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Friday, November 23, 2012

Patriots M-Barrass Jets, 49-19

Survivor goes by the tagline: "Outwit, outlast, outplay" -- the Patriots did all three (and added "Outhit") in a 49-19 destruction of the Jets last night.  The win reinforced the Patriots stranglehold on the division.  One more Pats win officially eliminates the Jets from the division title race, and two more Pats wins would knock out the Bills.  The Patriots have two games left with the Dolphins -- in fact, their next one is in Miami on December 2 -- but they hold a 3.5-game lead over Miami with 5 games to play.

The Jets game was scoreless in the first quarter, but the Patriots scored four touchdowns in the first six minutes of the second quarter, three in 52-seconds (an 83-yard pass to Shane Vereen, a Steve Gregory fumble-return, and a Julian Edelman fumble-return).  And that was the ball game.  The total meltdown by the Jets led directly to a 28-point lead, and without any deep passing threats, the Jets were done before the half.

As is typical in a blowout this lopsided, there are too many stars to go over every one, so here are some general thoughts on what went right and wrong yesterday, and how players, coaches, and team units are trending as the Patriots close in on another AFC East title.

The Offense

Quarterback Tom Brady was great again last night, and is on a roll almost unprecedented in his career.  His averages for the last five games are impressive: 22.8 of 35.6 (64%), 290.8 yards, 2.8 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a QB rating of 115.7.  (Trivia question: what is Brady's single-season record for most consecutive games without an interception... answer below.)  He's been great all year, but believe it or not, Brady is trending up as we enter December.

The receivers are trending slightly down, mostly due to injuries.  Rob Gronkowski was not missed in the Jets game, but he is such a devastating weapon, the Patriots offense will suffer without him later in the season.  Fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez returned from injury last night, but was mostly held in check, and versatile Julian Edelman took a nasty hit on an end-around that might keep him out for a game or two.

Additionally, the timing and chemistry between Brady and wideout Brandon Lloyd has not materialized.  Lloyd is better than Chad Ochocinco was last year, but in the last three games, Lloyd has only 12 catches for 116 yards and no touchdowns.

Running back Shane Vereen is on the rise, with 133 total yards and a nice route and run after catch on his 83-yard touchdown.  Vereen appears to be playing with a chip on his shoulder, really trying to compete for a starting job, and it shows in his production.  Starter Stevan Ridley is on pace for 1,366 yards and 11 or 12 touchdowns, and for the moment appears to have left his fumbling problems back in week 4 and 5 (when he had 2 fumbles).  And finally, the offensive coaches are using Danny Woodhead properly -- a scat-back on third down and sometime receiver.

The offensive line gets a lot of praise for weathering multiple injuries; but the missing talent is starting to show.  With three starters out last night, Brady took several shots from untouched blitzers (and somehow escaped from two others).  And even mostly solid left tackle Nate Solder whiffed on a few Jets rushers.  Certainly a unit that is trending down, and if Donald Thomas and Marcus Cannon start for much longer, it will take a toll on Brady and the running backs.

The Defense

For all the praise heaped on Vince Wilfork last night, the defensive line is trending slightly down.  Chandler Jones missed the Jets game with an ankle injury, and the remaining D-linemen didn't get much pressure on the Jets QB.  Jermaine Cunningham is better as a backup/substitute, and Rob Ninkovich was completely controlled last night.  And aside from Wilfork, the interior of the line did not hold up well against the run (until the Jets got close to the goal line).

The reason they are only trending slightly down is that they were excellent against the Colts (at least in the last 50 minutes of the game).  So they can turn it around with improved play against the Dolphins next week.  And with the extra rest, they might get Jones back for that game, so Cunningham can move into the sub-role again.

The linebackers are probably the biggest problem on the defense at this point.  Brandon Spikes is a guessing and hitting machine, but when he guesses wrong, there are usually big plays by the offense.  Jerod Mayo can't cover in the short zones, and Dont'a Hightower is still a rookie.  All three are big hitters, but none of them are anything but sub-standard in coverage, which is a problem, but not as big a problem as it was in the secondary a few weeks ago.

And speaking of the secondary, this unit is on the way up, big time.  The safety position is the most improved on the team the last five weeks.  With Devin McCourty's move to safety, and the return of Steve Gregory (a few weeks back) and Patrick Chung (last night), the Patriots no longer give up multiple 40+ yard plays a game.  Gregory had a rough first game back, but he's playing well within the system again.  And the three of them played some Cover-3 last night, once the game was well in hand (and they knew the Jets would have to throw).

New addition Aqib Talib has performed well.  Not the shutdown corner some thought when he was acquired, but he hasn't been beaten deep, and when the defense aggressively goes after the quarterback, he and rookie Alfonzo Dennard play tight man-coverage and disrupt the routes enough for the pass rush to get there.  It's very good complimentary defense.  And the surprising rise of Dennard puts Kyle Arrington on a third receiver (or on the bench, sometimes), which is better for everyone involved.  Front-line receivers are all good enough to beat Arrington, but he can succeed against slot guys or third-best receivers.

Special Teams

The kick coverage teams have been excellent for the past few weeks.  They gave up one long kickoff return last night, but then adjusted with higher/shorter kicks and stopped the returner inside the 25 yard line.  And the punt returns don't seem to exist against the Patriots any more.  Last five games: 3 for 22 yards; 1 for 0 yards; 0 for 0 yards; 1 for 7 yards; and 1 for 1 yard.  Of course it helps when you don't punt much, but Zoltan Mesko has punted 15 times in those games.

The return teams are most definitely on the upswing.  Edelman brings patience and explosiveness on punt returns.  He broke two for long gains against Indy, and almost broke one against the Jets.  If he has to miss any games with a concussion, he will be missed on this unit.  The kickoff return team is more dangerous now than earlier in the year; although they end up with the ball inside their own 20 yard line too often.  Still, all-in-all they are on the way up.

The field goal unit is the one special teams group in decline.  Kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a field goal last night, and last Sunday he missed a field goal and almost missed an extra point.  The snaps appear to be slightly off on some of those kicks, but I can't say for sure that caused the problem.  Holder Mesko appeared to get them all placed properly and on time.  A concern if the Patriots make a deep playoff run, because those games are always close, so a missed field goal can cost the entire team.

On defense, the Patriots coaches have been dialing up more blitzes, and mostly to good effect.  And the players have become quite the ball-hawkers -- ringing up 12 turnovers in the last 3 games (though some of those came on special teams).  Moving McCourty to safety has settled down the secondary, and if they could just get one of the three linebackers to defend the pass better, they would be defensive gods!

The offensive play-calling is much better.  Woodhead is back to being a third-down back, and they run enough misdirection plays to keep the other team's defense honest.  And the mix of pass/run is truly impressive -- in fact, they had 39 rushes and only 28 pass plays last night.  When an offense can lose the best tight end in the league and not miss a beat, that's great coaching (among other things).

The special teams coach is a mixed-bag at the moment.  He needs to straighten out the field goal unit -- and fast.  But his return and coverage teams are very good.

So where does that leave us?  8-3 is good, and 10 days until the next game is a plus, too.  The Dolphins offense is terrible, so if the Patriots don't turn the ball over, they should win that game, and that would effectively seal the division title.  After that, they host Houston, and a win there puts them in the discussion for a playoff bye.  But first things first, Squish the Fish!

Statistical Oddity of the Week: In honor of Thanksgiving, I give you the "feast or famine" New York Jets.  Under Rex Ryan, the Jets average win over the Patriots is 24-15 (9 points per game), and their average loss to the Patriots is 39-17 (22 ppg).

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "You know it's bad when your fans are calling for Tebow.  He got croaked in two games against the Pats last year."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS.  8-3!

PPS.  Trivia answer: Brady ended the 2010 season by going without a single interception in an amazing 11 straight games.  Unfortunately the Jets ended that streak in the playoffs, and bounced the 14-2 Patriots in the first round.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Patriots Smoke Colts 59-24

If Crash Davis played football, he might have said to Andrew Luck, "Welcome to the NFL... meat."  The Patriots treated Luck like piece of meat -- pressure-cooking him into rookie mistakes and sandwiching him on several hits, in a 59-24 win over the Colts.  The victory kept the Patriots on top in the AFC East, and allows New Englanders to dream of a playoff bye.  The Pats still trail both Houston and Baltimore by two games (given that Baltimore holds the tie-breaker).  Next up is the New York Jets in three days, Thanksgiving night.

