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Hotfix KB2687336 for Outlook 2007
This hotfix contains 7 fixes for specific issues. Most notable fixes are:
- Outlook will now display password expiration notifications when using Exchange Online in an Office 365 environment. (KB2745588)
- Outlook creates duplicate calendar items or crashes when you have a SharePoint list with a lot of calendar items.
- When Outlook is configured in online mode and connecting to an Exchange 2010 server, new email notifications might not always be shown.
View: Full list of fixes and download information for KB2687336
Obtaining the hotfix
This is a Hotfix and not a regular update. You can request it via the KB article page.


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Add a little twist to your crochet hats with an adorable little brim to block out the sun. The Zigzag Visor Cap Crochet Pattern is an easy pattern worked up in simple crochet stitches with two colors. If that's too much for you, you can easily work this up in a solid neutral for a simple and ultra-easy pattern. This pattern includes size information for baby through adult heads, so you can work one of these up for anyone in … Continue reading
Tag Archives: adult
This charming crochet hat sits close to the head and features a slight brim, much like the vintage cloche hats in fashion. Worked as a main beanie portion and then an attached crochet brim, this crochet hat looks fantastic in contrasting colors. Don't let the unevenness of the flap portion scare you, you'll be working back and forth in rows using crochet stitches of varying heights to achieve an unbalanced look to the brim. This is definitely an easy hat … Continue reading
This Valentine's Day, crochet a cozy, warm scarf for your sweetie. The Heart Scarf is an all-white scarf with dark pink borders and a row of dark pink crochet hearts running down the middle row. This is an easy pattern to work up and only features a small number of color changes, so even if you're nervous about switching colors, you'll soon get super comfortable with it. This pattern comes in child and adult sizing and features simple crochet stitches … Continue reading
Fingerless gloves are widely popular in the winter, especially in offices where the temperature is always set just a little too cold. With these Fancy Fingerless Mittens, you can take your mitts outside as well, since they feature a little flap that covers your fingers and provides extra warmth and coziness. When you aren't using them as mittens in the cold, keep them up in place with a little button. This is an easy pattern to work that features simple … Continue reading
I learned this stitch pattern way back when I did the Stitch 'n' Style Handbag CAL with my friends Maria and Wendy. I've been wanting to try it in some other designs ever since, and this is the first one to come off my hook. I added the puff stitches on every third row for extra texture and I absolutely love how it turned out! Pair it with the Celestial Cowl and Wrist Warmers for the complete look. { Add … Continue reading
The Serenity Slippers can be made in women's shoe sizes from 4 to 12, and also includes instructions for different foot widths. The heel is constructed in short-rows, which can be a little intimidating, but there are step-by-step instructions and a chart to help you along. { Add it to your Ravelry Queue or Favorites } Skill Level: Intermediate US Women's Shoe Sizes: 4/5 (6/7, 8/9, 10/11, 12) Finished Slipper Lengths: 8″ (8.5″, 9″, 9.75″, 10.25″) with 3/4″ negative ease. … Continue reading
It wouldn't be Christmas without a hat for the Big Guy himself. Need an Elf Hat to go with Santa? Check out this post HERE. ~ Add it to your Ravelry Queue or Favorites ~ Skill Level: Easy Sizes: Newborn, 0-3 Months, 3-6 Months, 6-12 Months, Toddler, Child, Teen/Small Adult, Medium Adult, Large Adult Supplies: Worsted weight yarn such as Red Heart Super Saver Color A (Red), Color B (Black), Color C (White) and Color D (Gold) Size 5.0 mm (H-8) … Continue reading
Where would Santa be without all of his wonderful little helpers? Now you can make this adorable Elf Hat for everyone in the family to assist the big guy on Christmas Night. Looking for a Santa Hat to go with the elves? See this post HERE. { Add it to your Ravelry Queue or Favorites } This pattern is written using US crochet terms. Skill Level: Easy Supplies: Worsted weight yarn such as Red Heart Soft in Color A (Green) … Continue reading
* * * Come check out Week #9 of the Christmas Crochet-Along Blog Hop! * * * Get the free pattern for the Velvety Soft Slippers right here: http://pattern-paradise.com/2015/11/05/12-weeks-of-christmas-blog-hop-cal-week-9-free-pattern/ Be sure to come join us at the Crochet Playground FB Group for a chance to win fantastic prizes from Red Heart Yarns! Now here is a sneak peek of Week #10: Santa's Bag by The Hooked Haberdasher! For this project you will need: Red Heart Boutique Fur – 1 skein … Continue reading
If you are a regular follower you may have seen me mention that I was planning to update my Celtic Dream Hat pattern and here is the much-anticipated earflap version! The Celtic Weave stitch has become one of my all time favorites because it creates such a beautiful and unique texture. If you're new to this stitch you can check out my video tutorial HERE. ~ Add It To Your Ravelry Queue or Favorites ~ Skill Level: Advanced Sizes: Newborn, … Continue reading
Welcome to Week #2 of the 2015 Christmas Crochet-Along (CAL) Blog Hop! This week's free crochet pattern is the Wonderland Mittens designed by me. Did you miss the details on how to join the CAL? Check out this post for the schedule and how to join our #12WeeksChristmasCAL Facebook group. Thanks to our wonderful sponsor, Red Heart Yarns, for providing the yarn for this project: Red Heart Boutique Treasure. This yarn is a soft wool blend that comes in several … Continue reading

subset: commoncrawl


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The Houston Museum of Natural Science was founded in 1909 – meaning that the curators of the Houston Museum of Natural Science have been collecting and preserving natural and cultural treasures for a hundred years now. For this yearlong series, our current curators have chosen one hundred exceptional objects from the Museum's immense storehouse of specimens and artifacts—one for each year of our history. Check back here frequently to learn more about this diverse selection of behind-the-scenes curiosities—we will post the image and description of a new object every few days.
This description is from Dirk, the museum's curator of anthropology. He's chosen a selection of objects that represent human cultures throughout time and around the world, that we'll be sharing here – and at 100.hmns.org – throughout the year.
This contemporary Bella Coola dance mask was carved by a member of the Lelooska family. The mask represents a Nuxalk people (Bella Coola) myth. In this myth, a young individual, belonging to a high ranking family, found himself afflicted by a terrible disease. It made him repulsive to all who saw him and made it impossible to get married.
One day, the young man walked off in the woods and happened upon a mysterious lake. In the lake was a supernatural being in the form of a loon. Taking pity on the youth, the loon swooped him up and dove down into the lake with him. When they surfaced, the young man discovered that he had been given supernatural power and great beauty. He married and brought much honor to his people.
Explore thousands of years of Native American history in the John P. McGovern Hall of the Americas, a permanent exhibition at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
You can see more images of this fascinating artifact – as well as the others we've posted so far this year – in the 100 Objects section at 100.hmns.org


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Once again, a Republican guest ripped CNN's Soledad O'Brien for her Democratic-friendly bias. Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani lit into her on Monday for giving President Obama "an incredibly generous interpretation" of his reaction to the Libya attacks.
"My goodness. That's an incredibly generous interpretation for the President," Giuliani told O'Brien after she tried to refute GOP accusations of a cover-up from the Obama administration.
Later O'Brien shot back at Giuliani that he was putting words in her mouth. "Every time I ask you a question you like to push back as if somehow the question that's being posed to you is unfair. It's not. I'm a journalist," she told him.
The exchange was the latest in a string of bouts between Republicans and O'Brien on her show.
A week ago, Giuliani wondered on Starting Point if he was "debating with the President's campaign". RNC chief Reince Priebus exposed O'Brien for her double standard. Romney adviser Barbara Comstock quipped to O'Brien "I know you have your talking points." Another Romney adviser, Bay Buchanan, mixed it up with O'Brien in September. And Romney surrogate John Sununu told O'Brien in August to just put an Obama sticker on her forehead.
"Sounds like they're saying actually the intelligence was flawed and so flawed that the President and people around the President weren't getting accurate information. Does that change when you say cover-up?" O'Brien had pressed Giuliani, citing a Wall Street Journal article reporting the administration was briefed for days after the attacks that they sprung out of a protest.
O'Brien referred back to Bush's faulty intelligence over weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, citing ABC's Matt Dowd, who worked in that administration, that after "years," the administration still didn't "have the right answer. That by jumping on so quickly and expecting sort of accurate final answers within weeks is -- is I guess, unfair in a way."
However, O'Brien left out CNN's own reporting that the administration omitted key intelligence from its talking points given to Congress and the American public.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on October 22 on Starting Point at 8:09 a.m. EDT, is as follows:
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: So the last time you were on we were talking about Benghazi, and you said that it was a cover-up. And now as I'm sure you know, The Wall Street Journal is writing this. "President Barack Obama was told in his daily intelligence briefing for more than a week after the consulate siege in Benghazi that the assault grew out of a spontaneous protest despite conflicting reports from witnesses and other sources that began to cast doubt on the accuracy of that assessment almost from the start." Sounds like they're saying actually the intelligence was flawed and so flawed that the President and people around the President weren't getting accurate information. Does that change when you say cover-up?
RUDY GIULIANI, (R), former Mayor of New York City: [Laughter] No. Come on.
O'BRIEN: I guess from the hysterical laughter you're going to say no. Tell me why, because –
GIULIANI: My goodness. That's an incredibly generous interpretation for the President. My god.
O'BRIEN: I'm asking. I'm not interpreting. I'm asking you. Because The Wall Street Journal has said the intelligence was flawed.
