It is disquieting to look upon the river for the first time, but one is never prepared for the things that partake of infinity. Mark the steady current. Listen to the soft rhythm of the waves. It's like some cosmic timepiece patiently counting the centuries, ensuring that we keep our appointments among the stars. Kneel here in the sparse sand and dip your hand into the warm water. For a moment you are one with a fisherman near Paduca who snatches his protesting quarry from the dark safety of the riverbed. For this instant of time you are a brother to a young boy south of Memphis who stands knee-deep in the water and tempts his dog to follow, and the river does not end where the land ends. This floating twig may one day come ashore at Rio or Gibraltar. Everything lies downstream in Shanghai, for this is the doorway to the world. The National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation presents Doorway to the World, the seventh in a series of programs Heritage Over the Land, describing the remarkable changes that have lately come to the American South. In order to document this 20th century revolution, NBC correspondent Henry Cassidy made a trip through the South and recorded the voices and the sounds that have accompanied the changes. Some subtle, some as compelling as a clap of thunder. Today Mr. Cassidy reports on the chain of rivers that feed down to New Orleans and the part they play in this southern renaissance. Mr. Cassidy. For a starting place, let me take you to the office of Bob Massey of the International Harvester Company in Memphis, Tennessee. We could see across the river, into Arkansas, south, almost to Mississippi. Mr. Massey had seen many dawns across the river and often marked the shadows of sunset reaching out from the opposite shore. I asked him what changes have come to this city and what survives. Memphis still is a great cotton center, but the changes the past 10 years have been tremendous. Industry has been expanding in Memphis. New paychecks coming into the community. The city still retains a great deal of the old south, however. The old days are roused about on the river gone. The river's still flowing along its own placid way, carrying a great deal more of the finished goods of industry these days, though, but a lot of steel, a lot of automobiles, farm equipment moving down the river. A lot of steel, automobiles, farm equipment moving down the river. In a sense, that sums up the story we have to tell, for it's within the memory of men still living when cotton, lumber, the products of the farms that rolled out of the river were the only traffic on this twisting road. In those jettlerless hurried days, men were content to regulate their affairs by the speed of the current. A great deal of the produce was simply loaded on barges and floated downstream. Two great wars, the war between the states and the First World War, seem to touch it as lightly as the breezes that ripple the surface of the water, but the change was coming as surely as a spring thaw follows the snow. It was Howard Keane of the Firestone Synthetic Rubber Plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana who set the stage. The first chemical development in this area followed closely the development of a ship channel from the Gulf to Lake Charles. That development of the ship channel was one of the few wherein the area itself provided the money to dig the channel. The money was raised among the peoples of this area. They did it to increase the possibility of industry in the Lake Charles area. And so they began to build a new dock where earlier a few wave rotted piles had offered scant hospitality to the passing traffic. A deepened channel, road crews working on the cobblestone streets that run down to the riverfront. This is an age of organization. The old systems that had been adequate when Mark Twain piloted his old sidewheeler were no longer effective. A plan was needed and men with boldness and vision to carry it out. Here is the voice of one who answered the call. I was sent down here by the Associated Press in 1939 after several years in Europe including a year covering the Spanish War. I was a little tired of writing war news and that kind of thing. And when I got to Louisiana, the famous Louisiana political scandals had just broken down here and there was a lot of very sensational news and very little constructive news. It occurred to me that it would be a fine idea if we could develop something along a constructive line, not only for news but for the citizens of this area. The port was in the process of reorganization and originally I conceived an idea of having some kind of an exposition in Louisiana to celebrate sort of the rebirth of the port. But because of the war it was postponed and eventually abandoned altogether and changed into the idea that now is international house. This is Charles Nutter, Managing Director of International House at New Orleans, Louisiana. As a newsman and a good one, he knows a good story when he sees it. Knows too that big headlines sometimes begin in simple ways. What is behind these galley proofs of type, these giant photographs? What is it Charlie, you are doing here? We are attempting to promote better trade relations with the entire world through the Mississippi Valley, the states and ports. It's our idea to colorate better business relationships through friendship and through reciprocal arrangements, not on the governmental level but on the business level. And in doing so we try to bring businessmen here to see how we work, go visit them, try to educate our own business leaders and we try to reach businessmen throughout the world to tell them what is available to them in the Mississippi Valley region. This is a non-profit civic organization. There are no charges for the help that we afford them. We have had millions of contacts with business leaders during that 10-year period. We try to bring businessmen together but not to conduct any business. After we get them together it's strictly up to them what results. The trademark, which is a sister organization, is a display and exhibit. We try to get foreign governments