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Me, I just think it's sad. Of all the things to go off the deep end over, a college football playoff wouldn't be on my list.
Daily Archives: July 25, 2009
"Some call it obsessed."
Filed under BCS/Playoffs, General Idiocy
There's always the next story to get worked up about.
Since the media solved the Crime of the Century yesterday, it's turned its attention to a lesser included offense – Spurrier not giving the requisite amount of serious attention to an irrelevant vote. The lesson we're supposed to take from that somehow is that one coach's failure to spend endless hours agonizing over a preseason all-conference ballot (as if every member of the media does) means that the Coaches' Poll is morally bankrupt.
Now I'll be the first guy to admit that the Coaches' Poll has problems with at least the appearance of bias and conflicts of interest. Serious problems, which is why the recent move to return the last regular season vote to a secret ballot is incredibly tone deaf on their part. But to see some linkage between Spurrier blowing off a vote on a matter that would have been completely forgotten by next week if he hadn't been careless with his ballot and what sixty-plus coaches do with their poll votes is lazy thinking at its finest.
Think about it for a minute – and I know this is a back-handed compliment if there ever was one – but don't accusations of bias and conflicts of interest indicate that the coaches care about which schools they vote for? I mean, really, what we're saying concerns us is that they're casting votes for the wrong reasons. How does that relate to the OBC mailing in his preseason all-SEC vote, figuratively speaking? It doesn't.
But don't take my word for it. Spurrier himself acknowledges that he treats the two matters in completely different ways.
He said he's never filled out his All-SEC preseason ballot in 17 years. Spurrier said the only names he remembers seeing on the ballot were Georgia receiver A.J. Green and Florida defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap.
Spurrier said he actually fills out his coaches' poll top 25 ballot during the season himself.
Look, you want to bitch about bias and conflicts, that's valid. You want to question whether these guys spend enough time composing their top 25 ballots – OK, fine. (That's what my shameless plugs at GTP are all about.) But to point to Spurrier's admission as some huge smoking gun here strikes me as an irrational argument. I dunno, maybe these guys were so disappointed in the way Tebowgate played out that they had all this leftover indignant energy they had to point somewhere, but it sure sounds dumb today.
Filed under College Football, Media Punditry/Foibles


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Inspired by: ezinearticles

subset: commoncrawl


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A hidden camera investigation demonstrates how easy it is to buy guns at gun shows without giving identification. CNN's Martin Savidge explains the results of the undercover report.
Background checks are not required for private sales, but the seller is legally obligated to check the buyer's ID to verify that person is not from out-of-state.
The CNN crew that visited Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia was able to purchase several weapons without having to prove residency or fill out paperwork, but not in every interaction with a seller. In once instance, a seller tells our producer that he got a gun "off a police officer."
The total weapon haul from the weekend was three semi-automatic handguns with extra magazines and one semi-automatic rifle with a 30-round magazine. The total spent was $2,800. No identification was given, leaving zero paper trails. The guns were turned over to CNN security to deal with.
Watch the video to see the gun show investigation, and then watch NRA President David Keene's response:
Tell me again what these background checks will uncover? I'm convinced these checks are flimsy. Very flimsy. I know, because I've passed more than ten of them myself. I've had thoughts that would curl your mind. Idle thoughts, certainly, but you never, ever know when ANYONE is going to SNAP, do you?
These are nothing but delusional attempts to comfort hoplophobia (fear of guns).
My son tried to by a gun at the show they have here every few months.. they refused him because his ID is out of state.
But funny how many seemingly 'normal, healthy people' manage to walk away with these things every day because they are not documented as a threat.....
I see both sides of this issue, on the one hand I want to be able to purchase a gun without the added hassle of a background check. At the very least the government will need to make the process a whole lot quicker than it is now or the private citizens will just not do the background checks, much like the experience of the buyers that contributed to this article. On the other hand, I also can see that an unregulated 'private sale' system is how a criminal could easily obtain a gun that is not traceable to them, which is what a lot of gun control advocates want to prevent. I can respect that aspect for sure. In the end it would better if there were less guns in the hands of criminals but that will probably never happen. They will always find a way to arm themselves. Just ask a police officer in the UK if their criminals still have weapons.
Also, kade madison, protecting myself and my family from someone who would harm us is a human right that everyone deserves to have. I believe the father of our constitution said it best: "Americans have the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the people of other countries, whose leaders are afraid to trust them with arms." – James Madison
Since there is no check of ID's, what happens if you purchase a gun from an individual and the gun was either stolen or used in a crime. I wonder if that can effect the buyer?
I've been to several gun shows in the last three years. Only two had someone who was a private seller. One was an older fellow slimming down his collection. He asked for drivers license and recorded all the info. The other guy had a table and a sign that read, "Private seller". So, he was advertising. Even he was asking questions. On the order of,
Do you already have a firearm? or
Have you passed background check in the last six months?
So I don't believe it is likely a felon will easily find a gun at a gun show. Another factor that would discourage a felon from visiting a gun show is they don't want police to think they are looking for guns.
Word is out, some places have police watching for felons via security cameras.
All of the licensed dealers a the shows I visited were running background checks, so no felons were buying from them.
"God made man; Samuel Colt made them equal."
The same is true today, and also applies to women and children (of course, the God part is still up for debate). The only thing that gives criminals power is having more (fire)power than you. Restrict or remove guns from law abiding citizens and the criminals gain the upper hand. Criminals, by definition, will not follow any new or existing gun laws; and if they're getting ID'd at gun shows (which they don't attend, anyway), they'll just go to Craigslist or somewhere on the street.... or they'll simply steal them from law abiding citizens. Please don't kid yourselves about these proposed laws making any kind of dent in the acquisition of firearms by criminals.
What we need is for all criminals to know about this method of purchasing weapons, and for them to know how easy it is for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to get the weapon of their choice. Then, and only then, will the criminals start hesitating to behave as criminals, as they will begin to assume every home owner has an AR ready to mow them down upon illegal entry. No, this is not sarcasm. If you believe a career criminal goes to gun shows for his firearms, you should befriend one or two and learn some things about the seedy underworld. A French Lex Luthor blasted his way through nearly a dozen prison doors, for Pete's sake. Criminals don't have to follow any rules or laws in order to fulfill their agendas. They find ways. What we need to do is make sure that their potential victims have found ways, too.
Until a background check can reveal mental illness, they are just what they are a tool. A tool that is more for government infringing on the people's rights and less of a tool to weed out the irresponsible. Any criminal can buy a gun on the street. Any mentally ill person can find a gun on the street or steal it from his mother's safe. The Connecticut shootings would not have been prevented by any gun control measures. It could have maybe been prevented had the shooter received mental help. Do we all REALLY want government to dictate every decision we make? Not every horrible thing is preventable.
The hand gun sales would never be allowed in Pa but the rifle sale could. with the private seller the one held responsible.