GIULIANI: Yeah. But also thePpresident should have known, just based on common sense, that an attack like that, an attack in which they are using rocket-propelled hand grenades, in which mortars are used, if the President had been privy to the information beforehand that there were numerous attacks there, planned attacks including two on the embassy, one in April, one in June, in which a hole was blown in the wall of the embassy, now all of a sudden you get an attack on September 11th and you're scratching your head about it? I mean my goodness. If it wasn't a cover-up, then the ineptitude of this administration is startling. And it really can't be trusted to protect us.
O'BRIEN: So Mr. Mayor, hold on one second –
GIULIANI: If you couldn't figure out this was a planned attack, you had a series of planned attacks before this. To us, because this information was concealed by the administration, this appeared to be a big surprise. Meaning the American public. Shouldn't have been to the President.
O'BRIEN: Hold on one second while I chat with our panel.
GIULIANI: That consulate was being attacked.
O'BRIEN: Hold on one second while I chat with the panel for a second Mr. Mayor.
GIULIANI: Sure.
RON BROWNSTEIN: What I'm wondering is if this was a lack of common sense, and the CIA was saying this for ten days, was it David Petraeusthen, is Mayor Giuliani saying it was David Petraeus, head of the CIA, had a lack of common sense about what was happening in Libya? That would be the implication of saying it's a lack of common sense to not see that this was a planned attack right from the get-go, and that's what the CIA was saying.
GIULIANI: Let's see if we can move it away from the President.
BROWNSTEIN: I'm just asking.
GIULIANI: May I please -- no, but may I be allowed to answer the question?
O'BRIEN: Of course.
GIULIANI: The reality is, the reality is, the President of the United States way back in April should have been aware of the fact that this consulate was under siege. Then all of a sudden in June he gets a hole blown in the wall of this consulate. He shouldn't have to pin it on David Petraeus or Hillary Clinton or – if he's the President he should be aware of this from his security briefings. What we need to know is was he briefed on the prior attacks? Did he know of the prior attacks? When this attack took place --
O'BRIEN: So, so –
GIULIANI: Please let me finish. When this attack took place did it key into him that there had been prior attacks at exactly this spot, a spot in which the British consulate had moved their consulate just a few weeks earlier? Now if all that information was known to the President, then of course there was a cover-up. If it wasn't known to the President, well, then maybe he was misled by the CIA. I don't know the answers to that. The administration is stonewalling here. They're not giving explanations. We still don't know if the President was aware of the prior attacks.
O'BRIEN: So let me ask another question. I don't know if you caught Matthew Dowd who was – he's an ABC news political contributor. And here is what he said about when he was working at the time and weapons of mass destruction had been discovered. I'm going to play a little chunk of what he said.
MATTHEW DOWD [from ABC's 'This Week']: But I think -- let me just say one thing to put this Benghazi thing in context of like why don't we have answers and where are they? I worked for President Bush. We had a President in an administration for years made an argument about weapons of mass destruction, for years. And now we've lost thousands of lives over in Iraq based on a false assumption. It wasn't two weeks. This was months and months and months of a conversation where we never got the right answer to this. And we still today, nobody in the administration at a high enough level –
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN: And the point is that our intelligence gathering is bad.
O'BRIEN: So he is the chief strategist right, for Bush/Cheney. And so he's even saying that after weeks it would be -- even talking about weapons of mass destruction, took years before they were even able – and they still don't have the right answer. That by jumping on so quickly and expecting sort of accurate final answers within weeks is -- is I guess, unfair in a way.
GIULIANI: If what? We're going to blame this on Bush, too?
O'BRIEN: Okay, you've got to stop putting words in my mouth, sir. Seriously. Hang on. Let me finish. Every time I ask you a question --
GIULIANI: I'm going to answer the question.
O'BRIEN: And let me finish my point. Every time I ask you a question you like to push back as if somehow the question that's being posed to you is unfair. It's not. I'm a journalist. You said some things. I'm trying to get some accurate responses from you. You are welcome to answer. Go ahead.
GIULIANI: Okay. Here's the answer.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
GIULIANI: It sounds to me like we're trying to blame it on Bush. It's absurd to blame Benghazi on Bush. All the President has to do is answer the simple question. Did he know about the consulate attacks that took place before September 11 of 2012? There were two of them. One of which blew a hole in the embassy wall. Also did he know that the British consulate, which is basically next door, that they moved out because of these tremendous number of risks to that consulate. If he knew all that, which would only take, like, a few minutes --
O'BRIEN: That's not what Matthew Dowd is saying. So you realize that, when I played that chunk for you, that's not what Matthew Dowd is saying. Let me finish my point. What Matthew Dowd is saying is similar situation talking about weapons of mass destruction. And back then in the same confusion, it took a long time. Years later we still don't know. He's not saying blame it on President Bush. He's just saying that weeks in a place like Libya, it could take a long time before somebody actually knows what exactly happened. We also have a report from The Wall street Journal that it looks as if the intelligence was flawed. That's what he's saying, sir.
GIULIANI: But it doesn't take a long time for the President of the United States to tell us whether or not he was aware that this consulate had been attacked twice before. And if he was aware, what did he do to protect that consulate?
O'BRIEN: But my question for you, sir –
GIULIANI: – that is an easy question to answer.
O'BRIEN: I agree. I agree. But the point and my question to you –
GIULIANI: Then why doesn't he answer?
O'BRIEN: The point and my question to you is does Matthew Dowd have a point that it could take far longer than two weeks or four weeks before people understand what happened? He's saying the example when he was working for the Bush administration was weapons of mass destruction. Does he have a point?
GIULIANI: He has a point about some parts of this incident. He does not have a point about the part of the incident that refers to what was the President's knowledge, did the President take steps to protect our ambassador and the other people there, didn't he take steps to do that, and why wasn't that information made available for a month, a month and a half? Those are very valid points that do not take five years to figure out.
O'BRIEN: Those are valid points that Michael Dowd did not make. Michael Dowd did not say that. Thank you for talking with us. We're out of time. We always enjoy chatting with you. It wakes me up, that's for sure. Thank you sir.


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Jobs and Career Opportunities at Kettenbach
Kettenbach is a successful, medium-sized business with an international outlook. We are always looking for qualified personnel who will help us move forward in the development, manufacture and marketing of our premium medical products. If you are interested in one of our job postings, please send us your complete application documents and specify your earliest possible starting date and desired salary to Mrs. Schmidt-Franz. She will be happy to provide you with information by telephone as well at +49 (0) 27 74/ 705 17.
Currently no open jobs available.


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Products like QuickBooks and Netsuite are among the popular choices for business accounting - and for payment gateways and processors. Your merchant customers, however, are looking for solutions that will synchronize and reconcile sales and transaction data into these or similar systems. Contrary to popular belief, providing this real-time reconciliation needn't be cost prohibitive, time consuming or difficult to maintain.
Why Customers need Reconciliation
Reconciliation is the process of confirming that the balance in Accounting systems matches the balance in the Statement from the payment gateways and merchant accounts - along with all available transaction data that might be required (E.g. Tax).
Reconciliation helps your customer's accounting team confirm that all the amounts appearing in the statement are brought into their book of accounts and can provide a clear explanation for any unreconciled items.
Problem: The trouble with Reconciliation
For merchants with a large number of invoices and orders processed on a daily basis, payments are initiated from any number of online and offline sources and processed by your gateway. The gateway transfers the final amount (as a lump sum) at the end of the day or after a few days depending on the gateway, with no correlation to the original invoices or orders for which payments are processed. The problem statement is as follows:
How do we reconcile the invoices/transactions with the bank statement when one lump sum amount is deposited in the Bank Account (when you do not know which individual invoices and orders make up the lump sum amount)?
Solution: Real-time Payment Reconciliation
Cloud Elements API integration platform can be used to enable realtime reconciliation of the payment transactions into Quickbooks, Netsuite, or many other enterprise ERP systems - that can include the transaction ID and transaction details captured on the gateway. Merchant customers can then choose the data they need and the format required to properly integrate with their accounting system of choice.
Then as usual, when all payments and refunds are reconciled between the Gateway Statement and Gateway Bank account, the lump sum amount pending to be transferred in the Gateway Statement shall be transferred from the Gateway Bank Account to your actual Bank Account.
Benefits to you and your customers
Integration is becoming a key requirement for merchants when they evaluate and select and payment gateway. Businesses are looking for ways to reduce overheads and manual processes that can often be prone to error.
As a payment gateway provider, out-of-the-box integration capabilities can help you improve or maintain margin, create a stickier relationship with merchants and even reduce risk.
With the Cloud Elements catalog of more than 130 pre-built connectors to the leading enterprise SaaS and On-prem apps, you can easily synchronize and reconcile data in realtime, directly into your customers' accounting software.


