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In Years Past

February 22, 2013

100 Years Ago In 1913, Edward Stuart, an employee of the Hamond Iron Works, lost his life at the Conewango Refining Plant late the previous afternoon when the base of a large tank upon which they......

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Power Of Community Pride

GA Family Services Program Beautifying Jamestown

July 14, 2014
By DENNIS PHILLIPS ( , Post-Journal

Cleaning up the city is one of the focuses for GA Family Services Accountability and Responsibility Program.

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Video: USPS workers protest loss of services in Bradenton

BRADENTON — Postal workers warned Thursday that if people don’t start paying attention to what they described as the degradation of the postal service, in five or 10 years the industry will look completely different, and not in a good way.

“By outsourcing a little bit here, a little bit there, downgrading over time — I mean, you used to be able to get a letter in Bradenton, you could mail it today and get it tomorrow,” sad Deborah Smith, president of the Manatee-area local of the American Postal Workers Union. “Now that’s taking two or three days, because that mail is having to travel, because of this downsizing and the services being cut.”

Read more: U.S. Postal Service workers protest loss of services in Bradenton | Local News | Bradenton Herald

Video: Kansas City postal workers rally to keep post offices open

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Postal workers nationwide and in Kansas City are fighting to keep your local post office open.

The United States Postal Service plans to reduce hours and close branches nationwide. No branches in Kansas City are currently set to close, but with 82 processing centers set to close around the country, including one in Springfield, Mo., mail service will be slowed.

If you’re hoping to mail a letter or bill, it probably won’t get there overnight. Instead, it may take two to three days to arrive.

Postal Service employees are infuriated because they don’t want to work fewer hours or see offices close. On Thursday they’ll rally to keep things as they are. Continue reading

What Are They Trying to Hide? USPS Buries Performance Report

05/13/2015 – The Postal Service’s second quarter performance scores are in – but you wouldn’t know it from looking at their website.

Instead of posting a press release bragging about on-time delivery scores – as management typically does – the results are tucked away at the bottom of the Postal Regulatory Commission’s daily filings page and buried on an obscure page on the USPS website.

So what exactly is the Postal Service trying to hide?

The results are bad – very bad.

The APWU has not yet had the chance to fully analyze the official, published reports, but we know from an analysis of preliminary results that on-time delivery of first-class mail dropped dramatically in early 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.

According to an April 27 Washington Post article titled, “It’s not just you: Letters really are taking longer to get delivered:”

  • A decision by the Postal Service this past January to abandon overnight mail delivery is causing severe delays in mail delivery.
  • “Preliminary internal data shows that the Postal Service did not meet even its lower targets for first-class mail during the first seven weeks of 2015, with letters that are supposed to take three days … arriving on time just 54 percent to 63 percent of the time.”

Despite the terrible performance scores, postal management is pushing ahead with plans to close and consolidate mail processing centers, which will further devastate mail delivery throughout the country.

The APWU is standing up and fighting back! During contract negotiations, the APWU has made the unprecedented move of bringing consumer issues to the bargaining table, insisting that quality service is crucial to maintaining a strong public Postal Service.

In addition to proposals that would protect good, stable jobs, postal workers are demanding extended hours at post offices, shorter wait time in line for customers, an end to the closure of mail sorting centers, restoration of prompt mail delivery, and the addition of new services, including postal banking.

“We need everyone to contact their members of Congress and ask them to stop further consolidations and closures and to restore high service standards,” said APWU Executive Vice President Debby Szeredy.

APWU President’s Statement on “Questionable” Sales of Historic Post Offices by USPS’s Real Estate Firm, CBRE

04/29/2015 – Washington – The Inspector General’s report on the Postal Service’s real estate transactions with CBRE is a stinging indictment of the way the USPS has sold off post offices and other facilities. It is also a condemnation of the cozy relationship between postal management and the world’s biggest real estate company. The USPS arrangement with CBRE allows the company to represent both the buyer and seller.

The U.S. Postal Service belongs to the people of this country. We must not permit postal executives and the Board of Governors to sell our beautiful historic buildings at a discount; nor should we permit CBRE to drain the Postal Service treasury with lease deals that benefit the real estate firm at the expense of postal customers and the American people.

The APWU endorses the IG’s recommendation to terminate the Postal Service’s contract with CBRE. The APWU also applauds the IG’s decision to refer numerous CBRE transactions to its Office of Investigations for further review.

Regrettably, CBRE is not the only private, for-profit company that is treating the U.S. Postal Service like a private piggy bank. The Inspector General also should examine the role of CBRE CEO Robert Sulentic on the Staples board of directors at a time when the USPS is reducing hours or shuttering post offices and encouraging customers to take their mail to Staples stores.

This report shows we need to protect the USPS from corporate pirates who would plunder it.

APWU: Members Eligible For Maintenance Craft’s AOI Remedy Identified

04/14/2015Maintenance Craft employees who are eligible for a monetary remedy in the Associate Office Infrastructure (AOI) arbitration award have been identified, Director Steve Raymer has announced. Checks to union members are currently being processed.

Eligible employees are those who occupied an ET-10, ET-11, AMS-8 or AMT-9 positions on Dec. 11, 2014, as well as any (former) ETs who were in a saved grade status on that date. Each identified recipient will receive a lump-sum payment of $1,056.71.

The resolution identifies 7,149 eligible employees.

Payment is expected during Pay Period 10-2015 or Pay Period 11-2015, which ends on May 15, 2015, Raymer said.

Members of the identified groups who do not receive payment by the end of Pay Period 11 should contact the Maintenance Division, in writing, and should include the following information:

Current Occupational Group
Office Location

Supporting Document(s) should also be included, such as PS Form 50 or the pay stub for Pay Period 1-2015, which included Dec. 11, 2014.

Information should be sent to:

Maintenance Division
Steve Raymer, Director
1300 L Street NW
Washington DC 20005

“There was a small variance between the number of employees identified by the APWU and the Postal Service, but the Maintenance Craft officers decided to go forward with expeditious payment and set aside a portion of the award to ensure no one falls through the cracks,” Raymer said. “This is commonly done with large monetary arbitration awards.”


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Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Max Payne 3

Post-Launch Review
Max Payne 3
Developer: Rockstar Vancouver
Released: May 2012

Note: this is a review of the story mode. I didn't touch multiplayer.

Rockstar takes over from Remedy for the third entry in the series, several years after Max Payne 2. After the events of the first two games, Max is now working private security for a family in São Paulo. Since this is Max Payne, everything goes straight to hell, and the people he's supposed to protect get into some serious trouble with the wrong people. The full story, including how Max got himself into the current mess, is told through investigation and flashbacks as Max begins to realize that the stakes are higher than they seem.

At Launch

Max Payne 3 averaged review scores of 85%. Most critics were impressed with the game's themes and story, and found the gameplay to be much improved over the previous games. Some reviewers were a little less impressed, citing a few design problems such as difficulty spikes and pacing.
Many critics who played the first two Max Payne games were surprised at the shift in tone and style from the games developed by Remedy.

Post Launch

There have been a bunch of updates, mostly focused around multiplayer bug fixes and balance changes.
Max Payne 3 received 5 major DLC packs, all multiplayer-focused. The Local Justice, Disorganized Crime, Hostage Negotiation, Painful Memories, and Deathmatch Made in Heaven packs all include multiplayer maps, as well as various customization options and the occasional new mode. These packs are available individually or at a discount all together with the Season Pass. The Gorilla Warfare pack is a free update that includes a few new items.

The Good

Bullet Time
Of course, you can't have Max Payne without bullet time. The slow-motion ability is a limited resource that you can recharge by pulling off skillful, creative, or crazy maneuvers, rewarding you for good shots, fast takedowns, and insane stunts. It lets you pull off a lot of cool (and reckless) moves that other games just won't allow.
There are a few sequences where a cutscene is interrupted by a slow-mo shooting segment. Typically these involve Max pulling a crazy leap (like off a roof or something) and needing to shoot all the guys before he hits the ground. Pretty cool.
Voice Acting
Everyone's pretty good overall, but James McCaffrey as Max Payne is fantastic. He does a great job of portraying Max's self-loathing, cynicism, rage, and confusion, while still making him sympathetic. Max's constant voice-over gives you access to his thoughts and emotions as you run through the game, and they advance both the plot and his character.
Character Animation
There's some really impressive stuff going on here. One of the most noticeable features is the care that's gone into making Max's movements believable and realistic. As he turns to aim, his body pivots and moves as you'd do in real life. Even cooler is when he's laying on the ground after a shoot-dodge - he'll lean and rotate and shift into a position where he could realistically aim at the target, and it's all done smoothly and without interrupting your mouse movement. Another neat touch is how Max reacts to enemy fire: he'll flinch and pull away from shots that hit his cover, instead of just ignoring it like in most games.
Graphics & Environments
Max Payne 3 is a game with a lot of detail. The environments are packed full of props and stuff that make them feel lived in and not just empty rooms or contrived sets. And there's a lot of variety in environments, too - Max visits plenty of places. Characters' faces are highly detailed and mostly look pretty great. Max, in particular, has one of the best-rendered beards I've ever seen in a video game - in close-ups, it looks like each individual hair is modeled.
Checkpoint Compromise
There's no save-anywhere, but Max Payne 3 makes an interesting compromise. It's possible to hit a checkpoint with almost no health or ammo and have a really hard time progressing. The more you die on a single checkpoint, the more the game refills your resources, to ensure that you never get completely stuck. At least, that's how it works on normal difficulty; I imagine the higher difficulties pull back on this feature for the more hardcore.
Max is not a healthy or optimistic person, and mostly things just don't go well for him. He makes mistakes and people die. This is one aspect of the earlier games that Rockstar has carried through, and it makes for a more suspenseful narrative to know that the protagonist isn't a flawless action hero. Max can't save everyone; maybe not even himself.
I may be biased here, but I think the flashback levels to New York - the story of how Max meets security buddy Passos - are the strongest levels in the game. They're an excellent update and homage to the heavy noir style of the previous games, though I suppose they might fall a little flat on explaining Max's past to new players to the series. They also tend to be a little easier than the rest of the game, which encourages more of the run-and-gun approach of the old games than the more cautious use of cover required by the "present" levels.
Hidden throughout the levels, you can find bits of evidence that'll give you more information as to what's going on with the twisty plot, or provide some background information on the setting and the state of affairs. Each of these clues is accompanied by Max's voice-over telling you what he's learned. They also fit into Max's background as a police detective. I like these way better than the audio logs you find in most games.