The game started out looking like a shootout.  The teams traded early touchdowns, and the Colts took at 14-7 lead into the second quarter.  Then the wheels fell off -- the Patriots scored two touchdowns without a single offensive play (on a punt return and an interception return), and the second half was a 35-7 rout that would have been called if it were a prize fight or a little league game.

Even with two backups at guard, the Patriots offensive line gave Tom Brady plenty of time to carve up the Colts defensive backfield.  (And no wonder; they had two Patriots secondary castoffs on the roster... trivia question: name them.)  The offensive line gave up zero sacks and only two QB hits, and tackles Sebastian Vollmer and Nate Solder held pass-rushing stars Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis in check.  The guards didn't do as well in the running game, but the Patriots make their mark passing the ball, so in this game, that was okay.

Brady's stat line is impressive: 24 of 35 (68.6%), 331 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a 127.2 QB rating.  His timing and connections with both Brandon Lloyd and Julian Edelman were the best they've been all season.   The only worry is that Brady completed passes to only five receivers, and with Rob Gronkowski out for a few weeks, it could become more difficult with reduced options at receiver.

Speaking of Gronkowski, he was the receiving star of the game.  He was targeted 7 times and caught all 7 for 137 yards, and 2 touchdowns.  He really is a beast, and the next few opponents will be glad they don't have to deal with Gronk; he is a matchup nightmare.

Edelman had his best overall day as a pro: 5 catches for 58 yards and 1 touchdown, an end-around for 47 yards, and two punt returns for 116 yards and 1 touchdown.  He broke Indy's heart with the punt-return TD early, and showed the quickness of Wes Welker and better moves after the catch.  Welker, by the way, was his usual hum-drum self: 7 catches, 80 yards, and 5 first down conversions.

The running backs were nondescript; Shane Vereen getting more playing time than Stephan Ridley.  Each got one touchdown, but together only had 68 yards on 24 carries.  The team had trouble running up the middle, too many plays were stopped in the backfield.  And on outside runs, the Colts speed tracked down most runs before they got to the line of scrimmage.  This was not a failure of the backs; it was slashing and guessing plays by the Indy defense, and overmatched guards in the running game.

Defensively, the Pats blitzed more in this game than the first nine games combined.  They brought continual pressure, throwing linebackers and even safeties or corners at the young quarterback.  They started out in a soft shell zone, but Luck tic-tac-toed down the field for two touchdowns.  At that point, it seemed the Patriots decided to go with pressure and see how Luck would respond.  He didn't do very well.

They did give up significant running plays to the Colts: two 20-yard runs, and a solid five-yard average per rush.  This owed mostly to the ailments from last week, namely blown assignments and bad tackling.  On the first two drives, they lost outside contain three times and got linebackers in the wrong spots at least four others.  It looked like Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones were going to post terrible games at that point, but they turned it around and the Colts offensive success came to a screeching halt.

Vince Wilfork was their most consistent lineman, though even he missed a relatively easy tackle in the first half.  Wilfork got three tackles and knocked down two passes.  Jones got shut out on the stat line, but he played pretty well.  He and Ninkovich kept constant pressure from the outside, forcing Luck to step up in the pocket, where he made several mistakes.  And Ninkovich might have been the defensive star of the game, with 8 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

The linebacker tandem of Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes accounted for 19 tackles and 1 QB hit.  But Mayo was late on too many plays to call it a good game.  Spikes was good overall, but even he looked lost in pass coverage on a few plays.  All in all, rookie Dont'a Hightower might have been their most consistent linebacker.

The secondary benefited mightily from the blitz-crazy game plan.  Newcomer Aqib Talib got an interception and returned it 59-yards for a touchdown.  Not to be outdone, rookie Alfonzo Dennard took a pick 87-yards for a TD late in the game.  And another rookie, much maligned Tavon Wilson, got an INT, too.  Mind you, all three gave up plays, too, and these interceptions were mostly gift picks caused by pressure up front.  But beggars can't be choosers, and good play by the secondary should not go unnoticed.

The safety combo of Steve Gregory and Devin McCourty mostly kept plays in front of them.  The one long touchdown came when Gregory bit on a run fake and McCourty had responsibility in the medium-middle, which left T.Y. Hilton single-covered for a 43-yarder.  But aside from that, while they weren't perfect, Gregory and McCourty were light-years better than last week, taking the pass-off effectively from corners, breaking up passes or making sure tackles right away, or hitting receivers at just the right moment to cause incompletions.

Talib did get beaten on a few plays, but mostly his coverage was good -- sometimes the passes were just better.  And the team would still be better with Patrick Chung and Gregory at safety, so McCourty can take the corner opposite Talib.  But with rookies Dennard and Wilson improving, the secondary is rounding into shape at this point.  Don't know if they'll be ready to stop strong passing games in the playoffs, but it looks more promising now than it did a week ago.

On special teams, there were the two great punt returns to crow about.  And the Pats had very good kickoff and punt coverage in the game.  Kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a field goal and almost missed an extra point.  But it appeared that the snaps on both those kicks were too much into the body of the holder -- and they got that straightened out for the many second-half extra points they kicked.

The special-teams coaching deserves special mention; with great return and coverage games, along with getting the long-snaps straightened out during the game.  The defensive coaching looked shaky early on, but they made great adjustments and brought the Colts offense to a complete standstill.  On offense, they should have abandoned the outside runs and/or used the misdirection play with Edelman earlier to slow down the Colts pursuit.  But it's tough to complain about a game with 59 points on the board.

So where does that leave us?  7-3 and third in the AFC.  Given the trouble the Steelers are having, the Ravens are likely to finish in front of the Patriots.  Which means their best chance at a playoff bye might be beating the Texans in December and hoping they end up tied or in front of them.  Otherwise, it appears that the AFC East title is a virtual lock; with a three-game lead over the rest of the pack, and tie-breakers over two of the three teams.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: Even though Tom Brady had an outstanding game, the Patriots got more return yards (377) than passing yards (331).

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "If the Colts didn't have bad Luck, they wouldn't have had any at all."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS.  7-3!

PPS.  Trivia answer: corner Darius Butler and safety Sergio Brown now play for the Colts.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Patriots Hold On for 37-31 Win

In a game that wasn't expected to be this close, the Patriots built up a 14-point lead and then held on for a 37-31 win over the Bills.  With losses by all the other AFC East teams, the Patriots hold a two-game lead over their nearest divisional competitor (the Dolphins are 4-5).  The 6-3 Colts come to Foxboro next week, in a game the Pats need if they hold out any hope of getting a first-round playoff bye (more on that later).

Yesterday laid it all out nice and clear about the Patriots defense.  They don't get enough pressure on the quarterback, blitz or no blitz.  They have trouble stopping deep passes if they are without veterans at safety, and their linebackers are poor in pass coverage in the short- and intermediate-zones.  Aside from that, their pass defense is one of the top units in the league.

The good news on defense was the return of safety Steve Gregory from injury.  However, he played limited snaps and showed a lot of rust (missed tackles, specifically).  Fortunately, he has time to work himself back into shape and into the flow of the defense.  But he better hurry.  The corner position is a mess with Devin McCourty shoring up safety, and rookie Alfonzo Dennard gave up multiple long gains in place of McCourty.

Frankly it looked like a fire drill in the secondary, with Bills receivers running free and Patriots defenders running into each other or taking bad angles and giving up big chunks of yards.  If new acquisition Aqib Talib can't help, the Pats better get Patrick Chung back soon, so McCourty can move back to corner. McCourty did make the INT that sealed the game, but the team needs him in two positions right now, and that means they need to get someone healthy so he can play one or the other.

The linebackers weren't all horrible, but they did give up too many crossing patterns in the 10-yard range, and also they did not hold up well against the run often enough.  In fact, for the first time in quite a while, I'm going to re-watch part of the game, because watching it live I couldn't figure out how the Bills opened up those gaping holes in the running game.

Mayo, Spikes, Hightower, Ninkovich -- they all missed seemingly easy tackles, and all got out of position and gave up big running plays.  Oh, and Spikes had roughing-the-passer and encroachment penalties -- all in all not his best game.  Mayo and Spikes led the team with 12 and 11 tackles, respectively; and Ninkovich had a sack and two QB hits.  So they made some plays; just gave up too many.

The defensive line alternated between stuffing the run for no gain and letting it through like a sieve for big yards.  Vince Wilfork had a good game (4 tackles, 1 sack for 10 yards, and a forced fumble).  The Pats moved him up and down the line, which gave the Bills some of their openings; but it allowed Wilfork to get better pressure on the QB.

