text:
It's the Super Bowl the football gods wanted to see -- the No. 1 offense versus the No. 1 defense. Perhaps the football gods will show mercy and send mild weather!
It's fitting that this season of scoreboard-spinning -- the Broncos with the highest-scoring team of all time -- should conclude this way. If Seattle's fantastic defense overcomes Denver's fantastic offense, the decade-long trend of favoring offensive players and tactics over their defensive equivalents might reverse. If Denver prevails, the movement toward a powerful offense may get even stronger.
What does history predict? This year's New Jersey Super Bowl will be the sixth time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger that the top-rated offense has met the top-rated defense. So far, defense is 4-1 -- Bucs over Raiders (2003), Giants over Bills (1991), 49ers over Dolphins (1985), and Steelers over Cowboys (1979), with the top offense prevailing only in 1990 (49ers over Broncos). Football lore long has held that defense trumps offense, especially in the postseason. Two weeks from now in the swamps of Jersey, we'll find out if that remains true in the shotgun-spread era.
The Super Bowl also matches the conference No. 1 seeds, and thus is as if the NFL playoffs were a seeded tournament, pleasing cranky critics. And the pairing makes me look smarter than I am, because seven weeks ago, Tuesday Morning Quarterback led with a forecast of a Denver-Seattle Super Bowl.
You'll hear many times in the next two weeks that if Denver wins, Peyton Manning will become the first quarterback to start in Super Bowl victories for different teams. If Seattle wins, Pete Carroll will sort of become the first head coach to win both a BCS title and a Super Bowl trophy. Sort of, because the BCS win was vacated due to the Reggie Bush scandal. (Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer won both a Super Bowl and the old "mythical national championship.") And though a Seattle victory likely would be mainly about the Bluish Men Group defense, it also would be a crowning moment for the zone read.
In other football news, the time approaches to name the winner of the coveted longest award in sports: the TMQ Non-QB Non-RB NFL MVP. Because the official MVP always goes to a quarterback or running back, TMQ annually names an MVP who is neither. This year, readers will choose! Next week's column will present four nominees. A poll will determine the trophy recipient. See next week's column for details.
At the intersection of football and politics, an online petition started by Lynda Woolard of New Orleans, seeking to revoke the nonprofit status of NFL headquarters, already has more than 300,000 signatures. It's worth considering. Her view is seconded by Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, among the most conservative members of Congress, who has proposed a bill to strip other professional sports of this and other tax favors.
NFL headquarters is hardly the only offender: "Outside the Lines" recently reported that the PGA hides behind a charitable exemption curtain, though only 16 percent of donations to its tour charity events actually go to charity. Coburn's bill would put an end to such abuses, and also to NFL access to tax-free bond issues, a financing tool that was created to finance libraries and cultural institutions, but now is used to subsidize stadium luxury boxes.
Nobody likes taxes. But if the wealthy don't pay their fair share, then average people must pay more, or the national debt rises. It is a measure of the bleak condition of national politics that although it's transparently absurd for the $10 billion-a-year NFL to have a tax-exempt headquarters -- where commissioner Roger Goodell pays himself $30 million a year while on paper being the leader of a philanthropy -- only one other senator has agreed to co-sponsor Coburn's legislation. Coburn can push hard because he has announced he will retire at the conclusion of the current Congress. Not seeking re-election, he no longer cares about campaign donations. Yet in the U.S. Senate, the notion that the very wealthy National Football League should not have a tax-exempt headquarters is too controversial for 98 of 100 senators to touch. That is a measure of the bleak condition of national politics.
Stats of the Championships No. 1: Before Spygate, Bill Belichick's Patriots were 12-2 in the playoffs and 3-0 in the Super Bowl. Since the taping scheme was discovered, they are 6-6 in the postseason and 0-2 in the Super Bowl.
Stats of the Championships No. 2: The Broncos have punted once in the playoffs.
Stats of the Championships No. 3: In four starts versus Seattle and Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick is 1-3 with 3 touchdown passes, 7 interceptions and a 54 quarterback rating.
Stats of the Championships No. 4: Averaging 144 yards rushing in his previous three games, LeGarrette Blount was held to 6 yards.
Stats of the Championships No. 5: In 33 offensive possessions against Seattle this season, San Francisco recorded three touchdowns.
Stats of the Championships No. 6: Russell Wilson is 17-1 at home, with 32 touchdowns versus seven interceptions.
Stats of the Championships No. 7: In two meetings with New England this season, Denver jumped out to leads of 24-0 and 23-3.
Stats of the Championships No. 8: Ten of the past 11 Seattle-San Francisco contests have been won by the home team.
Stats of the Championships No. 9: In the 2010 regular season, the Patriots averaged 32.4 points; they scored 21 points in their playoff loss. In the 2011 regular season, the Patriots averaged 32.1 points; they scored 17 points in their playoff loss. In the 2012 regular season, the Patriots averaged 34.8 points; they scored 13 points in their playoff loss. In the 2013 regular season, the Patriots averaged 27.8 points; they scored 16 points in their playoff loss.
Stats of the Championships No. 10: Eli Manning won the Super Bowl in Indianapolis, when that was Peyton Manning's home stadium. Now Peyton has a shot at winning the Super Bowl in Eli's home stadium.
Sweet Play of the Championships: It felt as if Denver was blowing New England off the field, but when a Patriots touchdown made it 26-16 with 3:07 remaining, a deuce would have put the visitors within one score. New England showed a passing set, then ran a draw to Shane Vereen. Outside linebacker Shaun Phillips knifed in and dragged down Vereen by his ankles. Tom Brady hung his head, knowing the game ended on that play.
Sour Play of the Championships: With Denver leading 20-3 late in the third quarter, the Flying Elvii faced fourth-and-3 on the Broncos' 29. Needing points against the league's highest-scoring offense -- New England was unlikely to shut Denver out down the stretch -- Belichick rightly went for it. At the snap, Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton simply ran straight by his blocker, sacking Brady before he even had a chance to scan the field. Who was the blocker? Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins, called by some the best offensive lineman in football. Mankins barely so much as slowed Knighton. Very sour.
Sweet 'n' Sour Play: Seattle trailing 10-3 in the early third quarter, Marshawn Lynch headed into the line left behind backup rookie tackle Alvin Bailey, who was playing in a six-lineman heavy package, then cut back right and went 40 yards for the touchdown that tied the contest. Sweet for the home team. The play occurred on third-and-1. San Francisco had eight defenders in the box and two deep safeties, an alignment that might give up a first down but should be impossible to get a long run against. Not only did Bailey take out two defensive backs with the same block, the highly hyped first-round draft pick, safety Eric Reid, whiffed on his tackle attempt. Sour for the visitors.
Disclaimer of the Championships : Reader David Lisitza of Silver Spring, Md., reports bottles of Palmolive dish soap proclaim "No unnecessary chemicals." He notes: "A plutonium trigger factory can probably make the same claim."
In the Nissan Rogue commercial in which the car leaps atop an imaginary elevated Amtrak train in San Francisco, a small-type disclaimer warns: "Fantasy. Cars cannot jump onto trains." The real fantasy of this ad is that when the urban hipsters reach their destination, they find ample vacant parking spots on the street in downtown San Francisco.
Concussion Lawsuit Subtext: The judge supervising the brain-injury settlement between the NFL and some 4,000 retired players put the deal on hold because of questions about whether enough money was being set aside by the league and whether the deal is fair to the "actual class members." The latter concern is that the deal as it stands would be fantastic for plaintiffs' lawyers (big payday up front) and fantastic for the NFL (liability shed with no admission of wrongdoing) but not so great for the "actual class members" (many former players would receive little or nothing). The proposed settlement is $765 million for players and $112 million in attorneys' fees. Did the league offer plaintiffs' lawyers a bag of gold doubloons in hopes that the lawyers would sell their clients the deal and make the former players go away? As the judge's ruling notes, lawyers expect this spectacular fee despite having bungled rudimentary aspects of the settlement proposal.
The rational move for the NFL would be to address the judge's move immediately by increasing the offer to the former players but not increasing the offer to their attorneys. Perhaps the NFL should offer twice as much, $1.5 billion, with all additional funds being given to former players.
From the league's standpoint, it is essential that the chance to settle this mess not be lost. The NFL can buy its way out of any problem, but this works only if the other party agrees. With the settlement now perceived as the lawyers having shafted their own clients, the willingness of the former players to make a deal may not last. Increasing the money is the league's best chance of getting the former players to stay on board.
Here's the rub. With any class-action lawsuit, "actual class members" must decide whether to opt in (take the current offer while waiving future claims) or opt out (get nothing while reserving the right to file their own lawsuits). For those former players who are already aging, or already showing signs of neurological complications, it makes sense to opt in and take the best offer right now. Former players in these situations need help fast, and may not live long enough to receive a larger settlement that other lawsuits might produce in the future.
But for any former player who doesn't show neurological symptoms or who is less than, say, 65 years of age, opting out may be the way to go. The proposed settlement's offer to players without current neurological conditions is relatively modest -- waiver of future claims in exchange for about $25,000 to $50,000 each. The incentive to opt in for the relatively modest amount is that because with current technology it's nearly impossible to prove that harm to the brain was caused by NFL contact, you might as well take a relatively small payment and move on.
That's with current medical technology! Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is little-understood and has been studied only a short time. Think about a former NFL player who is, say, 45 years old and in decent health. He might have decades of life ahead. Despite the media misconception that former NFL players die young, they as a group live longer than men of the same age. In the next decade or two, neurological diagnoses may advance significantly. It may become possible to link the onset of CTE to specific life events. If that happens, then a former player would have a much stronger legal claim against in the NFL.
The league needs former players to waive liability now, before some development in medical knowledge strengthens the former players' hand. The way for the league to achieve this is to put a lot more money in the pot.
The Road to the Swamps: This year's Super Bowl will be played in New Jersey, but all of the media talk will be of New York. So TMQ is keeping the focus on Jersey.
Did you know that the Garden State is named after the largest Channel Island? Today the island of Jersey is sort-of a miniature country, a self-governing dependency of the British crown. Because Jersey remained loyal during the English Civil War, James II gave the land that is now New Jersey to two aristocratic supporters. The Lenape were not consulted. If the Washington R*dsk*ns ever move to New Jersey, they would become the Washington Lenape.