I would like to see that changed. Every weapon sale should have to be completed with a background check. As in Pa the officials can only make the checks and then the paper work, by penalty of law has to be destroyed.No tracking on the approve buyer and no record kept. This has worked for hand guns in Pa for years with no affect on my rights.
I think it's about time that the government is held accountable also.The failure of not updating the information should have no excuse!
Im a huge 2nd Amend supporter, but this article right...all private sales need background checks
The "issue" that most people miss is the constitutional infringement imposed by prohibiting direct sales between private individuals across state lines.
But no one looks at the "old laws" that violate the US Constitution, they are intimidated into thinking they are valid when they are not.
You'll always be able to buy a gun and there's nothing they'll ever be able to do about it. All this regulation isn't hurting anyone BUT the law abiding individual who wants to do it legally so we can enjoy our 2nd ammendment rights and have the ability to defend ourselves should the need arise.
I get that it'd be better to have more foreknowledge about a potential buyer, but if some seller ever asks me "what are you going to do with it" I'll tell him it's none of his danged business. I don't get asked if I'm gonna drink and drive when I buy a car. Besides, this "Gun Show Loophole" won't be fixed by the proposed legislation. The AR-15 style rifle was a person-to-person sale, and there would be no difference if it was sold at a gun show or a fashion show. The people with stalls were a bit surprising, but I'm sure they felt they were following their state law. Fact is, guns, like any other commodity, will be sold regardless of legal restrictions. Sales of guns happen like this every day, and NONE of the recent mass shooters bought their guns this way. Why don't we focus on the killers and their warning signs instead of the tools they use? Box cutters being banned on planes isn't what has stopped a second 9-11, it was better understanding of the killers who plotted it.
Everything was legal except for the three that did not make sure they were selling to someone out of state. How many people are prosecuted for this? And do you think if they were required to do a background check they would do that? If no one is making sure they follow the law now will they if they require them to do a back ground check.
I don't think it's legal to buy handguns across state lines without an FFL transfer.
And the issue is what exactly? Our 2nd amendment right lets us do just that. So if we are all to blame for what a few do then let us stop watching the news because our poor journalism or hey why doesn't everyone stop driving cars because of vehicular manslaughter. How about everyone stops voting and just let the government do what it wants anyway cause guess what even though this whole gun control issue is the new hot topic we still haven't worked out our job security our healthcare issues or the trillion dollar debt problem that we are blasting head on for. So yes lets not focus on the real issues lets just keep eating away at the constitution until there is nothing left!
It's sad if you don't see what the "issue" is. And no, you don't have a 2nd amendment right to do just this. You have a right to bear arms which is a right,more so a privilege, that was written into law during a time of war when there was nothing else to protect us. It was so people could have weapons and form militias. But even our constitution must change with the times. Laws made over 200 years ago sometimes need tweaking to ensure they conform with society today, not the way it was in 1776. Anyone can obtain a weapon this way and we want to stop criminals from obtaining weapons this way. If you can't see that, then you certainly are not worthy of any rights of this country.
You absolutely welcome to propose constitutional amendment and as soon as it will be approved by Congress and ratified by states we will obey it. But before this we will live by the existing one.
People who doesn't follow the laws and do not ask for id during private firearm sale must be prosecuted at list until that law will be challenged in scouts and repealed as unconstitutional.
How utterly stupid. Background checks for ALL gun buyers is just common sense. What do you have to hide? Are you a convicted criminal? A mental case? No, then you shouldn't mind a background check. If you do, then you're either a criminal or plotting a criminal act and don't deserve to own a gun.
The problem with background checks is that Obama just signed with the un WHICH lets them regulate all handguns and rifles and that records to be kept for 1 year at least. Thats registration. Oh, and believe me they are out hunting gun owners. It just happened here in NY. The state police used a persons medical files to tell the pistol dept to revoke his permit and they went to his house and confiscated his firearms because he was on an antianxiety med. NO MD reported him dangerous. They have admitted culpability and he got a lawyer and got his guns back but it has begun. The Gestapo is here, and they are knocking on your door.
II haven't heard how many lives they think will be saved by passing the universal background check. Since people are so adamant about passing it, they must have an expected reduction in murder rates. What is it?
what we need is not a UBC but rather a national identification card that will include your immigration status, all criminal records and health records. then with a simple scanning with a phone app any citizen can tell if the purchaser is able to posses the firearm
I was forming my opinion to write it but you said it exactly. The constitution what set up to keep government from getting too big. Who is America anyway? Is it the government or is it the people? Anyone who thinks these have not become two different entities is asleep at the wheel. No, I don't mean republicans and democrats. I mean a government against the people who put them there. Both sides have found ways to take our rights away and justify it....where WILL it stop?
It is legal to sell PRIVATE PROPERTY even if it is a gun. Once you allow the govt to start regulating citizens PRIVATE PROPERTY SALES you get into other Constitutional violations. You don't get to pick and choose what the govt can violate and what private property the govt can regulate or not.
We're talking about weapons. And yes, there is plenty of "personal property" that is still regulated how it is sold. When it comes to weapons we must protect the good of the people. We must protect everyone as a nation.
Excellent. Exercising one's human rights shouldn't be dependent upon showing ID and asking permission.
Purchasing a weapon is not your "human" right. And if you think it is you have been grossly misinformed.
you are wrong, self defense IS a unalienable human right, or are you saying rape and murder are a rights? as someone that has legally used a concealed firearm to stop an violent assault of woman by a drug enraged man while over 70 people watched the attack I know full well the value of a law abiding citizen having the right of self defense or in the state of Florida the right to stop a felony.
Purchasing a weapon might not be a "human right" but defending yourself in the best possible manner is. And nobody has the right to dictate what means I use to defend myself. Firearms are private property and when transferred from one person to another you should not need to do a background check. Soon you will have to do a background check for other private transfers. Selling a laptop computer to somebody does not mean that you should do a background check on the person buying it just in case he does criminal hacking, illegal downloading, or any other computer related crime.
Right to bear arm is part of the constitution. Freedom of private business is also.
I just watched the report on buying guns with no questions asked. I don't know where in Tennessee the investigation was done but not all gun shows in Tennessee are like that. I went to one last month in Nashville at the Fairgrounds looking for a gun and every person who sells there is required to do a background check on the buyer. So don't judge all gun shows by the two or three you went to because there will always be those who cut corners or don't care about the consequences of selling a gun without the proper checks.
At these gun shows they are " PRIVATELY SELLING" firearms. Someone owns it " privately" and is selling it privately. I think people would be more reluctant to do background checks privately if NICS was not so backed up. Thats the problem. The government wants you to go through channels to do it. Thats fine. Background checks are a good idea for the most part, however they take forever. You have the right to a speedy trial, why can't you have the right to a speedy gun purchase as well. Also just to make this point proven... Most gun shows do require the purchaser to do a NICS check. Thats to cover their own butt.


