text:
I am an American girl who has seen Tim McGraw live 18 times and as traditional as they come. I do not, however, participate in baby showers. This ceremonial welcoming of a baby rarely treats birth with reverence. I believe women can - and should - birth naturally and breastfeed their babies. The American way of having babies is in crisis. This is an educational blog; exploring birth, breastfeeding, & attachment parenting. I am a Natural Childbirth Educator and this is my voice.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Most of you don't know me in real life, but suffice it to say, I am very much the same sitting here at the computer as I am in person. I will tell you what I think, and I'm OK with you telling me what you think, as long as it is kept respectful. That's why I do not delete comments from my blog, even the ones that more or less call me a Birth Nazi. You have the right to your opinion, just as I have the right to mine.
Before I go any further, I want to address my use of the word "Nazi" in this post. I am using this word because I have heard myself referred to in this manner. The "Soup Nazi" episode of Seinfeld has been laughed about for years, but when used in this manner, it's not funny. At least I don't think it's funny. I, personally, am quite offended by the use of the word, especially in reference to myself.
Let's address a very interesting topic that I read several blog posts and Facebook statuses about this week: Is it OK, even good, to expect a good birth experience? According to most of them, no! At least this is my interpretation: You shouldn't get your hopes up because you might be let down.
A very fast recap of my birth experiences: I have had 4 different births. My first was an epidural birth where I narrowly escaped a c-section. My second was my most emotional where I definitely experienced that "birth high." My third sucked and was my hardest (no one's fault but my own), and my fourth was the "easiest" but emotionally hard knowing it was my last and my son would never have a brother. The only birth I cried tears of joy was my second. The others, I was just mostly glad they were over. Does that mean they were bad births because I didn't weep with joy? Of course not. They were all just different. I learned very different things from each experience. I hope those things I learned, I am able to pass on to my students. Sometimes it's a case of "Do as I say, not as I did!"
There is this idea that Donna Ryan is an unforgiving natural childbirth educator. If you have an epidural, I will make you feel awful about it. And a c-section, forget it! You might-as-well crawl into a hole!
OK, this is what Donna Ryan teaches. Pay attention, Donna-haters! I believe that there are some really awful OBs out there that are happiest when they are performing surgery. They know nothing about natural childbirth and frankly, don't want to know. They will scare you into an induction or make you beg for an epidural ("haha, let's keep her pit turned high and strap her to a monitor!"), or they will give you an episiotomy so long you will wish you had a c-section. (Yes, I've heard a nurse say she heard an OB say this.) Are all OBs like this? Of course not. They do exist. I think that the majority of them have not attended natural, intervention-free births enough to know what that looks like, sounds like, or how to help and encourage a couple on this journey. Most of them will find a way to put you on their turf, where they are comfortable -- in a bed, strapped to a monitor, legs in stirrups, epidural, pitocin, etc. See past blog post.
There are other resources in your community. You may have to dig around to find them, but they likely exist. Resources that support and encourage natural normal birth. In Fort Worth, Texas there are so many resources available to families -- amazing midwives, in and out of the hospital. With choices available, you need to use them. These are the people who will help you have the birth you want -- or in some cases avoid the birth you don't want! They encourage you to do the opposite of the (bad) OBs; things like walking, intermittent monitoring, light food and drink throughout labor, choice of pushing positions, and just plain ole encouragement! What a difference between a nurse (or midwife) saying, "You got this! You sound wonderful. Keep making those low, slow sounds," and "Oh, honey, if you think this is hard now, just wait till you're an 8! Are you sure you don't want an epidural?" Well, when you put it that way, of course I want an epidural!
I expect my couples to make the appropriate changes if necessary. Don't ignore the red flags! Nearly everyone that sits through my class does change their care provider and/or hospital if they see those red flags. If you ignore them -- now, this does sound harsh, but it's true -- you have no one to blame but yourself for a "bad" birth if you do not make the necessary changes during the pregnancy. It's not much fun to be left wondering if that c-section really was necessary.
Your labor should be a wonderful, yet challenging, time in your life. Your birth team is critical. I've said that a million times here over the last three years. Birth is probably the hardest thing you will ever do. I never paint a rosy picture. We don't get to pick the way your birth is going to play out, but you will have a very good idea of what normal birth looks like. We go through lots of variations of normal too.
This is what I teach about an epidural: You know what normal birth looks like. You know what to do, what not to do, you have prepared in every way possible (birth team, relaxation, exercise, nutrition, hired a doula), and you know when you are out of the "normal" range, which can mean a lot of different things. You have the education to know when you are on the path to a c-section. Many an epidural has saved a mom from a c-section. We all hope that an epidural is not a part of the birth equation, but sometimes it is, and sometimes it's even a good thing, a necessary intervention that saves a mom from a c-section.
I have never -- not even once -- told a mom that she failed when she had that epidural. Or a c-section. I would never do that. In many instances, I've put myself in their shoes, and have no doubt that I would have made the exact same decision. Now, I can't say that a mom won't beat herself up over it, but it's not because I made her feel bad.
Here's the reality: When people sit through my class and do all the "right" things and their birth does not go as they had hoped (epidural, transfer, c-section), rarely do I have someone seem to dwell on it and have a hard time getting over it. Most people know that there are things in birth that are not within our control, but you do your part, roll with the punches, understand why those things became necessary in your birth, and move on! Learn from them. Don't become a victim of your birth! I am seeing this all the time. It's exhausting. Your birth does not define who you are as a person. How you deal with things that happen in your life is more important than the actual things that happen.
There are some midwives that have told me that the reason they refer to my classes is not necessarily because they love The Bradley Method®, but because my couples seem to bounce back easier when things go differently from their original plans. My couples also know that they can trust them to help them on this road and if they say they need intervention or medication, it's OK to trust them. Attitude is everything.
I simply want to see women believe in themselves enough to give birth their all. Sometimes, that may not mean an unmedicated birth. It might even mean a c-section in the end. But if you do your part -- not just become a victim of a very broken maternity system -- you will have a good birth! Does that make me a Birth Nazi? Then so be it.
19 comments:
- Patsnights said...
Damn straight ... good for you speaking truthfuly and defending your honor
- April 25, 2011 at 8:08 AM
- Jolee Burger said...
Donna, you are amazing! You know if people use the term Birth Nazi in a negative way, it is just coming from a place of insecurity. Your class sizes speak for themselves - you are a much-needed voice in Tarrant County.
- April 25, 2011 at 10:20 AM
- Danie Nicole said...
I love this post!
I am one of those women who was a victim of her first birth. I did not properly prepare myself and I ignored some red flags. My medical induction (pitocin, constant monitoring, internal fetal monitor, not allowed out of bed except to pee in one of those chairs by my bed) and eventually epidural after threatened with a c-section was not at all what I wanted.
Still, I am not at all offended by anything you said. In fact I want to say thank you for this post!
- April 25, 2011 at 10:48 AM
- Cynthia said...
This is a wonderful discussion of your teaching philosophy and your own perspective toward birth. I love the way you support women and families to look realistically and positively at their experiences, no matter how things turn out in the end. Yes, we can be super prepared for birth. Yes, things can go very differently from what we hope. Yes, we can still tell ourselves a very positive story about our birth experiences (without being polyanna about it)! Thanks for writing.
- April 25, 2011 at 11:36 AM
- Joy@WhenDoesDaddyComeHome said...
Hmmm - I don't think you've ever misconstrued your words. I think people hear what they want to hear and attack out of their own insecurities. People want to reason and validate their bad birth decisions and still pat their doctors (and even some med-wives) on the back.
The birth system here is so corrupt and I commend you for sharing with women and men in your classes alternative CHOICES! Because without hearing it most people don't even KNOW there are choices.
- April 25, 2011 at 1:35 PM
- Macha said...
I think that's always the best approach, to never say that everyone needs to do the same thing (whether it's all-natural or full of medications and interventions), so that when things don't go according to plan, you're not feeling like crap because you didn't do it "right." Because there is no "right," there is only what is right for each individual.
- April 25, 2011 at 2:12 PM
- Mrs. Obie said...
I find that whenever people attack you for your beliefs, its because they are insecure or disappointed with their own beliefs or choices. I discovered this first hand recently and you just have to brush it off.
You keep doing you...because you're doing a great job!
- April 25, 2011 at 3:32 PM
- Regina said...
Great post Donna! I feel like birth needs to be added to religion and politics.....things that you can't talk about without causing controversy! Keep doing what you're doing though, because you are the reason I decided to have a natural birth.
But you are scaring me with talk of Abby's birth! I want my 3rd to be as easy as my 2nd! Is that possible? ;)
- April 25, 2011 at 3:36 PM
- Gloria said...
Great post. I personally believe that when a woman has done everything she an to achieve a natural birth through dieting, taking childbirth classes, maintaining good health ect., that she will be okay even if she ends up needing an intervention, because she'll know that she did everything possible to facilitate in a natural birth, therefore understand that it wasn't her fault. Also, thinking positively and expecting a natural birth helps to achieve on as well. It's much more difficult for a woman to birth naturally if she's taught to prepare for a c-section.
- April 25, 2011 at 7:15 PM
- polley said...
OK, Donna, my friend. I am one of the people who knows you in person.
This post is the first time I have heard you say epidurals have a place and doctors can do well in births. It may be because I haven't attended your classes.
When birth comes up in a conversation, you jump into the middle of others' sentences, dismiss others opinions, and push hard for your passionate beliefs about birth and pretty much all western medical care.
Your behavior leaves many, including me who enjoys you so much, feeling bad after talking to you.
When its your behavior making others uncomfortable, it is your responsibility when others feel badly.
You can be passionate without pressuring. You can be respectful without giving up any of that passion.
Keep up the good work, you are a great force for good.
See you soon,
:) love, Polley
- April 25, 2011 at 8:33 PM
- Donna Ryan said...
Wow. Not sure what to say after that comment. I'm totally good with people expressing their opinions here, but that was more of a character assassin.
- April 25, 2011 at 10:01 PM
- Mama Birth said...
Well- I think Donna rocks! I love you. You have inspired me, taught me, given me advice, and helped me start on the path of natural birth and teaching myself.
I like you the way you are. I guess you could decide not to be passionate, not to care, not to be somebody that people know they can talk to about this. But where would the fun be in that? You are fantastic the way you ARE. What makes you different is what makes you great. Don't change. (Unless it is something really awful that you need to.)
There will alway be people who will be offended, no matter how nice or in your face you are.
I refuse to believe that I or you or ANYBODY can MAKE anybody FEEL anything. My feelings are MY thing and only I get to control them. The same is true for everybody.
Many people like to pass the buck and blame their guilt, feelings, or inadequacies on others, but it is a sign of character weakness. They simply don't want to own their reactions. You will find these people everywhere- and if we listened to them nobody would ever speak.
Keep talking. Let people own their choices and their guilt. You can't make anybody feel that.
I must also say that I was in a class with one mama who had an epidural and one who had a c-section- Donna never put down those women or made them feel anything. In fact they are all still good friends- 7 years later. (And one VBACd and the other had two more natural births.)
- April 25, 2011 at 11:25 PM
Being one of your former Bradley students who had an epidural, I consider myself "qualified" to speak to this.
1) You are not a "Birth Nazi"... You are a "Birth Advocate."
2) [For the benefit of everyone else] I was with the UNT midwives and after three days of labor, a chiropractic visit, acupressure and a diagnosis of high blood pressure, I had an epidural. I was the only one beating myself after my birth. It was actually Donna who called me and helped me feel better about my birth and feel like I wasn't a failure.
3) I am eagerly anticipating my next birth. I am not afraid of what might happen because I know what can happen, thanks to Donna... and experience. I fully expect to have a non-medicated birth the next time around. : )
- April 26, 2011 at 1:11 AM
- polley said...
Donna does rock! It is no small thing to see a need for change and then make it happen. Tarrant county is lucky she landed here!
You have helped probably a hundred families through your classes, thousands with TCBN and its Birth Fair. Your knowledge and passion are the fuel for all those hugely successful services.
Many you teach are those who were already seeking what you teach. Your commitment to informed choice and your compassion for expectant motherhood can't be seen when the undecided and uninformed are overwhelmed by your passion for natural childbirth. So many more could be reached and helped if that commitment to informed choice was shown sooner.
Hope the procedure went well and you got that lunch you've been dreaming of and a long nap!
- April 26, 2011 at 2:49 PM
- TheArtsyEclectic said...
I think that there are women out there who simply aren't ready to accept where they're at or experience the full range of that potential (potentially awesome!) roller coaster ride that is an intervention-free birth. It makes me sad for those women who would rather take the illusion of control that a medicalized birth gives, than surrender to such an amazing, powerful process. But then, if they're not ready to hear it, I can't really communicate it to them without a fair potential of upsetting them. That said, I don't think you're at all "too pushy" or anything remotely resembling a "nazi". FWIW, at least =) I say keep up the good work!
- April 26, 2011 at 8:29 PM
- Karen Joy said...
I don't know you IRL, but have enjoyed your blog for... about a year now. I have learned a lot, and have been encouraged many times. I agree with virtually everything you've written, that I've read in the past.
There is a minor thing with which I disagree in this post. It is this: Communication is a two-way street. If someone doesn't understand you, the fault doesn't lie entirely with them and it's not necessarily that they are misconstruing your words, either accidentally or on purpose. When we communicate with others, we have a responsibility to speak in a manner that is able to be received by others.
I'm reminded of my husband, who, early in our marriage would get upset when something he did or said upset me, even though it wasn't his intention to upset me. He thought I should just get over it, because it was on accident, not intentional. My response to him was, "Well, it only partially matters what your intentions are. What also matters is how I'm perceiving it! So, if you're consistently doing 'x' and it's hurting me, even though it's not your intention to hurt me, you should stop doing that, because you love me."
In other words, you have to INTEND to communicate well. Not just say what you wanna say and expect others to understand you all the time, especially when they are likely coming from a different paradigm than you are.
Similarly, I used to pat myself on the back for my huge, working vocabulary. In college, a friend with an even greater vocabulary cautioned me that if I'm speaking to someone who clearly doesn't understand what I'm saying, the fault is MINE if I continue to use my polysyllabic words and ignore the confusion on the other's face.
I think that's where the communication breakdown may happen with others. You're speaking YOUR language (one that I speak, and one with which I agree), but not everyone else has the same vocabulary, experience, or values... and what you're saying often just doesn't compute.
That said, I'm glad for this post!! I think it's extremely important to not ignore red flags -- I once changed my OB at 30 weeks because of a number of red flags. Having the knowledge to make informed decisions is SO important!! And, having someone who tells you, "YOU CAN DO IT!!" during birth is incredibly, incredibly valuable and important. We're vulnerable when birthing, and we need to give ourselves the best possible chance -- by making decisions beforehand -- in order to have the best possible outcome. And, yes, I do believe in expecting a good birth experience!! I think it's one of the SADDEST things about the hospital birth culture in the US, that expectant mothers dread birthing. I *LOVE* birthing, and I want more women to have LESS fear, MORE excited expectation, and I think that will positively impact birth outcomes.
Sorry for such a long comment. I hope I've communicated it in a way that's not offensive. Truly.
- April 28, 2011 at 4:58 PM
- Carolyn Hastie said...
Weird the way some folk call those who care deeply about and advocate for good health and wellbeing 'nazis'. According to that name calling group of people, there are breastfeeding nazis, natural birth nazis, attachment parenting nazis, health food nazis, ecofriendly nazis.
I suspect that the name calling is a classic case of projection. Perhaps it would be wise for those who attribute negative attributes to others to spend some time in reflection. They might find they have more in common with what they think they are criticising than they are aware.
- April 28, 2011 at 10:23 PM
- Rosemarie said...
I loved your post. I had a Bradley birth and my instructor was pretty much the same - if we needed the epi or the birth turned out differently than we hoped, it was okay. "You get the birth you're given." And never once did any of her students feel let down (at our reunion). I birthed in a hospital with a natural un-friendly OB (the guy on duty) but the nurses were there for me all the way. They were so excited about this natural birth (once they realized, "hey, she's gonna do it for real!"). My husband learned so much in class one of the nurses told me after, "he was best coach we've even seen." Because my h2o broke I had to get put on pit, but the lowest dose possible and I did it (also had access to a shower and mobile monitor). Despite all the "medical", I had my natural birth (and no episiotomy either). Take that Doctor!
- May 12, 2011 at 1:02 PM
- Samantha said...
It is always hard to convey such a passion for something as controversial as natural childbirth in a way that helps people to understand. I certainly don't see anything offensive in any of your posts that I've devoured today, but I also 100% agree with non-medicated deliveries!
There is a very tender line that many mediated mama's and much of the medical field vigorously fight to keep anyone from touching, crossing or even coming close to. I do think some of it comes from a fear of being "attacked" and feeling bad about their choices or their profession. These are the one's that need to understand the MOST!
Since the unmedicated birth of my second child, I have developed a very sincere passion for natural childbirth and have a hard time restraining myself from shouting to the world that I think it's the best thing EVER. That I want the world to know about it and do it because...in all honesty...it is such a wonderful thing that EVERY mom should have an opportunity to experience it if possible.
My best ally in this little dilemma is to "let them come to YOU". I know it sounds silly, but in conversation I may drop a subtle hint about my experience, and if they want to talk about it...great!! If not, there's always another time.
I will never stop advocating for natural birth. Keep up your passion and thank you for sharing what you love!
- October 14, 2011 at 11:44 PM