In 1783, Princeton was briefly capital of the United States. There is a large waterfall on the Passaic River. Alexander Hamilton tried to use the waterfall to generate power so the United States would have industry and not be dependent on Europe for manufactured goods.
The hit movie "American Hustle" is very loosely based on the actions of several New Jersey politicians and con artists during the FBI's ABSCAM stings in the late 1970s. The movie is a must-see -- witty, gritty, with fabulous acting by Christian Bale and Amy Adams, though the audience never understands why the bungling loser who is the film's central character is intensely desired by two spectacular women: Adams and Jennifer Lawrence. Maybe it's because they know he is really Christian Bale.
The senator taken down by ABSCAM, Harrison Williams of New Jersey, resigned moments before the Senate was to expel him, then to his death (following prison) maintained he resigned on principle, not to avoid expulsion. "American Hustle" misses the funniest moment of the actual ABSCAM. After video was released showing Rep. Richard Kelly reaching for a briefcase of cash offered by a fake sheik, Kelly declared he was using the money to conduct his own investigation. (No one bought this.) Not addressed in coverage of the movie -- because ABSCAM ended three decades ago -- has the FBI given Congress a pass on corruption?
New Jersey offers what your columnist considers the best delicatessen on Earth, the Millburn Deli. My last meal would be a Millburn Deli smoked turkey sloppy Joe with a Balvenie neat. And if I had to choose between the two, I'd take the Joe.
How Did Seattle Do It? TMQ took a lot of heat halfway through the season with a column saying San Francisco couldn't pass the ball. Then the Niners finished 30th in passing and in the NFC title game were held to 147 passing yards. The game concluded with San Francisco trying to throw into the right corner of the end zone -- exactly what San Francisco tried at the end of last year's Super Bowl -- and like in that Super Bowl, were unsuccessful. In both instances, the intended receiver was double-covered -- maybe defensive coordinators know something?
Jim Harbaugh has taken the 49ers to three straight conference title games, so he's obviously doing well. But his decisions can be puzzling. He sent Alex Smith to the bench, then traded him, to give Kaepernick the reins. Though the Nevada quarterback is a lot of fun to watch, he has yet to show he can pick apart an NFL defense. In the second half, Kaepernick turned the ball over on two of three snaps. As the stats item notes, Kaepernick is 1-3 versus the Seahawks, with a terrible passer rating. Versus Seattle and Russell Wilson, Smith was 1-0 with a 74 quarterback rating.
In-game, Harbaugh/West can be puzzling. With Seattle leading 23-17 at the 2-minute warning, San Francisco had first-and-10 at midfield, holding three timeouts. The game would be decided by Kaepernick's interception thrown from the Seattle 18 with 22 seconds remaining. The coach only used one of the timeouts, leaving two on the table. (They were called during Seattle's kneeldowns.) Harbaugh/West let an inexperienced quarterback sweat as the clock ticked toward all-naughts, rather than call time and coach up Kaepernick. Earlier, San Francisco, facing third-and-1 in the fourth quarter, took a delay-of-game penalty rather than burn one of the timeouts they ended up not using. Puzzling.
Harbaugh/West also had the Niners facing fourth-and-1 on the Seattle 41. They tried to draw the home team offside, then took a penalty and punted. Why not just run a play for the first down?
San Francisco played terrific defense against Seattle in the first half, stuffing several short-yardage runs; on the game, the Niners sacked Russell Wilson four times: the visitors surprised the hosts with zone blitzes. But it was as if everyone on the San Francisco defense thought they'd heard the whistle on Wilson's 51-yard completion to Doug Baldwin. Wilson had 7 seconds in the pocket, a long time in NFL terms, as numerous Niners defenders just stood around looking at each other.
On the Seattle side of the ball, San Francisco was held to 17 points with a total of just three blitzes. Last week, TMQ wrote that the Seahawks play old-fashioned vanilla defense and rarely blitz, despite a reputation for Carroll being blitz-happy. Three blitzes in a title game; conventional four-man rush; Super Bowl invitation.
Down 10-3 with seconds remaining before halftime, Seattle faced fourth-and-6 on the San Francisco 38. Carroll went for it, disdaining a 55-yard field goal attempt on a day that was cold and humid, both bad for long-distance kick flight. The attempt failed, but the result of the play was San Francisco ball on its 38. (The spot moved back following a dead-ball penalty walkoff.) Had Seattle missed a field goal on the same down, it would have been San Francisco ball on the 45. Because the half was nearly over, going for the first down was less risky than attempting the long field goal.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Seattle faced fourth-and-7 on the San Francisco 35, a nearly identical situation. Still an improbable field goal through cold, humid air. The Bluish Men Group lined up trips right. At the snap, all three trips guys ran go routes; Lynch ran a flare left; six blocked. Wilson looked toward Lynch, drawing the safeties' eyes that way, then threw into the end zone for a touchdown to little-used Jermaine Kearse. San Francisco seemed to expect a short possession throw. Instead on a big play, the ball goes to a guy who rarely sees the ball, which is a time-tested football success tactic.
Later leading 20-17 in the fourth quarter, Seattle failed on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with a simplistic no-misdirection play that looked an awful lot like the fourth-and-2 play for the national championship that failed for USC when Carroll was coaching against Texas. Denver has the NFL's prettiest goal-line plays. Seattle needs to work on goal-line designs for the Super Bowl, because settling for field goals won't git 'er done against the highest-scoring team ever.
Huge Players Not Big Enough: Reader Matt Loughman of Suwanee, Ga., notes this Kansas City Star story saying Eric Fisher, the first choice of the 2013 draft, needs to "get bigger and stronger." Loughman asks, "Fisher is 6-8, 305 pounds, that's not big enough?" At the combine, Fisher did 27 reps of 225 pounds. That's not strong enough?
In a supersized society, the notion that huge, muscular football players aren't huge and muscular enough is not an outlier. During the preseason, a Packers analyst scoffed at Green Bay linemen as "soft and small." The Pack's expected line starters in preseason averaged 6-foot-4, 317 pounds.
My new book "The King of Sports" -- say, have I mentioned "The King of Sports"? -- has a chapter titled, "How 307 Pounds Became Undersized." Among facts from that chapter: When the Green Bay Packers played in the first Super Bowl, their defensive line averaged 254 pounds. When the Packers played in the 45th Super Bowl, their defensive line averaged 320 pounds. No one on the 1972 Dolphins' perfect team weighed more than 300 pounds. In the most recent Super Bowl, Ravens versus 49ers, 13 starting players weighed at least 300 pounds. The chapter offers, via Mel Kiper Jr.'s storeroom of draft records, considerable detail on the steady rise in size and strength of linemen.
At the NFL level there is always pressure on linemen to gain strength. Professional athletes supervised by trainers and nutritionists can gain healthy weight and then lose it back once their playing days end. But in a nation with a childhood obesity epidemic, it just cannot be good that the No. 1 sport celebrates weight gain.
For every one NFL player gaining weight as lean muscle mass, there are a hundred of teens wolfing down bacon cheeseburgers to get big so they can start for varsity. "The King of Sports" gives lots of stats for weight increase in high school football, and the numbers are bleak -- high schools where the average offensive lineman weight is higher than the 1972 Dolphins, prep programs with multiple 300-plus lineman. High school players who gain significant pounds usually are not under the tight supervision of trainers and nutritionists, and they're on their own trying to lose that weight when no recruiting offer comes.
Beyond that, very heavy football players extolled by television as celebrities give young people the idea that weighing that much is not a risk. True, television also bombards young people with images of perfect-10 bodies. But a perfect-10 body is impossible for most young people to attain, while anyone can gain pounds by reaching for the French fries. Football needs to rethink the way in which it extols "getting big."
The Belichick-Welker Psychodrama: Back home at Foxboro, Bill Belichick called the Wes Welker hit on Aqib Talib "one of the worst plays I've seen" . . . a deliberate play by the receiver to take out Aqib." Psychoanalyzing the Patriots could itself be a sport. Here goes:
• Welker felt unappreciated at New England. Despite being the franchise's all-time leader for receptions, he was shown the door the moment a less-expensive Welker-like figure, Danny Amendola, came along. Driven by subconscious oedipal conflict, Welker wanted to slay his father figure, but decided that defeating his father-figure's team would be more acceptable. In the first Denver-New England game, Welker played poorly and the father figure prevailed. That made it essential for Denver to defeat New England on the second try. Welker entered the contest filled with rage, which in football is a useful emotion.
• Welker was jealous of Talib, who was being welcomed into the Patriots' locker room just as Welker was being shown out. Welker was the good boy, Talib the prodigal son. Yet Talib received honors -- whether the Patriots sacrificed a fatted calf is unknown -- while Welker was banished.
• Welker was further enraged that the master he served, Tom Brady, did not protect him. Instead, Brady's wife, Giselle Bϋndchen, blamed Welker in 2012 at Indianapolis when the Patriots failed against the Giants. Brady received the fair damsel's embrace while Welker was sent into the wilds, which to Bϋndchen would be any place you fly over going from Boston to Los Angeles. Thus Welker wished Brady to suffer, ideally to see Bϋndchen leave him for, say, Andy Samberg.
• Brady knew if there was one way the loss of Welker would blow up in the Patriots' faces, it would be if Welker joined up with Peyton Manning, to whom Brady secretly feels inferior, despite having two more Super Bowl rings and seven more playoffs wins. The football world thinks of Manning as a "real" quarterback, even though he wears wigs while lip-syncing rap music, and thinks of Brady as a pretty-boy. Suddenly Brady's best option defects to the "real" quarterback.
• Belichick viewed Welker as a disloyal son. Belichick has made many football players better than expected, but the two over which he waved the magic wand were Brady, an unheralded sixth-round selection who is now a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and Welker, who wasn't drafted at all, and became a star wearing New England colors. Brady is loyal and grateful; he brings in Dunkin' Donuts for the coaches using his Lamborghini. Brady never complains in public when the Patriots offer him $57 million! But Welker was not grateful when offered $10 million. Now Belichick so despises the disloyal son that his name cannot be spoken. He's not Welker, he is "the receiver."
• Belichick feels his genius is evident if anybody he plugs into the slot receiver role in his offense catches 100 passes a year. Ideally, a volunteer chosen at random from the audience just before kickoff would be Belichick's slot receiver. That would prove the coach, not the player, produces New England's passing stats. Amendola only caught 54 passes, and who cares about that collapsed lung or whatever his flimsy injury excuse was. This embarrassed Belichick, causing him to feel human emotion, which in turn made him very uncomfortable.