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KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- Ultimate Adventure experience
It doesn't matter how enchanting bikes you have driven across your hometown streets. The KTM Desert Motorbike Tours will be a whole new experience for you as well as for your loved ones. Drive relentlessly in those dunes and feel the heat as you pass through every cactus of the Dubai desert. You, along with your friends can also race along the desert to see who will win and take an absolute relishing party from the one who will lose that race. With such exhilarating experience, you will always want to come back to Dubai for this worth remembering experience.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- Basic
The off-road rental Dubai will provide you with various tour options one of which is the beginner tour. Now, you are new and do not know anything about the Dubai desert motocross driving. But, not to worry, the Beginner tours will surely make you a master at this very moment. In this tour, you will learn how to perfectly balance your body and ride your dream bike with the desired ease and comfort.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- A notch higher
Now that you have become a master and ready to drive in those luscious sands, still there are certain norms which you don't know about, at such situations, the advanced tours can come at a rescue for you. With such boon, you will experience the Dubai desert adventures on your favorite bikes with full freedom. By taking this tour seriously, you can become an absolute master in riding bikes and can even teach your loved ones the same too. However, many sports bike rental Dubai has this exotic feature where anyone can learn confidently and without any hassle.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- Safety
Safety has always been their top priority. With proper training, you can tackle any obstacle which will come in your way that's for sure. Apart from that different safety gears will be provided to you such as helmets, elbow pads, knee pads and much more. In the case of an accident, these gears will save you from those disastrous injuries which can ruin your life to an extra orbit level.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- Personal Tour Guide
You are not alone in the wavy sands of Dubai as the KTM Desert Motorbike Tours will provide you with a personal guide itself. With such guide, you will be enlightened about every rule related to motorbike riding, and he will be the third eye who will see to it that you drive your desired bike with complete safety and assurance.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- Affordability
Majority of the motorbike companies can take a hefty amount from you and can make you left with a little or no amusement. With KTM Desert Motorbike Tours, one thing which you can be deadly assured is the pricing. The team desert motorbike price is far lower and can be afforded by almost everyone who would like to ride on their favorite bikes with little or no amusement. You can get plenty of Motorbike rentals Dubai and can enjoy that moment to the core. Further, the motorcycle rental Sharjah is also a unique location to ride on your favorite mountain bikes at an affordable price.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- Exotic Collection of Bikes
For extreme fanatic bike lovers, the KTM Desert Motorbike Tours bring to you, a wide collection of bikes which will take anyone's breath away. Bikes are ranging from 2016 KTM 450 EXC to KTM 500 EXC, you say, and they will present you with the same within minutes. Apart from all this, you can also enjoy the lure benefits of quad bikes Dubai and the mix Dubai buggy. Choose from such collections and ride in this every lasting beauty of the Dubai deserts.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- Adventure Tour for Amateurs
If you don't have any experience in the motorbike riding, the adventure tour for the amateur tour will help you achieve that foot. You will experience the basic norms of riding a bike flowing through the prickly heat of desert and mountains which will outlay their shadow on you.
This package constitutes a 2hour tour where you will learn how to ride a dirt bike in the sands of Dubai with absolute perfection. Here, you will learn to improve your skills with each baby step, and in the end, you will learn to drive flawlessly provided that you have an eagerness to drive that mountain bike.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- Adventure Tour for Advance people
Till now, you have become a master at riding and looking forward to taking that next step to becoming masters at it. This can be achieved by opting for the advanced motorbike tour. This tour involves a 4hour session for relentless driving. With such tour, you can enhance your skills as much as you can and can ride through the deserts quite steadily and with full freedom. In this tour, some of the advanced training skills will be taught to you, and yes, you will be provided with all the safety equipment for your well being and security.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours- Custom Motorbike Tour
For those who will like to explore the deserts independently or with their loved-ones, the custom motorbike tour is still as a blessing for you. This tour is available for a period of up to 2 days provided with a camp for an overnight stay. What else you want other than this? Gear up with your loved ones and choose this tour option to get lost completely in the mesmerizing beauty of the Dubai Deserts.
KTM Desert Motorbike Tours in Dubai offers a mesmerising opportunity for all those who love to ride their dream bikes on the sands of Dubai cutting through every hurdle that comes in their way. Choose them, and you will surely enjoy every bit of this thrilling experience.


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Blog Archives
Something worse than the Swansea loss.
This is not a rant, just the result of a series of calculated thoughts!
I was sat in my living room as early as 3:00 p.m (believe me that's early in my books), waiting for the game, waiting for my darling Arsenal to put little Swansea to the sword.
They didn't disappoint at first, RVP got a well-taken goal as early as the 5th minute, and my mind was set on a big win, the type we had at Wigan.
For God knows how, Swansea found a way back into the game, and won a penalty (maybe it wasn't a penalty), to draw level. Terrible defending from Arsenal then gave them the lead.
We leveled matters through Theo Walcott and amazingly, we gifted them another goal even before I was done "processing" our equalizer. We couldn't fashion a way back into the game and we were beaten, fairly.
A few individual performances spring to mind. Miquel shouldn't have been playing that game had we brought in a left back. Ramsey was not up for it and Mert4 made a bad decision for the winner. Bar a well-taken goal, Walcott didn't do a thing right, Szczesny is beginning to falter and we missed Arteta really badly.
Now to what really bothers me; there I was a few minutes after the game, feeling normal. I mean we just lost to Swansea after the game and I shouldn't feel normal, I should be livid!
But for some reason, I wasn't! I logged into my twitter feed and I was greeted with varying reactions to the loss. While some were venting their anger, others were searching for positives in what was an abysmal performance.
We have the worst away record for goals conceded and it is as though we need to score two goals to draw games away from home!
We were beaten at our passing game, and that's quite worrying. Swansea seemed to want it more and that's pretty disturbing.
I think I was somewhere in the middle of those two groups; and with time I concluded that the reason I felt that way is because I was gradually becoming used to Arsenal screwing up things.
You may have heard this before but I just wish to reiterate that Arsenal finishing in the top 4 this season will be Wenger's best achievement to date. That in itself in enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes.
We cannot maintain the pressure that accompanies a run of good form without messing it up. Look at this, we had a very poor start, recovered well, but the moment people started taking us seriously, we began to falter.
Injuries? Look at Man United and get back to me. I think it's something to do with the mindset of the players, they are just not up for it, even Cesc said it!
They don't see themselves as a team capable of winning things, and if anything that's the major positive I see from Henry's return to the club.
Arsenal players are like that kid in high school, who knows the pass mark is 40%, but he needs to study hard for 85% to get an A+. How well do you think he'll perform? My guess is he'll party hard and target 50% which in all fairness is a pass grade, and move onto the next one.
For all the talk about contending for the title, I just think they do not believe it. They just look to be in the top four every year, get into the Champions League and "do well" in the cup competitions.
Yesterday's loss is just another on a long list of unbelievably poor results, and what's worse is that us fans are settling for it.
Slowly, the same Arsenal fans that celebrated titles a few seasons ago are the same ones "celebrating" a Champions League qualification. Yes, that's how bad we have become.
The club posts profits year in year out and neglects what really matters, the football. If you told me (with concrete evidence) Arsenal have no money to spend, maybe I wouldn't have written this post. But apparently there's some money to spend, we just don't think it's 'necessary'.
"I think it will be stupid to drop points simply because we don't have full-backs." – Wenger, two weeks ago.
The talk of sacking Wenger now doesn't even begin to arise. He gave a reasonable argument for why he'd rather wait for the injured players to return than bring in new faces.
Whether or not this loss will change Arsene's stance on winter transfers will be revealed in the coming days.
That's all I can take for today. Apologies for an unusually long post, I only felt the need to share everything I was thinking with you. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.
Keep the faith wherever this post meets you!
What I learnt in Greece|Fabregas says he gave Arsenal his best|Identities of the Statues revealed
This post should have come earlier in the day but I was busy with an 8-page Literature review I just submitted. It took my whole morning, but hey, I've got more news for you than I would have had I posted in the morning, so it's all good.
Following yesterday's defeat in Greece, the boss did not have much to say. He did give credit to Olympiakos for playing a "committed game" and admitted that on the whole, they were sharper than us and wanted the win more than we did. I won't bore you a match report, just a number of things I noticed from the game.
Arshavin and Chamakh are in the last chance salon at the club. Both men have turned in indifferent performance over and again since the start of the season and it is quite hard to see a future at Arsenal for either of them.To say Andrei isn't pulling his weight will be an understatement, he looked like a rookie last night, like he couldn't be bothered. It was no surprise to see a lot of fans rip into him after the game.
And while I am still one of the very few (and I mean VERY few) Arsenal fans who still believe in Andrei, time is not on his side. With Oxlade-Chamberlain already impressing, he may be pushed down further in the pecking order. Chamakh's case is baffling; he obviously has not recovered from the fatigue he suffered last winter. This does not bode well for the club, as we need both of them in good form if we are to challenge for any honors this season.
Szczesny is more important than we imagined. Granted our defence should have done better on but we played two goalkeepers yesterday and none of them impressed me. Mannone chose yesterday to display his kicking skills and flapped at a ball my kid brother would have saved. And to think he thinks he should have had more appearance in the Arsenal shirt; performances like that won't win you the gaffer's trust Don Vito. And that means you won't get to be a club legend.
Talking legends, Arsenal are set to unveil statues of three of the club's greatest-ever heroes at The Emirates Stadium on Friday. And thanks to a leak by the Daily Telegraph, I can tell you that Tony Adams, Thierry Henry and Herbert Chapman are the chosen trio. Legendary defender Tony Adams captained the Gunners to five league titles across three different decades, making nearly 700 appearances in 19 years at the club despite years of battling his off-pitch demons.
Titi was saved from a bad spell by Le Boss, but was a huge hit at the club and scored a club record 226 goals in 370 appearances. For those that don't know me personally, he is my favourite footballer of all time! Say a bad word about him and you'll have me to contend with.
The third statue is Herbert Chapman, the iconic manager credited with first making Arsenal a force in the English game. He had already made Huddersfield both league and FA Cup champions, and did the same with Arsenal as he revolutionised the approach to football training and tactics. He also championing modern developments such as shirt numbers and evening matches being played under floodlights, before his tragic death from pneumonia after watching the Gunners' third team play a match in Guildford in January 1934.
So there you have it, three men who will be immortalized on Friday and deservedly so. This is coming at a time the club is struggling and the thought of being immortalized my help fire up the current crop of Arsenal players. Who is to say Arsenal won't be erecting a Jack Wilshere statue in the couple of decades?
