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Cloudy, with a chance of apocalypse

Features editor

If the skies over Northern England and Scotland clear over the next couple of nights, readers lucky enough to live there might get the rare opportunity of seeing the shimmering curtain of the Aurora Borealis over their homes. That’s because, on Valentine’s Day, an enormous tongue of plasma, accompanied by a bubble of magnetic field, erupted from the surface of the sun and started hurtling out into the solar system, resulting in a deluge of charged particles that’s currently hitting the Earth’s protective magnetic field.

Solar astronomers call this an X-class flare — one of the more severe variety — and it’s something that might well happen more often as the sun begins to enter a more active phase.

Solar weather being as unpredictable as the British kind, it’s a sheer coincidence that this happened just as I was writing our next issue’s cover feature, which happens to be about the impact that space weather has on technology on Earth, and what can be done to protect it. I had no idea this was going to happen a month ago, when I started working on it.

On the one hand, this gives my feature a welcome bit of topicality. On the other, it means that a chunk of my carefully-gathered research is now all over the newspapers and on every news broadcast. There goes my element of surprise.

It’s been interesting to see some of the responses to the news. ’Dear news service,’ one well-known science fiction author was seen to grumble on Twitter yesterday, ’you say not to worry about the massive coronal ejection from the Sun and then you call it THE X-FLARE?’

Meanwhile, the most common technological side-effect that’s been mentioned is that your sat-nav might stop working. This is very true, so it might be an idea to break out that prime piece of dead-tree technology, the map. But what hasn’t been mentioned so much is that it isn’t the thing in your car that might not be working. It’s the satellites. And they do a lot more than just telling drivers which exit of the motorway they should be aiming for.

And this is where we get to the crux of the space weather issue. The sheer magnitude of the sun’s activity — what it’s capable of, and how much power it actually wields — is fairly alarming. But where it gets really scary is how it shows up just how dependent our lifestyles have become on technology that was never designed to be linked together, and what might happen if circumstances utterly beyond our control and impossible to predict start to affect those systems.

You’ll be able to read a lot more about this — and, you’ll be relieved to hear, the efforts being made to prevent the apocalyptic breakdown of technology-driven society — a week on Monday, when our next issue is published. In the meantime, hope for clear skies and enjoy the cosmic show. And try not to be alarmed.


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FreshStart Living has launched a new franchise model called FreshStart Partners that is aimed at people wanting to start a career in property investment.

According to the company the new franchise will give franchise owners the opportunity to sell FreshStart Living’s property to investors while generating a substantial income for themselves.

Since the company’s inception in 2009, FreshStart Living has specialised in redeveloping neglected buildings into high quality residential and student property and the franchise opportunity will give individuals the chance to capitalise on the company’s success.

Rob Worthington, FreshStart Living’s Franchise Manager, said: “The FreshStart Partners franchise model works extremely well because the franchise owner is working directly with FreshStart Living, the property developer.

“There are not many franchises out there that can offer the sort of returns we can with such a small outlay. We have broken down the financial barriers that have hindered so many potential investors; it’s now a level playing field.

“There are various options available to the franchise owner, depending on what they want out of the business and how much capital they have to invest, but we are sure that each franchise has the potential to be a great success.”

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Due to our fantastic location, The Gardens School maintains a strong connection with our neighbours at Totara Park and The Botanic Gardens, as well as an ongoing relationship with WaiCare.

There is never a shortage of senior or intermediate students who are passionate about their environment and they meet weekly, under the supervision of an equally passionate Enviro teacher, to plan and carry out many of the following activities:

  • Recycling of all paper and cardboard from every class in the school
  • Maintaining the school shade house - propagating and transplanting seedlings which are later planted as small trees and flaxes at Totara Park and Kerr’s Road Reserve
  • Gardening around the school (this will be a bigger focus as we move into our new school)
  • Assisting Friends of Totara Park with seed gathering and planting at Totara Park throughout the year
  • Monitoring the local Puhinui Stream for clarity, temperature and cleanliness
  • Checking PH levels in the water at the Puhinui Stream
  • Looking at macroinvertebrates

We are currently researching and trialling producing honey wraps (to replace plastic rubbish in lunch boxes) and aim to eliminate plastic from our school environment.  We also have plans to develop vegetable gardens so that produce can be sold to parents as well as to the Foodtastic team for their products.


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  1. Health & Wellness
    This is long to tell you everything and help figure out possible issues. Sorry.. My two girls will be a year old this month and I really wanted to breed them but now I'm glad I waited. The goat I'm worried about was the rounder one last year. At first I thought it was an optical illusion...


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Is 76 Years Too Long to Live?

“Rage, rage against the dying of the light,” wrote the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, imploring us to violently resist the encroachment of death. Thomas published this work (“Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night”) in 1951—a year before his father, for whom the poem is written, succumbed to illness and entered into that good night.

A common literary motif is the attempt to outrun death. Thomas rejects this creed, insisting on fight over flight. Yet what does it look like, this fading defiance, this assault on our own mortality? There is a night that comes for us all — we can no sooner stop its arrival than we can stop the Earth from turning. Yet we must burn and rage against it.

But how?

It may involve a refusal to surrender joy. All of us have interests, projects, and experiences infused with inner feeling, and to give these up too early is to entomb oneself alive, wrapped in a white flag.

It may come in a decision, against all medical and spiritual counsel, to let an increase in age bring with it an increase in recklessness.

Or it may involve a sense, like for Tennyson’s “Ulysses,” that it’s not too late to go on one final voyage, under the baths of Western stars, before the waves sweep everything away.

The common element in all of these options is a refusal to yield.

Temptation to Yield

Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist and bioethicist best known as one of the architects of Obamacare, says there is a specifiable point by which all of us should yield. He thinks 75 years is enough:

Doubtless, death is a loss. It deprives us of experiences and milestones, of time spent with our spouse and children. In short, it deprives us of all the things we value. But here is a simple truth that many of us seem to resist: living too long is also a loss. It renders many of us, if not disabled, then faltering and declining, a state that may not be worse than death but is nonetheless deprived. It robs us of our creativity and ability to contribute to work, society, the world. It transforms how people experience us, relate to us, and, most important, remember us. We are no longer remembered as vibrant and engaged but as feeble, ineffectual, even pathetic.

Emanuel’s recommendation—that we establish a ceiling on how old any of us should grow to be—is perhaps alluring to some Christians. We’ve all squirmed a little when asked to explain why we should remain here, on this sin-stained rock, rather than embrace the very death that like a chariot would bring us to the city with foundations. If “to die is gain,” as the apostle Paul put it (Phil. 1:21), then any answer we give for prioritizing Earth has the potential to unwittingly subvert our belief in the surpassing grandeur of the glorified state.

But Paul surely sensed, as we also sense, that to call Jesus Lord is to recognize our lives are ultimately not our own. There is a great temptation—especially in the presence of suffering as intense as it is bewildering—to plan our withdrawal and set a course for the place where will be made whole again. But these ships have another captain. The argument from mercy tells us to help the terminally ill escape their pain. But if we think God has a good handle on the concept of mercy, and if he has not yet indicated it is time, then we should trust we won’t be dispossessed of the mercy promised us.

Catalyze, Not Paralyze

Dylan Thomas died a year after his father, at 39 years old—falling 36 years short of Emanuel’s target number. Might Thomas have agreed with Emanuel?

When Thomas writes, “Wise men at their end know dark is right,” he agrees with Emanuel. Yet it’s only partial agreement, since a sense of life’s completeness doesn’t ultimately validate a welcoming of its end. Thomas understands that a life must end, but until it does, it must be vigorously lived.

The unstoppable march of death can paralyze; Thomas calls us to let it catalyze.

I suppose it’s easy to view the end as thrilling when one’s frame of reference is The Odyssey, as it was for Tennyson. Does ordinary life possess the unrelenting adventurousness of a Homeric poem? It’s hard to see how life in a nursing home provides the same opportunity for glory.

Thomas saw his father, blind and dying, and implored him to resist. But what was Thomas looking for? What would it have looked like, in this context, to see his father raise a clenched fist against death’s coming?

Death Is Not Life’s Goal

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used perhaps the archetypal symbol of our biological fitness — the heartbeat — to describe the unavoidability of death:

Our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

Yet “life is real,” Longfellow wrote, “and the grave is not its goal.”

Is 75 years, or some number close to it, enough?

To me, it’s not enough. One hundred years is not enough. Four hundred years is not enough. Ten thousand years is not enough. Aristotle saw in living things an inner inclination toward immortality. That desire, like a throbbing heartbeat, permeates my being.

In Psalm 23, David flattens the distinction between life and afterlife. Isn’t that just an artificial division, in the end? Our lives carry with them a post-resurrection glow. Apart from Christ’s taming of death’s sting (1 Cor. 15:55–57), the prospect that our earthly lives will one day hollow out retains its terror. Yet now—what is it? A brief interlude. We jump from life to life. There is goodness here and goodness there. And there is nothing that can separate us from that death-destroying goodness.

David speaks for those of us who believe, through no achievement of our own, that the end will bring with it a far better state than the one we currently enjoy:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

But that does not mean we should go gentle.

To do so would be to elevate death, and—as both Paul and Dylan Thomas remind us—death shall have no dominion.


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Tamil Nadu

Coronavirus | Adopt scientific method of testing, says Monitoring Officer in Cuddalore

District COVID-19 Monitoring Officer Gagandeep Singh Bedi flagging off a rally to raise COVID-19 awareness in Cuddalore on Thursday   | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

District COVID-19 Monitoring officer Gagandeep Singh Bedi has appealed to the people to stringently adhere to the COVID-19 protocol, like compulsory wearing of masks and maintaining physical distancing on a war-footing, to break the chain of transmission in Cuddalore.