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Robert LeFevre was one of the bright stars of the freedom movement before his death, but whose legacy remains. He once said when most people feel threatened that their freedom may be taken away, they try to take away the freedom of those they fear.
In other words, in their fear they become the thing they were afraid of and become the embodiment of the opposite of freedom. This is what people who really love freedom and liberty need to guard against in their own lives.
I would imagine that everyone is afraid of something. Many people live under the belief that if just the right laws are passed and enforced, life will be safe. They believe they will be protected from those things they fear.
This has never been the case in the history of civilization, but hope springs eternal. Those who wish to rule the rest of us feed on this hope.
A while back someone wrote, "We wouldn't need so many laws if there weren't so many idiots." This is apparently a common opinion, but it ignores reality and the law of unintended consequences.
Laws create idiots by protecting people from the full consequences of their actions, and by giving a false sense of security to others. The result is people are not encouraged to take responsibility for their actions.
The existence of these idiots and the tragedies that inevitably result are then used as justification for more laws, which in turn create more idiots and more tragedies. It's the same old drama that has played out for thousands of years all over the globe.
What is the cost of safety? You could reduce the frequency of hangnails by cutting off every finger to ever develop one, but most people would recognize the price as too high. You might make life safer by outlawing liberty, too, but that cost is immeasurably higher.
The reality is that bad things happen. You could criminalize every last shred of liberty and freedom, and even if you refused to admit this is a bad thing in itself, other bad things would still happen every single day without fail. No laws can change this. There is no utopia. No one is able to guard you from harm better than yourself.
Accept your responsibility, for it lies with no one else.