text:
Connecting Collections, Cultures, and Communities
77th ASIS&T Annual Meeting
October 31-November 5, 2014, Seattle, WA
Click here to view the conference proceedings
The Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology is the premier international conference dedicated to the study of information, people, and technology in contemporary society. The ASIS&T AM gathers leading scholars and practitioners from around the globe to share innovations, ideas, research, and insights into the state and future of information and communication in play, work, governance, and society.
ASIS&T AM has an established record for pushing the boundaries of information studies, exploring core concepts and ideas, and creating new technological and conceptual configurations -- all situated in interdisciplinary discourses.
The conference welcomes contributions from all areas of information science and technology. The conference celebrates plurality in methods, theories and conceptual frameworks and has historically presented research and development from a broad spectrum of domains, as encapsulated in ASIS&Ts many special interest groups: Arts & Humanities; Bioinformatics; Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts; Classification Research; Critical Issues; Digital Libraries; Education for Information Science; Health Informatics; History & Foundations of Information Science; Human Computer Interaction; Information Architecture; Information Needs, Seeking and Use; Information Policy; International Information Issues; Knowledge Management; Library Technologies; Management; Metrics; Scientific & Technical Information; Social Informatics; and Visualization, Images & Sound.
Important Dates
Papers, Panels, Workshops & Tutorials
Final copies for Papers, Panels, Workshops & Tutorials should be submitted by July 15, 2014.
Posters, Demos & Videos
Notifications for accepted Posters, Demos & Videos will be sent by July 30, 2014. Final copies should be submitted by August 20, 2014.
|For more information, please contact:
|Conference chair:
|Jens-Erik Mai, University of Copenhagen (email@example.com)
|Papers co-chair:
|Melanie Feinberg, University of Texas at Austin (email@example.com)
|Jonathan Furner, UCLA (firstname.lastname@example.com)
|Panels co-chair:
|Howard Rosenbaum, Indiana University (firstname.lastname@example.com)
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|Nadia Caidi, University of Toronto (firstname.lastname@example.com)
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|Richard Hill, ASIS&T Executive Director (email@example.com)
|More about the conference and ASIS&T at: www.asist.org

