text:
Mountain bikes and wilderness don't mix
To loosen wildland restrictions now starts us down a slippery slope.
My first wolverine sighting in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem happened on a warm July afternoon in 2012. On a pass above northwest Wyoming's West DuNoir Creek, I watched as the elusive animal scaled a rock face and then ambled away. Under prehistoric conditions, wolverine populations were thinly spread across big landscapes; in 21st century America, wolverines veer toward the endangered species list.
Wolverines need wilderness to survive. That's one reason that conservationists for four decades have promoted wilderness designation for the DuNoir, which is contiguous with the designated Teton and Washakie wilderness areas.
The roadless DuNoir landscape is stunning; its wooded basins and sprawling tundra provide rich wildlife habitat for many species native to Greater Yellowstone. Unfortunately, it also appeals to a growing cadre of mountain bikers, who sometimes speak louder than wildland defenders. The Shoshone National Forest is on record as opposing wilderness designation for the DuNoir, as the Forest Service plans a bike route through the heart of the area.
Turn back the clock 50 years to when Congress passed the Wilderness Act, our foremost land protection law. Its authors had the foresight to forbid "mechanized" and not just "motorized" travel in wilderness. Under this carefully worded law, wilderness areas must remain "untrammeled" and their "wilderness character" maintained. Designated wilderness is primeval nature, a landscape of human restraint, where natural conditions and self-sufficiency prevail. Sure, there are other land protection options such as national monuments or recreation areas, but nothing equals wilderness for protecting a vestige of America as it was for eons before the spread of civilization.
When mechanized mountain bikers demand access to proposed and designated wilderness, they fail to understand that if they succeed, owners of unimagined future contraptions will certainly demand equal treatment. So will modern-day snow machine and all-terrain vehicle owners. To loosen wildland restrictions now starts us down that slippery slope.
In addition, mountain bikers are not traditional users, such as hikers or horse-packers. Mountain bikes were not commercially produced for off-road use until the early 1980s. By allowing them to proliferate in roadless areas, the Forest Service nourishes yet another anti-wilderness constituency. A cynic might suggest that's no accident.
Let's be frank: Backcountry biking damages the land. Bikers often veer off trail just to keep from crashing. Last year, I sent the district ranger photos of mountain-bike damage to vegetation at Kissinger Lakes in the DuNoir, but the problem persists. Because mountain bikers ride fast, they startle wildlife more than hikers or horseback-riders do. They also make formerly remote areas more accessible, thereby reducing solitude and increasing the disturbance of wilderness-dependent species such as lynx and wolverine. Like trail runners with ear pods, mountain bikers inadvertently "troll for grizzlies," as demonstrated by the 2004 mauling of a DuNoir mountain biker. Speeding mountain bikers also endanger horse-packers and hikers on steep trails. Let's face it: Mountain bikers need all that protective gear because they're not always in control.
Generally speaking, the place for mountain bikes is on roads, not in relatively pristine backcountry. At this point in our history, I believe that public land management should be about preserving wildness and doing what's best for the land and wildlife. Recreation can adapt. Though some -- certainly not all -- mountain bikers apparently view our public lands as outdoor gyms, that is not their function. Nor is a wild place a metaphorical pie to be divvied up among "user groups" or local "stakeholders," to use federal bureaucratese. The authors of the Wilderness Act would be appalled at the Forest Service's eagerness to mollify every recreation group that decides its particular form of recreation trumps all else.
As a backpack trip outfitter, I've guided hikers throughout the West, including the DuNoir, since the 1970s. When these Lycra-clad speedsters zip past our groups, ripping up vegetation and spooking critters, it diminishes our clients' hard-earned wilderness experience.
But that's not why I believe that the DuNoir -- and other qualifying wildlands -- should be designated wilderness. It's because wilderness designation is best for the land. Wilderness is about humility, the acceptance that we humans don't know it all and never will. More than any other landscape, wilderness takes us beyond "self"; in it, we are part of something greater. It is a shame that the Forest Service, many politicians and some recreationists are so wrongheaded -- stuck in a self-indulgent and myopic worldview regarding the DuNoir and so many other fragile endangered wildlands. Wilderness is timeless, transcending short-term concerns. Above all, wilderness celebrates the intrinsic value of wild nature. We need to let it be.
Howie Wolke is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News. He co-owns Big Wild Adventures in Montana with his wife, Marilyn Olsen, and has been guiding and outfitting backpack trips in the Greater Yellowstone and elsewhere in the West since the 1970's.


text:
It looks like Microsoft's keeping its living-and-let-live stance as hackers actually give the aging HD2 some much-deserved love. XDA-Developers member backslashid posted the above video showing Mango Beta 1 running on the device. Microsoft pretty much said go for it!
While MS has no plans on making Mango officially available for Windows Phone 6.5 phones, they're fine with the recent development:
"We say tinker away with Mango and enjoy the juice," Microsoft spokesman Bill Cox said in a statement to AllThingsD. "But beware the fine print - unlocking phones may void your warranty."
And heaven knows the HD2 deserved more than it got. This is life being breathed into squandered hardware. [AllThingsD]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Garage Cabinets
Showing 1 - 24 of 2160 Items
Keep Your Garage Organized with Garage Cabinets offered at GarageCabinetsOnline.com
Garages are generally used for storing tools, equipment and machinery of various shapes and sizes. To make your garage look maintained and organized, you can now get garage cabinets storage offered at GarageCabinetsOnline.com. These cabinets are attractively designed and are spacious enough to store a number of items inside. The cabinets that we offer you are available in different colors so you can choose the one that best matches your taste and décor. The products are featured with wall cabinets, drawer base cabinets, and a stainless steel work top. For the safety of your items, there are locker cabinets available, also.
Besides the floor area of your garage, you can also utilize the overhead space with overhead storage garage storage systems and cabinets. Being a customer-oriented company, we cater to every requirement of our customers. You can easily browse our website and explore the wide range of products that we offer online and get them promptly delivered. All of the products are highly functional and have been innovatively engineered. These garage storage organizers are highly durable, and have a strong build which enhances the performance of the cabinet.


text:
KUALA LUMPUR (May 11): Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH) said it has invested RM920.8 million in 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)'s Bandar Malaysia sukuk issuance in Feb 2014 because "it is a secured investment."
In a statement today, the pilgrims' fund chief investment officer Abd Kadir Sahlan said the sukuk is secured against parcels of land in Bandar Malaysia with a security cover of at least 1.67 times.
"The sukuk was issued to finance the construction of replacement facilities in relation to the relocation of the existing Sg Besi Air Force Base facilities," he said.
He said LTH's total investment was in two tranches, which will generate yield of 5.85% and 6.05% for seven and 10 years, respectively.
"At the end of the investment periods, LTH will receive a total proceed of RM1.55 billion resulting in a RM626.5 million profit," he added.
The clarification by LTH came after PAS requested Putrajaya to explain whether LTH had bought RM1.6 billion of sukuk issued by 1MDB's Bandar Malaysia before its controversial purchase of a plot of land at the strategic investment fund's development, the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX).
Yesterday (May 10), PAS vice-president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said according to leaked documents posed on the anonymous blog 'The Benchmark' about Tabung Haji's land purchase in TRX from 1MDB, the risk element of LTH's sukuk investment in Bandar Malaysia amounted to RM1.6 billion.
Ibrahim questioned if this meant LTH had invested a total of RM1.6 billion in 1MDB before the land purchase from 1MDB, adding that the document showed 1MDB had announced its sale of RM2.4 billion in Bandar Malaysia sukuk on Feb 18 last year.
He further asked if this meant Tabung Haji had funded 66% of the sukuk issuance.
The pilgrims' fund had confirmed on Thursday (May 7) its purchase of 0.63ha of TRX land from the debt-stricken 1MDB for RM188.5 million, a move which critics said was to inject cash into the debt-stricken company owned by the Ministry of Finance. The deal sparked a public uproar, which subsequently led to LTH announcing two days later (May 9) that the land would soon be sold.
(The Edge Market / 12 May 2015)---
Alfalah Consulting - Kuala Lumpur: www.alfalahconsulting.com
Consultant-Speaker-Motivator: www.ahmad-sanusi-husain.com
Islamic Investment Malaysia: www.islamic-invest-malaysia.com


text:
Pogacha (Pogaca, Погача) version 1
Hi guys, so holidays are gone and hopefully I'll have more time to write on this blog. Many of you e-mailed me about recipe for pogacha (pogaca, погача), which I assume that is the sweet version you're looking for. Well, I have three different recipes for sweet version of pogacha, so you can choose which one you want to make. This is the first version:
1000 gr flour
150 ml milk
250 ml yogurt
50 ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cube (or package) yeast
100 gr sugar
125 gr butter
pinch of salt
water (if needed)
If you're using frozen yeast cube, warm the milk a little bit, dissolve the yeast into it and then add and dissolve the sugar in it. If you use package of dry yeast, the milk can be cold, just dissolve the sugar and yeast in it. Sift the flour, mix the pinch of salt in it and then add the milk with the dissolved sugar and yeast, the yogurt and oil. In a bowl crack one egg, and from the second one just add the egg white. Keep the yolk for egg paint. Beat the egg and egg white and add them to the flour and other ingredients. Mix everything until it's soft and smooth dough (add water if it's too hard or flour if it's too soft). Knead the dough until smooth, shape it into ball, and leave it to rest until the size of it has doubled (approximately 1 hour in warm place). When the dough has raised, roll it into rectangle and spread 1/3 of the butter on top of it. Overlap the dough one half on the other (like you're closing a book). Spread the second 1/3 of the butter and overlap again. Then spread again and overlap again. Roll the dough in 2 cm thickness and cut it into equal pieces (cubes). Shape each piece into ball (the size should be like golf ball) and into place it in the center of a greased round baking pan. Shape the other pieces into balls and arrange them to the center piece so you'll have flower shape. Keep arranging the dough balls until you use all dough. Add 1 tablespoon of water into the egg yolk and beat it well. Spread the egg paint onto the pogacha and sprinkle it with little bit of sugar. Leave the pogacha to rest for 10 minutes (until the oven is heated). Heat the oven to 200 degrees C and bake the pogacha for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 180 degrees C and bake for 20-25 min more (until the sides of the pogacha are brownish). When the pogacha is baked, take it out of the oven and cover it firs with some clean thick plastic bag (the plastic foil might melt), and on top of the bag place a kitchen towel. Leave it to cool like this. Then you just break pieces of it and eat:-)


