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Bleeding Knees Club?s Jordan Malane, left, and Alex Wall.

Bleeding Knees Club's Jordan Malane, left, and Alex Wall. APRILTOUR_GeneralUse.jpg Photo: Supplied

Wherever Bleeding Knees Club goes, mayhem ensues. It's inspired by the band's bratty surf-punk sound, and their own loose attitude, and their gigs have become notorious for it. Hectic moshpits, crowds invading the stage, mics getting knocked out and equipment getting messed up are all part of a typical night onstage for the band.

But when I tell bassist Jordan Malane that I'm scared to come to his gig for fear of getting mauled, he tries to convince me otherwise. ''No you won't!'' He reassures me. ''The last show we did in Melbourne, that was pretty hectic. A flare got lit up in the middle of our set!'' Hardly a reassuring story. ''Yeah I know, sorry. Maybe next time it won't be as bad.''

The band formed less than three years ago as ''a joke'' and in that short time has already been successful enough to be just one of a handful of Australian bands to take a coveted spot at this year's revered South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, in March. In April, they released their debut album Nothing To Do, which clocks in at just 27 minutes. Only one song on the album reaches the three-minute mark. Bleeding Knees Club have short attention spans. It will take the guys ''maybe like half an hour'' to write a two-minute song. ''We get bored of things pretty quickly!'' Malane says. Short, fast and loud is the Bleeding Knees way. The band's first release was the five-track, 11-minute EP Virginity. Recorded when the duo of Malane and singer Alex Wall were just 20 and 21, it was described by Mess+Noise as having ''no depth but fun and addictive''. The band, now a trio with drummer Brett Janschand added to the mix, recorded Nothing To Do in New York City.

''We recorded it in a studio in Brooklyn over five days and we lived over there for six weeks so it was pretty cool,'' Malane says. ''We lived in a one-room flat on the lower east side of Manhattan. It was like the smallest room you've ever met. There was three of us sharing one huge bed for six weeks. It was pretty crazy.''

The album was produced by Dev Hynes, an industry veteran aged 26. Otherwise known as Lightspeed Champion and Blood Orange, he was in the eclectic band Test Icicles, and has written for Florence and the Machine and the Chemical Brothers. He also regularly appears on the NME annual list of coolest people in the world. ''He's the coolest guy I've ever met. So he's pretty cool,'' Malane laughs. ''He's just a good guy and he knows heaps of people. And he has good shoes as well.''

Malane and Wall agreed when they formed the band that they would quit aged 25 because they ''didn't wanna be old losers trying to be kids''. Malane is now 23, so Bleeding Knees Club might not be around in two years' time. But for now, there's a national tour and a second album in the works. ''We've done heaps of demos for it so it's just a matter of organising it and planning a release,'' Malane says. The new songs are ''more polished and tight'', and with a new drummer on board ''the drums are pretty technical and the songs are a bit longer''. Some of them might even hit the 3½ minute mark. Their sound might be polished these days but their gigs are still mayhem. ''You can just come and stand up the back,'' Malane says. ''And you could get lucky.''

Bleeding Knees Club

WHERE: Transit Bar

WHEN: November 24

■ Kate Kingsmill is a former Canberran, a music lover, writer and radio broadcaster


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And I quote

By Maggie Alderson
January 11, 2005

As another year of fashion begins, let's look back on some of the words of wisdom - or not - uttered during 2004 by the world's style makers. And by Paris Hilton and Jenna Bush.

"Don't believe it when they say you should never work with children. Let's just say that everyone here tonight is easier to work with than Naomi. They turn up on time, they don't complain and they don't charge thousands for it." Julien Macdonald at his Barbie clothing range catwalk show

"I'm sad for the other designers." Karl Lagerfeld, commenting on the news that Chanel's sales are now said to be worth $2.2 billion a year worldwide

"I get so pissed off when people call me [a control freak]. If you're a designer, it's your job to control. You don't find novelists saying, 'Sure I'll write a novel, somebody else can be responsible for the words.'" Tom Ford

"I love Brazilian waxes. They ought to be made compulsory at 15, don't you think?" Victoria Beckham

"You know what killed fashion off? Those logos. They brought it down to the level of advertising, and that's not fashion, that's Letraset." Alexander McQueen

"I see lots of mothers buying high fashion and couture for toddlers - I think it's disgusting. There's Gucci and Burberry for three-year-olds. I just don't believe children should wear designer clothes at this age.

I try to teach [daughter Lexi] the value of money. When she says she needs a pair of shoes, I say, 'What do you mean "need"? You may want them but you don't need anything.'" Iman Bowie

"Like every usual rationale of mine, I just thought it was kind of funny." Marc Jacobs on using Jennifer Lopez in Louis Vuitton advertising

"We had some wardrobe malfunctions." Jenna Bush, daughter of George Dubya, on her grandmother Barbara Bush's orders that she and her sister lose some of their less appropriate campaign-trail outfits

"Nowadays you don't have to be rich to have beautiful things. If people have ugly things, it's because they've got no taste." Karl Lagerfeld, when he launched his cheap-as-chips range for European chain store H&M

"We're being trained up as a bunch of consumers rather than thinkers." Vivienne Westwood on education

"I have Hans Wegner's Wishbone chair in most of my homes. I have ended up buying it in different kinds of wood: I have cherry for Sumirago, oak for Sardinia and ash for Milan." Angela Missoni

"It is collective suicide. We are the only industry to send out global innovations on the internet for free. Not only do [the chain stores] deliver faster, but it's 10 times cheaper and eventually, nobody knows who invented the product any more because the copycat delivers ahead of the inventor." Didier Grumbach, president of the French federation representing haute couture and ready-to-wear, on the madness of showing new designer collections to the world six months before they go on sale

"Is Fair Trade certification also important? Vital. It's appalling that our drive for cheap clothing depends on slave labour in developing countries and has led to the collapse of manufacturing in the West." Katharine Hamnett

"Where are the cocktail girls?" Kate Moss, commenting on the new generation of teetotal models

"Every woman should have four pets in her life. A mink in her closet, a jaguar in her garage, a tiger in her bed and a jackass who pays for everything." Paris Hilton

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Attention Ladies – Free Spring Makeovers

March 28th, 2009 · Comment Now!

womenFor all you gals, ladies and women of Smith Mountain Lake, there is something special at Mariners Landing in April. Mark your calenders for “Girls Day Out” on April 4th from 11am-5pm.

Receive makeovers by local makeup artists and hair stylists then have your picture taken by local photographer Christi Austin.  Receive beauty tips, fitness and  health advice from local experts as well as see whats new in fashion and home items. Makeovers, massages, fashion and beauty tips, shopping and more! This would be a blast for you and your friends. You can also stop at Benjamins at The Pointe for a tasty lunch or dinner and make a day of it.

Pre-registering for the event is recommended to schedule your makeovers but not necessary. Register or get more information at www.SMLWeddings.com/girlsdayout. If you own a relevant business and would like to participate – contact Kerry at 540-493-0928.

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Weather Prevents Different Giraffe Species From Interbreeding

In zoos, different giraffe species will readily mate, but if the species cross paths in the wilds of Kenya, their rain-driven mating cycles won't be in sync

Giraffes hanging out on the savannah. Photo by Luca Galozzi/Wikimedia Commons

We tend to think of giraffes as a single species, but in Kenya not one but three types of giraffe occupy the same scruffy grasslands. These three species–the Masai, Reticulated and Rothschild’s giraffe–often encounter one another in the wild and look similar, but they each maintain a unique genetic makeup and do not interbreed. And yet, throw a male Masai and a female Rothschild’s giraffe, a male Rothschild or a female Reticulated–or any combination thereof–together in a zoo enclosure, and those different species will happily devote themselves to making hybrid giraffe babies.

What is it, then, that keeps these species apart in the wild?

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, may be close to an answer. In nature, at least one of four potential barriers typically keeps similar-looking and similar-acting but distinct species from becoming intimate: distance, physical blocks, disparate habitats or seasonal differences, like rainfall. In the case of the Kenyan giraffes, the researchers could simply look at the habitat and know that physical barriers could probably be ruled out; no mountains, canyons or great bodies of water prevent the giraffes from finding one another. Likewise, giraffes sometimes have home ranges of up to 380 square miles, and those ranges may overlap. Distance alone, therefore, was probably not stopping the animals from meeting.

Either habitat or seasonal differences, they suspected, was the likely firewall preventing species from getting up close and personal with one another. To tease out the roles of these potential drivers, the authors built computer models that took into account a range of factors, including climate, habitat, human presence and genotypes from 429 giraffes that they sampled from 51 sites around Kenya. Just to make sure they weren’t unfairly excluding distance and physical obstacles from the list of possible dividers, they also included elevation values–some giraffes were found in the steep Rift Valley–and the distance between populations of giraffes sampled.

According to their statistical model, regional differences in rain–and the subsequent greening of the plains that it triggers–best explain genetic divergence between giraffe species, the researchers write in the journal PLoS OneEast Africa experiences three different regional peaks in rain per year–April and May, July and August and December through March–and those distinct weather envelopes trisect Kenya.

So, although the trio of giraffe species sometimes overlap in range, the authors samples as well as previous studies revealed that they tend to each live and mate in one of those three geographic rain pockets, both within Kenya and throughout the greater East Africa region.

