuesday after playing four games last week in five days. The Lakers (22-42) will practice Wednesday before traveling for a pair of back-to-back games in Oklahoma City (Thursday) and San Antonio (Friday).
For more, follow the Inside the Lakers blog.


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Anybody ever stay in an all inclusive in Puerto Plata or Soshua and make day trips to the kite beaches??
-cost effective?
-rent a car or cab?
overall, was it worth it? If you had to do it again, would you spend more and stay in Cabarete?
I'll be with my non-kiting girlfriend so keep that in mind when answering...


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The Task Force on the Environment (TFOE) was created in 1989 in the spirit of the 20th Anniversary of Earth Day (1990). TFOE is one of the issues-oriented task forces that comprise the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) of the American Library Association (ALA). TFOE includes librarians, publishers, vendors, and other interested parties from a wide variety of settings, from public libraries, school libraries, and college and university libraries, to government agencies, public interest groups, publishers, vendors and other information providers.
TFOE recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. A brief history of TFOE by Fred Stoss, " How and Why We Got Here Today: A History of the ALA Task Force on the Environment" appeared in the September 2009 SRRT Newsletter.


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After Big Wood Fest this past Thursday, we dedicated this weekend to laying low (aside from the Friday night trip to a casino). We did however indulge in Hoppin' Frog Brewing Co. (Akron, OH) B.O.R.I.S. Imperial Stout, Great Divide Chocolate Yeti and Russian River Pliny the Elder.
I sit here writing events and sipping on this delicious Cranberry Saison homebrew. Thanks guys! But now for your week in beer.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Smuttynose Short Release Party: Peoria, Illinois
5:00PM-10:00PM @ Kelleher's Irish Pub
Several beers from their everyday lineup, plus a few from Smuttynose's "Short Batch Series" will be available. What is this "Short Batch Series"? See below for a description from their website:
The Smuttynose Short Batch Series- brewed in volumes anywhere between 20 and 30 barrels, these limited-release, experimental beers are available on draft only and found at select beer bars up and down the East Coast. We normally release a few batches in a year, so they go quickly.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Jolly Pumpkin Rare Beer Auction: Ann Arbor, Michigan
7:00PM-9:00PM @ Jolly Pumpkin Brewing
This is epic, for a good cause and a great way to spice up your beer collection with rare and aged Jolly Pumpkin beers. Here are some of the beers that will be auctioned:
Biere de Mars Grand Reserve (16 months on Oak)
Perseguidor 1
Oro de Calabaza (from 2004, 2006, 2006)
La Roja (2005 and 2006)
Fuego del Otono (2005)
Lambicus Dexterius
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Christmas Beer Dinner: Lake Zurich, Illinois
6:30PM-8:30PM @ Binny's Beverage Depot
Binny's has something to say:
Join us for our biggest tasting of the year! Sample over 30 different brews from 7 different countries. This is rare opportunity to try some of the most sought after and highly rated beers from around the world.
Cost is $10 W/Binny's Card / $15 non-members. Call (847)438-1437 for more information.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Harpoon Tap Takeover: New Haven, Connecticut
8:00PM-10:00PM @ Prime 16
Join Prime 16 tonight with Harpoon Co-founder Rich Doyle and experience Nine different drafts including rare and vintage releases from the Leviathan and 100 bbl Series, 2 casks, and a few year round favorites.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Christmas in Belgium: Cleveland, Ohio
11:00AM-11:00PM @ Buckeye Brewing Co.
This beer list is amazing and will provide you with a broad range of Belgium style beers (most are from Belgium).
Join us for Christmas in Belgium 2010, a pay-as-you-go celebration featuring tons of holiday beers on tap. So far, we've got:
-Affligem Noël (Christmas Ale)
-Delirium Noël
-Gouden Carolus Noël (Christmas)
-Corsendonk Christmas Ale '09
-Buckeye Christmas Girl
-Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux
-N'Ice Chouffe '09
-St. Bernardus Christmas Ale
-Bush de Noël (Scaldis Noel)
-De Ranke Père Noël
-Achilles Serafijn Christmas Angel
-Struise Tsjeeses
-Mikkeller Santas Little Helper '09
-Mikkeller Red/White Christmas
-Mikkeller Ris a la M'ale
The festivities start 12-10 at 11:00AM when we open and continue all weekend long, or until the beer is gone! Come celebrate the season with us!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Goose Island Belgium Ale Tasting: Cincinnati, Ohio
1:00PM-3:00PM @ Bigg's Hyde Park
Today you will taste the amazing Belgium brews from Goose Island. An American brewery that focuses on bringing styles such as Belgium Blondes, Saisons and Sour Ales to our back door. Sofie, Matilda, Pere Jacques, Fleur & Demolition will all be available.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Ommegang Beer Dinner: Seattle, Washington
6:30PM-8:30PM @ The Leary Traveler
The Traveler is teaming up with Ommegang Brewing, for a very special Holiday Beer Dinner. A 5 course meal featuring local meat and produce paired with some of the breweries finest styles of local craft beer. Dinner is at 6:30 PM and seating is limited. Ticket purchase will reserve your seat and tickets will be $45.
What event around the country did you attend this week?
Filed under: Chicago, US, Cleveland, US, New York, US, Seattle, US, The Events, Western Michigan (MI), US Tagged: Achilles, Affigem, Corsendonk, De Ranke, De Struise Brouwers, Delirium, Dupont, Goose Island, Gouden, Great Divide, Harpoon, homebrew, Hoppin Frog Brewery, Jolly Pumpkin Brewing, Mikkeller, Ommegang Brewing, Russian River, Smuttynose, St. Bernardus