text:
Interaria is booked up and busy developing software applications and mobile solutions until the second quarter of 2023. We are available for short term consulting / expert roles and can give feedback to your critical tasks for app development. Feel free to reach us: 214-909-3900.
"Software should not be developed like an automobile on an assembly line"
– Dr. Winston Royce
Quality. Ask our clients how well their business web application systems work. They will tell you that our codes are robust, and that their applications are running beautifully.
Responsiveness. As our client you are our priority. We don't flake on you. We deliver what we promise. We are available as long as agreed, and beyond. We solve any issues with codes immediately.
Locality. We are based in Dallas, Texas. Not in India. Not in China. Our developers James Shields and Meri Kuusi-Shields work from Dallas, Texas. Our software engineer, Meri's brother, Pyry is located in Helsinki, Finland. We are not an abstract team of developers somewhere out there.
Experience. We've been in the business 10+ years. We have worked with many businesses and gained valuable experience. We are a stable family-based business.
We believe that communication, good documentation, and core development skills are essential ingredients of a successful project. We are available to meet with the client on a weekly basis, or as agreed. We prepare each meeting with development notes, and follow-up each meeting with a meeting memo that includes any information about the next development steps and plans. We are always available to be reached by phone. As our client, your company and project becomes our top priority, and we want to make sure that all communication channels are open. We are extremely approachable for any and all client feedback. It is our job to guarantee quality results in all situations.
Typically we meet up with the client to discuss and plan out new work increments that are about to take place, and to review any work already done. We want to meet as frequently as needed to ensure communication and to build up trust. Meetings can be held once or twice a week or monthly, depending on the work load, development phase, and critical timelines for the delivery. Meetings typically last up to two hours at a time.
Our projects typically last from 3-12 months, and after that we typically continue any development on a need base or as a support role. We prefer to take on only a few larger projects at a time.
Yes. One of our active clients at the moment is a DFW based start-up business. Our work includes software and web application system development, brand messaging development and integration, marketing material design & integration, corporate website design & development, and iOS and Android App development. While we work as independent contractors we integrate as much as needed to their team work practices in order to deliver high quality results that meet with their needs.
Interaria's services and development focus has evolved and shifted throughout the years along with all the developments and changes on how we regard and use the web, social web and mobile platforms.
Our roots as programmers, web designers and developers go as far as to the mid 1990's. We officially started in our current set up in 2004 in Austin, Texas. The first two years we worked under a name "Austin Web Studio" as a web design and development company focusing on a high-end and boutique customer niche. Back in those times it was a big differentiating factor to show consistent and creative brand messaging on a web with display accuracy and animations. We worked on web animations a lot and our clients felt measurable positive impact on having a differentiating web presence.
By 2006 we changed our name to Interaria (anticipating a multi-platform app rich social internet, and intending to have a name that wouldn't tie us inside of web or to a specific location). We shifted our operations to DFW and focused on corporate clients who needed impactful websites in web 2.0 framework. We started our processes of being at the forefront of developing content and document management systems. It was clear that our corporate clients needed not only custom web design services but also easy-to-use content management systems to update their company documents, product images, team pages, and add new pages to their website. We developed a robust content management code and web application base on PHP/MySQL.
From 2008 on we started increasingly focusing on PHP/MySQL web application driven site development and created several web application and database driven websites with secure user account systems, my account areas, and custom actionable items. For instance we developed a website called FootballPot.com where users register and set up and host football pot games. This was a pretty complex project, and the site is still running with an active user base thanks to the robust code and high user acceptance. We also developed a site called Auction Co-Chair that is intended for management of silent charity auctions. Because of the robust code again, the site is still running, and based on their public reporting they have raised quite a lot of funds through the system. We also developed a site called StudentLoanList, a web application and data driven site for people with student loan debt to create a profile and list their debt for giving donors to provide help. The site continues to get new listings and new donations are made through the system.
Another example of a complex web application and data driven system project we have taken on is for Dupree Dance, an organization running nation-wide dance competitions with very detailed scoring and participation rules. Over the years we have developed multiple web applications that include events listing system, dance studio registration system, competition sign up system including detailed data fields for each dance performance, secure check-out process for studios, competition scoring system, results reporting, and discount and loyalty systems. This is an other example of a PHP/MySQL driven application rich custom website with such custom specifications that it simply couldn't be developed on any template based management platform such as WordPress.
Recently we had a wonderful web and application development project with the Women's Center of Tarrant County for their preventive child abuse program "Play it Safe!". We developed an online store and a user registration and account based private video system for their programs intended for schools, abuse prevention organizations, and parents. Users can securely purchase educational material and video viewing licenses through the system.
While we are currently taking on new clients, we also have an ongoing multi-year project contract with a social networking start-up company based in DFW. We are assigned to develop user account systems, API integrations, secure web software applications, and iPhone and Android apps. Our processes include full production work including identity and user experience and interface designs and quality assurance. We also work in the fields of brand management, web and mobile site development, blogging, social media participation and designs for marketing collateral.
We are a local Dallas DFW based custom web application development company and have enjoyed over the years to work with Texas based companies such as SpawGlass, Datascan, Retina Center of Texas, Cornea Consultants of Texas, The Heart Center of Texas, Revitalize Laser & Aesthetics, Mozart's Coffee and National Neuromonitoring Services. Our customers value the fact that they can talk to us in person, face-to-face. We are fully transparent with our work load sharing and team structure.


text:
Over the past several years, I've repeatedly argued that you get more unemployment when the government pays people to be unemployed. But I'm not just relying on theory. I've cited both anecdotes and empirical research to bolster my case.
You won't be surprised to learn that many politicians have a different perspective. They say it is compassionate to provide unemployment insurance benefits. And they say it is cruel and heartless to put a time limit on those payments.
And if you believe Nancy Pelosi, unemployment handouts actually are good for the economy!
You might think this is one of these never-to-be-resolved Washington debates, but we actually have two natural experiments over the past year that show one side was right and the other side was wrong.
Writing for the Wall Street Journal, John Hood of the North Carolina-based John Locke Foundation describes what happened when his state decided to limit unemployment benefits.
Here are the changes that were made.
A year ago, North Carolina became the first state in the nation to exit the federal government's extended-benefits program for the unemployed. …Gov. Pat McCrory and the state legislature…reduced the amount and duration of unemployment-insurance benefits, which had been higher in North Carolina than in most states. As a result the state lost its eligibility to participate in the extended-benefits program on July 1, 2013. …liberal activists pounced. …media outlets excoriated North Carolina for ending extended benefits. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called it a "war on the unemployed."
And here are the results.
North Carolina didn't descend into the Dickensian nightmare critics predicted. For the last six months of 2013, it was the only state where jobless recipients weren't eligible for extended benefits. Yet during that period North Carolina had one of the nation's largest improvements in labor-market performance and overall economic growth. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of payroll jobs in North Carolina rose by 1.5% in the second half of 2013, compared with a 0.8% rise for the nation as a whole. Total unemployment in the state dropped by 17%, compared with the national average drop of 12%. The state's official unemployment rate fell to 6.9% in December 2013 from 8.3% in June, while the nationwide rate fell by eight-tenths of a point to 6.7%.
But we didn't just have a state-based experiment. Hood explains that the same thing happened on the national level six months later. Congress rejected Obama's call for another extension of benefits.
So what happened?
Still not convinced that leaving the extended-benefits program encouraged both job creation and job acceptance? As of Jan. 1, 2014, the extended-benefits program expired nationwide. Yet there has been no sudden exodus of discouraged workers to the fringes of the national economy. Both job creation and household employment are up. The nation's employment-population ratio was 58.9% in May, up from 58.6% in December.
This is a powerful point.
We may not have a strong job market, but the numbers definitely have improved since the start of the year.
There's actually an important lesson here. You don't need perfect policy to get better performance. The private economy will generate growth so long as it has some breathing room.
Heck, sometimes the absence of bad policy is enough to boost economic performance. The post-2010 gridlock didn't lead to a lot of good policies, but it did end the threat of major new statist initiatives from the Obama White House. And that was enough, in my humble opinion, to give us better numbers.
But better numbers are not the same as impressive numbers. This is still the weakest economic recovery since the Great Depression. So while it's good to have a bit of improvement, we should be dissatisfied until we at least get back on the long-run trendline for 3 percent average real growth.
And what needs to happen to give us that kind of growth? The answer is simple: Free markets and small government.
P.S. Since the main point of today's column is unemployment insurance, let's close with some great cartoons on that topic from Michael Ramirez, Robert Gorrell, and Chuck Asay, as well as a superb Wizard-of-Id parody.
P.P.S. On a separate topic, here's a superb video of a 1948 cartoon comparing free markets to the poisonous ideology of "isms" such as communism, fascism, and socialism.
Very well done, particularly considering that it's almost 70 years old. And if you want to see how economic growth can make a huge difference over that amount of time, check out this comparison of Argentina and Hong Kong.