• Those who have themselves been accused of questionable ethics like to redirect attention to others, so Belichick denounces someone else for poor sportsmanship. Soon, Chris Christie will complain that the NFL Super Bowl setup in Manhattan is blocking traffic for New Jersey residents trying to use the bridges into New York.
• What does TMQ think? That Welker should have been flagged for offensive pass interference. He wasn't blocking -- he hit Talib while the pass was in the air.
Et Tu, Bob? In his roles in public life, Robert Gates seemed a fine, conscientious man. Then his new book "Duty" stabs in the back the president and vice president who supported Gates against liberal opposition and kept him in charge at the Pentagon. OK, it's Washington: The stab in the back is practically mandatory. How slick of Gates to make it seem it was his "duty" to slam the president and vice president; this way he sounds loyal and daring simultaneously. But even acknowledging that former government higher-ups of both parties are motivated by self-praise, your writer was blown away by the following passage about Gates' book from Bret Stephens, a conservative columnist at the Wall Street Journal:
Take this vignette from 2010: That January, Mr. Gates called for a highly restricted meeting of [White House] principals to discuss the possibility of conflict with Iran with little or no advance notice. Mr. Gates describes the meeting in detail and then concludes with this nugget:
"I was put off by the way the president closed the meeting. To his very closest advisers, he said, 'For the record, and for those of you writing your memoirs, I am not making any decisions about Israel or Iran. Joe [Biden], you be my witness.' I was offended by his suspicion that any of us would ever write about such sensitive matters." This is related without irony on page 393.
Gates was offended by the president's suspicion that Gates might do precisely what Gates later did. Wow. Even by Washington standards, this is amazing double-talk.
Of course Gates did not make policy regarding Israel or Iran. What about issues Gates personally controlled? This brings to mind the Pentagon's KC-X program.
Since 2002, the Air Force has been trying to build a new airborne tanker. Most Air Force tankers are derivatives of the obsolete 707 jetliner, which first flew in 1958 and which Western airlines retired a generation ago. The initial phase of the KC-X tanker project, occurring before Gates, involved a corruption scandal that sent a high Pentagon official, Darleen Druyun, to prison. In 2006, Gates become secretary of defense, tasked by President George W. Bush to clean up the KC-X mess, with wide authority regarding the project.
There were years of lobbying wars regarding whether Boeing or an Airbus-led venture would get the contract. The lobbying involved high-priced hired guns hurling campaign donations hither and yon to members of Congress who were more concerned with influence peddling than Air Force operational requirements; John McCain also got involved, and McCain gave George W. Bush the willies. To be secretary of defense while this was going on would not have been easy. But fixing the tanker mess was his job, and Gates failed, despite having five years in charge of the Defense Department.
In 2008, Gates called a new tanker the military's top acquisition priority, declaring production would be "expedited." Yet today, nothing is flying. Six years after Gates got on the case, Air Force fighters still are refueled by Eisenhower-era hardware.
The latest estimate is that the initial prototype of the new tanker, now dubbed KC-46, may take wing in 2015 -- seven years after Gates said the project was being expedited. First deployment is hoped for in 2017, a decade after the moment of "expedition," with construction of the new fleet not complete until 2028.
This terrible record of acquisition performance does not link to lack of money: $52 billion has been authorized for the program. Nor is some great technological leap involved. The KC-46 is a "variant" of the Boeing 767, an airliner that has been in the skies for 30 years and already gone through half a dozen variations. At the current pace, 15 years will have passed between when the Air Force decided to build a tanker based on well-established existing aircraft, and when the new planes actually are fueling Air Force aircraft. (The entire B-24 bomber project -- the most-produced U.S. military aircraft ever -- took six years from first test flight to final model off the assembly line.) Nine years will have passed between when Gates said he was giving his full attention to the problem, and the first tanker reaching service.
What does Gates have to say in his book about the Air Force project? He complains that at the Pentagon, when "anyone elected" from Alabama was on the phone -- the Airbus competitor would have been built in the Yellowhammer State -- the call was whining about tanker politics. That does sound excruciating. But it was his job to fix the tanker program, and Gates failed completely. Now he wants to sell you a book about how everyone else is to blame.
How Did Denver Do It? Was Bill Belichick too clever by half? Riding a streak of strong performances by the revitalized New England rushing attack, he went into Denver and had the Patriots call just 14 running plays and 42 passes. (That figure adjusts for sacks and scrambles.) Did the unexpectedly ideal conditions cause Belichick to yield to his normal pass-wacky self, after three consecutive bad-weather rush-oriented games in Massachusetts? Was he attempting reverse psychology -- passing because he expected Denver to expect runs? The Patriots executed a lot of play fakes, suggesting they wanted to establish the run, then started play-faking but forgot the first part of that equation.
CBS color man Phil Simms repeatedly stated the Patriots were throwing because the Broncos have a highly ranked run defense and a low-ranked pass defense. But those stats are artifacts of Denver jumping to big leads, resulting in second halves in which opponents abandon the run while the Broncos drop into a Cover 3. Teams that win by big margins often have great rush defense stats and weak pass defense stats. Denver finished the regular season seventh in rushing yards allowed -- but defended just 420 running plays, one of the league's lowest figures. Denver finished 27th in passing yards allowed -- but defended 613 passing plays, one of the league's highest figures.
Maybe Belichick thought the Denver secondary would collapse with Chris Harris out injured, replaced by the graying Champ Bailey. Maybe the pop-psychology explanation of the New England sideline was that Flying Elvii offensive coordinator Josh McDaniel, former head coach at Denver, wanted to show he and Tom Brady could out-pass Manning -- because in the current football reality, throwing is viewed as more manly than running. Whatever happened, the New England offensive game plan was too clever by half.
The Patriots' defensive game plan involved frequent use of a front Manning hasn't seen much -- an 8-1-2 with all receivers against press coverage. This unusual front was worth a try, but alternated with a funky two-defensive lineman look, allowed 507 yards of offense and an 8-of-14 conversion rate on third and fourth downs.
Belichick made a puzzling decision by ordering a punt from the Denver 39. Sure, it was fourth-and-16, but you don't defeat the league's highest-scoring team by punting in its territory. Belichick made a really puzzling decision when with New England scoring to pull within 23-10 with 9:23 remaining, he had the Flying Elvii kick away. Belichick has never cared for the alternative -- only one recovered onside kick in his many years at New England. But what choice did he have? The ball went back to the league's best offense, and soon the lead was 26-10.
As for the Broncos, as usual they had a creative play for the goal line. Reaching second-and-1 on the New England 2, the Broncos lined up heavy left and ran outside left. Stuffed, they faced third-and-1 on the New England 2, and again lined up left and ran outside left, reaching first-and-goal. Again they lined up heavy left -- then faked an outside run left, Manning rolling right to toss an easy touchdown pass to the backup tight end. Denver's other touchdown came on a really pretty goal line zed-in to Demaryius Thomas -- the zed-in is the Canadian version of a z-in.
Denver has faced many third-and-short situations in the playoffs, and every time gone for a super-short possession play rather than thrown deep. Back in the day, Bart Starr thought third-and-short was the best down to throw deep. Seattle plays so tight on receivers, will Denver be able to complete super-short possession passes on third-and-short?
One of TMQ's themes this season has been the warning that scoreboard-spinning teams tend to peter out at the last. Until this season, the highest-scoring NFL team ever was the 2007 Patriots. They averaged 37 points per game in the regular season, then dropped to an average of 26 points in their two home playoff games, then scored 14 points in their Super Bowl loss. This season, the Broncos became the highest-scoring team ever. They put up 38 points per game during the regular season, then dropped to 25 points during their two home playoff games. Will the third part of the pattern repeat?
Tinkering with Kickoff, Try and Onside Rules: Last week TMQ proposed doing away with the kickoff -- the scored-upon team would start at the 25, which is generous to the receiving team because the average returned kickoff reaches the 23 -- and also eliminating the singleton PAT kick, making all tries two-point attempts. My reasoning was that eliminating kickoffs would reduce concussions, while requiring two-point attempts would add back roughly the amount of excitement lost with no kickoffs. The PAT kick is the dullest moment in professional football -- more than 99 percent succeed -- while the kickoff is the most dangerous moment. So fix both in one fell swoop, whatever "fell swoop" means.
My alternative suggestion was to eliminate kickoffs, then after touchdowns, give the scoring team the option of going for two from the opponent's 2-yard line (the current deuce try) or kicking for one with the ball spotted on the 35. That would add all kinds of strategy to the second half, and sports fans love statistical analysis.
Reader Tim Kokesh of San Jose, Calif., countered: "Instead of doing away with the kicked PAT altogether, how about requiring the player who scored the touchdown to kick the PAT? Kind of like a foul shot on a made basket. The scoring team could either allow their touchdown man to kick for one, or go for two using the current deuce format."
Dave Moore of Pittsburgh wrote: "I don't like the injuries on kickoffs either, but I love the strategic choice of the onside. So why not leave the PAT rule as is, and change kickoffs to encourage the onside? Spot the ball at the 50 for kickoffs. Most of the time, the scoring team would just sail the kickoff out of the end zone for a touchback -- no wedge-busting, no kickoff concussions. But with the kickoff spot at the 50, onside kicks would become more likely. A failed onside would cost only about 20 yards in field position: the opponent would start around his 40 instead of at his 20. Risking 20 yards of field position in return for the chance of a turnover could be attractive, especially in the fourth quarter."
In the 2013 regular season, there were 2,748 kickoffs and only 62 onside kicks, about 2 percent of kickoffs. Under Moore's scheme, onside kickoffs would become more common. In 2013, 11 onsides were recovered, or 18 percent. Would recovery likelihood go down (receiving teams more wary) or up (kickers practice the onside more) under Moore's idea? Only experience would tell, as only experience would tell whether more onside kicks would become a concussion factor. Even if the recovery percentage stayed the same, there could be many instances where an 18 percent chance of getting the ball back was worth the risk of 20 yards of field position.
Maybe Self-Aware Nanobots Write the Scripts: The weirdest show on television, "Revolution," is halfway through what is likely to be its swan-song season. In a world without electricity, three good guys armed only with knives are walking down a dark country road where eight bad guys with carbines wait to ambush them. The guys who formed the ambush and have the element of surprise fire hundreds of rounds at close range: all miss. The good guys sneak up behind the bad guys, and need mere seconds to kill them with knives. How can you sneak up behind an ambush? After the first couple of bad guys die when struck from behind, why don't the rest turn around?
