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Top 20 Golfers for 2013 Majors: No. 20 Zach Johnson

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Athlon Counts Down the 20 Golfers to Watch for Majors Season

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They’re the cream of the major championship crop, circa 2013 — the Athlon Major Championship Dream Team. Leading up to The Masters, we'll be unveiling Athlon Sports’ 20 players to watch for majors season, with commentary on each from the Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee.

No. 20: Zach Johnson

Born: Feb. 24, 1976, Cedar Rapids, Iowa   | Career PGA Tour Wins: 9 | 2012 Wins (Worldwide): 2 | 2012 Earnings (PGA Tour): $4,504,244 (6th)  World Ranking: 26

Brandel Chamblee's Take

Since topping the 2003 class of the Tour (then known as the Nationwide Tour), Johnson has been one of the most consistent money-winners on the PGA Tour. In 2004, he won in just his ninth start as a rookie, and after his third multiple win season in 2012 he now has nine career wins, one of which was the 2007 Masters. In an era that is biased towards length off the tee, Zach’s success has been based on accuracy, one of the best putting strokes in the game and a tenacity that is matched by few in the world of golf. His strong grip and flat swing give him a low ball flight that makes him a threat in windy conditions but perhaps explains why, on the harder surfaces of majors, his top 10 percentage doesn’t match up to his numbers in regular tour events.

Major Championship Résumé
Starts: 35
Wins: 1

2012 Performance:
Masters - T32
U.S. Open - T41
British Open - T9
PGA Championship - 70

Best Career Finishes:
Masters - 1 (2007)
U.S. Open - T30 (2011)
British Open - T9 (2012)
PGA Championship - T3 (2010)
Top-10 Finishes: 4
Top-25 Finishes: 8
Missed Cuts: 13

—Brandel Chamblee is lead analyst for the Golf Channel. Be sure to follow him @ChambleeBrandel on Twitter.

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Lamar Odom

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Athlon Sports NBA Awards

Athlon Sports names its winners for the NBA's MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year and Coach of the Year. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls He led Chicago to the league’s best record and the No. 1 seed in the East. On the way, he w...

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This is what an eight course blood dinner looks like

What began as a conversation on Twitter months ago became an eight course “Blood Dinner” at Livingston last night. Chef Zeb Stevenson brought in the formidable talents of Tyler Williams, Ryan Smith, and Josh Hopkins for a collaborative meal of blood-centric dishes. The menu ranged from classical dishes like pressed squab to futuristic inventions like the “Bloody Pebbles,” which were something like the Dippin’ Dots of blood. The chefs seemed to be genuinely excited by the challenge and their enthusiasm showed on the plates. Take a look below.

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PM BUZZ: K.Michelle Slams Elle Varner; J.Lo Takes A Tumble; Bobbi Kristina Disses Angela Bassett & More…

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    Bobbi Kristina Comes For Angela Bassett

    Bobbi Kristina must have been in her feelings when she heard that Angela Bassett didn’t think about casting her to play her mother, Whitney Houston in the Lifetime-produced biopic. Angela said she wouldn’t cast Bobbi since she “isn’t an actress,” and Bobbi wasn’t here for that comment. She took to Twitter to throw some shade at the legendary actress:

    If you can remember, Whitney’s daughter expressed interest in playing the late singer after it was reported that Yaya DaCosta snagged the role. Either way, we’re not here for Bobbi’s tweets. That’s beyond disrespectful and, considering that Angela was Whitney’s former co-star at one point (“Waiting To Exhale” anyone?), she needs to sit down beside K. Michelle.

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August 30, 2015

Nancy Pelosi Rallies California Delegates for House Race Push

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and a number of other Democratic leaders packed an expansive hotel ballroom this morning to rally the California delegation, highlighting the state’s importance in winning back the House.

Along with numerous mentions of President Barack Obama, the breakfast program focused largely on House races. Guest speakers include Reps. Jared Polis (Colo.) and Donna Edwards (Md.), who co-chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Red to Blue program that helps candidates running for GOP-held seats.

“California is essential to it all,” Pelosi said.

The number of competitive House races in California increased dramatically last year, when an independent redistricting commission redrew the lines. While two pairs of Democratic incumbents were drawn together, the party was also handed a number of potential pickup opportunities.

Obama and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) are heavily favored to win statewide, so the party’s focus in the state is down-ballot. State Democratic Party Chairman John Burton, who emceed the breakfast, said that “if we went to sleep tomorrow,” Obama and Feinstein would carry the state. But the party has work to do to pick up the half-dozen GOP House seats it wants.

“California’s success in electing Democrats here is really critical to our success” nationwide, Pelosi said. “You have seen the last two years an obstruction of President Obama’s agenda. We cannot afford that for another two years.”

When the new district lines were approved last year, the party appeared to have an opportunity to pick up a half-dozen seats. Those expectations were tempered following the June 5 primaries. While Democrats still expect to pick up a few seats, the National Republican Congressional Committee concluded from the primary results that the majority now ends in California — it’s no longer a path there for Democrats.

The ballroom was littered with “Celebrating Nancy Pelosi” signs passed out to delegates as they entered. Nearly every party official who stepped to the microphone noted that for Pelosi to return to the House as Speaker after two years in the minority, a bulk of the 25 seats the party must net would need to be won in California.

“We have to get 25 seats and, guess what, California’s got a third of them right here,” Edwards said, slightly overstating the point.

Polis highlighted the DCCC’s Red to Blue candidates in California: Ami Bera and Raul Ruiz, “the dynamic duo of doctors”; astronaut Jose Hernandez; Mark Takano, who would be the first openly gay Member from California; state Sen. Alan Lowenthal; and San Diego Port Commissioner Scott Peters.

“You in California have the opportunity to help return Nancy Pelosi to be speaker of the House of Representatives,” Polis said.

Other speakers included House Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra (Calif.) and Rep. John Lewis (Ga.), who opened the breakfast with a passionate speech that energized the large audience.

“I want to thank California in the last election for topping the nation for political success,” Pelosi said, noting that every Democratic House incumbent returned in 2011. “In that spirit of success, California will once again lead the way in re-electing an extraordinary president, Barack Obama.”

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09 September 2011

Sepia Saturday 91: Musicians in the US Civil War

Ambulance Corps Method Removing Wounded from the Field, LOC LC-B811-1078

This photograph was taken from the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Online Catalog, LC-B811-1078.  The photograph was taken by William Frank Browne.

Many of my ancestors served on one or the other side of the US Civil War.  Two of them served as musicians for at least a portion of their duty, Henry Clay Warwick (1843-1875) and Richard Manchester (1837-1903).

Initially I thought serving in the military band would be light duty but these notions were quickly disabused.  While bands played in ceremonies, parades and special concerts, they also played to rally the troops as they marched into battle.  Participation of bands in battles varied by brigade. In some instances, they accompanied the soldiers into battle and even played patriotic music during the battle while in a forward position!

In other brigades, musicians supported the medical staff.  They set up field hospitals before battles and helped transport and care for the wounded afterwards.  Richard Manchester likely served in this later capacity as he became a hospital nurse when injury removed him from active duty.  The drum in this photograph immediately caught my eye as similar to the one Richard played.

There are many individual dramas being played out in the photograph. The man behind the drum appears to have succumbed to his injures as have the two gentlemen lying in the foreground.

Another man reclines against an officer and takes in the scene in before him.  The relief on both their faces is evident.  The officer almost appears to be smiling.  Perhaps they are heartened by the sight of another officer being helped to a drink.

An officer directs the movement of the litters into the wagon - the bottle of medicinal whiskey clearly visible inside.  Is the officer asking for a swig?  Another stands by his sword at his side, head bowed, jaw tightened.

The lucky few were loaded onto litters to face an uncertain destiny.  Infection was rampant and took many soldiers who survived the battle.

At the beginning of the battle, it was the officers and musicians and again at the end of the day we see the officers and musicians tending to the wounded.  Deciding who could be helped, tending their wounds and then returning to camp to, perhaps, sleep a few hours.  The next day the cycle would all begin again ....

Soldier Awaiting Transport

Leg Splint

Sepia Saturday challenges us to meet a theme each week and when we can't, then we open our grab bag.  I was ready to reach into the bag when I ran across this picture.  This week's challenge was, more or less, 'A Picture Tells a Thousand Words' or whatever theme you might see in the photo.  Thanks to Brett for the idea of making 'take-outs' of the photo.  It really helps to see the individual components of a complex photo. There are many more entries and interesting variations on the theme at Sepia Saturday 91.
Background:  Perhaps the Encampment?

  1. You've delved into this photograph in such depth, Liz, that I've learnt a great deal about the subject, from what was already an interesting shot before you started the deconstruction. I am intrigued by so much:
    - the turban-like headgear being worn by the ambulance crew; a couple of the injured also wear them. Are they Zouaves? (well, that question is answered by this link)
    - the possibility that at least some of the injured might have been posed (see the caption to the photo in the above link)
    - the stretchers which look little more than reinforced boards

    Thank you for yet another topic to get severely distracted by.

  2. Brett,
    You are right that they were Zouaves. That is what led me to the photograph in the first place. It is possible that the photo was a demonstration photo. The LOC dates the photo from 1861-1869. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/cwp2003004579/PP/ I don't know the source of the Wiki caption.