The Neutral

A Little More Generic
The opening cutscene is pretty hard-hitting for fans of the first two games, and the flashback levels set in New York do an excellent job of capturing and updating the noir feel from the previous games. Otherwise, though, Max Payne 3 feels a little more generic than its predecessors. The Norse mythology is gone, and the cover mechanic is basically the exact same thing you see in every other game with cover.

The Bad

Too Big and Impersonal For Max Payne
The plot is, I think, a little too big in scope compared to the first two Max Payne games. Despite getting into gang warfare and drug cartels, the previous games felt very personal in that Max's involvement arose out of his own motivations (mostly revenge). Max Payne 3's plot deals with political aspirations and betrayals, institutional corruption, human trafficking, and themes of rich vs. poor. Max is only involved because he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, not because he has a personal stake in things.
This might be a weird complaint, but here goes: I think the cover system detracts from Max's character. He's a drunk and a pill-popper who actually expresses the desire (or at least thinks he does) to go down in a gun fight. He's reckless and doesn't care too much about the consequences to his own body. He's always pulling ridiculous stunts and leaps in the middle of combat. So if that's the case, why is it that he'll duck behind a wall to avoid getting shot? Granted, Max does go through some character development through the game, but at the very least, I think you shouldn't be able to use cover in the New York levels, when he's still in the depths of his pain and cynicism.
Occasional Difficulty Spikes
There are a few levels where the game's difficulty shoots right up for no good reason. Typically this happens when you're thrown into a room with a half-dozen bad guys who are all in cover, and no easy access to cover yourself. You can't take them all down in one shoot-dodge or slow-mo run, and they'll shoot you up pretty good before you can make it to cover. These bits can be frustrating.
Golden Guns
The second type of hidden collectible, but these are kind of dumb. The clues fit into the narrative and Max's character, but the golden guns are nothing more than cosmetic collectibles. What's worse, there's no reason for the pieces to be in most of the game's environments. Most egregious is the airport in the final level. Airports have very tight security for weapons, and you're telling me that there are shiny golden pieces of a freaking rocket launcher just lying around the airport?

The Verdict

Recommendation: play it.
I feel like my review is a little bit harsher than it would have been if I'd never played the first two Max Payne games. I'm aware that Rockstar made a conscious decision to move down the line and show a different Max than we'd seen in the previous games, but at times the shift in tone and style feels a little too drastic.
That complaint aside, Max Payne 3 is a solid game. The writing is mostly pretty strong - characters are distinct and humanly flawed, and the plot is twisty and intricate. The visuals are strong, particularly the fluid and realistic character animations. And Max's constant reflection on just how much of a screwup he is both makes him sympathetic and lends some urgency and threat to everything that happens.

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June #135

POZ - Health, Life and HIV
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Most Popular Lessons

The HIV Life Cycle

Herpes Simplex Virus

Syphilis & Neurosyphilis

Treatments for Opportunistic Infections (OIs)

What is AIDS & HIV?

Hepatitis & HIV

June 2007

Jagged Little Pills
by Adam Graham-Silverman
Some drugs approved to treat HIV may also protect people not infected with HIV if taken before they engage in high-risk activities. Then why has it been so difficult to conduct the necessary studies to prove—or disprove—the theory?

Happy Feet
by Nicole Joseph
Two HIV-positive marathoners, Robert Benavidez and David Villegas, don’t let the virus keep them from going the extra mile

Bunny Business
by Bob Ickes
How Jeffrey Jenest, HIV positive for more than 20 years and openly gay, found his niche amid the relentlessly straight, sometimes triple-X world of Playboy’s entertainment division

Playing the Percentages
by Tim Murphy
Combo therapy applies to lab numbers as well as meds

Soul Survivors
by Laura Whitehorn
Fat loss can hurt more than your self-image. A foot soldier’s story

B Careful
by Laura Whitehorn
A Hepatitis B med may breed HIV drug resistance

In the Running
by Laura Whitehorn
New drugs and whole new class wowed in the 2007 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI).

Seeing Double
by Liz Highleyman
Treatments for hepatitis C begin to mimic those for HIV

Write of Passage
by Shawn Decker
Author Shawn Decker recalls how he grew up with HIV while his POZ readers were watching

Salad Daze
by David Coop
Nutritional dream or nightmare? It all depends on what you put in the bowl

From Here to Paternity
by Lucile Scott
More and more positive men want children—and are finding that they can make them using their own genetic goods

Summer Share
by E.M. Kahn

Papa, Can You Hear Me?
by Bob Ickes
Jenna Bush’s new book about AIDS may sound suspiciously like Dad’s same old policies

Outside Chance
by Beth Schwartzapfel
Raising the bar on released inmates’ treatment

Send Us the Bill
by Lucile Scott
Congress vs. better health care for positive people

Climb Every Mountain
by James Wortman
For this brave breed of HIV-positive mountaineers, the only way is up

Farewell Tour
by Nicole Joseph
A new CD won't let AIDS silence composers

Hot Dates-June 2007

Agent Provocateur
by Bob Ickes

Mixed (Up) Media
by James Wortman

Another AIDS Movie for Philadelphia
by Kellee Terrell
But for 2007, the plotline’s strictly on the down low

Say What?!-June 2007

Attention, K-Y Shoppers

The Next Best Thing to Being There
by Nicole Joseph
Sponsoring a child abroad gets a thoroughly modern online update

Getting Crafty
by Lucile Scott
South African youth are sewing up answers to poverty and HIV

Baggage Claim
by Angelica
As Angelica finally meets her hot overseas Web date, who’s the bigger flight risk?

Editor's Letter-June 2007
by Regan Hofmann
Speaking of Sex...

Mailbox-June 2007

Catch of the Month—June 2007

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Giving: Does It Always Have To Be About The Money?

iStock_000000154260XSmallWhen many of us think about giving, the first thing that comes to mind is money. Whether you are asked to donate to charity, or whether your cousin needs a little help with his finances, we often get hung up on whether or not we have enough cash to help out.

The reality, though, is that giving doesn’t always have to be about the money. You can still provide financial relief to others even when you don’t hand over the cash.

Your Non-Financial Efforts Can Provide Financial Help

Interestingly, your non-financial aid can actually be financially beneficial to someone else. The help you provide might ease an obligation that in turn frees up financial resources. Here are some ways that you can give without writing a check:

  • Give your time: Whether you donate time at a charity, or whether you offer to babysit your friend’s children while she looks for a job, the time you give can free up resources. Helping out at a charity, particularly if the work you do is specialized, means one less person for that charity to pay. Instead, the money the charity does have can go toward helping more people. When you sit for someone else, that’s money that doesn’t have to go to the sitter — and might be used to pay utility bills. From driving your brother to a job interview to running a few errands for a neighbor in need, your time can make a big difference.
  • Donate items: Since my son is an only child, his clothing doesn’t get a lot of heavy use. So, when he’s done, we give it to a neighborhood family that struggles financially. They appreciate the clothes — and the fact that they don’t have to buy them. If you have goods in usable condition, you can donate them to charity, or to others who might need them. Don’t limit yourself to the thrift stores, either. Many homeless shelters, children’s homes, and battered women’s shelters can probably use the items.
  • Provide a service: This is related to giving your time. Clean the house for someone struggling to find the time to look for a job. Ask what you can do to help out, and the service your provide, whether you edit a resume for free, or clean up the yard, will likely be appreciated. My brother, a student, has an open invitation to come to dinner. That is one less meal he has to cook for himself, and it doesn’t cost us much to cook for one more person. We usually send him home with the leftovers. If you have an area of expertise, you can donate your services to charity. An accountant can donate tax prep services to a charity, or you might be able to donate your services helping to haul items to and from the charity offices.
  • Provide a place to live: In some cases, you might be able to provide someone with a place to live for a couple of weeks. My husband’s cousin lived with us for three weeks a few years ago while he looked for an inexpensive place to live, and a job to help him get back on his feet. This one can be tricky, though, so make sure you are really committed, and that there is a time frame for the houseguest to leave.

All of these actions can help someone in need save money, and use for other necessities. And you don’t have to give cash in order to make it work. Your non-cash efforts can provide the breathing room that someone else needs to improve his or her financial situation.

Deciding to Give Cash

If you do decide to give cash, it’s often a good idea to make it a true gift. When you donate cash to a charity, that is pretty much a given. You can give cash if you don’t feel you have the time or ability to donate in other ways.

When you give cash to someone you know, though, the situation might seem a little different. It can be tempting to make it a loan, but that can provide a lot of hurt feelings and difficulties down the road. Consider it a gift, and if the recipient repays you down the road, consider it a bonus. Or, if you are really worried about giving cash, consider paying a bill directly. Ask for the power bill, and send the check in yourself. Get a gift card for a local grocery store, or take the person shopping, and pay for the groceries.

Whenever you give, though, remember that it’s best to have the mindset of truly offering a gift — no strings attached.

How do you approach giving?

Posted in Give Back permalink

About Miranda (Staff Writer)

Miranda is a freelance writer and professional blogger specializing in business, personal finance, and investing. She is a contributor for several personal finance web sites, and her work has been mentioned in, and linked to from, several online and offline publications. Miranda also has her own personal finance blog: Planting Money Seeds.