Addressing media persons after a review meeting in Cuddalore on Thursday, he said that several States including Tamil Nadu were witnessing a rise in the number of positive cases.

Mr. Bedi said that there was a lapse in mask wearing. The district administration and the police department should slap fines to ensure everybody wears a mask. About 9.1 % of people aged above 45 years have been vaccinated in Cuddalore district so far. The Health Department should also improve the percentage cover of vaccinated beneficiaries since 90 % of people aged above 45 years in the district were yet to be vaccinated, he said.

Mr. Bedi urged people aged above 45 years to come forward and get themselves vaccinated at the nearest primary health centres, government hospitals and special camps of the health department in the next 10-15 days.

Mr. Bedi also directed the district administration to adopt a scientific method of testing through fever camps. Contact tracing of all those who might have been affected is highly-needed to break the chain, he said.

Around 3,000 beds have been kept ready in government hospitals and other hospitals and the bed strength could be increased to 8,000 to 10,000 based on the demand, he said. There is also adequate stock of medicines, testing kits and oxygen facilities at hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients, he added.

Collector Chandra Sekhar Sakhamuri and Superintendent of Police M. Sree Abhinav were present.

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Kreta > Famous cretans

Famous cretans

Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936), Greek statesman and diplomat:

Eleftherios Venizelos was probably the most significant politician of modern Greece. Born at Mournies, a village near Chania, he studied law in Athens and he became the leader of the Liberal Party in Crete. He became famous in the 1889 and 1896 uprisings for the freedom of Crete from the Ottoman Empire. Venizelos became the islands first independent prime minister in 1905 and the prime minister of Greece in 1910.

Eleftherios Venizelos has played a very important role in the history of Greece until 1930. Venizelos led the campaign for union of Crete with Greece (1913) and he supported the Balkan League against Turkey and Bulgaria. During the First World War Venizelos supported Britain, France and Russia against the Central Powers. He wanted Greece to give military aid to the Allies during the Dardanelles campaign, and when King Constantine I refused to agree, he resigned from office.

Venizelos was re-elected in March 1915. After his invitation to the Allied forces to Salonika he was dismissed by the king and he returned to Crete where he formed a provisional revolutionary government.  In June 1917, King Constantine I was deposed and Venizelos regained power to lead the Greek war until the Armistice in November 1918. At the Versailles Peace Conference, Venizelos won substantial territorial gains from Bulgaria and Turkey.

Despite his achievements Venizelos was defeated in the 1920 General Election and the new government invited King Constantine I back to power. Venizelos became prime minister again in 1924, 1928-32 and 1933. In 1935 Venizelos came out of retirement to support another republican coup d'etat in Greece. When this failed Eleftherios Venizelos was forced to flee to France where he died in 1936.

Eleftherios Venizelos is buried in the Tombs of Venizelos Family in the village Akrotiri, next to Chania. His house, lying in the part of the city named Halepa, is planned to be converted to museum.

Mikis Theodorakis (1925-today), an artist of international fame:

Theodorakis is an artist of international fame. He has composed more than 1000 songs, 5 symphonies, the ballets: "Greek Carnival", "Elektra", "Zorba", oratorios like: "The March of the Spirit" and "Canto General" four operas: "Kostas Karyotakis", "Medea", "Elektra" and now "Antigone", but also the Olympic anthem "Canto Olympico", and the film scores for "Phaedra", "Z", "Elektra", "Zorba the Greek"; "Serpico", "Iphigenia".

Mikis Theodorakis was born in the island Chios (29 July 1925) but he is of Cretan descent. From 1954 to 1960 he has been working in Paris and London as a symphonic music, ballet and film composer. From 1960 he supports the union of poetry and music in Greece, politically he resists to the military dictatorship (1967-74) and becomes member of the Greek Parliament several times.

Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957), one of the most important Greek writers, poets and philosophers:

Nikos Kazantzakis was born in Heraklion and he was one of the most important Greek writers, poets and philosophers of the 20th century. He is famous for his novel Alexis Zorbas, which is translated in English and has become a movie. His humanist views led the Orthodox Church to excommunicate him. "I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free." are some of his heretic concepts.

Nikos Kazantzakis graduated from the Athens Law School and continued his studies in Paris (1907-1909). He fought in the Balkan Wars as a volunteer in the Greek Army. After the Wars he travelled to many European and Asian countries, publishing travelogues from his trips. He was much more of a philosopher than a writer and he was deeply influenced by Nietzsche and Bergson as well as the philosophies of Christianity, Marxism and Buddhism.

In 1927 he published the book of philosophy "Askitiki". In 1938, after constantly revising it for 13 years (1925-1938), he publishes his epic poet Odyssey: A modern sequel, continuing Ulysses's story from the point where Homer leaves off. During the last years of his life Nikos Kazantzakis turns to pezography, where he becomes famous. He published Zorba the Greek, The Last Temptation of Christ, Freedom and Death, The Greek Passion, and his autobiography Report to Greco. In 28th of June 1956, in Vienna, he was awarded the International Peace Award.

There is a room devoted to Nikos Kazantzakis in the Historical Museum of Crete. A complete picture of Nikos Kazantzakis life and work can also be acquired by a visit to the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum at the village Myrtia, next to his father's house.

Domenico Theotokopoulos (El Greco, 1541-1614), a great painter, sculptor and architect:

El Greco is Cretan-born painter, sculptor, and architect who settled in Spain and is regarded as the first great genius of the Spanish School. He was one of the greatest Mannerist.

El Greco studied the icon painters of the Cretan school and he traveled between Venice (he studied under Titian), Rome (influenced by Michelangelo), and Spain (settling in Toledo).

The Christian doctrines of Spain made a crucial impact on his approach to painting, and his art represents a blend of passion and restraint, religious fervour and Neo-Platonism, influenced by the mysticism of the Counter-Reformation.

El Greco's only painting in Crete is exhibited in the Historical Museum in Knossos.

Michalis Damaskinos (1530-1591):

He is the best known painter of the Cretan school icon painters (1530-1591 AD). His works combined elements of Byzantine and Renaissance art. These icons are now exhibited in the Museum of Religious Art in Iraklion.

King Mino(a)s:

The legendary Minos is probably a composite of many Minoan Kings whose fame lasted for centuries after their death.  According to greek Mythology, Minos was the first King in world, who made wise legislations and army nave, with which Minos won the barbarians in Aegean Sea and allowed the Cretans to make the Minoan Civilization. He is regarded as the son of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Europa, a personification of the continent of Europe.

  Minos obtained the Cretan throne by the help of the Greek god Poseidon and he  gained control over the Aegean islands. He married Pasiphae, the daughter of the  Sun who bore him Androgeos, Ariadne, and Phaedra, and who was also the mother of the Minotaur. Minos successfully warred against Athens and Megara to revenge the death of his son Androgeos, who was killed by them. After that Minos became the tyrannical exactor of the tribute of children to feed the Minotaur until Theseus managed to kill him. Minos was killed in Sicily by the daughters of King Cocalus, who poured boiling water over him as he was taking a bath. He is said to have become a judge in Hades after his death.


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Another new archaeological discovery in the Boyne Valley has just come to light

After two years of work, a drone photograper has found the apparent remains of a barrow cemetery
Jul 25th 2018, 10:22 AM 40,147 44

Noel Meehan 1 The triple ditch barrow with enclosures and barrow surrounding it. Source: Noel Meehan

ANOTHER ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND has been photographed in the Boyne Valley – this time the outline of a possible barrow cemetery and ancient settlement.

It has been busy few weeks for the area around Newgrange, with two new potential henges found on the floodplains just a few hundred metres away from the well-known passage tomb, and an entirely new passage tomb uncovered in a long-term excavation near Dowth Hall.

This latest find comes from drone operator Noel Meehan of Copter View Ireland, who has been investigating a site near Duleek in Co Meath – on the opposite side of the Boyne to Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth – for two years.

Noel Meehan 4 Source: Noel Meehan

His work was based on previous excavations in the area which suggested that a settlement was likely to be found nearby, but its location remained unknown.

His initial searches months ago yielded some faint crop marks, which he photographed again in different conditions over the years.

Now, recent drought conditions have led to some of the most definitive outlines to date. A total of nine enclosures have been found.

Noel Meehan 2 Source: Noel Meehan

Like all archaeological finds, an excavation needs to takes place to confirm the findings, something which isn’t guaranteed. However, initial indications is that due to the size, shape, and formation of these findings, it is likely to be a barrow cemetery.

“It’s an incredible feeling to have found this,” Meehan told

His images show what appear to be barrows, an ancient burial site, and the outline of a potential settlement.

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Noel Meehan 3 The less defined settlement. Source: Noel Meehan

In a Facebook post, archaeologist Neil Jackman of Abarta Heritage agreed that the circular features could be barrows.

“Barrows were the predominant funerary monuments in prehistory, and the burials placed in them were typically cremations. Though some barrows have been dated as far back as the Neolithic period, they more typically date to the Bronze Age and Iron Age,” Jackman said.

There is some variety of form. The most common type, known as the ‘ring barrow’, generally consists of an enclosing ditch and bank that surrounds a circular mound that usually contains a cremation.

After years of agricultural work, the top layer has disappeared but the ditches faintly remain, he added.

Meehan, who is a licensed drone operator (you might have spotted his work before on, with his work featuring in the video report below), has reported his findings to the National Monuments Service.

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Dublin: 1°C Friday 7 May 2021

Going through a relationship breakdown? It's okay if you don't join in on all the Christmas razzmatazz

The end of a long term intimate relationship, whether a marriage or committed relationship, is experienced as a huge loss with all of the complex emotions of the bereavement process.