The researchers’ model used 10,000 randomly selected locations in Kenya to predict where each giraffe species would occur based on rainfall. Red corresponds with Rothschild’s, blue with Reticulated and green with Masai. The authors then overlaid those predictions with actual observations of where groups of those species occur. Crosses correspond with Masai, triangles with Rothschild’s and asterisks with Reticulated. Photo by Thomassen et. al, PLoS One

Giraffe species sync their pregnancies up with rain patterns to ensure enough vegetation is around to support the energetically taxing processes of gestation, birth and lactation for mother giraffes, the authors think. Not much information is available on giraffe births, but the few observations on this topic do confirm that giraffe species tend to have their babies during the local wet season, they report.

And while the models indicate that rain is the primary divider keeping giraffes apart, the authors point out that the animals also may be recognizing differences in one another’s coat patterns, for example. But scientists do not know enough about how giraffes chose mates or whether they can distinguish potential mates between species to give the species possible due credit for recognizing one another.

Whether rain alone or some combination of rain and recognition trigger mating, in the wild, at least, those mechanisms seem to work well for keeping giraffe species apart. It will be interesting to see whether this separation is maintained as climate changes.

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  2. Welcome to Smogon Forums! Please take a minute to read the rules.

Discussion in 'Past Gen Teams' started by Harsha, Jul 30, 2012.

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  1. Harsha

    Harsha Rest in Beats
    is a Tutor Alumnusis a Site Staff Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus

    Sep 18, 2011
    How to Rate
    Credit to Stathakis and Legacy Raider for the original thread.

    While it's often easy to look at teams and point out weaknesses, this is definitely not the way aspiring team raters and badged raters alike should be rating teams. In this thread we'll be breaking down how to rate in a series of systematic steps, that when followed, will be sure to produce a good rate. First and foremost, there are many helpful resources that can help out throughout a rate. Damage calculators allow you to easily find evidence to support changes for the team, and allow you to understand how the team can deal with threats. I find that Honko's damage calculator is the best out there, as it already has many of the sets prepared for easy use. The threat lists are often good resources to see how Pokemon are kept in check, and we'd recommend that you check them out. They also give common offensive and defensive threats, which is helpful when memory fails you. Once these are sorted, you're ready to make a good rate.

    1) Take a look at the team
    This may be the most obvious step, but it's often an overlooked element from what I've seen. Many are simply looking at the team and checking for weaknesses—you might argue that you've looked at the team at this point. That isn't true. When looking at the team, you are trying to find the purpose of that team, whether it be laying down as many entry hazards as possible to guarantee a Lucario sweep or using defensive prowess and residual damage to keep every Pokemon in check and force switches. Looking at the purpose ensures that you'll simply try and further that, be it through changing an EV spread to help accomplish that or changing a redundant Pokemon.

    2) Try and make the team more efficient
    This is the next step. Many people just blindly suggest changes to the team, but I would argue that after a certain amount of changes, the team is no longer theirs, but you have built a new one. By attempting to make a team more efficient, you are suggesting material ranging from changing an EV spread so that Dragonite will outspeed Starmie after 1 Dragon Dance and will attain an easier sweep to changing a redundant Choice Band Dragonite to a Magnezone because the team already has Salamence and Haxorus. This usually will be enough to already eliminate potential threats; you can see from the second example that now Skarmory is less of a threat, along with Forretress.

    A note: changing too much is not acceptable, in blunt terms. We're looking to make a team more efficient, not build a new one. Teams that need a change of 3 Pokemon generally aren't worth your time, and the maker should usually be referred to Battling 101 if anything.

    3) Take a step back
    This is what I usually do after step 2. When you are done, you should look at what you've actually done to the team. Believe it or not, you can actually open more holes by suggesting something to further a team, and as such, this is where you try and cover those holes. I generally like to make smaller suggestions here, as if the team is already efficient, there shouldn't be many holes left. Suggestions such as "use an Air Balloon to make Heatran a better check to Dragons, Choice Scarf Landorus, and SubToxic Gliscor" is what I consider a smaller change, and it can actually help immensely. Moveset changes, EV spread changes, and similar things belong here. Generally, changing a Pokemon to deal with a threat is not what we want to see.

    These three steps can actually be broken down into paragraph format. You can try and make the team more efficient in the first, and then patch up holes in the second. Additionally, we like to recommend bolding the changes, as it not only makes the rates easier to read, but the team builder will not have to always read through a massive wall of text. At the end, we like to always add the sets of the changes in hide tags in this format:

    Pokemon @ Item | Ability
    Nature | x / y / z
    - Move 1
    - Move 2
    - Move 3
    - Move 4

    However, people that like to add sets as the rate progresses generally like this format:

    Pokemon @ Item | Ability
    Nature | x / y / z
    Move 1 | Move 2 | Move 3 | Move 4

    These are basically up to the rater, but most of us appreciate easy-to-read sets, and there's no doubt that the team builder will too. Making a legible post often tells the op that you care, and he or she will be more likely to take those suggestions into account. That's all there is to it—rating is much easier than it sounds when everything is broken up! Practice makes perfect, and likewise, rating consistently makes rating an easier practice in general. Try and follow these guidelines, and you'll be sure to make a good rater!
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Wednesday, 11 January 2012 14:35

Whole tax system needs an overhaul

Written by

To the Editor:

We have been hearing much about taxing the rich more in order to help our debt problem, and yet if you look at the statistics, even if we taxed and took “all” the money and profit away from corporations and the rich, we could only fund our country for about one year. Then, what would be the unintended consequences of the “rich” with no profit and no money?

Our debt is growing at a rate that cannot be sustained, and we cannot continue on with the current tax code. All politicians are playing games with the tax issue because they have their favored lobbyists from big corporations and the wealthy who donate to their campaigns. Money comes pouring in whenever a bill is up that will make the big corporate guys’ lives too structured. So, how do we make a difference?

Grassroots activism starting locally is a good start and a way to make a difference. We, as Americans, cannot continue to turn our heads away from the problem, because the people in power will continue to run amok, worsening America’s debt and disparity among citizens.

What America desperately needs is major tax reform. Many people see this and are in support, but the big guys like hiding the pea and have attorneys working against reform of any kind. The Fair Tax is a step in the right direction for tax reform, where each and every citizen with a Social Security number gets a prebate in the amount of defined poverty level. Income is not taxed at your employer, we would do away with the current tax system, and we would stop all the complicated tax filings that most Americans find hard to understand. Savings are not taxed, thereby encouraging more to save. Capital gains and the death tax would go away! What this would eliminate is the double and sometimes triple taxation on goods and income that is in place now.

We would all be taxed on consumption at a rate set by Congress. Hence, those who have excess money to spend would pay more (i.e., those who can afford to buy Porches, airplanes, yachts, brand new large homes).

Taxes would be collected at each state and sent to Washington, and the system is already in place for a smooth change. Don’t forget the prebate, which each citizen would receive, helping those who are most in need and paying for most of their taxes owed. State and local taxes would most likely stay the same, but some states have also implemented a system similar to the Fair Tax. Americans would be keenly aware of any significant upward change to the rate, and the people would speak up!

There is much more to this, and I urge you to go to and take a look and call. Also, take a look at the Flat Tax, the similar but opposing idea. Both have merit.

There are already 57 senators who have signed on to this idea, but I can tell you there are people with big money who want the status quo to remain, so they can hide their money under myriad loopholes and pay far less than their share. Lobbyists are alive and well fighting this change. If we simply stay with the same tax system, those with the big money will continue to find the loopholes, as our system benefits them the most. We must make the lives of Americans easier and fairer with a clear way of taxation!

Let’s get on with real change in Washington and stop the smoke and mirrors game that is currently blinding our citizens. Please do some research into this and contact your congressional members in support of major tax reform.

This real change will help America and all her citizens!

Sonja Thompson,

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Green Knights Place Fourth at Ripon College Invitational

From Sports Information Director, September 20, 2009 | Men's Golf
by Dan Lukes,, (920) 403-4077

BERLIN - The St. Norbert College men's golf team placed fourth out of five teams at the Ripon College Invitational held at Mascoutin Golf Club.

The Green Knights shot a 691 over the 36-hole tournament to finish 14 strokes ahead of host Ripon College. Carroll University won the tournament with a 618 score.

Gabe Dahl finished second in the tournament, carding a first-day 77 before firing a par 72 on the second day for a 149 total. Arthur Mueller was 16th with an 86-86-172, while Joe Hansen tied for 19th with a 90-87-177. Ryan Gaughan rounded out the St. Norbert foursome with a 103-90-193.


text: With the soccer World Cup just around the corner, Nike SB is getting into the festivities with this latest Dunk Low Pro. Boasting a beautiful blue leather upper, we see the heel and Swoosh dipped in warm yellow suede topped off with green accents. If you’re looking for a comfortable, good looking shoe to skate in, look no further, head over to Premier to cop yours now. Trust us, pop-shuvits have never looked so good.


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May 06, 2013 | 6:15 PM    Written By:
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Release Date: 05/04/2013MSRP: $160.00

After months of anticipation the week has finally come. Tomorrow Saturday, May 4th, Jordan Brand will relaunch the "Grape" colorway of the Air Jordan 5 across the majority of their retailers. Fully decked out in its OG form (minus the Nike Air) the 2013 rendition comes as a perfect replication of the 1990 version. For those still unconvinced, check out our video review for an even greater detailed look.

Will you be copping a pair? Let us know in the comment section below.