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Well, not Jay Leno specifically, but what his new show represents. "Jay Leno's shtick—timely, cheap, and marginally funny—is just the right mix for a new age of network primetime," reads a caption under a picture of Leno in the March issue of The Atlantic. In an article called "The Future Is Cheese," columnist Michael Hirschorn (and TV cheesemonger) explains why we'll see more Leno and less Heroes in the future of American network television. He writes:
As network television takes up a lower-brow position in the cultural pecking order, the higher-quality, more expensive shows will become increasingly independent of the networks that broadcast them… Eventually, networks will stop being brands and start becoming, at least in part, mere "distribution platforms."
So it means the continued rise of HBO and Showtime, while the networks get more populist and, uh, sucky. And those who don't have cable will get "the television equivalent of AM talk radio." (Which reminds me: My DirecTV bill is due.)
You can read the whole article here.


text:
I want to thank everyone for their patience today!
I hope the Brownies & Juniors, who attended, enjoyed their special day!
While the weatherman was correct & the storm did pass in time and we had sunshine; we unfortunately had giant puddles and lots of mud.
At 4:30 p.m., when we began setting up, one of the dads in the parking lot offered to call the Masonic Hall to see if we could have the ceremony there.
The Troop leaders present, then made a group decision to move inside.
Unfortunately, the Masonic Hall could never have been an option as the Framingham bridging location, because 2 of the Troops requested handicapped accessible halls (one Daisy Troop with a Scout in an 80-pound wheelchair and another Junior Troop with a child in a walker).
After the bridging location was planned outside, due to the fact that no handicapped accessible locations were available on the agreed upon date, that Daisy Troop, with the 80-pound wheelchair Scout, dropped out of the town-wide bridging.
I want to personally thank Mr. Canhoto from Troop 2086 for coming through at the last minute and not disappointing all the Scouts. (Parents, probably will appreciate the non-muddy shoes.)
If anyone would like to share photos, either send them to firstname.lastname@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com. I will try to post some photos soon.
Congrats to all the Scout who bridged today!