"Revolution" carries a stark warning to humanity -- after the electricity stops, so will logic. The current season depicts the 16th year after the global power blackout. A child born at least two years after the blackout is shown as now a man in his mid-20s. No explanation. A character is shot in the stomach at close range with a bullet from an assault rifle; in a few minutes she is completely fine without medical treatment, and able to walk several miles. A good-guy character is shot in the chest with a crossbow arrow, recovers in a day or so when treated with "balm," then needs mere seconds to kill a huge muscular man by kicking him once.
After electricity, good guys cannot be killed but bad guys drop dead instantaneously if a good guy looks at them crosswise. And there's an infinite supply of bad guys. Viewers are told that about a year after the blackout, order broke down and a horrific Hobbesian war of all against all killed 90 percent of the American population. Since then militias have fought each other for control of towns and of remaining manufactured products. So military-age males ought to be in short supply. Instead, the societies of "Revolution" seem to consist entirely of military-age males and good-looking young women.
There are huge muscular men everywhere, all obedient to various crackpot warlords who are obviously insane. No matter how many military-aged males are killed, twice as many more march in. But there are no old people, no children -- and no farmers. No one grows crops or raises stock: Eating seems to have been forgotten altogether, though there's plenty of moonshine, which characters drink all day long, and unlimited bullets. Plus, Aaron the computer geek has been wearing the same clothes for 16 years, and they're not frayed.
During the initial episodes, it was darkly hinted the blackout was caused by a test of a military ray-gun weapon; during the test, something went Horribly, Horribly Wrong. The McGuffin everyone was seeking in the first season was a flash drive with software that nullified the ray-gun effect and caused electricity to come back on. A dozen or so episodes concerned maneuvering for the mysterious flash drives. Then "Revolution" was renewed for another season, and the flash drives, like food, were forgotten -- they haven't even been mentioned in the current season. In the future, memories will be short.
Now viewers are told that self-aware nanobots shut down the electricity in order to, in order to . . . presumably, that's the Big Reveal for the series finale. Often as action series are strung out and new twists added, previous episodes become nonsense in retrospect. This year's plot twists have rendered nonsensical nearly everything in the series pilot. Consider the super-scientist character, Rachel. Now we're told that 16 years previously, Rachel designed the self-aware nanobots and always knew they would destroy the world. Yet in the pilot, she's a mother with two little children, she's made no preparations to care for them after what we're now told she always knew would be a permanent global blackout. And in the pilot she was obsessed with getting one of the flash drives, though we're now told they were always no good versus the self-aware nanobots she herself built.
"None of this makes any sense" -- an actual line from a character in the latest "Revolution" episode. So brace yourself for what's coming as the next weirdest show on prime time, "Resurrection," premiering in March. The premise: in a remote town where all of the phone lines have failed, long-dead people come back to life. "None of this makes any sense," the protagonist says in the "Resurrection" trailer now running in theaters.
Careers Openings in Luxury Law: Imagine practicing luxury law. An upcoming conference has a session on trademark trolls and the threat to high-end luxury goods from 3D printers.
Race to the Bottom at Big Universities: The University of Louisville made itself look terrible by bringing back weasel coach Bobby Petrino, and no one seems to care except Northeastern athletic director Peter Roby. He notes Petrino "didn't pay any price for all the embarrassments he caused to the institutions where he was at, to his family, to the NCAA and to the member schools." This is a core point about institutional corruption in NCAA sports. If a player eats a free cheeseburger, all hell breaks loose. If a coach behaves dishonorably, he gets a $3.5 million-a-year deal. Human beings respond to incentives; in big-college football, cheating is rewarded and dishonor never punished.
Syracuse University is maneuvering to make itself look terrible. As noted by reader Mike Zaino of Rocky Hill, Conn., though a private school that costs undergraduates $57,450 a year, Syracuse is lobbying for at least $300 million in taxpayers' money to build a fancy new football stadium. Last year, Syracuse cleared an $11 million profit on football; a new stadium with luxury boxes would increase that. If a private school wants a nicer football stadium in order to gain revenue, why should average taxpayers -- many of whom cannot afford college for their own children -- be compelled to pay? New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, born into privilege, endlessly says he's for the average person. If he backs a public giveaway to a private university, voters may find out where his true loyalties lie.
Louisville and Syracuse are amateurs compared to how the University of North Carolina is striving to make itself look terrible. First there was the 2011 scandal regarding fake courses for athletes. The NCAA lowered the boom on a player but only slapped the wrists of the university.
After all, the NCAA's policy is that players should be used up and thrown away, while colleges, coaches and athletic staff should roll in money. So fake courses were not in any way offensive to the NCAA. But a player revealing the existence of fake courses -- off with his head!
Last month the professor who ran the fake courses was indicted for fraud. What about higher-ups at the university, the deans and the chancellor? In big organizations, the people on top say they should receive ginormous paychecks because the buck stops with them. Then, when something goes wrong, they say they're not responsible. Holden Thorp, who was chancellor when fake courses were being offered at UNC, paid no fines, faced no indictment. He's now provost at Washington University in St. Louis, a cushy job at a top school. Thorp and Petrino ought to get together and have a few laughs.
The University of North Carolina's latest move toward the bottom is to lash out at a whistleblower who says many Tar Heels athletes don't read well enough to be qualified for high school, let alone college. Only after trying to blame the messenger did the school agree to investigate: first step in the "investigation" is ordering researcher Mary Willingham to stop discussing her allegations. Maybe the investigation will show the claims of illiterate athletes aren't true. If they are true, will Tar Heels chancellor Carol Folt resign?
Wacky Dog Food of the Week: Kibbles 'n Bits dog food now offers "grilled USA beef steak flavor." Though there are several USDA grades of beef, "grilled USA beef steak" is not one of them. But then the dog food doesn't actually contain "grilled USA beef steak," only its flavor.
Wacky Human Food of the Week: TMQ likes coffee with nonfat half-and-half. The other day, my grocer was fresh out, so I bought regular half-and-half and mixed it with skim milk. This means I made half half-and-half.
Wacky Primate Food of the Week: Many readers, including Marcia Hefler of Santa Monica, Calif., noted the news that bananas are bad for monkeys.
Adventures in Officiating: Everyone agrees NaVorro Bowman recovered Seattle's fumble at the San Francisco 1. Even the football gods agreed, causing Seattle to lose another fumble on the next snap. The frustrating part was that replay review can't overturn a fumble ruling on the field. That needs to be corrected in the offseason. The reasoning is that dog piles following a fumble often are impossible to see into, so replay won't show anything definitive. In this case, replay did have a definitive view.
TMQ maintains that officials consistently call this situation incorrectly. When the ball comes out and a player on the ground grabs it, the whistle should sound immediately. The play should be over the instant a fumble is possessed by a man on the ground who's in contact with an opponent. Instead, officials tend to let the boys fight it out in the dog pile, where matters quickly become Darwinian.
Hidden Play of the Championships: Hidden plays are ones that never make highlight reels, but sustain or stop drives. With Denver leading 3-0 in the first quarter, the Flying Elvii had first-and-10 at midfield. Tom Brady play-faked and rolled right; Julian Edelman cut deep left and was as open as an NFL receiver ever gets; Brady badly missed him. Had New England recorded a touchdown on this play, taking an early lead -- Brian Burke of Advanced NFL Stats maintains home-field advantage works most in the first quarter, then fades -- the game outcome might have been different. Instead, New England ended up punting, and Denver drove the other way for a 10-0 lead.
Next Week: Readers vote on the coveted longest award in sports: Entertainment and Sports Programming Network's Tuesday Morning Quarterback Non-Quarterback Non-Running-Back National Football League Most Valuable Player.
In addition to writing Tuesday Morning Quarterback for ESPN, Gregg Easterbrook is the author of "The King of Sports" and eight other books, and is a contributing editor of The Atlantic. His website is here and you can follow him on Twitter here.


text:
- On sale!
- -$3.00
The Earth: Textbook
- On sale!
- -$9.00
- Save $9.00
Two books in one! All at one low price!
The newly combined Teacher's Guide and Student Journal for The Earth: Its Structure & Its Changes includes insights and suggestions to help you in more effectively working with your student. Worksheets and journal pages for the student are included as well on perforated pages that can be easily taken out and copied for your convenience. Clear objectives throughout the Teacher's portion help guide the educational experience, and the student pages provide all that's needed to record ideas, questions, observations, and answers from the text. These two facets of the book help ensure than not only is your job as a teacher made easier, but your students will retain more of what they learned, through the work of putting their thoughts and findings down on paper!
The curriculum is a study of the fascinating world of geology. With explanations of how our Earth was shaped, giving evidence to the Genesis Flood, accompanying earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other powerful processes. Students will explore 20 "investigations" through experiments and a very specific learning progression, unique to the Investigate the Possibilities series of books:
Students will examine natural occurrences such as mountains, volcanoes, rocks, minerals, crystals, water, and dirt (just to name a few). By using household items such as hard boiled eggs, oranges, measuring cups, maps, clay and markers, these scientific truths will come to life.
You might also like
Creation Magazine
Issue 45:2
Journal of Creation
Issue 37:1

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Pelosi: Weiner behavior 'disrespectful of women'
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says the behavior of Anthony Weiner is "reprehensible" and "disrespectful of women."
The California Democrat lashed out at Weiner, a candidate for mayor of New York City and San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, saying their behavior is stunning and that they "don't have a clue." Both men were formerly Democratic members of the House.
Weiner, who is married, apologized this week after fresh allegations he exchanged lewd images and sexually explicit messages with another woman. Filner has been besieged by allegations of sexual harassment.
Pelosi suggests both men may need therapy and says they should "do it in private." But she says it's up to Weiner to decide if he should leave the mayor's race.


text:
Explore Products
Take Your Baking to the Next Level
Explore how Baxter Commercial Ovens and equipment use industry leading technologies to bring you perfectly cooked dishes, every time.
Precision Steam Control
Crispy bread crusts and tender meat made easily achievable with Precision Steam Control technology.