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Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums - View Single Post - My First GoPro edit attempt let me know what you guys think
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Old 01-21-2012, 12:28 AM   #13 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by nickwarrenn View Post
Looks like some potential there. One thing I'd say though, is that the effects were a bit overused at the start. Just my 2 cents though
Originally Posted by lonerider View Post
I agree... less is more.
Yea I wasn't sure where to go with it. Was planning on using more effects to go with the music. It was overwhelming going through all the footage I had accumulated. Vid took me a good 3 weeks on and off..mostly due to me having no clue what I was doing with Premiere. We used a single headcam between me and my buddy(who started at same time as me, falling just as much and filming all over the place)..each vid being 6-15min with only 20-30 seconds of usable footage. Initial edit was 45min..just kept splicing and splicing.

Originally Posted by jdang307 View Post
Gotta hit squaw this year for sure
I'm at Tahoe right's storming here..all slush and whiteout with limited runs open. Went for an hour today and came back all soaked. It's kinda crazy that the conditions on July 4th(the ending footage of my video) were better than late January.

Originally Posted by mjd View Post
hah! cool, sick falling leaf! i scored a couple of sick powder days there last year. this year not so good though.
Originally Posted by Snownad View Post
You falling leafed the fuck outta that mountain bruh!
nice that from a park injury?..looks bloody.
I got slightly better if you saw the part 3(non go pro)..and better since then.I kinda tried to do a chronicle the first season. (There is also part 1, but not that exciting besides the credits) Just experimenting here, gopro broke before I could use it, so had to get creative with this part 3, barely had any footage from casio cam, but some good pics I tried to line up with some cell phone footage at the end.
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Old 12-03-2012, 08:17 AM   #11 (permalink)
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here is an old photo standing near one. You basically don't want to be any where near these things. Ride over them at 30 mph or faster.
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Old 02-07-2013, 07:41 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Posts: 68

Originally Posted by Kurver View Post
Definitely get over to the South face (far left on the map). The trails there are great in fresh snow. Upper Wild Thing is a personal favorite, and the glades over there (Stump Jumper and Loose Spruce I think) should be great in the expected conditions.
Also check out Jackson Gore (far right on the map), that whole part of the mountain was made for powder.
I'd agree with this. I personally like to park at Jackson Gore and head to Solitude to warm up. Nice easy cruisers to get loose there. Then head over to the south face for some fun.
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Stephen Nichols 411

BIRTHDATE: February 19
BIRTHPLACE: Cincinnati, Ohio
CHILDREN: Vanessa, Aaron and Dylan
YEARS ON SHOW: 1985-'90, 2006-present

Out of high school Stephen Nichols was offered an art scholarship to Ohio State University, but he turned it down in favor of traveling west. There he studied Yoga and lived as a monk while he prepared vegetarian meals for the monks and nuns in a Hollywood ashram. It was three years later, after a vow of celibacy and a steady diet of ice cream, that Nichols found himself at the Theater Academy of Los Angeles City College for two years. He then went on to study with Stella Adler, Jack Colvin, and Harry Mastrorgeorge.

Nichols began his acting career in the Los Angeles theater during the early eighties. In addition to starring in several productions, he was honored with three Drama-logue and two L.A. Weekly Awards for his work. Some of his highlights include playing Jim Morrison in the last thirty-six hours of his life in The Lizard King and real-life killer, Donald Bashor, in Delirious. While landing several TV guest spots Nichols won the part of the bad boy Steve "Patch" Johnson on NBC's DAYS OF OUR LIVES in 1985. He and onscreen partner, Mary Beth Evans (Kayla), would become one of the most popular supercouples in daytime history.

After leaving DAYS in 1990, Nichols made numerous TV appearances in such popular shows as EMPTY NEST and L.A. LAW before making his way back to daytime in the role of the evil and mysterious Stefan Cassadine on the ABC's GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1996. There he wrecked much havoc on the lives of many Port Charles residents. Meanwhile, Nichols was no stranger to the big screen, appearing in such films as Choices (co-starring Demi Moore), Witchboard and Soapdish. And his talent isn't only limited to in front of the camera — Nichols has directed several stage productions including Get The Dime and films such as Wild Horses.

His official Web site is www.stephennichols.net.

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Tyler Lepley | Soap Opera Network

Tyler Lepley

Tuesday, January 6 is the day fans of OWN's Tyler Perry's "The Haves and the Have Nots" have been waiting for: the much anticipated third season of the popular drama series premieres with all new episodes. In clips released by OWN highlighting the new season, the primetime soap promises that being bad never felt so good.

Saturday, December 21, 2013 2:12 PM EDT
Set to the tune "Too Darn Hot (RAC Mix)" by Ella Fitzgerald, OWN has released a new teaser trailer for season 2 of "Tyler Parry's The Haves and the Have Nots," starring former "One Life to Live" actress Tika Sumpter (ex-Layla Williamson). Set to premiere Tuesday, January 7, 2014, the addictive primetime soap opera brings viewers back to Savannah, Georgia and the complicated dynamics between the rich and powerful Cryer family and the friends and enemies they surround themselves by. The series also stars John Schneider, Renee Lawless, Crystal Fox, Eva Tamargo (ex-Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald, “Passions”), Angela Robinson, Peter Parros (ex-Ben Harris, "As The World Turns"; ex-Ben Price, "One Life to Live"), Gavin Houston (ex-Remy Boudreau, “Guiding Light”; ex-Sly Thomas, “General Hospital”), Aaron O'Connell, Tyler Lepley and Jaclyn Betham.


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Timbers sign Colombian Chara as first DP
by Paul Kennedy, April 13th, 2011 5:35PM

TAGS:  mls, portland timbers

[MLS] On the eve of their MLS home opener, the Portland Timbers announced the signing of Colombian playmaker Diego Chara from Tolima as their first designated player. He will be eligible to play upon the receipt of his P-1 visa.

Chara, 25, played in a team-high 42 games in 2010 for high-scoring Tolima. It led the Colombian league in scoring with 88 goals in 2010 and has 23 goals in the first 11 games of the 2011 Apertura season.

Chara, who debuted for Colombia last November, also played in seven games in the 2011 Copa Libertadores.

“Diego possesses a tireless work ethic, speed and exceptional technical ability,” said Portland general manager/technical director Gavin Wilkinson. “He has consistently performed at a high level in Colombia and we’ve watched him closely for the past six months. We’ve stated that should a player become available that is exciting, young, talented, attack-minded and worth an investment of this type, we would definitely look to sign him. Diego is the right fit for the city and this organization.”

Chara is the second Colombian signed by Portland from Tolima. Jorge Perlaza joined the Timbers in preseason.

Chara is the fourth Colombian signed to a DP contract. Los Angeles striker Juan Pablo Angel has been in MLS since 2007. Seattle's Fredy Montero was upgraded to DP status in the offseason. Fabian Castillo, 18, joined FC Dallas from Deportivo Cali in March.

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Maradona back on the job…

Diego is back after washing his mouth out with soap and completing his two month ban.A 3 -2 friendly win over Costa Rica is how he has got the ball rolling as the world cup looms closer and closer.A good writeup on the choices of Diego Maradona here..

2 comments on “Maradona back on the job…
  1. i think argentina is pathetic
    the best i heard that an argentinian fan was saying: “we were at dellima, we wanted to win the last WCQ game to qualify, but at the same time, we want to lose to get rid of maradona coaching”
    Costa Rica is a team that usually play beautiful football with a lot of spaces, which in return allow a lot of easy beautiful goals.
    just watch any world cup game where costa rica got some goals, they are always beautiful.
    argentina scored twice from free kick or corner. i see this is not a very good sign. also conceiving two goals from costa rica is not good sign at all, plus it is friendly. cosa rica is out of the wc, this means they are building pretty new team.

  2. Maradona awe worked at the beginning for his players. I think that now they don’t have a clear idea of what the vision Maradona has for the team. The 90 or so players Maradona tested didn’t make that easier. I think Maradona now needs to stick to a game plan and communicate that effectively to the 22 squad team that will go to South Africa.

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Premier League Preview: Norwich City v Aston Villa

Paul Lambert will hope his Aston Villa side can turn their fortunes around when they travel to his old club Norwich City on Saturday.

Villa have lost their last three Premier League games after getting off to a perfect start with a 3-1 opening-day victory at Arsenal.

Defeats at Chelsea and at home to Liverpool were followed up with a 2-1 reverse against Newcastle United at Villa Park, meaning a more positive result is needed at Carrow Road.

Lambert – who managed Norwich for three years before leaving for Villa last June – can take heart from his team’s recent record at his old stomping ground though, as they won there twice last season in the Premier League and League Cup.

New signing Libor Kozak is in line to make his full debut for the visitors, and should be full of confidence after netting for the Czech Republic against Italy in the recent international break.

Kozak could partner last season’s top scorer Christian Benteke up front, and the Belgian has picked up where he left off this term, scoring four goals in as many Premier League games.

However, Lambert will need to reorganise his midfield for the encounter though, with Jores Okore ruled out for up to nine months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in the defeat to Newcastle.

There are no new injury worries for Norwich manager Chris Hughton though, with only long-term absentee Elliot Bennett (knee) unavailable.

Hughton’s men have also made a sluggish start to the season, winning just one of their four games.