text:
December 30, 2008
Richard Nixon
Treason is the highest crime an American can commit against his country. And that's what one president accused his successor of committing.
by Don Fulsom
Richard Nixon's treason to scuttle President Lyndon Johnson's 1968 Paris peace talks—much more than Watergate or his long-time ties to the Mafia—should stand as our 37th President's greatest sin. There's no better word than "despicable" (used by LBJ in this context) to describe Nixon's betrayal.
In a newly released Johnson phone call to Senator Everett Dirksen, just before the November 1968 election, the Senate GOP leader readily agreed with the President's treason conclusion about Nixon, and pledged to call his party's presidential candidate on the carpet on it.
Johnson himself – a number of times earlier, and later – scolded Nixon, who repeatedly denied any knowledge of sabotage and pledged to do nothing to hurt President Johnson's efforts to end the war. (When the phone was hung up after at least one of these Nixon lies, Nixon and his cohorts reportedly burst into loud and sustained laughter.)
The newest LBJ Library tapes tell the dramatic story of how Johnson blew his stack and nearly blew the whistle on Nixon's treachery.
On Nov. 2, 1968, three days before the election, Johnson let Dirksen peek at Johnson's self-described "hole cards" in his unbeatable poker hand in a high-stakes showdown against Nixon. The president and Dirksen realized the President was alluding to NSA intercepts, FBI wiretaps and CIA bugs.
LBJ: The (Nixon) agent (China Lobby stalwart and old Nixon crony Anna Chennault) says she's just talked to the boss (Nixon) …and that he said that you (South Vietnamese President Nguyen van Thieu) must hold out, just hold on until after the election.
In an obvious reference to the fact that Thieu's Saigon offices were bugged, LBJ added: "We know what Thieu is saying to them out there. We're pretty well informed at both ends."
At this point, Johnson issued a not-so-subtle hint about possibly leaking the Nixon treason story to the press.
LBJ: I don't want to get this in the campaign …They oughtn't be doing this. This is treason.
ED: I know.
LBJ: I think it would shock America if a principal candidate was playing with a source like this on a matter of this importance. I don't want to do that [go public]. They ought to know that we know what they're doing. I know who they're talking to. I know what they're saying.
Later, after Dirksen had absorbed more of LBJ's report on Nixon's perfidy, Dirksen said, "I'd better get in touch with him, I think."
But LBJ wasn't through:
LBJ: They're contacting a foreign power in the middle of a war. It's a damn bad mistake. And I don't want to say so…You just tell them that their people are messing around in this thing, and if they don't want it on the front pages, they better quit it.
As President, in mid-1971, Nixon got word – apparently from his chief of staff, Bob Haldeman – that President Johnson's Vietnam files, including the decision behind LBJ's pre-election bombing halt (Nixon thought it was timed to help Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey – but it wasn't), as well as Nixon's sabotage of the Paris peace talks, were being housed at the left-leaning Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
"You can blackmail Johnson on this stuff," Haldeman excitedly asserted about the bombing halt material. Nixon biographer Anthony Summers noted that Nixon had another reason for wanting to get the Vietnam files. "(Nixon) had actively worked to sabotage the 1968 peace talks, and the record in question might actually prove more damaging to him than to President Johnson."1
So President Richard Nixon endorsed a wild scheme, shockingly wild – the firebombing of, and theft of files from, the Brookings Institution in Washington. The documents were well worth the risk, he figured, if they held evidence of his deliberate subversion. He also thought they might offer proof that his own 1968 campaign plane was bugged; it wasn't). Without specifically mentioning his Brookings break-in demand in his 1975 memoirs, Nixon did admit he had told his staff he wanted the Vietnam files he believed were in Brookings' possession delivered to him, "even if it meant having to get it surreptitiously."
The Brookings plan was bizarre. "Masterminded" by G. Gordon Liddy of later Watergate infamy, it would have featured an old fire truck repainted with the markings of the District of Columbia's Fire Department. Manned by a disguised fire crew of pro-Nixon Cubans from Miami, the fake fire engine would rush to a plumber-instigated incendiary assault on Brookings. The pretend fire crew, while ostensibly there to fight the firebombing blaze, would then break into the vaults, make off with the Vietnam files, transfer them to a waiting van – and then ditch the fraudulent fire engine.2
In his autobiography, Liddy surmised that a successful Brookings caper might have prompted some guessing games about the identities of the miscreants "in the liberal press," but that "because nothing could be proved, the matter would lapse into the unsolved-mystery category."
John Dean, President Nixon's White House lawyer, had a far more sensible take on the contemplated firebombing. Dean claims he was able to shut down the operation (the "joint" had already been "cased" – in Dean's words – by Nixon agents, who were turned away by an alert security guard). Dean convinced presidential aide John Ehrlichman that if anyone died in the blast, it would be a capital crime that might be traced back to the White House. Ehrlichman later acknowledged calling off the plan – and confirmed that Nixon knew of it in advance.3
Just think: Had Dean not prevailed with Ehrlichman, had this break-in actually occurred, had it involved a death, and had it been botched as badly as Watergate, then murder and domestic terrorism might well have been added to Nixon's list of impeachable offenses.
In addition, just ordering the Brookings break-in "would be an impeachable offense," according to Terry Lenzner who was a top official on the Senate Watergate committee. "It is the President ordering a felony to obtain information."4
And don't forget treason – had DC police recovered the 1968 campaign files from the phony firemen or fake DC fire engine.
What would have been found? Piles of evidence of Nixon's treachery, including this "smoking gun" intercept of a back-door message from Nixon to Thieu: "Hold on. We're Gonna Win." The message was plain, according to Nixon's go-between Anna Chennault: "Stay away from the peace talks." 5
In 1968, Vietnam was the No. 1 issue in the campaign. Nixon was generally viewed as the dovish candidate because he promised to implement a secret plan to "end the war and win the peace." Humphrey was viewed as a candidate who would continue President Lyndon Johnson's unpopular hawkish war policies.
LBJ had dropped out of the presidential race to devote the remainder of his tenure to peace in Vietnam. He'd hoped, since quitting, to bring the fighting to an end through three-way (Hanoi, Saigon and Washington) peace talks in Paris. Nixon feared that if the Johnson succeeded, Humphrey would win the November election. It was the kind of "October Surprise" the paranoid GOP nominee feared most.
Shortly before voters went to the polls, to insure that Hanoi would attend the Paris talks, the President Johnson announced a halt in the U.S. bombing of the North. Nixon learned of this important development through Henry Kissinger – an informal LBJ advisor to the peace talks. In Nixonland, Rick Perlstein observes, "The Johnson team trusted (Kissinger) implicitly. They shouldn't have. Kissinger was a double agent feeding the intelligence to Nixon that let him scotch the peace deal before the election."
Johnson's bombing halt announcement, just days before the election, briefly gave Humphrey a slight lead in public-opinion polls – though he would go on to lose to Nixon by fewer than 500,000 votes.
All during the 1968 campaign, working through a separate secret agent – one even more secret than Kissinger – Nixon had been telling South Vietnam's President Nguyen van Thieu to boycott any LBJ-sponsored talks and hold out for a better deal under a Nixon presidency. Thieu obliged, wrecking the talks and any chance for peace during the final months of Johnson's presidency.
Nixon's back-channel in his contacts with Thieu was Anna Chennault, a.k.a. the Dragon Lady. The gorgeous 43-year-old widow of World War Two U.S. "Flying Tigers" hero General Claire Chennault, had moved from Taiwan to the United States in 1960. Anna was co-chairman of Women for Nixon-Agnew.
At Nixon's request, Chennault established contacts with the South Vietnamese Ambassador to Washington, Bui Diem. In July 1968, Chennault introduced the ambassador to the GOP presidential hopeful at a hush-hush meeting at Nixon's New York apartment. According to Chennault, Nixon told Bui Diem he could "rest assured" that, if elected, "I will have a meeting with (Thieu) and find a solution to winning the war." He added that Chennault was to be "the only contact between myself and your government."
Anna Chennault also had some dealings, face-to-face and on the telephone, with Nixon's campaign manager, John Mitchell. Unless he was speaking on a secure phone line, however, Mitchell kept his most of his thoughts to himself. He strongly suspected that government agents were monitoring the Dragon Lady's activities.
Mitchell's suspicions were spot-on. And a furious Johnson didn't hesitate to let Mitchell's boss himself know what he knew about Nixon's underhanded anti-peace maneuverings.
On a number of occasions, President Johnson talked directly to Nixon about the sabotage. In one conversation, after filling Nixon in on his campaign's dealings with Thieu, LBJ added, "I'm not trying to trick you." It was a not-so-subtle dig at Nixon for his well-deserved nickname: Tricky Dick. Of course, Nixon denied knowing anything about the sabotage. And he reassured the President he would do nothing to undercut the peace process.
Even after the election, Johnson kept pressing the issue with Nixon:
LBJ: These people (the South Vietnamese) are proceeding on the assumption that folks close to you tell them to do nothing 'til January the 20th.
RN: I know who they're talking about too. Is it John Tower?
LBJ: Well, he's one of several. Miss Chennault is very much in there.
RN: Well, she's very close to John Tower.
In this discussion, Nixon not only threw loyal Texas Republican Senator John Tower under the bus, he also stressed the words "very close." What Nixon was apparently alluding to was a not-so-secret affair Senator Tower was having with the fabled Dragon Lady.
The lovers were both right-wingers and heavy partiers on the Washington cocktail circuit. Tower had replaced Lyndon Johnson in the Senate. The two men were bitter enemies. So Nixon probably had that in mind when he ratted out Tower to LBJ.
A former Tower associate says the senator, long after his second failed marriage, freely admitted having a long-term liaison with Chennault. Tower was very fond of Anna, and, the source added, after they broke up, Tower said Chennault went on to "a torrid fling" with Thomas McIntyre, a left-wing Democratic Senator from New Hampshire and a "heavy foreign policy hitter."
Perhaps Chennault became soured on Republicans after Nixon quickly proceeded to betray her and the South Vietnamese government. Her "boss," as she referred to Nixon in her clandestine communications, was soon publicly voicing the LBJ line on Vietnam. Chennault and Thieu rightly concluded they had been duped by the soon-to-be 37th President of the United States.
In a 2002 interview with the Shanghai Star, a bitter Mrs. Chennault declared: "To end the war was my only demand. But after (Nixon) became president, he decided to continue the war. Politicians are never honest."
In the phone call in which he falsely fingered Anna's paramour, John Tower, as a possible traitor, Nixon promised Johnson he would contact Ambassador Bui Diem and urge South Vietnam to take part in the Paris negotiations. He didn't say exactly how he would do this, but Nixon pretended to know little about the ambassador, even asking LBJ at one point, "Does he speak English?" After all, Nixon had conferred with Bui Diem – who spoke perfect English – just months before.
So, no wonder when President Nixon heard that LBJ's files on Nixon's 1968 "treason" might be at Brookings—he repeatedly insisted that the liberal think tank be raided.
At a Nixon meeting with National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and chief of staff Bob Haldeman, Kissinger observed, "I wouldn't be surprised if Brookings had the files."
Haldeman: The bombing halt is in the same file, or in some of the same hands.
Nixon: Do we have it? I've asked for it. You said you don't have it?
Kissinger: We have nothing here, Mr. President.
Nixon: Damnit! I asked for that (unintelligible). Get in there and get those files!
In a later conversation with Haldeman, Nixon asked: "Did they get the Brookings Institute (sic) raided last night? No? Get it done. I want it done. I want the Brookings Institute's safe cleaned out and have it cleaned out in a way that it makes somebody else responsible."
Why didn't President Johnson blow the whistle on Nixon's sabotaging of the Paris peace talks? He explained his thinking in a newly released phone chat with Senator George Smathers of Florida – a good friend of Nixon: "I didn't expose it because I just couldn't use those sources (NSA and FBI) and I didn't want to make it impossible for (Nixon) to govern." (Had I) exposed this, blurted it out, it would have shocked the country so that he would have been seriously hurt."
LBJ had also been listening to the good advice of aide Clark Clifford, who counseled: "Some elements of the story are so shocking in their nature that I'm wondering whether it would be good for the country to disclose the story and then possibly have a certain individual (Nixon) elected. It could cast his whole administration under such doubt that I think it would be inimical to our country's interests," according to investigative reporter Robert Parry.
On the other hand, LBJ did not listen to a young White House aide named Richard Holbrooke, who went on to become a top State Department official. Holbrooke later charged that Nixon and his co-conspirators "massively, directly and covertly interfered in a major diplomatic negotiation …probably one of the most important negotiations in American diplomatic history."
President Johnson's attitude toward a top political adversary and toward his country could possibly rank as a one of the noblest gestures in modern American political history. He'd caught a political opponent undermining sensitive negotiations that might have ended the fighting in Indochina and brought 500,000 U.S. troops home immediately
As president, Richard Nixon went on to order the dropping of more bombs than any other commander-in-chief. He even secretly bombed neutral Cambodia for more than a year. Nixon double-crossed Thieu time and time again – and eventually even issued a thinly veiled threat on the South Vietnamese president's life.
Some 20,000 American troops died during Nixon's White House years, and the Vietnam War was still going on, when – faced with impeachment and conviction for a wide range of corrupt and illegal domestic conspiracies and cover-ups – the president was forced from office in disgrace in 1974.
When Saigon fell to Communist troops in 1975, the United States lost its first war.
Yet Richard Nixon's gravestone reads: "The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker."
1. Anthony Summers, The Arrogance of Power, 385.
2. "Brookings Guard Who Foiled Burglars Dies," by Johanna Newman, Los Angeles Times, Mar. 01, 2003. In print edition A-16.
3. Anthony Summers, The Arrogance of Power, 387.
4. San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 21, 1996.
5. "Nixon: Arrogance of Power," History Channel.
Photo Information:
Richard Nixon displaying his classic "victory" sign was photographed in Philadelphia, July 1968, by official White House photographer, Ollie Atkins. Source: http://www.gmu.edu/library/specialcollections/nixon.html
Don Fulsom covered the Johnson and Nixon presidencies for United Press International. Now a professor of government at American University in Washington, D.C., Fulsom can be reached at df44 @ gmail.com