News & Events
January 17, 2023 / Press Releases
May 06, 2022 / Press Releases
September 20, 2021 / Press Releases
July 08, 2021 / Press Releases
April 13, 2021 / Press Releases
January 06, 2021 / Press Releases
April 01, 2020 / Press Releases
March 20, 2020 / News
January 01, 2020 / Press Releases
May 15, 2019 / Press Releases
Latest News
Our ovens offer exact temperature control for perfectly even results.See Mini Rack Ovens
From juicy beef medallions to perfectly crusty baguettes, enjoy the results of precision steam control.Learn More
Find a Sales Rep or Dealer
Find an expert near you who can assist with your unique needs.Find a Rep/Dealer


text:
Home | Ancient History Sourcebook | Medieval Sourcebook | Modern History Sourcebook | Byzantine Studies Page
Other History Sourcebooks: African | East Asian | Indian | Islamic | Jewish | Lesbian and Gay | Science | Women's | Global
Subsidiary SourcebooksAfricanEastern AsianGlobalIndianJewishIslamicLesbian/GayScienceWomen
Special ResourcesByzantiumMedieval MusicSaints' Lives
Ancient Law
Medieval Law
Film: Ancient
Film: Medieval
Film: Modern
About IHSPIHSP Credits
Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of Fordham University, New York. The Internet
Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at
the Fordham University Center
for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the
Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in
providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University. Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not
the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.
© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 30 March 2023 [CV]


text:
2015-07-24 | Jaz Tupelo // Audio + Blog
Witless Sampler
Witless Sampler
Bill is back from vacation, though some folks apparently thought he was working. Jaz is not planning a wedding. Also, newsflash: racism still exists.
(FYI, the podcast player seems to be having some technical difficulties. If the show won't play, try selecting "download the show," then right click and select "save video as.")
Download the show! | Open Player in New Window
Friday 24 July 2015
Audio + Blog
Comments Off on Witless Sampler »


text:
Friendswood Mustangs Scribble
We use Bella+Canvas for short and long sleeve tees, Next Level Raglans, and Gildan sweatshirts and hoodies. In the event that the color/style you have chosen is unavailable due to stock issues, we will pick another comparable brand/color.
Adult Size Chart:
Body Length 28 29 30 31 32 33
Body Width 18 20 22 24 26 28
-All garments are professionally printed with a direct to garment printer and pressed in house. There is NO VINYL used in our process.
-For Dark Garments and Garments with white ink, you might notice a sticky or a square look to shirt upon arrival. DON'T worry. This will wash out!
Care Instructions:
-Machine wash in Cold Water, Inside out and Hang to Dry. Tumble Dry Low Heat if needed to get wrinkles out.
-Do NOT iron directly on the backside of the graphic
-Standard turn around is 7-10 Business Days. Business Days are Monday-Friday.
-If you select pickup your items will be available for pickup when you receive notification that your order has "shipped"
Shop policies: Most items are made to order. Orders can take 1-2 weeks. Please contact us if you need to expedite your order. No store credit or refunds, we will only offer exchanges for the same item if damage or defective upon receiving order. Sales are FINAL on sale/discounted items. Damaged/defective items must be emailed to us with pictures within 48 hours of confirmed delivery.


text:
Welcome to Cosentino City San Francisco
101 Henry Adams St #130, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States
Número de teléfono
Monday to Friday: 9AM - 5PM
An interactive showroom for California's artistic capital
Located in the popular 'San Francisco Design Center', this City provides a collaborative, inspiring atmosphere in which designers, architects and clients are able to share ideas and projects, surrounded by the latest innovations in the sector.
Cosentino City San Francisco features an interactive showroom where professionals can enjoy all the possibilities that Cosentino materials and services have to offer.
"This 'City' emphasises our clear commitment to the U.S. market and its professionals"
Eduardo Cosentino
CEO Cosentino North America
Upcoming events
Be inspired by Cosentino City's worldwide network
Each City is unique and offers valuable experiences for designers and architects. Discover them!


text:
STANDING IN A CROWD of almost 4,000 runners, I shook my legs, hopped in place, and bit back waves of panic. That's what everyone says you're supposed to do with panic--bite it. You wallow in praise, cool your temper, gird your strength, but panic extrudes like doughy ropes from invisible portals that you have to nip off with your front teeth before they engulf you in giant debilitating wads. It was a few minutes before 8:30 a.m., and I was about to attempt the first 13.1-mile run of my life. While strangers on all sides bumped lightly against my shoulders, I lifted my head and closed my eyes and tried to picture the finish line--visualize the finish line, that is. You bite panic and you visualize finish lines. If you can. Though I had visited and looked it over less than 12 hours prior, in the moments before the race I could barely recall what it looked like. Then I remembered we were promised an arch with fire at the end of the course. Fire I could visualize. And so I thought with a starry burst of excitement--I'll run until I go through the fire.
Talkers talk and walkers walk. Although walkers occasionally talk, talkers almost never walk, and they certainly don't run half-marathons. After almost four years of consistent running, I had become a talker. In a wild week of random optimism, I'd impulsively announced in the pages of this magazine and to almost everyone I knew that I was ready to tackle a half-marathon. Before you've ever run or even begun training for a half, it's easy to talk about "tackling" one. Inevitably, you realize both real and metaphorical tackling of any kind are thoroughly useless. You realize early on that you must run a half-marathon plain and true, leave the helmet at home and tackle nothing. (Bite panic, visualize finish lines, run half-marathons.) When people asked what half I planned on doing, I'd tell them it wasn't important which one I chose. Important was that I'd finally decided to talk about tackling one.
I spent the next year watching registration deadlines come and go. By stunning coincidence, every race that looked ideal had closed just as I decided to do it. When the last autumn race within driving distance filled, my wife told me to choose one south of us and fly to it. "Go anywhere," Susan said. She pulled up Web sites for the Big Sur Half, the Rock 'n' Roll Vegas, the Cincinnati Flying Pig, Philly, Steamtown, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Disney. I asked her in all seriousness if they ran a half-marathon on the Great Wall of China. Because if they did, boy, that's one I would do.
More From Runner's World
Friends went from asking which half I'd choose, to whether or not I'd eventually do one at all. One day I ran with a group of more experienced runners who told me I was fit enough to do a half the next day. What a terrific thing it is to be thought of as a person who could run more than 13 miles on a whim. How sad to live so far from the Great Wall of China and never know for sure.
RW HALF & FESTIVAL: Race with the Runner's World editors this October for an experience like no other.
When you're feeling desperate and grasping at straws, little things become signs. Coincidence becomes destiny. Random luck becomes divine plan. The Runner's World Half-Marathon would be the first race festival (5-K, 10-K, half-marathon, and seminars) in the magazine's entire history. If I signed on, it would also be the first half-marathon of my entire history. These were parallel firsts I attached great meaning to. I suddenly realized that without knowing it I'd been on a collision course with this exact race from the moment I ran my first slow mile around a barn through the snow in Sorel boots. And this was a race that was almost literally in my backyard. The course crisscrossed the pathways of my life over the past 15 years--my kids' school, the houses of my friends, my favorite restaurants and shops. There was no choice here, no free will. This was a race and a distance that was meant to be. In a situation like this, you're either one with the cosmos or you're a turd. Turds are strong motivators. I didn't want to be a turd. The only way to keep that from happening was to do something I had always considered impossible.
Time was on my side. The race was in October, six months away. I would have to eat better, I thought. Lose a few pounds, keep my miles up over the hot days of summer, not get injured, not boast or appeal for sympathy, not tackle anything, just run, slow and steady without fanfare or drama. By the end of August, I had done just that. It's amazing how much easier it is to do something when you stop talking about it.
One day I ran seven miles. One day, nine, which was a new distance and privately astonishing--I had never imagined I'd ever run three, then five, then anything over five. Going seven was a kind of miracle. Nine was practically decadent--and took an hour and a half--and was still a long haul from 13.1. To reach that far, I would need a better bag of tricks. When it came to running, I had always been a hip-shooter. My method was no method, my plan was no plan. That kept running simple for shorter distances, but a well-loved no-plan would not work for going long. The farther I ran, the smarter I had to become.
After sampling through a dozen elaborate training programs I knew I would never follow, I settled on a simple page out of this very magazine that I tore out and posted on the fridge. It was called the Runner's World Half-Marathon Plan for Beginners--a 12-week program laid out on a grid that told me when, where, how far, and how hard to run. No thinking. No listening to subjective inner voices. No squishy platitudes. No squishy anything. I plugged in and followed the plan like a running robot, and increased my mileage to the maximum distance of 10 miles, with two weeks left to race day.
Then very unlike a robot, I began to feel proud of myself--the red carpet that always leads to disaster. I took an impromptu five-day run hiatus (not part of the plan), and with just nine days before the race, I decided to go rogue, baby. Midway into what would have been an otherwise civilized run, I spontaneously decided I would do a 12-mile "confidence-builder." I didn't end up running the whole way, and I didn't build any confidence--quite the opposite. The 12th mile was as difficult as the previous 11 combined and took almost as long. The final tenth of a mile was an indescribably painful delirium. Had I been running the actual race, I would have never made it to the end. The way it was, I barely made it back to the porch.
The city of Bethlehem, Pa., has got to be something of a race director's dream. A race designer like Bart Yasso, the chief running officer of Runner's World, is definitely a runner's dream. Take a man who has spent a lifetime running every kind of course that has ever been made the world over, and ask him to design a race in the town he grew up in, and you have a best-race scenario; you have the Runner's World Half-Marathon. (Sign up for the race here.)
Sycamore-lined streets wind through historic neighborhoods with homes like museum pieces, open fields, college campuses, and stone-faced buildings that date back to when the town was founded in 1741. The race would start and end at the base of the decommissioned Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces--a mind-boggling industrial cathedral of spiraling chutes and furnaces and stacks lined with ladders and platforms and walkways on the same scale as any of humankind's most ambitious achievements. Only a hopeless pragmatic would fail to draw strength from the rather obvious metaphor of a start/finish line set at the base of these monolithic beasts.
I checked into a nearby hotel on the Friday before the race--eight days after the ill-fated 12-mile buzz-kill that hung over my head and threatened to melt over everything. Since that run, I had done slow four- and three-mile trots and kept my fingers crossed that a cloud of magic would somehow follow me through the race-day distance. I went to the expo and headed straight through the crowd of runners to a giant tent to pick up my packet as well as the numbers for Susan and our youngest son, Willem, 10, who would both run the next morning's 5-K. At a long table, a woman took my name, ran through a row of bibs, and shot back up to my face. "Your name is so familiar," she said.