They have picked up four points from their two home games though, but Hughton is expecting a tough game against Villa – the only team to beat them at Carrow Road in their last 11 competitive home fixtures.

“We will be tested because they are a young and exciting side. They have good offensive options and are going to play a certain way which makes it difficult for you,” the former Newcastle boss said.

Hughton will be hoping Johan Elmander can get off the mark having failed to find the net in his first three games for Norwich after joining on a season-long loan from Galatasaray.

The Sweden international is likely to partner fellow newcomer Ricky van Wolfswinkel up front, with the Dutchman also looking to get back among the goals after a three-game barren spell since scoring against Everton on the first day of the season.

Thu 19 Sep, 2013
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Anne Hathaway Poses With Fans, Talks ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ On The Today Show [PHOTOS]

July 12th, 2012 // Leave a Comment

The Devil Wears Prada actress, Anne Hathaway, is starring in Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, the final film of the Batman trilogy series. Hathaway portrays the insidious character of Catwoman and alter ego, Selina Kyle in the action -packed thriller film.

The actress has dedicated herself for several months of physical preparation to execute the persona of her character. The entire experience caused a life-altering transformation for the 29-year-old. “I’ve never really been that person. And it was pretty life-changing realizing that I could commit to something that was healthy for that long. I did a lot of growing over the course of this film.” said Hathaway.

Hathaway approached the role unlike any other.The level of ambition and strength it took for her to portray the character in the world of Gotham in the light that Nolan sees it caused her to move out of her comfort zone. “I feel in situations like this — I don’t know what other actresses have gone through — but sometimes there’s a mandate that comes to you and deals with how you have to look. The way I was treated on this movie was, ‘learn how to do what you need to do and then however you look, that’s the way the character looks,” said Hathaway.

There is no question- Hathaway has an unshakable talent. Nolan has sight into his next major project with Hathaway as the lead female role. The project would be a spin off of the trilogy series with Catwoman as the central character. “She’s an incredible character and we’re very excited to see her and hopefully we’ll leave people wanting more,”  said Nolan to Access Hollywood.

The Oscar nominee went to at NBC Studios in New York City for an appearance on The Today Show to promote The Dark Knight Rises today (July 12).

Anne Hathaway looks stunning sporting the leather batwoman ensemble in the trailers for the flick! Check out the The Dark Knight Rises on July 20 when it debuts in theaters!

Launch the gallery to view The Dark Night Rises actress at the NBC Studios in New York!

By Sila Manahane

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Kelly Clarkson: 2009 American Music Awards

November 22nd, 2009 // 2 Comments

Kelly Clarkson arrives at the 2009 American Music Awards in my sister’s semi-formal dress.  Sister, at least go with opaque tights and an up-do.  The sequins and sparkles, sure.  The hair and the dress, no!  You can do better.  Make the clothes match the voice.

Check out all of our American Music Awards coverage here!

Gallery Info: Kelly Clarkson at the 2009 American Music Awards.

By Kelly Lynch

  1. georgia

    Belly Clarkson looks like a granny! Get a stylist loser.

  2. Wolf Fritzer

    PORKCHOP! Look at those huge hams for arms!
    Hanging out with Rachel Ray?

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online sales

August 10, 2014
Cross-channel sales, also known as web-influenced sales, are purchases that are touched by a digital channel but are not completed online. According to US data from Forrester, cross-channel sales are becoming increasingly important and are worth four times more in total than online sales alone. In fact, the analyst estimates that cross-channel sales will reach $1.8 trillion by 2018.
July 27, 2014
Much like offline conversations, Twitter is at it’s best when it’s not a one-way communication channel. Especially for any size business to be able to use lists and track or engage their prospects, it can be one of the most powerful tools you use. But in order to make it work, you have to engage. This poses a real challenge of sifting through the one billion tweets generated every two days to find the areas and people that matter to you.
July 15, 2014
While social media started out as a way to connect with friends, colleagues and neighbors, it has transformed over the past few years into a marketing and sales goldmine for brands. But the automotive industry has struggled to find ways to use social media to generate auto sales. However, Kelley Blue Book launched the Seller’s Toolkit, a collaborative online platform that can help private parties sell used cars.
July 09, 2014
It seems like a lot of companies don’t think about how we like to be sold to when selling to others? Just spamming your new (or established) network with promos and sales pushes feels a bit like a tourist walking through “Times Square.” For those that haven’t experienced it, think if every 5 steps you took someone was trying to get you to part with money for things that no one really wants.
digital business
June 08, 2014
The e-commerce market is growing bigger and bigger by the second, and with there being plenty of software readily available that helps us sell our products, it's hardly at all surprising that there has been a boom in online stores over the past few years.
February 18, 2014
Do you really know your customer? Another favorite brand of mine is confused, and with their confusion it has left me questioning if they received my order or not. Recently I received an email reminding me that my $10 rewards were awaiting its use. Things went downhill from there.
January 05, 2014
Those of us in the marketing, advertising space just love when we can append a catchy name to a given subject matter. Such is the case with "social proof." It has many definitions including "a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others reflect correct behavior for a given situation."
July 17, 2013
The path to purchase is an extremely fragmented, nebulous trail from brand awareness to the transaction, wherever that may take place, and beyond (to loyalty or even evangelism). Consumers are becoming less and less predictable while gathering more control of the messages they're exposed to.
February 28, 2013
In October of 2012, Walmart said the company expects to meet its $9 billion online sales projection for the fiscal year ending January 2014; while not close to Amazon’s 62 billion in net sales, it is nearly double Walmart's 2011 online sales of $4.9 billion.


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When Justice Is Battered

— Carol Jacobsen

MOST, IF NOT all, women in prison come from abusive backgrounds, including incest, domestic violence, emotional and/or physical abuse. Half of the women in U.S. prisons would not be there at all if they were men because of far fewer alternatives to prison for women, and because of gender-based crimes, including prostitution, crimes committed to support children when courts fail to go after deadbeat dads, and crimes committed against or under duress of an abuser.

Estimates range between 40-80% of women convicted of murder acted in self-defense against their abusers. Male aggression is evident in almost all homicides, even when women are the ultimate offenders. Unlike men, most women who kill do not have criminal histories. Women serving time for Murder I or II or Voluntary Manslaughter comprise about 10-15% of women in prison.

One-third of murdered women are killed by male partners; only 4% of men are murdered by female partners. The number of men killed by female partners has gone way down over the years, due to public education, domestic violence education and shelters, and economic opportunities for women. Yet the number of women murdered by husband and boyfriends has not decreased significantly. Many women continue to face severe and life-threatening violence from male partners. In Michigan, one woman is murdered by a husband or boyfriend every five days.

A study conducted by the Michigan Women’s Justice & Clemency Project (see Hastings Women’s Law Journal, 2007) of all homicide convictions and sentences in Oakland County over a three-year period from 1986 to 1988, revealed startling levels of discrimination against defendants who were victims of domestic violence.

These domestic violence victims had higher conviction rates (78%) and longer sentences than all others charged with homicide, including those with previous violent criminal records (62%). African-American women were convicted at a higher rate (80%) than all others (62%) of all others.

Overall, a white female defendant who killed a white person could expect an average sentence of 10-30 years; however, if the woman was a victim of domestic violence her predicted sentence was life. Several women represented by the Clemency Project were convicted in Oakland County during that period, and are still in prison.

No Right of Self-Defense

In U.S. law, killing in self-defense is not a crime; however for most women, neither the laws of self-defense nor evidence of battering work for women in actual trials. Hence 75-80% of women who killed in self-defense are convicted or convinced to plead guilty, and are sentenced to long terms.

Women are disadvantaged in court because prosecutors, judges, juries and defense attorneys all bring a shocking amount of ignorance about domestic violence to the courtroom. Prosecutors fail to consider issues of abuse when charging women; they fail to consider the abandonment of battered women by law enforcement and courts and take no responsibility for this failure; they ignore women’s lack of criminal history; they refuse to define self-defense in any way other than from male experience; and they trot out myths and stereotypes in order to “win” convictions.

Some scholars have shown that judges are the major obstacle to fair trials for battered women defendants because they fail to give proper instructions to juries, and make decisions in the court room that defeat the arguments for self-defense and the context and history of battering. Judges also fail to state that any testimony or evidence about abuse is sufficient to establish battering.
It was not until 1992, in the case of People v. Geraldine Wilson, that evidence/testimony of battered women could be presented at trial in Michigan and judges had to allow it. Even since, judges have wrongfully disallowed such evidence.

Use of expert testimony on “Battered Woman’s Syndrome” (BWS) is problematic in court for a number of reasons. First identified by Dr. Lenore Walker in The Battered Woman, 1979, the syndrome has been criticized by feminist scholars for pathologizing women. No woman can fit the perfect victim mold, and the syndrome concept engenders stereotypes that exclude many women, especially strong women, Black women, large women, women with responsible jobs, etc.

The syndrome engenders stereotypes. Further, the syndrome ignores facts, because women use many strategies to survive, including leaving, and doing whatever they believe is necessary to protect their children.  It allows prosecutors to make claims that this is not a “perfect victim.”  The syndrome also does not take into account gender inequality and structural obstacles to women’s economic, educational, housing, family and other disadvantages.

In court BWS is often confused as a defense, but it is not a defense; rather it’s an explanation for a battered woman’s state of mind. A major problem is that the syndrome confuses judges and juries by shifting the focus to “does she suffer from battered woman’s syndrome?” rather than, “was she acting to save her own life?”