Bernadette Ryan

CHRISTMAS HAS BEEN all around us now for quite some time: lights, trees and lots of ads with shiny happy people all enjoying the festive fun. For many people, this can be a difficult time, especially for those who have suffered a loss throughout the year.

For the bereaved, it is clear to all that these are tough times. Their grief is palpable and family and friends support them in whatever way they can. We acknowledge their right to grieve and to withdraw from the normal everyday rhythm of life for a time.

But for those going through separation and divorce, their grief may not be so evident.

The end of a long-term intimate relationship, whether a marriage or committed relationship, is experienced as a huge loss, with all of the complex emotions of the bereavement process.

Separation and divorce

The loss of a partner through separation and divorce is similar in many respects to the loss experienced due to a death, but does not always garner the same recognition and support.

Separation and divorce is best understood as a process as opposed to an event. Yes, the physical separation signals the end of the marriage/relationship, but this may come after a long period of stress and may be the beginning of a further protracted period of stress.

Loss and grief can go through different phases. Initially there is shock; “I can’t believe this is happening!” The person can feel numb and not connected to those around them. Shock is often followed by denial: “this is not happening”, anger, bargaining, obsessing and finally acceptance.

It is not always a linear process and events can often trigger a regression to any of the earlier stages. The grief around separation is often referred to as disenfranchised grief. Because there hasn’t been an actual death, because there is no mourning ritual to help contain the grief, the individual concerned (and others) can feel they don’t have the right to feel this way.

They may not even recognise the grief they are going through. They do not give themselves permission to grieve. So they can be getting on with life carrying an intense sense of loss compounded by the fact that their lost loved one is still there, walking around living a new life without them.

The ‘firsts’ are the most difficult

‘Firsts’ are the most challenging when one is grieving: first birthdays, first anniversaries and perhaps the biggest of all, first Christmas. How can the world be so full of such merriment and good cheer while they may feel totally abandoned by life?

At the darkest time of the end of a long year, Christmas can bring about a return of the emotional rollercoaster that the person has been through. It can heighten the sense of loneliness and loss, the loss of hope, the loss of what was and the loss of what might have been.

With children, the first Christmas is particularly challenging. Where will the family spend it? How can the children have access to both parents? Is there a willingness on both sides to facilitate this or are the children caught up in the middle? Is it too unbearable to see the other? Will Christmas ever be the same again? Perhaps not, it will be different, it will get better.

If you are going through a relationship breakdown, it’s ok to give yourself permission to grieve. It’s ok if you do not want to join in all of the Christmas razzmatazz. It’s ok to give yourself time and space to process your grief in whatever way you need to. Take the support offered from caring family and friends, or be on your own if that’s your choice.

Christmas marks the end of the year and the promise of a new one on the horizon. With the new light comes renewed hope. A new life awaits you, move towards it one step at a time.

Bernadette Ryan is a Relationships Counsellor and Psychotherapist with Relationships Ireland. For more information on their counselling services, including separation support services, or to book a consultation, you can contact 01 678 5256, email info@relationshipsireland.com or visit www.relationshipsireland.com. Relationships Ireland also offers counselling for teenagers who are affected by separation through our ‘Teen-Between’ service. For more information please visit www.teenbetween.ie.

Read: If you smoke in a car that has a child in it, you will be fined €100>

Read: 1,571 Irish children will spend their Christmas in shelters>

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Bernadette Ryan

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Guild Esports’ academy to launch in second quarter of 2021

David Beckham, standing in the middle of a football field, wearing a black Guild hoodie

Guild Esports, the organisation backed by footballing icon David Beckham, has finally revealed details on its promised academy system. Guild says the academy will “set the gold standard in the esports industry” and will launch in the second quarter of 2021.

In an investor Q&A document, spotted by Dexerto, Guild says that its academy system will consist of “an online portal” and a “physical athlete-development system that has been closely modelled on the success of the Premier League and inspired by David Beckham.” The former England international has also been “actively involved” in creating the academy system, according to Guild.

The online portal will provide gamers with resources to help their development. This will include gameplay coaching as well as guidance and training on aspects such as nutrition and psychological support. Guild’s headquarters will also be home to on-site facilities for “top academy players” to use.

Speaking to The Loadout, Guild’s director of esports, Grant Rousseau, says the academy will be industry-leading and will be key in developing top talent for Guild.

“I think what we’re trying to build here is unlike anything I’ve seen in esports, at least in Europe, in terms of an academy system that is treating it like football or traditional sport,” Rousseau says. “We are going to raise the next generation of talent from a young age, and build them all the way up into professional players, whether with Guild or with someone else, as that’s how academies work.”

This sentiment was also covered in the Q&A document, which says selling some of Guild’s academy prospects to other teams – a common practice in traditional sports – will become yet another revenue stream for the organisation.

It also says that “the scale and quality of our academy system will be much greater than any other esports team organisation.”

When asked which games will be focused on for Guild’s academy at launch, Rousseau admits the full scale is yet to be determined, but does reveal that at least the four titles Guild currently fields teams in – Fortnite, Rocket League, FIFA, and Valorant – will be covered.

He also says that while the academy system will act as a talent developer for Guild, it will also be a wider social experience for gamers of all levels.

“Whether you are a fan of an esport, whether you just [casually] play a game, or whether you want to play with friends, there’s going to be a format that works for everyone,” Rousseau says. “You don’t have to be or want to be a professional player – maybe you just want to get a little bit better at a game, or maybe you just want to hang with your friends. That for me is the most exciting thing that’s going to happen, keep an eye on that.”

With Guild’s academy launching soon, it will be intriguing to see how long it takes for the first batch of talent to emerge.

A full interview with Grant Rousseau, touching on not only the academy system but Guild’s rapid growth, future expansion, and more, will be coming to The Loadout later this week.

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Monday, February 5, 2018

Our Big News~ Entrepreneurship

Well folks,
I've not shared a lot lately,
so I have a bit of catching up and explaining to do.
Yesterday was my first real day "off" for a while.
I was able to relax and catch up on laundry, dishes, floors, etc.
I know to many that doesn't sound very relaxing,
but for me there is a certain peace of mind in having the house in order.
"House in order" is used loosely here 😊
We (really Mr. LB) opened a new business.
He is a custom metal fabricator.
He does anything from small hand rails to structural packages.
He had worked for his previous employer for over 11 years
so it was a big step for him.
Once the decision was made, it took about a month
to get all the legalities in order.
Pretty much since Christmas, it's been a whirlwind.
We are actually still in the process so to speak.
The land line is supposed to be hooked up this week.
We don't have a website - yet.
I am still working at my full time job, then doing
whatever needs to be done in "off-time."
We have a shop leased where the previous tenant was an elderly gentleman who decided to retire after twenty-ish years in this location.
He smoked and I doubt ever cleaned anything.
Things were done with what I call "the Little Rascals" method.
You know how they would find parts and pieces and make some sort of contraption that would do the task - and what that looked like.
It's taking time to SCRUB everything and to undo some of the hodgepodge.
That is PVC then hose running down the wall for water out the other end
where they punched a hole in the wall.
Yes, it ran right by open wiring.
I have the office area scrubbed with the exception of about 2/3 of the ceiling.  My M-I-L helped one afternoon. Thanks Sharron!

Also, here's a little closer look at those walls.

I also have the first coat of paint on about 3/4 of the walls.

After first coat of paint.
I had a helper.
Mr LB got his last (for now) big piece of equipment Friday.
He received his first check from a client Thursday.  Yay!
As opposed to checks from our savings!
And that brings me to another point.
I think I've mentioned in the past that each year
I set two financial goals, a realistic goal and an optimistic goal.
In 2017, we saved pretty hard.
It didn't always feel like it.
Because we were focused on saving, spending was a bigger deal.
We actually exceeded our optimistic goal, not by much, but some.
Having done that is what afforded us the opportunity to do this.
It's huge for us!
It's not that we didn't save prior to 2017 or
that we made a ton of money in 2017.
It's that we made it a priority, and that made all the difference.
Starting a business isn't something we planned.
(That doesn't sound good worded that way.)
It was just timing ~
He was frustrated with his workplace (though left on good terms.)
We saved what we could.
He is an intelligent and talented man
which makes working for someone else that much more difficult.
He should have done it years ago, but we had debt so couldn't.
We have certain stresses and worries at the moment,
but there is excitement and celebration right alongside of them.
If anyone needs encouragement to save,
please do what you can to escape debt and save.
Even when you struggle, keep at it.
Don't throw in the towel.
The reward is worth it.
And if you forget, just reread above.
We now have our own business-
Metalcraft Northwest, LLC.
Isn't that just incredible?

  1. Just said a prayer for the success of the business. If it doesn't bother you to do so, I'd REQUEST prayers from everyone you know.

  2. Fantastic! I'm so happy for you. Congratulations on reaching your optimistic savings goals. I believe in dreaming big!

    1. Thanks Stephanie. Savings sure allows us options, doesn't it?

  3. Thank you Gorges - how unbelievably kind!

  4. It sounds wonderful! (You know, in a dirty, keep your eyes squinted and tilt your head so you can see what it will be, way.) I'll say a prayer too for success. All your cleaning is really making a difference, I'm so excited for you!

  5. That's wonderful! Congratulations Lady Locust!!!

  6. Congratulations! That is very exciting! I think I've shared that my husband is also a metal fabricator, also with his own business. There are so many different directions they can go with that, a multitude of possibilities. Like you, I'm involved in some of the behind the scenes stuff... paying bills, keeping up with expenses & such. Wishing you both the best of luck with your new endeavor!