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Why did all Warlock specs become so DoT heavy in Cataclysm?
I've been wondering this as I've gone though the changes in Mists, because the difference is so startling; why did every spec start using all DoTs, all the time? Why did Destro end up getting damage from 5 DoTs and lose the nuking feel? Why did everyone end up using Corruption and Shadowflame?
Was it a deliberate design decision, or was it an accident?
I can't answer designer intent, but I think the root of this was an innocuous quality of life change made to DoTs at the start of Cataclysm. Ironically, a small change to make DoTs easier to use ended up making the Warlock class harder to play overall.
I covered this early after Cataclysm's release in How Warlock DoTs Work in Cataclysm, which looked at the different ways Haste affected DoTs in Wrath and Cataclysm. There were two changes:
- You could now clip most DoTs without losing the final tick, and
- DoTs would gain ticks of damage at certain Haste values.
The clipping was the quality of life issue, but to make it happen, the mechanics of DoTs had to be modified.
In Wrath, Haste meant that your 18 second Corruption with 6 ticks could be done in, say, 12 seconds, at which point you'd recast it. In Cataclysm this was changed so that DoT spells would remain roughly the same duration, but add additional ticks of damage when they got fast enough. Your 15 second/6 tick Corruption could potentially become a 13.64/6 tick or 16.25 second/8 tick spell.
This was, in retrospect, a really big deal.
Haste increased DoT DPS by making ticks faster, that's easy. But in Cataclysm, Haste also dramatically increased the DPCT (damage per cast time) of DoTs like Corruption because each cast generated more overall damage. If a Warlock with no Haste cast Corruption, that's a GCD to cause 6 ticks of a set amount of damage. If that Warlock has enough Haste to get an additional tick or two of damage, that GCD spent casting the DoT now does 16%, 33%, 50% more damage, depending on how many additional ticks were on the spell.
With Cata's new Haste/DoT model, Warlocks of all specs had to cast every DoT available to them. They were too good not to cast. Corruption and Shadowflame became defaults for every spec. Destro was caught in a vice because Conflagrate was based upon Immolate's total damage, so every additional tick Haste granted increased not only their primary DoT's DPCT, it also made their primary nuke hit much harder, giving an additional DPS boost. So they'd stack Haste to get those Immolate ticks, which would in turn improve Corruption's DPCT, making it even more important to cast.
Sweet delicious Haste, combined with shared spells across all specs, became a trap.
I think the changes weren't intentionally designed to make Warlocks more complicated; changes were made to DoTs/HoTs for all casters, not just Warlocks, and in general the new model really is better. It's certainly easier to be able to clip with the 2 second rule! And the extra ticks and associated Haste Breakpoints/Plateaus make Haste a more interesting secondary stat.
I think this points towards Warlocks getting hit by Lorenz's butterfly effect – a small initial change in one part of the game had unforeseen major consequences in another.
- DoT/Haste interaction changes with 4.0.1 release.
- Corruption/Shadowflame DPCT rises.
- All Warlock specs have Corruption and Shadowflame in their priority.
Plenty of other small quality of life changes were made that had an effect upon the class's overall complexity. Banes being separated out from Curses, for example, seemed good at first (Banes caused damage, Curses were debuffs) because you no longer needed to do advanced math to figure out if you should take the 12% damage increase from Curse of the Elements or the damage caused by Curse of Doom or Agony. But then every Warlock ended up casting a Bane – and maybe a Curse too.
The DPCT of Shadowflame has always been surprisingly good, mostly due to its short cast time, so it was interesting to see it get used so prominently in Cataclysm. I haven't really taled about Shadowflame much before, but it's a spell that I adore – damage, dot, and a glyphed slow. It's also a tremendous pain in the ass to use in PvE, and takes skill to use in PvP. It has short range so you either have to run in to use it or forgo it entirely. It's not just a DoT or an AoE, it's a spell that requires very good placement to use. Movement matters, which adds a layer of complexity far beyond just another spell.
Corruption presents an interesting problem because it was baseline damage for all three specs. Blizzard couldn't change how it worked without considerable effort, so all that was left was tweaking the damage. If the damage was made too low, Affliction would be neutered, but if it was kept high, Destruction would benefit too much. So talents, Mastery bonuses, general damage all got modified – but Corruption's DPCT was too good to pass up for Destro. (Demo always wanted it for Molten Core procs, but the damage was similarly good.)
I think the fact that Haste changed all DoTs and not just Warlock DoTs points towards this being an accident. I can't prove it, and it's not like it was the source of all Warlock problems in Cataclysm.
It was just a little butterfly, flapping its wings.


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We've all been there -
whether we're parents, siblings, or babysitters at some point or another
we've all tried to put an unwilling toddler to bed. And if that wasn't bad
enough, we've all also been woken up at the crack of dawn by the very same
tot the very next morning.
The Good Nite Lite was
developed to help little ones grasp the concept of night and day. And, essentially,
it's a night-light with a built-in timer. All you need to do is set the correct
time of day and then the bedtime and wake-up times. Traditionally, children are
taught that when it's dark it's time for sleep and when it's light it's time to
get up.
The Good Nite Lite allows children to easily identify when it's time
to go to bed (by illuminating a moon) and when it's time with the sun display.
When a child gets into bed, the Good Nite Lite is a brightly lit moon, that
automatically dims after a set time. If the child wakes up and the moon's face
is still glowing he'll know to go back to bed until he sees the shining sun
face signal that it's time to start the day.
More From Good Housekeeping
During daytime, the Good Nite Lite automatically shuts itself off to
eliminate any distractions and conserve energy. It costs $34.95 and comes with
a 30-day guarantee. If your child's sleeping routine doesn't improve within 30
days, you can return the product in the original packaging for a full refund.
For more on the topic of
sleep, check out What Your Sleeping Style Says About You.


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By Chris Carmichael
The first week of the Tour de France is traditionally the time for the pure sprinters to shine. This year, however, the organizers have added specific challenges to make it more difficult for the sprinters to prevail. Instead of long, straight, and flat finishing stretches, we've already seen two steep uphill finishes (Stages 1 and 4), one legitimate flat sprinter stage (Stage 3), and one roller coaster of a finale with a slightly uphill finish (Stage 5). Each type of finish presents its own challenges and suits a slightly different approach.
Uphill Sprints
More From Bicycling
Like anything uphill, these sprints are very difficult, and they are also very different than sprinting on flat ground. The starting speed for an uphill sprint is typically slower than for a flat-ground surge for the finish. This works in favor of athletes with explosive power and a great jump. Smaller riders who may not have the peak power output to compete with thundering herd of field sprinters can gain an advantage over their heavyweight competitors in these uphill finishes.
Take Stage 4. The finish was a 2-kilometer climb with some seriously steep pitches in the middle and a more level road in the final 300 meters. Alberto Contador attacked on the steep grade and was immediately followed by Cadel Evans and Philippe Gilbert. All three men are known for their explosive accelerations, although Contador is more known for explosive attacks in the high mountains. But behind them, Thor Hushovd and Joaquin Rojas – two riders who have made their careers by being super fast sprinters – pounded on the pedals and reeled in the attackers. Though the win came down to a photo finish between Evans and Contador, Rojas and Hushovd finished in the same small group.
One of the most important things to remember about uphill sprinting is to keep it short. After your initial acceleration, it is very difficult to maintain your top sprinting speed very long in an uphill sprint. As a result, you have to be patient and wait until you are closer to the finish line to launch your final surge for the line. As we saw in today's finish on Stage 5, a Team Sky rider launched early and gained a pretty sizable gap, but on the final rise to the finish he couldn't maintain the speed and was swamped by the sprinters who waited.
The best workout for developing the power for uphill finishes focuses on specificity. I recommend hill sprints. Find a short, steep hill that has a flat run-in to the base. For the workout you want to come into the hill at a high rate of speed (20-22mph), wait until you feel the gradient bite into your momentum and start to add resistance, and then with your hands in the drops, jump out of the saddle and sprint for 15 seconds. Recover for 5 minutes by spinning easily, and then repeat. It's important to give yourself plenty of recovery between sprints in order for each effort to be effective. Beginners should do four sprints, intermediate riders six, and advanced riders should do 10 sprints (and advanced riders may want to break this into two sets of five with a longer recovery period – like 15 minutes – between sets).
Flat Sprints
Sprints on flat ground start at incredibly high speeds and get faster from there. As a result, they require massive amounts of power and that's why the bigger riders like Thor Hushovd, Tyler Farrar, Alessandro Petacchi, Tom Boonen, Joaquin Rojas, and Andre Greipel are more successful than smaller riders who may also have plenty of explosive power. Mark Cavendish is somewhat of an anomaly in that he is a relatively small rider compared to other sprinters, but there's no doubt he packs quite a punch.
Leadouts are crucial for flat finishes because the sprinters need support riders to keep the speed as high as possible before they launch their final acceleration. The high speed also strings the field out into a long line, eliminating most riders from contention. This not only reduces the number of athletes who have a legitimate chance of winning, but it also keeps everyone safer. When flat sprint stages lack a high-speed leadout, the peloton swarms across the road and the chances of a crash increase dramatically.
Head and tailwinds have a big impact on flat sprint finishes. If there's a headwind in the final straightaway, you have to treat the sprint almost like an uphill finish and keep your final acceleration short. When you come off the wheel of your leadout into a strong headwind, the resistance is so great that you don't accelerate to as high a maximum speed and you also start to slow down sooner.
There are two workouts that I think are crucial for cyclists looking for success in flat sprints. The first is a high-speed sprint. Since most of us don't have access to motorpacing or a leadout train, the easiest way to practice sprinting from a high starting speed is to do downhill sprints.
Find a straight road that is slightly downhill (1-3%, not 6-8%). Roll into the sprint at 23mph or faster so you're already pedaling fast (100+ rpm) in a big gear (53x15 or even bigger). With your hands in the drops, jump out of the saddle and sprint at hard as you can for 20 seconds. Spin easy for five minutes for recovery between sprints. Beginners should do four sprints, intermediate riders six sprints, and advanced riders should do 10 sprints (and advanced riders may want to break this into two sets of five with a longer recovery period – like 15 minutes – between sets).
In flat sprints, you also typically have to accelerate hard at least once before your final surge for the line. In the final kilometer – whether it's the Tour de France or your local criterium – you have to jump hard to respond to accelerations or move into a better position, then wait for a few seconds, and then launch your final sprint. To practice this in training, I recommend linked speed intervals.
Think of it as a three-stage sprint: roll into it at 20 to 22 mph with your hands in the drops, cadence around 90-95 and a gearing of 53x15 (or similar if you're riding a compact crankset). Jump out of the saddle and sprint for 10 seconds. Sit and continue to ride at maximum effort for a count of five (just count in your head, this is no time for looking at computers). Then shift into one harder gear, jump out of the saddle and sprint again for 10 seconds. Now sit and keep riding at maximum effort for a count of five before shifting into one harder gear and sprinting again for 15 seconds. Spin easy for 5 minutes between efforts. Beginners should complete four, intermediate riders five, and advanced riders eight of these intervals. If you bog down in the gears, especially for the last of the three sprints, start the efforts in a lighter gear.
A successful sprinter has to be able to read the finish and adjust his strategy very quickly. The finish of Stage 5 was more of a roller coaster than either a hill sprint or a high speed flat finish. Inside the final kilometer there was a rise, a dip, and then a final gradual ascent to the line. Stage winner Mark Cavendish used his team to keep the pace very high, but the slight descent disrupted the leadout and we saw riders surge forward. He had to shift into position behind these opportunists and bide his time, waiting for the slight uphill to blunt their speed and reduce the amount of real estate he had to cover with his final acceleration. But he timed it to perfection and crossed the line first to claim his first stage win of the 2011 Tour de France, and the 16th Tour stage win of his career.
Chris Carmichael rode the Tour de France in 1986 with 7-Eleven and has been writing Tour de France commentary for the past 11 years. He is CEO and Head Coach of Carmichael Training Systems, the premier destination for coaching, training camps, and performance testing since 2000; and Official Coaching and Camps Partner of Ironman. Follow Chris on Twitter at www.twitter.com/trainright, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/carmichaeltrainingsystems, or www.trainright.com.