    I first ran across this photo in 2004 and was fortunate to stumble on it for the theme this week! It was originally posted under a different title so evidently more has been learned about it.

    Researching medicine in the Civil War is a fascinating topic. There were so many advances made and yet, so many lives were still lost. And then there are the Zoaves, and the uniforms and the musicians....

    I hope I haven't driven you to too much distraction!

  3. Yes you have, terribly, I love it :)

  4. What an amazing photo and such a great amount of information for each shot. You say this is from your grab bag...but Alan will believe it's filled with action, and action is one of his points in his theme photo..so outstanding work!

  5. There’s so much to see in this picture, and it meets the 'picture telling a thousand words’ admirably. By a demonstration photo, do you mean the scene was staged? There is a tiny feeling that it is, as many war photographs and moving film were in the early days, the better to tell the story. Well done on a fascinating post.

  6. That picture really shows a lot. I didn't realize that the drummers were so much a part of the action.

  7. Little Nell, as a demonstration photo it could either be a demonstration conducted for senior military officials or for the public. The Wiki entry on Zouaves captioned this photo as a demonstration but gave no source of the caption.

    After Brett's comment, I added the background which sure looks like a military encampment. I'd be inclined to think it was taken during the war as a demo for officers. Note that the carnage is very isolated to the area around the carriage. But, this could have been the last stop of the day so ....

  8. A very interesting post. Staged or not the photo gives us an insight to what went on. I've learned a lot from your deconstruction.

  9. I knew from history that the marching bands really were part of the battles. You did a great deal of research here and it was so worth reading and learning so much more.

  10. I always think of Sepia Saturday as being a bit like a magazine it which you find fascinating articles which can take you through a variety of subjects. Your post this week is a perfect example - as I read it I find myself instructed and fascinated. What a perfect example of creative dissection of an image.

  11. I love how you analyzed this photo in such detail. I had no idea that the role of the musicians was so extensive. How frightening for them.

  12. This looks like a staged photo. I do remember reading many photos from the Civil War were. They'd redress the dead in a different uniform. Of course, this info might be wrong. These days they'd just use Photoshop. Sort of proves that all along you couldn't really trust photographs for their truthfulness.

    I've always found it fascinating that some went to battle with just musical instruments. Or those who were the standard-bearer. As they were shot someone else would pick up the flag and continue on. I wonder if this was true for the drummers?

  13. This was just fantastic! I love how you used cutouts from the main pic tell the story.

  14. much like flag bearers, they may have been an easy target, and demoralizing for their troop when shut.

  15. Wow! Thanks for breathing so much life into this photo. I really enjoyed it.

  16. Fantastic! Richard and Henry would be pleased to be so remembered.

    There were two kinds of musicians: bandsmen served in regimental bands and played for parades, ceremonies etc.; and field musicians who played the bugles, drums, and fifes used for signaling orders. Imagine the chaos of 19th century warfare and you'll understand the need for special noise that ordered the movement of troops to advance, retreat, etc.

    The regimental bands were part of the flurry of volunteer units at the start of the war in 1861. Once everyone realized that this would be a protracted and costly conflict, Congress cut back the expense for music, and all the volunteer bands were mustered out in August 1862, limiting musicians to field music and regular army bands. Both kinds of musicians did auxiliary work as stretcher bearers or what we would call medical orderly, though incredibly unsophisticated by modern standards. Quite a few musicians won the medal of honor, too.

    Zouaves were one of those quirks of fashions, and there were bands and soldiers from both North and South who sported the French colonial style uniform, due in part to the popularity of France and the extravagant 2nd Empire of Napoleon III, and a connection to French/French Canadian heritage of various units. They were the exception to regular army uniforms though.

    Thank you also for your wonderful link to the Cincinnati Library archives. I have updated my blog-post on steamboats to include several of their excellent photos.

  17. Liz,
    Your blog is absolutely wonderful! It's almost like you've been blogging for years and not a relative newcomer. I look forward to reading your posts, especially since we have our Cincinnati roots to share. Congratulations!

  18. @Mike
    Thank you for the additional background information. I hope to do a more detailed post on both musicians at a later time. You know how research is ... always a work in progress!

    Richard was likely a field musician and Henry probably played in the regimental band. As you say, in 1862 most brass bands were dismissed and smaller brigade bands were formed. The number of musicians in the war dropped dramatically as there were fewer bands and those that remained were smaller.

    Henry re-enlisted November 1863 and was detailed to the brass band. At this point, it was most likely a brigade band. From January-June 1864, he was on detached service with the brigade band.

    There photographs of the 34th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The one I found has only 16 band members so it likely dates from after 1862. It may include Henry but positive identification hasn't been made and the research continues ....

    Thank you for the fantastic story! I didn't count but was it 1000 words?! The steamboats are in a Wiki that is open for public contribution. I'm sure they would love any contributions you might make to their Wiki.

  19. @Kathy
    Thanks for all your encouragement. Reading your blog was a great example to follow on blogging! I still have a lot to learn - best photo sizes, etc. But, it is a fun learning curve.

  20. When I first see a picture like this, I'm inclined to glance and assume I've taken it all in. Then to have it shown to me in such a way, so much more comes to light!

  21. Very intriguing picture! I love your croppings. It looks a bit staged to me as well, but that doesn't really matter.

Comments welcome!


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Well met at ringtones service Audiko.net, where you can get epic ringtones for your smart phone. Today we have a ringtone of “It's Just Love” by MISIA as well as 530 other ringtones by MISIA. “It's Just Love” is the best track from the “MISIAàøÍöªÎ«é«¤«ô¢¦The Best of” album that was released by MISIA at their label together with other 1 tracks. You can listen to all 7 MISIA – “It's Just Love” ringtone variations available here and download it for free in a second. You can also get other 2 albums produced by MISIA for all time. “It's Just Love” is referred to J-Pop, and we bring you a huge amount of J-Pop albums absolutely for free. And finally, we have collected lyrics for this track and you can view it here as well. So feel free to browse, listen, download ringtones at Audiko.net. Make your phone sound cool!

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Chicken Drumsticks With Garlic & Herb

Total Time
1hr 5mins
Prep 5 mins
Cook 1 hr

Easy to prepare and perfect for snack or school lunches (canteen), picnics etc. Can be eaten hot or cold! Variation, marinate with honey and sweet soy sauce for 1 hour or more.

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
  2. Marinate the drumsticks in oil, garlic and herbs/salt for about 1/2 hour.
  3. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook for 40 minutes, turn and cook for a further 20 minutes.
  4. Wrap the drumsticks in individual foil, and freeze the portions.
  5. Whenever you want them, put them in the oven to warm or allow to thaw in the fridge over night to eat cold.
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5 5

My son has food allergies and is a picky eater. I do this all the time for him and he will always eat them, and they are the right size for him!


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Tuesday, 12 May 2009

Autism Act Northern Ireland

To readers, this update is long and laden with many issues/concerns. I have been talking to a lot of parents recently, particularly parents of newly diagnosed children. With few exceptions, these parents are scared, isolated, confused and angry that following the diagnosis of their child, (a diagnosis some of them had to beg for), no help has been forthcoming. I brought up the issue of the proposed autism Act with a number of these parents and after discussing what the Act might or might not be doing for their children they were unanimous in their response. "Give us access to knowledge, give our children appropriate social and educational opportunities and stop isolating our chidlren."

One parent in particular asked me "what good is an autism Act when we are sitting here with a child who doesn't know his own parents? He needs help, we can't afford it and in Northern Ireland, even if we could afford it, very little is available."

he autism charity
AutismNI (Autism Ulster/PAPA/ACT) has lobbied for some time for legislation (they want it to be called the 'Autism Act') to underpin the "rights" of individuals with an ASD in Northern Ireland. When convenient, AutismNI/Autism Ulster rolls out their support of this non-existent Act to show how committed they are to the label of autism. Why wouldn't they be. Autism has kept some of them in jobs for almost two decades!

What is an autism act going to do for our children, for the adults and their families?
See the following link to find out how one young man has not been able to return to Northern Ireland for 10 years due to lack of services here. Where are his rights to live in his homeland with his own family? (http://www.nwipp-newspapers.com/FH/free/364604903183554.php) Will an autism act change this for him?

I have never contacted AutismNI/Autism Ulster, never met them or availed of their expensive training packages. This goes for many other parents I know. There must be some parents who attend their highly regulated support groups, (and of course who don't mind fund-raising off the backs of other financially stretched parents), but I doubt very much that parents who 'question' are welcomed, at least from the stories I have heard. All parents who have a child on the spectrum have questions, perhaps those questions are asked outside the confines of the AutismNI/Autism Ulster living rooms cum 'offices'?

From my site tracker on this blog,  Autism NI/Ulster have visited this blog no less than 218 times in the last month (11 times today, and it's not even 9.00am!) I hope staff members are not using 'company time' to do that when they could be using their time more efficiently answering questions from and providing advice to people seeking help.

By the same token, if you have questions about the efficacy or need for an autism act you could post them here to this blog because the staff at AutismNI/Autism Ulster are definitely reading it.

Legislation such as the proposed autism act guarantees more for service providers than it ever could for the individual. There is now a huge and growing service 'industry' surrounding autism and legislative proposals like these will go far to protect this industry and ensure our children will need that industry.

Autism becoming a make-work project, keep the kids coming, keep the payrolls coming.