Working to Release Women

We in the Michigan Women’s Justice & Clemency Project believe this is a pivotal moment for Michigan’s wrongfully convicted battered women prisoners. Ironically, it’s the budget crunch in Michigan that is forcing the Governor’s promise to release many prisoners, not a decision for justice or a step taken to end women abuse. Nevertheless, we hope for the release of many women who never should have gone to prison.

The Clemency Project aims to free women, wrongly convicted, who acted in self-defense against abusers but did not receive due process or fair trials based on the facts of their cases. We also are dedicated to public education and advocacy for justice and human rights for all women in Michigan prisons, opposing the four-point chaining, sexual assaults, medical neglect, harassment and retaliation and other torture perpetrated by the Department of Corrections against women in custody.

The Clemency Project (formerly Michigan Battered Women’s Clemency Project) was founded by Susan Fair in 1991, to respond to the unjust treatment of battered woman by the criminal/legal system. We are a grassroots, all-volunteer effort, organizing, advocating for women serving life- or long-term sentences for murder.

Some killed their batterer; some hird/ conspired against their abusers after efforts to get help from police, prosecutors, doctors and others completely failed and they were ignored; some were defended by a so-called “friend” who took it upon themselves to kill the abusers, but the wife or girlfriend was convicted whether she knew anything about it or not, and whether police had ignored her pleas for help or not.

Some — especially teenaged girls — are convicted of crimes committed by, or under duress of, their abusers. Most were never allowed to present evidence of abuse at trial.

The Clemency Project investigates each case for a woman who contacts us from prison to determine if we can represent her case for clemency or parole. If after an initial review of court documents, we believe it may be a case for us, we interview her, read all the court files, transcripts, conduct interviews with family members, friends, attorneys, jurors and/or others who have knowledge of the abuse or the case facts.

We decide on cases to represent, and either prepare a clemency petition, including documents and evidence of the abuse, or prepare a support package for parole, if she does not have a life sentence. Occasionally, if we have attorneys who are able to take on a long term, heavier commitment, we assist with appeals, motions for relief from judgment and other court procedures. We also appear with women we represent before the parole board for their hearings, if requested, to provide support for their release.

An important goal of our Project is public education through. lectures and screenings of films narrated by women prisoners. Many of our volunteers are undergraduate and graduate students from more than a dozen Michigan colleges and universities.

Each summer we organize our annual campaign with volunteers who visit prisoners; do case research in courthouses, police stations and libraries around the state; publish articles and op-ed pieces; work on outreach and policy; design our website, brochures, posters and other materials; conduct other legal and scholarly research with us; and help to organize our annual rally at the State Capitol steps. We are constantly recruiting and consulting volunteer attorneys, educated reporters, physicians and other professionals who can assist us.

We also collaborate with a long list of other organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International USA, Human Rights Watch, Prisoner Creative Arts Project at the University of Michigan; American Friends Service Committee; Families Against Mandatory Minimums; Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending; The National Lifers Association; Michigan CURE; Women’s Prison Association of New York; the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women; Free Battered Women in California; Critical Resistance.

We also publish original research; most recently our study, “Battered Women, Homicide Convictions and Sentencing,” appeared in the Hastings Women’s Law Journal, Vol. 18, No. 1, 2007; and forthcoming articles will appear in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, and other publications.

Successes and Struggles

In 1998-’99 The Clemency Project freed two women from life sentences, through Motions for Relief from Judgment. Since then we’ve tried this strategy for several more women, but with no luck. It’s very difficult to convince prosecutors to review cases fairly for battered women defendants.

We’ve assisted three more women who had sentences of terms of years in getting paroles at their earliest release dates. We were told by the governor’s office that our efforts helped them obtain paroles, although we can’t really count these as successes since they were not released before their earliest out dates.
Over the years, we have presented clemency petitions for 28 women, most of them repeatedly. Each time a petition is presented, it must be rewritten and include new documents and “evidence.” All of these women have served over 10 years, most over 20. About half killed their abusers in face-to-face struggles, two shot their husbands after a long history of abuse and a night of assaults; two killed in defense of their child; eight are convicted of hiring or conspiring against their abusers. Sixteen received life sentences.

In addition, we have represented many more women for parole or other efforts. And we have worked with a number of mentally ill women who have been chained down, raped, abused and violated to protest their neglect and abuse by the Michigan Department of Corrections.

The Law in Michigan

Here’s a summary of required grounds for self-defense under Michigan law and the problems they pose for battered women defendants.

1) Honest belief that death or harm is imminent, according to a reasonable person.

Problem for battered women: The “reasonable man” is not a battered woman. Battered women act reasonably in a situation of terror and violence, but in a courtroom, reasonable and woman have not been compatible since the court relies on male experience to define reasonable.

2) Threat is imminent.

Problem: It is not understood that the battered woman’s history may tell her that deadly threat is imminent; perhaps not immediate, but nevertheless imminent. She may recognize that he will kill her — in a day, an hour, or a second – if she does not defend herself.

3) Harm is death, deadly injury or sexual assault.

Problem: The assumption is of two persons of relatively equal size and strength. This punishes women who “equalize” the threat with a weapon.

4) Necessity.

Problem: The assumption is that women should leave, or should have left, even though there’s no duty to retreat before acting in self-defense. Nobody asks why didn’t the law stop him from beating her, or why prosecutors, law enforcement and courts fail to fulfill the Constitutional promise of equal protection to women.

Our strategies and recommendations are:

1) Clemency/commutation for all battered women who acted in self defense against abuser.

2) Michigan legislature pass a Habeas law, similar to California’s, to allow battered women who acted in self-defense against abusers to apply for parole.

3) Michigan alter sentencing guidelines to mitigate sentences of battered women defendants. Consideration must be given to the history of abuse, self-protection strategies, and responses or lack of responses by police, courts, health care, social systems.

4) Mandatory education and testing programs on domestic violence beyond those already in existence for all law enforcement and court officers, including all police, prosecutors, judges, parole board members and correctional personnel.

5) Preferred arrest policies to allow officers to make judgment calls, which are preferable to mandatory arrests that result in too many wrongful arrests of women.

6) Mandatory education programs be enforced by law enforcement and courts for all first-time and repeat batterers-offenders.

7) Michigan Judges Association should recommend prosecutors to review cases for release and/or reduced pleas for battered women prisoners convicted of murder who have terms of years.

8) Michigan Judges Association require proper instructions to juries in cases involving battered women defendants to explain self-defense law in ways inclusive rather than exclusive of women’s experience, including, but not limited to, what a reasonable person (woman) would do in the context of ongoing assault and terror from an abuser; that imminent threat may or may not be immediate, but is nonetheless  imminent when subjective knowledge of life-threatening danger compels a battered woman to act in her own defense.

Currently, The Clemency Project has 12 petitions for clemency for battered women on the Governor’s desk. Governor Jennifer Granholm has recently appointed a new Commutation/Clemency Panel to review all petitions. This takes the political heat off her and may result in more releases, we hope.

The Governor alone has the power to grant clemency and should use it generously and responsibly, especially in cases such as those involving battered women where race or gender inequan so much injustice.

We also represent many more women for paroles who acted to save their own lives against abusers as well as work with doctors on medical and mental release petitions.

Like Angela Davis, we envision a world without prisons, a world with humane and civilized alternatives: universal health care; basic housing; drug treatment programs, treatment for mentally ill, and an end to the crisis of women abuse.

For Women Prisoners who acted in self defense against abusers and for human rights for all women in Michigan prisons.
State Capitol, Lansing, MI
For further information, contact Jacobsen@umich.edu

from ATC 130 (September/October 2007)

I would like to know more

I would like to know more about your organization. I am interested in starting an organization to support inmates in the State of Michigan,men & women.I have aided a few male inmates with commutation applications,sat though Public Hearings with them. My Husband served 31 yrs. in the MI.Prison System. I fought hard for his release. He was paroled on 12-04-07.I know I have a lot to offer in this area.I need some experience & network.My experiences this far have been from the heart,I have no legal education.My Organizations name has been registered for 2yrs. now. I just don't know how to get started. Any support or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank You & I hope to hear from you soon...PEACE... mizzcolbey

Summer School comment

I read the article above, and having been (including my kids) a victim of domestic violence, well, it tore me up. I often wonder if some day I will go to jail because he will attack me or the kids. Anyway, I full support your work with these jailed victims. However, I am as right as right can be politically, and I found your 'leftist' comments hilarious. Perhaps, if you really want clemency and parole and things, you should broaden you goal here, because TONS of right thinking women are for justice.

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They were in classrooms and airports, at work and out on the street all across the country Nov. 22, 1963, when the news of what had happened in Dallas first began to trickle out.

Stunned silence stopped a nation dead in its tracks. For Southern Marylanders old enough to remember, the memories of that day still are just as clear as they were on the day that President John F. Kennedy was shot dead.

‘Details of the event are still fresh’

Joe Chappell might have had one of the most direct glimpses into history in the making. A retired chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, Chappell served as a flight engineer aboard Air Force One for five presidents, beginning with Kennedy. Chappell, who lives in Clinton, was 35 years old and a part of the crew in Dallas that day.