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Lipscomb women's tennis team opened its Atlantic Sun Conference competition on Saturday with a hard-fought 4-3 loss to rival Belmont.
While the Lady Bison played solidly, head coach Andrew Harris attributed the loss to Belmont's tough competition.
"Much of the credit goes to Belmont today," Harris said. "In both matches, they played better in the big points and were able to sustain momentum where it counted. Our biggest challenge moving forward is making sure we can continue to get better in critical situations. We will address it this week and get ready for KSU and Mercer."
The Lady Bison got off to a good start, picking up the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3.
Freshman duo Deahna Welcher and Jenny Borck secured a win at No. 1, defeating Abigail Hogan and Laura Stack 8-5.
Senior Samantha Bowman and sophomore Alyssa Bellini won at No. 3, where they took down Nikki Maciel and Spenser-Anne Edwards 8-3.
The Lady Bison's only doubles loss came at No. 2, where seniors Elizabeth Keevil and Danielle Hansen fell to Carolyn Caire and Natalia Nunes 8-4.
With a 1-0 lead, the Lady Bison headed into singles play, but were only able to post two wins in their six singles matches.
The Lady Bison's two victories came at No. 2 and No. 3.
Bellini posted a tight two-set win over Fabiana Mersan, winning 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) at No. 2.
At No. 3, Borck recored a three-set 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Catherine Holliday.
The Lady Bison were unable to pull out wins in the remaining four matches.
Welcher was defeated in three sets at No. 1 by Maciel, losing 6-0, 3-6, 6-4.
At No. 4, Keevil fell to Caire 6-4, 6-4, while Hansen lost at No. 5 to Stack 6-3, 6-4.
Bowman fell short at No. 6, losing to Nunes 7-6 (7-2), 6-0.
The loss drops the Lady Bison's overall record to 3-7 and hands them a 0-1 A-Sun record to start off conference play.
The Lady Bison travel to Kennesaw, Ga. on Friday where they will face A-Sun foe, Kennesaw State. Match play will begin at Noon.
1. Deahna Welcher/Jenny Borck (LIP) def. Abigail Hogan/Laura Stack (BELW) 8-5
2. Carolyn Caire/Natalia Nunes (BELW) def. Elizabeth Keevil/Danielle Hansen (LIP) 8-4
3. Samantha Bowman/Alyssa Bellini (LIP) def. Nikki Maciel/Spenser-Anne Edwards (BELW) 8-3
1. Nikki Maciel (BELW) def. Deahna Welcher (LIP) 6-0, 3-6, 6-4
2. Alyssa Bellini (LIP) def. Fabiana Mersan (BELW) 7-5, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Jenny Borck (LIP) def. Catherine Holliday (BELW) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
4. Carolyn Caire (BELW) def. Elizabeth Keevil (LIP) 6-4, 6-4
5. Laura Stack (BELW) def. Danielle Hansen (LIP) 6-3, 6-4
6. Natalia Nunes (BELW) def. Samantha Bowman (LIP) 7-6 (7-2), 6-0


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"We look forward to uniting the Democratic Party and winning in November," said Vallone campaign spokesman Austin Finan following the victory.
But only one – John Duane – has come out in support of Vallone following his primary victory over Duane, Paul Graziano, Chrissy Voskerichian, and Austin Shafran.
Contrast that to the strong endorsements Bill de Blasio got from Christine Quinn and Bill Thompson, once he conceded the election to de Blasio. Those three were also locked in a sometimes-bitter race, but once the votes were counted the Democrats came out and endorsed the only Democrat left in the race.
Shafran lost a close election to Vallone, whose victory hinged on a ballot recount. Like Thompson, Shafran eventually conceded, but he most certainly did not endorse Vallone for the seat.
And just last week, Graziano did Shafran one better, crossing party lines to endorse Republican Dennis Saffran, who will be challenging Vallone in November.
"Paul Vallone has had no interest or experience taking care of the issues that affect our neighborhoods, as was proven during the Primary campaign when he refused to answer even simple questions from the public at the debates that were held - and didn't even bother to show up to the one debate focused on overdevelopment issues of our council district," read a statement from Graziano announcing his endorsement of Saffran.
A lot of the lingering animosity likely – or rather, most certainly – stems from a series of highly negative mailers targeting Vallone's opponents sent by Jobs for New York, a political action committee created by the Real Estate Board of New York. Technically, the negative mail wasn't sent or paid for by Vallone, but he also refused to denounce the mailings when pressed to by his opponents.
Graziano, who finished a strong third, was particularly attacked in the series of mailings, which attempted to brand him as a racist. Graziano alluded to the mailings while endorsing Saffran.
"His unbelievably offensive, slanderous and negative mailings and personal attacks, which focused on character assassination of his opponents and used religious bigotry in an attempt to get Catholic parishioners to vote for him, coupled with his overwhelming funding from the real estate industry and other special interest groups, clearly show that if he is elected to the City Council, Paul Vallone will not represent the interests of the residents of our neighborhoods, only those of the real estate industry and clients of his family's lobbying firm," Graziano said.
But tell us how you really feel Paul!
Clearly, the campaign left some bitter feelings among the candidates, but did it also with voters? The 19th District is fairly conservative, and while maybe not as much as say Ulrich's district in south Queens or some portions of Glendale and Maspeth, has been known to elect Republicans from time to time, and the headquarters of the Queens County Republican Party is in Bayside.
People who follow northeast Queens politics believe that the current councilman, Republican Dan Halloran, wasn't so much elected on his own merits, but because the Democratic candidate, Kevin Kim, was so unpopular with voters in his own party that many crossed lines and pulled the lever for Halloran.
We'll soon know if the Vallone campaign had the same effect on voters, and if Saffran can capitalize on that.


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'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'
How do I find LOCAL NEWS? And while we're at it, INTERNATIONAL NEWS, too?
Our News page at boston.com/news is curated by our breaking news staff. On this page you will find local, national, and international news all in one location updated constantly throughout the day. Just click on News in the main navigation.
Where is the Big Picture?
That feature is now on BostonGlobe.com. You can get there directly by going to http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/bigpicture
How do I find the OBITUARIES?
Click on News in the navigation, and then click on Obituaries. You can also go directly to boston.com/obituaries.
How do I find the OPINION PAGE?
The opinion page now lives exclusively on BostonGlobe.com.
How do I find the FEEDBACK/HELP PAGE?
Any time you land on a "page not found'' you will find a link to our "Help Center'' page. You can also find it any time by going to boston.com/help.
How do I find EXTRA BASES?
We know how much you love the Extra Bases blog, and we would never take that away from you. You'll find posts from that blog on our Red Sox page, which is updated by our sports staff multiple times a day. In the navigation, click on Sports and then Red Sox.
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For this, we'll send you over to bostonglobe.com. Check it out at http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/high-schools.
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Click on "Sections'' and you'll find "Traffic'' under "Shortcuts.'' You can also go right to boston.com/traffic.
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You can find this by going to http://www.uclick.com/client/bos/fcx/?s_campaign=cse.
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You can use the Boston.com search and type in "horoscope.'' Or you can just go here: http://www.uclick.com/client/bos/el/?s_campaign=cse.
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You can find it prominantly on BDCwire.com. Or, you can directly there at http://bdcwire.com/radiobdc
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Click on Sections in the top left corner of any page, and go to "Forums'' under Shortcuts. You can also use the Boston.com search box and type in "forums.'' It will be the first results. Or you can go directly to boston.com/forums.
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Many of our blogs now appear simply as stories within the content streams on the site. However, some of our most popular blogs remain in blog format, and can be found here:
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Watching Feddy Garcia labor big time against the Cardinals. It's early, but it has to be frustrating for Garcia, who has given up four runs on a pile of pitches. Garcia is trying to make the team as the fifth starter.
He's competing with Livan Hernandez, who threw two perfect innings today, Tim Redding and Jon Niese.
If I were betting, I would say Hernandez wins the job, Redding will get slotted as the long man, Niese and Garcia would open in the minors.


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The head of the U.N.'s nuclear monitoring agency said Thursday that global use of nuclear power will continue to grow, despite the shock waves sent through the industry after a massive earthquake and tsunami caused an accident at a Japanese nuclear power plant earlier this year. At the United Nations, there was a special high-level meeting on the safety and security of the world's nuclear power plants.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Yukio Amano told the nuclear summit that in the six months since Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was crippled, his agency has been working closely with Japan to contain the damage.
"The agency's assessment now is that the reactors are essentially stable and the expectation is that the 'cold shutdown' of all the reactors will be achieved as planned," said Amano.
Speaking via a video message from IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Amano said worldwide public confidence in the safety of nuclear power was deeply shaken by the radiation leak after a March 11 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami. Some 80,000 people had to be evacuated from the area near the crippled Japanese plant.
But the IAEA chief said the accident does not mean the end of nuclear power.
"In fact, the latest IAEA projections show that global use of nuclear power will continue to grow quite significantly in the coming decades, although at a slower pace than in our previous projections," added Amano. "The growth will reflect unchanged factors such as increasing demand for energy as well as concerns about climate change, dwindling reserves of oil and gas, and uncertainty of supply of fossil fuels."
Amano said the IAEA Board of Governors has approved an action plan on nuclear safety that includes measures for states to review the preparedness of their nuclear power plants to withstand natural disasters. International experts will also be assembled to assess the safety of a country's nuclear reactors, its emergency preparedness and response capabilities, and the effectiveness of its nuclear regulatory system.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda told the meeting that it is clear that the government was underprepared for a tsunami.
"It is clear that electrical power supplies for emergency use and pumps should not have been situated in locations that could be submerged by tsunamis," said Noda. "Insufficient were preparations for a severe accident that would result in damage to the reactor core."
But Noda added the most recent estimates indicate that the amount of radioactive material being released from the Fukushima Daiichi plant is one-four millionth of the level during the early stage of the accident.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also addressed the nuclear meeting. She said the Obama administration recognizes that nuclear power is a vital contributor to the world's energy needs and that it is not an option that can be taken off the table.
"But it is an option that carries special risks and dangers," Clinton said. "Therefore, we must do everything possible to ensure its safe and responsible use. We must remain vigilant against outside threats and internal weaknesses to prevent accidents from occurring. We must make continuous improvements to regulations and strengthen implementation of existing conventions so we hold ourselves, and others, to the highest standards."
Clinton said exhaustive international response plans must be enacted so that if an accident occurs, the damage is contained as much as, and as soon as, possible.


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These are the ½ inch thick cake boards referred to in the industry as 'drums', perfect for heavier fruit cakes, wedding cakes and so on
Drum boards have been used in holding and supporting cakes for almost as long as cakes have been decorated!
Drum boards that are two inches bigger than the largest tier are generally used. For example, if you are baking a 12 inch cake, you will need a 14 inch drum board.
This cake board comes in a mesmerising shimmering red finish.
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This year's London Bike Show may be done and dusted, but in case you didn't make it along BikeRadar have picked out some highlights for you.
Our first big gallery was a random mix, whereas this one focuses on some of the nicest road and urban bikes and gear that we saw, including products from Van Nicholas, Tom Donhou, Sigma Sport, Foffa, Assos and Shutt VR.
Just click on the image gallery to the right and scroll through.