The  autism act is an attempt to streamline the autism industry, make it as cost effective as possible. Gathering statistics is an important part of this proposed legislation. Knowing how many persons have a diagnosis will give the government and service providers plenty of information on how to tailor services, how much to spend, how much NOT to spend and where to spend it.

Unfortunately, the Stormont Assembly have taken their cue and lead from Autism NI, not bothering or too lazy to seek out their own research into the matter.

Scores of speeches, see here (http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ni/?id=2009-03-31.4.1&s=autism#g4.52 ) that were inordinately painful to read, waxed lyrical about the 'need' for legislation and not one of these speeches addressed the question of what really IS autism, and who really HAS it or what an act will actually DO.  In typical Northern Ireland style, an argument ensued when someone dared to question the efficacy of not only the proposed legislation but the driving force behind it (AutismNI/Autism Ulster)

Unlike the lemmings in the legislature, persons with an autism label do not follow any one path, do not think the same, do not feel the same. Complications like visual agnosia, semantic pragmatic disorder, dyspraxia, hypotonia, auditory processing delay, sensory integration disorder, and many many other difficulties are experienced by persons with autism. So if your child has Down's Syndrome accompanied by autism, what will an Act do for your child if autism is a secondary diagnosis? Where will the money come from, the entire special needs budget? Will the child with Down's Syndrome be 'paying' for the child with autism? The mind boggles.

There is a plethora of rather horrible and dangerous legislation being passed lately worldwide. Just because a proposed piece of legislation might have the word 'autism' in it, does not mean it will be for the benefit of those who have the diagnosis.

In the Belfast Education Board's recent 'Senco News' magazine, (Edition 7, Spring 2009) it is stated that the Chief Inspector's Report found only 4 percent of pupils in Northern Ireland have a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN). 17 percent of Northern Ireland pupils have been identified as having special educational needs (the real figure is much higher, and has been estimated at 25 percent or more).

Many of those pupils will have autism or autistic spectrum conditions. A statement of special educational needs is indeed a legal document. It has legislation to back it up. Yet, only 4 percent of those who need this document, actually have it.

Despite having this 'legal' document, many of those pupils will not be in receipt of their legal entitlement due to the document's failure to notate their needs and provision accurately. What a child needs and what a child gets in Northern Ireland depend on so many variables. If a parent does not strongly advocate for the child's right to entitlement, the statement could well become useless. Similarly, the post code lottery of entitlement in Northern Ireland is dictating whether children are receiving speech therapy, classroom assistants and occupational therapy. This has nothing to do with the law, it has to do with money. Clearly, the 'law is an ass in this regard.

What young people need today is legislation to back up the legislation.

You can see how legislation guarantees nothing, apart from money saving. Who more than AutismNI/Autism Ulster, has a vested interest in ensuring that services for individuals with autism are 'legislated', or that incidents of the diagnosis are counted and statistics recorded? Part of AutismNI/Autism Ulster/PAPA is their own profit making company 'Autism Community Training' otherwise known as 'ACT' (yes the acronym was deliberately chosen to reflect the charity's political ambitions). Are you getting the picture yet?

Jobs are at stake with AutismNI/Autism Ulster. God forbid that children don't need our services. God forbid, children with autism get appropriate education, social acceptance and understanding, or independence  dear me,  we can't have that. We must ensure that parents continue to be vulnerable, uninformed and that they rely on us, their children must always need services! - We have our contracts with the Health Trusts to protect!

There are so many parents who continue to buy the negativity, that is doled out to them by so-called 'professionals' regarding their children and their limited 'potential'. This Act fits in nicely with that mindset, and bolsters the clinicians who to this day tell parents that their children will 'never' walk, 'never' talk, will 'never' attend mainstream school, never have friends, etc. Imagine if such an Act was to read: 'to secure the right of every person with a disability to a full and productive life devoid of the negative and injurious belief systems of others and to make it a crime to project your negativity onto a young child or adult alike'.

Securing the rights of persons with all disability is what we need. Label driven legislation will never work, and is inherently discriminatory. Guess what? We already have it with the Disability Act.

Upon reading the speeches of 31 March at Stormont by MLA's regarding this proposed Act, my heart sank at how incredibly ill-informed, backward and dangerously parochial these people are. We voted these people in, we need to inform them. They are clearly taking their direction from AutismNI/Autism Ulster. Not one of them admitted to speak from personal experience of autism and it was, in my opinion a mutual appreciation exercise.

Why wouldn't they support AutismNI/Autism Ulster. With the offer to MLA's of free junkets to Washington (which they accepted and apart from only one of them, never publicly divulged their involvement) and substantial money paid to buy lobbying 'tables' well, you just can't beat the influence of a pound.

Buying legislation is popular in today's politics and those who praised AutismNI/Autism Ulster during this debate, were among those whose tickets to Washington were paid for by the charity (I use the term 'paid for' loosely - the monies were inevitably culled from AutismNI/Autism Ulster's membership fees/fundraising events). If they specifically raised money for the purpose, they did not publicly advise their membership.

Nothing in this world is for free and those members who accepted this freebie trip (and all the other goodies that AutismNI/Autism Ulster may have plied them with) are now expected to 'pay back' by supporting the idea of the autism Act. Classic!

George Savage MLA brought up this 'matter' on 31 March 2009 in Stormont. It's interesting and comical to read how his comments touched a nerve. Dominic Bradley 'protests too much' when he responds to Savage's comments at Stormont on 20 April 2009:
5:00 pm
Dominic Bradley (Social Democratic and Labour Party)

"...Deputy Speaker. During the debate on world autism awareness day, which was held on 31 March 2009, Mr Savage made a remark that could be construed as meaning that Members benefited financially from their work with the charity Autism Northern Ireland. Members of the all-party group on autism, and Autism Northern Ireland itself, expressed extreme concern to me as chairman of the all-party group about the import of those remarks. Therefore, I ask that the Speaker examine those remarks and rule whether there are grounds for asking the Member to withdraw them. "
Perhaps Mr Bradley who is very au fait with AutismNI/Autism Ulster would like to explain to the Assembly and to the rest of Northern Ireland what it all does mean - who paid for this excursion and why? Nothing has come of it from what I can gather. It just sort of hangs there in the ether with a big question mark over it.

Best to clear it up once and for all don't you think Dominic?
John McAllister dutifully registered his involvement but others did not. Why? Neither did Michelle O'Neill (SF) et al. The register was set up to, “provide information of any pecuniary interest or other material benefit which a Member receives which might reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions, speeches or votes in the Assembly, or actions taken in his or her capacity as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly”. Members are required to keep that overall purpose in mind when registering their interests." At least, Dominic let us know where the monies came from. Flying, dining and accommodating 12 people to Washington (not a cheap place) via a charity is some feat. Surely members of AutismNI/Autism Ulster deserve to know what money was spent and why. Northern Ireland - so funny, if you didn't cry first.

see link to Register of Members Interests here: ( http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/members/expenses/register2.htm )

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." - Plato

Socrates was also known for posting questions to which there were many many answers, none of them 'correct'. Northern Ireland needs some Socratic method - questions are not being posed, much less answered. This in itself poses another question - why?

What are you afraid of? Please speak up.


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Active safety features: What your next car needs to have

June 14, 2011

Active safety features: What your next car needs to have

Active safety features available on many late-model cars can help prevent you from having to rely on your passive safety features like air bags and crumple zones. Photo by IIHS

Car safety used to mean double buckling your seatbelt when you squeezed three people into the front row. Now, with electronic stability control (ESC), cross-traffic alerts and adaptive headlights, it's a bit more difficult to sort through all of the available options.

Of course you want to choose the safest car you can for yourself and your family. But which of these new safety features truly reduce the risk of accidents and injuries? Which can you do without?

There are three types of safety equipment common on vehicles today--those that come into use before, during and after an accident.

-- Postaccident features usually focus on obtaining emergency assistance. General Motors' OnStar and Ford's 911 Assist are two examples.

-- Passive safety devices are automatically activated during an accident and often are federally mandated (though this is becoming increasingly true for active safety features) and standard across a given manufacturer's line. Airbags and seatbelt pretensioners are examples.

-- Active safety features essentially are accident-avoidance technologies. Cross-traffic alert and blind-spot-assistance systems are examples.

It's in the arena of active safety features where manufacturers are introducing a growing variety of options--and acronyms, giving consumers even more choices in an already confusing market. We spoke with some experts in an effort to cut through the clutter.

Electronic Stability Control can selectively apply the brakes to help keep the car under control in many situations. Photo by Continental

Maintaining stability

“One of the most important technologies is ESC [electronic stability control],” said a National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) spokesperson. “While all new cars will have to have this technology by September of this year, consumers in the used-car market should look for and purchase vehicles with ESC. In terms of its potential impact on safety, this technology is in a class by itself.”

Electronic stability control, along with its cousin, rollover mitigation (which is basically the same thing but optimized for SUVs), is crucial to improving a car's stability and minimizing skids. When it detects a loss of steering control, it strategically applies the brakes, often times on individual wheels, to help steer the vehicle where the driver wants it to go.

According to Gay Kent, GM executive director for vehicle safety and crash-worthiness, the company made a commitment a couple of years ago to make ESC standard on all of its vehicles. NHTSA estimates that ESC will save between 5,300 and 9,600 lives and prevent 156,238 injuries each year once all vehicles on the road are equipped with ESC systems.