"Well, Marc is a very common name," I told her.
"No, do I know you from somewhere?" she said. I smiled and shrugged and reached for the bib. "Where do I know you from?" she said, pulling it back and peering into my face. I asked her if she reads the magazine, and she said yes.
"I write one of the columns," I said. She gasped.
"You're the Newbie," she said. She looked at the bib and her face darkened with concern. "And you're running the half-marathon?"
"Not unless you give me that bib," I said, lifting it from her fingers. We both laughed and I got the heck out of there.
Early the next morning, I cheered from the sidelines as Susan and Willem came tearing through the finish of the 5-K. It was Will's first. He was unsure about doing it the day before, but in the finishers' chute with music blaring and a bagel in each hand and sweat rolling over his red, round cheeks, he told me he wanted to run it again, as in, right then and there. That's how you finish a successful race, I thought. If after crossing the finish line, all you want to do is turn around and run the whole thing backward.
I spent the rest of the day drifting through the grounds that had been transformed into a kind of running mecca. I shopped for gear, cheered the finish of the 10-K race, listened to music, attended seminars, watched movies--like a day at an amusement park without the fried Oreos.
I watched a documentary about Dean Karnazes, who ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days, and subsequently went on to run across the entire country. He has to be disturbed, I thought. When the film ended, he walked onto the stage to thunderous applause--a killingly handsome, casually approachable, almost normal-looking human being who also happened to be an authentic running god. He finished his talk by telling us we could all essentially accomplish the same feats if we set our minds to it--an extravagantly generous claim that he appeared to actually believe. For a moment I did, too. At the very least, listening to a man talk about running across the country was a perfect way to make 13.1 miles seem reasonable.
I followed that with a talk by Bart Yasso, who is in firm possession of one of the most important requirements of an icon–everyone wants to be like him. Michael Jordan raised the same quality to the level of a brand. Everyone wanted to "Be Like Mike," and all we had to do was wear his shoes to get there. The same holds true for Yasso, only instead of shoes, it's running that makes you like him. During his "Life on the Run" seminar, I so wanted to be like Bart that I had to fight the urge not to jump from the seat and dash off a half-marathon on the spot.
After a light pasta dinner, one cookie, and water, water, water, I finished the evening with a keynote speech by the incredibly inspiring Matt Long, a New York City firefighter who, after getting hit by a bus and undergoing 40 surgeries and countless hours of rehabilitation, eventually put his life back together and ran the New York City Marathon in seven and a half hours.
The Karnazes/Yasso/Long cocktail was a potent prerace drink. Brushing my teeth in the hotel an hour later, I was still dizzy with it--Karnazes made running easy, Yasso made running cool, Long made running important. For the first time since committing to the race, I could hardly wait to finally get it started.
I opened my eyes the next morning to the wake-up bomb I'd set the night before--watch alarm at 4:45, room alarm at 4:46, front desk call at 4:47, and the fail-safe, Susan, next to me at 5. The race would start in three and a half hours.
Alone with a coffee at the high window looking over the city, I watched the sky turn pink with the rising sun. Big day, I thought, then looked over the darkened room at Susan and our three boys. Don't blow it. I checked the current temp and forecast three times before settling on what to wear. I pawed through a pile of new clothes and ended up choosing an old shirt and pair of shorts I've had for years.
With Susan and the boys beginning to stir, I ate the first half of a white bagel with peanut butter that I'd brought from home. I'd finally attributed my disastrous 12th mile to improper fueling, and didn't want to take a chance that the city of Bethlehem had never heard of things like bagels and peanut butter. I emptied half a Gatorade into the sink and filled it back up with water. Man, that felt pro. "What are you doing?!" the kids screamed as perfectly good Gatorade spun down the drain. "I'm getting my race on, boys," I growled, only half-joking. "I got some high-tech slippery socks on my feet here, and I'm gonna put on those bright orange shoes over there. I'm gonna pin a number to my chest and snug down my cap and start acting strange, y'all." They stared back at me. Willem asked if I'd ever run 13 miles before. I took a shot of the watered-down drink and bit into a banana and wiped my mouth across my arm. "No, I haven't," I said.
I finished dressing, ate the rest of the banana and the other half of the bagel, and we all headed downstairs and piled into the car. Just before the drop-off, my oldest son, who is a senior cross-country runner, asked from the backseat, "Dad, seriously: Is your pee clear?" I knew what he meant. Asking for urine color before a race is a senior in cross-country way of saying, "Good luck, man." I high-fived him and everyone else, jumped out of the car, and told them to cheer like crazy people when they saw me again.
At the starting line, after the national anthem was sung, I ducked down to check and retie my laces the way you tug the seatbelt before the roller coaster jerks to life. And there was a horn blast and the crowd surged. A minute later, I crossed the line under a blare of music and cheering. I saw Susan and our sons moments later and absorbed the blast of euphoria between us. Then a long slow downhill took us gently away, and the sound of cheering and music gave way to the steady rhythm of footfalls and breathing.
I'm really doing this, I thought. I can't believe I'm really doing this. I glanced at lone spectators drinking coffee and watching us with sleepy, smiling eyes. They would all retire to plates of eggs and sausages and we would still be running. We would still be running as they read the newspaper and fell asleep in the sun. They would wake and shower and dress and then ask themselves what the day might bring and we would still be running.
By the second mile I had found a steady pace that felt good--9:20--a little faster than I had planned but not ridiculously so. I didn't think about what lay ahead, only each step in front of me. And I couldn't believe how happy I was. Flat out happy without shading or complexity of any kind--dog happy, baby happy, drool happy. Not that anyone from the curb could have seen it. You know when a person is running unhappy, but happy running doesn't show. Someone once told me she knew running wasn't fun because you never see smiling runners. Though I was surrounded by a serious-faced mob, I thought I had probably never been in the midst of such uniform happiness. Our faces were serious, our minds focused, but our bodies, every one of them, were smiling. If you're wondering just how it is exactly that a body can smile, you'll have to run a half-marathon to find out.
Yasso had warned us in the previous night's course-strategy seminar that there would be hills. He had assured everyone they would occur mainly in the first eight miles. (Eight miles of hills? I thought.) The first big one struck at the end of mile three. I had lost some sleep thinking about eight miles of hills, but this one seemed somewhat tolerable. After all, I have hills in my run back home but none with rock bands and cheering spectators like this one had. But just as I was feeling snappy at the top of hill one, a steady, relentless series of hills in all shapes and sizes followed. I stopped trying to keep track of them. I didn't acknowledge them. When they came, I looked away and listened for cheering and music.
But then there were more still. "The entire course never leaves the city limits," Yasso had told us, seeming quite pleased with himself, "but it's impossible to design a half-marathon anywhere in the Lehigh Valley that doesn't have a few good hills--try to hang on till mile eight. After that, it's smooth sailing."
Hang on until eight. Smooth sailing. I began to think, when I did think, in small, simple sentences--keep go...do...nee water...hi.
Deep into mile five, the course grew steep and narrow. The crowd of runners got punchy, talkative. One guy ran up and told me it was his first half. "Me too," I huffed, and he hit me on the shoulder and tore off ahead. The road turned and tilted steeper. Goin' up? People shouted and randomly echoed. Cheering spectators became more important. I imagined every ninth or 10th group was shouting for me. I slapped hands with children. I fist-bumped total strangers. I became overly thankful of the police officers at intersections. "Thank you...for so much of... for your service," I slobbered. "Hi." Most nodded, but a few leaned back to protect themselves from a possible bear hug.
Long into mile six, I passed Susan and the boys, who were jumping and waving. I sped up and pulled my shoulders back and shot a thumbs up. Quick note to all significant spectators: The runner really needs you quite badly. I saw them only for a second, and of course I had just seen them less than an hour ago, but the boost I got was immeasurable. My shoulders stayed back and my speed held steady long after I'd passed them.
"Smooth sailing," I screamed at the eight-mile marker because screaming it would make it true. Others ahead and behind me echoed the same. "Bart Yasso said no more hills!" I cheered. He had also suggested we run a "negative split," which sounded too pro at the time, but since I'd already mixed water in my Gatorade, I was willing to try anything. A negative split meant that I was to run the second half of the race faster than the first. I chose mile eight to ramp things up, grabbing a GU in mile nine, and nursing it down through mile 10. Like a pro.
Mile 11 was a desert. I saw nothing. There could have been rows of bagpipers or NFL cheerleaders lining the streets, I wouldn't know. I dug down to find a way to keep going. I thought about Matt Long in the short film before his talk--the images of him pushing his body through pain so much greater than mine. I thought about my father-in-law, who had just passed away. He always made the most of everything, and I was making the most of this. I thought about a friend who had recently been paralyzed in an accident, and how much he would love to feel the pain of the exhaustion I was in. I thought about my kids and how they might set their measure of determination by how hard I push to the finish.
Crossing the bridge, I knew the worst of the course was behind me. Though I had steadily kept track of my pace, mostly to keep from going too fast too early, I had diligently ignored my total time. I'm easily demoralized by anything over an hour. If I think about running over an hour while I'm running over an hour, I start to break down, because I still can't believe I can actually do it. But as the final legs of the race approached, I touched the bezel of my trusty Garmin friend and asked for total time.
Whenever anyone asked if I had a goal finish time, I said no. This was my first half and I only wanted to complete it. That was a lie, of course. Everyone, no matter what he or she says, has a goal time, even if it's vague. At the very least, he has a time he doesn't want to finish in, as in: I don't want to "just finish my first half" in five hours...or four hours...or even three.
The time I thought I might be able to hit was two and a half hours. Even though in my training, I discovered I would need a very good day to make it. And don't forget about the hills. But I was having a tremendous race no matter what my time was. I was still going. Still coherent. I was not lying in the street. I was not in a van. I was not last.
I thought about ignoring the watch. Then with a mile and a half to go, I looked. I can't say what it read because I don't exactly remember. The first number was a one--completely shocking. The next numbers, the minutes--I only remember thinking in the jumble of music and cheering crowds and the body hammering under my neck--I could do this in under two.
So I went for it. It was a race after all. At some point in a race, you're supposed to go as fast as you can, regardless of how relatively slow that might be--you're supposed to push yourself, I thought. And so I did.