For all the hype about Chandler Jones, he lost outside contain on some of those runs, too, and he didn't do much else, either (just one assisted tackle on the day).  He might be hitting the rookie wall.  It was an undistinguished performance by the rest of the line; although rookie Justin Francis showed a good burst to the QB and did a decent job in limited duty.

With a defense this problematic, it's clear the offense has to carry the day to win games.  Fortunately, it is supremely talented, well run, and by and large well coached.  You never know which player will get the mismatch; but you always know quarterback Tom Brady will find it and exploit it.  He did yesterday, for a ho-hum line: 23 of 38, 237 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 96.1 QB rating.  Good decisions in the face of decent pressure, and a few lucky breaks, and he kept his interception total at 3 for the entire season.

Running back Danny Woodhead had a great day: 4 catches for 46 yards and a touchdown, and a 15-yard run for another touchdown.  Stevan Ridley was the workhorse; 22 carries for 98 yards, and very good in pass protection.  As pointed out by my friend Dave, he lacks breakaway speed, but has everything else you could ask of a running back.  He easily leads the team with 814 yards, and hasn't fumbled in over a month, so maybe those problems are behind him.

Old reliable Wes Welker led the team in targets (11), catches (6), yards (74), and yards per catch (12.3).  Despite what you hear in the press, it's tough to imagine the Patriots not working out a long-term deal with Welker, he's just too effective in this offense.  He opens things up for Brandon Lloyd (5 catches for 45 yards), Gronkowski (3 for 31 and 1TD), and even Deion Branch (4 for 30).

As for the offensive line, it was not always perfect, but going against the strength of the Bills defense (their line), they gave up just 1 sack, 4 QB hits (probably too many), and not much else.  Brady had plenty of time most plays, and the running game went for 4.0 yards a carry and 2 touchdowns.  No spectacular plays, but given their responsibilities, quite nice to know they are protecting the team's #1 asset well.

Special teams mention of the week; Stephen Gostkowski gave up nothing on kick returns, and he hasn't missed a field goal since the last Buffalo game in September.  Looks like he has those early-season jitters worked out of his system.

The biggest coaching questions were around the Patriots last drives of the game.  On one possession, they got the ball with 9:35 to go and a 10-point lead, and proceeded to go three-and-out and take only 19-seconds off the clock.  In the shadow of their own goalposts, it probably made more sense to run the ball three times and kick it to the Bills, at least you'd remove 2:00 off the clock.

And after the Bills pulled to within 3 points, the Patriots got good field position and had 7:40 on the clock.  On paper, what followed looked like a good drive: 14 plays, 5:41 elapsed time, and a field goal.  But they were snapping the ball with 15+ seconds left on the play clock, and when they got near the goal line, they ran for a loss, got a penalty, and then threw twice (incomplete) before taking the three points.

If they run it into the line three times, the Bills would have had no timeouts left, and less than 1:30 on the clock.  And if the Pats used more of the play clock earlier in the drive, they would have ended the game with possession of the ball.  Not terrible coaching, just odd.  And bad situationally; which is where they usually excel.

So where does that leave us?  6-3 and a division crown coming into focus on the horizon.  Only the Dolphins are within striking distance, but if the Patriots simply split with Miami, the Pats will be division champs again.  As for the rest of it, the possibility of a playoff by starts this week.  They have to beat Indy, otherwise they will be looking up at at least three teams, two of which would have the head-to-head tie-breaker.

Statistical Oddity of the Week: The longest play of the game for each team involved penalties.  The Bills got a 14-yard run and picked up 15 more on a Jerod Mayo unnecessary roughness penalty.  And the Patriots got 11 on a Shane Vereen catch-and-run and added 15 more on a facemask by Bills corner Stephon Gilmore.  (Trivia question: the Pats gained more yards one other time in this game -- do you remember the situation?)

Weekly Water-cooler Wisdom: "Thank goodness the Bills haven't outgrown their habits of dropping passes, making bad plays, and committing bad penalties.  Otherwise, things might have ended differently."

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS.  6-3!

PPS.  Trivia answer:
The Bills pass-interference call in the end zone went for 37 yards, but it is not an official play, so it doesn't count in the "longest plays of the game" scenario :)

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Patriots 2012 Mid-season Report

Due to Hurricane Sandy and about 15 other factors, I took my bye a week early this year.  Sorry there was no report last week, but in case you missed it, the Patriots throttled the Rams 45-7.  An overwhelming performance like that would have been fun to break down, but suffice it to say almost every Patriots player did well and almost all the Rams played poorly.  How's that for a breakdown you can take the bank :)

The Patriots themselves were on a bye last week, with no game over the weekend.  And with the losses by both Miami and Buffalo, the Patriots stand alone atop the AFC East at 5-3.  This is one game worse than I thought they'd be at this point, but still well in control of things in their division.  However, with both Houston and Baltimore two games ahead of them (Baltimore has the head-to-head tie-breaker), a playoff bye appears doubtful.

As for the season so far, here are a few areas from the first half that will be interesting to watch as the second half commences.

1.  Down on the Corner

Despite what you read in the popular press, the Patriots safety play is much worse than their cornerback play.  They tried shoring up safety in the off-season by adding Steve Gregory and pursuing LaRon Landry (who chose the Jets instead).  But injuries to Gregory and Patrick Chung forced rookies Tavon Wilson and Nate Ebner into the starting lineup, with predictable results: big plays for easy touchdowns and at least one loss (against Seattle).

Unable to secure another safety, the Patriots did the next best thing.  They traded for a cornerback -- in fact, one of the few shutdown corners in the NFL, Aqib Talib (formerly of the Tampa Bay Bucs).  The acquisition allows them to move corner Devin McCourty to safety without taking a hit at corner.  McCourty's two games starting at safety showed the improvement he brings: in the Seattle game (with Wilson and Ebner at safety), the Patriots gave up four plays of 29 yards or more; but in the next *two* games with McCourty at safety, they gave up only two total plays of 29 yards or more.

Talib has a history of on-field and off-field problems, so the team has to hope he will straighten up in a more structured environment.  If not, they can cut him at any point and owe him next to nothing, so the only real risk is the fourth-round pick they traded to get him.  It's a gamble, but completely worth rolling the dice.  The Pats have spent multiple high-round draft picks on corners, and without much luck, so if they can get a shutdown corner for a fourth-rounder, that's a win.

2.  The Magnificent Seven

The interior of the Patriots defensive front seven was solid the past few years; it was the outside that gave them trouble.  Vince Wilfork, Kyle Love, Jerod Mayo, and Brandon Spikes held fast inside, and last year they added Mark Anderson and Andre Carter for speed-rushing from the outside.  Unfortunately both Anderson and Carter left in free agency, and big questions were left in their wake.

Enter draft picks Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower, an improved Spikes and Rob Ninkovich, and a magically reborn Jermaine Cunningham -- and suddenly the front seven is tearing it up.  Jones has more sacks at the halfway point (6.0) than Carter or Anderson did in 2011, and he holds the edge against the run better than Anderson.  And Cunningham excels in a part-time role, after two years of pre-season promises that wilted in the regular season.

Spikes and Hightower are solid in pass coverage, a rarity for Patriots linebackers the past few years.  Ninkovich's jack-of-all-trades act works perfectly, sometimes rushing the passer, sometimes dropping into coverage, and moving between linebacker and lineman seamlessly.  Mayo inside has his attitude back, free to seek and destroy ball-carriers.  He'll never be great in pass coverage, but with Hightower and Spikes back there, the front seven is as solid as any team this side of the Bears or 49ers.

3. Back to Backs

A lot has been made of the Patriots reinvigorated rushing attack, but believe it or not, they ran for more yards per carry in the first eight games of 2011 than they have so far in 2012 (4.4 ypc versus 4.3).  They did have a lot fewer yards last year (893 versus 1,197 this season), so their commitment to running the ball is clear this year.  But the biggest difference is in the backs they have on the roster and what they bring to the table.

Stevan Ridley runs more under control than any Patriots back since Curtis Martin, which makes him a threat to break a run on any play.  To contrast him with last year, Ridley has 5 runs of over 20 yards, while last year's starter, BenJarvus Green-Ellis has only 1 such play for the Bengals this year.  And to compliment Ridley, both second-year rusher Shane Vereen and rookie Brandon Boldin can bull their way into the end zone but have the speed to get outside if the play opens up that direction.

Third-down back Danny Woodhead is just that -- a third-down back -- and the Patriots should rememer that when they try running him on first- and second-downs.  So while they haven't run for more yards per carry, the Patriots running game has new threats and is far more diverse than last year.  No more straight-ahead running with these guys, they bring dynamic skills and all four are a threat to take any play the distance.  Not a bad way to compliment to one of the best passing games in the NFL.