Giving: Does It Always Have To Be About The Money? — 14 Comments

  1. I like to give stuff I do not have use for anymore, instead of throwing away. Not only do the items get a second life and reduce waste, but they make someone else happy. I also give my time whenever I can, but would think twice before having someone stay for more than a few days.

    • I like the idea of giving things away, too. It’s great for sustainability. And it helps, too, when we buy second-hand. The fewer new resources that we can all consumer, the better.

  2. We love to give our time as so many charities will gladly take it just as they will a financial donation. We don’t have a whole lot of free time, so it means more to us to be able to give that to help out organizations we care for. We also like to donate items that we no longer have use for but is still in good condition that someone else might get use out of.

  3. Miranda,
    My employer has a foundation to which I donate 1 percent of every paycheck. The foundation is non-profit and fins other organizations to which to donate. It also finds service members and veterans in need and helps them. I’m also a big believer in donating old clothes to Goodwill or youth-in-need organizations. There’s a dropbox down the street from my apartment!

    -Christian L. @ Smart Military Money

  4. Giving unwanted items away is good as long as they are still in good shape. It’s actually a win-win because you have more room. the recipient has something that they (presumably) need and there is no effort involved. Selling stuff can be difficult – like many people we are only too good at buying but not at selling.

    Only when you give expecting something in return is the spirit broken.

    And in the UK you can often Gift Aid something for example to a charity shop so they regain the tax you would have paid on the value of the item that you have given. Not many know this – it enables a registered charity to claim 20% from the government.

  5. I once volunteered my time for a non-profit that focused on health care. I spent zero money, but frankly time is more valuable in a lot of cases. Also, just being out there and helping can be harder yet more rewarding than sitting back and writing a check. Either way though, you’re helping.

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St. Paul – Apostle to the Gentiles

He was a student of Rabbi Gamaliel, and converted by the direct revelation of Jesus Christ, on the road to Damascus. Paul’s preaching often either converted his listeners or left them enraged, and they often had him stoned, beaten with rods, flogged, imprisoned and falsely accused. When he reached the end of his earthly journey, […]

St. Peter – Prince of the Apostles

stpeterkeys big

He was a fisherman, and Jesus’ premier apostle during His earthly ministry, and after the Ascension. To him, Christ gave the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. He preached in Jerusalem, converting over 3,000 souls on Pentecost. He also preached in Antioch and Rome. For his evangelistic successes in Rome, he was crucified upside down […]

Homily 1 – Against Those Who Say Demons Govern Human Affairs

By St. John Chrysostom The mighty preacher, St. John, Archbishop of Constantinople, provides an excellent example of his homiletic prowess in this sermon – as poignant today as it was then in the 4th century. It is easy to see why St. John is the patron saint of preachers. Against those who say that demons […]


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    It’s always difficult to categorize digital creative work. But to friends and relatives who are not familiar with ‘our’ line of work, I mostly explain my doing as being a designer/developer. I’ve been this since 2001, when I started creating websites and began mastering the complete Adobe (CS one after another) collection. Self-employed at first, but the past 5 years I’ve been working at the design studio of an (pretty much booming) advertising agency in Amsterdam. My responsibilities are web & app-design, developing websites, creating banners, coding newsletters, advising designer colleagues about technical possibilities and limitations of the web, maintaining websites, and a lot of Photoshop work.

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This poem was written in 1962 shortly before Wilbert Smith died from cancer of the lower bowel.

On Life

W. B. Smith

Make the world a little brighter,

Make somebody’s burden lighter,

Lend someone a helping hand,

Pull a brother from the sand,

Do your bit, however small,

Have a smile for one and all,

And when you meet the Judgement Day

Hold high your head and proudly say,

“The world, though little I could give,

Is better now, because I lived!”


text:
UCSB track team pulls together Big West crown

IRVINE — Against all odds, the UCSB men’s track and field team rallied together to win their first Big West Championship in over 40 years.

But in a sport that often touts individual victories, this weekend was truly a team effort, an effort that in the end has made all the difference. The UCSB men concluded competition Saturday afternoon with a total of 179 points to defeat the previous defending conference champion, Long Beach State who scored 150 points.

Anthony Masci won an individual title in the 3k steeplechase in addition to Mitchell Haag’s title in the high jump, both defending Big West champions. Derek Masterson, who won the decathlon at last week’s multi-event championships also contributed greatly.

The men’s 800m race brought droves of fans out to Anteater stadium and packing the concerete stadium seats to its limit. Ryan Martin and Charles Jock went head to head with Jock ahead of the pack from the start. Towards the finish line with 80 meters left to go, Martin turned it on and gave it his all but Jock eclipsed the finish line two-hunderths of a second faster at 1:44.75. Martin and Jock currently hold the two fastest 800m times in the entire nation, a feat that the two held before last season. Both will automatically qualify to compete in the USA Nationals in June.

Jordan Scott and Karlon Johnson went 2-3 on the podium in the 400m with Johnson running a lifetime best tie of 48.563 to beat out Bryan Adams of UC Riverside by three-thousandths of a second.

Freshman Shyan Vaziri barely missed a podium spot in the 1,500m clocking in 3:45.71 to finish fourth in Conference and a new lifetime best. Anthony Masci competed in the 5k race, placing sixth (14:41.86) followed by Juan Paredes (14:43.49) and Jeremy Acosta (14:44.18) who ran a personal best. Acosta placed seventh in the 10k race, clocking in 31:40.79.

Sean Johnson finished sixth in the 110m hurdles at 14.70 and Mikael Powers crossed the line in 14.89. Powers had quite a race in the 400m hurdles where he ran a lifetime best of 52.54 and barely missing a podium spot by less than three-tenths of a second.

The 4x400m relay team finished third overall clocking in 3:11.63 (Karlon Johnson, Winton Nguyen, Jordan Scott and Ryan Martin).

Derek Masterson tied for seventh in the pole vault at 15-5 and sixth in the long jump at 23-4.75. John Walsh placed third in Conference in the long jump (23-10.75).

Alex Umstead had two 3rd place finishes in the throw, tossing 57-7.5 in the shot put and 189-7 in the hammer throw events. Chris Hamilton lead the men’s discus event at 162-7. Freshman Kyle Strawn finished 8th in the discus (158-1) and fourth in hammer throw (184-1).

Michael Guerra had a season best throw of 219-1 in the javelin to finish second in Conference while Masterson threw 199-8 to place fourth.


text:
Conference Interactive Program
To view the 2013 Annual Meeting Interactive Program Click Here
TRB 89th Annual Meeting (January 10-14, 2010)
Event Number:499
Event Title:Vehicle Miles Traveled Reduction Targets: Will This Strategy Get the Desired Results?
Event Date:Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Event Location:Hilton, International West
Presiding Officers: Charles E. Howard - Puget Sound Regional Council
Sponsored By: Statewide Multimodal Transportation Planning  (ADA10)
Metropolitan Policy, Planning, and Processes  (ADA20)
Transportation Programming, Planning, and Systems Evaluation  (ADA50)
Environmental Analysis in Transportation  (ADC10)

Event Description:No description available

Several current and proposed transportation policies include targets for reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation sources, primarily CO2. Paritipants will be able to determine the benefits, drawbacks, and viability of VMT reduction targets, which will be identified as an achievable, effective, and cost-efficient strategy for GHG-CO2 reduction.

  VMT Reduction Targets: Leading Us to Lower Greehhouse Gas Emissions  (P10-0710)
     Todd Alexander Litman - Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Canada
     Patricia L. Mokhtarian - Georgia Institute of Technology
  VMT Reduction Targets: Leading Us Nowhere  (P10-0723)
     Alan E. Pisarski - Consultant
     Samuel Staley - Florida State University

Subject Areas:
  Energy and Climate Change
  Investing in Our Transportation Future – BOLD Ideas to Meet BIG Challenges
  AICP Certification Maintenance Session
Transportation Research Board. 500 Fifth St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Copyright © 2014. National Academy of Sciences. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Adriano Zumbo macaron day 2011

If you’ve ever wondered what $60 of macarons looks like… this is it. I literally planned to spend $30 max at Zumbo’s “Zumboron Day”, but in the frenzy of flavour-choosing, i went OTT. I’m most excited about trying the baklava, custard crunch, gin & tonic, finger bun, PB & J, rice pudding (they had it last year but it’s amazing), redskin (same story), licorice and margarita pizza.

  1. Posted November 27, 2011 at 5:15 am | Permalink

    That has to be quickest from-purchase-to-blog-post turnaround ever! Love your pictures and looking forward to your post-bite verdicts. Really nice to hang out and max out on macaron purchasing together. xo

  2. Posted November 27, 2011 at 8:55 am | Permalink

    I went to the Balmain store today, walked away with 45 of them! Okay that is for 3 people :) They had run out of the salt and pepper calamari as well as the margarita pizza :(

  3. Posted November 29, 2011 at 12:51 am | Permalink

    Oh myy gosh, ramen?! MUST TRY

  4. prettyprettyyumyum
    Posted November 29, 2011 at 7:26 am | Permalink

    LTL, haha! It was now or never. Can’t wait to hear your post-bite verdicts!! I’ve had 4 so far, I need help!

    Sara, I haven’t tried the pizza one yet! I’m scared but I’m guessing it will taste a bit like pizza shapes?

    Veronica, yes I got the ramen one but now I don’t know which one it is so it will be a surprise when I taste it!

  5. Asia
    Posted December 1, 2011 at 4:31 pm | Permalink

    I would go nuts for fried chicken macarons!
    love your blog, keep up the awesome posts <3

  6. Posted December 6, 2011 at 1:55 am | Permalink

    i knew i would go crazy and get one of each so i didnt even bother rocking up to save my poor wallet

  7. Laika
    Posted March 18, 2012 at 10:48 pm | Permalink

    Why don’t you update more often?! :-(

  8. Posted March 19, 2012 at 11:33 am | Permalink

    wish i could be in Sydney for Macaron Day tomorrow!

