text:
For the last few months, since that rather festive "Costas Now" business, we have been loathe to expand much more on our initial reaction. But as Buzz Bissinger has continued to give interviews to the "respectable" media, making his "points," we felt compelled to talk one last time, to wrap this whole business up. Buzz graciously agreed for a semi-wide-ranging conversation - which has taken place over email over the last week - to be published on the site today. So, here it is. Enjoy.
So here's the first question we've been dying to ask you, because we think you might be the only one who can answer it. You and we have been on television before, but never to the extent of exposure as there was on "Costas Now." We went to a baseball game in Milwaukee five days afterwards, and the beer guy recognized us from the show. (And asked for a high five. It's very difficult to high five a man when you're both holding bottles of beer.) We're not sure we like having so many people getting their introduction to us through that show, and we suspect you feel the same way. Do people recognize you from the show now? Has anyone said anything to you? Do you fear that a lifetime of work could be in danger of being boiled down to "that guy from HBO?"
Yes, tons of people have talked to me about my Costas appearance. They don't say much, just sort of chuckle as if to say, "What the Hell was with you that night?'" I did fear that a lifetime of work would be boiled down to that appearance. But in recent weeks, more people have agreed me than disagreed with me, although the general consensus is that there was a more artful way to express myself, which there was. My apology to you stands; you should not have been treated that way. Ironically perhaps, ever since the appearance, job offers have poured in. Only in America I guess...
I have also made a point to respond to as many people as I can who sent me emails, as long as they were relatively reasonable. And the answers back in general were kind and supportive of my past work, which made me feel a helluva lot better. At least one person I had never met kept staring me, said he had seen me somewhere. I mentioned Costas and he just said, "Yeah, that was it!" Then I quickly changed the subject.
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I still don't like the snarkiness of Deadspin. I still have a problem with tons of blogs because they are malicious and horribly written (there is more to writing than just sitting in front of a keyboard and putting down whatever pops in your head). The Deadspin posts are at least short and cleverly designed to elicit posts. As you and I both know, it is the comments that elicit the posts. They do go hand in hand. And most of the posts on Deadspin are stupid, sexually sophomoric and basically indulge in an unfunny game of who-can-top-this to be the most profane and inane. But I have also found blogs that are filled with good information, in particular those dedicated to a single subject. So the wide net I cast on the show was misplaced.
We don't want to get back into the whole "debate" AGAIN, but some points probably need to be addressed. Honestly, we tend to agree with Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post, who wrote: "Bissinger's delivery was marvelously entertaining, but that the crux of his argument made less sense than Emmitt Smith on mescaline." We've never felt you had anything to apologize for; everybody has the right to their viewpoint, and to express it however they feel. That doesn't make anything you said any more correct.
So, while we're here, we should probably dig into some of this, briefly, for a bit. As we do hope you noticed, we've tried to take the high road about this, not only on the show, but on Deadspin and in interviews afterwards. We plan on continuing that. But we're still a little confused about what you think of blogs, and us, and Deadspin. Let's focus on two aspects of all this we strongly disagree with you on: Comments, and press passes.
In The Starting Five interview, you said, "I hate Deadspin. I think it represents everything that's wrong with blogs because it's snarky, malicious, mean spirited and vaguely filled with invectives–in particular when it comes to the comments. The comments are guided by the posts."
First off, we still seem to be stuck on the idea of posts and comments somehow being directly related to another. We could put a picture of a cute bunny on any open commenting forum on The Washington Post or Yahoo or AOL or whatever, and by the 15th comment, the n-word is coming out. Did we ask for that in my post with the bunny? This happened when we did a post about Pam Ward, a broadcaster we like very much. We said so in the post, and then some commenters made the jokes about her being a lesbian, or a man, or something. Is that inherently our fault? Leonard Shapiro wrote a column for the Post defending you a few days after the show. Comments were so varied and occasionally ugly that eventually the Post shut them down. Should we end every post with, "Come on, everybody, be nice. It's a beautiful world out there. Why so negative?" Isn't there legitimate value in some crassness every once in a while? Isn't that one of the things that make Ed Rendell so compelling?
Is your problem with commenting in general? You say you like Pro Football Talk, The Big Lead, Beerleaguer ... but their comments can get just as nasty. Our argument is not that people have become nasty; our argument is that people have always felt these things, and it's just that they have a vessel with which to express them now. We've been called every bad name in the book by commenters all over the Internet. We can get all angry and the-world-is-ending about it, or we can take them for what they are: Individual thoughts by individual people. You're never going to make everybody happy. You just have to have faith that you're doing good work, and hope that intelligent people who are looking for something to distract them from their day jobs recognize it. The world of journalism, or literature, or sports, it's not one for anyone with a thin skin. If you're really so bothered by it, can't you just ignore it? Do you really think there are kind, warm-hearted people who read comments and suddenly become monsters, because, hey, That's The Way Society Is Going Now?
That is to say: The most interesting question of our entire panel was one that Costas put to poor Braylon Edwards: "Does your generation just handle this better because you're used to it? Do you just take it all with a grain of salt?" (We're paraphrasing.) Edwards' answer was exactly right: "Most definitely." If you're the type of person who REALLY gets worked up by Web commenters, it is highly recommended that you not read them. The rest of them will take them for what they're worth. Sometimes they're entertaining, sometimes they're nasty, sometimes they're smart, sometimes they're stupid. Is this really the end of the world?
We do not understand why not taking press passes is somehow indicative of not being interested in "truth." We've done the press box thing before, and who knows, maybe at New York mag, we'll do so again. But we will do so when we think they'll give us a better opportunity and to get to the real truth of the story and provide it to readers. We think the world of sports reporting, in many ways, has become so insular that most writers are writing for other writers, rather than the people who actually consume sports. If we're not writing something that fans care about, something that has legitimate value - even if it's negative value - because we're afraid we'll anger a player, or that we'll lose our press pass ... aren't we doing those readers a disservice? We enjoy the distance that ignoring the press box gives us; it allows us to remain in touch with being an actual sports fan, and respond to sports in the way actual sports fans do. We're not chummy with anyone, and we're not out to get anybody either. The distance is (theoretically) what keeps us clear.
To put another way: When Costas, on the program, talked about Woodward and Bernstein as the perfect example of what makes a great journalist, he made our own point. The reason Woodward and Bernstein broke Watergate is because they were young, they were outside the loop of Washington political reporting and they were hungry. They weren't part of that Beltway insiderdom; they were outside, and realized they needed to do something great. You can argue that part of the reason they wanted to do something great was because they wanted to be on the inside; that's certainly up for debate. But the point was that they had distance from the inside scene, and could see Watergate for the huge story it was. Those too close to the story kept calling it Inside Baseball, that it was a non-story. It clearly wasn't. We're not saying every sports blogger, or us, is Woodward and Bernstein. We're just stating the case for the interested, impartial outside observer.
Not taking a press pass ... that doesn't mean we don't talk to people, or we don't interview people either. We didn't get ESPN insider memos by hacking into their email; we got those because we have sources, and we talk to them. We're not sure why there's this idea that there's not a basis in truth. If we just threw up whatever we wanted to on the site, regardless of whether or not it were true, people would stop coming to the site. Yes, anybody CAN write whatever they want on the Web, but if you want to be read, and respected, you have to do your best to get it right.
Here's our favorite example: There's no better baseball writer on earth than Roger Angell. But you don't see him in the press box. He observes, he thinks, he notes, and then he reports. Are you claiming that Roger Angell would have a better perspective if he elbowed other reporters surrounding a naked Jonathan Papelbon to get a quote about how, "I was feeling good tonight?" Of course not. Roger Angell writes the way he does because he has perspective, because he stays away. Does that somehow mean he doesn't want "truth?"
Anyway, we've gone on too long here. Those were two thoughts we had. We're fully aware, by the way, that after this is published, both of us are going to be called drooling douche morons by the majority of commenters. We're OK with that. Are you?