Now to a player who might have had a strong for a statue had he not bailed out when we needed him the most, Cesc Fabregas. The 24-year-old made more than 300 appearances, scoring 59 times, after being plucked from the Camp Nou club's youth team by Wenger in 2003. And after a sixth successive year without silverware, which included a last-gasp loss to Birmingham City in the League Cup final, Cesc says the time was right to move on and attempt to win honours with his star-studded hometown team. Said he,
"I thought it was the right moment. I'd given everything for Arsenal. I played with a broken leg, I played when my grandfather died. I gave everything but you reach a moment when you say: 'I can't give any more"
Fair enough Cesc, we do not dispute the fact that you gave us your best, we just asked you to give us a bit more, seeing as your best wasn't good enough. But it's in the past now, he's enjoying life in Barcelona and we are recovering from losing him, so both parties are sort of happy now.
Onto some transfer news, Wolves are keen on signing Emmanuel Frimpong and Francis Coquelin on six-month loan deals. The two youngsters have had limited opportunities in the first team this season and Arsene is likely to be in favour of providing the pair with more football. Frimps has already spoken out that he would like to explore the possibility of a loan deal in January and it seems that Wolves could move to please the 19-year-old. Coquelin also expressed a desire to go in search of some regular footy in the winter.
I'd love for both of them to stay in the EPL, that way we get to see them often and we can measure their progress more accurately.
Coming at a time when a club on the other side of London is struggling to keep its top players, having dressing room disputes, and praising a drab win over Valencia as their best performance of the season, it's not really a bad time to be a gooner, is it?
Keep it goonerish from wherever you are reading this and do let me know what you think in the comments!
Joel Campbell Arrives London Today|Fabregas to undergo TWO Medicals.
Morning gooners! It's the start of a new week and it is one which sees us finally say goodbye to our captain (or ex-captain) if you like, Cesc Fabregas.
Arsenal confirmed his departure yesterday and Cesc is due to be unveiled later today. However, considering his hasmtring problems, the Catalan giants want to be double-sure they are not buying a crock! Cesc is due to have two medicals, one at 7a.m, the other at 9:30a.m.
Other things being equal, he'll sign at around 11:30a.m and will be unveiled about an hour later. It is sad to see the best midfielder in the world IMO leave us. Wenger has made a mistake of building his teams around Fabregas, now he'll leave a huge gap for us to fill.
Whilst his conduct could have been a bit better, he gave us his best whenever he played. I loved him, I still love him now and I always will. Despite being the heartbroken one here, I see nothing wrong in allowing his pursue his dream. Adios Cesc! Best of Luck!!
Now onto matters Arsenal (as weird as that sounds), Young Guns Blog says Costa Rican striker, Joel Campbell will arrive in London this morning to complete his £930,000 move from Deportivo Saprissa, a Costa Rican record.
Saprissa President has confirmed the deal and also confirmed a partnership arrangement with Arsenal.
"We are extremely excited about this opportunity to strengthen our organization through the sharing of best practices Arsenal. We will be visiting London next month and in due time we will provide details of this relationship, which includes close collaboration on a number of issues, as well as the creation of a Saprissa-Arsenal Academy."
Campbell also gave his opinion about the transfer:
"I'm very happy, very proud for my family, football and Costa Rica. Arsenal is a team that I've liked my whole life, and gives chances to young players. It's a good team to show myself."
He's not been granted a work permit yet and will continue to train with the club while that is sorted out.
So that's another signing in the bag for us, albeit not one we craved. In the wake of Cesc's departure, a lot of names have been linked to us from Jadson, Marvin Martin, Valbuena to even Joey Barton.
Who do you consider to be the appropriate replacement for Fabregas, that is if like me, you believe he should be replaced? We haven't signed THAT defender too, of those linked to us, which centre back would you sign?
As usual, let us know in the comments!
Cesc Finally Gone, Nasri to follow + 2 new injuries for Arsenal
Granted, the Fabregas to Barcelona deal has not been officially confirmed by either club, but after yesterday's reports, we know that barring a major miracle, he won't be playing at The Emirates next season.
It had been coming, and for seasons we have endured countless disrespectful comments from the catalan camp on how the Barcelona players feel about the prospect of having the Cesc join them.
They seem to have finally got their wish; and I think for us, it marks the end of what has been an extremely humiliating episode with the Spanish Club.
He'll move for a fee of around €40m, equivalent to approximately £35m, same amount Liverpool paid for Carroll. The height of desperation displayed by Fabregas gave Barcelona our best player for way less than we value him.
He is the best attacking midfielder on the planet, but his "love" for Barcelona blinded him and even pushed him as far as funding his own transfer from the club that made him who he is. While it cannot be argued that Fabregas gave his 100% to Arsenal every time, he has failed woefully as a captain!
Nasri's is a different case. He's been with us for 4 seasons, we were patient with him to come through. He's had a big season now and he wants to leave. While it is questionable why we didn't sign him on earlier, he is about to betray a club which tolerated his mistakes as a growing footballer.
With City reportedly ready to offer him £185k a week, it is obvious why Samir's refused to sign a new contract till now. And if the words of his national team coach, Laurent Blanc are anything to go by, he won't sign.
No matter what anyone says, losing Cesc and Samir, if both transfers go through is a disaster! It will be really difficult, if at all possible, to replace Cesc in particular, who brings 15+ goals and 15+ assists each season.
We have to try nonetheless. As at the end of last season, we were 3 (an attacking and 2 defensive) players short. Now we've lost Clichy, Cesc and Nasri to follow. We've brought in Gervinho, Jenkinson and Oxlade-Chambs.
Good signings in their own rights; but now we need signings of intent. If those two leave, we'll have enough money. Sneijder's astronomical wages mean we cannot sign him, but Mata is available. He is a Cesc/Nasri hybrid from what I've seen, and will really flourish at Arsenal. Get him now Arsene!
We cannot afford to wait any longer. We bombed at Newcastle last season with a better starting XI than what we currently have. We do not want to start the season on a wrong foot.
Add two of Jagielka, Cahill, Samba and Dann to Mata and we won't look too bad. An extra attacker would have been ideal but I'm hoping on the likes of Arshavin and Rosicky to consistently bring their A-games this season.
Arshavin and Ramsey were added to our injury list after yesterday's friendlies. I expect Arshavin to be back in no time though. We'll also need a new captain, who should lead the team next season? Vermaelen looks like the ideal choice for me, but for some reason I hope RVP gets it.
It's not been the best of summers for us, it even has the potential to be worse in a couple of days. But we can make the most of what fate's thrown at us. If we re-invest and sign the right players, we will have a great season.
More importantly, we would have put out a statement, that NO PLAYER can hold the Arsenal to ransom.
Keep the Faith!
Let us know what you think.
Thoughts on a tricky UCL tie + A "Different" Members Day
It was Members Day yesterday and fans got an opportunity see the players train. It is usually a relaxed and enjoyable event, but this year's edition had a different atmosphere to it.
Apart from the weather which almost crippled the entire event, there was some tension in the air. With rumours rife that the club were set to take two pictures, one with Cesc and one without him, the rain denied fans what they really wanted to see.
A number of "rituals" were also avoided for reasons best known to the organizers. Normally, the players would be introduced to the fans and they'd come out one by one to a rapturous applause. Yesterday however, they all came out at once.
The best guess is the club tried to avoid a controversy due to the uncertainty surrounding the future of some key players. That being said, it was great to see Cesc and other want-away stars train with no qualms.
Apparently, we rejected another bid of around £29m from Barcelona today. The drama continues and we can expect it to last until August 31st…if he has not left before then.
Meanwhile, the Champions League Draws for the qualifying phase were made today. We get to play Udinese over two legs for a place in the Group stages.
Given our options, we could have drawn a much easier team, but we didn't and we've got to deal with that. Even though Udinese sold 3 of their best players this summer, they still have some really good players, Antonio Di Natale, Kwadwo Asamoah, Pablo Armero, Mauricio Isla et al.
Also, the fact that we play the first leg at home makes me a bit worried. Our home form hasn't been the best, and we need to kill this tie at home. Anything less than a 2-goal lead is not good enough. Having said that, we have been taught that even a 4-goal lead does not assure us of an Arsenal win.
August will be a very decisive month for us, we play Newcastle away, Liverpool at home, Udinese at home, Man United away and Udinese away. Yet we are still a couple of players short and we do not have as much time as we think.
Should results go against us, we may have lost ground in the race for the EPL title and not qualify for the UCL, even before the transfer window closes. But even though we cannot rule out the possibility of such a disaster, I very much doubt things will get that bad.
I've watched us go to Milan twice, Turin and Roma, and we came out victorious on each of those occasions. It's only a matter of adding Udinese to that list.
Any thoughts? Please share them below.
Wenger: We need to send out an important message.
The Arsenal squad arrived in Kuala Lumpur to an amazing welcome by the club's Asian fans. The fans are obviously delighted that they finally get to see their heroes in flesh. The players and the manager were also pleased to be there.
Talking about the manager, Arsene Wenger has been in high spirits since the team landed. He has answered a lot of questions and he went one step further yesterday.
At a packed press conference where everyone was asking questions about Samir Nasri's future, Wenger did not even wait to be asked about Cesc.
He just burst in:
"So does Fabregas stay? We already answered the question. I am confident he will because I hope he will see that there will be no greater achievement for him in his life than to lead this team to success and that it will not be the right period for him to leave the club."
Wenger was in the most bullish of moods and tackled the issue head on. He was definitely prepared to answer questions about his captain's future.
"Yes, Fabregas wants to go back to Barca. No, he's not unhappy at Arsenal. He is torn between the two clubs."
Arsene however confessed that Cesc may get his wish to return, but only if Barcelona stump up the required amount.
"Yes, he won't leave unless Arsenal get the right fee. But we want to keep him and for us it's not a question of money."