  9. Posted May 4, 2012 at 4:46 pm | Permalink

    You know, I think I’ll make you the cross.
    Because I don’t have to waste my time just because you simply don’t want retrofit your site.
    From now on I’ll make the cross to all your links and to this site.
    Thanks for nothing.

  10. David Quan
    Posted June 20, 2013 at 4:51 am | Permalink

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    The clarity in your post is just excellent and i can assume you’re an expert on this subject. Well with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the enjoyable work.

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Suzanne Donazetti

Suzanne Donazetti began weaving and painting on metal about 15 years ago. She has developed a method to communicate with color, through the refractive lens of weaving using universal shapes of the circle, spiral, triangle, and cross. The traditional over and under of the weaving is done with thirty-six gauge copper that is gilded and painted in a variety of warm and cool colors that evoke a sense of harmony like that found in the natural environment. The colors are intense and shapes refract and bend to entertain the eye as they become liquid and soft like a watercolor. Size can vary to suit the display space available and the artist has created numerous public works of art. Price is dictated by size and complexity as the art folds and undulates on an invisible frame that is hung like a regular picture on the wall. Verticals can also hang as a horizontal The work in the gallery ranges from $685.00 to $2400.00 and is light enough to ship easily.

Fire & Ice  by Suzanne Donazetti
 Fire & Ice
  $685.00 learn more
Green Shadows by Suzanne Donazetti
 Green Shadows
  $775.00 learn more
Midnight Sun by Suzanne Donazetti
 Midnight Sun
  $785.00 learn more
Sea & Sunlight by Suzanne Donazetti
 Sea & Sunlight
  $785.00 learn more
Red Wind by Suzanne Donazetti
 Red Wind
  $635.00 learn more
Autumn Wind by Suzanne Donazetti
 Autumn Wind
  $635.00 learn more
Between The Waves by Suzanne Donazetti
 Between The Waves
  $785.00 learn more
Ocean Sunset 8 by Suzanne Donazetti
 Ocean Sunset 8
  $2,300.00 learn more

Primary Elements Gallery - 172 North Hemlock, Sandpiper Square
P.O. Box 1084 Cannon Beach, Oregon 97110, 503-436-0220


text:
Title: Spectrum of doubly ionised arsenic
Authors: Rao, A. S
Narayan, A. L
Keywords: Spectrum
Doubly Ionised Arsenic
Issue Date: 10-Aug-1929
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Citation: Nature, Vol. 124, No. 3119, pp. 229
Abstract: THE deepest term of the separation of doubly ionised arsenic (As III) is 4p 2P1. The values of these doublet terms relative to 2G were reported in a recent paper (Ind. J. Phy., 5, 3, p. 3) to be 220, 221 cm.-1. It was found in the course of this work that a number of lines that could be attributed to doubly ionised arsenic remained unclassified. The spectrum has been further investigated. About fortyfive of these unclassified lines have entered into quartet systems, the terms identified being:
Description: Restricted Access
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2248/5818
Appears in Collections:IIAP Publications
A. L. Narayan (1937 - 1946)

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat
Spectrum of doubly ionised arsenic.pdfRestricted Access113.77 kBAdobe PDFView/Open    Request a copy

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Brett Pollakoff

  1. Stephen Curry ‘surprised’ Mark Jackson picked James Harden to win MVP

    Apr 3, 2015, 7:45 PM EDT

    Stephen Curry, Mark Jackson

    Jackson was Curry’s biggest fan when he was head coach of the Warriors.

  2. LeBron James moves into 20th place on NBA’s all-time scoring list (VIDEO)

    Apr 2, 2015, 11:45 PM EDT

    Miami Heat v Cleveland Cavaliers

    The milestones continue to pile up for LeBron James.

  3. Phil Jackson now says ‘forget about the triangle’ offense

    Apr 2, 2015, 10:45 PM EDT

    Phil Jackson

    After the worst season in franchise history, Jackson seems open to making some adjustments.

  4. Andre Drummond accomplishes rare rebounding feat not done by anyone in 17 years

    Apr 2, 2015, 9:45 PM EDT

    Andre Drummond

    Drummond’s rebounding in March on both ends of the floor was historically great.

  5. Lakers’ Wayne Ellington out for the season with shoulder injury

    Apr 2, 2015, 8:45 PM EDT

    Los Angeles Lakers v Phoenix Suns

    Ellington suffered a shoulder separation against the Pelicans.

  6. Chris Kaman tweets photo of Chris Paul hitting him in the ‘groin’

    Apr 2, 2015, 7:45 PM EDT

    Utah Jazz v Portland Trail Blazers

    Kaman received a flagrant foul for shoving Paul to the floor, so this was his explanation.

  7. Bugs Bunny teases the Jordan XXX in interview with Ahmad Rashad (VIDEO)

    Apr 1, 2015, 7:29 PM EDT

    Google ChromeScreenSnapz007

    Jordan Brand keeps with the Space Jam theme in advance of this weekend’s retro releases.

  8. Ryan Anderson to return to Pelicans lineup Wednesday vs. Lakers

    Apr 1, 2015, 3:15 PM EDT

    New Orleans Pelicans v Orlando Magic

    Anderson has missed the last 18 games due to injury, and New Orleans is trying to catch OKC for the final playoff spot in the West.

  9. Russell Westbrook has league-leading 15th technical foul rescinded

    Apr 1, 2015, 2:30 PM EDT

    Russell Westbrook

    A 16th during the regular season would mean a one-game suspension.

  10. Lance Stephenson says he doesn’t regret free agent decision to sign with Hornets

    Apr 1, 2015, 1:50 PM EDT

    Chicago Bulls v Charlotte Hornets

    Stephenson didn’t play in his team’s last game as a result of the coach’s decision.

  11. Stephen Curry crosses over Chris Paul a second time (VIDEO)

    Apr 1, 2015, 1:10 PM EDT

    Stephen Curry, Chris Paul

    Not as devastating as the one that’s made the rounds, but deadly nonetheless.

  12. Report: LeBron James calls the plays, Cavaliers coach David Blatt repeats them to team

    Apr 1, 2015, 12:30 PM EDT

    Cleveland Cavaliers v Los Angeles Lakers

    We know it’s LeBron’s world in Cleveland, but this makes Blatt look a bit silly.

  13. Blake Griffin: ‘Home-court advantage is just not there for us’

    Apr 1, 2015, 11:50 AM EDT

    Blake Griffin

    This isn’t the first time one of the Clippers has publicly pointed out the obvious.

  14. Chris Paul posts self-mocking meme after getting crossed over by Stephen Curry

    Apr 1, 2015, 9:50 AM EDT

    The Internet went nuts with memes of Paul falling down, and he got in on the fun himself.

  15. LeBron says he’s ‘got three very good friends in this league,’ none play for the Cavaliers

    Mar 31, 2015, 2:59 PM EDT

    Lebrion James, Dwyane Wade

    LeBron names his three, and says after that he has ‘a bunch of teammates.’

  16. Report: Rockets’ Patrick Beverley to need four months of recovery following season-ending surgery

    Mar 31, 2015, 2:00 PM EDT

    Patrick Beverley

    It had been hoped that Beverley might be available to return later in the postseason.

  17. Thunder say Kevin Durant underwent successful bone graft surgery, will return in 4-6 months

    Mar 31, 2015, 12:40 PM EDT

    Kevin Durant

    We already knew Durant was done for the season, but the Thunder have updated his status.

  18. Draymond Green no longer selling ‘Cool story, Glenn’ shirts, may miss next game vs. Clippers

    Mar 31, 2015, 12:00 PM EDT

    Draymond Green

    Green is trying to downplay rivalry with Clippers coach, and is dealing with inflammation in his shins.

  19. Kyrie Irving on his relationship with LeBron James: ‘I don’t want to say it’s not been rocky at all’

    Mar 31, 2015, 11:20 AM EDT

    Golden State Warriors v Cleveland Cavaliers

    Things are clicking now in Cleveland, but it wasn’t that way at the beginning of the season.

  20. Flip Saunders (sort of) makes up with Jazz broadcaster after ripping him for saying Timberwolves were tanking

    Mar 31, 2015, 10:40 AM EDT

    Flip Saunders

    Interaction ended with a handshake, but it seemed evident Saunders remained displeased.

  21. Lance Stephenson receives DNP-CD in Hornets’ loss to Celtics

    Mar 31, 2015, 10:00 AM EDT

    Charlotte Hornets v Sacramento Kings

    Hornets were fighting for a playoff spot, but their big free agent acquisition sat on the bench.

Top 10 NBA Player Searches
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  5. J. Embiid (3197)
  1. K. Bryant (3065)
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  3. T. Harris (2967)
  4. K. Love (2916)
  5. D. Jordan (2823)


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O-Zone: Sneak peek

Posted Jul 30, 2013

JACKSONVILLE – Let’s get to it . . .