4.  The Replacements

Along the offensive line, incumbent starters Matt Light, Dan Koppen, and Brian Waters were replaced by Nate Solder, Ryan Wendell, and Dan Connolly, respectively.   It wasn't pretty at first, 12 sacks the first 5 games; but got much better as the season progressed, 2 sacks in the last 3 games.  Solder played about equal to the underrated Light, and Wendell and Connolly have filled in admirably for players who made the Pro Bowl in the past.

At safety, James Ihedgibo and Sergio Brown were awful last year, just awful.  But replacements Steve Gregory and rookie-combo Wilson/Ebner have been a wash at best.  Gregory played the "don't get beaten deep" method well, but he's injured and only played four games.   And the struggles of Wilson/Ebner cost the Patriots the Seattle game and were apparent in almost every big passing play given up.

On the coaching front, Josh McDaniels takes the usual beating from fans who think the Pats should score touchdowns on every possession.  But he's diversified the running game, brought imagination to the passing game, and is better at play-calling than departed coordinator Scott O'Brien.  Not perfect, but the team has scored 32.8 points per game so far, an improvement over the 27.6 ppg in the first eight games of last year.

5.  Quick Hits

A.  My prediction that the tight ends would see a drop in production looks about right at this point.  Aaron Hernandez missed four games with injuries and his numbers are down significantly.  Rob Gronkowski faced much tighter coverage, and he's on pace for 86 catches, 1,160 yards, and 14 touchdowns.  Great numbers for a tight end, but all lower than last year's 90, 1,327, and 17.

B.  Backup tight ends Daniel Fells and Michael Hoomanawanui are doing well in bit roles.  Both are very good blocking (Fells especially), which works well with the Patriots talent at running back.

C.  Speaking of running backs, the Patriots are extremely young at that position.  Woodhead is the elder statesman of the group at age 27.

D.  Brandon Lloyd hasn't worked out as well as expected, and his numbers are dropping.  In the first 3 games, he had 22 catches for 237 yards, but in the 5 games since, those totals fell to 15 and 198.  He does appear to have a bit more chemistry with Tom Brady the last two games, and he'll never be as bad as Joey Galloway or Chad Ochocinco -- but it's mid-season, time to step it up.

E.  The most important games to retain control of the division are the two against Miami.  They are only a game back, and the Pats play them twice in the last six games of the year, so no overlooking them.

6.  Summary

5-3 isn't what most people expected, but the O-line is gelling nicely and the running game is a pleasant surprise.  Brady is outstanding so far, and when the offensive weapons are all healthy the team should put up 35+ most every game.  The defensive secondary needs solid contributions from Talib or the return of Chung and/or Gregory.  The front seven is blitzing more, which tells you Bill Belichick is more confident that the secondary will hold up in coverage.

It's good to see the Patriots get back to having a team that improves as the season goes on, instead of the "win at all costs right now" attitude that's prevailed since 2007.  With all the rookies on defense, there should be continued improvement there (except maybe Jones, who plays so much he might hit the rookie wall soon).  And there is still hope that Brandon Lloyd will improve if/when Aaron Hernandez is full strength again.

Enjoy the second half of the year!

Keep the faith,

- Scott

PS.  5-3!


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Kyoorius Design Yatra 2015
24 September, 2015

About two weeks later and I’m about over the hangover from my first Kyoorius Design Yatra (KDY). For those of you unfamiliar, this was the 10th year of India’s foremost graphic design/advertising conference. India of course also has the more type-centric Typography Day, but quite frankly, that event is in a different class.

KDY took place over three days, of which I attended the second two. The initial day was a semi-separate event called “Digiyatra”, honestly I’m not so sure what that exactly entailed. I personally found two days to be enough; there’s only so much presentations, inspirations, socializing, and drinking I can absorb.

The main conference was surprisingly good. I’ve been to many design conferences, and I’ve lived in India for about a year, (and atteneded four Typo Days) so I had certain assumptions and biases going into the event. I’m happy to say that KDY exceeded all my expectations. That’s not to say it was perfect, but it was absolutely well done and worth attending.

Rather than write a long, descriptive account of everything, I’ll share my most enduring thoughts on the best aspects and what I think could be improved on.

The Best Parts:

The venue was amazing: it was held at the Grand Hyatt, one of Goa’s most luxurious hotels ★★★★★ And Goa is always a fun place to visit!

The entire event was very professionally organized. This included efficient check-in, handy programs, reliable sound and video, and truly important: good time management and sticking to the schedule.

The video screen was incredible, I’ve never seen a display like this at a conference. Rather than using projectors like usual, this stage had a massive LED display – like something you’d see at a concert. It featured an insane widescreen format, about a 1:2 ratio, and was probably roughly 15’ high by 40’ wide. The whole time I was fantasizing about getting up there and showing giant type samples! However, being LED, the resolution was pretty coarse. This caused some bad rendering for some slides and the colors or contrast were not always optimal. But there have to be tradeoffs sometimes…

The quality of talks was well above average. I walked away from the event recalling that most talks were really good. But then when I retroactively rated each talk, I did find that they weren’t all equal, but still, the majority were either good or very good (OK is still decent by my standards).

★★★ (Very Good) — 6 talks
★★ (Good) — 4 talks
★ (OK) — 4 talks
(Bad) — 3 talks

Also of note, most talks were about 40 minutes, and there were six that were shorter, about 15-20 minutes. The three presentations I actually ranked ∅ were of the shorter length.

Unfortunately Jessica Walsh gave the same talk as at Typo Berlin 2013 and Neville Brody showed mostly the same content from previous conferences. This was simply too bad for those that regularly attend conferences, but not much problem for the majority in attendance.

Every evening following the talks were FREE snacks and drinks (beer, vodka, whisky) for 3-4 hours! Each night was like a typical conference’s after party. But then the actual party on the final day was insane. It was scheduled to go till 3am, but I’m getting old and only lasted till 1:30 or 2:00 am.

The pricing model for the conference is very fair. I paid the full professional rate at the last minute and it was ₹17,000 / ~$250 / ~€225. They have student rates as usual, but best of all, they also offer a “Young Blood” category for professionals under 28yrs old. This is extremely generous because many recent grads may still be struggling with freelancing or taking low paying jobs or internships – so it’s great that this helps more to be able to attend.

I’d also like to say thank you to the organizers who generously included our latest Mota Italic type specimen in the conference goodie bags. We are grateful for that opportunity to get to reach out to so many people.

Critical Feedback:

It may seem silly, but my #1 complaint is that there were no name badges. Attendees simply received buttons indicating student, professional, and some 3rd category (maybe young blood?). I can’t imagine any reason why they neglected to make badges other than simply out of laziness. Money should not have been an issue and there was shortage of labor to manually assemble everything.

Conference badges are extremely useful for not only identifying peoples’ roles (attendee, helper, speaker, etc. + designer, developer, manager, etc.) but they also aid in learning new names. I for one need to see/hear someone’s name several times before it sinks into memory, so badges are a huge help. No one wants to have to ask someone’s name every time they meet. Badges are also useful to casually put names to faces, especially at such a large conference like KDY where it’s impossible to meet and speak with everyone.

I made the following tweet during the conference, and then got this reply from the organizer:

I’ve been to A LOT of design conferences, & #kdy15 is only the 2nd one w/out name badges. I can’t understand this terrible UX decision.

— Rob Keller (@rnkeller) September 11, 2015

Hey @rnkeller Have a conversation. Say hello. Meet people who look interesting not whose names are. Let’s meet today

— Rajesh Kejriwal (@rajeshkejriwal) September 12, 2015

Please just make badges next year. It’s not that hard, and it certainly does not hurt or deter conversations – to just “meet people that look interesting” misses the point, but even so, with badges you can still meet interesting looking people.

Some good badge inspiration from David Jonathan Ross on how he made the unique badges for the Typographics conference (he even shared the code to generate them). Or create them in some other way, but please just make them, and make the type large and legible.

Seating was extremely hard to come by – especially if you were with more than 1 or 2 other people. Attendees had the terrible habit of claiming seats by leaving their stuff on them between sessions. I hope that in the future the organizers will simply announce that saving seats is forbidden. This is an easy and free improvement that almost everyone would appreciate.

The coffee was pretty bad, but even so, there was never enough of it. Coffee should always be available. However, the sugar cookies were extremely tasty!