I guess what I think of you, without knowing you at all except that you're from Mattoon, which isn't your fault, is that you are smart and clever and seething with ambition. You are also very nice in person with the use of "sir" and other Limbaughisms. But there's another side of you. You say sweet things about Three Nights in August to me in an email, only to have previously ridiculed it in your blog. That to me suggests duplicity and the horoscope I get daily online sums it up nicely: "Watch out for someone who compliments you to your face, then talks about you behind your back; this one's not to be trusted!." So I guess that's what I think of you. Smart, savvy, played the Costas battle like a PR genius, and slightly two-faced (by the way, what was your publisher doing there? To offer muscle in case of attack? I think even I could take David Hirshey down…) In others words you make me nervous, one of these people whose ambition may well ultimately consume him.
(Ed. Note: At this point in the conversation, before our official response back, we had to interject with:
"We swear, we've never taken a shot at Three Nights In August, which, as we've mentioned before, we enjoyed very much. We can only assume you're referring to this post, in which we linked to someone else criticizing you - and the Bill James folk, we might add. That said, the "joke" about nerdom is cheap and not particularly funny. Now, Fire Joe Morgan ... we don't think they liked the book that much. But, alas"
Oddly, Bissinger came back with this post, which was almost three years ago (and written by Rick - who didn't have a login and therefore had to email his posts for us to post, hence the "Leitch" tag there), and, as far as we could tell, not even particularly derogatory to the book anyway. The line is: "11 a.m. MLB with Jerry Crasnick: Your book "License to Deal" is quite thick and formidable, but for pure door stoppage I'd have to go with Buzz Bissinger's 'Three Nights in August.'"
We responded accordingly:
"That was back before Rick - who has always written the We Have To Ask - had a login; at the time, everything was unbylined. But there's no reason you would know that. And, for the record, I'm not sure Rick saying that a book makes a good door stop is INHERENTLY an insult; it just means it's thick! But regardless: I apologize for the confusion."
Buzz then responded by sending the post to us four times again, and then: "The point is Will that these criticisms hurt. They particular hurt the writers of books since the time spent rarely every comes close to the yield you get out of it from either a literary or commercial point of view. I was lucky with Friday Night Lights. As a writer of books yourself, you can and should empathize with that. Want to know what it really feels like? Read the Washington Post reviews of Friday Night Lights by Jonathan Yardley and A Prayer for the City. When it comes to book writing, there is no such thing as a minor criticism, and this particular one just came out of nowhere and seemed to me at least utterly gratuitous since you apparently did not even mean it. "
And then we moved on with the interview, still a little confused, but unbowed. Back to Buzz now.)
You created a blog that has become enormously popular, and anybody who creates anything that becomes enormously popular deserves high credit. You hit the cultural zeitgeist. But you also have it down pat. Your posts are just snarky enough to get people going (yes, there is an occasional exception where you are sincere about something), but the general tone of Deadspin is one of mockery and ridicule. A.J. Daulerio does the same thing. So does Big Daddy. The irony is that you are all very good writers, and I hope that when you go to New York, you don't fall into the easy journalistic trap of taking gratuitous cheap shots. Like saying somebody has the face of a frog, which is how the New York Observer described me after the Battle of Costas (at least they didn't say I was smaller than Danny DeVito…) And maybe I do look like a frog. Who the fuck really cares? It isn't a clever description anyway. Lazy….
We are simply never going to come to common ground on the issue of comments versus posts. I sincerely believe that the comments do guide the posts, and the whole tone of Deadspin sets up posts that are with virtually no exception a collection of one-liners that are malicious, stupid, profane, sexually pathetic, and I will agree with you here, about a hundred times nastier than the posts themselves. But still, you and the other commentators set the tone, in effect giving people a license to kill under the cowardly cloak of anonymity. I have said several times that I behaved like the worst kind of blogger on Costas, but with one major difference-I did not hide behind some silly-sounding pseudonym. People knew exactly who I was. And the apology I made to you was sincere-you should never have been treated that way. With me, what you see is what you get. I have exploded before. I have exploded afterwards. I will explode again.
As for people in general today being nasty, mocking, and reveling in the troubles of others, no disagreement there. It is the age in which we live and in particular the age in which your generation lives. I am not sure how this started. But there is no doubt that the Internet, and sites such as Deadspin, contribute to it because anybody can say anything they want. And in sports in particular, those who comment almost inevitably resort to the lowest common denominator. They may think they are funny. They may think they are clever. But I have news for them-they are not. And that is not generational on my part: most of the people who comment on your site are just moronic, indulging in some badly-played game of can-you-top-this. As for Ed Rendell, yes he was occasionally crass in the book I wrote, A Prayer for the City. Yes, he could be irreverent as mayor of Philadelphia. Yes, he dropped F-bombs. But he was also a million times funnier and cleverer than any single comment I have read on your site. He also has dedicated his life to public service. He doesn't hide behind some pseudonym. And Rendell's one-liners represented about .005 percent of what was a serious book about the plight of urban America that took me five and a half years (if you don't believe me, ask your colleague Daulerio). And those crass comments were not some series of Henny Youngman non-sequiturs. They were made in the context of trying to run a city with massive problems.
Should you stop commenting? Of course not. You have a right to say whatever you want, and, as I said earlier, you write with a smooth and deft glibness. You clearly have talent, and I will be curious to see if that talent blossoms into something truly special. But if all of a sudden Deadspin became utterly serious in its treatment of sports, dropped the snarky tone and the little bitch-slaps, I am convinced that the comments would slowly disappear. There would be no outlet for idiocy anymore because disciples would get quickly bored with the sudden sobriety. Your traffic would drop, which would mean your revenues would drop. Which is why, despite the recent LA Times article and all sorts of sports bloggers saying they have suddenly discovered the religion of responsibility, nothing is going to change. I may not like it, and I can and do try to ignore it, but people want an outlet to vent their venom. All they need is a little push in the right direction, and sites such as yours give them that push. Because we live in venomous times. And maybe we always have lived in venomous times, and the Internet has just given greater voice to that than ever.
First off, I have met Roger Angell once, and it was in the press box at Yankee Stadium during the 2003 Yankee-Cardinal series, and the only way he got in there was with a press press. What he does with the press press is that he uses it to report. The issue of the press press is that it provides a writer with access. How the writer utilizes the access is of course up to the writer. I don't think the world of sports writing is insular. I think the world of sports writing is all too often lazy, so I agree with you to the extent that for all the access these guys and a handful of women get, they don't do much with it. But take the work of Mark Bowden when he covered the Philadelphia Eagles for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Creative. Smart. Well-written. Interviewed everybody under the sun. Worked his ass off. Really took you inside the game. Now Mark is one of the great journalists in the country (he wrote Black Hawk Down) so maybe he is the exception. There are few out there like him who have covered sports, maybe no one. But he made full use of the access he got, access he never would have gotten without a press pass, so once again, the access is crucial-if you have a reporter who knows how to use it and isn't afraid of working. Are the number of reporters willing to do that in the world of sports becoming less and less? You bet. And that's a shame for all of us.
But this notion bloggers have that access will somehow co-opt them, and they have a better vantage point by watching the game in their living rooms or their dens or their bedrooms or their darkened closets, is just junk. Bloggers need to get out like everyone else: any one of them could have gone down to Odessa and reported out Friday Night Lights. That's what they should be thinking about-getting out there-because the motivation of most bloggers is to be discovered. If we live in an age of venom, we also live in the age of the American Idol syndrome where everybody is convinced there is a star within them just waiting for the right opportunity. But if they don't get out of their tiny little worlds, if they don't learn how to report and write and observe and utilize details, they should just cease what they are doing and stop cluttering up the broadband airwaves. Basically Will, they all want to be you and get recognized by the mainstream and then join it. But the truth is, few of them have anywhere near the talent that you have.
Well, thanks, we guess. And to make it clear: David Hirshey was there because he distracts people with his mustache.