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|From Fashionistable
Like most people these days Jessica is multi talented and sometimes works as a DJ. Her favouite places in London are Camden and Portobello Rd.
|From Fashionistable
Wow! She carries off this eclectic mix so well.
Happy Wendesday Hun xoxo
Funny how you found her, she carries it well
I like her slightly gaga mix style and she looks good in her own design! xxx


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Halfpricesoft Blog
This is the step by step guide on how to print Quicken pocket-size personal checks on the blank check stock. If you need to print Business checks , you can refer to this article.
Step 1: Export check data from Quicken to .csv file
· Start Quicken, open the checking account and click the right button "Amount Actions->More reports->register report" to open Register Report
· On the Register Report screen, click the button "Export->Copy Report to Clipboard" to copy your data to the clipboard.
· Open Microsoft Excel, then paste the report there (Ctrl+V ).
· Delete the report title, summary data and empty space. You just need to keep the headers and check data.
· Quicken always displays outflow amount in negative value. You can correct it manually or use formula to correct it.
· Click the top menu "File->Save as" to save this file as csv file (Comma delimited file). Close this file.
Step 2: Import check data to ezCheckPrinting and print checks
· Start ezCheckPersonal software and click the top menu "Import/Export->Import Checks" to open Import Checks screen.
· Follow the step by step instructions to import data. Close this screen.
· Select the new checks from list, click the "PRINT" button to print checks.
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Okay, so this isn't David-related at all (or is it? 🙂 isn't everything these days? lol) … but back in the day I was a HUGE Fleetwood Mac fan (still am really), I even got to see them live once at a huge outdoor venue and they were incredible … so I found this interview with Stevie Nicks really interesting, especially her insights on the state of the music industry today… what do you guys think of what she has to say? Do you have a favourite Fleetwood Mac song?
Between producing and recording music with Fleetwood Mac and relentlessly touring her own albums, Stevie Nicks is pretty busy. So busy, in fact, that her bandmates publicly expressed their frustration when she told them she wasn't going to tour as Fleetwood Mac last year. She had other priorities, namely supporting her latest and "favorite solo album," "In Your Dreams."
But this is Stevie Nicks, so even prickly bandmate and former lover Lindsey Buckingham agreed to wait. Nicks has kept her word: After a three-year break, Fleetwood Mac is heading on a 34-city tour that starts April 4th (tickets go on sale Dec. 14).
HuffPost Entertainment called Nicks to speak to her about the tour, but the genial singer was eager to chat about pretty much anything, up to and including: her advice for Rihanna, her concerns about the future of the music industry and a special letter to Kanye West she wrote but never sent.
At what point did you decide to strike up the band again?
They wanted to go out last year and I still felt that my record "In Your Dreams," because of the state of the music business, needed another year. So I put my foot down and said no. And I said no not just because of how I felt about my favorite solo record, but because I felt that, in my opinion, Fleetwood Mac should be off the road for three years because then when we come together it's an event because you didn't just see us last year or just see us the year before. So you know there's all these big ticket bands that go out and who are you going to choose if you just saw us last year? Again, in my opinion, and what our managers have always felt was that staying out of the spotlight for three years is a good number. Three is a good number. So we finished in November 2009 and we are starting in January 2013. It's perfect. I think it's perfect, harmonic convergence of exactly when we should be doing this. I think that everybody was not really believing me last year. But I think that now that we're here, I think that everybody is going like 'right on Stevie, you were right.'
But you think at some point in the last year or so, they were doubting whether you would actually come back?
Oh no. I think they just wanted to do it last year. And I said no. I'm going to go out and tour all summer into the winter with "In Your Dreams" because I have to. I just feel that I have to. And if I didn't, if I'd put that to bed before I thought that I had finished it, I would be very unhappy and very unworkable. So you don't really want me to stop working on this album that I really really love so much and go out a year before I think we should go out. And you know, everybody, they listen. They hear me.
Is it a big transition for you to go from touring a solo album to 35 dates with the band?
It's very different. You know, my solo career is more like an intimate party at your house. And Fleetwood Mac is like a big huge party at the Staple Center. It's just different. It's bigger. It's grander. Like a seven-seater private jet and a 738, you know, it's just what it is and what it always has been. So for me, its been great because, you know, starting in 1981 with Bella Donna, I was able to go back and forth. And both worlds are so different that it really does feel like you're living two different lives. And it's a lot of fun. And I'm one of those persons that gets bored anyway, so doing it this way, it's never a boring moment in my life because I'm always involved in something that I love and then I'm getting ready to be involved with something else that I love when this thing that I love comes to an end.
So at this point there isn't any sort of tension or awkwardness. Everyone's all sort of on the same page?
Everybody is very good right now. I spent some time up at Lindsey's house two weeks ago and we worked on some music. Most of the time we just spent talking about our many stories that we have to tell since 1968, really '66 when we first met. So we spent like 80 percent of our time talking and 20 percent of our time working on some music. And it was really great and he's in a really good place. And he and I are in a really good place, so it's never about Mick and John being in a good place. They're always in a good place. They're happy guys. It's always the drama queens, me and Lindsey. So the drama queens have really calmed down and let a little bit of that drama go and tried to walk down the road of how lucky we are. And how lucky we are to still be friends and how lucky we are to still be able to sing great together. And that what we started as Buckingham Nicks in 1971, when we moved to Los Angeles, has brought us all the way to this place. And that we should drop the drama and try to really enjoy this because we worked very hard to get here.
It's interesting that you believe in space or limiting exposure, when, say, some artists like Rihanna put out an album every year and tour constantly. Do you think that may be because today's pop music is more disposable?
Well, it's very different. And I think that all of the new artists would love it if it was the way it used to be. Let's use Rihanna as an example because I always say it is so wild that her name is Robyn and you know my best friend's name was Robin. So I saw her on David Letterman many years ago, and she did a live performance of "Shut Up And Drive" and I said to several different people that this girl could start a rock band. She really could be a rock singer. She could front a really great rock-n-roll band and she should. And of course that didn't happen, and she became a really big star, but she would probably be happier had she actually done something like that because then she could have had Rihanna with a great band. And then she could have been a rock star and she could have gone to her solo Rihanna and been a pop star. She could have done both like I do. And of course, since we're not friends and I don't know her, I wasn't able to say that to her but I did say it to a lot of other people. It's a heck of a lot more fun.
What other younger acts do you find interesting?
You know, I think of somebody like Beyonce and I think when she broke up Destiny's Child I thought, "that's not a good idea." Because you should never break up your band. Because your band may come in very handy to you down the road. Because if you don't verbally break it up, then you're not making a comeback. You are just going back with your band. It's like with Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, she never breaks up No Doubt, she just goes and does her crazy Gwen thing and then she comes back and becomes a real rock-n-roll singer with her real rock-n-roll band. So that was very very smart, I think. Because then you're being able to change all the time. And really, if you spend three years doing your thing and then, you know, two years doing your rock thing, and then you have a baby and then you do two years of your thing — it's like you're always on the move doing something new which keeps you young, keeps you energized, keeps that youthful spark happening. And so in many ways I feel very, very sorry for this generation of kids because I think some of them are really really good. You know, I'm walking around and I can't stop singing "Call Me Maybe" even though it's actually like not even a single anymore. But I love it. And I'm hoping that that little girl, because she is really good and I think she wrote that song, she's really good. So maybe she should get a band. And she should practice, you know. And she should play gigs. She should work on it. But the problem is today, you know, even if you do that and you have a huge song like that. And even if you come up with two or three more huge songs. It' going to be very hard to follow that up. And you really do have to get out there and play. And if you don't, you're just going to be a recording artist and just recording artists never have staying power. You have to go do some shows at some point.
Is there something that was more difficult in the late '60s and '70s than it is now?
SN: Well I think now the problem is selling records. Internet piracy is taking it over. I mean it's taking over books, it's taking over movies, everybody is feeling everything. And the problem with that is, yes, it's great to share things, sure. But there comes a point where if you're a young artist, and you're 22 years old, and you've been playing for three years like Lindsey and I did and doing gigs making fairly good money, considering. And then you get a record deal and put a record out, it does OK. Well, you make money from that record and you can support yourself. You can pay your rent, you can pay for your car and in the old days you would be signed to a record company and if you made another record and it kind of tanked, if they believed in you, their artist development people would hang onto you and they would help you. They'd give you $10,000 to live on for a year. So it's wonderful to say go out there and play gigs and be determined. But if you're not getting paid very much money, how can you support yourself? So you're going to have to also, like I did, you're going to have to be a waitress and you're going to have to be a cleaning lady and you're going to have to do anything you have to do to make enough money to support you and your band. And so you really can't leave town then if you've got a job. Because when Lindsey and I were doing Buckingham Nicks,they dropped it a couple of months after it went out. And I had to go back to — I got to stop being a waitress for a few months — and then I had to go back to being a waitress because there was no money again. But, because we'd had that record, we had a little bit of clout. We were able to get a studio to get us some time for free and kind of like a spec album.
Do you think there has been or will be any turnaround?
It's a conundrum and I wish that somebody could figure out what to do. I wish that albums would be wanted again because I wish people would want 12 songs and not just two. I wish that people could have the fun that we had when we would go and buy an album and lay on the floor and listen to it 50 times. And sing along with the words and just be so touched. Like I would get a Joni Mitchell album and just be like, "Don't talk to me. Don't even call me for three days because I am totally busy, and it's a Godsend this record and I can't even think about anything else right now." And it would just be wonderful. It would be euphoric. And I'm sorry because I don't see that now.
A really cohesive album seems like something that is almost erased from pop, though there is still a strong demand for classic-sounding albums in some areas of rap.
And it kind of erases rock all together. And so that's a downward spiral.
Do you ever hear something on the radio and hear a little bit of yourself in that song? Taylor Swift and Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine cite you as influences.
I do. There's this song that Taylor wrote called "Today Was A Fairy Tale." And I hear that and I absolutely worked with her on the Grammys a couple of years ago and that song, I was actually going to sing a little of it with her, so I learned it. And then we ended up not doing it because she started out with that. But it stayed in my heart forever. And it just reminds me of me in a lot of ways. And with Florence Welch, I don't really know much about her or her music but with that "Shake It Out" song I really like because I felt that song. I was feeling what she was saying when she wrote that. So yes, I do, I do hear the influence.
One of our editors spent some time with Courtney Love, who spent the day showering her Fleetwood Mac videos and talking about how amazing you guys are. And I was recently speaking with somebody who writes songs with Kanye West and he said that Kanye and all their whole group is obsessed with your solo stuff and Fleetwood Mac. And I was just wondering, what do you think explains the cross genre appeal of your work?
I pretty much started out as a songwriter. And I pretty much, from the day I was 15 and a half and my parents let me sign up for a month of classical guitar lessons and the guy decided to go to Spain so he sold my mom and dad his classic Goya guitar and they gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday which is May 26, like 1964, and that is all the lessons I took because he split. And I wrote a song a week later, and I went and said to my mom and dad, "You have to come into my bedroom and sit on my bed, and I'm going to sit and I'm going to play you this song." And they did because my dad's dad was a country singer and he worked his whole life to make it in the country business and never did, but tried. And so they're sitting there and I played this song, and at the end of it I'm totally crying. My whole guitar is wet. And my mom and dad have little tears in their eyes and they said well, "You know what, that's a good song." And I said, "Well, I'm glad you like it, because I'm going to be a songwriter and that's it. That's what I'm doing." And my mom said my dad and she would will support you in that completely as long as you go to school. So you know, if you go up to five years of college, we will support you all the way through that, your college, and we will support you to do your music. Because they saw it in my eyes. They never doubted me for a second. So I said to them, "I'm going to spend my life writing poems, turing them into music that will affect people and touch their hearts. I'm going to write the songs that people can't write for themselves." I'm going to write, "Thunder only happens when it's raining, players only love you when they're playing." Isn't that a weird line for a white girl from San Francisco to write? And I'm writing about "players only love you when they're playing" because basically you're only going to have your relationships with music people when you're with them and as soon as you come off the road, they're gone. It's like I almost just had premonition after premonition about what was coming.
But what do you think gives your work a cross-genre appeal?
Why does my music touch artists like Kanye West? I would say, a) I didn't know that but I like him very much and, b) I actually wrote him a letter once after his mom died. I wrote him a three-page letter that was about how I felt about losing his mother and what she must have meant to him and the way that he lost her in such a crazy way. And I never sent it to him because I thought "Oh, be'll just think this is stupid and what does this girl want with me and what is she writing about my mother for.?" And so I never sent it. So I'm very interested and touched by the fact that you say that there is some love from him towards my music and I might just have to type that letter up and send it off now.
But that's what I said at 15 and a half. That I would affect people. And it was going to be universal for me. I was going to reach out to all different kinds of music and I think that's, when you write a poem and you make sure that poem is really what you want to say, then and only then do yo walk to the piano. And then you sit there and you stare at those words and you start to play. And what comes out has got nothing to do with Stevie's solo career or Stevie's Fleetwood Mac. It has everything to do with the feeling I get when my fingers touch those keys and I sing that first sentence. And when you hit that first line that just knocks you back, you know, where you actually go [singing] "women they will come and they will go." You're like, "I got it. And this is it." And then you know. And it may not save the world but people are gonna love it. Because I love it.