This was not exactly a problem, but it was weird that there were numerous muscled security guards everywhere – they felt extremely out of place for a professional design conference. Maybe they were supplied/required by the hotel?

Finally, the traffic flow for getting in and out of the main hall was terrible.
1) The room was massive with many doors, yet there were only a couple doors open (they actually had all other doors bike-locked shut). This created huge bottlenecks to get in an out of the room, and this shouldn’t have been necessary. I timed myself once and it took over 5 minutes to get out of the room. Each time I was trying to leave I had the thought ‘I hope there’s no fire’.
2) The conference was so packed that everyone barely fit in the room. Too many chairs were forced into the space, leaving room for only one center isle, and one cross isle that went only 1/2 way through the room. Each row was so tight one could barely get past people sitting, but then there was no other way around them.
3) Not a huge problem, but it would have been nice if the main passage directly outside the hall would not have been used for lunch and coffee. This made the already busy area more crowded.

There were some 1400–1500 attendees, so space was bound to be limited, but there should be better solutions to most of these space problems. Or else, maybe the number of attendees should be reconsidered. I understand the desire to have as many guests as possible, but there are only so many that can fit into any given space and have a comfortable experience.

In Conclusion

This was a really great event, it was inspiring, fun, and I would highly recommend it to any designer. And although I felt there were several aspects that could have been better, those things didn’t deter too much from the overall experience. I have high hopes for Kyoorius Design Yatra 2016 and am sure it will be even better than this one! See you there again next year!

If you’d like to see more, you can find others’ moments from #KDY15 on Twitter and Instagram.

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Type Talks 2013
10 September, 2013

This was the third installment of the Type Talks conference, organized by David Březina and Anna Giedryś, and they have once again made one of the best type events I’ve had the fortune to attend. I happy to concisely report that this Type Talks was even better than the first one (besides the fact that I spoke at it)(and unfortunately I missed the second conference, so I can’t say how awesome it was, but I’m sure it was also great).

The Highlights:

• The event began with “Type Shorts”, an informal Pecina Kucha style evening of many quick presentations.

• David donned his finest bow tie to host the day!

• The venue was incredibly beautiful.

• All of the talks were excellent.

• The food was actually great.

• For a couple days, Brno was the center of the type community.

• I want to offer some criticism of the event, but I simply had a great time and really enjoyed it all.

Organizing a day like this is no doubt stressful and takes months of planning. At the intersection of event organizational stress and relief of successfully pulling it off, David claimed that this is the last time they will do a Type Talks conference. I hope it really was just the exhaustion speaking and that they will do it again in a few years!

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Babel #1 »non-latin«
1 December, 2012

Quick summary: This conference was rather great.

Held at the HFG Offenbach school, Babel #1 »non-latin« was their first (of hopefully many), one day type symposiums. The format was compact, but jam-packed, and they did a fine job of keeping everything  on schedule and ensuring the audience stayed focused.

The day was primarily organized by Sascha Lobe the chair of Typography at the hvg offenbach. I can’t say much about him or his work, but he’s been with the school for about 3 years, and apparently he’s a pretty clever guy if you judge him by this day.

Johannes Bergerhausen kicked off the lectures presenting a brief history of digital type up to the current state of Unicode. His name wasn’t already known to me, but it should have been… He is one of of the inspired people behind the invaluable project Decode Unicode. [Plug: they even made an stimulating and beautiful book about the topic.]

The incredibly talented and productive Peter Biľak came up next. He showcased some of his recent projects (of which there are many) and spoke of his philosophy of how language, technology, and craft must all work together for type designers and typographers. Most importantly, you must check out his latest venture: the upcoming magazine Works That Work. I will be surprised if it comes out anything less that enthralling.

(60 minute lunch break!)

Shoko Mugikura enlightened everyone about the insane Japanese writing systems. Really, there can’t be many more convoluted ways to write than in Japanese. Me being someone completely ignorant about Japanese, this talk is fascinating – she covered everything from the basics of how Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji work to how to use use them in complex typographic situations. I must say, Shoko gave nearly the same talk at Typo Berlin earlier this year and I got even more out of it the second time around (plus she has gained much confidence with her public speaking).

It was a pleasure to see my good friend Oded Ezer here again. I have biasedly included extra images of his talk here… Oded chose to consciously ignore the “non-latin” theme and show a variety of new experiments. After a few videos, and one sound piece (commendable efforts, but certainly not quite as developed than his letter-works), he got into more type and Hebrew-heavy content. The two highlights were about his amazing work on Rutz/Vesper Hebrew, and on his unconventional design and illustrations for the “New American Haggadah”.

(30 minute break!)

Ben Wittner, of the studio EPS51, presented their excellent exhibition currently in Berlin: Right-to-Left. I was quite happy to meet him and learn more about this show… it gave me the motivation that I needed to finally make it to the gallery to see it in person. All I can really say, is that you are currently reading this from Berlin, then you should get right to Kunstquartier Bethanien (Studio 1), Mariannenplatz 2, 10997. It’s up till December 9th (2012).

Anchoring the day was the lovely Na Kim. I was not concously familiar with her before, but I already knew some of her work with Graphic. Her presentation covered a bit of Korean and bilingual design, but the majority were on her miscellaneous design projects.

(The end)

(Quick dinner with Oded)

(Bonus evening event at the Klingspor Museum)
This was an excellent finale to the otherwise nearly perfect day. A handful of us were treated to an evening at the Klingspor to snack, drink, mingle, and see some of what’s happening at the museum. It was nice to see the Schrift in Form 3 exhibition, and hear Stefan Soltek give a modest account of some of the museum’s collections.

So to Sasha and the hfg offenbach: great job* and please do this again next year!

*My only real criticism (still minor) is that next time they should maybe try ending with a slightly more ‘famous’ speaker. Unfortunately, many students left during the second break, and didn’t get to see the last two presentations. Maybe not knowing the speakers there made their laziness/exhaustion/beer-deficit-awareness  kick in and inspired them to leave a bit early. It was a shame they missed Ben and Na.

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TypeTalks 2010 Brno
6 July, 2010

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Typotechnica 2007
5 November, 2007

Typotechnica was a two day conference hosted by Linotype for the fourth time. Held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, it was conveniently close to the Linotype headquarters in Bad Homburg on April 27-29th. The conference was fairly small (maybe 100-200 people), but had a good atmosphere and was the perfect mix of topics for me as a Reading student just starting out with type design. It was neither too technical nor too basic. I walked away from the even inspired and excited. (It was also here that I met Otmar Hoefer and was offered the opportunity to work at Linotype after my graduation!)

Tom Phinney from Adobe has written an extensive review of the conference, including notes and key points from many talks.

Read More →
Pen to Printer
20 May, 2007

A tiny little event with talks by Humphrey Stone, Michael Harvey, & James Mosley held in Ditchling, UK.

More on the seminar here.

Read More →

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Cutting Solutions

The Mikron Tool division develops and produces small and medium-sized high-precision cutting tools for the high-end market. The focus lies on materials that are difficult to machine such as stainless steels and heat-resistant alloys.

The cutting tools from Mikron Tool are used for example in the automotive, aviation, watchmaking, electronics, medical and dental industries, for operations such as centering, drilling, milling, reaming, deburring and turning. Mikron Tool has a global workforce of around 220 employees. It is headquartered in Agno (Switzerland) and has additional sites in Rottweil (Germany), Monroe (USA) and Shanghai (China).

At a glance:

  • Number of employees: 220
  • Experience: over 20 years
  • Tools from stock: 60 tool ranges
  • Number of facilities: 4 sites

Discover the world of Mikron Tool:

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text:
Interview: Tracy Morgan Talks ‘Turn It Funny’ and the ‘Bona Fide’ Comedy Central special.

Tracy Morgan is widely known for his work on “30 Rock” and “SNL.” The actor and comedian is now returning to his stand-up roots with his new comedy tour “Turn It Funny,” which kicks off May 3rd in Atlantic City, NJ. Morgan recently phoned in to talk about “Turn It Funny,” as well as his new Comedy Central special, “Bona Fide.”

Q – You’re going to embark on a stand-up tour called “Turn It Funny.” When you were on“30 Rock” and “SNL,” did you get a chance to do a lot of stand-up?

A – Did I get a chance to do a lot of stand-up? I’ve never let stand-up go but I wasn’t focused on it. I had someone else’s voice in my head. I was reading scripts for other people every week, so when the show was ended, I was able to focus that stand-up, and hear my own perspective, see my own perspective, hear my own voice. And that feels good.

Q – I am looking at your schedule and it looks like you have dates in Atlantic City, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and a couple shows in Texas. Are there any cities that you haven’t played that you’re still wanting to?