text:
Recycling: Beyond the Bin
We all know recycling is the right thing to do. It keeps trash out of our landfills, saves energy, preserves natural resources and wildlife, and reduces our carbon footprint. And plenty of people do it: In 1980, recycling and composting kept 14.5 million tons of trash from landfills and incinerators in the United States. By 2013, that number had reached 87.2 million tons.
That's a big leap, but it still accounts for only 34.3 percent of the stuff we discard nationwide every year. In other words, we could do better. Here are six ways we can move closer to a zero-waste world as we continue to cart our blue and green cans to the curb.
Learn the basics.
"The power of a lot of people acting correctly is the most important thing," says Darby Hoover, an NRDC senior resource specialist. "People need to familiarize themselves with community guidelines." What you can recycle (takeout containers? direct mail?) and how you should do it (curbside? drop-off centers?) vary greatly from city to city and state to state. Visit your municipality's website to learn more about your local recycling rules and options—and don't forget to check whether your community collects food or yard waste for composting, as well.
Buy recycled.
Make sure the products you purchase (and the packaging they come in) are recyclable, and when possible, choose products that contain recycled materials. "If you purchase products that have recycled content, you're closing the recycling loop and making sure the cycle continues," Hoover says. You also incentivize manufacturers and businesses to use more postconsumer waste and fewer virgin materials.
Get your coworkers to recycle more.
Learn what's recyclable in your workplace. Make sure recycling bins are clearly marked and that everybody understands recycling procedures. Advocate for buying in bulk and for purchasing products made from recycled content that come in recycled packaging. Make sure electronic waste is handled by an E-Stewards-certified company, and explore other ways waste can be recycled. If your business has a contract with a recycling hauler, look into the possibility of reducing expenses by collecting high-value materials, such as office paper, separately. "Offices are often surprised to find the materials they throw away have value," Hoover says. Find ways to eliminate waste before it shows up, too, by offering filtered water and replacing disposable plates and cutlery with reusable options.
Raise community awareness.
"Schools are great places to educate about recycling," Hoover says. If you are a parent, teacher, or student, get the other members of your community involved in an informal waste audit: Take a look in a school trash bin and ask what's there and how and if it can be recycled or composted. Plan a community tour of your local materials recovery facility, recycling center, or landfill. "Seeing what happens to the items you put in the recycling or garbage bin really enforces that there's no such thing as throwing things away," Hoover says. "There is no 'away.' The items we discard end up somewhere." If municipal composting isn't available where you live, start a community compost pile for food and yard waste.
Reduce, reuse, and rethink before recycling.
Recycling waste materials is better than landfilling them, but the best option is to not generate them at all. Reduce waste by buying in bulk, using reusable shopping bags and water bottles, and tossing out less food. Reuse clothing and other unwanted items by donating them to community organizations like homeless shelters, thrift stores, and animal shelters. And rethink what you typically throw out—like grass clippings, which can be left on your lawn to condition and fertilize the soil. Cutting down on waste could even save you money, since a growing number of communities have "pay as you throw" programs that charge a waste collection fee based on the size of your garbage can.
Support extended producer responsibility laws.
When producers are responsible for the entire life cycle of the items they make, they're more apt to use environmentally safe and recyclable materials and to reduce the amount of those materials. By supporting legislation that holds manufacturers financially accountable, you encourage the design of better and more recyclable goods and ensure that producers pay their fair share of the costs of recycling.
Related Stories
Every year, we blithely discard billions of phones, laptops, TVs, and other electronics that can end up poisoning communities around the world.
By simply using less plastic, you can help keep marine life from eating and getting entangled in garbage.
With minimal effort, you can turn those banana peels and apple cores into gold. Let us break it down.
Your freezer could be the secret to keeping ingredients fresh, saving money, and reducing food waste.
The California garbage dump project would have desecrated sacred tribal lands, destroyed vital wildlife habitat, and put local waters at risk.
California just passed the first statewide bag ban in the nation. Even if you don't live in the Golden State, you can still help wean your town off plastics.
Check out these 10 tips for reducing your carbon footprint at work.
Is shopping online or in-store better for the environment? It depends—on you.
Some members of the small-house movement live off the grid—but Oregon's cities want them to stay on it.
Our guide to buying greener beans, brewing with less waste, and avoiding all that packaging.
Organize a park cleanup, support our national parks, or bid in a charity eBay auction (we've got our eyes on Questlove's drumsticks).
Darby Hoover, NRDC's waste expert, says this "single stream" type of recycling is mostly about customer convenience, but the costs may outweigh the benefits.


text:
Here is Amber at the Glimmer mist Tattered Angels booth at the show. They have brand new supersized clear stamps - a first in the industry! Also, we are so thrilled to announce that there will be Marshmallow white glimmer mist available as a new release! It looks spooktacular against black and dark cardstocks for Halloween!
We carry all of the active Glimmer mists colors in our Super store Simon Says Stamp! We ordered all of the newest releases and will have them soon! I can't wait to hear what you think of the new supersized stamps too!
CLICK here to see the glimmer mists we have in stock.
Spray the luv,
Pin It
SUBSCRIBE TO: This Blog | Our Newsletter
WE'RE SOCIAL: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Google+
TAKE THE CHALLENGE: Simon Says Stamp Challenge! | Vintage Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge


text:
This is a brutal story of a stupid, ugly, senseless way to die — mowed down by a pair of thugs fleeing their crime scene, reports The New York Post:
Karen Schmeer, 39, of Boston, was crossing Broadway between West 90th and 91st streets Friday night when the getaway car, a rented 2010 Dodge Avenger, pinned her against a double-parked vehicle, sending her groceries flying.
Schmeer, whose editing of "The Fog of War," about former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, helped earn an Oscar for director Errol Morris, was in town working on a film, said her father, Michael.Garret SavageMEAN STREET: Karen Schmeer (above), editor of Errol Morris' film "The Fog of War" died in a car crash for which David McKie was arrested.
She was staying with a friend on West 89th Street and editing an HBO movie about the late chess great Bobby Fischer.
"I've known Karen for a very long time, and she was my finest editor," Morris told The Post yesterday. "She was immensely talented. It's a huge loss."


text:
Nevada tabs Polian to lead football program
Reno, NV – The University of Nevada announced Monday they have an agreement with Brian Polian to become the school's 26th head football coach.
Director of athletics Cary Groth and University president Marc Johnson proposed a recommendation for Polian, who spent last season as an assistant at Texas A&M, that will be forwarded to the Board of Regents for consideration during a scheduled meeting on Friday.
The proposal calls for a five-year contract and a base salary of $475,000, plus incentives.
Polian, who has 16 years of collegiate coaching experience - including the last eight with BCS programs - comes to Nevada after a one-year stint as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Texas A&M.
"Brian brings terrific energy and enthusiasm, an impressive and well-grounded coaching philosophy and a tremendous reputation as a recruiter and coach," Johnson said. "These characteristics are even more impressive when you consider the outstanding programs with which he has been affiliated. I am convinced Brian is the right coach to continue the momentum and lead Wolf Pack Football to new levels of success.
"Our selection of Brian as the finalist candidate follows a national search and interviews with an impressive and diverse pool of candidates."
The 38-year old, who is known for his strong recruiting abilities, previously coached at Stanford (2010-2011), Notre Dame (2005-09), Central Florida (2004) and Buffalo (2001-03).
Former Wolf Pack coaching legend and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Chris Ault retired from the sidelines at Nevada on Dec. 28 after compiling a 233-109-1 career record during 28 years and three separate stints with the Wolf Pack.
"I would like to thank President Johnson and Cary for the incredible opportunity that they have presented me with," Polian said. "I cannot express how excited I am to lead the Nevada football program into what will be a very bright future. I also want to take a moment to recognize and thank Coach Ault for the incredible foundation he has laid for Wolf Pack football. It is an honor for me to work to continue that legacy."
The official hiring of Polian is on the agenda for the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents on Friday.