There are variations of this technology. Ford's curve control, standard on the new 2011 Explorer, specifically helps maintain control when going into a curve too quickly. According to Ford spokesperson Wes Sherwood, 50,000 crashes each year could potentially be avoided because of curve control, and the type of crashes being avoided are typically serious ones.

Rear-view camera systems can help drivers back up in tricky situations and also see things--or people--behind the vehicle. Photo by Ford Motor Company

Seeing clearly

Ford's Sherwood also says that the company's customer research each year indicates that drivers want help seeing around the vehicle better. To achieve that goal, rear cameras, rear radar sensors and blind-spot radar systems are becoming available across a wider range of vehicles.

The government may be about to speed adoption, too: A proposed mandate from the Department of Transportation will call for all new motor vehicles sold in the United States weighing less than 10,000 pounds to have rearview cameras by Sept. 1, 2014.

NHTSA's assessment of available safety data indicate that on average, there are 292 fatalities and 18,000 injuries--3,000 of which they judge to be incapacitating--each year from back-over crashes.

“NHTSA is currently developing a final rule to improve the rear visibility of vehicles and we will publish that by the end of this year,” its spokesperson said.

If NHTSA's ruling comes to fruition, buyers won't have to decide whether to splurge on a backup camera in their new cars--it will come standard.

Accidents that result from a lack of visibility can also be prevented by blind-spot-detection systems. These warn a driver when a vehicle enters his blind spot, helping avoid lane-change accidents. Depending on the system, these can warn drivers with a visual or auditory alert, or even take limited steering control if a driver is about to swerve into another car.

Cross-traffic alert systems work similarly, warning the driver of oncoming traffic from either side when reversing out of a driveway or a parking spot.

These systems can be helpful, but their downside is that they can trigger false alarms, causing drivers to ignore them.

Other systems use radar to avoid cars in front rather than to the rear or side of the car. Adaptive cruise control is like regular cruise control in that it keeps a vehicle traveling at a consistent speed. The adaptive version also adjusts the speed if it senses that the vehicle is getting too close to traffic ahead.

Working in conjunction with adaptive cruise control is collision warning, offered by a number of manufacturers including Ford, Infiniti and Audi. This system detects the potential for a frontal collision, warns the driver with a beep and a red light projected onto the windshield, and, in some cases, precharges the brakes to maximize braking ability once they are engaged.

GM is looking to introduce forward collision systems with camera-based--as opposed to radar-based--collision detection, which spokesperson Kent says will make the technology more affordable.

While it seems that collisions with cars to the front would be less common than with those to the rear or side, given the improved visibility, the stats tell a different story. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, forward-collision-warning systems have the potential to help prevent the kind of rear-end crashes that occurred 2.3 million times per year from 2002 to 2006--almost 40 percent of the total crashes reported to police each year in the United States.

However, these crashes are less likely to be fatal. According to NHTSA, of the 1,750,000 rear-end accidents reported in 2008 only 1,914 of them, or 0.1 percent, were fatal. Collisions at an angle were four times as likely to end in death.

Other so-called safety features seem to be features of convenience. Parking assist is often an extension of backup-sensor and rear-camera technology, employing those tools but also providing the driver with arrows and visual cues to help with parallel parking and backing into a tight space. Adaptive headlights improve visibility at night by reacting to steering and moving headlights in the direction the car is moving to better illuminate the road.

Both are useful in certain conditions, but whether they're essential to your next vehicle purchase depends upon the type of driving you do most often.

Bottom line? When you're car shopping, put a rearview camera and electronic stability control on your list of must-haves. For most of us, these two extras will prove most important in everyday driving. Luckily, both features are likely to be standard on all new cars in the near future. But if you're shopping used cars, it's smart to narrow your list to vehicles that have this equipment that might be able to help save lives.

By Julie Alvin


text:
Avatar Wiki

The Chase

11,670pages on
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128px-Padlock-olive.svg Real-world
Tracking Appa
"The Chase"

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Original air date

May 26, 2006

Written by

Joshua Hamilton

Directed by

Giancarlo Volpe

DR Movie

Guest stars

Mako (Uncle), Grey DeLisle (Azula), Cricket Leigh (Mai), Olivia Hack (Ty Lee)

Production number

Episode guide

"Zuko Alone"

"Bitter Work"

"The Chase" is the eighth episode of Book Two: Earth of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the 28th of the overall series. It debuted on May 26, 2006.

Team Avatar is chased by a mysterious machine, which makes it impossible for the group to stop and sleep. The lack of sleep makes everyone irritable and causes a quarrel between Katara and Toph. Aang acts as a decoy to lure the followers away, but he is finally cornered by Azula in an abandoned town. His friends, plus Zuko and his uncle, arrive to take Azula down together, but she injures Iroh in a moment of distraction and escapes.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph have landed in a clearing where they begin to unpack. Toph comments on their superb campsite finding abilities as she feels the "soft grass". However, Sokka corrects her that it is not grass, but Appa's shed fur. This comment is not received well by Katara, who believes it is gross. Aang and Sokka comically start playing with the fur, making hats and mustaches out of it. Katara vocalizes her happiness of having another girl in the group because of the boys' immaturity. However, those hopes are shattered as Toph, like Aang and Sokka, walks up and plays along hilariously. Aang and Sokka laugh, and Katara has no choice but to giggle too.

Night has fallen as the group sets up camp. Aang pitches a tent, Sokka unravels sleeping bags, Katara is filling a pot with water, and Toph lounges lazily against a rock. Katara comes over and begins to explain the group's normal system of setting up camp: they divide up the work, for example, while someone pitches a tent, someone else might gather food or water, and that even Momo "does his fair share". Toph does not take the hint and tells her she has already collected her food and water and claims she can "carry her own weight". Katara gets slightly frustrated and tries re-explaining the system, but Toph becomes aggravated and snaps at her; Katara storms off.

Later that night, Aang and Sokka are setting up the last of camp as they unsaddle Appa. Katara comes over to apologize to Toph. Toph again agitates her by turning the apology around on her. Later that night, Toph is silently sleeping in her earthen tent when she is awakened by a vibration in the earth. She rushes to tell the others. She tries to see if she can identify it, saying "it feels like an avalanche, but also not an avalanche." Sokka congratulates her on her "frightening" powers of perception. They decide leaving the campsite is the best choice.

Off in the distance, they get a slight glimpse of what is following them: a large, tank-like war machine moving fast across the desert terrain. After hours of flying, the group's exhaustion plays out on their faces as they each have dark circles under their eyes showing from their lack of sleep. Finally they settle on a spot. Toph makes her way to where she plans to sleep, but Katara again asks her to help and Toph declines. Katara is again displeased by this, decides enough is enough, and confronts Toph about her lack of help to them.

Katara freaking out

Katara responds wildly to Aang after he asks her to calm down.

Toph argues back before "slamming the door" in Katara's face as she earthbends a tent and earthbends the door right in front of her. Aang decides to play peacemaker and asks them both to calm down. However, Katara's emotions due to lack of sleep cause her to snap at Aang, screaming at him, "I'm completely calm!" Later, Aang and Sokka are seemingly fast asleep as Katara stares angrily at the night sky. She loudly comments on how beautiful the stars are and how Toph will not be able to see them since she is blind. In response, Toph earthbends Katara airborne a few feet before she lands on Sokka.

Sokka's emotions cause him to snap from being woken up. However, there is little time to argue as Toph informs them the machine is back. They fly away on Appa again. While in the air, they debate about the machine and how it continually finds them. Finally finding a spot that was seemingly away from the machine, the group decides to not even set up camp, but to sleep. They again debate for a minute on what the machine is or who is chasing them. Katara brings up the possibility that it is Zuko, given they have not seen him since they were up north. Unaware of who Zuko is, Toph inquires about him. Sokka answers that he is "just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked [them] all over the world." Katara mocks, "What's wrong with ponytails, ponytail?" and Sokka sternly told her his is a warrior's wolf tail.

Their debate is cut short as Momo senses the machine's approach, as does Toph. They see the machine moving forward in the distance as it kicks up dirt behind it. Aang believes they should face their pursuers and find out who they are. The tank comes to a halt and the door opens. Three mongoose lizards emerge from it. Their riders and the cause of all the tension among everyone in the gang are revealed to be Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula. Toph believes they can take them as she calculates the odds: three on three. However, Sokka corrects her, telling her there are actually four of them. After a small argument, Toph recalculates: three on three plus Sokka. Sokka is infuriated, but there is no time to argue as Azula's group draws closer. Toph sends the first strike as she earthbends boulders down at them, but their lizards easily climb over them.

The group decides it is safer if they left, so Aang, Katara, and Sokka head back for Appa. Toph tries to buy them some time by creating a large rock wall separating Azula's team from them. It seems to work until Azula sends a bolt of lightning at it, blowing a huge hole into the wall. The gang barely escapes as Azula sends a jet of fire at them.

Meanwhile, Appa too is tired and is rapidly closing and opening his eyes, trying desperately to stay awake. Again they debate on what to do, and Katara reveals her fear of Ty Lee taking her bending away again. To Sokka's horror, the sun rises over a mountain in the distance, signaling they have been up all night. They decide to keep flying for as long as possible, but Aang warns them that they cannot keep flying forever.