We are honored, we suppose, by your odes to our ambition, though we're not sure what you imagine our ultimate goal is. (We mean, come on: We type for a living. The goal is to keep typing for a living until we die. That doesn't strike us as overwhelmingly ambitious.) And, now, a few other points to clarify, using list form because it is quick, easily digestible and will probably annoy you:
1. We do not think you look like a frog.
2. We do not believe Deadspin treats sports with seriousness, because, honestly, we do not believe sports SHOULD be treated with seriousness. It is entertainment. Sure: There are times when it crosses over, becomes transcendent, touches our lives in a legitimate, lasting way. In a similar fashion, actually, to movies. But we don't think movies should be covered seriously either. The coverage of sports, we believe, had become so self-serious that it bore little resemblance to the way people actually consume sports. Is it worthy of note that Michael Oher overcame a difficult home life to become a big-time college football player? Sure. Does it affect our life more than whether Albert Pujols is coming off the disabled list soon so we can get him in our fantasy lineup? Not in the slightest. Is seeing a video of Shaq asking Kobe how his ass tastes more entertaining than a postgame Gregg Popovich press conference? Of course. (See? We interview people! Ourselves!) So much of sports coverage had become this cliched, soft-focus, triumph-over-adversity pablum that (some, not all) reporters used as grist for Sports Emmys and impressing each other in the press cafeteria. We don't think all sports fans consume sports the way (some, not all) journalists have covered them for years. Some do consume them that way. But some don't. We hope that Deadspin has given them a place to go. And we don't think that's being obsessively glib.
3. Ed Rendell almost makes me cheer for the Eagles. Almost.
4. We are far from certain that the goal of sports bloggers is to be "discovered;" that is going under the assumption that everyone is trying to be a member of some sportswriters club. We don't think such a club exists, and even if it did, that's not what we grasp the point of most of this is. Most people start blogs, sports or otherwise, because they have something to say and suspect there are others out there who share their thoughts. Some are horrible, obviously, and some are lazy, cruel, speedy, et al. But it's something that (mostly) is done out of passion, not out of some desire to get paid or "get a real job." The vast, vast majority of sports bloggers and sports blog readers HAVE real jobs; this is something they do as a hobby, or a side project, or just because they're bored. They think there is a viewpoint that is not being heard. Maybe they're the one to provide it. Maybe they're not. But so what? We don't see what could possibly be wrong with more voices. It's pretty easy to ignore the insignificant ones.
5. It's worth noting that we'd done plenty of "mainstream" work before Deadspin, and during Deadspin, and after Deadspin. This is why the notion of "mainstream" is so ridiculous. As far as we can tell, Deadspin isn't considered a "mainstream" sports outlet because (and get ready for some subsections to this endless list):
a: It's not under the umbrella of a larger media company. (Though, of course, it is, it's just not a media company that people associated with sports.)
b: It does not take press passes. (Other than the hot dog eating championships. We hope we were not corrupted.)
c: It does not aspire to interviews with coaches.
d: It has fewer editors who Have Been Doing This For Years.
e: It's online.
That seems pretty much it, doesn't it? We've written for the Times, and New York, and Fast Company, and The New Republic, and Playboy, and wherever, and not a single piece we've written for any of them (so far) has gotten nearly the traction of a well-put-together Deadspin post. We have "mainstream" places requesting links to their sites from Deadspin. If it's being read more than some of these places, and it's garnering more feedback, how is not mainstream? Or, more to the point: How could anyone POSSIBLY define mainstream? This was our problem with the Los Angeles Times piece; it acted as if sports bloggers were desperate to join a club that doesn't exist. In five years, no one will care whether the URL of a site says "blogspot.com" or "newsday.com." All that will count is that it's providing something useful to the reader. And yes: Journalism has an extremely high level of utility. There will always be a market for it. It just might be online. We don't see how this is going to damage journalism, or public discourse, or national morale, in any possible fashion.
OK, a few more questions for you, before the always-attention-deficited Deadspin commenters REALLY start considering this too long:
Do you wish you would have been a little bit more "prepared" for the Costas thing now? I think we're having a solid, (somewhat) informed discussion here, and it's a shame so fewer people will see it than the thing on HBO?
Do you think New York is making a mistake by hiring us?
Is it true that you and Costas had written a book together? We'd heard that.
When Braylon Edwards is asked about the appearance, what do you think he says?
Gawker still hasn't named our successor. Do you have any interest?
I am not sure how to proceed here. I have had my shot to answer your questions and now you have had your shot to respond, so I don't think responding to your responses is right or necessary. It does become beating a dead horse into the ground. I don't find your answers annoying. We just disagree on a lot of fundamental things. Obviously, the biggest is that sports should not be treated with seriousness. I think Friday Night Lights proves the point of just how serious sports is in our culture. I think the point you do make, that there are too many articles in the print media that are cliched melodramatic tearjearkers that we have read a million times before, is well-taken. I don't like bloggers in general, but too many sportswriters just never get up off their butts and truly delve into subjects. And what comes out is tired autopilot journalese. I also firmly believe that most bloggers, regardless of whether they do it part-time or not, are dying to be discovered like you were.
In answer to your questions:
1. The only regret I have about the HBO appearance was the way I treated you. Yes, I have subsequently seen a lot more sports blogs than I did before the show and I found some good ones. But the vast majority are not only sophomoric and excruciatingly boring but in general terribly written, going on ad infinitum. That isn't writing. That is just vomiting on the page, and when I write the first draft of something, that is exactly what I do. So I have a suggestion for bloggers - write whatever you want to, put it away for at least an hour, then cut whatever you wrote in half. It is basically what I do. I also have an editor who makes a tremendous difference. Even bloggers need editors. As for the fallout from the Costas appearance, the first two weeks were hell. But since then, many people have rallied to my defense.
2. New York did not make a mistake in hiring you. Our writing styles are vastly different, but there is a smoothness and sense of humor to your writing that is attractive, if still too somewhat glib, and your experience with New York may rid you of the glibness. I know [New York Editor-In-Chief] Adam Moss and he doesn't make mistakes in hiring.
3. Costas and I did work on a book together in the 1990s, but it was never published. The book was sold as an autobiography of Bob, but he just wasn't ready to do it. So the manuscript was rejected, and Bob instead wrote a book solely confined to baseball that I did not participate in. We are friends (as many people who appeared on the show are). We speak, and I told him during the course of one conversation that I hated blogs, probably because of the way I had been treated by various of them (not yours actually but Fire Joe Morgan, which I actually like, and Will Carroll). Of course I asked for it by saying in Three Nights that sabermetricians don't love the game of baseball. That set their hair on fire. So did a theory I posed (I emphasize theory) that young pitchers get hurt because they don't pitch enough in the minors. It was four paragraphs in a 7,000-word piece about Kerry Wood for Play, and Wood himself agreed with the theory. What they really hated was that one of my sources was Tony La Russa, whose performance over the past four years, including this one, makes Billy Beane look like a Little League GM. Bob, by the way, was much more reasoned about blogs than I was, because he is more reasoned.
4. I think Braylon Edwards is still in shock. Clearly the happiest men in America are Bill Simmons and Joe Posnanski, who had the sense not to appear.
And no, I have no interest in being your successor, although it's always flattering to be asked, which of course I haven't.
Well, OK, that was fun. Kind of.
That's fine. I truly do think you can thrive at New York. It's a great mag and Adam is a genius. Don't lose your voice because it is distinctive. Just let it grow a little bit.
Yeah, thanks.


text:
Read an amazing account of incredible sacrifice during World War 2 involving simple towns people.
Around this time each year, Memorial Day, I am reminded of a story that I once heard. Though the exactness of it I cannot confirm, I am assured its basis is quite factual, and its message definitely deserves to be retold.
The story is of a man, Andrew, who was known all his life for selfless sacrifice and good works. He always stood in defense of the defenseless, and toiled without tiring, standing up for the downtrodden and underprivileged. As he grew old, and people tried to honor him for his well-lived life of service, he was reluctant to accept the praise and attention that his community desired to heap upon him. It was then, for the first time, that he told a story that had burned deep in his heart and was hard for him to relate.
Andrew was a young man, thirteen years old and living in Austria, when the Germans invaded. The Austrians, brave and proud, decided to fight back. In the town where Andrew lived, the men and teenage boys organized and destroyed a power plant that the Germans relied on to continue their war effort. The men and boys all knew this would cause great hardship on themselves as well, for they also relied on the power from the plant. But the thing they had not counted on was the swift and severe retribution that would come from the Nazi invaders.
The next morning, before the sun was even up, trucks rolled into town. Soon, the sound of marching soldiers was heard in the streets. The men and boys of the town, twelve years old and older, were ordered to the town square. Andrew found himself standing in a line with the other men and boys, still trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes.