text:
by John Hawkins | February 2, 2012 1:04 am
John Hawkins:: Now I've heard that you called George Bush an "empty suit[1]," voted for Al Gore in 2000, and are giving all the money that your book,"Unfit For Command[2]," makes to charity. Is all of that true?
John O'Neill:: Most of it. I didn't actually call George Bush an empty suit. I had made private remarks critical of George Bush, but not that one that I remember. I am giving all the money to charity and I did vote for Al Gore in 2000 and I voted for Ross Perot twice before that.
John Hawkins:: Also, if the election were between George Bush and John Edwards, who would you vote for?
John O'Neill:: I said a year ago that I would have voted for John Edwards. To be candid, I wouldn't want to express what I would do today.
John Hawkins:: I understand. After all the attacks he has made on you guys, you probably don't have as many warm and fuzzy feelings about him now.
John O'Neill:: I probably wouldn't be as enthusiastic (laughs). I'll probably stay better informed in the future.
John Hawkins:: I know there are more than 250 members of the Swift Boat Vets for Truth, but do you have any sort of breakdown of how many there are who served with Kerry in the field in Vietnam?
John O'Neill:: Yes. Here are some of the statistics. John Kerry's primary service was in a little area called An Thoi, Coastal Division 11. At Coastal Division 11 there were 23 officers he served with by our count. 17 of the 23 belong to our organization that have condemned him as unfit. Four have supported him and two have taken no position. There's a: photograph[3]: that you can find on John Kerry's website.
John Hawkins:: I've seen that one.
John O'Neill:: It has 20 officers on it. Two are dead. Two have taken no position and then there's John Kerry. That leaves, in other words, 15 officers there other than the ones who have taken no position or are dead or Kerry himself. Of those 12 condemn him as unfit and have joined our organization. Three support John Kerry after intense solicitation by John Kerry.
John Hawkins:: What about men who served in the field with John Kerry?
John O'Neill:: There were approximately 100 sailors at Coastal Division 11. More than 60 of them have signed on with us.
On his boat there were 10 people, to be fair, some for as little as 6 days. That's the one category where he runs ahead of us. One is dead. Eight support him for President but not necessarily on the facts. Many of them, when asked, have indicated that things in our book "Unfit For Command[4]" are true and one of them has condemned him. Now that's the statistic he uses all the time. It's very important to understand that some of those people were with him as little as 6 days, also that these boats operated in a common pack of 2 to 6 boats, that many of these people said that they were disgusted with him, that he turned their stomach, that they considered he had totally betrayed them as recently as 5 years ago. So he has made a concerted effort over the past 5 years obviously to improve his relationship with those people and most of them now support him, but not all.
The Kerry argument has been that you have to look now just at the guys who are on his own little boat. That's a Washington lawyer argument that everybody laughs at because these boats never operate by themselves. They operate in packs of 2 to 6 boats and everybody on a normal night bunks together in a common bunkroom on a mother ship and so people know exactly what is happening. I think another statistic is that the entire chain of command all the way up to Admiral Zumwalt who is dead but whose son has signed our letter all condemn John Kerry as unfit. So I think that above John Kerry and along side John Kerry, he's condemned by large majorities of people who believe he's unfit to be the Commander-In-Chief.
John Hawkins:: Let's look at some of these specific issues. Now at the RNC,Terry McAuliffe[5]: said — and this is the latest Cambodia story, and I know that it has changed more than a few times — that: "John Kerry went to Cambodia twice. He was over in Viet Nam and at one point he took some CIA operatives into Cambodia."
However, to the best of my knowledge, John Kerry has provided absolutely no evidence that he was ever in Cambodia beyond his word. But let me ask you, in the time that John Kerry was in Vietnam, were the Swift Boats ferrying CIA operatives into Cambodia? And if they did so, was it a single boat or would there have been multiple boats involved?
John O'Neill:: John Kerry's story was that he was in Cambodia Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. That is a demonstrable lie.
John Hawkins:: Absolutely.
John O'Neill:: You can prove it's a lie from where he was from everybody that was there. His boat was never in Cambodia in December or January. What he is clearly doing now is trying to devise a story ambiguous enough as to time and location that can't actually be checked out and he doesn't even have the courage to do it himself. Instead he uses surrogates like McAuliffe who I suggest has never been in Vietnam and certainly has never been on a swift boat. There's no way to respond in the abstract; that's why they have kept it abstract. What is clear is that the time he said was a turning point in his entire life, which he identified as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; that was a total lie and it was made up. How many people make up the turning point of their life?
Now, to be fair, do I know of any swift boat ever going into Cambodia? Absolutely not, nor would anybody use one because you can hear it a mile and a half away.
John Hawkins:: Let me ask you one other question. Did they ever send swift boats on missions like that, not necessarily into Cambodia, but alone or did you always go in packs?
John O'Neill:: Always in groups of several boats and if a mission like that had ever occurred it would have been with several boats.
John Hawkins:: So if the latest Kerry story is true, there should be the people on his boat, people on other boats, there should be tons of people to confirm his story.
John O'Neill:: There also should be a record of it and it's missing and none of his commanding officers all the way up the chain of command have ever heard about anything like this.
So it was a very secret mission. It was secret from the people on his boat at least through January and secret from all the people that were there with him to the best of my knowledge and secret from all the officers that commanded with him. It was an extremely secret mission.
John Hawkins:: It sounds like it.
John O'Neill:: Maybe it was with Santa Claus (laughs).
John Hawkins:: One very, very, strong charge that your organization has made that and the mainstream media has scarcely paid attention to, is that John Kerry didn't deserve his first Purple Heart and had to lie to get it. That's quite significant since it allowed him to get out of Vietnam almost a year early. Can you give a concise rundown of your case against John Kerry on that one?
John O'Neill:: Yes. Our contention is both his first and third Purple Hearts were fake. He invoked the 3 Purple Heart rule to leave Vietnam 243 days early. None of these involved any injury that required even an hour of hospitalization. None of these involved any kind of real injury.
Now, Purple Heart number one occurred on December 2, 1968. That night he was on a Boston whaler; movement was sighted and they fired. There was no return fire reported by anyone and on the Boston whaler was Lieutenant William Schachte, who later became the Judge Advocate General of The Navy. According to Schachte, Kerry picked up an M-79, fired it, and it hit a nearby rock and it caused the grenade to explode and throw a little bit of bent shrapnel over all of them, a tiny piece of which ended up in Kerry's arm. So the first witness is Schachte.
Two other people claim to have been on the boat; these are Runyon and Zaladonis. Neither one of them according to both the: Boston Kranish biography[6]and Kerry's own authorized biography saw fire. Runyon apparently has see fire in the last week but has repeatedly been interviewed and said he didn't see any fire, until last week. Kerry has said he doesn't know what happened to him. That likewise is in both biographies, The Kranish book and: Tour of Duty[7]. So there was no hostile fire and in addition the injury he got was so tiny to involve medical attention. He went to Dr. Letson who has provided an affidavit. Letson simply took a pair of tweezers and a band-aid and put it on and was told that there was no hostile fire, that he wounded himself. The claim is that Dr. Letson didn't treat him because the sheet is signed by Jess Carreon. Carreon is Dr. Letson's corpsman or nurse. Finally he went down to the division commander Hibbard….
John Hawkins:: One quick question. I notice that the Kerry campaign has been pointing that out, but Kerry has never denied that Letson treated him, has he?
John O'Neill:: He has refused to speak about this for the past 6 months.
John Hawkins:: Kerry has only said that Letson is not the guy that signed it. Kerry has never come out and said, 'He didn't treat me.'
John O'Neill:: It would be impossible to do that because before he released any of his medical records, Dr. Letson went to his Democratic Party Chairman down at Scottsboro, Alabama and provided a statement about exactly this occurrence and about how he treated him by removing the little deal with tweezers and band-aid. So Dr. Letson knew of the exact treatment when there had been no public way to find out about it, as far as I know.
In any event Dr. Letson went down to Commander Grant Hibbard. Grant Hibbard immediately denied any Purple Heart when Kerry applied and asked him to leave his office.
What is very important are the documents that are required for a Purple Heart that are missing here. There is no hostile fire report. There is no casualty report. What Kerry did is wait until everybody left Vietnam that had actual knowledge of the incident, i.e.: Hibbard, Letson, Schachte. When they all left he went to Saigon and somehow secured a Purple Heart on February 28, some 3 months later. He did this in a string of 3 Purple Hearts that he secured within 20 days as he was bailing out of Vietnam.
John Hawkins:: Now that puzzles me. I'm not a military guy, but how could Kerry get a Purple Heart under those circumstances? He couldn't just go up to somebody and say, "I want a Purple Heart." Doesn't he have to present some kind of evidence?
John O'Neill:: I think he took the medical sheet signed by Jess Carreon and said that the paperwork had all been lost and secured a Purple Heart from people who had never conceived that he was lying, but that's speculation on my part.
John Hawkins:: And the man who signed it has passed away?
John O'Neill:: He's dead. What's clear is that none of the normal records required for a Purple Heart exist and that he waited until everybody left who actually knew that the wound he got was trivial and that he had been turned down by the people that had actual knowledge.
John Hawkins:: The Kerry campaign has changed its story on Cambodia, the no-man left-behind story, & they're even starting to say that maybe Kerry wasn't under fire when he got his first Purple Heart. Meanwhile, Kerry had a: Silver Star With Valor[8]: on his website which didn't exist, his own: biography contradicts his claims[9]: about his service in several places, he's refusing to release his records, he hasn't done a press conference since your first ad, and I haven't seen a lot of coverage of this from the media. They'll cover it, but it's "A rich Republican gave money to the Swift Boat vets for truth" so they can't be trusted.
John O'Neill:: Right. It's usually an attack on us. In Kerry's world where he's backed by maybe 15 people from our unit, they're given almost continuous coverage. Twenty times as many oppose him and think he's unfit and we're all lackeys given no coverage.
John Hawkins:: Did you expect that much partisanship from the media?
John O'Neill:: I think it's unbelievable. I think it's really sad and incompatible with a balanced media devoted to intellectual honesty and intellectual freedom and we've all been shocked by it.
John Hawkins:: Well, I can imagine. Now here's something from your debate with John Kerry on the Dick Cavett show. You said this,: "(I)s the same little man who on nationwide television in April spoke of, quote, "crimes committed on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command," who was quoted in a prominent news magazine in May as saying, quote, "War crimes in Vietnam are the rule and not the exception," unquote."
Did you remember which magazine that was because I'm sure if we put the name out there we can get a copy of that in the blogosphere?
John O'Neill:: No, but it's going to be either "Time," "Newsweek," or "Life." It'll be one of the three. (Editor's Note: If anybody out there can get their hands on this, how about scanning it in and emailing it to me?)
John Hawkins:: One of those three? OK. Excellent.
John O'Neill:: It's just been too many years. I haven't looked that one up yet. Another interview where he makes the same kind of pretty wild claims is in the 'Washington Star' interview in May 1971. (Editor's Note: Same goes for this one)
John Hawkins:: Related question: what do you say to people who claim that John Kerry may have repeated smears other people made against the troops in his Senate testimony, but that he never personally smeared the troops or portrayed them as war criminals?
John O'Neill:: The distinction between repeating a false story as truth and stating it yourself is like the argument, 'What is is, is.' I mean it's a distinction that is so ephemeral that it has no meaning outside of Paris, France, and it's ridiculous. If what he's saying is that he simply repeated lies about all of our people over and over again in testimony in front of the Senate from investigations that he organized himself and conducted with people, many of whom are complete frauds, then I gotta tell you I think that would be worse if anything perhaps than saying it yourself.
In any event the difference wouldn't mean any difference. The clear intent was to slander all of our guys living and dead as criminals and to portray their service in Vietnam as one large, you know, barbaric criminal enterprise like in his words, the army of Genghis Khan. We have 58,000 people that died back there. They were good kids. They were not the army of Genghis Khan.
John Hawkins:: I'm sure you have heard about this. There are some really strange things going on with John Kerry's Silver Star. It has been rewritten 3 times and the man whose name is on the third one,: John Lehman[10]: said he"never signed it. I never approved it. And the additional language it contains was not written by me.": Also, Kerry has been claiming to have a Silver Star with Valor. Finally, after the Navy pointed out that there is no such thing, the Kerry camp is saying it's just a typo. Any thoughts on this because it seems more than a bit strange?
John O'Neill:: Kerry makes a lot of typos but they are always in one direction. For example, on his website he claimed to captain PCF-94 in a savage battle on January 29, 1969. He wasn't even on board the boat and wasn't present and when that was pointed out, he finally deleted it. It was a totally different guy, Lieutenant Peck, who was wounded there.
With respect to the over-claiming of medals my understanding is he has too many campaign stars, he shows the 'V' with valor, and he has re-written over and over again his citations to make them more and more glorious as the years roll on and so on and further and further removed from the original actions. This is a process that began in Vietnam with the very first report that he prepared because his reports repeatedly present occasions in which nothing serious occurred or even occasions in which he participated in a disaster as tremendous victories.
John Hawkins:: Let me ask you this, too. I think your group has driven Chris Matthews around the bend. Not only did he: refuse to let you talk[11]: when you were on his show, but if you saw the episode with: Michelle Malkin[12], I thought that was a real disgrace.
John O'Neill:: It was terrible. I was sorry for Chris Matthews, really. If the purpose of a show isn't to sit and exchange information, if it's to simply rant and scream at people, then why bother to have guests? Why doesn't he simply talk to a potted plant? He could sit and just sort of orate to a potted plant there and he wouldn't have the frustration of the plant trying to answer back and, you know, he could have great television with the plant.
John Hawkins:: Was he any different when you were off the air than when he was live? I've read an account of what happened with Michelle Malkin after she got off with him. Was he any different there?
John O'Neill:: He was offensive from the time I walked in and when I left, I suggested to him that he shouldn't bother to read the book, that it would confuse him, and I feel that way. There's no reason for him to read the book. It would simply confuse him.
John Hawkins:: One thing that has been often cited by opponents of the SBVFT is the language in Larry Thurlow's Bronze Star citation which was received during the same event in which John Kerry received his Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Thurlow's Bronze Star citation notes that he was under fire. Now, Mr. Thurlow has said that Kerry likely wrote the language for the citation or had input into it, that he didn't put himself in for the citation, that he thought he got the medal for pulling someone out of the water who was hit by a mine, and that he didn't receive it until after he left the military. All of that is very plausible but wouldn't he have been aware that his bronze star noted that he was under fire?
John O'Neill:: Let's first deal with what the Kerry guys are basically trying to do here is ' fight about the tail after giving up the dog. This is a story told at the Democratic convention three weeks ago. The story according to Kerry was 'no man left behind.' He said there were 5 boats. A mine went off near the first boat; a mine went off near his boat, knocked Rassman off the boat; the boats all fled under fire. Kerry looked around, realized Rassman was gone, was badly wounded, and nonetheless, came back under heavy fire, no man left behind, and rescued Rassman, but that story is a gigantic, monstrous lie built around a small truth.
The small truth is Kerry fled, Rassman fell off his boat, and Kerry ultimately came back and picked up Rassman. That's true. The monstrous lie is that everybody fled and that Kerry was wounded. Let's deal first with Kerry being wounded. The documents show and the Kerry campaign has admitted to the Washington Post that Kerry's hip wound came not from any underwater mine but came from Kerry hot-dogging with a grenade earlier in the morning and throwing it in some rice and getting a tiny amount of rice and shrapnel in his fanny. Nonetheless, he reported that to the Navy as coming from an underwater mine that day of March 13. That was a lie and everybody admits it's a lie as far as I know. The only other physical injury Kerry purports to have suffered that day was contusion, minor ' in other words, a small bruise. The medical records show it was treated with a cold cloth. Nonetheless, Kerry departed Vietnam within 4 days of that event on the basis he had been wounded in that action. That was a total and complete lie.
Now, second, what happened? The story that all 5 boats fled is a total lie and now admitted by everybody to be a lie. What really happened is the three boat was blown out of the air. The people from the three boat were blown in the water and all boats closed on the three boat except for Kerry's boat. Just like he said, he fled. On occasion he's lied in different ways. In his 1998 testimony on the floor of Congress he said that the mine went off under his boat and he was blown up into the air, which is another lie.
What Kerry is now fighting about is when he finally came back, when all the really brave guys had rescued the people out of the water and had gone into the engine room in the three boat to keep it afloat, to stop it from sinking, and people dying on the three boat, when he finally showed up back again, was there still fire going on? My opinion the reason he contests this is that's it's one of the amorphous things that people can try and contest. There, there's a huge amount of evidence there was no fire and only a little bit of evidence there was any fire at all. The evidence that there was fire is several of his crewman say there was fire, Jim Rassman who was in the water says there was fire, one other guy Lambert says there was fire. In addition, the 2 bronze star citations say under fire or similar words.
Now what's the evidence there was no fire? First of all, the report for that day, the After Action Report, was written by John Kerry as the officer in tactical command. He's refused to state whether he wrote it or not but every other officer at the scene has said he wrote it. In addition it relates primarily to the operation of his own boat. So we know it's his report. It says there was 3.2 miles, 5,000 meters of fire from both banks. This is like going through Seminary and Cemetery Ridge at a distance of 75 yards. It's a complete total fabrication, a lie to the Navy that served as the basis of everybody's citation that day.
John Hawkins:: A quick question for you on that. Now, I do understand there was something about 3 bullet holes in one boat and wasn't there some damage to Kerry's boat?
John O'Neill:: Yes, but the damage occurred the day before. You can take a look at Page 304 of his own book, "Tour of Duty", quoting his own journal and what had happened was a mine had gone off between his boat and Larry Thurlow's boat the day before and had cracked the windows, blown out the windows in both boats. That occurred the day before. The 3 bullet holes in the turret of one boat likewise were from the day before.
How do we know that? There's a casualty report on the gunner that sat right there the day before. It was wounded by those 3 bullets. So there was absolutely no damage to any boat that can be attributed to the date of March 13. There are now 10 or 11 different people who say there was no fire. That includes every other officer on the scene, four of them. It includes seven enlisted men. There's no battle damage to any boat. They were there an hour and a half in a canal that was 75 yards wide.
Also, I've gotta tell you, anybody who was in Vietnam will understand that any firing that occurred would have occurred within seconds. Why? These are unarmored boats, but they have incredible firepower. No lone gunman sitting there with an AK47 or anything like that would have lasted more than a few seconds. So any fire that would've occurred would have occurred right after the mine. The theory that there would still be fire occurring when Kerry came back 4 or 5 minutes later is just crazy. That's my opinion but I think the most important point is that in order to gain some little scintilla of honor out of a situation in which he fled, he basically tries to fight about whether there was still some type of fire going on when he finally came back. The biggest points are all conceded. He falsified the Purple Heart, the casualty report, and he lied about the essence of what occurred in order to secure a decoration.
John Hawkins:: I do think you make an excellent convincing case there that there was no fire, but would Thurlow have seen that on his citation?
John O'Neill:: Larry Thurlow was the most decorated Swift Boat officer in Vietnam. In other words, Larry Thurlow, unlike Kerry, wasn't trying to scratch and get out in 3 or 4 months and Larry Thurlow didn't even know he had been decorated even when I spoke to him for that day.
John Hawkins:: So, I guess you would know better than I would and I'm asking if when you receive these sort of medals if they give all of the details?
John O'Neill:: You get a citation with it but if you have already gone home, you just could care less. I haven't looked at mine in many years and that's what's so bizarre about Kerry, for example, updating his citation over and over again and making it more glorious. Look, most of us stuck them in the closet and forgot about them and went on with our lives.
John Hawkins:: I have one last related question to this. Now I know Mr. Rassman was in the water for some period of time. Do you know how long it was before Kerry's boat picked him up? Is there any sort of estimate? The reason I ask is it seemed odd to me that he didn't swim to another boat.
John O'Neill:: Here's what happened. The Kerry boat was on the right side of the river and the other boats, the three boat that was blown up was on the left side of the river. When the three boat was blown up it was a tremendously dramatic event. Everybody immediately fixated on the three boat. You could see the entire boat lift out of the water. People were thrown/blown out into the water. The boat was sinking. There was no fire, nothing, on the right side. Nobody bothered to look over there.
By the way, Kerry, in 1998, said that Rassman simply stepped off his boat. He simply described it as his making a turn and Rassman simply falling in. That was his description on the Congressional record in 1998. It would never have occurred to anybody that anything would have happened over there. Rassman fell in. The estimates I've seen range from about 2-3 minutes to 4-5 minutes before Kerry came back.
The Chenoweth boat, before Kerry came back, was already heading over to pick up Rassman and they estimate that they were 10 to 12 yards away from Rassman at the time Kerry picked him up. The truth is that until they picked up the guys off the three boat who were badly wounded and in the water that they were the only people anybody was paying attention to. So nobody even looked over there. When the immediate emergency on the three boat was surmounted that's when people looked over and realized Rassman was in the water.
John Hawkins:: And the boats were in there tending that wounded boat for an hour and a half?
John O'Neill:: They were there for an hour and a half tending the boat. Kerry left on the boat with the wounded which you can imagine how people feel about that. He left in the boat for the wounded right when the boats reached the mouth of the river and left the other people to try to save the three boat.
John Hawkins:: Is there anything else you'd like to say or promote before we finish up?
John O'Neill:: Our website is: www.swiftvets.com[13]. The book is: Unfit For Command[2]. What we've got is 250 guys, 60 of them wounded over there.
The reason we're there is for two groups of people, primarily the first and most important are the kids that are all in the military now. We think this guy would be a ghastly Commander-In-Chief, dishonest, self-seeking, ambitious, not trustworthy.
Then the second reason we're there is for the guys that all served with us and didn't come back and so on. We don't think that they were the army of Genghis Khan. We don't think they were war criminals. We think it was immoral for him to claim that and to repeat it as recently as his book, Tour of Duty. We think they were good kids, they fought hard for the country, and they deserved a lot better than they got from John Kerry.
John Hawkins:: Well, that was excellent. I really appreciate it, Mr. O'Neill.
John O'Neill:: Thank you very much, John. I enjoyed very, very much talking to you.
Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/interviews/an-interview-with-john-oneill-2/
Copyright ©2023 John Hawkins' Right Wing News unless otherwise noted.