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Addition of data capabilities, such as sharing PowerPoint completes the picture. Tandberg, which is spending its last days as an independent company, has upgraded is Movi collaboration platform to handle presentation content, according to Mike Roussey, the vendor's Senior Manager of Global Product Marketing.
Roussey said that the second version of the Movi platform, which was released in February of 2008, offers video and audio conferencing capabilities. The addition in the third version of data capabilities, such as the ability to share PowerPoint presentations with remote and mobile devices, completes the picture, Roussey said.
"I feel the value of this is rounding out the mobile solution," Roussey told Unified Communications Edge. "Everything you can do with a client-based endpoint, you can do with Movi." Roussey said the new version of Movi also offers a simplified user interface.
Tandberg – which is the final stages of being acquired by Cisco – introduced the line in 2007.
The Movi platform relies on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the H.323 and H.320 audio, visual and data standards. Since it is standards-based, any end point – even those from other vendors – that also are standards-based theoretically can participate in conferencing sessions if they are properly registered.
Roussey said the Movi primarily is aimed at the enterprise sector. Pricing is on a per-license basis. The per-license price drops from $125 to $30 as purchases grow from 25 to 2,000, he said.


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Even the most knowledgeable lifelong residents of Anchorage, Alaska, find that they need an Anchorage guide to keep up with all the things to do. Alaska's largest city has something for all of its residents to enjoy, whether they prefer historical museums, exploring the natural beauty of the city, or finding deals in the downtown shopping area.
Anchorage things to do for history and museum buffs include visiting the Alaska Law Enforcement Museum, which features exhibits that hearken back to when Alaska was a less civilized place. The Oscar Anderson House Museum is a faithful preservation of the home that a pioneer settler built at the very beginning of Anchorage's history as a city. It is also very close to the scenic Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which is a great place for a refreshing hike or bike ride.
No guide to Anchorage is complete without mentioning the Alaska Native Heritage Center. It depicts the lives and culture of the native tribes that inhabited Anchorage and the entire state of Alaska before the arrival of settlers from the continental United States. It presents permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as cultural presentations.
As far as nature is concerned, besides the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, admirers of the natural beauty of Anchorage will find plenty to see when exploring the waters of the Prince William Sound, a natural treasure located only four miles from the center of Anchorage. It features aquatic wildlife and plants that can be seen while sailing, kayaking, or cruising the placid waters. Guests of this urban natural park may even be able to spot bears as well as seals and sea lions.
The Dimond Center in Anchorage is the largest shopping mall in the state, and besides national chain stores, it offers boutiques that feature goods that are authentically Alaskan. It is also convenient for indoor entertainment and family dining.
An Anchorage guide is essential to finding all that this fascinating city has to offer to new and seasoned residents alike.


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Matt Dempsey firstname.lastname@example.com (202) 224-9797
David Lungren firstname.lastname@example.com (202) 224-5642
Inhofe Welcomes Local Hearings on EPA's Rejection of Oklahoma Haze Plan
Proposes Legislative Fix, Will Consider Input Gathered from Hearings
Washington, D.C.-Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today released draft legislation to address concerns raised by Oklahomans about the Environmental Protection Agency's recent decision to reject Oklahoma's reasonable and affordable plan to reduce regional haze and improve visibility in national parks in favor of more costly federal regulations. This decision could result in higher monthly electricity bills for Oklahomans, without any additional environmental benefits.
Senator Inhofe:
"I applaud the Environmental Protection Agency for convening hearings in Oklahoma City and Tulsa this week on its rejection of Oklahoma's regional haze plan. EPA's decision could cost state utilities $2 billion, and Oklahoma families, farmers and manufacturers would undoubtedly foot the bill.
"Today I am releasing draft legislation that will provide a solution for Oklahoma and other states dealing with the same regulatory concerns. My bill will ensure that policies to reduce regional haze and improve visibility in national parks, which affect local families, farmers, and businesses, are made by local governments to the greatest extent possible. Importantly, the discussion draft will only affect the federal-state relationship on visibility regulations; it will not affect any regulations directly related to public health.
"I have released a 'discussion draft' so that I can consider the comments delivered at the public hearings, and incorporate those comments into the legislation accordingly. I look forward to working with Oklahomans to ensure that the state's concerns are heard in Washington, D.C.
"The bottom line is that states can achieve affordable energy while continuing progress on reducing emissions - and they can do it without an EPA takeover. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to empower states and rein in the EPA bureaucracy."
Read More:
Inhofe Op-Ed In Tulsa World: State, not EPA, should address regional haze power costs
Related Files
- Regional Haze - RegionalHaze.pdf (32.7 KBs)


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Celine Dion's new album is tanking
Virtually every entertainer has a misfire.
But it's news when an album by one of the best-selling recording artists in history quickly tumbles down the charts.
Celine Dion's first all-new English-language album in six years, "Loved Me Back to Life," entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2. But just five weeks later, it's plummeted to No. 35.
"Of course, the record company wants to be the No. 1," said Dion. "They want to sell records. They want to make money. And don't get me wrong, I want to. But I'm proud about what I have done with this record."
According to the Metacritic website, the majority of the album's reviews have been positive. And even some of the negative critiques have paused to praise Dion's emerging vocal maturity.
Over the next few days, millions will hear a sample when she performs her new ballad "Incredible" with Ne-Yo on "The Voice." The pair will perform the mid-tempo ballad live on the Tuesday (9 p.m. ET/PT) season finale of NBC's singing-competition show.
Then on Wednesday, Dion is the principal performer and host of the CBS special "A Home For the Holidays," which underscores the need for children to be adopted from foster care.
"As a mom, I could not refuse (the gig)," explained Dion on Saturday night after the "Holidays" taping.
The singer and her husband René Angélil have three biological sons, all through in-vitro fertilization. "But adoption (had) always been taken into consideration," she added.
The 45-year-old Dion said motherhood is the cornerstone of her life, as well as what propels her career, which also includes a recent return to residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Las Vegas.
She said she'd like to try acting, but she isn't interested in following Carrie Underwood into the live-TV musical arena. Underwood's "The Sound of Music Live!" was a recent ratings smash for NBC, and the network has announced it's seeking another musical for the small screen.
"I'm not crazy about musicals, to be honest with you," Dion explained. "I don't know why. I prefer to rock on stage."
For Christmas, she'll take a break from rocking at Caesars, instead spending the day in Vegas with "my four boys," she joked, including her 71-year-old husband in the mix. "When we have an opportunity to stay home for the holidays, it's pajamas, home food, simplicity of life."


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Another Frenchman has "gone Galt."
First, it was France's richest entrepreneur.
Now, it's the nation's most famous actor. Gerard Depardieu has officially announced – in a letter to France's thuggish Prime Minister – that he is tired of paying 85 percent of his income to finance the vote-buying actions of France's kleptocratic political elite.
Instead, he is going to move to Belgium (which is hardly a tax haven, but there's an old line about how you should surround yourself with fat people if you want to look skinny).
Here are some of the amusing details from the UK-based Telegraph.
The French actor whose eccentric personality has come to symbolise a certain, old fashioned form of Gallic love for good food and the pleasures in life, also known as a "bon vivant," said he is finished with the country, in a letter published in the Journal du Dimanche.It is addressed to Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French prime minister, who called Depardieu "pathetic" for wanting to move just over the French border to the wealthy Belgian town of Néchin, where he will evade the current Left-leaning government's tax hikes."I am handing over to you my passport and social security, which I have never used," he said. …The actor asserts he has always been an upstanding citizen, deserving "respect," and who has employed 80 people, always paid his taxes, and "never killed anybody." He said he paid 85 per cent of his income in taxes in 2012, and over 45 years, has paid 145 million Euros – or £118 million – in taxes. …"I leave because you consider that success, creation, talent, difference, in fact, should be sanctioned," he writes.
Gee, why is Depardieu complaining? In an act of generosity and mercy, France's President has said he doesn't want anybody to pay more than 80 percent of their income to the state. So if Gerard is paying 85 percent this year, he'll get a tax cut!
Methinks that Depardieu doesn't trust Hollande, Ayrault, and the rest of the thieves. In any event, it's obvious – and understandable – that he resents the French government's attack on "success, creation, talent."
So we're going to see the Laffer Curve in action. Depardieu has pad nearly $200 million to the French tax authorities over the past several decades. Now that the French government has tightened the screws even further, he's going to pay them a lot less.
Maybe there's a lesson there for Obama. But I've already tried to educate our taxer-in-chief about these issues, so I doubt this new evidence from France will make any difference.
P.S. Going Galt is a bit of a national pastime in France. In 1999, Laetitia Casta was chosen to be "Marianne," the symbol of France. A couple of years later, as my friend Veronique de Rugy wrote, she decided to move to the United Kingdom to escape confiscatory taxation.
Because I'm a selfless person and a bit of an expert on tax havens, I hereby offer Laetitia my services to help with her tax planning.
I'm even willing to work 24/7 to help her protect her earnings, even if it requires an overnight stay.
No sacrifice is too great, after all, to help the cause of freedom.