A – I want to play every city. Every city coast to coast, worldwide. I hope that the dates go well on the ‘Turn It Funny’ tour so we can go city to city, state to state.

Q – Your Comedy Central stand-up special, “Bona Fide,” aired April 20th and the extended and uncensored edition DVD came out April 22nd. Comedy Central obviously edits that down for television. Do you have any say what material gets cut out?

A – Absolutely. Comedy Central extended me that courtesy. We worked together and we put out the best show we could.

Q – The material in “Bona Fide” kind of touches on your life, your family, I think you even joke about Paula Deen. Is the “Turn It Funny” tour an entirely different show from “Bona Fide?” What can fans expect from the upcoming tour?

(Photo by Robyn Twomey)

A – ‘Turn It Funny’ is my perspective, my voice. How I see things. I thought I saw the Paula Deen situation really great. Just like I’m going to see the Donald Sterling situation, and it’s going to be great.

Q – You recently campaigned for David Letterman’s job but it ended up going to Stephen Colbert. Another host, Craig Ferguson, just announced his departure from “The Late Late Show.” Will you be pursuing this job and if so, do you have a strategy?

A – Yeah, I’ll throw my hat in there, too. I made my balls in late night so it would be perfect for me.

Q – I think you’d make a great host.

A – Thank you.

Q – You also just voiced a character for “Rio 2.” Have you gotten to that point in your career where you don’t have to audition for projects anymore?

A – I haven’t auditioned in years. They hear my voice and they hear a good player.

Q – Thanks again for your time and I wish you luck on the tour.

A – Thank you so much.

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He also is the author of the novels, The Extraordinary Life of Shady Gray, Hello Lesbian!, Hello Fabulous!, and Anonymous. Visit him at Email him at
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About Us

Z Signs is a full service sign company serving the greater Oklahoma area.
Established in 1970, we have over 40 years of experience producing and installing most all sign types.
Our products and services cover the wide spectrum of sign choices from the most sophisticated to the very basic, no matter the size in a timely manner and at a price customers appreciate (and value).
We are committed to a tradition of excellence in sign making. Our production facilities are staffed with seasoned craftsmen with years of business in the sign industry and are skilled in the process of producing signs to specification.

We believe 'Your sign is your image' and we want you to look good!


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Tag: Communication

9 things I have learnt about Public Involvement – A service user’s perspective

By Philippa Russell

I am a recent mature graduate from London South Bank University, where I studied a degree in ‘Health and Social Care: Administration & Management’. Over the years I’ve managed to accumulate vast lived experience from being a service user in healthcare, both as a patient and family member. I have written about what having a brain injury has taught me here.

As part of my course I had a placement with the Patient Experience Research Centre (PERC) at Imperial College London, who promote participatory approaches to healthcare and biomedical research. They advise and support researchers at Imperial to do PPI (that is Patient and Public Involvement, not payment protection insurance!)

Case Study #9: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Patient Involvement in Research Day #IBDPRD

Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and affect more than 300,000 people in the UK. To mark world IBD day, Kapil Sahnan (surgical trainee) and Mark Samaan (gastroenterology trainee) organised and ran a National Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Research Day for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

They worked with a team of PPI experts including: Ailsa Hart (UK PPI lead for Gastroenterology), Christine Norton (Professor of Nursing), Nicola Fearnhead (President in waiting of the ACPGBI), Phil Tozer (an academic colorectal surgeon) and two fantastic expert patients (Azmina Verjee and Sue Blackwell).

Completing the Feedback Loop: how to improve your Patient and Public Involvement.

Elspeth Mathie discusses her recent study on the importance of giving feedback to the public in PPI.

Are members of the public wasting their time?

It is widely accepted that Patient and Public Involvement is beneficial for health research. However, imagine spending time giving your opinion and never getting any feedback. Some members of the public ask “am I wasting my time”? Many PPI contributors (lay members, service users, patients, members of the public) say that they contribute to the design of research studies but do not hear if their comments get to the researcher, are useful or make any difference to the research.

What can an engineering PhD student learn from PPI?

Biomedical Engineer Shruti Turner reflects on the recent CRISH (Co-creating Innovative Solutions in Health) course and explains that engineers could learn a lot from PPI.


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Desert Tourism Market Is Thriving Worldwide, Business Status and Opportunities in Grooming Regions : Edition 2019-2025

2019-2025 Global Desert Tourism Market Report:-

The report presents an in-depth assessment of the Desert Tourism Market including enabling technologies, key trends, market drivers, challenges, standardization, regulatory landscape, deployment models, operator case studies, opportunities, future roadmap, value chain, ecosystem player profiles and strategies. The report also presents forecasts for Desert Tourism investments from 2019 till 2025.

Click the link to get a Sample Copy of the Report:

Competitive Landscape:

Key players of the global Desert Tourism market are profiled on the basis of various factors, which include recent developments, business strategies, financial strength, weaknesses, and main business. The Desert Tourism report offers a special assessment of top strategic moves of leading players such as merger and acquisition, collaboration, new product launch, and partnership.

Top Companies in the Global Desert Tourism Market: Expedia Group, Booking Holdings (Priceline Group), China Travel, China CYTS Tours Holding, American Express Global Business Travel (GBT), BCD Group, Travel Leaders Group, Fareportal, AAA Travel, Corporate Travel Management, Travel and Transport, AlTour International, Direct Travel, World Travel Inc., Omega World Travel, Frosch, JTB Corporation, Ovation Travel Group, World Travel Holdings, TUI Group, Natural Habitat Adventures, Abercrombie & Kent Group, InnerAsia Travels, Butterfield & Robinson others.

Global Desert Tourism Market Split by Product Type and Applications:

This report segments the global Desert Tourism market on the basis of Types are:

Direct-market Desert Tourism

Experience and Education Desert Tourism

Event and Recreation Desert Tourism

On the basis of Application/End-User, the Global Desert Tourism market is segmented into:

Below 30 Years Old

30-40 Years Old

40-50 Years Old

The report has 150 tables and figures browse the report description and TOC:

Regional Analysis For Desert Tourism Market:

The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia), Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa). Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2019 through 2025. Also, a five-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research.

Influence of the Desert Tourism market report:

-Comprehensive assessment of all opportunities and risk in the Desert Tourism market.

– Desert Tourism market recent innovations and major events.

-Detailed study of business strategies for growth of the Desert Tourism market-leading players.

-Conclusive study about the growth plot of Desert Tourism market for forthcoming years.

-In-depth understanding of Desert Tourism market-particular drivers, constraints and major micro markets.

-Favourable impression inside vital technological and market latest trends striking the Desert Tourism market.

Click the link to BUY Full Report:

What are the market factors that are explained in the report?

Report Overview: It includes Desert Tourism market study scope, players covered, key market segments, market analysis by application, market analysis by type, and other chapters that give an overview of the research study.

Executive Summary: This section of the report gives information about Desert Tourism market trends and shares market size analysis by region and analysis of global market size. Under market size analysis by region, analysis of market share and growth rate by region is provided.

Profiles of International Players: Here, key players of Desert Tourism market are studied on the basis of gross margin, price, revenue, corporate sales, and production. This section gives a business overview of the players and shares their important company details.

Regional Study: All of the regions and countries analysed in the Desert Tourism market report are studied on the basis of market size by application, market size by product, key players, and market forecast.

Key Players: This part of the Desert Tourism market report discusses about expansion plans of companies, key mergers and acquisitions, funding and investment analysis, company establishment dates, revenues of manufacturers, and their areas served and manufacturing bases.

Breakdown by Product and Application: The review period of Desert Tourism market report considered here is 2014-2025.

Customization of the Report: This report can be customized as per your needs for additional data up to 3 companies or countries or 40 analyst hours. Please connect with our sales team (

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MarketInsightsReports provides syndicated market research on industry verticals including Healthcare, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Technology and Media, Chemicals, Materials, Energy, Heavy Industry, etc. MarketInsightsReports provides global and regional market intelligence coverage, a 360-degree market view which includes statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.

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Posts Tagged ‘Casa Havana Malecon’

Havana Malecon Casa Particular

So you’ve decided to visit Havana Malecon yet you’d prefer an authentic Cuban experience. A Casa Particular in Havana Malecon or homestay along Havana’s Malecon or on the streets leading from Havana Malecon will ensure you experience both the wonders of Havana Malecon’s vibrant life while being immersed in one-on-one contact with your Cuban hosts […]

See all Casas on the Malecon in Havana...