Robert from Moorpark, CA:
What did you see in Cecil last year during training camp that made you believe he'd be the maestro he is now?
John: I can’t take credit for being too far out front on Shorts last year during training camp. People who watched Shorts at that time saw a player with athletic ability who clearly had taken a step forward as a route runner, and who seemed to have embraced the coaching of Jerry Sullivan, then in his first season with the Jaguars but absolutely a well-respected coaching veteran. Yes, I had written early in Shorts’ rookie training camp in 2011 that I thought he would be the best receiver on the roster by the end of that season, but that was a year early and it took Shorts a year to develop, so I won’t position myself as all-seeing when it comes to his career. Still, it has been interesting to watch his maturation, a process that in retrospect has been remarkably rapid for a player from a Division III school.
Frank from St. Augustine, FL:
Way to rock the pick visor, O-Man! #moodachay!
John: #Moodachay
James from Orange Park, FL:
Let me guess: "It's football; players get hurt." But, what the heck?! By the Jaguars’ fourth practice, some major players are going down with ACLs around the league and now Gabbert has an ankle sprain. I thought the reduction of practice written into the CBA was supposed to reduce injuries. This is crazy to me.
John: I just don’t understand people not understanding injuries in football. This is not a knock on you, James. Each year during training camp, media makes a big deal of the rash of injuries around training camps and acts as if it’s something unique. It’s just not. The Jaguars actually have been remarkably injury-free this training camp, to the point where if you have a rooting interest in this team you’re worried about jinxing it. Even the Gabbert injury Monday seems to be minor. As for reducing injuries or preventing them, Gabbert’s incident for example occurred on a play on which guard Uche Nwaneri was pushed back into the quarterback during a pass play. The only way to be sure that such a play wouldn’t happen would be to not practice at all. These are large human beings doing physical things in a relatively small space. Major players are going to get injured every training camp and a lot of those are going to be serious injuries. Yes, it’s football. Players are going to get hurt. There’s just nothing crazy about it.
Tudor from St. Augustine, FL:
Normally, I would agree with your response to Joseph from Yukon, OK. But from what I understand, Blaine Mane is fumbling and throwing picks, too, so let’s not make this a Robinson-only thing. Can't hurt to give the kid 5-10 reps a day. How the hell is he supposed to get better at that position if he gets no practice at it? Not saying he will be, but Brady was R6, remember?
John: You’re entitled to your opinion, and Robinson indeed got three reps at quarterback from the Wildcat formation Monday. That’s fine, and that’s about right. He’s an option. He’s a weapon. But it just does not appear that he’s a full-time NFL quarterback.
Jay from Camp Lejeune, NC:
John-O, just got back from Afghanistan in time for my daughter to be born. Now, I'm laying here typing with one hand while she sleeps on my chest. Can life get any better than this?
John: It doesn’t sound like it. Enjoy.
Ray from Jacksonville:
Hmmm, the Jaguars used the farther fields on the weekday when about 1,000 or so came to watch. They used the closer fields on the weekend days when more than 2,000 people attended. Those scoundrels.
John: Yeah, well . . . they’re sneaky that way.
Bobby from Bellingham, WA:
In your response to Bo, you stated, "The offensive line is shaping up as follows: Eugene Monroe at left tackle, Will Rackley at left guard, Brad Meester at center, Uche Nwaneri at right guard and Luke Joeckel at right tackle." You also stated that depth was an issue? If final cuts were tomorrow, who do you see on today’s roster that would make the team as depth? Why say depth is an issue; just because our depth is first and second year players?
John: I say depth is an issue because Jaguars Head Coach Gus Bradley said it at the beginning of camp, and also because while the team has a pretty clear idea of starters, the depth is far less clear. Cameron Bradfield would seem to have a chance to be the backup at right and left tackle, and Mike Brewster would seem to have a chance to be depth on the interior along with Jason Spitz. But the three of those players are very much “would-seem-to” guys, and I wouldn’t call the roster spots written in stone.
Robert from Richmond:
You weren't covering the team, but we were seeing the same questions when the team drafted Matt Jones that we are seeing now about Denard Robinson? Matt Jones had "freakish speed," you know . . .
John: I know. I also know Matt Jones was a first-round selection. The Jaguars took Robinson in the fifth round, which means you can watch what the team will do with his speed without worrying if he’s a bust. It’s impossible for Robinson to be a bust. He may not make it, but a fifth-round draft pick can’t be a “bust.”
Matt from Jacksonville:
To be an offensive weapon, don’t you have to hold on to the football? Denard Robinson is having a real ugly start to camp. Maybe instead of trying to learn all of these different positions he should focus on the basics.
John: Denard Robinson was as much a fifth-round draft pick as he was an offensive weapon. What I mean is while the designation of “OW” got quite a bit of offseason attention, he is still a young player who entered the NFL without a true position. While it will be intriguing to see how Robinson will fit in, if he was a bonafide, can’t-miss, change-the-dynamic-of-a-team player he might have been taken, oh, I don’t know, sometime in the first four rounds. Robinson will get time to develop, and with work he has a chance to improve. He ran three plays from the Wildcat formation Monday, for example, and looked better throughout practice than he did on Sunday. We’re four days into camp. Give it time.
Nathan from St. Augustine, FL:
I’m curious as to what you think will carry more weight with the coaches evaluating players on the bubble: looking good in training camp, or producing in preseason games?
John: It’s a combination, with a slight nod given to producing in preseason games. I have to preface that by saying you can’t judge everything on preseason. For example, there are almost always wide receivers who put up huge numbers late in preseason games who get cut from rosters. These moves often spark shock and brief outrage from fans overlooking that the numbers often were posted against defensive backs who also were released from their respective teams. That’s why it’s dangerous to say that preseason production is everything.
David from De Burg:
Would it be too mean to say that I almost want Matt Scott to take the quarterback position? Or is that not mean enough for your taste?
John: It’s not mean, because you can want for anything you like. I wouldn’t hold your breath, though. Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne have split the vast majority of significant repetitions in the first four days of practice, and there’s no indication that’s going to change. With each day that passes on which that’s the case, the less likely Matt Scott or Mike Kafka get enough repetitions to compete for the job.
Ryan from Duville:
Mike Brown looked good in the training camp highlights. How are his ball skills? Does he catch everything that hits his hands or does he have tendency to drop passes that should be caught? I think he could be a guy that develops into a great receiver in a year or two.
John: He drops a few, but just about every receiver drops a few. Brown looked very good in the offseason and more significantly, he has followed that by looking good in camp. How he performs in preseason games will be very important, but if Brown plays as well the next three weeks as he has the last four days, then he will be difficult to keep off the roster.
Michael from Jackson de Ville, FL:
#Moodachay? More like Mooda plaid shorts back to the closet. Seriously though, any insight as to why for a couple plays it appeared Henne was lining up as a receiver with Denard Robinson throwing the ball? Thought it was interesting.
John: Robinson was working from the Wildcat formation. When teams run plays from the Wildcat, the quarterback often splits wide. And back off the shorts. #Moodachay.
Nick from London, England:
Despite "checking out," we all know John from Napa took a look at O-Zone again to see if his comment was posted, don't we? And now he knows that we know. How silly does he feel today? #moodachay
John: #Moodachay.

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I think that - once the yogurt lids had been taken down from the wall of the gallery - the artwork itself was destroyed. Not all together a bad thing. It's like the people you meet throughout your life - some are around forever and don't affect you - while others for a very short time but have a great impact.
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Sep 7, 2011


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Kendall Wright: Titans have a whole new playbook this year

Tennessee Titans' new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains talks with players during the first half of their NFL football game with the Houston Texans  in Nashville, Tennessee Reuters

Since the start of the offseason, we’ve heard a few different things about how the Titans offense will look in 2013.

Running back Chris Johnson has said he likes the run-first approach that offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains is installing while Loggains has discussed zone-read elements put into place to take advantage of quarterback Jake Locker’s skill set. All of that new hasn’t left much room for much of the playbook they used in 2012. Wide receiver Kenny Britt says that the team is “starting from scratch,” as does wide receiver Kendall Wright.

“It’s just a new playbook. There’s nothing left over from last year,” Wright said, via David Climer of the Tennessean.

It’s hard to argue against the Titans moving in a new direction offensively after finishing 23rd in the league in points scored and firing offensive coordinator Chris Palmer last season, but it’s certainly a gamble to go in a totally new direction for a coaching staff that’s under pressure to make owner Bud Adams a happier man after Adams admitted to overspending to get the players that General Manager Ruston Webster targeted as free agents.

That said, that pressure was going to exist with any offensive scheme. The Titans already knew the old way wasn’t working for them, so it’s hard to argue with trying something different.

Permalink 12 Comments Feed for comments Latest Stories in: Home, Rumor Mill, Tennessee Titans
12 Responses to “Kendall Wright: Titans have a whole new playbook this year”
  1. bigdogbob says: Jun 7, 2013 2:37 PM

    This team was just plain old difficult to watch last season. I can’t think of really anything they did well. Folks are bagging on CJ for only getting 1,200 yards last season but considering how much pressure Locker DID NOT take off the running game it’s actually kind of impressive. I hope they can do something to take advantage of Locker’s skill set, because after that display last season, I am left trying to figure out what that skill set is other than a very strong arm. Jeff George had one of those too.

  2. titansbro says: Jun 7, 2013 3:01 PM

    ^^^^ moron. Locker had a separated shoulder last season. Hard to really show anything in your first season as a starter with no protection, avg recievers, mediocre run game, & a separated shoulder. But those problems should all be fixed now so he needs to prove he’s the guy.

  3. zoxitic says: Jun 7, 2013 3:10 PM

    “..into place to take advantage of quarterback Jake Locker’s skill set.”

    They actually found a skill set?

  4. sdchicken says: Jun 7, 2013 3:14 PM

    Last years Oline was awful. CJ got drilled taking the handoff 4 times a game. Locker was banged up and not consistent with his accuracy. CJ is a stud, Wright, and Williams are solid starters as number 2’s. if Brit can do anything positive they could be a fun offense.

  5. bigdogbob says: Jun 7, 2013 3:21 PM

    At titansbro:

    Clearly you have a man crush on Locker. I realize he was hurt last season but that isn’t why he had 10 TDs to 11 INTs. That’s called bad decision making. And his whopping 74 Passer Rating was 7 points lower than Hasselbeck’s with the same O-line. Hasselbeck completed a higher percentage of passes with the same O-line and receivers, and he had 7 TD’s to 5 INTs with the same players. Hasselbeck was sacked on 6% of his drop backs while Locker was sacked on 8% of his. That’s called not getting rid of the ball fast enough. So again, I am looking for a skill set to match his hype.

  6. zoxitic says: Jun 7, 2013 3:23 PM

    Titans: Team going nowhere.

  7. zoxitic says: Jun 7, 2013 3:25 PM

    Gabbert laughs at Locker.