The commanding officer berated them, and told them they were fools to think they could stand against the might of the German army. He told them they were nothing, and their minuscule efforts would not slow down the German war effort, but it would hurt them because a price was going to be paid for their rebellion. He then said that every 20th man in the line would be shot.
As each 20th man was pulled from the line and marched away, Andrew looked down the line and started counting. With horror, he realized that he stood in a 20th position. He trembled with fear as the soldiers moved closer and closer to him, and the shots started to ring out at the edge of town where the unfortunate men were being taken.
As the Germans continued to move down the line, Andrew could see others counting and their eyes turning to him with a look of pity and concern. Andrew found himself wanting to flee, but too frightened to move. Even if he tried to run, the soldiers on the trucks, with the mounted machine guns, would cut him down before he could get ten yards.
But then, in the instant that the last man before Andrew was pulled from the line, the Germans turned their eyes away, and Andrew felt a hand on his shoulder. The hand tightened quickly, and before he knew what had happened, he was jerked forcibly over one spot, and the old man who had been standing next to him moved swiftly to switch positions.
Andrew looked up at the silver haired man and the man smiled. Just before he was taken from the line and led away, the old man spoke quietly to Andrew. "Your life is no longer just your own. Live it for both of us."
Andrew watched silently as the old man disappeared from view toward the edge of the village. His heart jumped as the shots sounded, shots that Andrew knew should have been his own. In that instant, tears flowing down his face, he determined he would indeed live his life for both of them. From that day he had tried to live so that the unknown old man would have felt his sacrifice was well repaid.
Each time I consider the flags flying by the many graves in the cemetery, thinking back on Andrew's story, I realized that no one's life belongs just to them. Each of us owes a debt to many who have paid prices through hardship, hard work, and even the sacrifice of their lives, from which we have benefited.
With the wind gently whipping the flags in the breeze, I, too, renewed my own dedication in how I live my life.
(Daris Howard, award-winning, syndicated columnist, playwright, and author, can be contacted at email@example.com; or visit his website at http://www.darishoward.com)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ingredients: GREEN TEA, GENMAICHA.
Storage & Care:
- Avoid excessive heat or moisture.
- Avoid constant exposure to light.
- Expiration date as marked on the package.
Shelf Life: 2 years
Country of Origin: Taiwan
Using Tea Espresso Machine
-Put 9 g of tea leaves for each making.
-Water temperature is 95° C.
-Each making yields the tea extract to make a 16 oz drink.


text: Back Understanding Domestic Abuse Through domestic violence, an abuser establishes power and control over another person. Such behavior occurs when the abuser feels entitled to control his or her victim. Although the most common form of abuse is males abusing female partners, females can abuse male partners, and abuse also takes place in same-sex relationships. Acts of such violence generally fall into one or more of the following categories: Physical battering. Hitting, slapping, shoving, kicking, pushing, choking, or being held or tied down are examples of physical battering. Sexual abuse. Physical attack by the abuser is often accompanied by, or culminates in, sexual violence, with the victim forced to have sexual intercourse with the abuser or to take part in unwanted sexual activity. Sexual abuse also includes sexual activity with a person who isn't fully conscious, hasn't given consent or said no, or is afraid to say no. Psychological battering. The abuser's psychological or mental violence can include constant verbal abuse; harassment; excessive possessiveness, such as monitoring the victim's activities; isolating the victim from friends and family, deprivation of physical and economic resources; humiliation, yelling, blaming, making someone feel inferior; and destruction of personal property. The abuser may also threaten to abandon the victim or threaten to harm or take the children. Domestic abuse often begins with behaviors such as threats, name calling, violence in the victim's presence (such as punching a fist through a wall), and/or damage to objects or pets. It may escalate to restraining, pushing, slapping and/or pinching—and, ultimately, punching, kicking, and sexual assault. It may even become life-threatening, with serious behaviors such as choking, breaking bones, or using a weapon. Abuse checklist Study the following questions. Think about how you're being treated and how you feel. Remember, it's abuse when one person scares, hurts, or continually puts down the other person. Does your partner: Embarrass or make fun of you in front of your friends or family? Threaten you with abuse or a weapon? Make you feel like you can't make decisions? Use intimidation or threats to gain compliance? Hurt your pets, destroy something important to you, or objects in your home? Tell you that you're nothing without him or her? Treat you roughly—grab, push, pinch, shove, or hit you? Call you several times a night or show up to make sure you're where you said you'd be? Interfere with you getting or keeping a job or going to school? Not allow you to have money when you need it? Use drugs or alcohol as an excuse for saying hurtful things or physically abusing you? Blame you for how he or she feels or acts? Pressure you sexually for things you aren't ready to do? Make you feel like there's no way out of the relationship? Prevent you from doing things you want, such as spending time with your friends or family? Try to keep you from leaving after a fight or leave you somewhere after a fight to teach you a lesson? If any of these are happening in your relationship, seek help immediately. You can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline for information and assistance at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) 24/7.If your life is in danger, call the police, 911, or your local emergency number.


text:
(Ars Technica) -- Misdemeanor charges have been filed against the two men responsible for shopping around a lost iPhone 4 prototype to various websites before the iPhone 4 was officially unveiled, though no one from Gizmodo -- the site that eventually bought the prototype -- will be charged.
The San Mateo County, California District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday its decision on who to charge, noting in its brief press release that 22-year-old Brian Hogan -- the one who allegedly found the device in a Silicon Valley bar -- and his 28-year-old friend Sage Wallower had both been charged with misappropriation of lost property. (Wallower was also charged with possession of stolen property.)
"After consideration of the evidence, it was determined that no charges would be filed against employees of Gizmodo," the DA wrote in its statement.
Gizmodo dropped a bomb on the Apple-watching tech world in the spring of 2010 when the site revealed that it came into possession of an iPhone prototype allegedly lost in a bar in Redwood City, California.
You likely remember how the story went: a person who was later identified as Brian Hogan said an Apple engineer was using the phone and then accidentally left it at the bar; Hogan ended up taking the phone home and showing it to his friend, Wallower, who then supposedly suggested the two sell the rights to the photos -- and eventually sell the device itself -- to various tech sites.
The device and its photos were shopped around to a number of different publications, Ars Technica included, but Gizmodo ended up purchasing the prototype for its own exclusive coverage ahead of Apple's announcement of the iPhone 4 in June.
Gizmodo eventually gave the iPhone prototype back to Apple, but only after an e-mail back-and-forth with Steve Jobs and a letter from Apple legal demanding that it be returned. That's about when the controversy erupted: Gizmodo editor Jason Chen's apartment was raided and debate exploded online over who, if anyone, should be charged for passing around Apple's leaked property.
That brings us to Wednesday. The San Mateo County DA feels that Gizmodo didn't act illegally in the scandal but that Hogan and Wallower did. Gawker media, Gizmodo's parent company, was unsurprisingly happy with the decision.
"We are pleased that the District Attorney of San Mateo County, Steven Wagstaffe, has decided, upon review of all of the evidence, that no crime was committed by the Gizmodo team in relation to its reporting on the iPhone 4 prototype last year," Gawker said in a statement.
"While we have always believed that we were acting fully within the law, it has inevitably been stressful for the editor concerned, Jason Chen, and we are glad that we can finally put this matter behind us."


text:
1. Application of Terms
1.1 These terms and conditions and schedules thereto, set out below govern the relationship between you (the 'Subscriber') and Digi-Sign Limited ('Digi-Sign').
2. Definitions and Interpretations
2.1 In this Agreement, unless the context requires otherwise, the following terms and expressions shall have the following meanings:
'Business Day' means Monday to Friday inclusive excluding any days on which the banks in Dublin are closed for business (other than for trading in Euros);
'Certificate Period' means the time period during which a Digital Certificate remains valid and may be used as set out in the Schedule;
'Charges' means the charges for the Subscriber Services as set out in Schedule 1 of this Agreement;
'Commencement Date' means the date when Digi-Sign receives the Subscriber's request for Subscriber Services set out in the Enrolment Form and sent to Digi-Sign via the online registration process;
'CP' means the Digi-Sign Certificate Policy [CP], a document setting out the policies under which Digi-Sign issues the Subscriber Services, as may be amended from time to time;
'CPS' means the Digi-Sign Certificate Practice Statement [CPS], a document setting out the working practices that Digi-Sign employs for the Subscriber Services and which defines the underlying certificate processes and Repository operations, as may be amended from time to time;
'Digi-Sign Group Company' means a Digi-Sign subsidiary or holding company, or a subsidiary of that holding company;
'Confidential Information' means all information obtained as a result of the parties entering into this agreement which relates to the provisions and subject matter of this Agreement (including but not limited to all Private Keys, personal identification numbers and passwords) and the business, systems or affairs of the other party and which is marked or designated in writing by the other party as being confidential.