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Apps to spy on my boyfriends text messages

How to spy on your boyfriends text messages for free

The basic bundle is only available on monthly subscriptions. Premium and no-jailbreak bundles are available in 1-month, 3-month and month subscription. See Also: Why Xnspy is better than mSpy? SpyEra was originally created as a text message spying app but later on, more features were added to help parents and employers keep tabs on the activities of another person.

Its control panel provides with you all the captured data from text messages in a single report. SpyEra captures sent and received text messages along with the ones that have been deleted. You can check details such as contact name, the phone number associated with the message, and also its date and time. You will be getting real-time access to the data on the smartphone you are trying to track.

You can read these messages from any device or location by simply accessing your control panel. You can also view the time and date stamps, contact name and number. Appmia is compatible with Android and iOS; however, a jailbreak is required for the latter. Check the compatibility chart below for more details:. It allows you to read all the incoming and outgoing text messages on an Android or iOS device. You simply have to install it on the target device and let it do the spying.

MobiStealth is compatible with Android and iPhone no jailbreak required. In case you think your child or employee is abusing their texts or internet privileges then GuestSpy could be another app that you could give a try. GuestSpy lets you track all the sent and received messages on the target device. You can also view the deleted messages from the control panel. You can also get the time and date stamps of each message. GuestSpy is compatible with Android and iPhone jailbreak is required.

Check the compatibility chart here:. GuestSpy is available in three plans. As the name suggests, TheTruthSpy is a mobile spying app that can let you keep tabs on another phone without touching it and get to the truth of everything. Its text message tracker lets the user spy on the incoming and outgoing text messages on Android and iMessages on iPhone.

You can also get the name of the person, contact number and check the date and time stamps. TheTruthSpy is compatible with Android and iPhone jailbreak is required. TheTruthSpy is available in 3 plans. One-month, three-month, six-month and month subscriptions are available.

  • Top 10 Text Messages Spying Apps For 12222.
  • How Can to Spy My Boyfriend's by His Cell Phone;
  • Spy on Spouse App for Android.
  • Now get your boyfriend’s messages on your phone as well!
  • Pat Stanley;

You can use this app for monitoring your teen, employees, and even other family members. You can view text messages on Android and iMessages on Phone. Along with reading all the incoming and outgoing text messages, you can check the time and date stamps plus the contact name and number. SurePoint spy is compatible with Android and iPhone; however, a jailbreak is required to monitor iOS devices. The decision is tough, I know, since most of the above-mentioned apps are offering pretty much the same features.

They let you check the sent and received messages, check time and date stamps and even view the contact names and numbers. However, your decision should be based on not just the text spying feature, but also the compatibility, price, and support that an app offers. Plus, if you have been looking for some additional features on the top of text spying, you should consider that too.

Keeping in view all these factors, our top pick is Xnspy. Let me explain why:. Xnspy is a highly compatible app. It supports Android Oreo and iPhone None of the other apps mentioned above compatible with the latest operating systems so this makes Xnspy score its first point. It is cheaper but it is not compatible with the latest OS; plus, it requires jailbreaking an iPhone.

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Xnspy has an exceptional customer support. Other than this, you will find valuable information in the form of how-to guides and video tutorials.

Part 2. What May Happen After You Track Your Boyfriend's Phone

Whether you choose the Basic version or the Premium version of Xnspy, you will be getting more than just one feature, which makes it a perfect spying app for someone who has a limited budget. Whenever you are about to choose a text message spying app, go for the one that is the best value for your money. Consider the following factors when you shop for a text message spying app or any other spying app:. Pick the app that is reliable. Never choose the one that creates a noticeable lag on the target phone. It should send you all the data that you want to see whether its text messages, photos or call logs.

Unreliable apps typically impair the performance of the target phone or they force you to reinstall.

Spy on Cell Phone Without Installing Software on Target Phone

You can never count on such apps for any kind of snooping. Of course, it is hard to figure that out unless you actually use the app but to stay safe, look for the genuine customer reviews.

Can You Track a Boost Mobile Cell Phone

If the app has any complications, you will get to know about it. Since you want to keep tabs on another person, the text spying app must work in stealth mode.

Powerfull XySpy Phone Spy App – Easy to install

To use the no-jailbreak solution you do not need to install any software to the target phone. It is not uncommon for users to report the extraction of text messages from up to one-year-old. With Android operating system, remote installation is more complicated. It is free. Green Living. The three I mentioned all have a one-time fee.

Look for those apps that are percent undetectable. The ones that are hidden under code names can be easily spotted by the owner of the phone. You must choose such an app that has a proven track record of stealth monitoring. It is imperative that the app you are using is designed and developed by experienced professionals. Since you are looking for a text message spying app, your focus should be on the text message tracking feature in particular. After this, you can always check other features. Do not pick a complicated app that offers extra features.

Go for an app that is easy to use. You can test the interface of the app by either signing up for a free trial or checking its live demo version. Navigate the app and only invest in it if you are comfortable with the interface. Price typically changes if you want more than just basic spying feature. The Best text message Spy App Android! And when you have this list of 15 super appy texts to send him, you'll never have..

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  • Once I’ve tried mSpy, it has become an invaluable part of my life as a parent. It lets me be updated with what my kids are doing - this way I’m sure that they’re ok. I also like that I can adjust settings, deciding which contacts, sites or apps to block or allow.

  • mSpy is a nice app that helps me take full charge of my child’s internet activity. I can also block any suspicious contacts, if such occur. A nice choice for modern parents.

  • Safeguarding kids is of key importance for every parent. And mSpy helps me keep an eye on my daughter when I cannot be close to her. I highly recommend it!

  • My son is on his phones 24/7, and sometimes I just need to check that he is not doing anything bad. mSpy lets me be updated with everything he handles with on a regular basis.

  • I’ve looked for a nice app to keep an eye on my kids when I am not around. And a friend of mine recommended me mSpy. I like it! It helps me guardian my children in the stormy sea of internet.

The app is ostensibly intended for legal monitoring use, and there are certainly legitimate reasons to install the software. Companies, for instance, could inform their employees that they’re surveilling company phones for security purposes

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Natural gas drives record CO2 emissions in 2019

Katie Ramirez
December 5, 2019

"It's troubling, because carbon dioxide pollution is higher than it's ever been". Projections for increasing private vehicle ownership in China, India and other developing markets suggest demand for oil will continue to grow for years to come.

Global carbon emissions grew by 1.5% in 2017 and 2.1% in 2018, after plateauing in the middle of the decade.

A slower pace of cuts of about 3 percent per year would keep the world on track for around 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming by 2100 - a level of warming that would have severe consequences, including the death of almost all coral reefs and the possible destabilization of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. In India's case, the most recent official numbers relating to all kinds of emissions pertain to 2014.

The Zero Carbon Act was criticised for a lack of ambition, due to the fact that methane, which makes up 40 per cent of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, was only included under a separate target.

But the findings were not entirely negative.

Substantial decline in coal use in the United States and the European Union combined with slower growth off coal use in China and India and weaker economic growth globally particularly in China an India have contributed to slowing down carbon dioxide emissions. Renewable energy is on the rise, too, and the US and Europe are using less coal.

The scheme requires companies to buy carbon credits to offset their emissions, but the scheme has been gutted by a series of half-measures.

"We're not in the same position we were five or 10 years ago", Corinne Le Quéré, a professor of climate change science at the University of East Anglia and a member of the team that published Tuesday's figures, said in an interview. "We're making progress, but we haven't yet done our part".

"The fact remains that the world is now on track for a high emissions pathway and we need to decrease emissions to net-zero globally by the middle of this century to stop further warming of the planet", he added.

Brushing Teeth Benefits Your Heart
Previous analysis suggests that poor oral hygiene results in bacteria within the blood, causing irritation within the body. None of these participants had heart failure or atrial fibrillation when they were enrolled in the study.

While emissions fell in the United States and Europe during 2019, they are projected to have grown in China (by 2.6 percent), India (1.8 percent) and the rest of the world (by 0.5 percent). Coal, for instance, is on the decline, especially in Europe and the U.S. Overall carbon emissions from coal declined by about 0.9 per cent this year, which sounds great, because it's the most polluting fossil fuel in terms of carbon. Though the authors are quick to point out, the drop in coal was offset by a continued rise in natural oil and gas.

"The weak growth in carbon dioxide emissions in 2019 is due to an unexpected decline in global coal use, but this drop is insufficient to overcome the robust growth in natural gas and oil consumption", said Glen Peters, research director at Oslo-based climate research centre CICERO. This is lowering natural gas prices in Asia, and increasing global access to the fossil resource, they said.