Cesc has 4 years left on his contract and cannot force his way out of the club. But I fear that if the skipper is kept against his wishes, it may affect the dressing room and translate to poor performances.
When pressed about Nasri's contract saga, Wenger proceeded to utter the best words I've heard from him in a long while.
"I believe for us it is important the message we give out… a big club first of all holds on to its big players and gives a message out to all the other big clubs that they just cannot come in and help themselves."
So there you have it gooners! Wenger finally sets the record straight. He has told Barcelona to pay up or shut up. It will be interesting to see how the Spanish giants react.
Having said all these, I was thinking, should we just sell Cesc off, possibly change formation and build a team around someone who is more committed?
Or should we just add a few top defenders and hope next season will be better with an improved defensive record?
Let us know what you think in the comments!
Gervinho in an Arsenal Shirt|Nasri Isn't Leaving|Gibbs is our new LB.
Gervinho has signed for Arsenal and he will sport the number 9 jersey for next season. He is a great signing and will score lots of goals. *insert deep sigh*
I wish I could happily and confidently tell you that the deal has happened. I wish I could give you more than just a link to the above image which is probably fake.
Unfortunately, his signing has not been confirmed even after supposedly having a medical on Thursday.
French sources claim he still has some issues back in France and his signing should be announced in a few days. One begins to wonder how long "a few days" will be. I cannot wait to see him in an Arsenal shirt though and in a legitimate picture for that matter.
Meanwhile, Sky sports understands that we have agreed a fee of £22.2m with Man City for the sale of Nasri. As "credible" as this source is, it will take more than just their "understanding" to make me believe this story.
Add this to the fact that just yesterday afternoon Wenger was quoted as saying he will do everything to keep both Cesc and Nasri. There were even reports that Nasri has been offered £110k per week to keep him at the Emirates.
How Wenger made a complete U-turn in a matter of hours is what beats me. And taking into consideration how Sky sports have been "understanding" that Cesc's deal to Barcelona is almost done, I'm not surprised this story has come up.
The team will be travelling to Asia soon and it will be interesting to see who is on the plane and who is not. Wenger expects Nasri to be part of the touring party. Said he,
"…Yes, Samir is going on tour. He is not injured, so he is going on tour. We will take the strongest possible squad."
Japanese teenage sensation Ryo Miyachi is also expected to feature at some point. And as we told you in our last post, Cesc will not be travelling. No story in here, Wenger says he's injured and I believe him. Fabianski, Eboue and Bendtner may also miss the tour.
Wenger also suggested that Kieran Gibbs will be promoted instead of splashing out cash on a new left back. Opinion on whom our new left back should be is split, and this decision will surely anger some Arsenal fans.
I don't think Gibbs is a bad player but I doubt he is ready to play in the EPL week in week out. Having said that, a run of games may see him improve drastically.
I expected us to bring in an experienced left back, Wenger decided to promote Gibbs. This trick worked with Clichy when Ashley Cole left; it remains to be seen if Gibbs can prove us wrong with CONSISTENTLY good performances.
Following the failures of last season, we all expected a summer of additions to an almost perfect squad; not having to replace our top players. Now most fans are wondering, will Cesc leave? Should he even be allowed to leave? What happens to Nasri in the event of Cesc's departure?
Does Wenger still know? Why are we taking relatively long to sign players? Is our interest in Mata strong enough to bring him to London? What formation are we even going to play next season?
These are some of the questions I have asked myself these past weeks. Honestly, I am eager to see how we begin next season with a stronger team than the previous campaign. Or will we?
Keep the faith wherever you are reading this from!
Do let us know what you think in the comments.
Clichy has my blessings|Arsenal get bullied again|Cesc and Nasri to stay?
Granted, I may have popped some dopamine-enhancing pills this morning but I am in my most positive of moods. There have been a lot of paper talk over the past few days, with many of them being nothing but mere lazy journalism. We are actually tired of these stories and that may be responsible for the lack of posts these past few days. Not withstanding, our apologies!
So, first things first, news just in suggests that Gael Clichy just arrived at a private hospital in Manchester for a medical, with a view to completing his move to the Eastlands. This is bad news for us Arsenal fans, as we have just lost the last member of our invincibles team, a hard worker and an arsenal lover.
It may sound absurd praising him on the day he signs for another club; however, we cannot deny that Gael has been a loyal servant to the Arsenal cause. He gave his 100% whenever he wore the Red and White of the club and deserves every form of gratitude for his service.
Clichy came in for Ashley Cole and settled in perfectly, giving us great performance after great performance but last season, his form waned. The first person to notice this was Clichy himself. His performance dropped and he started making silly errors. He may have realised that his time at the top may not be as long as he expected. Having said that, I really do not see anything wrong in him seeking a big payday before he loses his form completely. I'm talking from a professional footballer's perspective here, not as an Arsenal fan.
Everyone has their limits, he has been with us for over 8 years and he's probably fed up. So I'll put him in the category of ex-players who should get a warm reception when they return to the Emirates: Henry, Pires, Kolo Toure, Ljunberg… And now that Clichy is leaving, replacing him won't be too difficult. We can bring in another left back, promote Gibbs, or shift Vermaelen to left back. The last option is a discussion for another day though.
To other news, Cesc should return to London today to begin preseason, and while his heart is still set on a move to Barcelona, returning to London may just be to our advantage. I believe that Wenger can meet Cesc one on one and convince him to stay at the club; tell him that Barcelona do not want him that much if they value Sanchez and Neymar more than him, tell him Arsenal will always love him more. It's not going to be easy but if anyone can, Arsene can. Barcelona have no money, and I do not see how Cesc will leave if they cannot provide the funds.
Nasri will also meet with Wenger today to sort out his contract. For all his comments in the papers, it is imperative for me to let you know that everything Samir said, we already know. He wants to win trophies, who doesn't? But he also added that he wants to do so playing a certain kind of football that we all know only one team in England is capable of.
He won't play rugby, and he wants to win trophies, my feeling is he wants to push Wenger to sign top players this summer so we can compete better next season. Isn't that what we all want?
For all our noise about Ricky Alvarez arriving, Inter Milan may just have beaten us to the signing of the Argentine ace. according to Maurizio Zamparini. The Palermo president was the man who revealed last week that Arsenal were set to win the race for the Velez Sarsfield midfielder. Palermo had also been bidding for Alvarez, which gave Zamparini his insight and now he claims that he knows Inter's late bid for the player looks set to be successful.
It is annoying how we get bullied by other clubs; first it was Jones, now it's Alvarez. However, we are not sure how much Wenger wanted him at Arsenal since there was no statement from anyone related to the club, and I have not really seen the lad play, so I cannot judge how much of a loss this is.
That's it gooners, it's past July 1st and still no action. Nothing on Samba and Cahill, Gervinho has still not been announced. I think Wenger knows what he's doing, but for how long can he wait on other clubs? This summer was supposed to be about strengthening, but instead it's another year of replacing.
It's just amazing how we have these problems with money when 95% of the club is owned by two of the world's richest men!
Wherever you are reading this from, keep believing. There's still over a month of the transfer window left.
Remember follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs for Arsenal news as they break.
One favour guys, we'll be most grateful if you can take some time out of your busy schedule to vote for us as Best Sports Blog and Best Collaborative Blog in Nigeria by following this link.
See you in the commments!
Worst Transfer News yet|July 1st Approaches
Just a quick one gooners. This week has been dominated by the infamous Cesc story which was first run by the usually reliable BBC.
It is imperative for me to state however, that I still cannot "totally" believe the entire story; this is because there was no credible name mentioned, and that gives the BBC plausible deniability should there be any trouble.
I used the word "totally" because I believe that behind virtually every rumour is a pointer, and an element of truth, no matter how minute.
And to those basing their assumption on the photo shoot for the new away kit, let me point out to you that Van Persie was absent too. And RVP is as loyal to Arsenal as they come. Apparently, Nasri also tweeted that he loved the new kit too, so the story can go either way.
Now to the title of my post and I was not exaggerating, at least that is what I believe. Just yesterday evening, the agent of our Brazilian "winner" (Denilson), said he doubts that any deal will be made for his client and in the event of no bids, Denilson will be returning for preseason with Arsenal. Said He,
"I don't know anything about Milan at the moment they are rumours. Spanish or Italian clubs? There are no talks…The only certainty is that if nothing happens in the coming days, Denílson will join Arsenal for pre-season."
For all He said last season about this Arsenal team not having his winning mentality, Denilson would be brave to stay with us surely.
Life as an Arsenal fan is fun, isn't it? We are struggling to keep our top players, Fàbregas, Nasri and Clichy; and also struggling to get rid of the deadwood, Denílson, Squillaci, Bendtner and Almunia. Some Arsenal fan even put Denilson up for sale on e-bay! That shows you how much we want him out of the club.
Now we'll be probably stuck with this "winner" for another season and since he won't get anywhere near the first team ( fingers crossed), we'll be paying him just to train. Left to me, we could always give him away for free.
The rumours have continued as usual, and while some are reporting that we have ditched Samba for Cahill, others are making noise about a double swoop. How interesting can it get? Which brings me to this…
For some reason which I cannot explain (and I doubt anyone can), July 1st has become the day of salvation for gooners; that day we look forward to for the fulfillment of our dreams. We believe for some strange reason that our signings (God let there be more than one!) will be announced on that day.
I am as desperate as you all are for signings but a mate recently pointed out to me that we have never announced a signing on July 1st! If this is true, I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you, but what is to say we cannot begin that trend this year?
So while I'm hopeful that July 1st will be that glorious day, I won't hold my breath though, with the knowledge that it might be like just any other day….rumours, rumours and more rumours!