'CRL' means a certificate revocation list that contains details of Digital Signatures that have been revoked by
'Digital Certificate' means a digitally signed electronic data file (conforming to the X.509 version 3 ITU standard) issued by Digi-Sign in order to identify a person or entity seeking to conduct business over a communications network using a Digital Signature and which contains the identity of the person authorised to use the Digital Signature and a copy of their Public Key, a serial number, a time period during which the Digital Certificate may be used and a Digital Signature issued by Digi-Sign;
'Digital Signature' means an encrypted electronic data file which is attached to or logically associated with other electronic data and which identifies and is uniquely linked to the signatory of the electronic data, is created using the signatory's Private Key and is linked in a way so as to make any subsequent changes to the electronic data detectable;
'Domain Name' means a name registered with an Internet registration authority for use as part of a Subscriber's URL;
'Enrolment Form' means an electronic form on Digi-Sign's website completed by the Subscriber by providing the Subscriber Data and which identifies the requirements for the Subscription Service;
'Force Majeure Event' means, in relation to any party any circumstances beyond the reasonable control of that party including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing any natural disaster, act or regulation of any governmental or supra-national authority, lack or shortage of materials supplied by a third party (other than where such circumstances arise due to lack of reasonable planning), war or natural emergency, accident, epidemic, fire or riot;
'Insolvency Event' means, in respect of any company that is party to this Agreement, that such company has ceased to trade, been dissolved, suspended payment of its debts or is unable to meet its debts as they fall due, has become insolvent or gone into liquidation (unless such liquidation is for the purposes of a solvent reconstruction or amalgamation), entered into administration, administrative receivership, receivership, a voluntary arrangement, a scheme of arrangement with creditors or taken any steps for its winding-up.
'Internet' means the global data communications network comprising interconnected networks using the TCP/IP standard;
'Issue Date' means the date of issue of a Digital Certificate to the Subscriber;
'Private Key' means a confidential encrypted electronic data file designed to interface with a Public Key using the same encryption algorithm and which may be used to create Digital Signatures, and decrypt files or messages which have been encrypted with a Public Key;
'Public Key' means a publicly available encrypted electronic data file designed to interface with a Private Key using the same encryption algorithm and which may be used to verify Digital Signatures and encrypt files or messages;
'Repository' means a publicly available collection of databases for storing and retrieving Digital Certificates, CRL's and other information relating to Digital Certificates and which may be accessed via Digi-Sign's website;
'Schedule' means the schedule attached to this Agreement;
'Scope of Use' shall have the meaning, if any, set out in Schedule 1 to this Agreement;
'Site' means a place at which Digi-Sign agrees to provide the Subscription Service;
'Selected Subscriber Data' means all of the Subscriber Data set out in the Schedule to this Agreement marked with the initials 'SSD'
'Software' means any software provided by Digi-Sign to enable the Subscriber to access or use the Subscription Service;
'Subscriber' means the individual or body corporate named on the Enrolment Form during the online registration process and anyone that acts or purports to act with that person's authority or permission;
'Subscriber Data' means information about the Subscriber required by Digi-Sign to provide the Subscription Services, including without limitation, the information set out in the Schedule to this Agreement (which may or may not contain personal data for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998) which must be provided by the Subscriber on the Enrolment Form during the online registration process;
'Subscription Service' means the Digital Certificate subscription services and any solutions (including Digital Certificates, Public Keys and Private Keys) described in the Schedule to this Agreement;
'Third Party Data' means data, information or any other materials (in whatever form) not owned or generated by or on behalf of the Subscriber;
'URL' means a uniform resource locator setting out the address of a webpage or other file on the Internet.
2.2 Subject to Clause 16, references to 'indemnifying' any person against any circumstance include indemnifying and keeping him harmless from all actions, claims and proceedings from time to time made against him and all loss, damage, payments, cost or expenses suffered made or incurred by him as a consequence of that circumstance;
2.3 The schedule to this Agreement forms part of this Agreement and shall have the same force and effect as if expressly set out in the body of this Agreement, and any reference to this Agreement shall include the schedule. To the extent that there is an inconsistency between the terms of the body of this Agreement and its schedule, the terms of the body of this Agreement shall prevail.
3. Provision of Digital Certificate Subscription Services
3.1 Provided that Digi-Sign is able to validate, to its satisfaction, the Subscriber Data, Digi-Sign shall accept a Subscriber's application for the Subscription Service (as such application is set out in the Enrolment Form) and shall provide the Subscriber with the Subscription Service set out in the Schedule in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Schedule, save that Digi-Sign reserves the right to refuse a Subscriber's application for the Subscription Service by notifying the Subscriber as soon as reasonably possible.
3.2 Subscriber shall, in consideration for the provision of the Subscription Service and the licences granted under this Agreement, pay to Digi-Sign the Charges set out in the Schedule in accordance with clause 6 of this Agreement.
4. Use of the Subscription Service
4.1 The Subscription Service is provided by Digi-Sign for the Subscriber's own use and the Subscriber hereby agrees not to resell or attempt to resell (or provide in any form whether for consideration or not) the Subscription Service (or any part of it) to any third party and shall not allow any third party to use the Subscription Service without the written consent of Digi-Sign.
4.2 The Subscriber shall:
4.2.1 Use or access the Subscription Service only in conjunction with the Software or other software that may be provided by Digi-Sign from time to time or specified by Digi-Sign to be appropriate for use in conjunction with the Subscription Service.
4.2.2 be responsible, at its own expense, for access to the Internet and all other communications networks (if any) required in order to use the Subscription Service and for the provision of all computer and telecommunications equipment and software required to use the Subscription Service save where the same is not expressly provided under the terms of this Agreement;
4.2.3 obtain and keep in force any authorisation, permission or licence necessary for the Subscriber to use the Subscription Service save where Digi-Sign expressly agrees to obtain the same under the terms of this Agreement;
4.2.4 remain responsible for the generation of any Subscriber's Private Key and shall take all reasonable precautions to prevent any violation of, loss of control over, or unauthorised disclosure of confidential information relating to the Subscription Service; and
4.2.5 shall be solely responsible for any transactions of any kind entered into between the Subscriber and any third party using or acting in reliance on the Subscription Service and acknowledges that Digi-Sign shall not be a party to, or be responsible in any way for, any such transaction.
4.3 The Subscriber shall not use the Subscription Service to transmit (either by sending by email or uploading using any format of communications protocol), receive (either by soliciting an email or downloading using any format of communications protocol), view or in any other way use any information which may be illegal, offensive, abusive, contrary to public morality, indecent, defamatory, obscene or menacing, or which is in breach of confidence, copyright or other intellectual property rights of any third party, cause distress, annoyance, denial of any service, disruption or inconvenience, send or provide advertising or promotional material or other form of unsolicited bulk correspondence or create a Private key which is identical or substantially similar to any Public Key.
5. Licence of Digital Certificate Technology
5.1 Digi-Sign grants the Subscriber a revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferrable personal licence to use any Digital Certificates provided in accordance with the Subscription Service, any Digital Signature generated using the Subscriber's Public Key and Private Key and any manuals or other documents relating to the above insofar as is necessary for the Subscriber to utilise the Subscription Services.
5.2 The Subscriber shall not copy or decompile (except where such decompilation is permitted by Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society) enhance, adapt or modify or attempt to do the same to the Digital Certificates, Public Keys and Private Keys, or any Digital Signature generated using any Public Key or Private Key; or any documents or manuals relating to the same without Digi-Sign's prior written consent.
6. Charges and Payment Terms
6.1 The Charges shall be due to be paid by the Subscriber on or before the Issue Date.
6.2 Digi-Sign shall refund the Charges (including any Value Added Tax or any other appropriate sales, use tax or equivalent charge) paid to it by the Subscriber if within 20 Business Days of the Issue Date, the Subscriber has not used the Subscription Service and has, within this period, made a written request to Digi-Sign for revocation of the Digital Certificate issued to it or Digi-Sign revokes the Digital Certificate pursuant to Clause 7.3.