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Anthony Valentin
Followers of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse identified as hostile
On this day, Indian Inspector E.C. Watkins submits a report to Washington, D.C., stating that hundreds of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians associated with Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse are hostile to the United States. In so doing, Watkins set into motion a series of events that led to the Battle of the Little Big Horn in Montana the following year.
Seven years before the Watkins report, a portion of the Teton Sioux, who lived with Chief Red Cloud, made peace with the U.S. in exchange for a large reservation in the Black Hills of the Dakotas. However, some Sioux refused the offer of confinement on a reservation, and instead united around Chief Sitting Bull and his leading warrior, Crazy Horse. The wisdom of their resistance seemed confirmed in 1874 when the discovery of gold in the Black Hills set off an invasion of Anglo miners into the Sioux reservation. When the U.S. did nothing to stop this illegal violation of lands promised to the Sioux by treaty, more Indians left the reservation in disgust and joined Sitting Bull to hunt buffalo on the plains of Wyoming and Montana.
In November 1875, Watkins reported that the free-roaming Indians were hostile. The government responded by ordering that the Indians "be informed that they must remove to a reservation before the 31st of January, 1876," and promised that if they refused, "they would be turned over to the War Department for punishment." However, by the time couriers carried the message to the Sioux it was already winter, and traveling 200 miles to the reservation across frozen ground with no grass for their ponies or food for themselves was an impossible request.
When, as expected, the Sioux missed the deadline, the matter was turned over to the War Department. In March 1876, the former Civil War hero General Phillip Sheridan ordered a large force of soldiers to trap the Sioux and force them back to the reservations. Among the officers leading the force was George Armstrong Custer, who later that year lead his famous "last stand" against Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
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Object #1008530 from MS-Papers-0032-0275
2 pages written 10 Nov 1875 by Sir William Fitzherbert in Wellington City to Sir Donald McLean
From: Inward letters - Surnames, Fit - Fli, Reference Number MS-Papers-0032-0275 (22 digitised items). Correspondents:Thomas H Fitzgerald, Wellington & Napier, 1853-1861 (10 letters); W Fitzgerald, undated letter of condolence; Fitzgerald [?], Parnell, undated letter; FitzGbbon, Auckland, 1870 (1 letter).Also: William Fitzherbert, Wellington & Hutt, 1862-1875 (6 letters); James A Fletcher, Napier, 1869 (1 letter); Anne D Flight, New Plymouth, 2 undated letters.
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Inward letters - Surnames, Fit - Fli, Reference Number MS-Papers-0032-0275 (22 digitised items)
Series 1 Inward letters (English), Reference Number Series 1 Inward letters (English) (14501 digitised items)
McLean Papers, Reference Number MS-Group-1551 (30238 digitised items)
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Ultimate Adventure 2010Posted in Ultimate Adventure: 2010 on November 1, 2010
Every hobby or sport has a pinnacle event that defines its core and, for many, legitimizes its very existence. Traditionally, we magazine editors work to bring you the most dynamic and cherished off-road events from around the globe. From the barren Baja Peninsula to the Australian Outback, we have covered some of the most coveted 4x4 events, adventures, and competitions on the plant. While our role for many years has been to observe and report, 11 years ago we changed the history books by creating our own yearly wheeling expedition known as the Ultimate Adventure.
What started off with a few editors and friends looking to break away for a week of wheeling and countryside exploration has evolved into one of the premiere off-road trips on the globe. Now in its 10th year with Editor-in-Chief Rick Péwé at the helm, the Ultimate Adventure has become an exciting magazine tradition that is more than a weeklong off-road vacation. It's a true modern-day adventure.
The fundamentals of the UA include driving (not towing) your rig over nearly 1,000 miles of mud, rock, sand, trees, and asphalt, all while being entirely self-sufficient (camping gear, food, fuel, spare parts, mosquito repellant). While the UA motto for many years has been "Wheel for the Week, Not for the Day," the true slogan for the adventure will forever be "No Whining!"
Since the Ultimate Adventure is a reader-based event (we do it for you) becoming a part of it is as easy as sending in an application (which can be found on our website, 4wheeloffroad.com). If you do get picked, your wheeling buddies for the week will consist of the 4-Wheel & Off-Road staff, a few other invited readers, our gracious sponsors, a handful of old cronies that will show you the ropes, and a fearless film crew that will be there to document all of your off-road triumphs and disasters.
For this year's adventure we headed to the Northeast and started things off in the high mountain air of Keene, New Hampshire. Leading our group is our boss and adventure/logistics expert Rick Péwé in his custom-built CJ-7. While unique build themes have always been a part of the official UA vehicle, this year's rig took its cues from a more classic aviation source: the Boeing B-17 bomber of World War II. From rows of rivets to an actual B-17 steering wheel (more properly called a control yoke), Tech Editor Fred Williams did a great job of achieving almost the impossible, building a truly unique Jeep dubbed the CJ-17. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for articles on how the CJ-17 took flight.
While we don't want to spoil too much of the trip's highlights in just one issue, we will tell you that this year's UA may go down as one of the most damage-filled. And though we could easily spend an entire issue discussing the amount of breakage and mechanical chaos that almost every participant experienced, we'll just start you off with a taste and a closer look at how the first half of the trip broke down (literally and figuratively). Be sure to check back next month as we pick up on Day 5 of the event and round out our Northeast invasion.
Day 1: Saturday, July 3
Check In To Head Out
You'll likely never spend more time hanging around in a hotel parking lot than you will on the first day of the Ultimate Adventure. Though it may seem like an odd way to start an off-road journey, the check-in day is a vital part of the event. The 4WOR staff performs vehicle tech inspections, participants meet and greet, and most importantly, check-in creates a small time window for any and all last-minute vehicle fixes and upgrades.
Starting things off at the Best Western in Keene, New Hampshire, we received a taste of what the record-setting heat wave had in store. First to arrive at the hotel was our medley of invited readers, a total of six new and one returning. With stories of broken trailers, blown engines, and ejecting tires already buzzing around the parking lot, we had a feeling that this year's adventure would be an interesting one for sure.
Since participants for this year's event were traveling in from all across the U.S. and Canada, arrival times varied greatly. So when half of our group was still MIA around 5 p.m., we were hesitant to question their absence. But as night began to fall, we knew something was amiss. Most notably missing from the group was event leader Rick Péwé and his CJ-17.
As it turned out, a big chunk of our UA group, including virtually all of the old cronies, weren't simply stuck in New York City traffic, but rather were busy installing the final touches to the CJ-17 at the Williams family farm in Pennsylvania. The missing rigs and participants left many wondering when they would show and what the status of the highly anticipated lead vehicle would be.
Day 2: Sunday, July 4
007 Wheeling
Anticipation over the first trail day can keep even the most veteran of wheelers awake at night. While our group was filled with top-tier drivers and machines, it's often difficult to shake that fear of the unknown. The dawn of the new day gifted us with clear blue skies and a parking lot that was now noticeably fuller than the evening before.
In the midst of the sea of of-road rigs was the other half of our UA crew, including the freshly built CJ-17. This set of new faces and rigs quickly kicked off our early-morning drivers meeting, and after many handshakes and hellos the group was as eager as ever to head out to the first wheeling destination.
If you're familiar with the Northeast then you know that public wheeling land is extremely limited and almost all of the off-road areas are private. And while private property may mean limited access for some, it also means guaranteed access for others.
In southern New Hampshire are 100 acres of fully marked and maintained OHV trails. This manmade network of trails and obstacles snakes through the heavily wooded and bright-green hillside and offers an array of scenic and challenging paths for four-wheeling enthusiast. Filled with huge rocks, tight squeezes, and steep hillclimbs, the private park's trail system has something for all wheelbases and experience levels.
Leading our trail day was Bob Siwinski and Liza Snow of the Summit Crawlers. Both are active members of the Northeast Association of 4WD Clubs (nea4wd.org), which is who you will need to contact if you are interested in wheeling the private OHV area.
With the record heat came incredible dryness that allowed the majority of the participants to crawl easily over the initial dirt and rocks. As the day progressed the trails became tougher and tighter, and the rocks substantially larger. The increased difficulty level quickly took its toll on the group. With a couple of crumpled doors, a broken rear driveshaft, and one or two damaged oil pans, the park challenged even the most sophisticated rigs. But in true UA form we put our recovery tools to work (thanks to Warn, Hi-Lift, and Bubba Rope) and everyone pitched in to keep everyone moving.
At the end of the day we were able to get all the rigs out on their own power, even though some were a little worse for wear. As we slowly made our way from the woods back to the staging area our noses were greeted with that wonderful smell of slow-roasted barbeque. To our surprise the Summit Crawlers had fixed us an amazing feast from Tim Turner's "Pig Man" mobile catering, which was a fitting way to end after a long day of hardcore wheeling. Special thanks go out to the Summit Crawlers, who helped us navigate the rocks and left our gas tanks on empty, our bellies full of food, and our faces with big smiles.
Carnage Report, Day 1
- Cracked front truss: Lance's S-10 Blazer
- Broken rear locker: Hi-Lift TJ
- Fuel leak: Andrew's Ranger
- Buster rear U-joint: BDS TJ
- Oil pan damage: Clifton's LJ, Daystar TJ buggy
- Broken front locker: Matt's K-10
- Broken hub: Sam's buggy, Clifton's LJ, Andrew's Ranger
- Rear shock mount: Shay's Bronco II
- Body damage: Hobart M-37, Clifton's LJ, Boyd's Bronco, Andrew's Ranger, Paul's 4Runner, Matt's K-10, Keith's CJ, Lance's S-10 Blazer
Day 3: Monday, July 5
Sugar Road & Muddy Meadows
A typical Ultimate Adventure road day is far from your usual A-to-B jaunt. From 400 miles of backroad exploration to challenging off-road offshoots, you never know what lies ahead. And since Monday also kicks off our week of camping in the wild, most of the rigs are more loaded up than usual. So with our rigs packed full with a week's worth of gear, we met up for an early-morning drivers meeting, eagerly anticipating the day's schedule. The first order of business was a status update on our lead vehicle, the CJ-17. Despite its previous day of great wheeling and seemingly trouble-free performance, we learn that the CJ has developed a crippling electrical problem.
Since the UA doesn't stop for anyone-man or machine-we left Tech Editor Fred Williams and Web Editor Jason Gonderman behind to troubleshoot the Jeep. Hopping in with veteran UA attendee Keith Bailey, Rick sounded out to the group over the CB radio and we all loaded up for the drive out.
Exiting the hotel parking lot, we made our way out of town and into the rolling hillsides and lush green vegetation. Not long after hitting the road we took a hard right down a long dirt road that was lined with dense vegetation and old farmhouses. Initially we weren't certain whether this was a wheeling stop or a wrong turn, but once we saw the signs for the Smith Family Sugarhouse (802.869.2417), we knew Rick had something sweet in store. Located just outside of New Hampshire in Cambridgeport, Vermont, is some of the best homebrewed pure maple syrup you will find on the East Coast. Family owned and operated by Ed and Diane Smith, the maple syrup business is a labor of love-and a lot of hard work. After taking the tour of the Sugarhouse and grabbing a couple of bottles of syrup for the road, we were all back in our rigs.
Exiting the Smith Family Sugarhouse could have been as easy as turning back down their drive, but in true UA fashion we decided to peel off through a short off-road pass known as the Sugar Trail. This mildly challenging detour through the woods was a fun break from the highway and eventually led us back to another winding country road. Not long after hitting the backroad asphalt we exited Vermont and found ourselves in Granville, New York.
While Granville might not have the glitz and glamour of NYC, it does have something even better, a giant off-road mud park! Hosted by Michele Niedermer and Doyle Ross of the Adirondack Jeep club, we were invited in to explore all that the Mettowee Mud Boggers (www.mettoweemudboggers.com) park had to offer. With a rich mix of mud pits, giant rock-slab hillclimbs, and off-camber and loose dirt trails, the park had something for every wheeler's appetite. So with our rigs still packed with gear we locked in our hubs, shifted into 4-lo, and went exploring through the New York meadows.
It wasn't long before the group exited the last mud hole, but not completely without incident, of course! Overall the group rated the trails a 10 out of 10 and were quietly relieved that we were able to avoid the major mud pits on this very-minimal-road road day.
With daylight running low, we all saddled up for another jaunt down the highway. Quickly breaking into the nighttime hours, we stopped off for fuel and met another UA legend and Samurai guru, Tim Hardy. He had left from his place in Northern California and was attempting to drive his well-weathered Samurai cross-country when he met with complete engine failure. Rather than write off the trip and have the vehicle towed home, Tim used his networking skills and good luck charms to wrangle up another engine.
So with our token Samurai now part of the group, we exited our final fuel stop of the evening and drove down the road to our next destination. With just a sliver of moonlight breaking through the dense tree canopy, we set up our tents and grabbed a little shuteye.
Carnage Report, Day 3
- Body damage: John's XJ, Warn LJ, Boyd's Bronco, Hi-Lift's TJ, BDS TJ
- Bent air shock: Jeff's Toyota
- Broken hub and front locker: Andrew's Ranger
- Electrical problems: CJ-17
Day 4: Tuesday, July 6
After arriving late at night and setting up camp with minimal lighting, the group was anxious to check out the primitive campsite digs in the early morning light. A quick scan of the wooded plateau greeted campers with a refreshing view of the rural countryside and deep forest surroundings. With heat and humidity in high supply, the thick foliage and cover from surrounding trees brought a little relief to what was already starting off as a very warm day.
Our wheeling destination for today was just a few yards from our small tent city. Near Fonda, New York, we found ourselves at one of the toughest and most trail-packed pieces of four wheeling property in the east, Rok-Park. Hosted by Lyman and Meredith Saltsman of the Rok-Freekz off-road club (www.rok-freekz.com) our trail day would test each driver's ability to maneuver up and over some of the most massive tree-lined rock obstacles we had yet to face.
The first trail of the day sent the group up a rocky ravine and required a few of the rigs to match precision wheel speed with momentum to conquer the slick V-notches and rocks. With our tires now heavily soaked and littered with a mix of mud and rich black soil, we made our way to one of the most treacherous hillclimbs on the property.
This mega climb gave drivers three line choices, each offering less traction and more angle than the last. As a safety precaution the group had to helmet up, and after three valiant attempts, if you didn't make it, the winch cable was put to use. While there was no shortage of tense moments and near rollovers, the group managed to conquer the hill virtually without incident.
After a brief lunch break catered by Sandies Smokehouse Cafe and sponsored by BDS, we headed back to the trail for a new set of obstacles. What was next on the trail agenda was a combo of loose dirt ledges that had a few big rocks and vertical pathways thrown in for good measure. Many of the tight trail pathways forced our fullsize rigs into body damage territory, while some of the shorter-wheelbase vehicles got a little front-end light throughout the afternoon. With light trail breakage, a little body damage, and a lot of fun, we called the day a success and went in for round two of Sandies' Texas-style barbecue, this time courtesy of the Rok-Freekz.
Carnage Report, Day 4
- Body damage: Lance's S-10 Blazer, John's XJ, Paul's 4Runner, Shay's Bronco II, Warn LJ, Hi-Lift TJ
- Broken hub: Boyd's Bronco
- Damaged fuel cell fittings: Hobart M-37
- Damaged hydraulic steering line: Lance's S-10 Blazer
- Cut tire: Daystar TJ buggy
- Broken hub: Sam's buggy
- Electrical problems: CJ-17