“It was a beautiful November day, leaving Washington the day before, and everything was going fine,” he said. “Our first arrival in Texas was in San Antonio, with bands playing and a very warm reception. It was a short flight the next day to [Dallas’] Love Field, where the president was met by a huge crowd with the bands playing and the majorettes dancing. Everyone was having fun. We were in the cockpit watching the reception the president received … and we went down to see the send-off. The president and first lady departed Love Field, and we began making preparations for our next departure.”

Then, all routine ended completely.

Pilot Doug Moody “and I were having a conversation, and a couple minutes after that, Col. [James B.] Swindal, who was President Kennedy’s pilot, came up to Moody as we were standing at the top of the No. 2 engine and said, ‘Joe, let’s get ready to go,’ so I assumed we were going back to Washington because there was a rumor something had happened, potentially with Vietnam,” Chappell said. “I went for a fuel truck … and I went over to the Pan-Am press charter. About that time, Swindal ran back down the steps and said, ‘Did I tell you the president has been shot?’

“That was our first knowledge of anything,” Chappell said. “I was assuming it was nothing more than a flesh wound, and that the motorcade had turned around and was coming back to the terminal. We didn’t treat it as anything really serious at the moment. We got started with the refueling process, and I went into the airplane, and then I found it was really serious. Shortly after that, it was announced the president was killed.”

Chappell and the other crew members began making the preparations to fly back to Washington. This would mark the first time the body of an assassinated president would be flown on Air Force One.

“We were notified that they would be bringing Kennedy’s body back to Washington,” Chappell said. “It occurred to me that we had flown a number of government officials whose bodies had lain in state at the Capitol … that their bodies had been placed in the cargo hold. I said to Swindal, ‘He needs to be in the passenger cabin.’ He agreed but said there was no space. So we removed two rows of passenger seats. I talked with the Secret Service agents carrying the casket and told them the plan, so we brought it aboard and began our departure process. One of Kennedy’s aides told us we needed to wait. … We shut the engines down. [Vice President Lyndon B.] Johnson told us we weren’t leaving until Judge Hughes arrived, so … I ran back over and told the police lieutenant we were waiting on Judge Hughes. He pointed me over to the judge’s car, and I went over there and knocked on the door. There was a man in a big Texas hat wearing a suit, and I asked him to come with me. ‘I’m not the judge,’ he said. ‘I’m the chauffeur.’ Judge Sarah Hughes was this little 5-foot-tall, tiny lady … and I took her aboard the airplane for the swearing-in [of Johnson as president to succeed Kennedy]. We then departed and started the flight back to Washington.”

Once back in Washington with Kennedy’s body, his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, arrived at Andrews Air Force Base and met with Jacqueline Kennedy and others as the military honor guard came for the body. Chappell and other flight crew members went back to the office to discuss the events of the day.

“I was driving home, and I noticed normally air traffic is very busy, especially around dinner time. On our arrival back in the area, I saw it was a very clear night, and you could see rotating beacons for planes in holding patterns,” Chappell said. Out of respect, “the pilots of commercial air carriers had elected to stay airborne until we landed at Andrews with the president. That’s why there were no transmissions.”

What sticks out to Chappell is how ordinary everything seemed until the bullets began to fly. “Everything had gone so well until the moment I was notified the president had been shot. That was unbelievable. Every place we’d gone, the president was always well received.”

Since the crew was small — only 12 men — its members and their families frequently were included in White House parties and other social gatherings. Kennedy was the first president with whom Chappell had flown. Chappell recalled “seeing Mrs. Kennedy wearing the clothes I’d seen her in last when they departed from the airport with the motorcade. She was still in that pink suit standing with Johnson. This all happened in a very short period of time.”

As with many others, the event has stayed with Chappell throughout the years.

“It’s fresh, but I was 35 then and 85 now. Fifty years is a long time, and I’m beginning to feel it,” Chappell said. “The details of the event are still fresh. It was just that no one could believe the president had been killed. It was really a sad time in Washington. I arrived home, and there were neighbors of mine at my house who knew I was with the president and … everyone was watching TV, staying with the story. That Saturday, when his body was lying in state, we got a call that Mrs. Kennedy had invited the crew to see the body at the White House before it went over to the Capitol with the heads of state.”

‘I just couldn’t believe it’

Tim Willis joined the D.C. Metropolitan Police in 1960 and helped work the crowd during Kennedy’s inauguration in January 1961. Originally from the District, Willis now lives in Swan Point. He recalls Kennedy’s assassination as the catalyst for a new America he said hardly compares with how the country used to be.

“The 1950s were fun. I was born in Southeast, and when I was coming up everyone knew each other,” Willis said. “I remember when Kennedy was inaugurated. I was right there. I really liked him. It was like a fairy tale. … Everybody sort of got along. There was low crime. It was just a different place to live in. I can remember Frank Sinatra and all them movie stars being there. It was snowing and everything.”

Willis recalled that he was getting ready to go to work Nov. 22, 1963, when the news broke.

“My wife came in, and she said, ‘Oh, my God! ‘Oh, my God! ‘Oh, my God!’ And I said, ‘What?’ She said, ‘The president has been shot!’ I said, ‘What? You’ve got to be kidding.’ I didn’t even wait for them to call me. I just took off. It was such a mess back then. We didn’t have any riot gear or helmets, just our uniforms. People on the street were just walking around like zombies, crying. I saw grown men cry. People just loved Kennedy. He was a popular president. It was like being in a dream world. I can remember standing at 15th and Pennsylvania Avenue, and they came out with his body, and I just couldn’t believe it. It’s just something that doesn’t happen in this country.”

Although he had never met Kennedy personally, Willis said he had been given the chance.

“I wish I’d carried around a camera with me back then because I saw history,” Willis said. “I was at every demonstration, every parade, every protest … everything on the front lines. I was there for everything that went on.”

‘He was an inspiration’

Sen. Thomas “Mac” Middleton (D-Charles) was a senior in high school the day of the assassination. Middleton grew up on a farm and had just built a brand new stripping shed, where cured tobacco leaves were pulled from their stalks and prepared for market. For some reason, Middleton said, he didn’t have school that day and was in the shed with his dad and his brother.

“We had electricity in the new shed, so the radio was on, and the news came over where Kennedy had been shot and we were just shocked,” Middleton said. “I grew up in a Democratic household in a Kennedy family, and we were big Kennedy supporters. My dad just loved him. He was an inspiration to a whole nation. I remember it was like he had lost his own child. We watched the unfolding of events in Dallas … and after that watching the funeral. It was a solemn time.”

Although Middleton credits his upbringing with his future political career, he said that being an adolescent in such a turbulent time in history certainly bore some effect, as well.

“JFK was an inspiration to my whole generation. He was a world leader that young people like myself admired and wanted to imitate,” Middleton said. “I grew up on a rather steady diet of politics so I guess that was somewhat natural, but I always looked up to role models like JFK and my dad to follow in my political life. To this day, every time the anniversary of the assassination comes back around, all those memories come back in. In my lifetime, that was probably the most memorable event, even with the moon landing. I remember when it was, but not where I was.”

‘He put me on the road to service’

Del. Peter F. Murphy (D-Charles) was a freshman in high school at the time of the assassination and recalled hearing the news announced over the loudspeakers in his school. Although he was old enough to realize the significance of what had occurred, he said the real effects did not set in until years later.

“The impact on me probably didn’t really occur much until I was in college three years later … and had more to do with the Peace Corps,” he said. “I remember wanting to join at the time, but I didn’t want to stop and interrupt [my schooling]. I joined VISTA, which was kind of a domestic version. I was in school at American University, and I would go into the inner city in D.C. at nights and work with the children, so that’s how it affected me. He put me on the road to service, and I think that was his legacy for my generation of young people who really took that challenge and put it into action.”

‘History just kept happening’

Charles County Commissioner Ken Robinson (D) was nearly 8 and recalled being in his second-grade classroom in Brooklyn, N.Y., when the news came through.

“Almost instantly, teachers broke down crying, which was really disconcerting to a second-grader,” Robinson said. “It got even more disconcerting when my mother came to pick me up, and there were people crying in the streets of Brooklyn. It’s as vivid to me today as it was when it happened because the iconic images we’re familiar with today played for four straight days across the three channels. It was probably as somber a period as I can ever recall in my life. History just kept happening. I remember being in front of the TV when Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald and … my older sister started screaming. It was a very scary time for a kid. I think it made me politically aware and interested in government and history. ... I’m 57 years old, and it’s hard for me because he was 11 years younger than I am today, and that’s just bizarre to me.”

‘It was doubly bad’

For Lorraine Wallace of Leonardtown, the news of Kennedy’s death came at an already somber time. Nine days prior to the assassination, her own father had died in her home state of Ohio. She flew there from New Mexico for his funeral and returned back west that day.

“I was on my way home to New Mexico, and my plane was delayed in Chicago, so I was going to be real tight or delayed … out of Love Field in Dallas,” Wallace recounted during a phone interview. She “scrambled to make arrangements to get home” but found that it was impossible to do so for the next nine hours.

While laid over at the airport, Wallace said, she began to notice something odd. “I kept seeing these papers saying ‘Kennedy Killed,’ and I knew he wasn’t very popular in Texas, so I thought it was a joke, and I thought that wasn’t a funny joke,” Wallace said. “But then I saw nuns crying in the airport, and everyone was very sober. There were a lot of Texas Rangers around … and then it dawned on me. The first president I’d ever voted for had been killed. For me it was kind of doubly bad because I’d lost my father and first president I’d voted for who I thought was pretty good.”