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Click the picture for a 1000-pixel version. I'm standing next to the Hayward fault on the access road to Dunsmuir Ridge, looking south at the southernmost part of Oakland. The hill on the horizon is in San Leandro, and the fault goes through the notch on its right. Downward and to the left is a bit of the pavement of Revere Avenue, where the fault has split the roadway (as shown in this post). The map below shows this stretch of the fault along with the evidence of movement on itthe dirt road I'm standing on is at the top.
"G" means geomorphic evidence, "1" is the most strongly pronounced while "3" is weak. The other codes are as follows: n, notch; rs, right-offset stream or gully; vl, line of vegetation; sl, linear scarp; hv, linear hillside valley; hb, linear hillside bench.


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Call it hockey diplomacy, Harper-style.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is making plans to play on a Canadian hockey team in two exhibition games against a Russian squad that will include Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, sources tell the Star.
The first game is scheduled for Sept. 7 as part of a month-long event to mark the 40th anniversary of the eight-game Canada-U.S.S.R. Summit Series, played at the height of the Cold War. Canada lost three of the first five games but went on to win the series, which has since become known as a pivotal moment in the country's history.
A second game involving the two leaders is being planned in Toronto tentatively for Sept. 28, a source said, at the same time as a large Canada-Russia trade conference is scheduled to be held in the city.
"We've been told that the PM would love to be involved. It's as relaxed as that," said a person familiar with Harper's plans.
It isn't often that world leaders go head to head in a team sport, and the stakes could be high for both. There's the possibility a lost faceoff could mean losing face on the world stage, or that an ugly pass caught on camera could check a leader's political progress.
But athletics can serve as an effective diplomatic tool. In 1971, in a manoeuvre that would become known as Ping-Pong diplomacy, table tennis was used to kindle relations between the U.S. and China.
One of the Canada-Russia tournament's organizers said Harper was already making plans to visit Moscow in September when the Canadian ambassador to Russia, John Sloan, contacted tournament officials to ask that the date of the first exhibition game be changed so Harper could play.
Certainly, if Harper and Putin do lace up, it won't be a battle of hockey heavyweights.
Putin, 59, who is widely expected to be elected as Russia's president in March, has only been playing hockey for a year or so. Videos of the Russian leader and former KGB agent, dressed in a cherry red national team jersey, show him gingerly skating through the offensive zone and flipping weak wrist shots on net.
In one recent exhibition match, Putin played with Moscow's legendary Red Army team and scored several goals, fist-bumping his teammates after each one. But no one from the other team came within five feet of Putin as he waited for the puck, knock-kneed, near the opposing goalie.
"He's been taking lessons for months now," said a person involved with planning the Canada-Russia tournament. "He really wants to get better."
Still, the Russian politician will hardly be overmatched.
While Harper is a self-described hockey historian, the 52-year-old played just three years of organized hockey before he quit at the age of 13. The Maple Leafs fan may be more widely known in road hockey circles, which is where he says his true skills shine through.
Harper, who is writing a book about organized hockey's early years, also "coaches" a Conservative Party of Canada hockey team that plays a few times a year for charity.
"The truth is that when I'm available I stand behind the bench with a clipboard," Harper wrote in a foreword to Paul Henderson's 2011 book How Hockey Explains Canada.
Harper also wrote about his affection for the 1972 series: "It was as if the freedom of Canadians versus the repression of the Soviet system was being showcased in the individualism of the Canadian players as opposed to the regimentation of the Soviet players. It was there for everyone to see."
Among the items in Harper's "hockey room" at his home is an autographed jersey from Vladislav Tretiak, the former Soviet star goalie.
Scotty MacPherson, a former executive with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Nathan Hunt, chairman of the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association, were told that Harper was already planning a trip to Moscow because this year Canada and Russia will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between them.
Asked about Harper's participation in the event, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office said no firm travel plans have been made for September.
MacPherson is also organizing a Feb. 26 game in Moscow's Red Square to commemorate the years of competition between Russia and Canada. That game could include former NHL and Russian stars.
And talks are underway to organize an eight-game series between Canada's national junior team and their Russian rivals, who recently beat Canada in the world junior championships.
Four games would be held in Russia, a source said, with the other four in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal and Toronto.


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Religion remained an obstacle. On September 7 [1960], the New York Times carried a front-page article about the ironically named National Conference of Citizens for Religious Freedom, an organization of 150 Protestant ministers led by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale; they said that the Roman Catholic Church, with its dual role as both a church and a temporal state, make Kennedy's faith a legitimate issue in the campaign. Like Kruschev, one member declared, Kennedy was 'a captive of a system.' Although the clergymen were all conservative Republicans eager for Nixon's election (and were guilty of transparent hypocrisy in doing what they said Kennedy's church would do -- interfere in secular politics), their political machinations did not cancel out the effects of their warnings.This was not the first time that Kennedy had tackled the issue. Here is how Dallek describes the way Kennedy responded to reporters who asked about his religion when he first announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination on January 2, 1960:
Estimates suggested that unless this propaganda was countered and the anti-Catholic bias overcome, Kennedy's religion might cost him as many as 1.5 million votes. The Kennedy campaign quickly organized a Community Relations division to meet the religious problem head-on. James Wine, a staff member at the National Council of Churches, headed the operation. Wine was as busy as any member of Jack's campaign team, answering between six hundred and a thousand letters a week and uring lay and clerical Protestants to combat the explicit and implicit anti-Catholicism in so much of the anti-Kennedy rhetoric.
A highly effective and much publicized appearence made before a group of Protestant ministers in Houston, Texas, on September 12 helped. Bobby, Jack's campaign staff, Johnson, and Rayburn all advised against the appearance. 'They're mostly Republicans and they're out to get you,' Rayburn told Kennedy. But Kennedy believed he had to confront the issue sometime, and he wanted to do it early in the campaign so that he could move on to more constructive matters. 'I'm getting tired of people who think I want to replace the gold at Fort Knox with a supply of holy water.' he told O'Donnell and Powers. In fact, his knowledge of Church doctrine and ties to the Church were so limited that he brought in John Cogley, a Catholic scholar, to coach him in preparation for the appearance.
Although he saw his speech and response to audience questions, which were to follow his remarks, as a crucial moment in the campaign, Kennedy went before the audience of three hundred in Houston's Rice Hotel Crystal ballroom (and the millions of television viewers across the country) with no hesitation or obvious sign of nervousness. The sincerity of what he had to say armed him against his adversaries and conveyed a degree of inner surety that converted a few opponents and persuaded some undecided voters that he had the maturity and balance to become a fine president.
[pp. 282-283]
As for the likely debate to erupt over his religion, he also gave an unqualified response. He acknowledged that it would be a matter of substantial discussion. But he saw only one concern for voters: 'Does a candidate believe in the Constitution, does he believe in the First Amendment, does he believe in the separation of church and state.' Having said that, he dismissed the issue as one that had been settled 160 years ago and concluded that he saw 'no value in discussing a matter which is that ancient, when there are so many issues in 1960 which are going to be important.'In other words, Kennedy's approach to the question of his religion was principled and consistent, and he expressed his views in a clear and forceful way.
[p. 244]
But in her new book, Sarah Palin complains that John F. Kennedy has received too much praise for his famous Houston speech, because, in her opinion, "His language was more defensive than is portrayed today, in tone and content." [p. 184]
Defensive!? In fact, Kennedy's speech is much more accurately described as defiant than as "defensive", and considering who Kennedy was addressing and where he was addressing them, his "content and tone" could arguably be said to have been downright combative.
Having been attacked very publicly by a prominent group of respected conservative Protestants, Kennedy went into the lion's den, so to speak. He stood up before a gathering of hundreds of conservative Evangelical Texans. He told them plainly and simply that in America there is an absolute separation between church and state, and because of that, the fact that he happened to be a Roman Catholic should not be an issue. And then he asked them if they had any questions. And he had the whole damned thing televised. Live.
Since Palin's characterization of the speech flies in the face of reality, we have to wonder: what is really going on?
And what is really going on is quite simple. First of all, Sarah Palin disagrees with what John F. Kennedy said on the question of religion in American politics. Kennedy emphasized the separation of church and state, a phrase that the Palinites would like to purge from American political discourse. But Kennedy went even further in his Houston speech, he said that this separation is "absolute".
The religious right has never accepted the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state, just as they refuse to accept the Constitutional right to privacy (and, in particular, the right to abortion).
Secondly, the bigots who were attacking Kennedy for being Catholic were nothing other than the 1960 forerunners of today's Tea Party movement. Kennedy succeeded in publicly shaming these bigots in a way that I doubt any 21st century American politician would be capable of pulling off.