text:
36 Comments on "How to Keep Shyness from Ruining Your Game"
April 7, 2011 at 1:19 pm
I consider myself shy, but not to the degree you are discussing here. Still, I found your post very interesting, and had some really good advice.
I tend to go for anonymity, even to the extent that I used to join ONLY PuG raids, 5 mans, etc, in the hopes that as long as I played well no one would notice me.
I have a question, and I sincerely don't mean this to be rude, but I am afraid it may come across that way, so my apologies in advance. But, if it is so bad, the shaking, sweating, etc… why play a social game? Wouldn't an offline game, or single player game, be more fun?
Again, sorry if that sounds harsh, but I am actually curious what the draw is. I mean, I have a fear of spiders, so I stay as far away as possible! :p
April 7, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Personally I believe this differs from your fear of spiders, because you get no benefit from approaching spiders, whereas humans are by nature a social creature and derives pleasure from being around others.
Socialphobia isn't necessarily a blanket phobia of all social interactions, but rather an unreasonable fear of certain aspects of social interactions which leads to the individual avoiding it to the point that it hinders every day life. Some common fears:
– failure
– performing poorly in front of others
– rejection
– being judged/perceived negatively by others
– talking to groups of strangers (for the above reasons usually)
And of course these fears typically end up manifesting themselves and the cycle repeats.
Most with socialphobia still enjoy friendship and communication – it's getting to that comfort level that's the problem. Afterall, it's hard to make friends if you're afraid of meeting new people.
April 7, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Congrats on 2 years!
I started responding to this, but wrote so much and got so off-topic that I think I'm going to save it for a future post of my own.
Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
April 7, 2011 at 2:55 pm
I also am afflicted by shyness to an extent. I tend to merely quest a lot as a solo player so I don't have to um.. fail?.. in front of others or let them down.
You have some good advice though in there. Nice read.
April 7, 2011 at 6:21 pm
Great writeup. Internet or real life, I have social phobias about doing anything by myself where I don't know anyone, although I find if I feel in control, then it's not so bad (like leading a group through how to do a boss fight). Being called n00b, stupid idiot in battlegrounds when I first started WoW permanently turned me off to them — although I liked your suggestion of immersion such as in AV (might explain why that was my fave at the time I did run them lol).
April 8, 2011 at 7:04 am
[…] is a bit of an odd post for me and is one inspired by Ophelie and the blogger she linked to, Glorwynn (someone else to add to my feed […]
April 8, 2011 at 1:14 pm
First off happy blogoversary! In response to the post I do not consider myself a shy player but have been uncomfortable in situations that you have mentioned. Specifically learning a new role on an alt. I regard myself as a good player and confident raider but throw me into a PUG heroic on an alt who I have never tanked on before and my hands freeze. I find it incredibly difficult to bring myself to be open to critism from random players.
My suggestion would be to queue with someone that you know – preferably a good friend who will support you when the other players in the group start getting annoyed. It is especially useful if you know a healer/tank (depending on your role) to carry you through a few heroics until you find your feet.
April 8, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Have you attempted consulting a physician by any chance?
April 10, 2011 at 1:33 pm
I've been playing WoW since vanilla and have also been in therapy for social anxiety for a couple years now. The SNRIs did wonders for me when I first went to the doctor, but then I had to be pretty freaked out to decide I needed a doctor. I'm getting off the medication now that they seem to have done their job. My counselor has been even more helpful. Discussing my problems with her and having her feedback has gone a long way with learning to deal with confronting people.
April 11, 2011 at 11:18 am
I'm not entirely shy in-game, but I suffer from it a lot more outside of it. That being said, I still hesitate to join PUG raids/dungeons and I don't like talking on vent when there are new people.
My guild consist of people I've played with for 2-3 years now so I have no issues talking to them, but if there's new people I suddenly become more quiet.
I remember being really angry with my GM at one point when he had me lead a raid that was a co-op with another guild, which meant a bunch of people I didn't know. I normally have no issues leading with our own guild since I know them all – but having to lead with 4 people I didn't know put me in a really bad mood because I was uncomfortable.
For the most part I do okay in game though, and once I get to know people I'm okay in RL as well. But I still get uncomfortable in new situations and I don't like big parties/crowds. I'm about to fail my distance course that I took because it was on a distance.. but it turned out you still have to do a group project.. and I can't bring myself to do that with people I don't know. It's such a shame since I really wanted to do that course 😦
Great topic! And congratulations on your second blogoversary 🙂
April 12, 2011 at 7:43 pm
I'm quite a shy person; I would much rather be at home with a book than out with a group of people. When I was a teenager, I suffered from selective mutism for a time, and I don't think that condition has entirely gone away, so being outside social gatherings is a lot less stressful for me.
I do think playing online is different though, because you are not judged on how you look or what clothes you are wearing. It is generally a safe environment for shy people to be sociable in, and I think it is great in that respect.
I can write quite happily in guild forums, on blogs or even in guild chat, because I feel safe from behind the computer screen, but when it comes to speaking on vent, I don't like it at all.
If I hear myself talking through someone else's vent feed-back, my voice sounds quite pathetic and squeaky. Sometimes when I have to shout out during a raid I find I get a terrible stutter or I just sit there and don't speak, because I imagine people hearing my voice and thinking I'm just a timid wimp in RL. Maybe I am!
April 18, 2011 at 5:37 pm
[…] The Bossy Pally has a how-to guide with some helpful tips on keeping shyness from ruining your game. […]
April 19, 2011 at 4:55 am
Guilds are what kill me. I can do battlegrounds (love em) and 5 mans (heroics if I psych myself up) but in guilds I am afraid to speak up and once stopped playing my main because I was too stressed out to be online while in a guild and finally quit late at night when nobody was on.
I can join in a conversation in guild chat if I have something to add and even joke around a little with strangers but I panic if I'm in the 'limelight' too long. I tend to have to log out within about ten minutes of talking with people.
I'll even avoid a person who is being friendly to me in guild because I start to panic about interacting with them so I tend not to make too many long term friends in game.
I appreciate your advice. While most of it is stuff I already do I did need a bit of a kick in the butt to start being more social in Wow.
April 19, 2011 at 10:46 am
Thank you for writing about this. While I don't have full social phobia, I am painfully shy around anyone I don't know VERY well. For me the hardest part is while intellectually I suppose I learn at the same rate as most people, I'm terrified of having anyone SEE me fail. I will be taking some of your advice to heart 🙂