During her layover, Wallace bought first edition copies of the newspapers from Dallas and Fort Worth that day. On the 25th anniversary of his death, she donated the papers to St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Strangely enough, the day was not entirely without benefit for Wallace, who recently had quit smoking cigarettes. “I thought to myself if I can get through this without having a cigarette then I never need to have one again, and lo and behold, it’s been 50 years,” Wallace said.

‘We watched them take his body’

Charlotte Wilkening of Dunkirk was having lunch downtown in the District at the Hamilton Hotel, as was her daily custom in those days, when she heard about it. Wilkening, in shock, went back to her office and told her colleagues, but no one believed her until the reports started developing further. They were dismissed for the day, and Wilkening went with her husband to her mother’s Virginia home before returning to Calvert County that night.

“We came home that evening … and we were pulled over by the Census Bureau as the hearse was passing by. You could see light around the edges even with the curtains drawn, and I understand Mrs. Kennedy was in there. [My doctor] was on the hearse with her, so I got a firsthand account at my next visit,” Wilkening said in a phone interview. “The thing about it was there was hardly any traffic at that time of night. It must have been around 11 p.m. Another odd thing was there was not much security with the hearse, no more than one police car.”

As it turned out, the couple would have front-row seats to the unfolding drama during the next few days.

“My husband’s office was across from the Treasury Department, and so he and I decided we’d go down to his office and watch the proceedings the next day at the White House. There was no security. We just walked right into the building,” Wilkening said. “We had a front row seat to the White House, and we could see all the comings and goings, and we watched them take his body to the Capitol.”

Despite not having been a Kennedy supporter, Wilkening said she was nonetheless deeply affected by his death.

“Usually I’m not terribly emotional, but I felt animated inside,” she said. “I realized I was seeing a tremendous piece of history. I had a certain amount of anger. I felt that, very upset that anyone would dare kill the president of the U.S.. I think it was that fact, and then the whole thing was really like watching a movie that was pure history. To see all the dignitaries, [French President Charles] DeGaulle and them, was fantastic. I’ve never probably been impressed with anything so much as how … so many people from around the world were drawn in so rapidly. It was a culmination of emotion and realizations of history … it was like a whole huge bunch of things rolled into a Tootsie Roll, and they couldn’t get out. It was a sad exhilaration, realizing you’d witnessed something not many people would ever see. I don’t recall my husband ever telling me why none of his colleagues were there, but I thought they missed something. On Suitland Parkway, it was the most surreal feeling when we were pulled over when the hearse was coming.”

‘He came across as idealistic’

Joan Armistead of Hollywood has a small collection of Kennedy memorabilia, spawned from having campaigned for the president while living in California. Armistead was 23 at the time and a math teacher.

“My roommate, who worked with me, called me on the intercom in my classroom ... because she knew I had been really involved, so for me it was kind of personal,” Armistead said. “I announced it to the class, and there was one student in the class who yelled out, ‘Oh good! That means Nixon is president!’ And I just looked at him and said ‘No, I’m sorry. That’s not how the government works.’”

From there, Armistead said, the school principal sent a series of mimeographs out informing the teachers of what was going on, which she keeps in a box of Kennedy memorabilia along with articles and publications from that day, as well as items from the campaign trail.

“From there, we went home, and it was just all over the television,” Armistead said. “You watch these things on TV ... but for us on the West Coast, we were far away from everything. It was really ... fresh for everyone. It was this person who had some deranged ideas, rather than like with 9/11 where it was an attack from the outside. It was for me at that point in time the first election I ever got involved in. Obviously he did something to make us all feel like things were going to be good. He struck me as young, and ... it was just that appeal. He came across as idealistic, not just a politician.”


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Students recently had the opportunity to travel around the world in just one night — without ever leaving Calvert County.

International students living and studying in the county shared information about their home countries and their experiences living in the United States at a multicultural event hosted by the American Councils for International Education last week.

About 200 international students and community members filled classrooms 1 and 2 on Nov. 21 at the Calvert Library Prince Frederick to meet and learn from local students and those from other areas around the globe, including the Republic of Georgia, China, Nepal, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Finland and Burkina Faso.

“I didn’t know what to expect. … It kept growing and getting bigger,” Erin Knowles, local coordinator for the council and organizer of the event, said. “I wanted to create a community event so people could learn more international information.”

The American Councils for International Education is a placement organization that works with the federal state department to find available spaces for exchange students in the county.

Currently, there are 246 international students studying in Calvert County through scholarship and private exchange programs and enrolled in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) both in Calvert County Public Schools and at The Calverton School.

ESOL students, Hama Dicko, 18, and Rochnie Zanre, 16, are siblings from the West African nation of Burkina Faso who live in Lusby with their mother. Both have been in the U.S. less than a year and can speak English, though they knew none before arriving. The Calvert High School students said they enjoy taking the bus to school because in Africa they have to walk, and especially since the local weather is much colder than what they’re used to.

Ashley Reyes, 13, goes to Calvert Middle School and lives in Owings with her family. Originally from Monterey, Mexico, she also did not know English before arriving but now is fluent. In Mexico, she said, students do not have school inside a building like they do in the U.S., an aspect she likes about going to school in the states. Ashley said reading is her favorite subject, and she hopes to become an interior designer when she is older.

Another student, Mariam Chanshivili, 16, from the Republic of Georgia, is here on a U.S. sponsorship through the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program. The FLEX Program provides scholarships for high school students, ages 15 to 17, from Eurasia to spend an academic year in the United States, living with a family and attending an American high school, Knowles.

Pam Sheridan and her husband, Scott, of St. Leonard, welcomed Chanshivili into their home in September. As host parents, Sheridan said she and her husband had to learn about Chanshivili and the exchange process before she arrived. She said their role is to share American customs and traditions with Chanshivili as part of her experience.

A mother of two, Sheridan said caring for an exchange student is “a different kind of responsibility.”

Out of 6,000 students who applied for the exchange program, Chanshivili said she was one of 46 accepted. The straight “A” student said the screening process was rigorous, involving many interviews and writing essays.

“They’re screened so thoroughly that you have nothing to worry about,” Sheridan said. “It’s a great experience.”

As a junior at Calvert High, Chanshivili said she has studied English since she was 4. Unlike in Georgia, she was able to choose all her classes to study in the U.S. She also said she enjoys experiencing American celebrations, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving.

“I like trying the new food and getting information about all the traditions,” Chanshivili said. “It’s like in the movies.”

Chanshivili already has visited Annapolis and Washington, D.C., and Sheridan said they plan to take her to New York City, Niagra Falls, the Naval Academy and Lancaster, Pa., before she leaves in May.

Calvert County Commissioner Susan Shaw (R) attended the event “to see what it was all about.”

Shaw said when she was growing up, her family hosted an exchange student every year. She said her family and the students would get very attached, and she still keeps in touch with a woman in Japan her family hosted when she was 15 years old.

“You certainly learn there’s more than one way to think and be,” Shaw said. “… You see your own world from a different perspective. … It’s a wonderful learning experience.”


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~*~ Goons With Spoons ~*~
Reppin': Mr. Wiggles
If you've gotten as far as to read Internet articles about Internet forums (as you apparently have) but you're still not killing yourself by eating dishes of incredible unhealthiness devised by fellow Internet people, well I just don't know what to do with you.

ICSA 21: Battle Onion Voting Thread - This thread is the clearing house for the most recent Iron Chef competetion, of which onion was the theme. Congratulations, Frank Jefferson!

Wood vs Plastic - Goons getting very worked up about cutting boards. What? You use glass?

Everything is better in a cone - We can all die fat and happy, now that the Pizza Cone has been invented. Now just think on that for a bit...

Hummus among us - Learn how to make tasty terrorist food!

~*~ Games ~*~
Reppin': Mr. Onslaught
It's our video games forum! What more do you want from me?!

Let's be forced to play "Nancy Drew and the White Wolf of Icicle Creek" - The best game of all time finally gets its due in an exciting and comprehensive "let's play" thread.

Paper Mario: TTYD seems to have a thing for getting Peach naked a lot -

Best game environments? - My serious answer: Another World.

Features games got "right", but you haven't seen "right" since... - Why is it that RPG combat systems seem to be getting progressively worse over time? I prefer mindlessly pressing A to having any real interaction, thank you very much.

Good games that were ruined by a feature - What if you didn't have to continually change the wind's direction every five seconds in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker?

~*~ Pet Island ~*~
Reppin': light_urple
Are you a pet fan? A fan of pets? Do you kiss your pets more than you kiss people? Have you ever given a cat CPR? Do you sometimes wish you could have pot-bellied pig babies? You disgust me.

"I Smell Elk!" - Finally, a game all of PI can enjoy. - WolfQuest is a new internet game for kids that lets you run around and act like a wolf. You can kill animals, pee on things, and even find a mate! It's a furry dream come true. Let's thank SachielDVangel for pointing it out for us!

So my girlfriend bought a dog - this originally looked like a Pet Island faux pas, but orinth knows his GIRLFRIEND shouldn't have bought this cute little mutt puppy from a pet store. She's dumb, but there are lots of cute puppy pictures and good conversation in this thread.

I love you, but please get off my face. *lick purr lick lick lick* - Many cats love to lick your ears/put their butts in your face while you're trying to sleep. Discuss.