It's a wrap guys, let's hope Wenger can surprise us all and pull something off this week. One thing's for sure though, we won't be starting next season with exactly the same set of players.
Have a splendid day wherever you are reading this from.
Remember to follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs for Arsenal news as they break.
See you in the commments!
Lay off Wilshere's Back! Rosell's retarded + Gervinho News.
Now I heard some of the most ridiculous sporting comments I've ever had the dis-honour to, this past week and surprisingly they came out of the Barcelona camp.
It's amazing how a club that claims to ooze class can be so classless in its attempts to do business, isn't it? This time the travesty is in form of one Mr. Sandra Rosell, now what Mr. Rosell, Barcelona's president by the way, stated was that Cesc's value had gone down since last summer, due to wear and tear *pause* really Sandro?
Are we referring to the same world of footie in which a certain Henderson is worth £20million and Andy Carroll,£35million?!?!
Are we speaking of a lower priced Cesc in this same world that has doled out ridiculous prices one…well…players eh Sandro? Please Sandro, do us all a favour, shattap, crawl back under that board room desk and do what board members are known for doing, sitting in box seats and watching games they know next to nothing about.
Mr. Rosell went on to say that "Cesc is of Barcelona and if I were the president of another club, I wouldn't sign a player who holds dear the colours of another team"
Maybe I have amnesia but didn't a certain Thierry Henry refuse to play against The Arsenal? Why did you sign a player that is Arsenal through and through Sandro?!? Cesc played against Barcelona, twice and even scored on one occasion.
Now if I were Cesc, i would have to think this through carefully.
Barcelona keep telling the world in one breath that he's theirs and in the next that they are buying a diminishing player. Do they expect that he'd grovel at their feet anytime they are ready to come for me?
I suppose you get the picture, and I think it's strange, and not unconnected, that these words came forth in the same week where Cesc all but said he would stay for at least another year.
Now we've all heard of the imminent arrival of Gervinho who's said to have signed a 4-year contract. I do think he's a super talent, well done Arsene….however….err….Arsene? We didn't particularly have much of a problem scoring goals, conceding however……err….nuff said!
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying an attacking player isn't welcome, especially one of his undeniable talent but until I hear that a Chris Samba or a Gary Cahill….or both or defensive players of that calibre have signed for the club, don't expect me to do the cat-daddy on my office desk with joy!
One more before I go, after England's abysmal showing at the U-21 World Cup, some people (on twitter at least) took it upon themselves to blame Jack Wilshere. According to them, Wilshere's decision to opt out of the mundial denied the England team of arguably the biggest player in the tournament.
While I understand their sentiments, it should be known that a certaon Andy Carroll also chose not to go. So why is everyone on Jack's case? Do you get paid for hating on Arsenal??
It is worth noting that Wilshere isn't the man who set up the academies in England which produced those inefficient players.
Also, last time I checked, Wilshere isn't the last name of the muppet in charge of the team. I honestly cannot fathom how a team with £20m Henderson and £16m Phil Jones did not make it past the first round. They could not hold their own against their far cheaper but way better Spanish and Czech counterparts.
Yet many fans were slating Wenger for not doing enough to sign these two average players. You better thank God for what you have.
That's it mates, it's another Monday and I really struggled to get out of bed to prepare for work. I really can't wait to retire!
Have a great start to the week people.
Arsene should make us happy before it runs out.
Don't forget to follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs for more Arsenal stuff.


text:
With a new data breach revealed seemingly every week, is it possible to safely share anything these days? Even passing notes in class risks a teacher intervention, unless you can smuggle this printer into school. Like something out of Mission Impossible, the messages it prints actually physically self-destruct just moments after leaving the machine, ensuring your secrets are kept that way.
This Tape Will Self Destruct is actually an art-piece by Diego Trujillo Pisanty that serves as commentary on the seemingly never-ending hacks and leaks making headlines weekly. It prints out random texts and images from works of Cold War fiction that are mixed with excerpts from recently leaked documents. The printed results themselves make for tiny works of art, if only they weren't so fleeting.
Because before the printout leaves the machine, the thermal paper is treated with glycerol and potassium salt which starts an exothermic reaction that turns the paper black and eventually burns it all away. You only have just a few moments to take in the text and imagery before it vanishes; assuming of course you're not carrying a device that has a camera on it, which could take a quick snap. [Diego Trujillo Pisanty via We Make Money Not Art via Gear Fuse]


text:
Dexter Reardon
I am currently the Website Coordinator of the UAlbany Campus Ambassadors. I am an information science major and a business minor. I enjoy watching anime and playing doxycycline price. #Order Doxycycline. where to buy doxycycline over the counter. video games.
I have been with C.A. for about 2 years now and look how long do the effects of levitra last?. #purchase Levitra. how to make levitra more effective. forward to all of the upcoming years.


text:
Herman Has Been Found
An email came a few days ago telling me that Herman had been found. That's great, I thought, but who is Herman? It explained that Herman's "chip" had been scanned and the serial number matched at an animal shelter in Colorado. So Herman probably wasn't human. The email was meant for a Douglas Schultzberg (which sounds like but is not his real name).
I replied briefly and set the email aside. Still, I was curious about Herman. My son and I agreed Herman must be a cat, because Herman isn't a good dog name. Dog's names have to be something you're willing to shout out in public without embarrassing yourself or the dog. Herman doesn't sound right—says the man with a lanky coonhound named Daisy. (Hey, she came to us that way.)
I got a form letter follow-up two days later from the chip people asking if I'd picked up Herman. There was no mention of my email. There was no box to check saying, no, that's not my pet. So I wrote to the animal shelter. They didn't respond.
I figured it wasn't my problem. Then I pictured little Herman in a cage on death row. I imagined his whiskers sticking out through the bars, nose quavering, forlorn eyes gazing out. You know, like in those tearful save-our-furry-friends ads. I worried that maybe the chip people had no way to contact the owner, if they even cared.
So I grumbled and stalked Mr. Schultzberg on Google. I found someone on Twitter with a profile pic of a balding man sitting on bleachers next to someone wearing a Cubs T-shirt. I skimmed through his many sports-oriented tweets. This Schultzberg is a fan of the Bears and a Missouri college basketball team. That seemed questionable for Colorado but I sent a tweet. I got no response and didn't really expect one. The tweet date stamps were pretty stale. LinkedIn had a loose match for a systems engineer in Colorado, but there was no contact information and I couldn't find a website for the company.
At this point I realized that old tech might be the best tech. What I needed was his damn phone number. At whitepages.com I found a Schultzberg in a town near the shelter. I gave the number a shot, not realizing it was an Illinois area code.
An older woman picked up. I said, "Hello? I'm looking for a Douglas Schultzberg with a pet named Herman."
Long silence.
"Hello?" I asked.
The woman on the line seemed confused. "There's no one here by that name. He lives in Colorado. What do you want?" She was pleasant about it but had no idea what I was saying.
So I explained. Laboriously, I convinced her I was legit. She gave me his cell and landline numbers. I called the cell number and got voicemail. On the landline, I got another confused person. After a little bit he said, "Oh, I picked up Herman yesterday." Jackpot. The "actual" Mr. Schultzberg. (The nice lady in Illinois is his mother.)
Turns out Herman is a beagle who keeps his nose to the ground and doesn't watch where he's going. So Douglas explained. He explained a lot of other things, such as that Wyatt Earp was born in Illinois in a small town near where Douglas grew up. I learned a bunch of trivia about Colorado, local history, and the alleged superiority of Apple products.
I wasn't forced to listen to all this. I played along while I figured out what was going on. I told him some things about myself, like that I'd stayed in his town some years ago and explored the area. I told him where I lived and he asked about the cherry blossoms. It was one of those conversations you have with an older person where you have to be careful to wait for silence before you say anything. Interrupt and you'll throw the train off the track.
I realized Douglas was lonely. He had three strokes last year, mild ones he said, but with that and some lumbar spine issues he'd been forced to retire from his job as a Windows software specialist. I noticed that he's having a bit of cognitive trouble—sometimes it was hard for him to express himself. Nonetheless at 62 he isn't ready to give up.
So the wayward dog wasn't the only one who benefitted from human attention. Frankly, I didn't mind getting some myself. After a fairly long series of random non-Herman topics that left my eavesdropping son wondering who the heck I was talking to, I volunteered, "I should let you go."
He said, "Well, thank you for calling. I guess I made a new friend."
And I said, "Yes, you did." I'll check on Herman sometime soon.
The Plight and Slight of Twice Exceptional Kids
I was speaker #22 (video here) last week at our county school board meeting regarding next year's budget. I was there to object to plans to eliminate the twice exceptional (2e) program. The program was a modest budget item and amounted to one counselor at one of our four high schools, but some viewed it as unnecessary.
The 2e kids are an unusual group, both learning disabled and high aptitude. The program amounted to one counselor trained in both areas, versus the usual special education into which he was shunted that focused on basic life skills like "food that we eat with our hands." My son, a senior with attention deficit disorder, benefitted enormously from this program and doubts he would have been graduated at all without it. (After further effort, he is now an honors student at a selective college.)
The 2e kids may at first blush seem like an unsympathetic group, even lazy because they are smart but underperforming. In my son's case, his nearly perfect SAT scores clashed with his alphabet soup of grades. Of course he struggled to grow up like any teen, but he also struggles with a disability that doesn't get much respect and is even ridiculed. This is a devastating ignorance. ADD kids struggle simply to put pen to paper, and they often fail. They risk disciplinary action, depression, and suicide. Ironically their "gifts" become poisons as they fail expectations.