As the sun rises, Azula's machine is racing to catch up with the gang. However, they are not alone; Zuko follows the machine's tracks not far behind. Appa, meanwhile, is having even more difficulty staying awake and finally gives in and falls asleep. This sends Appa and the gang plummeting toward the ground. Aang tries desperately to wake him as they continue to race toward the ground. Finally Appa awakens and stops just above the trees, but is unable to keep airborne, and they crash-land in the woods. Aang states the obvious: "Appa's exhausted."

Toph and Katara

Toph fights with Katara once again.

More high tension causes another fight to break out between Katara and Toph, but this time Aang joins in when Toph blames Appa for their predicament; his shed fur is leaving a perfect trail for Azula and her gang. Toph, out of aggravation, decides to leave, as Azula's machine picks up speed upon seeing the fur flying through the air, proving her right. Aang is furious with himself for yelling at his earthbending teacher, and Katara too is disgusted with herself because of her actions. Sokka is of little comfort as he agrees that they were jerks.

They decide to find Toph and apologize, but first wash Appa. Now clean and shed fur-less, Appa is deemed ready to fly by Aang as long as they leave his saddle and everything else off. Aang decides to give Azula the slip and take what is left of the shed fur and lead the tank off course. Appa flies off in one direction, hitting trees on take-off, and Aang in another.

Toph has now walked for some time and gained much distance. She stops suddenly upon feeling a vibration. She hits the ground, knocking the unknown person off their feet. That person is revealed to be Iroh. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee have reached the spot of Appa's bath and found the wet fur deposited into the stream. Ty Lee debates with herself as to whether the "wads" are "bundles" or "bunches" of fur, stating that they have an "uh" sound. Mai helps her along, deeming them "clumps". Ty Lee excitedly hugs Mai before she can block the action. She pushes Ty Lee off and tells Azula the trail heads off in a direction to the right. However, Azula notices the broken trees from Appa's shaky take-off and is suspicious of Aang's plan to divert them. She tells Mai and Ty Lee to head in the direction of the broken trees and she will follow the fur trail.

Aang, exhausted and low on momentum, lands in a small abandoned Earth Kingdom town. He slumps on to the end of the town; there he dumps the remains of what fur is left and sits there, waiting for Azula. Back on Appa, Momo lets out a screech signaling the return of Mai and Ty Lee, enabling them to duck out of the way of Mai's darts in time. Katara desperately tries to get Appa to move faster, but to no avail. He shoots like a stone being skipped across the river to where Sokka and Katara believe they are safe. However, their hopes are shattered as the mongoose lizards reveal their most astonishing ability: they are able to run on water.

Ty Lee heads for Katara. She begins darting her hands to pressure points, but Katara's past experience with Ty Lee's chi blocking allows her to dodge her attacks easily. After a small battle, Katara ends up pinned to a tree by the hem of her sleeves through Mai's expert knife-throwing skills, and Sokka becomes almost completely paralyzed by Ty Lee's strikes. Appa, however, proves to be a saving grace as he smacks his tail to the ground, blasting a gust of wind at Mai and Ty Lee, throwing them into the river. After Sokka and Katara left, Ty Lee commented that she thought Sokka was "cute", which earns her a look of disgust from Mai.

Back in the town, Azula has reached the end of the trail where Aang is waiting for her. She dismounts her lizard. Aang, tired and sleep-deprived, tries to seek diplomacy and asks who Azula is and what she wants. She is surprised he has not guessed yet so she gives him a hint: she covers the left side of her face with her hand, deepens her voice to somewhat match Zuko's and says, "I must find the Avatar to restore my honor!" Aang does not respond.

Toph and Iroh

Iroh shares tea and advice with Toph.

Toph and Iroh are sharing a cup of tea on cliff overlooking a farming village. Iroh finds similarities between Toph and his nephew. Toph asks where his nephew is and if he is lost. Iroh responds that he is "a little lost", Iroh tells her his nephew's life has recently changed, and now he is trying to find who he is. Iroh also advises her not to resist when people that love you try to help you. She takes this into consideration and heads off to find the gang.

Azula and Aang stand facing each other at a stand off. She asks Aang if he really wants to fight her; right on cue, Zuko bursts through an old building, lands between the two, and says, "Yes, I really do." It is a three way stand off as Zuko holds his position between Aang and Azula, keeping his battle stance poised at both of them. Aang and Zuko face off against the Fire Nation Princess, as she proves to be the most dangerous of the three. Azula fires the first shot, hitting Zuko hard and knocking him back. After that, she quickly corners Aang.

Duel against Azula

Azula shields herself from the combined attacks.

All three exchange blows until the duel is joined by Katara, Sokka, Iroh, and Toph. The six of them (Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and Iroh) create a perfect perimeter in front of Azula and back her in a corner. She surrenders, and for one brief second, Iroh lets his guard down and turns to see his new friend, Toph, standing with the Avatar. Azula takes advantage of this and fires at him. Zuko lets out a horrified cry, and all four benders unleash their power and Sokka throws his boomerang against her. After a large explosion, Azula disappears.

Zuko rushes to his uncle's side, releasing an anguished cry. He senses the others behind him and orders them to leave. Katara comes forward and offers to help, but before she can explain, Zuko's frustration causes him to let out a violent burst of fire, and he orders them to leave again. Later that night, the gang finally finds peace as they are fast asleep.

  • Additional voices:
    • Dee Bradley Baker
    • Grey DeLisle

Production notes

Main article: Transcript:The Chase

Avatar Extras

Main article: Avatar Extras for Book Two: Earth

Series continuity

  • Katara and Toph's quarrel is echoed in a later episode, "The Runaway".
  • Toph and Iroh's friendship is revealed to the gang in "The Crossroads of Destiny", when Iroh approaches them for help.
  • This is the second incident where Appa uses his tail to blow Mai and Ty Lee away from Sokka and Katara. The first was in "Return to Omashu".
  • This is the second episode in which Aang makes himself a mustache out of Appa's fur. The first time was in "The King of Omashu".
  • Azula's escape is portrayed in The Boy in the Iceberg play that Team Avatar attends in Book Three.
    • This is the second time a character escapes with this technique, the first being Jeong Jeong in the episode "The Deserter".
  • This is the first episode that features all six prominent characters.

  • When everyone dismounts Appa, Toph is noticeably taller, being able to see at least eye to eye with Aang. Later in the episode, she returns to her normal height.
  • When Toph is first seen standing in Appa's fur, her shadow is in front of her and the rest of the fur in sunlight. When the angle changes, however, everything is in shadow because of Appa.
  • When Toph makes her earth tent, she bends it over her. In the next frame, she is seen sitting in front of it.
  • Toph is seen in an earthen tent in one frame, and a cloth tent in the next.
  • While the sun is rising, Sokka says he did not sleep through the whole night. However, in an earlier scene where Team Avatar has to leave a second time because of the mysterious machine, he is shown sleeping on Appa.
  • When Zuko is following Azula's tank train on his ostrich horse, in the first shot, he is in between the two indentations of the wheels. In the next, he is to the left of both of them.
  • When Ty Lee tries to chi block Sokka, he drops his club and his boomerang on the ground next to his feet. The view moves to Ty Lee, holding her hand in pain after hitting Sokka in the head by accident before switching back to Sokka, with no boomerang on the ground.
  • After the fight with Ty Lee and Mai, there is no appearance of their mongoose lizards anywhere, whether on either side of the river or in it.
  • When Aang sits down in the ghost town, he is in the center of the street with buildings in front and behind him, but in the next frame, he is sitting at the end of the street with no buildings behind him.
  • When Aang holds his staff ready during the stand-off with Zuko and Azula, it is warped so that the diamond pieces where the glider is stored are longer than in any other frame.
  • After Azula almost loses her balance in the ruined house, Aang exits the building nearly burnt by Azula's fireball, yet the angle it travels, parallel to the ground, suggests that Azula is on the second floor, which would not be possible, as Azula had been standing on the ground floor.
  • The buildings that Aang jump to and from at one point change appearance in the next shot.
  • When Azula is cornered, Aang is on Katara's left, but after Azula disappears, Aang is on Katara's right.

  • This is the first time in the series that all four elements are shown attacking the same target. The other time this occurs is in the episode "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" when Aang, in the Avatar State, attempts to kill Fire Lord Ozai.
    • Additionally, the four elements are bent in the order of the Avatar Cycle as Aang learned them from left to right: Aang bent air, Katara water, Toph earth, and Zuko fire.
  • When Katara first talks to Toph about helping out, Toph is chewing on a piece of wheat, a well known component of Jet's character. Additionally, Toph and Jet both possess rebellious natures.
  • According to Avatar Extras, an earlier storyboard had other animals around Team Avatar's campsites. However, the writers decided not to put them in the episode.
  • Avatar Extras states that the fight sequence between Aang, Zuko, and Azula, was meant to resemble a "Mexican Standoff", more commonly used to refer to a three way duel, and was modeled after multiple Westerns. It was also noted that the battle was challenging for the shows creators, due to the fact that they had to coordinate each of their movements, and show all three of them fighting each other at the same time.
  • According to Avatar Extras, the name of the abandoned town was Tu Zin. It was also stated that it was a mining town and after all the minerals were gone, the people literally left overnight.
  • When Sokka makes a wig out of Appa's shed fur, the wig resembles Marge's hairdo from The Simpsons.
  • Azula's smile when she finds Aang at the abandoned village mirrors Ozai's smile in "Zuko Alone", when he is watching Azula firebending.
  • A lot of scenes during the chase closely resemble the chase in the 1969 western film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. An example being: after robbing a train, another train pulls up from behind with only one boxcar and it opens up with the cavalry chasing after them like Azula's tank train in this episode.
  • When Ty Lee attempts to paralyze Sokka's head, she hurts her hand. This symbolizes the fact that he is hard-headed, realistic, and practical and that he is thick-skulled; despite being a valuable member to the gang and coming up with ways to get them out of sticky situations, he is seen as unintelligent and slow by others.