7. Security
7.1 The Subscriber shall take all reasonable measures to ensure the security and proper use of all personal identification numbers, Private Keys and passwords used in connection with the Subscription Service. The Subscriber shall also immediately inform Digi-Sign if there is any reason to believe that a personal identification number, Private Key or password has or is likely to become known to someone not authorised to use it, or is being, or is likely to be used in an unauthorised way, or if any of the Subscriber Data provided by the Subscriber using the on-line registration process or subsequently notified to Digi-Sign ceases to remain valid or correct or otherwise changes.
7.2 The Subscriber shall have sole responsibility for all statements, acts and omissions which are made under any password provided by it to Digi-Sign.
7.3 Digi-Sign reserves the right to revoke a Subscriber's Digital Certificate in the event that Digi-Sign has reasonable grounds to believe that:
7.3.1 a personal identification number, Private Key or password has, or is likely to become known to someone not authorised to use it, or is being or is likely to be used in an unauthorised way;
7.3.2 a Subscriber's Digital Certificate has not been issued in accordance with the policies set out in the Digi-Sign CPS;
7.3.3 the Subscriber has requested that its Digital Certificate be revoked;
7.3.4 there has been, there is, or there is likely to be a violation of, loss of control over, or unauthorised disclosure of Confidential Information relating to the Subscription Service; or
7.3.5 the Subscriber Data is no longer correct or accurate, save that Digi-Sign has no obligation to monitor or investigate the accuracy of information in a Digital Certificate after the Issue Date of that Digital Certificate; or
7.3.6 the Subscriber has used the Subscription Service with third party software not authorised by Digi-Sign for use with the Subscription Service.
and Digi-Sign may, in its absolute discretion after revocation of a Digital Certificate, reissue a Digital Certificate to the Subscriber or terminate this Agreement in accordance with the provisions of Clause 15.
7.4 The Subscriber agrees to discontinue all use of the Subscriber's Digital Certificate if the Subscriber's Digital Certificate is revoked in accordance with this Agreement, the Certificate Period expires, this Agreement is terminated, or any of the information constituting the Subscriber Data ceases to remain valid or correct or otherwise changes.
8. Confidentiality
8.1 Neither party shall use any Confidential Information other than for the purpose of performing its obligations under this Agreement save where Confidential Information is required for the provision of the Subscription Service.
8.2 Each party shall procure that any person to whom Confidential Information is disclosed by it complies with the restrictions set out in this clause 8 as if such person were a party to this Agreement.
8.3 Notwithstanding the previous provisions of this clause 8 either party may disclose Confidential Information if and to the extent required by law, for the purpose of any judicial proceedings or any securities exchange or regulatory or governmental body to which that party is subject, wherever situated, including (amongst other bodies) the Dublin Stock Exchange Limited or the Panel on Take-overs and Mergers, whether or not the requirement for information has the force of law, and if and to the extent the information has come into the public domain through no fault of that party.
8.4 The restrictions contained in this clause 8 shall continue to apply to each party for the duration of this Agreement and for the period of 5 years following the termination of this Agreement.
9. Subscriber Data
9.1 The Subscriber acknowledges that in order to provide the Subscription Service the Selected Subscriber Data shall be embedded in the Subscriber's Digital Certificates and the Subscriber hereby consents to the disclosure to third parties of such Selected Subscriber Data held therein.
9.2 The Subscriber hereby grants Digi-Sign permission to examine, evaluate, process and in some circumstances transmit to third parties located outside the European Union the Subscriber Data insofar as is reasonably necessary for Digi-Sign to provide the Subscription Service.
9.3 Digi-Sign shall in performing its obligations under this Agreement, comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 and any legislation or guidelines which amends or replaces such legislation and shall take appropriate technical and organisational measures against the unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against actual loss or destruction of or damage to such data.
10. Intellectual Property Rights
10.1 Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the parties agree that Digital Certificates, Digi-Sign Public Keys, and
Digi-Sign Private Keys are the property of Digi-Sign and the Subscribers Private Keys are the property of the Subscriber.
10.2 The Subscriber agrees not to use the Digi-Sign name, brand, get-up or logo in any way except with Digi-Sign's prior written consent.
11. Digi-Sign Obligations
11.1 Digi-Sign agrees to:
11.1.1 provide the Subscription Service with the reasonable skill and care of a competent provider of similar Digital Certificate services save that Digi-Sign does not undertake to provide a fault free service;
11.1.2 investigate and verify prior to the Issue Date the accuracy of the information to be incorporated in the Digital Certificate in accordance with the procedures set out in the Schedule to this Agreement ;
11.1.3 use its reasonable endeavours to provide the Subscription Service by the date agreed in writing with the Subscriber but that Digi-Sign is under no obligation to meet any agreed date and has no liability to the Subscriber for failure to provide the Subscription Service (or any part thereof) by such date; and
11.1.4 maintain a copy in the Repository and details in the CRL of each Digital Certificate which has been revoked or has expired for a reasonable period after the Digital Certificate's revocation or expiry.
12. Subscriber Warranties, Representations and Indemnities
12.1 The Subscriber warrants, represents and undertakes that:
12.1.1 all Subscriber Data is, and any other documents or information provided by the Subscriber are, and will remain accurate and will not include any information or material (or any part thereof), the accessing or use of which would be unlawful, contrary to public interest or otherwise likely to damage the business or reputation of Digi-Sign in any way;
12.1.2 it has and will comply with all consumer and other legislation, instructions or guidelines issued by regulatory authorities, relevant licences and any other codes of practice which apply to the Subscriber or Digi-Sign (such codes of practice to be notified to the Subscriber by Digi-Sign in advance) and that the Subscriber has obtained all licences and consents necessary for performing its obligations to extend full co-operation at all times to third parties working from time to time with Digi-Sign; and
12.1.3 it has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to perform all of its obligations under this Agreement.
12.2 Subscriber shall promptly disclose in writing to Digi-Sign anything which constitutes a breach of, or is inconsistent with any of the warranties and undertakings in Clause 12.1.
12.3 The Subscriber shall indemnify Digi-Sign against any claims or legal proceedings which are brought or threatened against Digi-Sign by any third party as a result of the Subscriber's breach of the provisions of this Agreement.
Digi-Sign will notify the Subscriber of any such claims or proceedings and keep the Subscriber informed as to the progress of such claims or proceedings.
12.4 The Subscriber agrees not to make any representations regarding the Subscription Services to any third party except as agreed in writing by Digi-Sign.
13. Exclusion of Warranties
Save as expressly provided under this Agreement all other warranties either expressed or implied are hereby excluded to the fullest extent permissible by law.
14. Term and Termination
14.1 This Agreement shall commence on the Commencement Date and shall continue for the Certificate Period unless terminated earlier in accordance with this Clause 14.
14.2 Either party may terminate this Agreement for convenience by providing to the other 20 Business Day's written notice.
14.3 This Agreement may be terminated forthwith or on the date specified in the notice:
14.3.1 by either party if the other commits any material breach of any term of this Agreement and which (in the case of a breach capable of being remedied) shall not have been remedied within 20 Business Days of a written request by the other party to remedy the same or by either party, if in respect of the other party, an Insolvency Event occurs or that other party ceases to carry on its business;
14.3.2 by Digi-Sign in the event a Digital Certificate is revoked in accordance with the provisions of Clause 7.3 or if Digi-Sign is unable to validate, to its satisfaction, all or part of the Subscriber Data.
15. Consequences of Termination
15.1 If this Agreement is terminated by Digi-Sign under Clause 14 for any reason or under Clause 17.3 Digi-Sign may (in the event that a Subscriber's Digital Certificate has not already been revoked) revoke the Subscriber's Digital Certificate without further notice to the Subscriber and the Subscriber shall pay any Charges payable but not yet paid under this Agreement.