Kittens in a box! - Chezlin watches boxes on the side of the road for signs of life. This time, paranoia came in handy for saving a whole litter of adorable kittens.

mew - mew mew mew

~*~ The Goon Doctor ~*~
I got this gnarly gash on my leg and it's throbbing and now my head is all swollen up and I look like the redhead dude from that movie Mask. Should I seek medical attention?

Bulging disc in neck, help! - Fatty McFatass (that's his username) has a big ol' spinal ailment, but it's likely that relief (and not Reeve) is in the cards for him!

I Think I'm A Super Hero - UGAmazing is able recreate that "funny feeling" in the pit of one's stomach on command. Not surprisingly, goons all around come in the thread to relate their awesome ability to this as well. Not so special anymore, are you UGAmazing??

Ridicule motivates me to get healthy. - djbell uses his insecurity about his self-image to give him that extra edge to work the weight off, or put it on, whatever the case may be. I don't see why though, he looks great to me!

Is there any way for me to increase my height? - Nancy Disgrace is both a nancy boy and a disgrace, but it's never too late for him to learn about the miracle of vertical stripes and platform shoes.

That's it for this week! Come back next week for more threads by the SA Goons. Same fat time, same fat channel!

– Jon "@fart" Hendren (@fart)

More Forum Friday's Monday

This Week on Something Awful...

Copyright ©2015 Rich "Lowtax" Kyanka & Something Awful LLC.


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So Much Better News Round Up w/b 14 July 2014

Lettuce FieldsHi Everyone! How are you ending this week? And without further ado, here’s the latest news from the online marketing world.

How To Build Your Audience Well Before Launching Your Product

You’d Be Surprised By What Really Motivates Users

Brands as Publishers: What Are The Signs of Brand Publishing Success? via @hugeinc

100 Ways to Build Your Business Online by John Rampton

A Vegetable Growing Cheat Sheet via @anglianhome

What’s The Difference Between A Font And A Typeface? @fastcodesign

How To Tap Into Social Norms to Build a Strong Brand via Moz

Mother faces paying £20,000 damages over Facebook ‘libel’

Love chooks? Then this is for you!

27 Marketing Tips That’ll Woo Your Visitors and Win Them Over: via @neilpatel

Hope you all enjoy my round up post for this week. Happy Weekend!

Photo by: David Castillo Dominici

So Much Better News Round Up w/b 30 June 2014

Welcome to the first Friday of July! How are you getting on? I am so happy to share with you again the buzz in the online marketing world. Read on and feel free to share. 9 Time-Saving Writing Tools for Content Marketers: Don’t Waste Your Time on “Finding Inspiration:” The 10-Minute Marketing MBA: 8 Ways […]

So Much Better News Round Up w/b 2 June 2014

Hello and welcome to this week’s industry news. I have compiled some great articles, opinions and tips good for the business. 16 Scandalous Excuses for Skipping Work 10 Life Lessons From a Navy SEAL: 7 Social Media Trends for Marketers: New Research When Idiots Attack: How to Handle Web Site Plagiarism [fabulous!] Looking to Outsource Your […]

So Much Better News Round Up W/B 19 May 2014

Welcome to my weekly online marketing Twitter news round up. I have so much to share which I sure you’ll enjoy. So, here we go! How to Create a Business Blogging Plan | Social Media Examiner [good tips!] 5 Instagram Tools to Better Manage Your Marketing: via @smexaminer Games and Your Brain: How to Use Gamification to […]

So Much Better News Round Up W/b 5 May 2014

Woohoo! Hello everyone! Now here’s what buzzing around the online marketing industry. Enjoy reading! How To Fix LinkedIn’s Biggest Annoyances How to nail social media in just ten minutes a day No Words Wasted: A Guide to Creating Focused Content: via @distilled Get the Most Out of Instagram with These 8 Surprising Stats: 50 Tweetable […]

So Much Better News Round Up W/b 21 April 2014

It’s my industry round up news time once again and I invite me to join me for some really interesting articles. Here we go! 9 Principles to Help You Keep Calm in Chaos: via @99u Facebook Tweaks News Feed Algorithm To Combat ‘Spammy’ Posts How Brands Are Using Twitter’s Redesigned Profile Pages 9 Tips for Taking […]

So Much Better News Round Up W/b 7 April 2014

I am once again excited to share with you my latest Twitter round up post. I really have some great articles which I’m sure you’ll all learn from. The 15-Minute Social Media Audit Everyone Can Do: The State of Content Marketing: You Say You Want a Revolution? by @shanesnow How Not to be an #EPIC Social Media Fail […]

So Much Better News Round Up w/b 28 March 2014

It’s Friday and it’s time for my weekly round up news. I’m sharing with you the latest update from the online marketing world. 8 Secret Daily Habits From the World’s Best Content Marketers: via @emilycretella 3 Psychological Theories To Help You Communicate Better With Anyone: 26 Time Management Hacks I Wish I’d Known at 20: via @egarbugli […]

So Much Better News Round Up w/b 10 March 2014

Here I am again for my latest round up news and I have a lot  of good reads in store for you. So here we go… 10 Free Audiobook Sites to Get Your Bookworm On [do you listen rather than read?] 7 Proven Secrets of High-Converting Checkouts [Good read]  The Art Of Doing Everything: via @fastcompany “Any fool […]


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Guest Editorials

Remembering the Significance of D-Day

dr marvin folkertsmaAt 0227 hours on the morning of June 6, 1944, Lieutenant Robert Mathias saw the red light flash above the door of his C47 “Dakota” aircraft, signaling his men to get ready to parachute into a terrifying blackness that was streaked with machine-gun tracers and punctuated by exploding rounds from four-barrel 20-millimeter Flakvierling-38 anti-aircraft guns. The Cotentin Peninsula loomed beneath him as he stared into an abyss crackling with enemy fire and crawling with Nazi troops. Machine-gun rounds peppered their slow-moving, easily targetable transport, “sounding like rocks being shaken in a tin can,” Stephen Ambrose reports. Then, just as he was ready to jump, a shell exploded nearby, shredding his reserve chute, propelling red-hot flak into his chest, and slamming his body to the floor. The light flashed green. He got up. He didn’t have to. He could’ve crawled away, let his men jump without him, returned to England, get treated. But he got up anyway, struggled to the open door, yelled, “Follow me!” and leapt into the hellish maw of combat below, and to his death. And into the history books as well.

d day cartoon
For they all knew they were making history, from the lowliest privates slugging it out with their M1 Garands, or BARs, or flamethrowers, to those at the peak of the Allied and German command structures. Everyone knew the stakes involved, especially Hitler, for whom the defeat of the invasion of France constituted “the sole decisive factor in the whole conduct of the war and hence in its final result.”

It is not hard to see why. The war had not been going well for the Third Reich, especially on the Russian front since the defeats at Stalingrad and Kursk in 1943, where the Russians had succeeded in demolishing entire armies in the German order of battle. Still, the situation for Germany was not hopeless; far from it. Indeed, the Germans had conquered so much territory that they could afford to exchange it for time to recoup their losses, strike back at the Soviets, stabilize the line in the east, and perhaps arrange for a separate peace, which is approximately what happened in World War I. Best of all, the grotesque alliance arrayed against Germany could not be expected to hold together. Or so he reasoned.

Interestingly, Hitler’s thinking was mirrored at least in part by those in charge of Western strategy. Without question, a failed invasion of France would constitute a calamity of incalculable proportions for the Western allies. It would takes months – perhaps an additional year – to reorganize and mount a similar endeavor, giving the Germans additional time to prepare. Perhaps worst of all would be the damage to troop morale, along with the corrosive effects on American and British public opinion. The British had little stomach for more years of war, and Americans were habitually impatient, a mordant combination that might have concluded military operations with an armistice instead of a surrender, and before the availability of atomic weapons.

Further, the record of previous amphibious landings was not particularly instructive, though they had been successful – three in Sicily and Italy – but these had been against unfortified coastlines. The attack made by the Canadians in 1942 at Dieppe, a skeletally fortified port in northern France, was a catastrophe. Yet, if the Americans and British were serious about defeating Hitler, the attempt had to be made and it had to succeed, because the alternatives were unthinkable: a continent dominated by two totalitarian powers, or worse, a Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, which would result in Russian domination of Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals.

Indeed, it is this latter possibility that brings into bold relief the long-term significance of the Allied victory on D-Day, in that the triumph over Nazi Germany in 1944 and 1945 saved Western Europe from being conquered by an equally barbaric Soviet Union. In short, the seeds of the West’s ultimate Cold War victory a half century later were planted on the bloody beaches of Normandy, because in the long run not one but two totalitarian powers collapsed – one in 1945, the other in 1991 – as a result of our victory on D-Day. In his simple, direct way, Eisenhower stated it best: “We cannot afford to fail.” He was more prescient than he knew.

A week after D-Day, Ernie Pyle wrote in his column, “Now that it is over it seems to me a pure miracle that we ever took the beach at all.” Rather, make that tens of thousands of miracles, all consisting of heroic young men who formed the backbone of “aroused democracies,” to use the words of Eisenhower again. Men like Lieutenant Robert Mathias, who, by sacrificing his life saved the world – twice, as it were – along with thousands of others who fought and died on D-Day.

Dr. Marvin Folkertsma is a professor of political science and fellow for American studies with The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College. The author of several books, his latest release is a high-energy novel titled "The Thirteenth Commandment."