Start a Discussion Discussions about The Chase

  • Azula

    22 messages
    • found what?
    • she went out that doorway. they probably could've easily tracked her, but everyone was so tired.

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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

< back

Division I Head Coaches Committee Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (EST)

Call led by Kevin Hambly, Division I Representative, University of Illinois

1.  NCAA Division I President's Reform Agenda (Kathy DeBoer)

Prior to the call a document was distributed to the committee that outlined proposals being considered as part of the President's Reform Agenda. In August NCAA President Mark Emmert asked Presidents of 45 Division I universities to meet and share their frustrations with athletics and consider ways to change the current structure. From this meeting four groups were created to examine different aspects of college athletics. Kathy reported the four working groups are Academic Performance, Student-Athlete Welfare, Resource Allocation, and Legislation Enforcement.

Kathy felt the proposals being considered by the Academic Performance group would have little impact on volleyball. The proposals being considered are targeting GPAs, core courses and test scores. Since most volleyball players typically perform well academically Kathy felt the impact on volleyball would be minimal.

The Student-Athlete Welfare group is considering a proposal to allow student-athletes receiving a scholarship to receive additional athletic aid up to the full cost of attendance or $2,000, whichever is less. Each conference would decide whether to participate. Kathy said this proposal came from the increased money coming in from rights fees going to administrator and coach salaries with no benefit to the student-athlete.  Kathy believes this proposal will likely lead to a two-tier system of scholarships.

One of the issues being examined by the Resource Allocation group is the increase in the number of non-coaching support staff. On most campuses staff is being downsized while the number of athletic support staff continues to increase. This group is considering a proposal to limit the number of these positions. Other proposals being considered are eliminating competition in the non-traditional season, eliminating foreign travel for teams and cutting scholarships in football and men's and women's basketball. The sentiment of the Resource Allocation group is that the scholarships being taken from women's basketball would stay on the women's side of athletics. Thus, the HCC felt this was an opportunity to possibly get an additional scholarship for volleyball. The other major concern of the HCC was the loss of competitions in the non-traditional season. Kathy noted that with the recent legislation of no missed class time and the 400 mile rule there was very little cost savings involved. She feels if scholarships are cut and foreign travel is eliminated it will be difficult to save the non-traditional season competition dates.

The Legislative Enforcement group is considering proposals to significantly increase the penalty structure for coaches who violate rules. These penalties would go with the coach wherever they go and would be much more severe. This group is also looking at ways to deregulate to reduce the size of the rule book. The Legislative Enforcement group is working on a slower pace and their work may take as long as a year.

Kathy noted that whatever is going to happen with these proposals is going to happen quickly with the exception of the work being done by the Legislative Enforcement group. The NCAA has asked for feedback from all coaches associations and that feedback is due back to the NCAA by the end of October. Kevin asked each committee member to get feedback from their conference coaches and report back to him or Kathy. Kathy will then write a position paper with that feedback which will be submitted to the NCAA. The priorities identified by the HCC are protecting the competition dates in the non-traditional season and presenting a case to get a 13th scholarship from the scholarships being lost by women's basketball. Kathy will include these points in the paper along with any other feedback given.

2.  Recruiting Task Force Update  (Kevin Hambly)

Kevin updated the committee on the survey sent out to coaches regarding recruiting calendar options. The survey asked coaches if they were satisfied with the current recruiting calendar or if they thought changes needed to be made. The results were split almost 50/50 with coaches wanting to keep the same calendar versus making a change in the dates. The RTF is working on rewriting the question and will then send the revised version back out to coaches for feedback. If a consensus is reached the RTF will then seek a conference to sponsor the legislation.

3.  Marketing Sub-Committee Update

The marketing sub-committee completed their first webinar Sept. 9th on "Scheduling to Maximize Your RPI." There are two more webinars scheduled for the fall:

Optimizing Your Chances of Becoming a First or Second Round Site

Monday, October 17         1 p.m. ET

Speakers: Kristin Fasbender - NCAA Championship Lead for Volleyball

The Game Plan: Selling and Marketing Before You Know Your Status

Wednesday, October 26   Time TBD

Speaker: Mary Eiland - NCAA Marketing

Both webinars are free to AVCA member coaches. The AVCA will be sending e-mails to all DI coaches with sign-up instructions and more details.

4.  Sand Volleyball Sub-Committee Update (Nina Matthies)

Nina reported a proposal for USC to host the collegiate sand championships is going forward. The championships would be held May 3 - 5, 2012 in conjunction with the NCAA Men's Championship which will also be hosted by USC. Four teams will participate which would include the host school and three at-large teams. There will also be a doubles team champion with those matches being played on May 4 & 5. Kathy noted the only problem that could arise is if USC did not have their facility ready. However, at this point it appears that project is on track for completion prior to the championship date.

5.  AVCA Update (Jason Jones)

Jason reminded the committee the convention early registration discount deadline is Friday, November 4. He encouraged all coaches to register prior to that date to take advantage of the $100 discount on registration fees. Convention hotels are beginning to fill as the Grand Hyatt is over 60% full and the Hilton Palacio del Rio is 95% full. Jason encouraged those attending to go ahead and make their hotel reservations now by clicking here. Registration information, a convention schedule and all of the convention details can be found on AVCA site or by clicking here.

Jason updated the committee on the Division I meetings at the convention as follows:

DI Head Coaches Committee Meeting     2:45 - 4:15 p.m.          Wednesday, Dec. 14

DI Conference Meetings                              4:30 - 7:30 p.m.          Wednesday, Dec. 14

DI General Meeting                                       8 - 10:30 a.m.             Thursday, Dec. 15

DI Head Coaches Committee Meeting     1 - 2:30 p.m.               Friday, Dec. 16

The NCAA has not yet released the semifinals and championship match times. Jason will update the committee on those times during the next call.

The AVCA is again this year hosting a Talent Showcase at the convention. This recruiting event will be for high school sophomores, juniors, seniors and two-year college players. The showcase will be held from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18. Coaches planning to attend the showcase are asked to pre-register by clicking here. All coaches who pre-register will receive player profiles prior to the event.

The Division I Salary & Program Support Survey has closed. Participation among DI head coaches was 68%. The results are being tabulated now and results will be distributed to those coaches that participated in November.

The Coaches4Coaches Scholarship is available again this year to eight current college students who are interested in getting into the coaching profession. The scholarship allows the recipient to attend the AVCA Convention and have the registration fee and hotel accommodations covered. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. ET on Friday, October 7. For more information please click here.

Applications are now being accepted for the Minority Coaches Scholarship. This scholarship covers up to $800 of travel costs and hotel accommodations as well as registration to the AVCA Convention. The scholarship is available to first-time convention attendees who are female minority coaches interested in pursuing coaching positions at the collegiate level. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. ET on Friday, October 7. For more information please click here.

6.  Next committee call, Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 11:30 a.m. (ET)

7.  Roll Call

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Tag Archives: interspecies communication

A Boy and his Hippo

I agree with Deepak Chopra in the Mythic Journeys film. He says, and I paraphrase of course, that our collective soul is hurting and we need a new story to heal it. I think the animals are showing us, literally … Continue reading

Posted in gaialogue, generations, truth | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment


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Tricks? Or Treats?

Say hello to your new favorite blog: HalloweenOrWilliamsburg!

Morpheus of Williamsburg

Morpheus of Williamsburg

“You take the blue pill — the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill — you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

What? No, I’m not ‘supposed to be Morpheus.’ I’m trying to sell you ecstasy.”

Just when you thought making fun of hipsters was dead, it springs back to life like the unstoppable killer in a slasher flick, only with less interpersonal engagement. Hours of fun for the whole family, starting with your family right here at the Manolosphere. We’ve scoured the far reaches of that week-old blog to bring you the finest in Caption Contest entertainment, so sharpen your claws and get to work in the comments:

I can see clearly now

I can see clearly now...that I look like an idiot

3 Responses to “Tricks? Or Treats?”

  1. Frontier Former Editor October 28, 2011 at 2:46 pm #

    “Funny. I don’t feel like Herbie Hancock …”

  2. igirl99 October 28, 2011 at 7:33 pm #

    Sarah felt a little self-conscious in her budget WallE costume.

  3. Bunk Strutts October 29, 2011 at 2:54 am #

    “Hrrrow. Mrr nrrm rss srrrcrrt. Wrrrsss the brrrrthrrmmm?


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Holiday Tour of Homes

October 27, 2013 by Teresa Jacobson

Holiday Tour of HomesSavannah’s Annual Holiday Tour of Homes is YOUR chance to get a peek inside some of the most fabulous houses that grace our beautiful city. They’re all decorated for the holidays, too. This year, the 39th Annual Holiday Tour of Homes will take place on Saturday, December 14 (2013).