16. Limitation of Liability
16.1 Nothing in this Agreement shall exclude or limit the liability of either party for death or personal injury resulting from the negligence of that party or its directors, officers, employees, contractors or agents, or in respect of fraud or of any statements made fraudulently by either party;
16.2 Subject to clause 16.1 Digi-Sign shall not be liable to the Subscriber whether in contract (including under any indemnity or warranty), in tort (including negligence), under statute or otherwise for any loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of anticipated savings, loss or corruption of data, loss of contract or opportunity or loss of goodwill whether that loss is direct, indirect or consequential and if Digi-Sign shall be liable to the Subscriber in contract (including under any indemnity or warranty), in tort (including negligence), under statute or otherwise, Digi-Sign's maximum liability to the Subscriber shall be limited to the Charges paid by the Subscriber under this Agreement or €10,000, whichever is the greater.
16.3 Digi-Sign shall not be liable to the Subscriber for any loss suffered by the Subscriber due to use of the Digital Certificate outside the Scope of Use or for transactions outside the Maximum Transaction Value.
16.4 Without prejudice to Subscriber's rights to terminate this Agreement, Subscriber's sole remedy at law, in equity or otherwise in respect of any claim against Digi-Sign shall be limited to damages.
17. Force Majeure
17.1 Neither party hereto shall be liable for any breach of its obligations hereunder resulting from a Force Majeure Event.
17.2 Each of the parties hereto agrees to give written notice forthwith to the other upon becoming aware of a Force Majeure Event such notice to contain details of the circumstances giving rise to the Force Majeure Event and its anticipated duration. If such duration is more than 20 days then the party not in default shall be entitled to terminate this agreement, with neither party having any liability to the other in respect of such termination.
17.3 The party asserting a Force Majeure Event shall not be excused performance of its obligations unaffected by such a Force Majeure Event and shall endeavour to seek an alternative way of fulfilling its affected obligations without any materially adverse affect on the other party.
18. Waiver
The waiver by either party of a breach or default of any of the provisions of this Agreement by the other party shall not be construed as a waiver of any succeeding breach of the same or other provisions nor shall any delay or omission on the part of either party to exercise or avail itself of any right power or privilege that it has or may have hereunder operate as a waiver of any breach or default by the other party.
19. Notices
19.1 Notices shall be in writing, and shall be sent to the other party marked for the attention of the person either at the address set out in 19.2 below in the case of Digi-Sign, or the address of the Subscriber as set out on the Enrolment Form. Notices may be sent be first-class mail or facsimile transmission provided that facsimile transmissions are confirmed within 12 hours by first-class mailed confirmation of a copy. Correctly addressed notices sent by first-class mail shall be deemed to have been delivered 48 hours after posting and correctly directed facsimile transmissions shall be deemed to have been received 12 hours after dispatch.
19.2 The address for Digi-Sign Limited is Sidthorpe Lane, Dublin 4, Ireland, Tel: +353 (1) 685-3687, Fax: +353 (1) 685-3688 to be marked for the attention of The Digital Certificate Subscriber Agreement Administrator.
20. Invalidity and Severability
If any provision of this Agreement (not being of a fundamental nature to its operation) is judged to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the continuation in full force and effect of the remainder of the provisions will not be prejudiced.
21. Entire Agreement
21.1 This Agreement and Schedules and all documents referred to herein contain the entire and exclusive agreement and understanding between the parties on the subject matter contained herein and supersedes all prior agreements, understandings and arrangements relating thereto. No representation, undertaking or promise shall be taken to have been given or implied from anything said or written in negotiations between the parties prior to this Agreement except as may be expressly stated in this Agreement.
21.2 Without prejudice to any liability for fraudulent misrepresentation, no party shall be under any liability or shall have any remedy in respect of misrepresentation or untrue statement unless and to the extent that a claim lies for breach of this Agreement.
22. Assignment
Neither party may assign or transfer or purport to assign or transfer a right or obligation under this Agreement without first obtaining the other party's written consent.
23. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
This Agreement and all matters arising from or connected with it, are governed by and shall be construed in accordance with Irish law and the parties hereby submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish courts.
24. Rights of Third Parties
For the avoidance of doubt no third party shall be entitled (for the purposes of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999) to any rights under this Agreement which it may enter against Digi-Sign.
Schedule 1 Client Certificate
1. Definitions used in this Schedule
'Client Certificate' means the Digital Certificate produced pursuant to the service described in this Schedule;
2. The Subscription Service
2.1 Digi-Sign shall provide the Subscriber with a Client Certificate which will enable the Subscriber to encrypt and add a Digital Signature to an email sent by the Subscriber; gain access to a pre-configured network, internet or extranet; and/or authenticate a user to a Virtual Private Network [VPN].
2.2 The Subscriber's web browser will automatically generate a Private Key/Public Key pair during the signing up process. A PKCS #10 Digital Certificate request containing the Public Key shall be submitted to Digi-Sign during the online sign up process.
3. Scope of Use
3.1 The Subscriber shall only use the Client Certificate in conjunction with S/MIME compliant software for the purposes of encrypting an email or adding a digital signature to an email which the Subscriber wishes to send to a third party.
3.2 The Subscriber shall only use the Client Certificate with Digi-Sign software, or Digi-Sign approved software.
3.3 The total value of any transaction entered into by the Subscriber whilst using the Free Secure Email Certificate shall not exceed £0.01.
4. Charges
4.1 The Charges for the Subscription Service are defined on the official website and during the on-line registration.
4.2 The Charges set out at paragraph 4.1 above are exclusive of Value Added Tax or any other appropriate sales, use tax or equivalent charge applicable in any country where the Subscription Services is provided. Such applicable tax shall be notified to the Subscriber by Digi-Sign and shall be payable by the Subscriber.
5. Certificate Period
The Certificate Period shall commence on the Issue Date and shall continue for 365 days or until revocation of the Digital Certificate by Digi-Sign in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, whichever is earlier.
6. Subscriber Data
The Subscriber shall provide the following Subscriber Data: Full name (SSD), Email address (SSD), Subscriber Public Key (SSD), Challenge password
Items marked as SSD will either be embedded into the Subscriber's Client Certificate.
This Certificate Subscriber Agreement was last updated on 28 April, 2008.


text:
Mining the Future
A few blocks from patrons munching St. Honoré pastries near the tree-lined calm of upper NW 23rd Avenue, Esco vice president of engineering John Dillon watches an arc furnace heat nine tons of steel to 3,000 degrees. As one worker checks the steel's temperature with a long thermometer, another cranks a wheel that tips the whole furnace over a gigantic bucket. White-hot metal pours out, as fluid as water.
"I never get tired of seeing that," says Dillon, 59, as a crane hoists the giant bucket of white-hot steel. "There's a reason I've been here 33 years. I have a cool job."
As head of Esco's 80-employee engineering division, Dillon is key to one of Portland's most undersung industrial dynamos. Esco, founded in 1913, makes "wear" parts for big mining tools—the replaceable components that attach to diggers, drills, and scoops, all designed to munch through rock. According to Dillon, some of Esco's steel parts last weeks or months. Others must be replaced after just hours.
"It's a razor/razorblade thing," says the Eastern Washington native. "You want to have the razor, of course. But you're really interested in selling the blade."
Esco has had just seven CEOs in 100 years. "There's a big family element," Dillon says.
Esco sells a lot of razor blades. The company's worldwide headquarters in Portland pours and ships more than 130,000 pieces of gear every month, with more than $1 billion in annual revenue. (Esco has been in the preliminary stages of going public since 2011.) A metallurgist by training, Dillon designs equipment crucial to some of the world's most complex (and sometimes controversial) projects. The company builds parts for dozers and excavators working the Canadian oil sands and recently produced room-sized cutters to gouge out an expansion of the Panama Canal.
Dillon's team designs machines with esoteric names: Posilok Plus, SV2, Ultralok. But their success has real implications on the street. In a world in which the iPhone in your pocket can exist only because of complex mining operations, even the smallest efficiencies can mean huge profits for Esco's clients. Earlier this year, Dillon and his crew received a prestigious Mining Magazine award for the Nemisys system, a steel lip that attaches to bulldozer buckets, allowing for quicker and safer mining.
"We don't have Intel's cachet," says Dillon, "but our engineers face real challenges."


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Whole Grain Vegan Baking: Blog Tour/Review and Giveaway!
The giveaway is over, congratulations Tofu Cat!