    1. That's right. He's trying to work so that at he ages his part of the "steel slinging" will be reduced. He's not one to sit still so we'll see how he manages 😉

  7. Congratulations! Wishing you much success and satisfaction.

  8. well done to you both

  9. Congratulations! That's fantastic. We are taking the big step too. We will be at retirement age within the next 6-10 years so we purchased a long arm quilting machine, commercial grade. It's huge and powered by two computers. My husband will be the main operator as it's techy and he can do this on the side while he is still working. I'll continue to piece and help him until I can retire. A big investment but based on the other long arm quilters, you can work how ever many hours you want and never run out of business. Good luck on yours!

    1. Sweet! Congrats to you too. Be prepared to be busier than you want to be. At least out here, finding someone who can do more than a large stipple is a challenge. Have fun.

  10. I'm catching up on reading this morning and wow! I was so far behind I missed this huge news. Congratulations to you both!


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1948 – Harry Truman v Thomas Dewey

The morning after the 1948 election, President Harry Truman posed for the cameras, proudly holding a copy of the Chicago Tribune in his hands. ‘DEWEY DEFEEATS TRUMAN’ ran the headline. Of course, the headline was wrong – the paper had gone to print before the results were known, and had assumed that the latest polls, which gave Dewey a comfortable lead, were correct.

To be fair, the Tribune was not alone in its assumption that Dewey would be elected. After the end of the second world war, Truman had struggled to deal with a weak economy and was walking a tightrope in a Democrat party divided between northern liberals and southern segregationists. Indeed, Truman’s tepid support of Civil Rights, including the racial integration of the military, had so infuriated southern Democrats that they set up a third party for the election. That party, the ‘Dixiecrats’, nominated Strom Thurmond as their candidate and Truman looked set to lose enough of the south (until the late 1960s, the southern states were staunchly Democrat) to condemn him to defeat.

Harry Truman Truman was widely expected to lose the 1948 election (PBS)

Meanwhile, Thomas Dewey was an impressive candidate. Born in Michigan, he had embarked on a legal career in New York and earned a reputation as an aggressive and diligent prosecutor who had ignored death threats to secure the convictions of several prominent mafia leaders. Elected New York state governor in 1942, he had been selected as the Republican nominee for President in 1944 but had lost to the near-invincible Franklin D Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s death in 1945 left the door open for Dewey to have a second run in 1948 against Truman, a far weaker opponent.

closest presidential elections

Thomas Dewey was an impressive candidate but lost two presidential elections (New World Encylopedia)

Although Thurmond’s Dixiecrats did indeed win several states in the south, Truman’s aggressive, populist campaign earned him a shock victory. His margin of victory was comfortable in the end – he won 303 electoral college votes and beat Dewey in the popular vote by 4 percentage points. However, the fact that he had been widely assumed to be on the verge of losing as late as election day itself shows how close the election had been.

Truman served a full second term as President and was succeeded by Dwight Eisenhower in 1953. He died in 1972. Meanwhile, Dewey would not get a third run at the Presidency, remaining Governor of New York until 1955. He died in 1971.

1960 – John F Kennedy v Richard Nixon

JFK was a fairly popular President while he was alive and became spectacularly popular after his death, but this sometimes obscures the fact that he only won the presidency by a razor-thin margin. Kennedy was up against Richard Nixon, who was a few years his senior and had been elected to congress in 1946, the same year as Kennedy. Indeed, the pair had been friends when they were freshly elected representatives, dining at each other’s houses years before they became rivals.

closest presidential elections

Kennedy and Nixon had been friends when they were first elected to congress (Biography)

The two men were polar opposites. JFK was the charming and charismatic second son of an immensely wealthy Irish Catholic family, headed by the intimidating patriarch Joseph Kennedy, who himself had been the American ambassador to Britain in the 1930s. Handsome and eloquent, John Kennedy was hard working and talented in his own right but his career had undoubtedly been aided by his father’s wealth and connections. In contrast, Nixon was a painfully shy and insecure man from an impoverished Quaker background in California. Scrapping his way to the top through sheer hard work, ambition, and personal discipline to overcome his natural shyness – in his own words, he was ‘an introvert in an extrovert’s job’ – he came to resent the landed eastern establishment that Kennedy belonged to and always felt he was an outsider in Washington.

closest presidential elections Kennedy came from a wealthy Irish Catholic family (Quora)

Perhaps the difference in personality between the two men manifested itself most obviously in the infamous first ever televised presidential debate in 1960. Kennedy was perfect for the television age, appearing youthful and energetic on camera (despite the fact that he suffered from chronic illnesses for most of his life), while Nixon looked edgy and uncomfortable, and was noticeably sweating throughout. This difference in appearance was crucial because in truth there was not much difference between the two on policy – in foreign policy both were adamantly anti-communist and anti-Soviet, while domestically Kennedy favoured a slightly more progressive economic and social agenda. Rather than support for a set of policies, the election would be decided on the personal popularity of the candidates. Nixon tried to amplify his record as Vice-President to the extremely popular departing President, Dwight Eisenhower, while Kennedy had to overcome suspicion about his inexperience and his Catholicism.

The election was the closest of the 20th century – Kennedy won the popular vote by a mere 100,000 votes nationwide, giving him an electoral college total of 303 to Nixon’s 219. There were allegations that Kennedy allies had tampered with the vote in key states, and Nixon would come to believe that he had been robbed. This could go some way to explaining his later actions.

Kennedy, of course, would not see out even one term as President. He was assassinated in 1963. Meanwhile, Nixon ran unsuccessfully for Governor in his native California in 1962, before spending the majority of the 1960s plotting his political comeback. He was elected President in 1968 and re-elected in 1972, but was forced to resign in disgrace in 1974 as he faced impeachment for his part in covering up a break-in at Democrat offices at the Watergate hotel in Washington. He died in 1994.

closest presidential elections

Nixon finally won the presidency in 1968, but was forced to resign in 1974 (wikipedia)

2000 – George W Bush v Al Gore

Forget the Russia stuff in 2016 – the 2000 election is undoubtedly the most controversial election of the modern era.

Democrat Al Gore had spent the 1990s as Vice-President under Bill Clinton and secured the nomination of his party without much trouble. He was up against Texas Governor George W Bush, son of Clinton’s predecessor George H W Bush, who fended off challenges from more established Republican figures to secure his party’s nomination.

Despite his scandals, Bill Clinton had been a fairly popular President and his administration was considered to have been successful, allowing Gore to emphasise his contribution to that administration. For his part, Bush campaigned with a folksy, ‘not quite in command of all the facts’ style that endeared him to a significant chunk of the electorate who found it easier to relate to him than the bookish, bland Gore. He also emphasised his evolution from spoiled, alcoholic President’s son to teetotal, born again Christian, securing the influential support of the religious right who had been infuriated by Clinton’s, shall we say, less than moral behaviour in the White House.

closest presidential elections

Al Gore served as Bill Clinton's Vice-President (wikipedia)

Gore essentially marketed himself as a continuation of the Clinton presidency, while Bush styled himself as a ‘compassionate conservative’ who would push for tax cuts and less regulation but not leave anyone behind economically. The election was hard fought and would lead to one of the closest ever results.

On election night several states were initially too close to call, and eventually the result hinged on results in Florida. It appeared that Bush would win Florida comfortably, putting him on 271 electoral college votes to Gore’s 266, and Gore called Bush to concede. However, hours later the vote in Florida narrowed significantly and Gore called Bush again to retract his concession. What followed was weeks of legal challenges and calls for recounts, as Bush’s lead in Florida hovered around a mere 400-500 votes. Even more controversy was caused by claims from voters in some predominantly Democrat counties that the layout of their ballot paper was confusing and had led them to accidently vote for a third party rather than Al Gore. In early December the US Supreme Court made the hugely controversial decision to halt vote recounting in Florida and declare Bush the winner. Gore, despite the fact that he had won more than 500,000 more votes than Bush nationwide, was forced to concede for a second time.

closest presidential elections 2000 George W Bush was one of the most consequential US Presidents in modern history (DeSmog UK)

George W Bush would go on to become one of the most consequential Presidents in modern history, sanctioning the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and securing re-election – this time with victory in the popular vote – in 2004. He was also President during two of the worst traumas in American history, the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001 and the financial crash of 2008. He has kept a relatively low profile since leaving office in 2009. Al Gore retired from front line politics after his defeat and can currently be found working on various climate initiatives.

2016 – Donald Trump v Hillary Clinton

Another election where the winner of the popular vote did not become President, although not with quite as much controversy as the 2000 election. Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and Senator and wife of a former President, up against Donald Trump, the brash New York businessman with no political experience. An easy win for Clinton, right?

closest presidential elections

Hillary Clinton was the first female presidential nominee for a major American party (wikipedia)

Well, we all know it wasn’t. 2016 was an interesting year in politics. In June, Britain stunned the world by voting to leave the European Union, and it is generally accepted that Trump’s victory later in the year was part of the same phenomenon.

Clinton was the odds-on favourite to beat him, but more astute observers may have noticed that she was in trouble when her planned procession to the Democrat nomination was nearly derailed by an obscure socialist named Bernie Sanders. That she came close to losing the nomination to a man who had spent most of his career on the fringes of mainstream politics showed that she could be vulnerable against a populist opponent. Like Al Gore in 2000 she essentially campaigned on being a continuation of the existing presidency, in this case that of Barack Obama, but it would not be enough.

closest presidential elections donald trump Donald Trump pulled off one of the biggest upsets in US elections history (Financial Times)

For his part, Trump ran the most wildly unconventional campaign in recent memory, surviving scandal after scandal and filling huge arenas with enthusiastic crowds. But his most effective line of attack was that he was an outsider taking on the corrupt political and financial establishment. He blazed across the ‘rust belt’, a collection of states in the American mid-west who had suffered a decline in industry over the previous few decades, with that very message. It was those states – namely Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – that voted for a Republican for the first time in decades and gave Trump his victory, despite losing the popular vote to Clinton by more than 3 million votes.