How to Attend

You can purchase tickets for Savannah’s Annual Holiday Tour of Homes in advance after you’ve decided to indulge yourself in a much-needed vacation in Savannah. As far as deciding specifics, there are two home tours, each giving you the insiders look at 6 homes each, or 12 homes and another historic building where the option of indulging in Victorian tea is yours for the taking if you want it all.

12 Beautiful Homes….

You and yours can make a day of the Holiday Tour of Homes in Savannah. Trolleys to and from each home are included in your ticket price. There is an afternoon tour from 12-3pm and an evening tour from 5-8. 6 homes will be shown at each tour, with no repeats. That means, 12 homes total! $35 each or both tours for $90 including the Victorian Tea.

…And Victorian Tea, Oh My!

When you visit Savannah on December 14, you can even splurge on a Victorian Tea at the John Williams Townhouse at  3 or 4pm – you choose. Just $25 gets you into the historic building where fashion-forward Savannians nod to the opulence and frivolous frocks of days long past as they serve you tea and light refreshments. Think of the new profile pics and bragging rights! WOW. We’re telling you, this is an EVENT.

The Holiday Tour of Homes was created by Savannah’s Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) to give locals and visitors alike a glimpse into how families live and decorate in their own styles within a historic home. Last year, the organizers kept saying that Savannah delights in making a big fuss over her guests – and in all the best ways, that is SO TRUE.

Azalea Inn and Gardens, a Savannah GA bed and breakfast inn, invites you to reserve a room today to begin enjoying the best experiences in our city, which Travel + Leisure Magazine acclaimed as a “World’s Best City.”

You can also keep up with Azalea Inn & Gardens on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, too!


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Tag Archives: Barneys New York

Best Tenant Improvement Project 2010

Barneys New York Interior Build-Out

This project portrays contractor collaboration at its finest, as two contractors were constructing different components of the project. Extensive collaboration began early during pre-construction, where major components were identified and planned for in order to eliminate surprises. The grand staircase created a unique challenge for the contractor given its design complexity, specific details required by the owner and architect, and the structural requirements. The staircase itself weighed more than 15 tons and was constructed of massive steel pieces, with the interior guard rail comprised of very large glass panels. Barneys New York took the lead in revitalizing the old Robinsons-May wing, drawing in 18 additional new retailers and restaurants, in the midst of unprecedented tough economic times in the country.

Developer: Barneys New York
Contractor: The Weitz Company
Architect: Gensler
Size: 67,800 SF
Location: Scottsdale Fashion Square, Scottsdale
Completed: September 2009

Honorable Mention: Arcadia Gateway ReimagingBest Tenant Improvement Project 2010

Developer: Kruft Enterprises Inc.
Contractor: Sigma Contracting
Architect: Lamb Architects
Size: 90,000 SF
Location: NEC McDowell Rd. & 44th St., Phoenix
Completed: May 2009

AZRE Red Awards March 2010 | Previous: Redevelopment Project | Next: Developer of the Year


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Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Irish Data Protection Commissioner still a Facebook friend

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner's Information Officer, Stewart Fennell, has responded to my communique of 12 November.
"Dear Mr. Corrigan

Thank you for your email highlighting a concern over items of personal data which you believe were not provided by Facebook Ireland (FB-I) in response to your access request.

The issue of FB-I responding to access requests for personal data was a key focus of the audit carried out by this Office, a report of  which was published in December 2011 (available on our website www.dataprotection.ie ).  In that Report it was indicated that " the key requirement in response to an access request is to ensure that a user has access to their personal data.  Therefore, either the data must be available on the requester’s profile page, their activity log, which is a feature of the new user Timeline, or via the download tool.  From a transparency perspective, it is desirable that most, and ideally all, of a user’s data should be available without having to make a formal request.  FB-I therefore will be implementing a number of enhancements to the activity log to provide users with access to and control over information about them.”  Given the complexity of the engineering task to extract and make available or supply the personal data available to users, the report outlined a detailed schedule specifying when different data sets would be provided.  That process is now complete.  The one exception up to end of October was in relation to metadata associated with uploaded photos to the site.

Facebook has produced detailed help on how to access personal data on the site together with a detailed description of the data that is available either from a user's Activity Log or via the download tool https://www.facebook.com/help/326826564067688.  We have worked extensively with FB-I on this help page.

Based on our audit and follow-up work with FB-I, it is our position that there is no personal data that can be supplied by FB-I that is not now available to users.

We hope that the above comprehensively addresses the matters which you have
raised.   However, if  there are specific items of personal data that you
have not received and believe are retained by Facebook-Ireland,  we would appreciate it if you could give us details so that  we can consider the matter for  further investigation.

Yours Sincerely,

Stewart Fennell
Information Officer
Office of the Data Protection Commissioner Canal House Station Road Portarlington Co. Laois

Ph: 057 868 4800
Fax: 057 868 4757
E: info@dataprotection.ie
He again asks me to give him details of "specific items of personal data" that I "have not received and believe are retained by Facebook-Ireland".

I haven't got the time to provide a considered response today but my first question again is how can I provide him with specific information on data that is not made available by Facebook?

If Facebook is holding “information constituting any personal data of which that individual is the data subject” that  it does not disclose - and it has admitted in its auto-response to my original complaint that this is the case - how do I find out what that data is, so I can tell the Irish Data Protection Commissioner specifically what the company is withholding?

Mr Fennell seems to be suggesting that his office is sympathetic to Facebook and the only way they will order complete disclosure is if someone somehow (legally, I presume) can determine what data Facebook are withholding, either deliberately or because of the technical complexities involved. So the DP Commissioner will consider further investigation, only if I can find out what is being hidden and let them know. This is real chicken and egg stuff. Why would I need the DPC to engage in "further investigation" let alone then consider actually ordering disclosure, if I had already found the data?

Maybe I should consult my favorite data expert...?

Update: It looks like the Europe v Facebook group are planning to tackle the Irish Data Protection Commissioner on this issue through the courts.

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Contact Us

Wayne Mills Funeral Arrangements, Benefit Concert Announced

Wayne Mills

While stars like Jamey Johnson and Blake Shelton are still reeling from singer-songwriter Wayne Mills’ sudden passing, funeral arrangements are being made.

Mills, lead singer of the outlaw-country Wayne Mills Band, who toured nationally for more than 15 years and was also part of a trio the Dixie Cocks, was fatally shot on Nov. 23 after altercation with a bar owner in Nashville. Well-known artists such as Shelton, Johnson and Taylor Hicks opened for the band early in their careers.

A memorial service for the singer will be held on Sunday, Dec. 8 in his hometown of Arab, Ala. at the Arab High School auditorium. Visitation will be held from 9AM until 1PM CT, with the memorial service beginning at 1:30PM. A private burial will follow.

Out of respect for Mills, photography and video cameras will not be allowed and cell phones must be turned off and kept out of view.

Prior to a memorial service, an official Wayne Mills Benefit Concert will take place at Nashville’s Tin Roof on Wednesday (Dec. 4). More than 40 of Mills’ country music friends have signed up to perform at the benefit, with all proceeds going to Mills’ family. The singer leaves behind wife Carol and six-year-old son, Jack.

Next: 10 Country Legends Who Died Before Their Time

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Want More Traffic That Actually Converts? Follow These 4 Steps…

When you sign up for the Backlinko newsletter for the first time, you get this email from me:

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Meeting Steve, 10 years on...

Although it's in the 20s here this morning, so far, this has been the winter that wasn't, in Kansas City. All of us motorcyclists are still riding. So it doesn't feel like the middle of January. Maybe that helps to explain the mild surprise I felt the other day when I realized it was ten years ago that I moved to the Isle of Man, with the goal of qualifying for and riding in the TT.

Last night, Mary and I had dinner with two friends, Jim Carns and Bill Jeffreys, who were on the Island with me when I raced there. We ate in a KC brew pub. I had a beer and fish & chips; sat in crowded booth with good company; left after dark in the cold. It brought back some memories.

Getting to know the Island; learning (or at least scratching the surface of) the Mountain Course; racing in the TT... in many ways the first half of 2002 served as a (the?) major milestone in my life. Whatever my experiences on the Isle of Man might have been, they were shaped by one person more than any other -- Steve Hodgson.

This is how I described meeting Steve, in Riding Man...

On the spur of the moment, I wander into the Padgett’s shop in Douglas. It’s a quiet day. There are a couple of guys clattering around a dank workshop, but there’s no one at all in the showroom. Up on the wall, a TV endlessly replays a highlight tape from the 1999 TT races. There’s a little office, off to the side of the entrance. I introduce myself, and Steve Hodgson, the manager of the business, does the same. We start talking, and for whatever reason, my story (“Here I am. I quit my job, sold everything I owned, and moved here to ride the TT,”) strikes him as rational. He’s laid-back. (In the end, I will get to know him well before I ever see flashes of the young Steve–a brain-out two-stroke racer, with a room full of trophies and Barry Sheene in his sights.) He first came to the Isle of Man as a fan, with his friend Phil Mellor. They stood in the front garden of a house on Bray Hill, right at the spot where a sidecar crash came to its gruesome, fatal conclusion. “That’s it!” Mellor said, “I’m never going to race here!”