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Developing the Nation: Past and Future?
Detail from Iron Mountain, Michigan
Post Office Mural
Some Americans may be aware that Benjamin Franklin was the first postmaster general of the United States, appointed by the Continental Congress during the American Revolution. But, unfortunately, our history lessons have otherwise overlooked the Post Office's contribution to the development of the nation. A new paper entitled Postal Service Contributions to National Infrastructure describes some of the ways the Postal Service was used to support national infrastructure growth. For example, did you know?


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A Wrinkle in Time
3 out of 5 Stars
Director:Ava DuVernay
Writer: Jennifer Lee, Jeff Stockwell, Madeleine L'Engle novel)
Starring: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Rated: PG for thematic elements and some peril
Synopsis: Four years after the disappearance of her scientist father, Meg, an antisocial teenager, embarks on an adventure with her younger brother Charles Wallace, a schoolmate and three magical beings to discover what happened to her father.
Review: It's been years since I read Madeleine L'Engle's novel "A Wrinkle in Time." Honestly, about all I can remember is the Pegasus that was displayed on the book's cover. There is no Pegasus in this film version.
The protagonist's story is easy to follow. Meg loved her father and his absence has left her with a bitterness and lack of faith in the world. Everything that follows will either re-establish her belief in society or tear it completely to the ground.
Everyone else, including the magical companions, aren't very developed. We are given a few simple traits, but very little backstory or clue into what motivates them beyond the fact that there is something evil that is threatening to devour the universe. That evil, commonly referred to as "It," is a darkness that drains hope and happiness from everything it touches. Evil doesn't necessarily need to be all that defined, particularly when it appears as a disembodied energy or cancerous web.
The undefined nature of the supporting characters and their guides, however, is a bit problematic in the sense that their importance to the narrative is a little ambiguous in this version of the story. Characters seem to disappear without explanation, which is kind of odd considering one of the gifts given to Meg is the advice of "staying together," which is advice that goes against the rest of the story. There is always someone missing and most of the time the characters don't seem all that troubled about the companion who is no longer with them.
The narrative itself feels more like a series of short films loosely stitched together, rather than an adventure set in a highly detailed world. We are told a few interesting tidbits, but it never feels cohesive. It is beautifully strange in appearance, but I couldn't really tell you anything about the various locations they visit or the rules that govern what is possible and what is impossible in any given place.
In some ways, it almost feels like Meg's story is being made up as we go along with the idea that the supporting characters will get detailed in the next draft of the screenplay or the next novel.
And yet, the film is still enjoyable. It is beautifully designed and has a fantastic message that should be heard by adults and children alike. Considering the darkness that currently surrounds us and the various lines of belief that divide us, a film filled with hope is a welcomed thing.
If you had any interest in seeing "A Wrinkle in Time," I still recommend that you do so. If you were sitting on the fence, then I suggest a matinee screening. Despite its flaws, the film really needs to be seen at the largest screen you can find.