  8. tennesseeoilers says: Jun 7, 2013 3:29 PM

    Glad to hear that the effectiveness of RGIII, Russell Wilson, and Colin Kaepernick woke up the Titan’s coaching staff. After all, Jake Locker’s 7.1 yards per carry last year was tops among NFL quarterbacks.

  9. bellicosejeff says: Jun 7, 2013 4:06 PM

    People (usually not Titans fans) are so quick to dog Locker and I hate it. It all starts with the line. It’s no shock to me that a fisrt year starter at QB didn’t look all that great behind a bad O line that quickly became a bad patchwork o-line after starters began to drop out with injury. Locker hasn’t started 1 full season yet. In fact he hasn’t even started an entire seasons worth of games in the two years he’s been in the league. I’m not saying Locker will or won’t be great, but damn. Let’s give him a real chance to prove himself before we start dumping on him.

    Plus, whatever happened to giving QBs time to develop? It seems now a days if a rookie QB isn’t superbowl caliber right out of the gate damn near everyone is ready to write him off! I can easily think of about half a dozen QBs that took their lumps before they became great QBs. Again, I’m not claiming he will or won’t be great. I just think he deserves another season or two as a starter before we start labeling the young man.

    I think CJ putting up the numbers he did behind that O-line last season is impressive.

    Just my opinions though. One last thing, after all the additions to the roster this offseason. I haven’t been this excited about titans football in a while!

  10. rascalmanny says: Jun 7, 2013 5:19 PM

    I hope CJ remembers he’s supposed to be a playmaker and RUNS this year.

    And oh, maybe not go down when the first guy puts a hand on you…..

    This “run-first” thing scares me with a ME ME ME guy like CJ. But if he wants his yards and stats more than TD’s maybe THIS year he will actually try hard.

  11. titansbro says: Jun 7, 2013 9:56 PM

    Yeah, Hass didn’t have a separated shoulder either. And you’re gonna talk about a 2% difference in sacks? Lol. It’s not a man crush, it’s letting the guy have a fair shot at it. In limited opportunities in his rookie year he was really good & showed flashes of brilliance. But he was injured on his first game last season & then separated it again later in the season. You must not understand how a separated non-throwing shoulder affects your ability to throw a football. It’s a bad injury for a QB.

  12. leanback360 says: Jun 8, 2013 1:32 PM

    I wouldn’t even use a QB in Tennessee, just give CJ2K the ball every play, he’ll still put more points on the board than any QB they got!

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Marvin Lewis says “certain rare ability” needed to play cornerback

Dre Kirkpatrick AP

The Bengals have taken more cornerbacks in Round One (three) than any other position in Marvin Lewis’ 11 years as head coach.

Of those three first-round corners, Leon Hall (2007) and Dre Kirkpatrick (2012) remain on the roster, with Johnathan Joseph having moved on to Houston in 2011. In addition, the Bengals have two other first-rounders — Terence Newman (2003, Dallas) and Adam Jones (2005, Tennessee) on the depth chart at cornerback.

At the club’s press conference, Lewis went into some detail on why the club has added so much first-round talent at cornerback.

“Quarterback and cornerback are the toughest positions to play in the league, and if you’re not good enough there, everyone else suffers,” Lewis said, according to a transcript on the club’s website. “And there’s no way to mask it. It takes certain rare ability to play those two spots.

“To play cornerback on defense, to run with a guy that can be bigger than you, can be faster than you, knows where he’s going, and you’ve got to run with him, and you’ve got to defend him and you can’t touch him.”

Added Lewis: “That’s a tough position. I’ve been fortunate in the league to be around a bunch of good corners, and most of them came in the first round. I feel pretty good about that.”

The Bengals select 24th overall on Thursday night. And, as it turns out, they could use a little help at cornerback.

Permalink 14 Comments Feed for comments Latest Stories in: Cincinnati Bengals, Home, Rumor Mill
14 Responses to “Marvin Lewis says “certain rare ability” needed to play cornerback”
  1. bengalsbilly says: May 6, 2014 10:04 PM

    That and the later round corners that the Bengals have drafted under ML have been underwhelming.

  2. rutchaser says: May 6, 2014 10:14 PM

    Great insight coach. As a Bengals fan your 500 record and no playoff wins always makes me want to listen to you after 10 years.

  3. cornernum23 says: May 6, 2014 10:29 PM

    He’s right. And as the game gets easier for QBs it’s just going to get harder for corners. I just hope the Lions have the same wisdom in their front office that Marvin Lewis has come Thursday.

  4. zingo1978 says: May 6, 2014 10:44 PM

    Detroit Lions….Take note of this.

  5. xcflqb7 says: May 7, 2014 12:08 AM

    Not if you are playing against Andy Dalton – then all you need is good enough hands to hold onto the clutch interceptions he’ll throw your way

  6. crownofthehelmet says: May 7, 2014 12:54 AM

    Big Ben Effect.

  7. SAV says: May 7, 2014 1:19 AM

    Bengals lucky to have such a great coach, they’d be wise to draft Dalton’s replacement. I think he has peaked

  8. raqaiw says: May 7, 2014 2:42 AM

    He’s right. Out of all the players hindered by the continued addition of pass-friendly rules, the CB is #1.
    Defending a pass without pass interference, illegal contact, or defensive holding being called is nearly impossible.

  9. joetoronto says: May 7, 2014 5:16 AM

    If you know so much about CB’s, why did you let Joseph get away, Marvin?

  10. ravenswhat says: May 7, 2014 7:24 AM

    Agreed. And Revis island is not a fun place for a vacation.

  11. sellout1983 says: May 7, 2014 8:27 AM

    Playing CB in the NFL has now overtaken hitting a curveball as the hardest thing to do in sports.

  12. rawbbqsauce says: May 7, 2014 11:01 AM

    Great quotes by Marvin Lewis. I couldn’t agree more. QB and CB are the hardest positions.

    If you’re a CB, one slight false step, you’re toast. Touchdown.

  13. shoesfinest says: May 7, 2014 12:11 PM

    Well you sure can’t be average and keep your job at Corner very long. I mean surely any corner that gets beat 50% of the snaps he plays would be fired in a hurry right? Right Marvin? I mean after all you have kept your job for going on 12 years and you get beat exactly half the time.

  14. bengalskuta82 says: May 10, 2014 9:20 AM

    Thats why the good ones get paid big big bux

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Programmers Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professional programmers interested in conceptual questions about software development. It's 100% free, no registration required.

For example, being a beginner, I find a lot of inspiration and direction from reading this post by Bryan Woods.

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39 Answers 39

up vote 26 down vote accepted

I'm surprised no one has mentioned The Pragmatic Programmer. It's a must-read if you are at all interested in your craft.

@kirk.burleson: It still is. –  Steve Evers Nov 11 '10 at 20:48

Gloves - take a good, hard look at your first revision and just say to yourself, "gloves."

This post from the Daily WTF has kept me on the right path. I'll admit to several times having started developing something where a pair of "gloves" were the appropriate solution.

I don't get it. –  kirk.burleson Nov 7 '10 at 16:31
Kirk, you need to read the linked article for the answer to possibly make sense... though even then it doesn't really. –  Peter Boughton Nov 7 '10 at 21:01
It means when you overthink a problem you can end up with horribly complex solutions that end up getting more complicated due to the previous design choices. To summarize the article linked they try to create a ridiculous body heating system to keep your hands warm. Instead of just wearing gloves –  Matt Phillips Nov 12 '10 at 21:53

Read the speech given by Alex Stepanov at Adobe. At the end of 5 years this will seperate the GREAT ones from the GOOD ones.

I always found Coding Horror and Joel on Software to be inspiring on certain blog posts. They also always made me feel good because I understood what they were talking about and made me think of myself as a programmer.

To read

To view

Sometimes it's more about people...

And a bunch of people on whose footsteps to follow, and on whose shoulders to stand (in no particular order and listed as they come to my mind now in free-flow): Alan Kay, Richard Stallman, Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Theo de Raadt, Linus Torvalds, Eric S. Raymond, Rob Pike, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, John MacCarthy, John Conway, Martin Odersky, James Gosling, Guy Steele, Donald Knuth, Edsger Dijkstra, John Carmack, Peter Molyneux... Either their own words and works were inspirational or their stories told by others. As long as you keep in mind that their skills and genius in some areas doesn't prevent them to be blind-sided by their own beliefs in others. Like anyone else. (The 2 books listed above will already cover them fairly well, for most of them!)

Or less famous but nonetheless active technologists that are interesting to follow from afar: Neal Gafter, Martin Fowler, Don Syme, etc...

I was inspired by the works of these people, and the things they did to achieve (or abandon) their projects.

Sometimes it's more about a culture and a dream, and breaking barriers...

Reading the 2600 as a kid when my English was embyonic, the story of early phreakers like Captain Crunch or the birth of the PC era with Wozniak at Apple and reading books and essays by William Gibson and Neil Stephenson were also inspirational for me as a programmer, though it didn't relate to programming directly. In that vein, even the Hacker's Manifesto, the Agile Manigesto or even things like the IEEE Code of Ethics were and still are inspirational.

The Last Lecture a book written by Randy Pausch the man behind Alice. It goes along with his last lecture "Really Achieving your Childhood Dreams". Always gotta remember to be a Tigger.

it's a very short list, made of two books :

  • head first - design patterns
  • clean code

In terms of guidance

The book The Elements of Programming Style by Kernighan and Plauger was very influential for me when I was learning C. The book was already considered "obsolete" by the time I read it, due to its use of PL/I and Fortran samples, but the tips transcended both languages.

Before reading that book, I was convinced "style" was about what I now consider trivial issues, like formatting (how many spaces for a tab? where do you place the curlies?). But style is what you have once you remove formatting and naming conventions. Is it easier to construct a string backwards and then reverse it? Then construct it backwards and reverse it.