and foreign business leaders to bring their goods here and exhibit them so that businessmen can come from all over the world and see what they have, not only here but from elsewhere. And two work together. I think this is a very solid, very constructive move and if peace is to be maintained in the world it seems to me it'll be on the business level and that's what we're working toward. And he is not alone in the task set out before him. Others add their voices and their hands. News of their work has spread upstream and down, filtered back even to the small landings on the streams that feed ultimately into the widening river. Youngsters watching the river from the high bluffs have a new promise now and the older ones, wise in the ways of the river, see a new chapter beginning to unfold. Ships from these river docks calling at the ports of the world, it's not a new dream but the fulfillment was a long time in the making. Here is one who remembers the river in the years just after the First World War. Harry X. Kelly, president of the Mississippi Shipping Company, the Delta Line. This company was organized in 1919 particularly to establish service to Brazil. At that time there were British ships and Japanese ships carrying coffee from Brazil to New Orleans but there were no ships under the American flag and the businessmen of New Orleans thought there should be southbound service with American flag ships and the company was organized particularly to develop business to and from Brazil. After that about a year the service was extended to include Uruguay and Argentina. After World War II when we found that there was no direct service to West African ports and that there were commodities there which were badly in need in the Mississippi Valley we established a line of ships operating to and from West African ports. In addition to our company there have been many new lines established. There are great many more sailings to the far east than there formerly were and great many more sailings to South Africa and various other parts of the world which have developed in the last 10 or 15 years. New Orleans is now the gateway for the entire Mississippi Valley. There's an estimate that the exporters and importers in the Mississippi Valley serve a total of about 70 million people. Masca Gula, Mississippi perched on the edge of the Gulf or more properly on the Mississippi Sound embraced by two small necks of land that protect the sound from the waters of the Gulf. This is a special day, a ship launching at the huge Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. It looks like a gay holiday, flags everywhere, there's a ban the workers address many of them in their Sunday bets. One finds it hard to believe that anything so somber as business enterprise has anything to do with this festive occasion. We're here to watch the launching of a new ship and the moment is almost around. At this time we'll ask the Reverend M. L. Smith, pastor of the First Methodist Church of Moss Point, Mississippi, to ask the invocation. Let us pray, O God, we thank Thee for the sounds and for the organization and for the labor and for the skill that has gone into the making of this beautiful and great ship. We pray that it may be one more of those great things that will help to bring a better life to our civilization. Wherever this ship goes, may its crew have thy guidance and thy help and grant, O God, that the world may become better and better by such ships as this that go to sea. We ask in the master's name, amen. The ship, it's a Navy LST, perches on the ways like a seaborn creature anxious to return to its element. A smiling, awkward, bedecked lady stands on a small platform at the bow with the champagne close at hand. In a moment all the planning, all the labor will be fulfilled in a giant splash of the waves and the sight of this graceful thing of steel and wood, of wire and the miracles of chemistry riding the surface of the water. But first, time to chat for a moment with one of the men who dreamed this dream and worked to see it come true. Mr. Monroe Lanya, president of the Ingalls Shipbuilding Company. Well, our Pascagouli Yard, which is one of our two yards, is one of the five largest yards in America. We have ten shipways and nine outfitting buoys, and I believe that our capacity is rated about third or fourth in the United States. We employ, at present, while operating five of our ten ways, approximately 5,000 men. That is approximately 50% of our capacity. There has been expended here, including government facilities, and that finished by the corporation, something like $10 million. The value is a number of million. As a New Englander, I am familiar with the great shipyards that dot the rocky harbors from Maine to Connecticut. Yards still in operation that turned out sailing ships for the China trade after the Revolutionary War and graceful gun-laden vessels that did battle with the British in 1812. So I was curious to learn why this familiar craft should be spreading out now to this new section of the land, why I wondered had this new place been chosen. It was William Guest, executive vice president of Ingalls, who gave me the answer. We preferred to stay on the Gulf Coast as close to the steel mills at Birmingham and we selected Pascagoula because it is on the inter-coastal waterways and enables us to bring in steel as we desire from the Birmingham mills by water. Also the weather, and particularly the mild winters, had a great deal to do with the location. Particularly in welding, painting, and various operations, there are certain restrictions on doing this work in extreme cold weather. In the Mississippi and our operations here, we've had very little interference from freezing weather. And who, Mr. Guest, and Mr. Laña, buys the ships that slide down these ways? The bulk of the work is in Navy work, consisting of LSTs, LSDs, and one large icebreaker, a prototype. However, we still do have four vessels to be delivered to the United States Maritime Administration of the Mariner Class. And we have some barges on contract. We also do considerable amount of special pressure work for