In Praise of a Failed Mother
It's difficult to describe my mother's character. She could be good or bad, both or neither. Every state was equally true of her. Like the illnesses that bedeviled her, the shifting highs, lows, and inbetweens were tempestuous and unpredictable. Only recently have I realized there was a constant beneath the storm, so firm that I took it for granted, one that made all the difference: I never doubted that she loved me.
I've been rereading some psychology and came across a passage about attachment theory. Attachment describes what might be called "a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space." Forming at least one healthy attachment to a caregiver is thought to be critical to a child's development. The caregiver doesn't have to be to a parent, just a consistently available and caring person in the child's life. If attachment goes well, the theory goes, it provides a secure base from which the child can reach out and explore life. If it goes poorly—if the child is somehow unreceptive or receives conditional, abusive, or inadequate attention—it increases the risk of a variety of later miseries including depression, personality disorders, and suicide.
Some children adapt to difficult circumstances in creative but personality-distorting ways. The child of an exacting, demanding caregiver might struggle for achievement in order to win approval. The child of an emotionally unavailable caregiver might stifle emotions and focus on neutral topics to curry favor. Obviously these schemes can have very negative consequences. An ego constructed without an inherent sense of self-worth is a hollow tube that may crumple when tested. Victims may be unaware of the problem and mystified why their self-esteem and relationships with others are so unstable. This fragility may also be heritable, by genetic predisposition and by afflicted parents teaching the truths they suppose they have learned.
There are lots of maybes here. A good or bad childhood doesn't predestine the outcome. Most of us can think of families with great kids except one who rebels and turns out different (sometimes more interesting). While there is nothing one can do to guarantee the perfect child, there are many ways to ruin one. Hit them, abandon them, manipulate them, unlove them, and the risk of a bad outcome multiplies. The pivot thus often seems to be the relationship with the caregiver.
What if the caregiver is abusive but loving? It is possible. Loving people do strange things for strange reasons. Regardless of intention, after a while a hurt is simply a hurt and attachment is shattered. The child may be left feeling unloved, unwanted, or unworthy. Nevertheless, unconditional love is a powerful antidote. It is the light that reveals better things. It can find its way through the smallest cracks into the childhood darkness.
My mother's failings as a caregiver were many. There were minor insecurities like her being a terrible cook—my childhood involved a lot of canned soup and boil-in-a-bag corn niblets—or her chronic inability to pay the bills on time—I got used to picking up a dead telephone. The much more serious lapses ranged from the ordinary awful, like those fights where all the things you've never supposed to say get said, to the more exotic. Once in an altered state she mistook me for a violent ex-boyfriend and attacked me like I was the devil. I understood immediately that it was an accidental hurt—the last thing she wanted to do was hurt me—but that didn't comfort me as I fled the house in my pajamas. No, I felt rejected and unprotected. Detached and discarded. It sucked. Nor did it help that she spent several days in psych lockup afterwards. Every misadventure raised the prospect of my being taken away from her to live with my kindly Stepford relatives.
What was important, however, was not the list of grievances but how I interpreted things. A single good example says more than any number of stories.
One afternoon during the summer after fifth grade (I called it the Summer of Hell), my mother was driving me home when she abruptly pulled over at a bar and said she was going to get a drink. This was bizarre behavior, even by her standards. We didn't yet know, but this was an example of an epileptic fugue that could come on without warning, a departure where she could go for a stroll or have a conversation without letting on anything was wrong until it became apparent she wasn't making sense. It might seem like she was a bit drunk, but she was simply gone. She would remember nothing when it was over.
She didn't come back, although I waited in the car for several hours. I was on one of the many fast four-lane roads in Los Angeles that swirl with the sticky brown dust that coats the city. There were many people around, but in my world there were none. No one seemed to notice the eleven year-old stranded in his mother's car. I was too shy to ask after her in the womb-like bar with blacked-out windows. (I'm still intimidated by those "adults only" signs.) I ventured out of the car and bought a toy gun that fired spinning plastic disks. That helped pass the time until the street got dark and uncomfortable. I debated whether to leave. I had the keys, so if I left she'd be stranded herself. I finally decided to try getting home on the bus. I don't think I'd ever ridden a bus by myself. Consulting with several nice drivers on which lines went where and how to use a transfer, I made it home. She wasn't there, so I watched TV, probably ate some soup, and went to bed.
The next morning she appeared, flustered and upset. She apologized profusely and gave a convoluted explanation that she ended up sleeping on a nice man's couch somewhere and came home as soon as she woke up. She asked if I was all right about thirty times. My attitude was, of course I was all right. (I didn't spin out in my mind what had really happened. I wasn't yet aware there are all too many men willing to "help" an inebriated woman. To be mentally ill is to be vulnerable, and her tale of sexual abuse is a long one.) She didn't want to go back to the mental hospital, and I didn't want her to either, so we told no one what had happened.
With many such incidents, a lot of children would have grown up feeling very insecure and vulnerable. I've long wondered why I didn't. I'm clear now that her unconditional love was key. Our bond was powerful and mutual. Despite our fights, despite her illness, we were a team against the world. I knew she was always available to me. Her forgiveness was if anything too readily given. She even allowed a sort of amnesty for confession when I'd done something dodgy ("Promise you won't get mad?"). I knew far too much about her life, but I understood what was about me and what wasn't. And when we laughed together, we laughed.
The unconditional aspect of her concern for me was critical. Although of necessity and predilection I became extremely independent, I knew I was not alone. I always had at least one stalwart. By the time she died I was almost an adult and the foundation had set.
In reading about attachment, I realized that I have no idea what it would be like to be denied it. It just wouldn't have occurred to me. She always made me feel like a blessing in her life, never a mistake, and there was no price of admission. Her love was unconditional even when I was not being particularly praiseworthy. I knew it was there even when she was not being particularly praiseworthy either.
I don't think the bad things that happened are all right. I've never dismissed them. They still sting. I am mindful of them. I accept that I can't change the past. It's done. To pine after a better childhood is a preoccupation with the impossible. Our lives are lived in the present. The future is where the possibilities lie. I've met any number of self-congratulatory people who assume I fantasize about being more like them, but I realize appearances can be deceiving. Over their shoulders, I too often see childhoods of emotional sterility, of benign brutality. No one should go through what I did, but also no one should be denied the unconditional love I enjoyed.
I know my mother worried a lot about whether she had permanently harmed me. I doubt she recognized her successes even though she was delighted to see mine, much owing to her. My mother didn't read a book on child development. What she got right, she did by just being herself, through love and self-sacrifice. She did so in defiance of a life of suffering that would have broken most of us. It was a tragedy that I was her child, and it was a blessing.
So here is my posthumous Mother's Day card:
I don't remember my childhood with resentment. I do not want to rewrite it any more than I would relive it. I wish instead that you were in the present and the future of my life, and of the lives of your grandchildren—whom, thanks to you, I love very much.
The Challenge of Hunger
My family recently undertook the Hunger Challenge posed by the local Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). AFAC asked us to eat for $4.03 a day, the typical benefit allotted Virginians of limited means by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Since the winter, my sons and I have volunteered with AFAC to pick up surplus produce from a local farmer's market to supplement, along with milk, bread, meat, etc., what their clients can afford through SNAP.
SNAP is the modern version of the food stamp program. According to the the USDA FAQ it serves one out of eleven Americans each month, more than half of whom are children or the elderly. Most report income far below the poverty level. The average participant stays in the program for nine months.
We Chased the Police in Paris
"I can't say as ever I was lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.
—Daniel Boone
Driving in France is more exciting than in the States. I anticipated this and arranged to rent a car for a few days. A stick shift too, an essential feature I think for drivers who like to feel what they're doing. (I also suspect the manual transmission will soon be extinct.)
With my son Julian and his friend we rented the car at the Paris airport and set out for Normandy, but along the way dipped into the northern part of the city to circle the Arc de Triomphe. The roundabout there is six or eight or ten lanes wide—no lanes are marked— with a dozen roads radiating, and it swarms with cars at maniacal cross-purposes. Fun! Read more…
Two Kinds of Beauty (An Observation)
There are two kinds of beauty: what you find and what you make.
That's a thought that crossed my mind at the coffee shop today. It certainly sounds like something someone said but I can't figure it out. Cervantes drew a lovely distinction between two beauties, "one of the soul and the other of the body … when we focus our attention upon that beauty [of the soul], not upon the physical, love generally arises with great violence and intensity"—but that's a different concern. Kant propounded a notion of free versus dependent beauty that I won't attempt to understand let alone explain.
The bipolar romantic nut Lord Byron penned perhaps the writing of beauty itself.
Tempestuousity (and Other Goodly Words)
Much more on account of my quirkiness than erudition I have long liked The Tempest, Shakespeare's straightforward tale of Prospero, a bitter old wizard, and his grudge match against his brother and the clowns who betrayed him, stole his neglected dukedom, and stranded him with his young daughter on a romantic little hell of an island somewhere in the Mediterranean.


text:
On Wednesday, September 6, 2017, Mount Prospect police officers responded to a report by hospital staff of possible physical abuse to a 3-month-old boy who was being treated at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, according to a statement from Mount Prospect police. An investigation at the children's hospital at 225 East Chicago Avenue in Chicago found the boy suffered severe bruising and trauma on his back.
An interview with his parents revealed that the boy's father, James Howard, age 24, had inflicted the injuries while staying overnight with a family member in the 700 block of Central Road in Mount Prospect. The injuries allegedly occurred when the child wouldn't stop crying, Mount Prospect police reported.
On September 6, 2017, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved one felony count of Aggravated Battery of a Child against James Howard, residing at 3009 North Harlem Avenue, Chicago (Montclare Neighborhood).