Another book from Kernighan and Plauger, Software Tools, was also helpful, but not quite as good. And the much newer book The Practice of Programming, by Kernighan and Pike is also useful, but a far cry from The Elements of Programming Style. I wish I still had my copy. It's worth it for every programmer to read.

I grew an appreciation of testing and QA after reading Glenford Myers The Art of Software Testing. It showed me that testing was a real creative activity, and not just something for computer science majors who don't like to program. Perhaps with the growing popularity of Test-Driven Development more people will turn to Myers's book.

And I cannot think of a better introduction to the notion of abstraction than the book The Structure and Interpretation of Programs, which is available free online. It introduces the Scheme programming language, but hits upon many other topics in computer science, including declarative programming.

In terms of inspiration

In my academic career, I was inspired by the concept of Aspect-Oriented Programming. You can read some of the very early papers on AOP and end up with half a page of notes for ideas.

I also think the progress of Church and Turing is very inspiring. In the 1930s, before computers were even made, scientists and mathematicians were programming in a higher-order programming language: Lambda calculus. The construction of Church numbers and the predecessor function is probably one of the most clever programming constructs ever. It shows you how to make something from almost nothing.

If you're reading about AOP, don't forget Kiczales et al's earlier work, in the form of The Art of the MetaObject Protocol. –  Frank Shearar Oct 26 '10 at 7:35

Not something I read. In 1984 I was talking to my neighbor and his friend. I was 16. The friend told me that essentially the world is split between computer users and computer programmers. He said only the smartest people in the world can become programmers.

Yeeeeee! What a challenge!

Originaly Joel on Software, the way he writes made it very easy to grasp the concepts when I was beginning.

He's a good writer and I love to read his stuff. Just take some of it with a grain of salt or you may get depressed if you're not a rockstar developer. –  kirk.burleson Nov 7 '10 at 16:34
I wanna be a rockstar developer like I wanna be a douchebag. –  Jonathan Sterling Nov 12 '10 at 16:31

Code Complete, Second Edition by Steve McConnell.

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Erich Gamma

I'm entirely self-taught, and I was fortunate enough to stumble upon an article (I've long since forgotten where) early on in my work that pointed me to these two books. The transformation of my code after I read those two books was staggering. I owe a lot to those authors.

Among many inspirations the most recent one was this book on: Apprenticeship Patterns

When I first read the Design Patterns Book in 1995 or something it was a real eye-opener for me as a programmer.

Nowadays, James Shores' book about agile development inspired me a lot, and lately Lyssa Adkins about coaching teams, both of which are highly recommended if you are interested in such stuff.

Those of an Eastern bent may enjoy a cute little book of koans on the transcendent Tao of Programming.

This was my first step toward on the path toward enlightenment, and was the first thing that encouraged me to think about programming, and creative work in general, as an unconquerable entity of its own that exists to be discovered over time by the creator. Those who try to fight it or understand it will surely fail.

The Little LISPer blew my mind.

I took a High School pascal programming class. I already knew C64 basic pretty well and asked the teacher if all programming languages were like Basic and Pascal. He lent me his copy of the Little LISPer. After spending the weekend reading it, I didn't believe such an odd language could exist or would work. When I saw it running on dial up mini he has access to, I was floored. It did exist.

After my second university level programming class; Algorithms and Data Structures, I switched majors to get access to the better CS Computer lab. They had Unix machines with lisp, scheme, prolog, SmallTalk80 and a ton of other tools.

Code Complete . It covers most of the basic subjects you need to know as a programmer, and gives you directions to learn more about each of them. A very good first step in a learning path. Myself and lots of people I know, wish they read it earlier in their programmer life.

The most inspiring talk I've ever heard was Richard Gabriel talking about that writing software is similar to writing poems. Poets often use a lot of effort to get few words just right - think Haikus - and we should strive towards the same kind of excellence and elegance when writing software.

Elegance and conciseness is as important in programming as in poetry and math, and it requires a lot of effort to do so fluently.

See some of the points on http://www.dreamsongs.com/PoetryOfProgramming.html

The most useful single book ever - not about programming, but about how to work effectively in this field: "Peopleware" by DeMarco and Lister. Should be on every programmers book shelf. And if you move up into management, doubly so.

As Alan Kay said almost 30 years ago, point of view is worth 80 IQ points. Books that changed my point of view:

  • "Philosophical Investigations" by Ludwig Wittgenstein

    Sometimes we think we know, when in fact, we don't know. W. shows how to take a closer look.

  • "Fact, Fiction, and Forecast" by Nelson Goodman

    Here I've learned what the word analytic really means. Also, what the word pragmatic really means.

  • "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance" by Robert M. Pirsig

    How can there be things that are better than other things? Why isn't everything the same, quality-wise? IOW, what is it that good movies, good cars, good food and good software have in common, that makes them good?

I found How to Become a Hacker very inspirational. It also gives a workable roadmap for developing as a programmer.

Soul of a new Machine (inspiration when I was in high school) SICP (probably one of the best books related to software development I have ever read)

Marvin Minsky

  • Computation: Finite and Infinite Machines

  • Semantic Information Processing

Seth Godin, while not totally programming-related, has some inspiring posts for me as a programmer and hopeful business person (in addition to Joel on Software).

The book of five rings by Myomoto Musasashi.

Some highlights.

Don't have a a favorite tool. Learn to use every tool, learn when it is appropriate to use, learn its weaknesses and strengths.

Staff whose work is not perfect can be used in places where the quality of their workmanship is in public view. The pillars that support the floor under a building do not have to have a perfect finish (they just have to work).

By doing one thing, do many things. So if there is a choice between doing A and B, but B can be used to do many things next week, do B if you can afford it.

I started off from games programming. It all comes from NES days. Aspired to be game developer and I achieved it but changed to Application Software/Hardware Analyst for better career as my country for games industries is too niche.

During my early days, I actually felt a bit regret of entering into this IT roles. But later was inspired and influenced by my ex-colleagues on his accomplishments and they were quite active in these new technical development areas. During my free time, I will mingle with software programming to work on personal projects with my ex-colleagues.

I know it's a hard read, but Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming is a Really Big Deal in our field. And Douglas Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid is inspirational for those of us with a mathematical or algorithmic bent.

The Annotated Turing

Just picturing someone designing such complex methods & algorithms almost a century ago gets me motivated.

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It’s Los Angeles Kings day on PHT

Aug 1, 2014, 8:00 AM EDT

Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty AP

Throughout the month of August, PHT will be dedicating a day to all 30 NHL clubs. Today’s team?  The defending champion Los Angeles Kings.

After decades of NHL existence without managing to win it all, the Los Angeles Kings managed that feat in two of the last three seasons. At this moment, it seems like hockey fans are witnessing a battle for supremacy between the Kings and their conference rivals the Chicago Blackhawks (both locked up with two recent titles).

In stark contrast to the 2012 Stanley Cup run in which they lost four playoff games and never faced elimination, the Kings found themselves fighting for their postseason lives with great frequency. To put it in the simplest terms, Los Angeles went from an 0-3 deficit against the San Jose Sharks to winning the Stanley Cup with a dramatic Alec Martinez overtime goal against the New York Rangers … and it rarely looked easy.

Much like in 2011-12, the Kings didn’t win their division, although qualifying for the postseason was much more comfortable this time around.

Once again, the Kings were a dominant puck possession team that opted to add a significant (if often-criticized) sniper during the trade deadline to put them over the top. Much like Jeff Carter, Marian Gaborik really helped to push the Kings over the top, especially when it came to the postseason.

Still, the core players are still what drive this Kings team. Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty both made strong cases for Conn Smythe victories and other individual awards. Justin Williams finally received some mainstream attention by winning that playoff MVP. Dustin Brown was his typically cantankerous self. Jonathan Quick‘s 2014 postseason was as polarizing as his 2012 work was exalted, yet the bottom line is that the American goalie is already a two-time champion.

The scary thing for opponents is that the Kings’ best players remain in their prime years and the team didn’t deal with much in the way of turnover this offseason. In a way, the potential improvement of Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson might seem like an “upgrade” in itself.

(Re-signing Gaborik certainly doesn’t hurt matters, aside from the worries about his fragility.)

The biggest move might have been one that wasn’t made, actually, as GM Dean Lombardi opted against buying out Mike Richards. It will be interesting to see if people look back at that move as one that hinders future Carter/Gaborik-type tweaks or if it was a wise retention of a center who was once deemed elite.

While winning another Stanley Cup deprived them of a high first-rounder, the Kings stockpiled 10 selections in the 2014 NHL Draft, so it was a pretty promising summer overall for L.A.

  1. patthehockeyfan - Aug 1, 2014 at 8:13 AM

    I like this summary. Well done!

    Loved the description of Dustin Brown as cantankerous! I think that description also suits Darryl Sutter. Maybe Jonathan Quick, too.

    Being the pita that I am, I wish a link had been included in the paragraph about the Kings not buying out Mike Richards. Dean Lombardi, in explaining why the Kings chose not to buy out Richards, spoke well of Mike. To make me happy, here’s the link to that PHT story:

  2. blomfeld - Aug 1, 2014 at 11:28 AM

    MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

    even Rattus Pattus !! :)

  3. billiam55 - Aug 1, 2014 at 11:44 AM

    i just tcant wait for hockey season to start.

  4. lowenni - Aug 1, 2014 at 12:50 PM

    Kings’ll be dominant again next season. I don’t know if they’ll necessarily be so dominant in the regular season, they never seem to be, but come playoff time I obviously wouldn’t be surprised at all if they win it all again. Toffoli and Pearson are only going to get better and the roster is the same–I do think losing Willie Mitchell hurts though. Once again, looks like it’ll be a fight between the Hawks and Kings for best team in the league, record aside.

    • endusersolutions2013 - Aug 1, 2014 at 7:43 PM

      The Blues have the capability to challenge, but yes, those are the likely WC finals teams again, producing the SC winner again.