Are you ready to bake up some whole grains like a mug*?
I have a feeling that Whole Grain Vegan Baking is the kind of book that people will be afraid to pick up, and needlessly so! I found this book easy to use, despite having only a half stocked kitchen. I went to make my first recipe and realized I didn't have any dry measuring cups, for pete's sake. I also don't currently own any pretty plates or linens so you'll have to excuse my washcloth-chic food styling. So! Let's address some fears you might have:
It's expensive/inaccessible: It doesn't have to be! Please check out the post I made a few days ago about how people from small towns can easily get what they need. Internet shopping is a gift from Al Gore, and there's no reason you shouldn't use it. If you happen to live in a place with a health food store, you can hit up their bulk bins and get a lot of the flours, or if you're lucky, all of them. Bulk bins are cheaper and you can get the exact amount you need. And while WGVB does use a few items that are pricey, Celine and Tami made a conscious effort to use more affordable ingredients. Overall, of course while grain flours and natural sweeteners are going to cost more than white flour and sugar, but I guarantee that there is something in here for every budget and lifestyle.
Also, someone noted that there seems to be a lot of vegan yogurt in this book, obviously ordering yogurt off of the internet requires purchasing a cold pack and isn't something most people are willing to do. You can substitute any yogurt in the book with blended silken tofu. Or if all you can get is a fruity yogurt, say the gross new Silk soy ones, you can diligently pick the fruit out and adjust the sweetener a little bit. And maybe your finished product will come out blueberry tinted, but whatever.
I have to buy a million flours and i'll never use them all: Hey, you don't need to buy anything you don't want to! I didn't make a count, but it seems to me like barley, spelt, wheat/whole wheat pastry flour, and oat are the most commonly used. What I did was mark up a bunch of recipes to try, then I went through and wrote down the common flours/sweeteners in them. I just checked the index and each flour used has a section, and the only flour I got that doesn't have multiple uses is graham flour. Also, Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills come in much smaller bags than standard flours, so you'll use them up much faster than a standard sized bag of wheat flour. If you have the room, you can store extra flours in your fridge or freezer, in an airtight container.
It's boring: Absolutely not. Celine and Tami aren't the kind of people who will put out a book of plain loaves and bran muffins. The basic recipes are there, but they are far outweighed by things like Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies (the surprise is Sriracha) and Baked Speculoos Donuts. If you think you've got whole grain baking figured out because you know how to swap whole wheat for white flour, you are in for a punch to the gut of your tastebuds.
It's too healthy tasting/god damned hippie crap: Everything I made has passed The Brian Test, and he kept saying that he couldn't tell that they were supposed to be healthier alternatives. The last thing I made were the Savory Barley and Potato Scones (I made the suggested walnut swap for the raisins), and I warned him that they were totally savory and the most 'whole grain' tasting thing I had made, and he still liked them. Using such a wide variety of flours, and combining them, helps the recipes avoid that dry, crunchy, sadness you might expect.
I hate oil/soy/gluten/nuts/joy: Okay, ya'll are going to be disappointed with this book if you are expecting this book to be free of anything besides refined flours and sugars, and soy (which is an easy swap for milks and yogurt). I don't think any of my xgfx friends will be shocked to hear that this book isn't for them, since it's a baking book that isn't specifically gluten free. But if you are feeling adventurous and want to try and de-gluten some of the recipes, here's a good guide to gluten-free flour swaps and when to use them.
And as always, Fair Winds puts out some of the most attractive vegan cookbooks ever. The design of the book is beautiful, as are Celine's photos. I would guess about 1/3rd of the recipes have an accompanying photo. I found the book very easy to use and despite the fact that I had to improvise a lot based on my kitchen equipment (seriously, how did I forget measuring cups?!), I got great results with everything I made.
Pictures! Followed by words about the pictures!
Wholesome Vanilla Pound Cake, I ate most of this straight up with a glass of almond milk, but I spread these pieces with Peanut Butter & Co. White Chocolate Wonderful and cherry fruit spread. Definitely one of the easier recipes in the book, if you're looking for the shallow end to dip your toes into.
Double Cranberry Scones, I had to use raspberries in lieu of fresh/frozen cranberries, so for me these were Cranberry Raspberry Scones. Another super easy recipe, which Brian enthusiastically wolfed down.
Layered Chocolate and Banana Mini Cakes, I used a 6 cup bundt pan because I only have one mini cake pan. This is the recipe to go for if you have some overripe bananas that you need to use up, and again, super easy. It's like a desserty banana bread with a brownie on the bottom (or top, depending on the kind of pan you use).
Savory Barley and Potato Scones, which I decided to make after I realized that I hadn't made anything that wasn't at least a little sweet. These are definitely different, and since I used the recipe note suggestion to use walnuts in lieu of raisins, they would be excellent paired with a soup or stew. They come out a little dry looking (I brushed a little vegan margarine on top of the ones in the photo), but the inside is incredibly moist.
My final picture is below with the recipe, and I can't wait to bake more! For funsies, I asked the authors what their favorite recipes from the book were, if you need some more jumping off points.
Tami: English Muffin Bread, Cracked Wheat Pan Rolls, and the Strawberry Sweet Biscuits
Celine: the hazelnut shortbreads, the lemon curd tartlets, and the banana berry breakfast bake
Giveaway! Fair Winds Press has agreed to send one lucky person (US or Canada only, sorry) their own copy of Whole Grain Vegan Baking. To enter, simply comment on this entry telling me what your favorite kind of baked good is! Be as generic or specific as you like. I'm partial to cake and anything yeasty, myself. I will pick a winner at random on Friday, May 31st. Make sure to comment with a valid email address! Enjoy the recipe, and check out Denise's post tomorrow on The Urban Vegan, which is the last stop on the book tour.
*mug is slang from days gone by that only I still use, it means mother somethingsomething.
Braided Almond Oat Bread
This was an instant favorite when I made it, so it was the recipe I wanted to share. It's small town living friendly: you can grind oats and almonds in a food processor to make those flours and sub the yogurt with blended silken tofu if you have trouble finding those things. I recommend brushing with maple syrup instead of agave, because it tastes like a loaf of french toast! The only change I made to the recipe was to just use some extra almond meal for the sprinkling at the end.
3/4 cup (180 ml) lukewarm plain or vanilla flavored almond milk, divided
1/4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup, divided
330 g (2 3/4 cups) white whole wheat flour, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
90 g (1 cup) oat flour
120 g (1 cup) almond meal
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
120 g (1/2 cup) plain or vanilla flavored vegan yogurt, at room temperature
1/4 cup (60 ml) melted coconut oil or neutral flavored oil
Pure maple syrup or raw agave nectar, for brushing
Chopped roasted almonds, for sprinkling
Combine 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the milk with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup, 60 g (1/2 cup) of the wheat flour, and the yeast. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes, until bubbly.
In a large bowl, combine 240 g (2 cups) of the wheat flour and the oat flour, almond meal, and salt.
Combine the remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk, remaining 3 tablespoons (45 ml) maple syrup, yogurt, and oil. Pour the wet ingredients onto the and mix, adding the remaining 1/4 cup (30 g) flour, 1 tablespoon (8 g) at a time, if needed, until the dough is smooth and pliable, about six minutes.
Alternatively, knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface for about eight minutes, adding extra whole wheat flour if needed, until smooth and pliable.
Shape into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Punch down the dough, and place it on a clean surface. Divide it into 2 equal portions. Divide each portion into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion out into a 12-inch (30 cm) strand. Place 3 strands side by side, pinch them together at the top to seal, and tuck the top under slightly. Braid the strands. Pinch together and tuck the bottom of the braid as well, gently grabbing both ends of the braid and pushing together to make a neat and tight braid. Repeat with the remaining three strands. (Katie's note: I found it easier to start the braid not quite in the middle, so I could braid towards each end and ensure maximum braidage before tucking. If that makes any sense.)
Place the breads on the prepared sheet. Cover the breads with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes, until puffed.
Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C or gas mark 5).
Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top and dark brown on the bottom. Turn the baking sheet once halfway through to ensure an even coloring and even baking of the braids.
Lightly brush the tops with maple syrup or agave nectar once out of the oven. Sprinkle with the chopped almonds. Let cool on a wire rack. The breads taste even better the next day.
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