At the time of writing, Trump is battling with Joe Biden, Barack Obama’s Vice-President, to win re-election. Clinton keeps a fairly low profile, although she has produced some written work attempting to explain her 2016 loss and putting a spotlight on courageous women throughout history.

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Support The Moscow Times!

News From Russia: What You Missed Over the Weekend

Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations of violating a new ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Aziz Karimov / EPA / TASS

France in terror

The man suspected of beheading a French teacher who had shown his students cartoons of the prophet Mohammed was an 18-year-old born in Moscow and originating from the southern Russian region of Chechnya, news reports said Saturday.

A Russian embassy spokesman dismissed Russia’s links to Abdullakh Anzorov, the suspect who was fatally wounded by police, saying he had lived in France for the past 12 years where he received asylum.

Karabakh flare-up

Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of violating a new ceasefire Sunday, as they tried for the second time in a week to bring a halt to fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A previous ceasefire agreed a week ago fell apart amid mutual accusations and continued fighting that has left hundreds dead and forced tens of thousands from their homes.

‘March of Partisans’

Belarusian police detained more than 200 people Sunday as tens of thousands marched against strongman Alexander Lukashenko in defiance of police threats to open fire after weeks of demonstrations.

Protesters took to the streets despite threats by police this week to use lethal force from now on "if necessary." Belarusian authorities deployed military trucks and water cannons but police largely refrained from using riot control equipment Sunday.

100 days

Protests in Russia’s Far East in support of a popular governor who faces a murder trial in Moscow entered their 100th day Sunday as the rallies show little sign of dying down.

Demonstrators marched in front of the local administration building in the city of Khabarovsk during the day and spelled out the number “100” with LED strip lights at night, according to the Sibir.Realii news website.

Dead fish

Thousands of dead fish have washed up on the shores of a local reservoir in southern Russia’s republic of Kalmykia, prompting an investigation and speculation among residents amid a string of oil spills and sea life deaths across the country in recent months.

								 				Sanchir Goryayev / TASS
Sanchir Goryayev / TASS

Regional prosecutors said they believe the mass die-off in the Arshan-Zelmen reservoir was the result of an extreme water level drawdown and oxygen deficiency.

AFP contributed reporting to this article.

Read more

Independent journalism isn’t dead. You can help keep it alive.

The Moscow Times’ team of journalists has been first with the big stories on the coronavirus crisis in Russia since day one. Our exclusives and on-the-ground reporting are being read and shared by many high-profile journalists.

We wouldn’t be able to produce this crucial journalism without the support of our loyal readers. Please consider making a donation to The Moscow Times to help us continue covering this historic time in the world’s largest country.


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Shipping Information

Elbow Sleeve Breton Top, White/RedElbow Sleeve Breton Top, White/RedElbow Sleeve Breton Top, White/RedElbow Sleeve Breton Top, White/Red
Elbow Sleeve Breton Top, White/Red
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Elbow Sleeve Breton Top, White/Red

   5.0 average, based on 1 reviews

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Product Information

Ladies's elbow sleeve Breton top with white and red stripes from French label Armor Lux. Made from soft jersey combed cotton, heavy weight quality, turned back cuffs, round neckline, with a signature embroidered on left sleeve.

Quality wise, it is the exact same fabric as this long sleeved white and red stripe Breton top, a nice thick yet soft cotton.

100% combed cotton, 30 degree C machine washable

OTHER COLOURS: navy blue/white, white/cobalt blue, white/navy blue

DESIGNER LABEL: Armor Lux, Bretagne, France

Contrary to French sizing, these tops fit like a normal UK size equivalent. If you are after a snug fit, opt for one size down your normal one, being a soft jersey, it will hug your body well. Being a thick jersey cotton, it has a certain amount of natural elasticity so if you use our garment's measurements below to compare with one at home, make sure it is a semi-fitted top and not a straight cut one.

French SizeT0T1T2T3T4T5T6
UK SIZE8101214161820
GARMENT MEASUREMENTS (tolerance of +/- 2cm):
Bust (armpit to armpit x 2)81cm, 31.9"86cm, 33.8"92cm, 36.2"98cm, 38.6"102cm, 40.1"109cm, 42.9"118cm, 46.5"
Length60cm, 23.6"61cm, 24"62.5cm, 24.6"66cm, 26"67cm, 26.4"70cm, 27.6"70.5cm, 27.8"

If you prefer to take a measurement across your chest at the fullest part, make sure you allow room to breathe (typically 1-2 inches, 3-5 cm) unless you prefer a tight fit. Unsure how to take your measurements ? Check our full sizing guide here.

ManufacturerArmor Lux

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: 5

Lovely elbow-sleeve variation of the classic Breton

This is a fun variation of the classic long-sleeve Breton top. The fabric is excellent quality and so soft - it moulds really well to the body. I was unsure about what size would be best for me (5'9", 130 lbs, 32D, wide shoulders so overall an inverted triangle shape) and was trying to decide between the brand's sizes 1 and 2. Ultimately I went for size 1 and am very happy with the fit. I'd also like to mention that the customer service at The Nautical Company is really excellent; they really went above and beyond in helping me decide what was the best size for me. Highly recommend! (Jul 22 2020, 10:39 am)
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Stretch Solid

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Stretch Solid

Our range of vibrant and educational playground markings stimulate learning and enhance playtimes! 🤸♀ We are passionate about creating exciting projects that inspire children to learn and play while being active. 🤗

Our highly experienced team offer schools and nurseries across the UK bespoke graphics and will advise, design, and install a cost-effective, long-lasting solution 😃

Suitable for all ages.

1m x 1m

All of our markings are installed with a primer to improve the adhesion to the existing surface.
Our thermoplastic has a manufacturers warranty of up to 4 years, this is dependant on ground condition.


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Life Outreach

LIFE Outreaches and Churches for Life
LIFE Outreaches is an outflow of James and Betty Robinson’s ministry and TV program Life Today! The mission of the various outreaches and the entire ministry is best described by this quote from their website:
“LIFE Outreach International is a Christian organization dedicated to sharing the transforming truth of God’s love in word and deed. The ministry encourages the support of missions and relief programs in areas of need throughout the world. Utilizing the tremendous potential of broadcast media to fulfill the mission, LIFE Outreach inspires believers to share the promise of life and hope with others.”
In 2009 God spoke to me, Wes, about water in Africa. I began to research then and continued to for many years. We looked at partnering with many non-profits or ministries working in Africa and other areas where clean water supply and good supply were in high demand. In the end we found LIFE Outreaches to be trustworthy, consistent, and effective at the two main goals we sought to reach and unashamed of the underlying cause (Acts 10:38):
 The Goals:
Do Good.
Bring Healing.
The Cause:
God with us!
As a part of Churches for Life we are enabled to partner with other groups of believers from many nations, many cultures, and of many sizes to see God’s Kingdom come to Earth as it is in Heaven. There is life in Jesus, not just in the hereafter, but also in the here and now. In partnering with Churches for Life and LIFE Outreaches, we can:
  • Help provide clean water.
  • Help provide food.
  • Help rescue people, primarily children, from human trafficking.

Or email Pastor Becky at

Service Times and Locations
Sunday mornings
11 AM

5976 Chumuckla Hwy PACE, FL 32571

Need more info?

Text or Call

Pastor’s Wes and Becky’s heartbeat is to LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE. They truly believe that the best is yet to come. We would love to have you visit us soon. When you join us for a live gathering or watch online we believe you will see that Providence is- “A Place of H.O.P.E.”


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The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Last updated 3/31/2020 at Noon

The 2020 Major League baseball season’s opening day has come and gone.

It officially was supposed to start last Thursday in San Diego, but the coronavirus pandemic squelched that festive event.

And since President Donald J. Trump extended his deadline for the voluntary virus shutdown until April 30, it’s a sure bet the season won’t start much before June 1 at the earliest.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred still has an optimistic outlook and said last weekend that at some point in May baseball will be gearing up.

But his comments came before the President’s declaration on Sunday.

One of the main problems confronting a shortened season will be to alter the schedules of most teams so it will be fair as far as playing an equal number of games against division foes and playing an equal number of home and away games.

This week’s edition of USA Today Sports Weekly points out the situation in the American League East Division where the New York Yankees are the perennial favorites.

But their biggest challenger in the last couple of seasons has been the Tampa Bay Rays, “If the season begins June 1, it wipes out two scheduled series at Tampa Bay (seven games) and leaves three Rays-Yankees series at New York—a huge disadvantage to the Rays.

“If the season begins on June 15, the New York Mets’ schedule has them playing nine more road games than home games, including three separate West Coast trips.

“One solution: Switch sites.

“For example, by taking one of the Yanks’ home series versus the Rays and switching it to Tampa Bay, they’d evenly play six home and road games apiece,” the article suggests.

The article admits that doesn’t resolve all of the problems regarding intra-division play, and not every team is going to play the same number of home and road games.

“But it would be extremely difficult to redraw the MLB schedule at this point.

So, the balancing would have to come via a more inclusive post-season tourney,” the article concludes.

The key to all these prognostications has to do with the Almighty Dollar—that bottom line.

Every game that is not played results in an average loss of a million dollars per game.

And money does highlight this equation of lost games.

Last Thursday the players union agreed to a deal with MLB that would preserve service time in the event the season is canceled because of the coronavirus.

Players will not challenge the loss of their salaries if no games are played.

Management will advance $170 million in salary payments over the first 60 days of the original schedule, and the money does not have to be returned if the season is canceled according to the Associated Press in its Saturday editions.

Players’ salaries are estimated to total around $4 billion.