Top 10 NHL Player Searches
  1. M. Richards (2571)
  2. D. Hamilton (2099)
  3. S. Gagner (1915)
  4. P. Kessel (1897)
  5. C. Talbot (1891)
  1. Z. Kassian (1870)
  2. E. Etem (1822)
  3. A. Sekera (1795)
  4. A. Niemi (1743)
  5. R. O'Reilly (1674)


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Friday, June 8, 2012

Classic Era Laboratory

CoastConFan has a great look at an authentic investigative laboratory from the 1920s. It belonged to Harry Price, a real paranormal investigator that practically walked out of the pages of a pulp magazine.

1 comment:

Jason McKittrick said...

I think I see a Cthulhu idol on the shelf! Haha.


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Orange cards getting the headlines, but FIFA’s presidential campaigners could provide fertile debates over future of the sport

Jan 21, 2014, 8:20 AM EDT

Referee Cesar Muniz showed cards to nine different Elche players. Getty Images

As we told you yesterday, Jérôme Champagne wants to be your new FIFA president. Part of his campaign includes the introduction of some ideas to improve the game. Getting the headlines today is the concept of “orange” cards that would send players, essentially, to the equivalent of hockey’s penalty box.

Worse than a yellow but better than a red, the card is an interesting idea but there’s a larger idea here: could the campaigns to replace Sepp Blatter produce a better football? Champagne is just one man up for the job and wants to see a proper, televised debate between all candidates. With ideas like his, in all honesty I can’t wait to see what else is proffered.

From the BBC…

His other proposals include:

  • Quotas for foreign players
  • Implementing rugby’s rule where only the captain can talk to the referee with a free-kick advanced 10 yards for any dissent
  • Abolishing the ‘triple punishment’ rule where a player who prevents a goalscoring opportunity in the penalty areas concedes a spot-kick, is sent off and also suspended
  • All Fifa presidential candidates taking part in live debates on television and in front of the six continental confederations
  • Making public the salary of the Fifa president and leading officials

Leaving aside the merit of any specific rule, this should provide some great viewing/reading/listening leading up to the June 2015 election.

As for orange cards, most fear change but it’s an intriguing idea. Provided they don’t then dip into further hues — the ‘peach’ card or the ‘atomic tangerine’ card — it could work.

“Oh, dear, a clattering tackle from Coloccini on Borini. Is it? Could it be, Lee?”

“Yes, Arlo… Mariner is reaching for the papaya whip card.”

  1. dfstell - Jan 21, 2014 at 8:43 AM

    Love the idea of an orange card. The problem with the current rules is that the tools the referees have to manage the game are too blunt. Basically all they have are sending offs and penalty kicks and both are drastic calls that usually determine the outcome of the game. Should a team *really* be consigned to losing just because of ONE bad tackle?

    On the other hand, if you reduce the penalty, you’ll see more bad tackles. But, I’d like to see referees given more tools to manage this stuff.

    Now, fix penalty kicks so that refs don’t ignore fouls in the box and handballs because they think the foul “wasn’t THAT bad”. Just have something other than a traditional PK. Maybe a handball is a direct kick from the top of the D. I’ll bet the success rate on that shot is probably more like 30%.

    • geojock - Jan 21, 2014 at 8:51 AM

      Agreed they are very blunt. You have a game decided by the narrowest of points in sports, with some of the harshest penalties in sports, officiated by the least number of officials in sports.

      • bostonredsoccer - Jan 21, 2014 at 9:31 AM

        I’m curious — do any other team sports allow for the sending off of a player without eventual replacement? Playing a man down seems awfully harsh, especially with such limited substitutions available in the first place.

      • tinag2014 - Jan 21, 2014 at 5:09 PM

        Make the Yellow card the one that issues a 5 minute penalty and keep the Red a sending off.

        To answer the question, do other sports have cards and sending offs without replacement, yes. Field Hockey for one. Field Hockey has a lot of the same sportsmanship philosophies as soccer with fair play etc. And they have a 3 card system. Green is a warning (like soccer’s yellow), Yellow is a penalty (like ice hockey with duration dependent on the offense), and Red is a sending off with no replacement.

        Soccer can have little scoring. Especially in big tournaments, teams often play for a draw and are willing to defend at all costs (fouls acceptable), I have no issue with the concept of a sending off without replacement.

    • lyleoross - Jan 21, 2014 at 11:43 AM

      Shouldn’t a team that cheats in the penalty box be punished heavily? Presumably, the referees are taught to think about the situation (they are) and make the call that is warranted by the actions and play on the field (they try to) and to make no call if they can’t make the right call (this is harder to say). If a player knocks down a certain goal in the penalty box with his hand, then he should be punished harshly. The idea is to make the penalty stiff enough that players don’t do it.

      Players measure the value of their fouls, cost and benefit, in many if not most situations. If you change the dynamic of the punishment, then they will step into the hole fully. The consequences of that will be very large in the greater game.

      Non-calls are part of the game, judging a player’s intent on a foul or handball is something a referee is in a good position to do, he is on the field, knows the mood of the players, and their style. When I hear fans second guess, I wonder why they think they know better than the guy on the pitch?

      If, as stake holders in the game, we feel that plays are being called badly, don’t change the rules, add in a replay option. Allow for review of plays on the part of the referee with a secondary judge. Note that it appears that some teams receive favoritism in terms of such things. Changing the rules won’t fix that they will just get more orange card advantages, but reviewing calls might. BTW – IMO this is the biggest problem the sport has, favoritism.

      Remember, the use of a stiff penalty within the box came about because players quickly learned that a foul for a prevented goal was a cheap price to pay to significantly affect the outcome. Early participants ramped up the penalty until the situation balanced. The penalties were made stiff enough so that the number of incidences fell precipitously. The number of penalty kicks that occur is approximately 100 per year based on what I can find. That isn’t a ton.

      Last, in general, there seems to be a good balance of the better teams winning consistently. If PKs were really impacting the game that much, then you’d expect a wider distribution of wins with a greater amount of random outcomes. That doesn’t seems to happen.

      • lyleoross - Jan 21, 2014 at 11:49 AM

        Sorry, 100 per year in the EPL.

    • underthecletes - Jan 21, 2014 at 1:32 PM

      If a rule is implemented to send a man off temporarily, I don’t think there is a need for another card. Just change the rules so that a yellow sends the player off for 5 minutes (2 minutes is too short for a soccer game). If they get a second yellow, he gets sent off for the game, per usual.

      • Sgc - Jan 21, 2014 at 2:57 PM

        Agree with that. Part of the problem is that the worst punishments in the game are too severe (enough that refs tend to fear to call them)–but part of the problem is that the more mundane infractions are not punished severely enough. If you institute an ‘orange card’ that is between yellow and red, players will laugh at you over the yellows.

        I tend to phrase the criticism this way: the problem is that the punishment system goes straight from the trivial to the catastrophic with almost nothing in between. The yellow, in that case, is part of the trivial.

    • tinag2014 - Jan 21, 2014 at 4:59 PM

      I would rather have the yellow card have more weight. Make it the card that gives a 5 minutes penalty.

  2. geojock - Jan 21, 2014 at 8:48 AM

    I don’t know if orange cards are a good idea, but I have always thought soccer rules (or the way that they are enforced) were a bit archaic.

  3. tarotsujimoto74 - Jan 21, 2014 at 10:04 AM

    “Implementing rugby’s rule where only the captain can talk to the referee with a free-kick advanced 10 yards for any dissent”

    Just use this rule for all Clasicos

  4. lyleoross - Jan 21, 2014 at 11:47 AM

    Hockey plays a man down in foul situations. The change isn’t permanent, and the balance seems to be more even, but it clearly changes the play dynamic on the ice.

    The notion of a red card not leaving a team a player down has a huge risk. You will introduce the concept of the enforcer. A player who’s job it is to rough up forwards. Yes, he might red card out, but if you can replace him to stay at eleven, then the risk is minimized.

  5. gazelle63 - Jan 21, 2014 at 1:31 PM

    It opens the way for advertisers to insert their commercials during the game, just like in hockey. You also see it in basketball and American football- the games are so slow now because of too many rules stoppages and resulting commercials. Advertisers now control the pace of those games. You want the same for this one?

    • lauranine9 - Jan 21, 2014 at 6:03 PM

      Rule changes in last ten years have led to shorter hockey games and fewer stoppages. The nfl and nba though, you are spot on.

      • Sgc - Jan 25, 2014 at 9:41 AM

        I like hockey’s version of the advantage rule, which is that you simply don’t blow the whistle until the offending team has regained control of the puck. There’s none of the judgement call stuff about whether it’s “really” an advantage or not. I’d like to see that brought over to soccer–you let them keep playing as long as the team that suffered the foul can keep the ball, then once they lose it, you march it back to the foul spot for a free kick. Also kinda reminds me of the scenario in a gridiron football game when the defense is offside, it’s a ‘free play’ for the team that suffered the infraction.

  6. chadmoon1 - Jan 21, 2014 at 5:02 PM

    I have a better solution to the problem of dissent. When the referee deems that a team has dissented too much during the game, he issues a “team” yellow card, shown to either the captain or the bench. If the team persists in dissent, the team is given a “team” red card. The opposing team then gets to choose what field player (not the goalkeeper) is sent off, and the team then plays with 10 players.

    • Sgc - Jan 25, 2014 at 9:38 AM

      That got all downvotes, but it’s not the worst idea. In situations where the team rather than an individual player is the offender (which is often the case with dissent), refs should be able to punish the team as a whole. It only makes sense.

  7. mikeevergreen - Jan 22, 2014 at 9:44 AM

    Make sure that there’s a penalty box to server the five, just like hockey. No talking to your coach and teammates while on penalty.

  8. fitz79 - Jan 22, 2014 at 2:30 PM

    Orange cards is a stupid idea. I see no reason to think the 2 card system -yellow/red is not working. It’s called the “beautiful game” for a reason. Keep it simple and don’t introduce more referee fueled complications.

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