On Thursday September 7, 2017 James Howard, 6'0″ 150 LBS, was transported for a bond hearing at the Cook County 3rd District Courthouse in Rolling Meadows, and was subsequently held at Cook County Jail on $2.5 million bail. Howard's next court appearance is scheduled for for September 29, 2017 at 10:30 AM in room 108 of the Rolling Meadows Courthouse.
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James Howard, Mount Prospect Aggravated Battery of a Child suspect.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All persons referred to as subjects, defendants, offenders or suspects, etc. are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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text: The Imaging Source has released a video-to-FireWire converter that enables live display of uncompressed NTSC/PAL data streams at full resolution, even on laptop computers. The DFG/1394-1 provides a standardized programming interface and real-time mirroring. The compact, lightweight device supports most video sources and has two FireWire connectors and a software development kit based on ActiveX and C++. Applications include mobile imaging.


text:
Where does an analogue recording studio, stocked with vintage 80s kit, like a reel-to reel multitrack tape recorder, fit in our relentlessly digital age ?
Like so many 20th century technologies, the accepted norm has been savagely upended by digital technology. The bottom end of the market has been eaten by laptops running free software, while the top end is left to at Air or Abbey Road - see here for more on this. Studios left in the middle have had to become nimble and, sometimes, specialised.
There are, of course, different ways to specialise. John Mostyn runs Highbury Studio, one of the oldest studios in Birmingham; one that is cheerfully old-school in its approach. Built by Bob Lamb on producer royalties from UB40's 'Signing Off' album, it sits happily in a onetime cricket bat factory, in a quiet side street in King's Heath, Birmingham. John lives, literally, over the shop. It's a unique place.
John took it over two years ago, when Bob Lamb retired to Thailand. Renamed, spruced up and overhauled, it now trades as Highbury Studio, offering 16 tracks of old-school Tascam reel to reel paired with a Teac analogue mixing desk.
I have to ask - after a life of making music, managing some impressive bands... why did you decide to take on a studio like Highbury?
I was looking, really seriously, about moving to Devon and doing my own retirement thing. But I just knew that within a few months of beach walking I'd be bored. Interesting as the Devon music scene is, it wasn't going to be enough to keep me happy.
I'd never wanted to run a studio – or own one. I don't like studios, generally. I find what goes on in studios the most dull activity. With the artists I worked with over the years, there was an awful lot of spending a couple of days getting a snare drum sound, and all that, to me, dull stuff. The only time I was really happy in a studio was when there was some great backing vocals going down, or some other inspiring moment… but those were quite rare. Generally it was quite hard, relentlessly… concentrating…work.That's the exact correct word: concentrating….
So I liked the fact that this is an analogue studio. I knew this wasn't going to be the place where people would do that 'ten days to get the snare drum sound'.thing. If I could make this work, it was going to be a place where exciting things happened. And, touch wood, that's turned out to be the case. People come here, ready to play together. That's exciting. I'm inspired by the fact that the Troggs took an hour to record their first two hit singles, in total.And the Beatles did their first album in a day…
I'm there! That's the neck of the woods that I love.And that's what you have to do with analogue, because of the limited capacity of reel to reel tape. Let me ask a few tech geek questions…. Digital kit is so cheap, and it offers endless possibilities of unlimited storage. But you're working with a 16 track machine with a few decades on the clock. Things wear out and break. What do you do to get new parts?
Well, getting the parts can be exciting. It's a bit like running an old sports car. But we are hooked into a worldwide network of people who used to work for Tascam and Teac, and such… and by chance happen to have saved, or collected, bits and bobs. So we can call on these people when we need a new part. We 're very fortunate to have a great engineer who comes and fixes and maintains the equipment for us. He comes down from Leeds, so it's not cheap; but he's really on the case. We now maintain our kit religiously, and it serves us well.The Rimes shot a ten minute documentary when recording at Highbury What about tape?
There is now one manufacturer of tape in the world. They can literally name their own price. I think now we're paying about £120 for a 20 minute reel of 16-track tape. You can re-use it quite a lot, and we don't find any loss of quality when we do. We'll happily re-use it half a dozen times…Let's stop for a second and do the math. Half a dozen times? That means a cost of £120 for a maximum of 2 hours of multi-track capacity. Or.... you can put, ooh, a weeks' worth of audio on a £50 Terabyte drive. Going by the numbers alone, it just doesn't stack up. Clearly, there has to be something more to make this work.
So how does that works with your musicians? You can put sixteen separate bits of information down onto that tape for 20 minutes. A four-piece band can eat that up with backing vocals and overdubs. Do you brief your musicians before they come in?
We discuss the way that we work here. And ask them if they feel ready for that. Most of them have done their research before they come to us, so they know why they're coming to a studio like ours. No one has fazed by the limitations – those limitations can in fact drive creativity. Having that framework makes people be thoughtful and inventive in a really positive way.You've been working on this business for two years. How is business?
Well, I'm delighted to report that business gets better every month. The graph continues to rise.Are you in the black?
No.Will you be in the black?
I'm hoping that by this summer, it'll be washing its face. But really, to be seriously profitable, we'd need to charge twice what we charge now. I've subsidised it personally to a dramatic extent. But that was the price I was prepared to pay to get the ball rolling.
But there are a number of factors. There's the joy of having the great people we have coming to work with us, and the joy of living here, in my chosen place, in the community that I want to live in.Tell me about the music that comes through your place
We recently recorded an album for a young Muslim singer, called Mikhael. He came to us with quite a blank sheet. He had some ideas about instrumentation, but it was a pleasure to develop things with him: 'Would you like some harp in this piece? What about some bodhran here?
So at one end there's the pleasure of developing something with a new talent, and at the other end there's the excitement of Kodaline coming in. They didn't use our tape machine; they'd been working on their album for two years. They brought their pro-tools kit in to do some final overdubs. And they chose, to my surprise, to do it here. The buzz of having them around when they listened to their album was incredibly thrilling. So high, so excited, for all the right reasons. You find yourself in the middle of this wave of excitement – just a lovely place to be
The there's the joy of watching Goodnight Lenin, who've popped in and out for the last six months. I'm thrilled to bits with what we've done with them.What about marketing?
We've not done a big marketing campaign at all. We don't want just anyone coming here. We want interesting, creative, imaginative, good people. It's word of moth and recommendations that's causing that to happen. At the heart of what we do here is producing that warm analogue sound that no amount of plug-ins can buy you... and now we have artists like ADO taking that to vinyl, we're cooking.But I think you have that in common, say with Musoplex with Andy Ward, who loves his musicians…or with Gavin Monaghan in Wolverhampton at Magic Garden, who is passionate about the work he does… even though these are three very different operations.
(Laughing) Certainly are… I have an enormous amount of respect for Gavin. I do remember him saying that he'd like a tape machine…But he has vintage kit like you wouldn't believe! At some point you guys ought to do some sort of technical collaboration. Do you know what breaks my heart about old-school recording? We used to be able to put a 70 piece band into a room… and now we can't. Not that the business really supports such enterprises anymore.
Well, there's still the old Hollick and Taylor place – CMat. That place did the music for Thunderbirds, with a big orchestra….So in between the big boys in London, and the kids in bedrooms with laptops and Garageband or Audacity, the market seems to have settled down to niche specialist operators. Gavin gets a lot of work because he is a producer of international repute; John Cotton has carved out his areas, as have a lot of others. Are you in a similar place?
Not yet. Gavin is a producer, and a lot of work comes his way because of that. I – or Rob (Peters, sound engineer at Highbury) are nowhere approaching that; nor do we have those aspirations. We're not on our way to being what Gavin or John (Cotton) are. John commented the other day that he took stock of the material he had assembled for an album he is working in… and worked out that he would have had to spend over £7000 on tape just to store it all.
But what I do think will happen is that people in the digital world, like John, might well feel that they would like to do some basic recording here, because of the ambiance of the room. And then take that back and spend months knocking it into shape with all his wonderful gear.
I see that as part of our future – we have a room that is unique.If someone wants to start a studio up now – say, someone who's just come out of college, learning about music technology – what would you say to them?
Well… despite the utter chaos that the industry is going through, things do still seem to start with a recording. It's your calling card. Even if you're only looking for live work, then the odds are very high that you will only get that live work if you are able to send your musical calling card. So although the days of big spends of studios are mostly over, there is, still, and always will be, a need for this.
I don't think a youngster setting off today is wasting their time. The majority that move forward are going to have done it by astute use of their own gear, and looking for the right opportunities. The hardest part must be to find a place to workThe place with the vibe… and from that comes the skills, the production chops, the knowledge, the discipline….
Highbury Studio


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Veterinary Outreach
VAW Global – Veterinary Outreach provides interns with an opportunity to work first hand with experienced local veterinarians. Interns will fund raise for medications and supplies prior to the trip abroad. While in country, interns will assist the veterinarians with performing physical exams, giving vaccines, performing surgeries, deworming animals and assessing general health and well-being. All intern activities are under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. This is an intensive internship, valuable to future veterinarians, veterinary technicians and other future healthcare providers as well as those interested in seeing what it is like to work in a developing country. The internship is focused on giving interns a variety of experiences, deepening their understanding of the veterinary field, and broadening their global view.
Education Day
Teams will travel to a local school and teach children the importance of taking care of animals, humane treatment of animals, diseases spread by animals or another subject the team decides to teach. Ideally teams will bring something to distribute to the children such as bars of soap.
In-Country Schedule
VAW Global Veterinary Outreach trips are 14 days long. All teams will have five or six Veterinary Work Days and one Education Day, as well as three to four days to explore the beauty and local culture of their host country. Each country varies slightly in how the schedule is arranged and what opportunities are available.
All intern housing, food, staff and in country work transportation is included in the program fees. Interns pay for their plane tickets, spending money and fun travel.