The players also agreed to consider playing past the usual end of the post-season in late October and early November, even if it involves using neutral sites and domed stadiums.

They would consider a large increase to get in as many games as possible, to play without fans and to revise the post-season format.

Some of these scenarios will be discussed and hopefully decided by April 10.

In the event of a shortened season, 2020 salaries would be prorated depending on how much of the season is played.

Or, if one is to believe ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit who on Monday’s First Take show said he doesn’t believe there will be either a major league baseball season or an NFL season in 2020.

KWICKIES…Now that Tom Brady is gone from New England and is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, I wonder what Head Coach Bill Belichick will dangle in front of top NFL players to lure them to become Patriots? Shortstop Carlos Correa has become the Astros’ spokesman defending his team about the 2017 spying scandal.

“I’m OK with what people have to say about what happened in 2017.

But when people start saying lies or they don’t know the facts, that’s when I get rubbed the wrong way,” Correa told the Houston Chronicle for Sunday’s edition.

“I felt like there were a lot of things said out there that were not true and no one was doing anything about it.” Texas Longhorns’ starting quarterback Sam Ehlinger launched a coronavirus fund-raising campaign and as of last weekend has raised nearly $33,000 from 425 donating patrons.

“Proud of a great leader both on and off the field for stepping up to help Texans in need,” Texas coach Tom Herman said in a tweet.

And speaking of the Texas Longhorns, Athletic Director Chris Del Conte has decided to bring back head basketball coach Shaka Smart for a sixth season.

However, it was a financial decision—if the Longhorns let Smart go because of his subpar season in 2020, they would have to pay Smart $10.5 million because of his guaranteed contract that runs another three years.

So, it looks to me that Smart was pretty smart!! The cancellation of the NCAA March Madness cost the city of Houston $10.7 million for hosting the South Region Tournament.

JUST BETWEEN US…A D1 Analytics of 2020 top 50 senior pitchers in Division I colleges and universities by ranks our grandson Logan Smith of Army West Point No. 8 overall with a durability score of 88.1(based on innings pitched and number of batters faced) which ranked fourth in the nation.

But today, Logan is back home in Lufkin completing his senior year online.

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Does Anyone Ever Really Change?

For as long as I can remember I’ve been a binge eater, drinker, TV watcher, dieter and exerciser. I’ve mastered the art of procrastination as well as perfected my ability to wrap everything up at the zero hour. After over a decade of therapy, I still have occasionally debilitating anger issues and I swear I will never be confident enough to attend a social gathering where I don’t know anyone. Given that I’m going to be thirty-five this year, all of this makes me wonder, will I ever get my shit together?

When you’re a kid, you have this vision of what you’ll turn out like as an adult. Mine was something similar to the character that Heather Locklear played on Melrose Place. I don’t know why I ever figured I would enjoy wearing short-cut tailored women’s business suits and working in advertising when I grew up; two things that at this age I couldn’t imagine hating more, but I did know that at some point, I would be as put together as she was.

Well that hasn’t happened yet. In fact, most of the time I feel incredibly out of balance. Despite my ongoing attempts to achieve a more harmonious existence, everything remains an extreme with me. Sometimes for weeks, I’ll take three hour naps in the middle of the afternoon. Then once I can’t live with myself any longer, I spend the next month going so hard in boot camp classes that I have to roll out of bed because my abs are too sore to support the weight of my upper body. If I’m not severely restricting my caloric intake, I’m stuffing my face full of junk and I often allow myself to spend a night out drinking heavily as a reward for being especially healthy during the days leading up to it.

I’m not even sure I’m all that different than I was in high school. I still watch TV like a teenager, laying upside down off the side of my couch with my legs sprawled everywhere. Do adults do that? I’ve never seen my parents do that, but then maybe they never did that in the first place.

I keep thinking that eventually something is going to click and I’m just going to be a normal person like I see walking around on the street. Maybe one day I’ll do yoga and be at peace without my mind forever racing with anxiety about what I need to do next and then riddled with guilt when I don’t do it. Maybe I’ll be one of those people you hear about who lost weight not because they went on a diet, but because they made a “lifestyle” change. I hate those people. If I ever start incorporating broccoli into every meal from this point on, that is simply a life long diet!

Even now when I picture myself in my fifties I’m ten pounds thinner and I must be financially stable because I’m never working. I’m almost always on a beach somewhere, smiling tranquilly after having just eaten a kiwi or something. When I ponder the future me, everything always seems to be in order but then I have to ask myself, when exactly is all of this going to pan out? Because this is it. This is my adult life. It’s happening now, yet I’m still all over the place.

Perhaps I would be better served coming to terms with the idea that growing up, in the way we thought of it when we were kids, never really happens. That there is no such thing as a “normal” adult walking around on the street. That our perception of all grown-ups to be completely happy and well adjusted when we were children has led to the unrealistic expectation that we would someday turn into one.

In that case, should I stop trying to so hard to change the things that I don’t like about myself and accept me for who I am? No more breathing through my anger or meditating through my anxiety or hating myself for staying out too late and doing things I shouldn’t have. Because honestly, I’m kind of tired of trying to be better all the time. Instead, maybe I should just roll with the kind of crazy I am and acknowledge that we all have our issues, these are mine, so why bother getting worked up over them?

But if I do that, do I then forfeit the chance that I may one day turn into that calm, happy woman who’s retired with beachfront property because I’m no longer trying to improve myself? I mean isn’t being unsatisfied what ultimately makes us strive for better things?

Either way, I’m sure I’ll stress the issue to death because that’s who I am. It’s either all or nothing with me. Always has been, always will be.

  • Lisa

    But we love you the way you are! I’m still you’re biggest fan! Don’t worry titi belly, you can be sprawled out on a sofa in figi just as easy as queens. :)

    • Kelly

      I’m working on it.

  • Oma

    Boy Kelly that is heavy!!!! you don,t need Therapy, you know yourself already. But……should you do need Therapy, come to me, I’m willing to straighten you out. because I love you. And just think how much money you would save.

  • Lisa

    *your :)

  • Vanna

    All I can say to that is I feel ya sister.

    • Kelly

      Yeah you should given we’ve basically mirrored each other’s stupid phases, ups and downs, growths and regressions for twenty five years now. So are we like, grown up yet or what?

  • Rochelle Migliore

    Damn girl. cut yourself some slack :)

    • Kelly

      This post wasn’t meant to be all that serious. Maybe it’s coming off that way but it was more just a commentary on how I feel like we make all these strides to change things about ourselves that we don’t like but at the end of the day we’re mostly still the same people we were in high school. So cutting ourselves some slack is exactly what we should do. Now I’m going to hit the gym for a super spin class because I spent all yesterday eating cookies.

  • Lorraine

    I think you’re right at where you’re supposed to be. When you’re true to your own heart, good things happen. Do what makes you happy (eating cookies), accept who you are (crazy–but then again, who isn’t?) and just know that even the most put together woman, ISN’T put together. There are lots of women who are great at smoke and mirrors.
    Someone else’s idea of happiness or accomplishments aren’t going to be the same as yours. You don’t have to change who you are, your perfect as is. :)

  • Michelle

    Calm down people, she just doesn’t want to eat broccoli daily. Jesh.

  • Beedee

    Just humming that Paul Simon ditty… “Still crazy after all these years …” and meaning it as a good thing! and have you seen Heather lately???

    • Kelly

      Who’s Heather?!

  • Señor Blanco

    I would make the distinction between changing and growing. You’re all growns up and you’re all growns up.

  • Patricia Sullivan

    Ah, Kelly! This is all I can say…… Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing or thinking about what you are doing or thinking.
    Never compare yourself to anyone else.
    Follow your own path.
    When you do that, invisible doors will open to you.
    Do what makes you happy.

    We all struggle to find that balance. Find your own bliss. Don’t be so hard on yourself!
    My other words of wisdom…. help someone else and you help yourself.
    I know you since you were a little girl. You have a lot to be grateful for and a lot to offer

  • Lloyd M.

    Given your Mitochondrial DNA you are destined to be beautiful, lovable, and yes, a little off center. But, in this crazy world those are wonderful attributes.

  • Gabriele

    Given your Mitochondrial DNA…you’re a blast to be with, and a little off center!!! (Thanks Lloyd, for the ongoing support! Ha! Ha!) If you were that perfect woman in control of her life, the rest of us would be so very uncomfotable hanging out with you…because the rest of us all have our issues. This way we can all relate to each other, over a glass of wine or a joint, and just laugh our asses off! Screw those people who are in control. My friend, Susan always asks…”But are they happy?” I always say no…because they don’t have Kelly in their lives. But we do! Hurray for Kelly…and the rest of us grown ups waiting to grow up! Love ya!

  • Jeff

    I haven’t read the post yet but this girl must go to town when she writes Mississippi. Didn’t miss a sign opportunity to dot an i with a heart.

  • Jeff
  • Kelly

    OK OK! Jesus! I love myself!

    • Jeff

      But do you really?? I think we should keep talking about it.

  • Pingback: My TONY Subscription Is Stressing Me Out: The Brooklyn Brainery()

  • Urban cholita

    Yes. Exactly.


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Nadal maintains unblemished record against Carreno Busta
Quality Sport Images / Getty Images Sport / Getty

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Rafael Nadal will face a red-hot Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Barcelona Open final after the 11-time champion eased past fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday.

Nadal roared out to a 5-1 lead before Carreno Busta pulled back a break. Carreno Busta then had three break chances on Nadal’s next service game, but the latter saved them all and closed out the set.

Any thoughts of a Carreno Busta comeback were snuffed out when Nadal broke his first service game of the second set in intimidating fashion. Carreno Busta thought he smashed the ball well beyond Nadal’s reach, only for the 20-time Grand Slam winner to angle into position and blast the ball right back past him as Carreno Busta lost his footing and tumbled to the clay.