text:
Here's the game I play as my plane taxis to the runway: I have won the greatest sweepstakes ever and I am allowed to choose one item from each two-page spread in SkyMall, the free catalog that lurks within seemingly every seatback pocket on every plane in America. I take this very seriously—on the garden statue spread (Pages 74/75 in the recent holiday issue), I ponder whether I'd go for "Bigfoot, the Garden Yeti" ("Sorry, [American] flag not included") or "The Zombie of Montclaire Moors" ("life-size"). Spread 40/41 is a lot easier: the $69.99 "One Of A Kind" shirt, which is one shirt made of 10 different shirts; a Frankenshirt that embarrasses even the male models who are paid to wear it. As the copy suggests, I would wear it to frat parties, bachelor parties, and stag parties.
When playing this game, you may find that the most difficult spreads to evaluate are the ones that include SkyMall science, which you may be skeptical of since it appears to be several decades ahead of regular science. The pages of SkyMall are positively packed with lasers, gadgets, and helmets that bear more than a passing resemblance to Doc Brown's brain wave-analyzer, like this iGrow Hair Rejuvenation Laser or the shUVee Shoe Deoderizer. These items may be tempting, but dare you include something in your imaginary sweepstakes that might be, let's say, less than effective? Fear not. I'm here to help.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of suspiciously advanced technology in SkyMall—these are highlights from the "animal" category, which should give you a good idea of the wide spectrum of weirdness contained within the catalog. I hope it's enough to help you out if you're playing Imaginary SkyMall Sweepstakes or if you're actually, you know, buying something.
Thundershirt for Dogs and Cats
Pages 2/3
This shirt tightly hugs your beloved fuzzy companions to make them less anxious. While you may be suspicious of its efficacy, I can say that I have anecdotal experience that supports this: I bought a shark costume for my cat, Brendon, and when stuffed inside the little terry-cloth hoodie, he immediately tips over and starts purring. This is either a sign of deep relaxation or a clever survival strategy.
There's not a whole lot of scientific research out there to support the idea that pressure-wraps calm dogs and cats, or any other animals, for that matter. You may be aware that Temple Grandin helped develop a "squeeze machine" to decrease anxiety, particularly for people with autism and for cows about to be turned into hamburgers. Grandin reported that most people in a very small study found her machine relaxing, and a few other studies have also shown that the machine may cause a slight reduction in tension and/or anxiety in some people. But those studies involved relatively few subjects, and some showed a pretty tiny effect. Plus, those studies were about the efficacy of a large machine that applied constant and even pressure—not a smart little jacket with Velcro closures.
That said, some of the reviews of the Thundershirt are encouraging. Here's my personal favorite five-star rating on Amazon: "The thundershirt has kept our cat from licking the hair off her belly, at least the part that is covered by the shirt." You can't argue with results like that.
If you want to buy something for your anxious pet, I personally think you're better off with the shark costume, which I found in a sale bin for $5. It apparently does the same thing as the Thundershirt but it looks way funnier. If you're playing Imaginary SkyMall Sweepstakes, I suggest you instead go for the Wine of the Month Club (also on Page 3) because obviously, it's wine.
Pages 46/47
So you adopted some poor little wretch from the local city shelter, and now Nubbins is healthy and happy and the whole world loves him. Everyone wants to know what mix of breeds he is. "He's probably a border collie with a little golden retriever thrown in, but who knows?" You laugh and shrug good-naturedly.
But you're better than the average dog owner, and eventually you find that mere speculation isn't enough. You need science! You dutifully swab the inside of Nubbins' mouth and send the sample away. In four to six weeks, you hear back: Nubbins is part Icelandic sheepdog and part chihuahua. Your mind reels. How did Nubbins' parents ever meet? Was she doing a semester abroad in Mexico? Did he move to Reykjavik to spend his days relaxing in volcanic pools? Was their love forbidden?
No. It cannot be. You rush to Amazon to add your scathing one-star review to a growing pile of negativity toward Wisdom Panel, the makers of the kit.
The reviews are all sharply divided—either the results match up with what your dog sort of looks like even though it's not the breed mix the shelter and vet told you (five stars!) or the results are ludicrously wrong and they may as well have told you he's one-fourth Sleestak (one star!). So, is this science? Are the dissatisfied customers just too stubborn? Did they compromise the samples (not difficult considering dogs lick and chew everything)?
Because I don't know the first thing about DNA testing, I asked Alain Viel, senior lecturer in molecular and cellular biology at Harvard, whether or not this was baloney. Viel told me that only one breed's genome has been fully sequenced (a boxer), but that it is still possible to compare genetic markers from different breeds. That's apparently what this kit does, and the company claims to have completed 19 million genetic marker analyses. Still, Viel's not sold.
"From what I read, the results obtained with this type of kit are not very reliable," he said, "probably due to the high rate of cross-breeding in the dog population. You probably have a better chance [of determining genetic makeup] by looking at the dog and trying to figure out what breed the parents are."
He also pointed out that if you have a purebred dog, you can use genotyping to verify the pedigree, much like a paternity test. Interestingly, Wisdom Panel states that its test should not be used on a purebred dog and states that the test may not correctly identify a pure breed for several reasons, such as if the dog is not from the continental United States. That sounds suspiciously like a ready-made excuse just in case someone tries to test the accuracy of the kit using a dog with known parentage, but then, I've always been a bit of a cynic.
So for mutts with unknown parents, you're going to have to just play the guessing game. Luckily, that's what you enjoy doing, anyway. According to my friend Kammy, a former dog-walker, even her clients who got the test results and believed them would still continue guessing. "People don't seem to tire of speculating," she said. "So now the tests are available, and theoretically they don't have to speculate anymore, but it turns out they enjoy the speculation too much to give it up just because the question has been answered."
If you were planning to spend $74.99 on the test, I suggest instead you send me a picture of your dog, and for $14.99 I'll guess the breed mix. For $19.99 I'll send you a nice certificate, and for $24.99 I'll just list whichever breeds you want it to be.
If you're playing Imaginary SkyMall Sweepstakes, I'd say go with those things that keep your fitted sheets in place on your bed. It's about time someone solved that problem.
Pages 48/49
Look, this one will actually work for some cats if you try hard enough, but please, just don't. Don't do this to little Peeps. Look at the hatred in this cat's eyes. Is that the life you want for Peeps? Climbing up onto that cold porcelain and pooping into it like some kind of animal? No, of course you don't. Instead, opt for the wall-mounted cat tree because that looks like fun and PETA probably won't come after you.
Pages 90/91
In the words of entomologist and blogger Bug Girl, the only things ultrasonic devices repel are common sense and money from your wallet. She wrote:
A review of 16 peer-reviewed papers in 2000 found that not a single one of the ultrasonic devices tested had an effect. An additional review in 2007 also found that newer ultrasonic repelling devices were … newer. And completely useless at repelling mosquitoes.
Unfortunately, the number of fraud convictions for those peddling these devices has been small, mainly because there isn't much public outcry.
They're about equally effective at driving away rodents, according to tons of studies. Here's just one review of the literature that found only "marginal repellency effects with six commercial ultrasonic devices," and even then it didn't last long—the researchers found there was "rapid habituation (i.e., no significant repellency effects beyond 3 to 7 days of exposure)."
In other words, the mice hear the ultrasonic squeal, are annoyed enough to cut back on their activity for a few days, and then they get used to it. That may explain why this pest repeller and all other similar devices are buried in one-star reviews on Amazon from people reporting experiences such as finding a mouse literally standing next to a detector while casually eating a cupcake.
If you're looking for something to rid your house of pests, your best bet is to resort to good old-fashioned murder. If you're playing Imaginary SkyMall Sweepstakes, definitely go with the Lord Raffles Lion Throne Chair on Page 91, because nothing says "class" like an ornate replica Medieval throne from an in-flight catalog. Or maybe the Bigfoot, the Holiday Yeti Holiday Ornament, depending on your personal tastes. Totally your call.