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Freedom of speech and dissent are always curtailed in times of war. Whenever soldiers occupy foreign nations, rational thinking is proscribed in favor of nationalistic hubris. Minority opinions, although grounded in ethics and reason, are repressed, often brutally. The majority becomes intolerant of dissenting views. Thoughtful dialog is suspended and irrational ideology gains ascendancy. Civil discourse breaks down, and the social order disintegrates into anti-intellectual emotionalism and chaos.
During World War I and World War II, it was dangerous for anyone to oppose war or to speak truth to power. When Eugene Victor Debs delivered his Canton anti-war speech in 1918, he went to prison. In An Enemy of the People, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen demonstrated that the majority of the people are easily deceived, their emotions manipulated by profiteers and special interests. It requires serious conviction to take a principled stand in the midst of nationalistic fervor in which men and women so easily turn upon one another. During war, nationalism and repression are conducted with the fervor of a religious crusade.
In this era of permanent war we see bumper stickers that attempt to meld religion with nationalism. They carry jingoistic slogans like "God bless America" or "God bless our troops." Significantly, God even appears on our currency. But why would a just God, if God exists at all, bless a nation that kills with impunity? Why would God bless a nation with a history of repression and genocide? Why would God bless a nation that institutionalized chattel slavery and the repression of its working class?
Filed under: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education Industrial Complex, Free Speech, Immigration, Information, Military Industrial Complex, Prison Industrial Complex, Religion Industrial Complex | Tagged: Adam Smith, Afghanistan, AIPAC, Al Jazeera, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, American University, Anglo-Saxon, capitalism, Christianity, Corruption, democracy, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, depleted uranium, disinformation, dissent, ethnic cleansing, Eugene Victor Debs, exceptionalism, fascism, Freedom of Speech, Genocide, Ghost Dance, Henrik Ibsen, Hiroshima, human rights, Indigenous Peoples, Iraq, Islam, Jeremiah Alvesta Wright Jr., Joe Hill, Karl Marx, Kosovo, Malcolm X, manifest destiny, Martin Luther King, Marxism, Milton Friedman, misinformation, murder, Nagasaki, nationalism, North Korea, Palestine, Palestinian, Paul J. Balles, Propaganda, religion, repression, Ronald Reagan, smallpox, socialism, sociopath, Soviet Union, torture, War on Afghanistan, War on Iraq, World War I, World War II, Wounded Knee, Zionism | Leave a comment »


text: Victoria is a London based cook, recipe developer and food writer. She has written for various print and online publications. Her first four books, Boutique Wedding Cakes, Deliciously Vintage, Baking Mash-Up and Boozy Shakes are out now. She cooked her way through the alphabet from artichokes to za'atar zebra on her blog, Alphabet Soup. She founded Victoria's Cake Boutique in 2008 with celebrity clients including Miranda Hart, Zach Braff and Dave Gorman and has just completed her fifth book, Deliciously Chocolatey. She is currently the food writer in residence at The Roald Dahl Museum & Story Centre.


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Gismeteo weather forecast
by shmelkin
For Opera 15 and above a new version available - https://addons.opera.com/en/extensions/details/gismeteo/
The icon in your toolbar displays real time weather or forecast for the nearest time of your favorite place. Click the icon and you will get detailed forecast for 24 hours.
You can make your own design by changing icons set and color themes!
Absolutely new easy-to-use interface and easy configuration
Toolbar icon displays real time weather or a forecast for the nearest time
Real feel temperature
New skins and new two icon sets
Feedback from users
Reviews and ratings
Works great! Do not have to click and have a frame or a new page open just to see the present temperature. Also, like the colors and the layout. Extremely easy to use. KUDOS!
It does exactly as stated. Giving real time weather and forecasting. Great extension. Thank You!
Please update!
Please update for new opera version (15.0.1147.130)
I really like it!
Very good design.
Worked well after taking quite some time to locate even well known locations. However, it automatically updated itself today (February 7, 2013) and wiped out all my previous settings. As a result, I uninstalled it. Such a shame, as I had been using this extension for some time.
great need to stay updated, easy interface and use
Crushes opera when you first install it. Then in daily use Opera crushes from time to time with it.


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Indeterminate western blot test
Apr 11, 2009
Hi Doctor, I had a western blot test about 2 weeks ago and it came back 2 weeks later as "indeterminate with moderate reactivity to p24...". The general doctor told me that I should be prepared for a positive test result.
On the day I had the western blot test I had a fever and later I had diarrhea for about 2 weeks, I lost 5 kg. After I got the "indeterminate" wester blot result I did a rapid anti body test which only took 1 min. It came as negative. The reason I took the rapid test is because I have no idea whether or not the general doctor did a ELISA test before the western blot. So in all, I had an indeterminate western blot test 2 weeks ago and I had a negative rapid anti body test now and during the last 2 weeks I had fever and diarrhea. My question is what is the chance that I am actually negative? Would the fever related to HIV infections? Which test result is more reliable so far: the negative rapid test or the indeterminate western blot?
p.s. I had a possible exposure about 24 days before I took the rapid anti body test.
Thank you so much for your help.
Response from Dr. Frascino
Considering your potential exposure was only 24 days ago, it's too early to run HIV-antibody tests. Tests taken prior to the three-month mark are not considered to be definitive.
You are correct that Western Blot tests should not be run independent of a repeatedly reactive (positive) ELISA (EIA, rapid test). That said, it is true that p24 is one of the earlier antibodies to be detected during seroconversion.
If your doctor feels you are undergoing acute retroviral syndrome (fever, diarrhea, etc.), he could run a quantitative (PCR RNA) or qualitative (PCR DNA) test. Alternatively, you could wait for the three-month mark and then repeat your HIV-antibody test.
Good luck.
Dr. Bob
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You may have laughed at the electrical drawing the first time you saw it, but now you have to finish the installation, and you still don't have a good drawing. For one thing, the conduit fills are obviously all wrong. Nobody puts 45 No. 12 wires and 15 No. 14 wires in single half-inch raceway. You're out in the field, and you don't have a computer with you. How do you determine what size raceway you need?
The figure shows a flow chart of the general steps. Let's continue with our example of the No. 14 and No. 12 wires, and go through the steps in detail.
The first step is to calculate the size of the wires. Let's say we are using THHN. We go to the National Electrical Code, Table 5 and find that a No. 12 THHN has an area of 0.0133 sq in., and a No. 14 has an area of .0097 sq in. Our 45 No. 12 wires times 0.0133 sq in. give us an area of 0.5985 sq in. Our 15 No. 14 wires times 0.0097 sq in. give us an area of 0.1455 sq in. Our total, then, is 0.744 sq in. Don't forget that the derating penalties exacted by Note 8(a) to the ampacity tables effectively preclude large numbers of power conductors in a common raceway. In this case, the ampacity of the No. 12 conductors would fall to just over 10A (30A30.35510.5A).
What do we do with our 0.744 sq in. of wire? Let's look at the National Electrical Code, Table 4 to see what size raceway we need. We'll assume the raceway is EMT and runs overhead for far more than 24 in. (maximum nipple length). With more than two wires, we can max out at 40% fill.
How do you use the NEC's Table 4 for this type of calculation? The column you want to use is "Over 2 Wires," since we have some 60 wires and want a 40% fill. Accommodating all of our wire will require a 1 1/2 in. EMT.
Now that we've covered how to determine raceway fill, let's cover some basic concerns on conduit selection. Remember that the Code is not a design manual. You may decide to go with a larger raceway if you have a long wire pull or simply want an extra margin of safety and performance from your wiring. Web Kee, whose byline has appeared in EC&M, has done extensive thermography on hundreds of installations. From his perspective, it's almost always better to go with bigger raceway. In some cases, you may want to divide the run into two raceways. If you do this, keep circuits intact. Do not, for example, run two of a motor's phase conductors in one conduit and the third in the other.


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Plus check out these sweet honey sticks I found on a stroll into David's Tea. Aren't they cool? Imagine adding one of these to you're favorite hot drink? Plus they come in all sorts of different honey's and the clear one's are flavored Agave nectar, I choose coconut and lime to try!
Hope you're all having a superb weekend!


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Not long after explaining that receiver Roy Williams, a phenomenal disappointment since arriving in Dallas during the 2008 season via a modern-day Herschel Walker trade, would have to fight for his starting job in 2010, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips is claiming that his comments were misinterpreted, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
Coincidentally, Wade's boss also has chimed in on the matter. Asked whether he could imagine a situation in which Williams doesn't start in 2010, owner Jerry Jones said: "A big no."
We're not sure how Wade was misinterpreted. He said of the receiver position that he "would play the best player, no matter what." Apparently Phillips meant to add "if Jerry lets me" or "as long as the best player's name is Roy Williams."
And now we know why Jones continues to employ as his head coach a guy who is the exact opposite of Bill Parcells.
So what does Jones expect from Williams? Basically, what Jones expected — but didn't get — in 2009.
"I think you could look for him to have the kind of year we expected him
to have last year," Jones said. "I'm optimistic about Roy Williams.
We've got to do some things to help Roy, to help his game. We've got to
do some things with the way we get him the ball to enhance his game.
We're going to do that."
Ensuring that Miles Austin will constantly receive double coverage will help. Heck, even Alvin Harper was able to succeed in Dallas across from a guy who could actually play.