The top-seeded Nadal improved to an 8-0 career record against the 13th-ranked Carreno Busta.

The second-seeded Tsitsipas advanced after beating Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 for his eighth consecutive straight-set victory including last week’s title run at Monte Carlo. The Greek’s 26 wins this season are matched only by Andrey Rublev on the men’s circuit.

Tsitsipas beat Nadal in their last meeting in the Australian Open quarterfinals in February, when Tsitsipas rallied from a two-set deficit over four hours.

Nadal will try to stop Tsitsipas’ winning streak on Sunday.

Overall, Nadal holds a 6-2 head-to-head record with Tsitsipas, including a victory in the 2018 Barcelona Open final.

“It feels great to be back (in the final). I will try to redeem myself from last time,” Tsitsipas said.

The 34-year-old Nadal has won all 11 finals he has reached in Barcelona. He dominated the tournament in his home country from 2005-09, 2011-13, and 2016-18. He lost in the 2019 semifinals to eventual champion Dominic Thiem. Last year the event was not held because of the coronavirus pandemic.

More AP tennis: and

Nadal maintains unblemished record against Carreno Busta
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Colts vs. Eagles Total Prediction

Indianapolis Colts vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 9/21/18 Predictions & Odds

Carson Wentz will make his highly anticipated return to the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday when they host the Indianapolis Colts at 1:00 p.m. ET. Will the Eagles struggle offensively in Wentz’s return?

Game Snapshot

461 Indianapolis Colts at 462 Philadelphia Eagles

1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 23

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

Public Betting Trends

According to oddsmakers from online sports book, the Eagles are 6.5-point favorites to beat the Colts. The total, meanwhile, sits at 47.5 points. As of this writing, 61% of the public betting tickets are on the Eagles to cover the point spread.

Indianapolis Colts

Colts LT Anthony Castonzo (hamstring) remained sidelined at Wednesday's practice. He hasn't seen the field since re-injuring his hamstring at practice last Wednesday. Le'Raven Clark filled in for Castonzo at left tackle in Sunday's win over Washington.

Philadelphia Eagles

Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) remained limited at Wednesday's practice. He was limited all last week. Jeffery is working his way back from extensive shoulder surgery. With the Eagles desperate for receiver help and healthy bodies, they could push Jeffery harder than they had originally planned.

NFL Betting Trends

The under is 5-0 in the Colts’ last five road games and is 9-1 in their last 10 games overall.

The under is 5-1 in the Eagles’ last six home games.

It’s likely going to take a few weeks before Wentz is successfully able to shake off the rest. In the meantime, the Eagles will need to rely on their defense to carry them. Andrew Luck and the Colts scored a nice victory last Sunday in D.C. but their offense didn’t necessarily light it up. Luck was intercepted twice and threw for just 179 yards in the win. Meanwhile, the Eagles did score 21 points in their 27-21 loss to the Bucs but they were forced to be aggressive in the second half in order to overcome a double-digit lead. I see the game script playing out much differently in Philly this weekend.

NFL Week 3 Prediction: Colts/Eagles under 47.5

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Bob Hunter, seen in 1975 aboard a Greenpeace vessel. Hunter was a "counterculture" columnist with the Vancouver Sun when he made the leap from journalist to activist.

The Bob Hunter we never knew

Bob Hunter had many public personas, and the one you might be familiar with depends greatly on your age.

If you’re a baby boomer, you will likely remember him as a swashbuckling founder of Greenpeace who steered his zodiac between a Russian whaler and a humpback only to have a harpoon fired right over his head.

But if your parents are the ones with greying ponytails, you might recall Hunter as the old guy in a bathrobe on Breakfast Television in the 1990s and early 2000s, breaking down the day’s news in “Papercuts,” an off-the-cuff media analysis segment.

Because much of Hunter’s career predates the rise of the Internet, few traces of his historic life are found online: none of his columns or television reports, no mention of his Governor General’s Award, not even YouTube clips of him saving seals, sailing into nuclear blast areas or animating a conversation on Citytv’s short-lived Hunter’s Gatherings.

Now, a decade after Hunter’s death in 2005 at age 63, one Toronto scholar has set out to introduce the man to a new generation, not as an environmental activist or a media-savvy commentator, but as a philosopher — perhaps the most important eco-theorist this country has produced.

Thomas Hart, a professor of philosophy at Ryerson University, gained exclusive access to the archive of Hunter’s personal papers and spent much of the past year painstakingly cataloguing the unpublished manuscripts, private correspondence and personal musings collected over more than three decades — material, he says, that shows Hunter had remarkably consistent clarity of thought through the many chapters of his life.

“I realized that I was dealing with someone who was forced by society to specialize as a ‘journalist’ and an ‘activist,’ but in fact was a true public intellectual,” Hart said. “Someone who should have a place in the pantheon of great thinkers.”

Hart describes Hunter’s thinking as a synthesis of politics, sociology, spirituality and ethics that can be found in the comic books he drew in his teens (humans must abandon a poisoned Earth and aliens reject their pleas for help), the novel he published in his 20s (slaughterhouse workers anesthetize themselves to the horrors they must inflict) and his two works of media theory from the 1970s (a Marshall McLuhan-inspired media “mind bomb” can awaken mass consciousness). But it’s also there in action when Hunter co-founded Greenpeace, which would grow into the world’s biggest environmental organization, and his journalism of the ’80s and ’90s, when he recognized early on the threat of climate change and did his utmost to sound the alarm.

“Every time I delve into it, the consistency of thought is there,” Hart said. “He recognized what we do, how it must be changed, and why.”

Philosopher Thomas Hart is poring through Bob Hunter's archives held by the University of Toronto. He describes Hunter's work as a synthesis of politics, sociology, spirituality and ethics, and says he deserves "a place in the pantheon of great thinkers."

Hart devoted decades to studying Friedrich Nietzsche, another thinker who was dead long before his importance was recognized, and says the two thinkers share an “anti-specialist” theme.

“It’s about getting past the solipsism, past the fundamental isolation in modern western culture,” he said.

This means not only breaking down the divisions between people through media, but also breaking down the mental barriers between civilization and nature. Hart calls it “the unisolated notion” — the idea, simply, that we are not alone.

“Drop the ego” is how Hunter would have phrased it in his long-haired, mustachioed days. Only then can we bring about a “revolution in consciousness.”

This isn’t an academic exercise, said Hart. It’s really about finding a new way to understand our place in the world — essential if we are to face the existential crisis of climate change.

“Bob is no longer with us. His actions are no longer part of the calculation. What we do have is his words. And I have 100 boxes of them. I want to see if we can use his words to ensure our actions are judged positively.”

The many phases of Bob Hunter

  • Precocious high schooler:
  • Born in 1941 in Manitoba, Hunter knew he wanted to be a writer by the time he was in his teens, drawing comic books and writing science fiction short stories. Before graduating from high school, he received an art school scholarship, but instead of attending, he ripped it up and set out for Vancouver. There he wrote his first novel, Erebus, which was nominated for a Governor General’s Award.

  • Counterculture columnist:
  • Hunter told everyone he got his first newspaper job by walking into the Winnipeg Tribune newsroom and telling an editor that he would consent to lending the paper his talents. Later he would be the only hippie at the Vancouver Sun, growing his hair long and wearing bell bottoms. The paper formalized his role as a “counterculture” reporter just as the anti-nuclear movement was taking off. When he proposed accompanying protesters on a ship that was to sail to a nuclear test blast area in Alaska, he had a world exclusive on the genesis of Greenpeace.

  • Activist guru:
  • Somewhere along the voyage, Hunter stopped reporting on and started leading the group, which called itself the Don’t Make a Wave Committee. Shortly afterward, the U.S. announced it would cease all nuclear testing in Alaska and Hunter became the founding president of Greenpeace, the first international ecological organization. In a move no one saw coming, he shifted Greenpeace’s goals and set out to save the whales, which were being hunted into extinction — a loss he believed represented man’s most gluttonous attack on nature.

    Bob Hunter left Greenpeace soon after it became international. He retreated to a cabin on B.C.'s North Shore with his wife, Bobbi, and two children.
  • The quiet years:
  • Greenpeace grew so rapidly that the organization became uncontrollable from its small Vancouver office. Internal power struggles saw Hunter bow out and retreat to a reclusive cabin on the North Shore with his wife, Bobbi, and two young children. Here, he drafted books and columns and paid the bills by writing scripts for The Beachcombers and later Danger Bay. Unable to steer completely clear of politics and the environment, he was hired by various First Nations bands to co-ordinate communications and fight for their treaty rights.

  • Discovering his roots:
  • Through his work with First Nations, he soon discovered he was himself part aboriginal. Along with Robert Calihoo, another “white person” who found out he was native, Hunter wrote Occupied Canada, which retold the history of Canada from an indigenous point of view. The book, which was published shortly after Quebec’s 1990 Oka crisis came to a head, rode a public wave of consciousness of aboriginal issues and won the Governor General’s Award for non-fiction.

    Bob Hunter conducts an interview in Temagami, Ont.
  • As seen on TV:
  • After winning a scriptwriting competition, Hunter moved his family to Toronto to attend film school, but was soon persuaded to drop out by Moses Znaimer, who invited him to become Citytv’s first “ecological reporter.” Hunter capitalized on City’s willingness to be experimental by blurring the line between journalist and activist, often participating in the environmental media stunts he was covering, including sending a delegation of aboriginals out to intercept the ships re-enacting Columbus’s discovery of America. Hunter would become best known for his daily news commentary on Breakfast Television, called Papercuts, in which he would dissect the morning papers while wearing a bathrobe in his basement.