text:
Does the Journey Seem Long?
Hymn 127
I stumbled onto a little quote today that really struck me. It is not only applicable to my life and current circumstances, but also embodies this weblog's theme. As I finish up my Choir School homework, I will share it with you. We can ponder it together:
"You know, you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb."
– Winston Churchill


text:
14k: $225
18k: $250
Platinum: $300
This classic stud earrings with prong or bezel setting. All of our stud earring diamonds has a G-H Color and VS2-SI Clarity while total carat weight shown in the drop down boxes are approximate carat weights .
This item can be made in 14K, 18K white, yellow, rose gold, & Platinum.
This is a MADE TO ORDER item and will take approximately 1 to 2 weeks.
All of our products are made in U.S.A. with lifetime guarantee.
Insurance is considered in the shipping cost.


text:
MEMPHIS >> Sitting inside a FedEx Forum locker room on Wednesday, Tony Parker called this city his second home.
The UCLA forward graduated two years ago from Miller Grove High, located some 400 miles east of the Bruins' Sweet Sixteen site. His father, Virgil, had a friend who lived in Memphis, which meant frequent trips from their Atlanta-area home. The University of Memphis recruited him to play college ball and landed his good friend Shaq Goodwin.
So yes, Tony Parker is quite comfortable as UCLA (28-8) prepares to play the nation's No. 1 team.
"I definitely feel like I'm in my element," he said.
But this isn't any ordinary homecoming. When the Bruins face off against Florida (34-2) at approximately 6:45 p.m. Thursday, it will mark the first time Parker's brother can watch him play in person.
Adrian Parker was released from Phillips State Prison in Buford, Ga., on Jan. 25. He had finished serving a 15-year sentence for armed robbery, as well as a concurrent five-year sentence for possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
According to an appellate court document from 2001, the victim testified a car carrying three men stopped next to her in a shopping mall parking lot. One man stepped out of the back seat and shoved a sawed-off shotgun in her face.
Two of the men later pleaded guilty, and one identified Adrian Parker as the gunman.
When Adrian was arrested in 1999, Tony was just 5 years old.
"I actually remember it vividly," Tony said. "I remember the sirens, everything. I remember my sisters calling me in the room, telling me what happened.
"Back then, I didn't really understand, but as I got older I would talk to my brother all the time. When you see your brother through prison bars, it's not good, especially when he's got a son."
Tony said taking care of his brother's son Jayvion, now a ninth-grader, is part of what made him who he is today. Adrian, stuck behind bars, talked to Tony regularly and made sure he would become a role model for Jayvion.
A role model is something Tony still considers Adrian.
Now 20 years old and 6-feet-9, he's roughly a foot taller than his older brother who turns 34 this year. As a sophomore, Parker is averaging 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds this season after rarely seeing the floor a year ago.
Still, he thinks back about 17 years ago, when he would tag along as his brother went to play basketball with friends at a local court. As their mother went grocery shopping, Tony would sit and watch, entranced. That is the Adrian he remembers.
"My brother made a mistake," Parker said. "We all make mistakes. He was young."
Their relationship still is in good shape.
"It's been great," Tony said. "He's probably the reason why I am where I am right now. There were a lot of situations where he wasn't there, but he was there in spirit. His words of wisdom really helped me out."
Scouting report
When Parker takes the floor Thursday, he almost certainly will be matched up against Florida's Patric Young.
It's a numbers game, really. The SEC Player of the Year officially is listed at 6-9, 247 pounds. Every Bruin but Parker — 255 pounds — gives up at least 17 pounds to Young. Parker shook his head when asked if he'd seen anyone in the Pac-12 that compares.
"Not really," he said. "Because Pat plays so physical. He's a physical specimen. Pat is a really big presence inside. He's a banger. It's what he does. He's a Ronny Turiaf-type guy, a Kendrick Perkins-type guy."
Parker has been in and out of foul trouble all season, but picked up just one in 18 minutes against Stephen F. Austin last weekend in the round of 32. The Lumberjacks did not start anyone taller than 6-6.