I became a slack-faced zombie-runner. I'd seen them at the end of many races, but I'd never been one. The zombie-runner is the person who would go full-speed into a brick wall and keep running on his side even after the collision and gore. He's the one who runs past the finish line because he hasn't seen it. Scream anything you want about the zombie-runners' mothers. They won't hear you. And zombie-runners think they're going much faster than they actually are. I was a rocket, as far as I knew. A human freight train. Because I had no idea where the course actually ended, I sprinted as if the finish line were only yards away. I hauled around a corner bracketed by a fully outfitted marching band playing full bore and thought, Does anyone else see a marching band right now? I am seeing a marching band right now! I would have shouted if I could.
Finally, there was fire ahead--tremendous, swirling, orange, run-ending flames that lifted from a steel arch spanning the final approach. Then the finish. I held up my arms, blazed through and hit my watch. Someone wrapped me in the foil blanket. Someone else handed me a medal that I draped around my neck. Medal..., I thought, ...good...hi.
My crew shouted and waved and leaned over metal barriers. I walked over in slow motion and wrapped my arms around them as the foil blanket whipped up between us in the wind. Good, I thought. This is all that good is and nothing less than what good is. This is dog good, baby good. "You did it," Susan said. In the moment, it felt like there was no more the world could ever give me than a finish line.
Then Willem asked me to steal him a bagel. "Dad," my oldest whispered, "me too." I looked at my middle son and he nodded.
Okay, then--no more the world could ever give me than a finish line and three extra bagels.
I looked down at my watch and revised that one last time--no more the world could ever give me than a finish line, three extra bagels, and 23 fewer seconds. But it's probably true that you should never get everything you ask for. No one would have ever believed a time of 1:59:59.


text:
Ice Climber Unropes, Slips, Falls 60 Feet
On Thursday, February 12, Wes Walker and Jason Grubb loaded up and drove 11 hours to Cody, Wyoming, for the annual South Fork Ice Festival. The two climbers, from Florida and Texas respectively, were enjoying their first season of ice climbing while living and working in the mountain town of Carbondale, Colorado.
On Thursday, February 12, Wes Walker and Jason Grubb loaded up and drove 11 hours to Cody, Wyoming, for the annual South Fork Ice Festival. The two climbers, from Florida and Texas respectively, were enjoying their first season of ice climbing while living and working in the mountain town of Carbondale, Colorado. On Friday morning they awoke at 7:30 a.m. and, finding no other ice climbers around, consulted the guide and settled on Broken Hearts (WI 5), a six-pitch waterfall that ascends a distinct gully. Despite the fact that they only had one set of ice tools, Walker and Grubb marched up the steep approach and were climbing by noon.
Walker, who had more experience (had actually placed an ice screw) led, engineered anchors, then lowered his tools to Grubb, who scrambled up as fast as possible. They continued in this fashion for three pitches before the sun set. Clouds moved in and it started snowing. After a short discussion about the merits of descending, their collective inexperience, their slow pace, the bad weather, and so forth, they ignored their instincts, got out their headlamps and continued upward.
The rest of the climb unfolded without incident, but on the summit the climbers became disoriented, argued, and eventually settled on the wrong descent gully. This gully was actually another climb, Broken Ribs (WI 5), and presented the climbers with challenging technical down climbing between vertical sections, which they rappelled. At roughly 8 p.m. Walker, unroped, planted his right front points and was searching for a hold for his left foot when the rear right crampon point hooked a quickdraw clipped to his harness. The front points sheared out of the ice and Walker began tumbling down the chute.
"His headlamp shot out of sight," Grubb said. "He fell for at least 60 feet. I was sure he was dead. A few moments later I heard Wes yell up that he'd broken his ankle, and I was incredibly relieved."
The ordeal was far from over, however, as the climbers still had to negotiate steep and dangerous terrain, and find their way back to their vehicle. After an epic descent, they reached the truck at 1 a.m. X-rays revealed a broken fibula. Walker had surgery on February 18 and is recovering.
The most surprising thing about this accident was that it wasn't worse. Ice, a malleable and capricious medium, is particularly unforgiving. Sometimes ice formations just fall down. Walker and Grubb were fortunate that conditions were good, but the decision to climb with a single set of tools was ludicrous. The transfer process dramatically slowed them down. The late start goes against the collective wisdom of generations of mountaineers, and their decision to continue into the night in a snowstorm rather than making three short rappels smacks of foolhardiness. It is not surprising that, in the dark, the climbers descended the wrong gully.
Stories of climbers catching a crampon in gear or clothing and falling, sometimes to their deaths, are legion. Minimize this risk by clipping gear to a shoulder sling, shortening pack straps and racking to the front loops of your harness. Avoid open-loop slings in favor of sewn quickdraws.
Nothing beats experience, however, and aspiring climbers should plan a progression of increasingly challenging objectives to develop the skills and familiarity with clothing and gear necessary for winter climbing. Grubb and Walker elected to tackle a big route with almost no experience and paid a small but painful price for their hubris. In this case the old adage applies: If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough.


text:
In 2011 the BBC broadcast its 'Classic Chandler' radio season, which amongst documentaries and dramas devoted to writer Raymond Chandler also produced adaptations of his novels featuring Toby Stephens as the iconic private investigator Philip Marlowe. In a nice touch they concluded with a dramatisation of Poodle Springs, a fragment of a new Marlowe novel that Chandler was working on at his death in 1959 and which 30 years later Robert B. Parker expanded with commendable fidelity (I reviewed the book here).
Apart from the first and last, the adaptations were not broadcast in chronological order – I hope to review them all as time allows.
The generally faithful adaptations are by Stephen Wyatt (see his homepage at: www.stephenwyatt.co.uk ) and Robin Brooks.
For further details about the BBC season, visit their website at:
- The Big Sleep (1939)
- Farewell, My Lovely (1940)
- The High Window (1942)
- The Lady in the Lake (1943)
- The Little Sister (1949)
- The Long Good-Bye (1953)
- Playback (1958)
- Poodle Springs (1989) – completed by Robert B. Parker
The complete set of eight full cast radio adaptations are to be released as a single box set on CD this November.


text:
Readers like you keep news free for everyone.
More than 5,000 readers have already pitched in to keep free access to The Journal.
For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away.
Readers like you keep news free for everyone.
More than 5,000 readers have already pitched in to keep free access to The Journal.
For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away.
MARTIN MCGUINNESS HAD strong words to say at the official launch of a mural of his party leader Gerry Adams today.
The Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland was speaking as the mural was unveiled on Falls Road in Belfast. It was painted after Adams was arrested for questioning by the PSNI over the murder of Jean McConville in 1972.
Yesterday, police were granted another 48 hours to question Adams.
Here is Martin McGuinness's speech in full:
A chairde,I want to thank you all for coming here today to demonstrate your solidarity with my friend and our party leader Gerry Adams.I have consistently said in recent days that the timing of the arrest of Gerry Adams was politically motivated.The decision to extend his detention is part of this.Does anyone here doubt that the arrest of Gerry Adams is inextricably linked to the Local Government and EU elections that will take place across this island in three weeks?
Martina Anderson who is here with us today and our 350 local government and EU candidates across this island are being denied the solidarity and support of their party leader during a crucial election campaign.
Does anyone here doubt Gerry's arrest at this time is not intended to disrupt that election campaign?
The PSNI has had the Boston tapes for a year.
The allegations contained in books and newspaper articles which the PSNI are presenting to Gerry as evidence that he was in the IRA in the 1970s have been around for 40 years.
But they are only now trying to use these. Is that not political policing?
This is a replay of the failed effort in 1978 to charge Gerry with membership.
That case was based on hearsay, gossip and newspaper articles and it failed.
36 years later those within the PSNI who are hostile to the peace process, are using the same old dirty tricks.
They are deliberately and cynically exploiting the awful killing of Jean McConville and the grief and hurt of her family.
Our sympathy is with the McConville family.
Let me be very clear about Sinn Féin's approach to policing and to the PSNI.
We worked very hard to reform policing.
Sinn Féin's negotiations strategy succeeded in achieving new policing arrangements but we always knew that there remained within the PSNI an embittered rump of the old RUC.
These people want to settle old scores whatever the political cost!
We fully support the PSNI in the fair and democratic implementation of policing and justice but our support is a critical support.
No police force is immune from criticism if it is acting in a politically biased and partisan fashion.
The arrest of Gerry Adams is evidence of that there is an element within the PSNI who are against the peace process and who hate Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin.
They are – what the reformers within the PSNI have described to us as the Dark Side.
They are small in number but very influential.
This group is working to a negative and anti-peace process agenda and are actively involved in political policing.
We have been told in recent days by our political opponents that there is no political policing; that there is no political interference in policing and, according to the British secretary of State, no one is above the law!
Who here believes that nonsense?
There are countless examples of the difference in treatment by the British state to its forces who killed citizens and its attitude to nationalists and republicans.
When the HET brought British soldiers in to question them about the killing of citizens they were not arrested.
On the contrary they were given tea and scones!
Just last year a British Inspectorate of Constabulary report – the HMIC – was scathing in its criticism of the PSNI handling of those investigations.
The PSNI today knows, and has for years, the names of those members of the British Parachute Regiment who killed 14 people on the streets of Derry in 1972.
Have any of the Paras been arrested? NO.
Is this political policing? Yes it is.
The PSNI know the British Parachute soldiers who killed 11 civilians in Ballymurphy in August 1971.
Have they acted on this evidence? No.
Is this political policing? Yes it is.
Last week the British Secretary of State Theresa Villiers told the Ballymurphy families there would be no review of their cases – families who have never had a proper investigation into their killings.
Is this political interference? Yes it is.
Four reports were published by the Irish Parliament into the Dublin Monaghan bombs which killed 33 citizens.
The Dáil concluded "that given that we are dealing with acts of international terrorism that were colluded in by the British security forces, the British Government cannot legitimately refuse to co-operate with investigations and attempts to get to the truth."
But that is exactly what successive British governments have done.
They have refused to provide information in their possession on these killings.
Is that not political interference? Yes it is.
In a key note speech two weeks ago, the British Secretary of State criticised what she described as the one sided focus on state killings.
Is this political interference in policing and the justice system? Yes it is.