    A Hunter gatherer

    There’s a warehouse in Downsview where the University of Toronto Media Commons keeps its archive. It includes shelf upon shelf, row upon row of old Betamax tapes, tins of 35-mm film and countless boxes of scripts, budgets and contracts collected by some of Canada’s greatest media figures.

    Moses Znaimer, who revolutionized local television in the 1970s and ’80s, knows all about it because his archives are kept there. That’s why, in the last years of Bob Hunter’s life, Znaimer encouraged him to collect everything.

    “He was a guy of prodigious productivity and I knew there were vast amount of materials mouldering away in boxes,” said Znaimer. “I knew him to be involved in a form of environmentalism which caught my imagination … He took physical risks … He was that classic case of an intellectual in action — that’s rare.”

    Hunter donated the first 20 boxes and his wife, Bobbi, added 70 after his death in 2005. More material has since come in, but no one took the time to go through it all.

    That was until early last year, when Hunter’s family was seeking someone to deliver the 10th annual Bob Hunter Memorial Lecture at the University of Toronto’s school of the environment.

    “He was practically Nostradamus” on climate change, said Hunter’s son, Will. “He was treated like Chicken Little but the reality is that everything he was writing is happening now.”

    Will wanted someone who could draw together the many facets of his father, and figured only a philosopher would suffice.

    “Dad had a big philosophical basis to a lot of his beliefs. He might not have had a university education, but he was constantly talking about Carl Jung, Nietzsche and Gestalt theory and the collective unconscious,” he said.

    Will wouldn’t have to look very far. His wife’s brother, Thomas Hart, is an award-winning philosophy professor who had just returned from years in Utrecht, Netherlands. Ryerson had given Hart a job teaching courses on ancient philosophy and Nietzsche, but teaching was starting to wear thin. So when Will called, asking him to give a lecture about Hunter, Hart seized the challenge.

    Hart had never met Bob Hunter and knew little about his life. So he began by reading all his published books, from the 1968 novel Erebus and his history of Canada from an aboriginal point of view, Occupy Canada, to a posthumously published activist memoir, The Greenpeace to Amchitka.

    “It was after reading The Storming of the Mind (a 1971 book) that I realized I had come across something that would change my life,” said Hart.

    Hart’s lecture, delivered in a packed hall last April, focused on the connectedness Hunter felt with all things: whales and seals as well as whalers and sealers.

    British filmmaker Jerry Rothwell has made a documentary from footage discovered in the basement of the Greenpeace International office in the Netherlands, which premiered at TIFF last fall.

    That oneness put Hunter ahead of his contemporary ecologists, who tended to see things in terms of good nature versus evil corporation, Hart said, and it allowed him to employ media as a language to translate between individual isolation and the connected universe.

    He did so by deploying “mind bombs”: dramatic images that galvanize public opinion in a way no logical argument ever could.

    This combination of metaphysical connectedness and tactical media strategy is what makes Hunter’s work so important, Hart said.

    Under the fluorescent lights of a research room in Robarts Library last fall, Hart sat beside an aging book trolley, its metal shelf flexing under eight bankers’ boxes.

    It was the third batch of boxes he’d gone through and there were 100 boxes to go. Inside each, dog-eared file folders, newsletters and correspondence are interspersed with musings: yellowed pages of stream-of-consciousness typing sandwiched with the newspaper or magazine article that spawned the thought.

    “You get one chapter of a novel in one box and … there isn’t a period at the end of the last line. And you know that there is a chapter somewhere else.”

    “Bob’s work isn’t done and he’s not around to do it anymore. But I’m in a position to bring that work to light, keeping it current and creating a foundation.”

    Hunter’s widow, Bobbi, has given the project her blessing. After a long period of mourning, she’s found strength in a group forming around his legacy. British filmmaker Jerry Rothwell has made a documentary from footage discovered in the basement of the Greenpeace International office in the Netherlands, which premiered at TIFF last fall.

    “I was afraid that he was going to be forgotten, lost in time,” said Bobbi. “But now I’m not so sure.”

    She recounts a story from Hunter’s last months, when she returned home to find him sitting on a bench in the corner of their backyard. When she approached, the typically upbeat character was in such a morose mood that they sat silently.

    “I don’t know if I’ve had any effect,” he finally said.

    Bobbi didn’t know what to say, but finally formulated the only possible response.

    “Bob, you’re never going to know. The only time that your impact is going to be known is after you’re gone.”

    More than a decade later, she adds: “I said that thinking that I would know, and now I realize that I might die not knowing.”

    “I think he’s going to be discovered as a great intellectual,” she said. “Sometimes it takes a couple of generations before they’re received as they should be.”

    Archival treasures

  • The letter that started it all:
  • Written in 1970, almost two years before the protest voyage that would give birth to Greenpeace, this letter announces the decision of a local committee of the Sierra Club of B.C. to launch a campaign against nuclear testing in Alaska. “These multi-megaton explosions threaten B.C. with tidal waves, earthquakes and radioactive pollution,” reads the letter, which contains the first known reference to the name “Don’t Make a Wave.”

  • Button:
  • During preparations for its protest trip, the Don’t Make a Wave Committee would end each meeting with the hippie-era salutation “peace.” After a church basement meeting, one member said, “Let’s make it a green peace,” and the organization’s new name was born. The small group of Vancouver radicals funded their first year of operations almost entirely through button sales. In 1971, they sold more than $20,000 worth of buttons, equivalent to about $125,000 today.

  • Espionage map:
  • When Greenpeace turned its attention to saving whales in 1975, its biggest challenge was to simply find the Russian whalers in the millions of square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately, they had a contact at the International Whaling Commission, who covertly communicated the position of the Russian ships to them, allowing the slower protest boats to intercept their targets.

  • Vancouver proclamation:
  • On Oct. 18, 1981, Vancouver’s mayor, Mike Harcourt, declared a citywide “Greenpeace Day” to commemorate the group’s inaugural voyage 10 years earlier. “Whatever each of us may think of them, there is no question that Greenpeace has grown into one of the largest and most influential ecological organizations across Canada and around the world,” Harcourt said.

  • Childhood comic book:
  • Long before his activism, Hunter was a budding artist keenly interested in science fiction, and he drew apocalyptic comic books containing his visions of future environmental collapse. In 1971, with the help of a Canada Council grant, he published his first and only comic, Time of the Clockmen.

  • Unpublished manuscripts:
  • While there are still scores of boxes of Hunter’s archives to be explored, so far nine unpublished books have turned up. Three of them appear to be a trilogy of Canadiana fiction about the fading of French influence in western Canada and the rise of multicultural society, starting with the first novel, Long Way to the Horizon. Thomas Hart, who is organizing and cataloguing the archive, hopes to have the works published before writing a biography based on the material he has discovered.

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We all lead busy lives, and when we receive a traffic ticket it can be tempting to just pay it off so we don’t have to deal with it anymore. However, the penalties for simply accepting and paying a driving ticket go beyond the money out of your pocket. So, it’s vital that you take your traffic tickets seriously, and carefully consider the best course of action.

 Consequences of a Traffic Ticket

There are three main consequences to accepting a traffic ticket and paying the fine without fighting   it:

  • the fine itself,
  • receiving points on your driver’s license,
  • and an increase in insurance premiums.

Without fighting the ticket at all, you are essentially guaranteed all three of these will work against you as much as they can. Fighting your traffic ticket may result in a reduction in the fine, skipping going to traffic school (which does cost more money), removing points from your license, and preventing increase in your insurance premium.

In California, receiving 4 points on your license within one year – even a simple speeding ticket adds a point to your license if you do not contest it – can result in a suspension of your driver’s license for up to six months. Receiving 6 points over two years or 8 points over three years has the same effect. If this happens, it is vital that you request a DMV hearing to try and keep your license.

The effect on your insurance from a violation is not minor. A single reckless driving ticket can increase your premiums by 22%, meaning hundreds of dollars more out of your pocket each year. Speeding from just 1mph to 14mph over the limit can mean an 11% increase. Multiple tickets can have a crippling effect.

Admitting Fault or Defending Yourself

Once you are pulled over, you have a choice to make. Sometimes, depending on the traffic officer who stopped you, admitting fault, saying the violation was a mistake, and showing genuine regret can work to your favor. A sympathetic officer may let you off with a warning instead of a ticket, or he/she may reduce the fine you have to pay. This is more likely when the offense is minor.

Even if you receive the ticket, make sure you show up on your court date. A judge can be equally swayed by admitting fault. While you are likely to have to pay the full fine after admitting guilt, the judge may be willing to reduce the ticket so it will not be reflected on your insurance rates, and he/she may let you participate in traffic school so the point is not placed on your record. However, keep in mind that you are still admitting that you are guilty, and if the officer and the judge are not sympathetic, you may not receive any leniency at all.

So, if you decide to fight the ticket, try and record as many details as possible about the scene when you are pulled over. Ask the officer where he was positioned or where he started following you when he noticed the violation, and what he used to determine it. Check the ticket for inaccuracies that could work against you as soon as you receive it (such as saying traffic was heavy when it was not). Devices like radar guns require proper calibration and use in ideal circumstances for an accurate reading; user error and using the gun from an obstructed location can be very effective defenses once you’re in the court.

Image Credit : Creative Commons – http://www.flickr.com/photos/eflon/2683572384/

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Scott Desind

Scott Desind

Scott Desind | Traffic Ticket Attorneys The Traffic Ticket Attorneys, Desind and Klijian, have over 25 years of experience fighting traffic tickets. Our attorneys are well respected and known for their experience in fighting traffic tickets, specialized knowledge of the law and procedures and results by the court personnel, officers, deputies, competitors and clients.
Scott Desind

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