Steve didn’t want to race here, either. He thought of himself as a circuit specialist. He did come back and race in the Manx Grand Prix, under pressure from his sponsors. The plan was to quickly qualify for a TT berth the following year. That all ended with a massive crash at Aintree, broken femurs, and a sudden desire to get a regular job. Still, like so many motorcyclists, he knew once he’d been here that it was his spiritual home. Mellor eventually rode here and stayed too–he killed himself at Doran’s Bend in 1989. He was fast, no question about that, but the way he rode, everyone had seen it coming.

All this comes out in a long, rambling conversation, uninterrupted by even a single paying customer. Padgett’s main shops are in Yorkshire, where they do enough business to bankroll a major race team. At one point, Steve interrupts his train of thought to point to the television. “Are you really sure you want to do this?” he asks, adding “Just watch.” The video shows a motorcycle (ridden by a guy named Paul Orritt) accelerating down Bray Hill. At well over a hundred miles an hour the handlebars suddenly begin to shake, violently throwing the machine and rider to the road. Orritt’s like a rag doll. We both laugh, rather cruelly.

I ask if Padgett’s still leases bikes for the TT. “Sure,” says Steve. In fact, they have a race-prepped R6 down in the shop right now. “Some American guy leased it in 2000 but he didn’t qualify.” I tell him that I’ve got my heart set on a Honda. We call Clive Padgett, who runs the racing side of the business. Clive tells me I can lease the brand new CBR that they have in the showroom here on the Island, break it in on the road–which will help me learn the course–then we’ll pull off the lights and race it. This’ll cost me £3,000. I could wait and see if anything materializes at Motorcyclist, but I realize that this uncertainty just weighs too much. I put £1,500 on each of my two credit cards, and in two minutes, I’ve got a deal. Although I’m spending money I don’t really have, it’s a huge relief to think that the bike issue has been resolved.

That's Steve at right. The other two guys are Paul Smith, my Canadian mechanic and my nephew Kris Gardiner. Peter Riddihough, who shot the documentary film One Man's Island, took this photo when we were out on a deserted stretch of Manx road, trying to figure out how to bring the CBR's handling under control. We never did resolve it; we didn't have the right shock spring; we didn't have the right tires; we didn't have right fork mods. Any one or maybe two of those problems could've been over-ridden if we'd had the right rider, but I was stuck with me.

Over the course of the next few months, there was scarcely a day that I didn't drop into the Padgett's shop for a coffee; hardly a day that Steve and I didn't go to The Terminus for a beer after he closed up the shop. Steve was my guide and interpreter, my sponsor, and my friend. We lapped the TT course on motorcycles, and he even accompanied me on a bicycle lap that was nearly the death of him (but his doggedness in completing that lap gave me some real insight into the competitive fires that had burned in him as a racer.)

After I'd gotten to know Steve, I realized that he could be utterly brusque in dismissing people looking for favors. I saw a couple of guys rub him the wrong way, and he just about throw them out into the street. On one of those days I told him, "Wow, you really have your New York head on today," which made him laugh. But it made me realize that on a different day, I might have got that treatment, and my time on the Isle of Man would have been totally different.

I think that at some level we were drawn to each other because -- while we were both in the only place we really wanted to be -- we were both lonely. Both of us were, at the time, in relationships that failed. I'd overthrown my career. Steve's quit his job at Padgett's a few times, but always come back after a couple of weeks and the Padgetts always take him back; they love to hate each other.

Since leaving the Isle of Man, I met and married the right wife. Steve's divorced, met someone new and, in his fifties, now has two new kids. I hope they keep him young. I know that I'm infinitely happier in my home life, and I think he is, too.

Every motorcyclist who makes the pilgrimage to the TT will find that the Isle of Man is his spiritual home. Some, like Steve, will find a way to stay there forever. Most, like me, will leave but be reminded of the place every day of their lives. I'll be on some little stretch of road that reminds me of part of the TT course, or I'll eat fish & chips, or I'll step out into the cold (especially if it's drizzly, too) and I'll be transported back there. And whenever that happens, I wonder how my friend Steve is.

It wouldn't have been the same without you, man.

1 comment:

  1. Fantastic Mark. Steve is one of the best guys on the planet to call your friend.


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This weekend’s betting tips

by Nick Higgins

What a week of football. We could have done without Messi’s fourth goal which scuppered a very promising punt on a 3-1 win for Barcelona. But if a bet is to be ruined, an outstanding performance by the greatest player of our generation is just about the best consolation.

This weekend we have six Premier League fixtures and two FA Cup semi finals at Wembley. As far as difficult games to predict go, FA Cup semi finals rank pretty highly, but I will take a look at where the best value lies for those looking for a speculative punt.

Aston Villa V Chelsea

First of all, a repeat of chelsea’s 7-1 hammering from a fortnight ago looks to be priced at around 150/1. In my opinion you’d be better off throwing your money down the nearest drain.

Aston Villa are looking to reach their second domestic final of the season and will be determined to redeem themselves from that drumming. On this premise, odds of 9/2 for a Villa win are good value.

Following that, all the prices on the correct score market for a Villa win are extremely good value.

A 1-0 win for Villa is priced at 12/1, a 2-1 win at 16/1 and a 2-0 win at 28/1. This is outstanding value for what is likely to be a tight and cagey semi final and if you are confident that Villa will win, get on them at these prices.

Chelsea have found some decent form in recent weeks and will be brimming with confidence after their victory over Manchester United last weekend. Their 7-1 demolition of Villa will also be fresh in the memory of exactly what they can achieve against this opposition.

They looked firmly in control for much of the game against Manchester United a week ago, and if Chelsea can recreate this form from kick-off on Saturday they will be very difficult to beat.

A 2-1 Chelsea win is best priced at 15/2, less than half the odds for the same scoreline in favour of Aston Villa. Despite being a likely final score, these odds represent little value in a game which could easily swing the other way. If you think Chelsea will win, backing them to win 3-1 at 12/1 would be a better punt.

I think both teams will score. After that it is anyone’s guess.

As this is the FA Cup, anything can happen. And in the spirit of the world’s greatest cup competition, I would be inclined to have a punt on the underdogs, Aston Villa to win at 9/2. The correct score is a nightmare to predict but any that see Villa win by one goal represent outstanding value.

A note to bare in mind with Aston Villa in any game is the first goalscorer. Gabby Agbonglahor is always a likely contender and usually scores early on in games, meaning you do not have to wait long for a return. At odds of 8/1 to score first in this game, it has extra value.

My bets:

Aston Villa to win 2-1 (@ 16/1)

Agbonglahor to score first (@ 8/1)

Tottenham V Portsmouth

Tottenham are understandably massive favourites for this one and it will be an achievement if injury-racked Portsmouth find enough players to turn up at Wembley on Sunday.

Pompey are currently 10/1 to win this game and progress to the FA Cup final, and you can be sure they will put up a solid fight.

If you fancy a punt on a fairytale ending to Portsmouth’s troubled season, you can get odds of 50/1 for them to win 2-0. Even if you think they have enough fight to take it to extra time you can get odds of 9/1 and 25/1 for a 1-1 or a 2-2 draw respectively.

In truth, I cannot see this one going anywhere other than a comfortable win for Tottenham. The only odds that represent any value in the correct score market barring an absolute drumming are Tottenham to win 4-1 at 20/1.

You can gain extra value by betting on the half time correct score. This way, a 2-0 Spurs lead would return odds of 11/2 and a 3-0 lead 18/1.

My bets:

Tottenham to win 4-1 (@ 20/1)

Tottenham to be leading 2-0 at half time (@11/2)

Blackburn Rovers V Manchester United

Wayne Rooney is actually out of this one which means a return to the midweek hypothesis of goals coming from midfield. Against Bayern I tipped Nani to score first but, despite netting twice, he was beaten to the first goal by Darren Gibson.

This weekend I fancy Nani to build on his outstanding midweek performance and score first against Blackburn on Sunday. At odds of 15/2 again, it is very good value if he starts.

Similarly, If Paul Scholes is back in the starting line up, he might be worth a punt for first goalscorer at 12/1.

I am expecting a tough game for United. Blackburn have been reasonably strong at home this season and have punched above their weight on occasions. I think United will win by one or two goals.

1-0 and 2-0 wins for Manchester United are both priced at 13/2 and represent reasonable value.

My bet:

Manchester United to win 2-0 (@ 13/2)

Nani to score first (@ 15/2)

Good luck!

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Tag Archive: Ime Udoka

PICS: Nia Long Spotted In Trinidad With Her NBA Baby Bump

Nia Long Baby Bump In Trinidad

Pregnant Nia Long spotted in Trinidad Nia Long was recently spotted shopping with her family in Trinidad. Here she is posing with son Massai. That pregnancy glow is incredible. Even in her most casual and relaxed moments she is fly….

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Pregnant Nia Long, Boyfriend Ime Udoka Enjoy Quality Time [PICS]

Nia Long Pregnant

There she is, a pregnant Nia Long, again, looking effortlessly fab and beautiful with her baby bump. Ime Udoka is beaming, and from what I’m told, most of my male friends would be also if they had Nia on their arm.

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Are Ime Udoka and Nia Long Expecting A Future Baller? YES!

This photo of a beautifully pregnant Nia Long strolling the beach has surfaced, and we can’t help but wonder….

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