If the PSNI and the British government want to talk about the 1970s then let them talk about and acknowledge the truth of the recently published book by Anne Cadwallader of the Pat Finucane Centre – 'Lethal Allies' – which documents 120 killings carried by RUC, the UDR and British intelligence agencies, along with unionist death squads, in a five year period in the 1970s.
The indisputable fact is that for 40 years there has been a virtual amnesty for British state forces involved in killing citizens both directly and through state collusion with unionist death squads.
I want to acknowledge that there are many progressive and open-minded elements in the new policing arrangements who are wedded to accountable and impartial policing.
I want to emphasise my absolute support for them in their efforts to deliver impartial and accountable policing.
But there is a small cabal in the PSNI who have a different agenda – a negative and destructive agenda to both the peace process and to Sinn Féin.
Sinn Féin under the leadership of Gerry Adams will not allow these elements to succeed.
Gerry Adams is my friend.
Gerry Adams is the leader of Sinn Féin.
Gerry Adams stands head and shoulders above all of those who helped build the peace process.
He is a peace maker, a leader, a visionary.
There would be no peace process but for his commitment and dedication.
Gerry Adams is committed to moving this process forward.
He will not be deterred or deflected and neither will we.
The Dark Side fear him.
That's why they are doing what they do.
And we stand with our friend and leader.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site


text:
On 8th.. Women's Day cards were getting distributed, written "happy women's day" on them, I too got one!. Not sure what was so happy about it, perhaps the font and the colour (obviously stereotypical pink!). Women were in Saree (which I feel, itself is a symbol of oppression) and happy talk was all around, mostly about shopping. On TV Burkha Dutta was talking something like "should we have, have it at all, or No?", Vidya Balan was also there, to promote her new filllem.. obviously. Not a single soul spent a day stressing the plight of subjugated women!
This is what happens in India, every cause gets converted into a festival with celebration, not much about the cause itself. ( Going forward, you can expect Ordering Pizza on world malnourishment day, and visiting temple on International AIDS awareness day – cause they are special days.)
Anyhow, there is some seriousness in other parts of world (where again, women are subjugated!). Bit Bizarre, but had to be done. Here this :
ON 8 MARCh 2 012, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, ThE NUDE PhOTO REvOLUTIONARIES CALENDAR was launched in homage to Egyptian atheist, student and blogger Aliaa Magda Elmahdy who posted a nude photo of herself, announcing the post on Twitter under the hashtag, #NudePhotoRevolutionary. She described her statement as 'screams against a society of violence, racism, sexism, sexual harassment and hypocrisy':
For More information, actual calender, video and fan pages visit Maryam namazie


text:
stucco stŭk´ō [key], in architecture, a term loosely applied to various kinds of plasterwork, both exterior and interior. It now commonly refers to a plaster or cement used for the external coating of buildings, most frequently employed in Mediterranean countries. It usually consists of a mixture of cement or lime and sand, applied in one or more coats over a rough masonry or frame structure; the finish is either troweled, floated, or rough textured. The finish called roughcast or rock cast, formerly common in England and the United States, consists of small gravel or other pebbles mixed with wet plaster and thrown or dashed forcibly against a freshly plastered wall. In Italy a form of decoration known as graffito is often applied to a stucco wall. In ancient Greece a form of stucco was often used over coarse stonework to give a fine surface suitable for receiving detail. The Romans employed stucco similarly on external surfaces and, with notable success, as an interior finish; for indoor work they used a mixture of plaster of Paris or powdered marble, capable of receiving a high finish. The term stucco is also applied to various forms of interior decoration in relief that more properly would be classified as plastering.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Architecture


text:
by Dr. G.F. Haddad
`Abd al-Qahir ibn Tahir ibn Muhammad, Abu Mansur al-Naysaburi al-Tamimi al-Baghdadi al-Shafi`i al-Ash`ari (d. 429), al-Ustadh, the imam, jurist, scholar of principles and kalam, man of letters, poet, prosodist, grammarian, and mathematician, praised by Shaykh al-Islam Abu `Uthman al-Sabuni as "one of the imams of the principles of the Religion and foremost authorities of Islam by consensus of its most eminent and competent scholars."
He is al-Bayhaqi's senior and the exact contemporary of Abu Dharr al-Harawi and Abu Muhammad al-Juwayni among the third-generation Ash`ari imams. He came to Naysabur with his father and spent his entire fortune in support of the scholars of knowledge until he became able to teach in seventeen different disciplines. He was Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini's senior student and, together with Abu Sahl al-Su`luki, they staunchly defended the position related from al-Shafi`i that "the Book cannot be abrogated by the Sunna."1 Abu Mansur succeeded Abu Ishaq al-Isfarayini as headmaster in the mosque of `Aqil, where al-Bayhaqi, Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri and Nasir al-Marwazi studied under him. He narrated hadith from al-Isma`ili and Abu Ahmad ibn `Adi. Among his works:
1. Ahkam al-Wat' al-Tamm, also known as Iltiqa'
al-Khitanayn, a book on sexual ethics and pertaining laws in
in four volumes.
2. Bulugh al-Mada min Usul al-Huda
3. Fada'ih al-Karramiyya
4. Fada'ih al-Mu`tazila
5. al-Fakhir fi al-Awa'il wa al-Awakhir
6. al-Farq Bayn al-Firaq, his major heresiological reference-work together with the Milal. In it he states the following positions:
- "It is obligatory to declare as unbeliever someone who says that Allah has limits." The anthropomorphist creed is that "Allah has limits that He knows of."
- "Ahl al-Sunna reached consensus that Allah, the Flawless, the Exalted, is not bounded by location." He then reports the saying of `Ali (r): "Allah created the Throne as an indication of His power, not for taking it as a place for Himself."
- "Know that Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama`a are divided in eight groups of people... the sixth group being the Sufi Ascetics (al-zuhhad al-sufiyya), who have seen things for what they are and therefore have abstained, who have known by experience and therefore have taken heed truly, who have accepted Allah's allotment and contented themselves with what is within reach."
7. Ibtal al-Qawl bi al-Tawallud
8. al-`Imad fi Mawarith al-`Ibad, on inheritance laws.
9. al-Iman wa Usuluh
10. al-Kalam wa al-Wa`id
11. Manaqib al-Imam al-Shafi`i
12. Mashariq al-Nur wa Madarik al-Surur fi al-Kalam
13. al-Milal wa al-Nihal, a heresiological reference-work.
14. Mi`yar al-Nazar
15. Nafy Khalq al-Qur'an
16. Naqd Abi `Abd Allah al-Jurjani fi Tarjih Madhhab Abi Hanifa in which he states that Imam al-Shafi`i authored a book in refutation of Brahmans in which he adduces the proofs of Prophethood.
17. Nasikh al-Qur'an wa Mansukhuh
18. al-Qadaya fi al-Dawr wa al-Wasaya
19. Sharh Hadith Iftiraq Ummati `ala Ihda wa Sab`in Firqa
20. Sharh Miftah Ibn al-Qass on Shafi`i fiqh, in which he states the following positions:
- "The sunna of ablution (wudu') is to say, upon rinsing one's hands: Bismillah, wa billah, wa `ala millati Rasulillah -- Allah bless and greet him --."2
- "The sunna of iqama is to dispatch it, but one must not move from his spot while he raises it until he reaches the words qad qamat al-salat." The Shafi`i position is that one does not move from one's spot until the end of the iqama once he begins it.3
- "One makes intention for salat al-janaza to accomplish a collective obligation (fard kifaya), as in other obligations."
- "Some of the Shafi`is forbid the joining of prayer for non-travelers during rain." The fatwa in the School is the contrary and they consider it permissible even in the absence of rain, when one fears that one will be unable to accomplish prayers in their proper time.
21. al-Sifat
22. Tafdil al-Faqir al-Sabir `ala al-Ghani al-Shakir
23. Tafsir al-Qur'an
24. al-Tahsil fi al-Usul
25. al-Takmila fi al-Hisab
26. Ta'wil Mutashabih al-Akhbar
27. Usul al-Din, in which he cites, among those who consider the verse of istiwa' one of the mutashabihat or Qur'anic ambiguities, Imam Malik ibn Anas, the seven jurists of Madina, and al-Asma`i. In it he states:
- "Allah's establishment on the Throne is an action He has created named istiwa' and related to the Throne, just as He has created an action named ityan (coming) related to a certain people; and all this implies neither descent nor movement."
- "The correct position according to us is the interpretation of the Throne in this verse (20:4) to mean sovereignty (al-mulk), as if He meant that sovereignty has not been established for any but Him. This interpretation is taken from the saying of the Arabs: 'So-and-so's throne has toppled' if he lost his power." He then cites three examples from Arabic poetry illustrating this. Like Ibn Battal, he attributes the interpretation of istawa as istawla ("He conquered") chiefly to the Mu`tazila.
- "The book Tarikh al-Sufiyya (History of the Sufis, more commonly known as Tabaqat al-Sufiyya) by Abu `Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami comprises the biographies of nearly a thousand sheikhs of the Sufis, none of whom belonged to heretical sects and all of whom were of the Sunni community, with the exception of only three of them: Abu Hilman of Damascus, who pretended to be of the Sufis but actually believed in incarnationism (hulul); Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, whose case remains problematic, though Ibn `Ata' Allah, Ibn Khafif, and Abu al-Qasim al-Nasir Abadi approved of him [as did the Hanbalis Ibn `Aqil, Ibn Qudama, and al-Tufi]; and al-Qannad, whom the Sufis accused of being a Mu`tazili and rejected, for the good does not accept the wicked."
Toward the end of Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi's life the Turkmen dissension forced him out of Naysabur to Isfarayin, where he died and was buried next to his teacher Abu Ishaq.
Main sources: Ibn `Asakir, Tabyin Kadhib al-Muftari (p. 249-250); al-Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam al-Nubala' (13:372 #3991); Ibn al-Subki, Tabaqat al-Shafi`iyya al-Kubra (5:136-148 #468).
1 This position was refuted by Ibn Furak and
majority of Shafi`is, and Ibn al-Subki discussed the dubious
authenticity of its attribution to al-Shafi`i in his Sharh
2 See al-Shawkani, Nayl al-Awtar, book of Tahara, chapter on the invocations that pertain to ablution (al-tasmiya `ala al-wudu').
3 As stated by Ibn al-Subki in al-Tabaqat al-Wusta, cited in his Tabaqat al-Shafi`iyya al-Kubra (5:143 n. 5).
Allah's Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and all his Companions.