Overall, global carbon emissions from human activity are set to reach 43.1 billion tonnes in 2019.

While some of that gas will be absorbed into the oceans and some will be consumed by plants, much will linger in the atmosphere, strengthening the greenhouse effect.

This year's modest rise, if indeed it is a rise, as the margin of error is large, reflects some significant changes in the demand for fossil fuels. A similar method is used for India.

The estimate of 0.6 percent emissions growth also comes with some uncertainty. USA generation from coal is projected to decline 11% from 2018 to 2019 to a level that has not been witnessed for more than 50 years, about half of what its peak was in 2005.

Jackson said a faster shift toward cleaner energy could create new jobs, improve national security and have measurable public health benefits.

One vital step, she said, is for the State to stop granting licences for gas exploration and to instead "throw its full weight" behind a rapid transition to renewable energy that ensures a just transition for those now working in the fossil fuel sector.

Other reports by

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EU reiterates Sri Lanka must ratify 27 conventions for GSP

The GSP+ scheme is designed to help developing countries by granting full removal of tariffs on over 66% of tariff lines covering a very wide array of products including, for example, textiles and fisheries. The GSP Regulation sets strict and clear criteria for granting GSP+.Firstly, the applicant must meet economic criteria, i.e. it must be a vulnerable developing country with a non-diversified economy and low level of imports into the EU. Secondly, the country must have ratified the 27 international conventions required under GSP+. It must not have formulated reservations which are prohibited by these conventions, and the most recent conclusions of the monitoring bodies under those conventions must not identify any serious failure to effectively implement them.The new GSP Regulation provides for continuous monitoring of the GSP+ beneficiaries’ obligations. Once a country is granted GSP+, the EU must, therefore, monitor that it abides by its commitments, namely to: maintain ratification of the international conventions covered by GSP+; ensure their effective implementation; comply with reporting requirements; accept regular monitoring in accordance with the conventions; and cooperate with the EU and provide all necessary information. (Colombo Gazette) More generally, the European Union says it supports the leadership shown by the Government in committing to address historic and long-standing problems that have caused conflict and negatively affected the lives and living standards of all Sri Lankans. Benefitting from GSP+ requires the Government to undertake to make further progress in implementing the conventions and to cooperate with the EU to monitor implementation and address shortcomings. The European Union today reiterated that the ratification and implementation of 27 international conventions signed by a succession of Sri Lankan Governments, are the only criteria on which the Government of Sri Lanka’s application to rejoin the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) is assessed.The EU office in Colombo said that the conventions relate to international human rights, labour rights, environmental standards and good governance. This includes the undertakings made, for instance, in the resolution that Sri Lanka co-sponsored at the UN Human Rights Council. The European Union is working with the Government and civil society organisations to structure our support and engagement to positively contribute to the Government’s national reconciliation and good governance aims.The EU is Sri Lanka’s biggest export market, accounting for nearly one-third of Sri Lanka’s global exports. In 2015, total bilateral trade amounted to €4.7 billion. The EU’s Special Incentive Arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance, GSP+, is part of EU’s unilateral tariff preferences in favour of developing countries.

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Taxpayers On The Hook After Typo Overvalued Utah Home By Nearly $1 Billion

Businessperson Calculating Property Tax

Residents in Wasatch County, Utah, may see higher taxes over the next few years after a home was accidentally valued at $987 million on the 2019 tax rolls. As a result of the typo, which officials blamed on a staff member who dropped their phone on a keyboard, there was a countywide overvaluation of more than $6 million.

Government officials included that extra $6 million in their budget but were unable to collect the money, resulting in a massive shortfall in tax revenue. The deficit impacted five different Wasatch County taxing entities including the Wasatch County School District, which is $4.4 million in the hole.

Officials apologized for the error, but have told residents they will need to pay higher taxes for the next few years to cover the county's expenses.

“An abnormality of almost $1 billion is a big deal, and it should have been caught,” County Manager Mike Davis told the Deseret News. “There are checks in place that it should have been looked at. We will modify those in the future and do a better job.”

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Monday, January 3, 2011

Establishing a Vision for Your Wedding

Hooray! A new year is here! Did you celebrate with champagne and resolutions?

I'm not someone who believes that the most significant personal growth and change happens overnight. I don't think we can be one kind of person with one set of habits on December 31, 2010 at 11:59pm and another kind of person with healthier and more positive habits on January 1, 2011 at 12:00am.

However, I do think that the new year is as good a time as any to set aside space to reflect, assess our lives, clarify our values, reconnect with our authentic paths, and set intentions for the upcoming year.

Every year, I try to cajole my friends and my partner into filling out this New Year's Reflection Form. First, we fill out a calendar that helps us remember the significant events from the year. Next, we evaluate ourselves in several different areas. Then, we set goals/intentions for the new year. Finally, we make a collage to visually represent the kind of year we want to have.

I find that setting aside time to start with the big picture is such an important way for me to live my best life (thanks, Oprah!). If I have a clear sense of where I'm trying to go throughout the year, then it's much easier to figure out the smaller steps that are aligned with getting there.

The same is true about wedding planning. If we start our planning by focusing on the "big picture" vision of what kind of wedding we want for ourselves, then we are more likely to create the best possible weddings for ourselves. If we start with our underlying principles and values, then we can work backwards from there to plan the smaller pieces that align with those principles and values.

Good friends of ours got engaged a couple months before we did, and by the time we showed up at their house with a "happy engagement" cake, our friend already had a folder going with magazine clips of dresses, bridesmaids' dresses, and centerpiece ideas.

Eight months later, when we sat down with them for dinner a couple weeks before their wedding, they confessed, "We just want the wedding to be done with so we can go on our honeymoon."

If we start with the small stuff--the dress, the centerpieces, the wedding favors--we can quickly lose sight of what a wedding is all about. It's about formalizing your commitment to your beloved and celebrating that commitment.

How we formalize and celebrate our commitments depends more on our values, personalities, and preferences, rather than the current consumer trends featured on the glossy pages of wedding magazines.

So many wedding books break weddings down into the details. Planning a wedding is not just a checklist of "to do" items. It's a chance to share your relationship with your nearest and dearest.

Who are you as a couple? What do you value together? What kind of life have you created together? How do you want to share that life with your friends and family? What kind of wedding will feel completely authentic to you both? What do you want to spend your time doing immediately before, during, and after the wedding? What will leave you feeling vibrant, connected, and joyful?

Of course answering those questions is easier said than done. The vision-setting process usually requires lots of discussion, compromise, more discussion, and more compromise. But then again, so does creating a life with another person!

Once you and your partner have a clear vision of the kind of wedding you want to have, it can be helpful to think through your vision for the wedding planning process. How do you want to work together to plan and execute your wedding? What are your non-negotiables? What are you willing to compromise on? How do you want the process to feel? What will your process be for reconnecting yourself with your vision when you start to get off track? What are the pitfalls you anticipate? What can you do proactively to set yourself up for a successful process?

This kind of vision- and intention-setting takes time and effort upfront, but it can really help make the process better.

For Matt and me, these were the goals that made sense:
  1. To bring family and friends together to reconnect and form new friendships.
  2. The experience will not be overly-orchestrated. It's a celebration of our love, not a show.
  3. We will fight consumerism by spending only $2,000 max. The Wedding Industrial Complex is conspiring to make us think we have to spend more money. But we want to make the event special with sincerity, not money.
  4. It will be good for the environment.
  5. It will be connected to nature.
  6. We will have real time to spend with guests. We want to be able to spend quality time with our friends and family. We don’t want to follow the traditional pattern of a few wedding “events” where the bride and groom only have time for a “meet and greet”: rehearsal dinner, reception, brunch the following morning. We want more of a family & friends reunion.
  7. We will make all the decisions ourselves so our wedding represents us.
  8. We only want to be surrounded by our closest friends and family.
  9. We want to be relaxed and fully present.

Every couple has to figure out what makes sense for them. That's the fun part of planning a wedding (and a life!).

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Sara said...

My husband and I utilized your NY Reflection Form this year for our first NYE as a married couple; it was the perfect opportunity for dialogue about what we want out of 2011 for both our individual lives and our marriage! THANK YOU! :)

lizzie said...

the reflection form is an awesome way to keep 2010 and the years past in such clear memory. i just realized how much our years together have run together into one year..."what was that, 3 years ago?" "no, four...i think.." hm..

Sara E. Cotner said...

Hi, Sara and Lizzie: I'm so glad you liked it!

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