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Monday, August 7, 2017
"The Metropolitans" by Carol Goodman (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman)
Visit Carol Goodman's Website Here
OVERVIEW: The day Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, four thirteen-year-olds converge at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where an eccentric curator is seeking four uncommonly brave souls to track down the hidden pages of the Kelmsbury Manuscript, an ancient book of Arthurian legends that lies scattered within the museum's collection, and that holds the key to preventing a second attack on American soil.
When Madge, Joe, Kiku, and Walt agree to help, they have no idea that the Kelmsbury is already working its magic on them. But they begin to develop extraordinary powers and experience the feelings of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, Morgan le Fay, and Lancelot: courage, friendship, love...and betrayal. Are they playing out a legend that's already been lived, over and over, across the ages? Or can the Metropolitans forge their own story?"
When Madge, Joe, Kiku, and Walt agree to help, they have no idea that the Kelmsbury is already working its magic on them. But they begin to develop extraordinary powers and experience the feelings of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, Morgan le Fay, and Lancelot: courage, friendship, love...and betrayal. Are they playing out a legend that's already been lived, over and over, across the ages? Or can the Metropolitans forge their own story?"
FORMAT: The Metropolitans is a standalone children's novel. It is a blend of historical fiction, mystery and fantasy. It stands at 368 pages and was published March 14, 2017 by Viking Books for Young Readers.
ANALYSIS: I have always enjoyed middle school/children's mystery/puzzle/adventure novels. When I saw The Metropolitans was being compared to The Mixed Up Files of Basil E. Frankweiler with a National Treasure twist, I was super excited. Unfortunately, the book had a few too many unbelievable parts to it that I was unable to really enjoy the novel.
Essentially, The Metropolitans tells the story of 4 13-year old children during World War II who through some twist of fate end up together and working towards a common goal. That goal is to help divert a potential Nazi attack on New York City. The only way to prevent the attack is to run around the Metropolitan Museum of Art finding pages from a mysterious manuscript that will help them decode a message from a known enemy spy.
While working to prevent the attack, the children start developing these weird powers that seem like they are straight out of Arthurian legend. Throughout the story, the children learn more about their powers while exploring some of the pressing issues of the time (such as Japanese internment camps, mistreatment of Native Americans, homeless in the city, and the loss of family due to death).
On the outside, it looks like this novel might turn out to be something wonderful and even fun to read. There were just too many distracting aspects of the novel that really prevented this novel from being all that it could be.
The first distracting aspect of The Metropolitans was the overuse of 1940s slang by one character. I fully understand that times change and terms that are used in the 40s, such as malarkey, hunky dory, swell) would seem awkward today, but this just seemed forced. Only one character in the entire book used this slang language and each and every time she spoke she used it. I found it difficult to believe that these terms would be so widely used that they would be used by one character every time she opened her mouth, yet not one of the other characters ever uttered these time-specific terms.
Another distracting aspect was the instant friendship between the four main characters. In a children's novel I understand there isn't a whole lot of time to devote to developing friendships, but this novel took quick friendships to the extreme. Literally, within a matter of an hour or two, all the characters went from complete strangers who had never seen each other, never interacted and they became best friends forever.
The main characters practically could not live without the thought that they wouldn't be friends. This was only after 4 hours of knowing each other. They instantly took each other in to their houses, vowed to remain friends forever, and do whatever they could to help each other. It was just unbelievable.
Of course, it could be argued that their instant friendship was because they were the legends of Arthur reincarnated into the 40s. But their instant friendship happened before this occurred, wasn't really touched upon as odd, and was just left out there for readers to accept.
Lastly, the other main issue I had was the grab bag of diversity, as I would call it. The four main characters include a Japanese-American girl who is facing discrimination because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and forced to deal with the hatred and issues that came up during the 40s, a Native American boy who was taken from his family and not allowed to really embrace his culture, a Jewish boy from Germany who ran from Hitler leaving his family behind and saw people die in the streets, and an Irish-American girl who lost her mother to illness and was forced to move in with her aunt while her brothers were sent to an orphanage because her dad had some mental breakdown and decided to be homeless.
I am all for diversity in novels especially children's novel. This, however, seemed extreme and unbelievable. The fact that every individual from every culture was magically represented seemed a bit too far-fetched for me to believe. Throw in the fact that conveniently each character had some catastrophic past that neatly addressed the issues of that time period and it took it to the completely unbelievable zone.
The overreach with diversity and issues served as a major drawback. There was so much going on and so many issues the author tried to cover that I don't feel any issue, from the horrors people saw in Germany to the hatred of anyone who looked Japanese just because of what happened with Pearl Harbor, was properly covered. It all seemed glossed over.
There were other issues with The Metropolitans that really took away from the novel, but they weren't as big of an issue for me as the three I explored above. Other issues included the rather clunky transition and use of Arthurian legend (it seemed forced and a bit difficult to understand exactly what happened as the novel was a mystery and then all of a sudden there are super powers and its fantasy), the lack of care or concern most adults showed in the novel, the fact 13 year olds just ran around the city hailing cabs and running all over the place during a national crisis, the 'seeing the light' moment that caused one character's father to stop drinking and living on the streets and become responsible, and the overuse of the ring-a-levio phrase that seemed to appear 3 to 5 times every chapter.
I will say that I did enjoy the setting. It was fun to explore the Metropolitan Museum of Art and hear about some of its exhibits.
Overall, I believe that The Metropolitans easily blends in with almost any other children's novel out there. It doesn't stand out in any way, shape or form, and has far too many unbelievable moments and underdeveloped plot points to make it an outstanding novel. That doesn't mean it won't be for you, but if you are looking for a book that will 'wow' you or really give the Arthurian legends a new spin, this probably won't help you.
12:00 AM | Posted by Cindy | | Edit Post
Labels: children's fantasy, historical fantasy
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Landmark Ruling
A person can use a valid UAE licence even after the residence visa is cancelled, Dubai court ruled.
Driving licence valid after visa cancellation
A Former UAE residents can still use a valid driver's licence while visiting Dubai even after having cancelled their residence visas, according to a recent landmark ruling.
The Dubai Court of Cassation issued a recent ruling which stipulates that a person can continue using his or her UAE-issued driving licence as long as it remains valid and even after having cancelled the residence visa.
"When the authorities terminate a resident's visa that does not mean that his/her driving licence is unusable as well. A driver's licence remains valid in UAE as long as it hasn't expired. The document is considered applicable provided it was issued upon a valid residence visa," said the landmark ruling which was issued upon a traffic case that surfaced at Dubai courts recently.
The Traffic Court of First Instance recently fined an Arab national Dh1,000 and revoked his driver's licence for three months for drinking and driving but acquitted him of driving without a licence.
The Public Prosecution appealed the initial verdict before the Dubai Appeals Court which upheld the primary ruling.
The Public Prosecution said in its appeal that article 51 of the Federal Penal Code No 21, 2005, concerning traffic, and its amendments in the law No 12 of 2007, bans the accused from using his driver's licence (which was issued upon a residence visa earlier before it was annulled and he left the country).
The Dubai Court of Cassation confirmed his acquittal and issued the landmark ruling.