text:
My first encounter with the living legend took place more than a decade ago. Somewhere around the mid-point of a low-key Broadway Ultra Society 70K from Brooklyn to Bear Mountain, when the mind started complaining that the road was too hard, too flat, too straight—and the finish line simply too far away—a stranger appeared. "You're looking great," he said, offering water or electrolyte drink to everyone who happened along. "Just keep it loose and relaxed." I took the water and thanked the man, then my jaw fell open when I realized who it was.
"That was Ted Corbitt," I stammered to anyone within earshot. "THE Ted Corbitt. Here, at this tiny race. Giving us, a bunch of nobody's, praise and support." For those who know, this was like having Michael Jordan stop by the neighborhood court to hand out Gatorade at a pick-up game. But Corbitt is unknown to the public-at-large. To meet him is to realize that he embodies the best in distance running. Despite his mythical status, he is humble, approachable and incredibly real.
More From Runner's World
Ted Who?
Ted Corbitt was born in South Carolina in 1919 into an African-American family whose existence depended on raising cotton and corn. Ted shared in the farming duties, taking up the plough and picking crops after school, on weekends, and during holiday breaks. Despite being small in stature, he became tough and strong. Young Ted's wiry frame, work ethic, and quiet demeanor mirrored his father's, as did his pursuit of excellence in whatever he did.
Racial discrimination was prevalent at the time. Ted walked to school while white children traveled by bus, but he is far from resentful, for he discovered the joy of running along the dusty roads between home and school. At the age of thirteen, after his family had moved to Ohio, he ran in his first competitive race. Ted competed throughout high school, and it was during this time that he stumbled upon an article that would forever alter the course of his life. Theodore Ellison "Tarzan" Brown, the Narragansett Indian who won the '36 and '39 Boston Marathons, was featured in a local newspaper. Ted was stunned to learn that people ran that far.
"The idea of running such a long distance intrigued me," he recently told me with a chuckle, "because at the time four miles was considered a very long race." The color barrier limited Corbitt's running prospects through high school and college, but far from discouraging Ted, it made him all the more keen to compete. By his senior year of college, he was the most versatile runner on his team, excelling in the sprint, quarter mile, and two mile events. In an era when most athletes hung up their sneakers after graduation, Ted emerged from the University of Cincinnati with his masters degree in physical education, with honors—and continued to train.
Army duty, marriage, work and studying to become a physical therapist sidetracked any serious thoughts of competitive running for several years, but Corbitt's desire never waned. In mid-1950, after earning his Masters from New York University, the 31-year-old's thoughts returned to a high school vow. "One day I'll run the Boston Marathon," he had said to himself, "just to see if I can."
Imitating Emil
In the little literature available, the methods of Emil Zatopek stood out. Zatopek believed that the human body was capable of attaining top fitness if subjected to incremental increases in effort, and with time allowing for adaption. Corbitt began to experiment, using the great Czech's ideas as a foundation upon which he could build.
"Weight training was discouraged and people thought I was crazy," says Corbitt, "but I used a lot of the resistance exercises that were a part of physical therapy treatment to build up my legs." He used Zatopek's method of alternating fast 440's with slow 220's to increase his speed and mixed such workouts with long, slow road runs. He ran in heavy army boots to add difficulty to his routine. He suffered through blisters and bruises and was forced to lay off and recover time and again. Slowly, through the brutally hot and humid New York summer, his legs hardened and he extended his distance. By fall, he felt ready to take the next step: the overdistance run.
"I always felt that if I couldn't get through 30 miles in training, I'd never be able to race a marathon, so running 30 became a goal. But I always fell apart at about 18 miles and couldn't get past 22 for several months. I never knew why."
The epiphany came in January 1951. Corbitt was bundled up against the winter chill, once again attempting to reach 30 miles. It was snowing, and he found himself catching snowflakes in his mouth as he ran. "A light went on in my head. I was always thirsty, but never drank anything during a run. I realized I was dehydrated almost all of the time." From then on, he put water out whenever he ran more than 15 miles. He smashed through the 30-mile barrier on the next attempt and the distance never seemed that difficult again.
Marathon and Beyond
That April, Corbitt ran his first Boston Marathon, and managed to place 15th despite falling apart in the heat. By today's standards, his time of 2:48:42 sounds far from spectacular, but the winning time of 2:27:45 was the third fastest marathon ever run. A month later, Ted ran Yonkers (2:48:48), and a month after that, the Junior National Marathon Championship in Maine (2:47:28). He made the Olympic Marathon team the following year.
At the 1952 Helsinki Games, Zatopek ran the distance triple that has never been matched, winning the 5,000m, 10,000m, and the marathon, all in Olympic record times. Zatopek's performance convinced Corbitt that his own methods of preparation were on track. The American began training harder than ever before.
The workouts that followed are legendary. Two, sometimes three runs a day, or twice around the island of Manhattan (64 miles) for long distance work. Weekly mileage was often between 200 and 300 and there were times when he put in more than 1,000 miles over the course of a month. All this while working full time as a physical therapist at the International Center for the Disabled, raising a son, and carrying on running-related administrative duties at night.
In a competitive career that began when most runners were considered old and that lasted well into his 50's, Corbitt set American track records for 25 miles, the marathon, 40 miles, 50 miles and 100 miles. He claimed victories at the American and Canadian Marathon Championships, American 50 Mile Championships, and American 30K Championships. Besides the Olympics, he was selected for the U.S. Pan American Games marathon team. He won more than 30 of the 199 races he has completed of the marathon distance or beyond. His 100-mile record (13:33:06, beating the old standard by two and a half hours) came at the age of 50. He ran 134.7 miles in a 24-hour race when he was 54.
Despite being taken out of serious competition by bronchial asthma in 1974 while preparing to make an assault on the record for crossing the U.S. (he felt capable of completing the 2,800 miles from Los Angeles to New York in 42 days), Corbitt continued to run. Just for the love of it, he has taken part in numerous marathons, several 100 milers, and even a few 24-hour races over the past 25 years. At the age of 81, he walked 240 miles in a six-day race, and last year, he bettered that performance by an unbelievable 63 miles. You read correctly: 303 miles in six days, at age 82!
To this day, students of the sport marvel at Corbitt's dedication, discipline and persistence in an era when runners in general were rare, black distance runners were unheard of, and the marathon was considered extreme. Today's serious distance runners call upon tales of Corbitt's "killer weeks" to motivate themselves through the high mileage phases they must endure in pursuit of their own competitive goals.
Leading Off the Race Course
And yet, Corbitt's greatest contributions to running have not been on the track or road, but behind the scenes, where he has toiled quietly his entire career. He was a member of the New York Pioneer Club, the first president of the Road Runners Club of America, and co-founder and third president of the New York Road Runners Club. He was a shaping force behind the masters division, which re-opened the doors of competition to the over-40 crowd. Perhaps his most significant contribution was the development of the meticulous standards of course measurement followed by the thousands of USATF-certified races that take place in America every year. Without Corbitt's work and his 1964 book, Measuring Road Running Courses, it is doubtful that distance running would be anything like the sport we know today.
Ted Corbitt turned 83 last January, but he is still omnipresent at New York area running events. If you've taken part in a New York Marathon, Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour or multi-day race, or anything organized by the Broadway Ultra Society in the past three decades, the chances are that even if you haven't met Corbitt personally, he's seen you putting rubber to road.
Fame and Philosophy
For his part, Corbitt seems almost embarrassed that people have started learning his story. He was one of the first five inductees into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, joining Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Joan Samuelson, and Katherine Switzer in the inaugural Class of '98. He was profiled in a 2001 Vanity Fair feature about pioneers of extreme sports alongside such notables as Glenn Plake ("big mountain skier") and Tony Hawk ("skateboarder").
"Sure, I sort of used myself as a human laboratory," he says, "but it was no big deal, because I was only doing what I loved." And going about it the only way he knew how.
"My parents always taught me to work hard at being the best at whatever I did. I remember applying that thinking to chores on the farm, but it really took hold in ninth grade in algebra class. I was getting a C+ and wanted to improve my grades, because if you got an average of 94, you were exempted from the final exam. I went to extra after-school classes and studied hard. I went from a 70 average to better than 94. The work paid off. I followed that philosophy through the rest of high school and college, and carried it over to my running. If you work hard, you are sure to improve."
He's right, of course. Time to get out and run.
Barry Lewis is a Philadelphia-based writer who has run more than 60 ultra-marathons. Ted Corbitt wrote the forward to his book, Running the Trans America Footrace: Trials and Triumphs of Life on the Road (Stackpole Books, 1994).


text:
Steve Forbes is 100 percent correct, as was Milton Friedman. Bloated and wasteful government spending is the problem, not inadequate revenue. Deficits are merely a symptom of over-spending:
The late Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman once famously observed that he would prefer a federal government budget of $1 trillion (this was when a trillion bucks was real money) with a big deficit to a federal budget of $2 trillion that was balanced. His obvious point was that the bigger Washington is, the more of a burden it puts on the economy, whether it finances its spending via taxation, borrowing or printing money. So it's not President Obama's mind-numbing, from-here-to-eternity deficits that we should be worrying about but the increasing deadweight put on the rest of us by Washington's burgeoning budget bloat. Senate Republicans were right to put the kibosh on the formation of a formal bipartisan deficit-fighting commission. Those things always end up increasing taxes while doing little to reduce spending. …One of the biggest economic myths since the Great Depression is that governments can ameliorate or counteract the ebbs and flows of free markets. Government spending has never worked as a trigger for sustained and vibrant economic growth. Ever. Scholarship has demonstrated that the New Deal perpetuated the Depression rather than cured it. On the eve of the Depression the U.S. had the lowest unemployment rate among developed nations. But a decade later, despite six years of FDR's New Deal, our unemployment rate was one of the highest among developed economies. Japan's serial stimulus programs over the past two decades have repeatedly underscored this truth. The more the government takes as a proportion of the economy, the worse equity markets do and the higher the unemployment rate.
If all this seems familiar, it's because many of these points were stressed in this video.