chemical and process industries. At the close of the war, we were one of the few shipyards in America who did not receive a single cancellation. We built the majority of the C3 class of cargo vessel, which was the largest and fastest dry cargo vessel in the world. Nearly every major shipping line in the world has some of English ships. The average wage in the yard is approximately $1.95 an hour. The payroll at this time is running on approximately $25 million a year. And we have expanded in payroll since we have been in Pascagoula, approximately $175 million. But our conversation was quickly interrupted. Mr. Guest was needed to start the ceremony. Ladies, gentlemen, distinguished guests, on behalf of our management and my fellow workers, we extend to you the highly welcome to our yard to participate in this launching ceremony of the LST 1165, which is a 147 ship launch at this yard since we transferred our major shipbuilding activities to Pascagoula. It's now my pleasure to introduce our sponsor, Mrs. Ralph K. James. Very glad to have you here, Mrs. James. Thank you, Mr. Guest. I'm thrilled to be here. It's a wonderful experience and a great honor and privilege to sponsor the fine ship. And I would like to wish the ship well during her entire Navy career. Now everybody keep their fingers crossed that I break the bottle. All right, we'll do that. There's a signal for all clear. James is ready with the bottle. The launching ship takes place. Here she goes. An LST 1165 is sliding down the wave. The champagne's everywhere. In just one moment, those of you around will hear, they launch the drag chains, pick up the retard ship speed as it gets into the river. Now settling in the water. LST 1165 is now waterborne. And there are new voices to be heard along these rivers. Walk the little docks at Hannibal, where a youngster named Sam Clemens played hooky from school to ponder the lesson that the river teaches. Louisville and Memphis, St. Louis and Baton Rouge. The words are different, but the message is the same. I think our future of the American Merchant Marine is closely tied in with the future of our foreign trade. And as most people know, about 10% of our gross natural product is exported. I think we definitely have to have an American Merchant Marine to guarantee that this trade gets to foreign markets. Captain John Clark of the Delta Lines. We're very proud of our port here. We think it's a very efficient port. We've been given a lot of favorable publicity recently in comparison with other ports of the United States. More and more industries are coming down south. We have the great Mississippi Valley to draw from. It's a natural outlet for trade through a great part of the United States. I think we have a great future down here. And this voice, Harry S. Harden, Senior President of the Board of Port Commissioners of New Orleans. He has listened to the echoes that still sound from the old days when the river traffic moved down with the slowness of the current and the gentle passage of the years. Have you marked the changes? Oh, there's been a very substantial change. I was raised here on the riverfront when they never had a warehouse. There were many railroad tracks, and a lot of freight came into New Orleans on side whalers and old stone wheel boats, and was unloaded on the shell banks on the river, covered by tarpaulins. We're just completing a $21 million program that we started about two years ago, two and a half years ago. We're also completing a new $3.5 million worth at the foot of Napoleon Avenue. We have just let a contract for a new $3 million worth at the foot of Salier Street. Eight months ago, we completed the $2.5 million worth which we turned over to the United Fruit Company for their use. But of course, one cannot seek to know the river without knowing the strange and fascinating city that lies at Journey's End, New Orleans. Since time out of mind, a place of enchantment and mystery, the New Orleans of the fabulous Mardi Gras and the romance of lovely ladies observing the visitor from behind intriguing masks. We sought to know this place, and inevitably our questions led us to one who knows the city perhaps as no other does. And even as a guide in some old cathedral sometimes takes a bantering tone through long association with beauty, so this man spoke with an easy familiarity of fantastic things. May I present Mr. Charles Dufour, New Orleans newspaper man. You know, we in New Orleans say that our town is founded in 1718. Actually, it was started in 1717, but the actual living facilities weren't set up for a year or so. We like to think of it as an old and cultured community, and of course it is. Its history doesn't need embellishment. There's no sense in going out and painting the old lily, a gilded, refined gold, because New Orleans has a law which is genuine without bringing in the folk law. For example, you'll hear a lot of people talk about Canal Street. That's the big old street down there, our Broadway, 171 feet from Sidewalk to Sidewalk. One of the famous streets of the world. Well, that's named Canal Street, people will tell you, because there's a canal under it. Well, the truth of the matter is it's named Canal Street for a canal that never was dug. Then we have some stories about our famous old custom house, which was built by General Beauregard, then Major Beauregard, and the story is that it's built on cotton bales. The truth of the matter was that when they were building the custom house, they said in the foundations, they had a lot of planks there, and they had a grill of logs of which concrete was poured, and to seal up the logs they used cotton rope, which was woven right on the spot from cotton bales that were brought there. So somebody passing in a hack must have said, look, they're building that thing on cotton bales. Well, you know how a story goes. History is really written by nobody who's on the scene, generally writing about something that didn't exist. Tell us, Mr. Dufour, about the famous French Quarter. I like to think of New Orleans as a city of contradictions. And the reason we call that the French Quarter is very interesting. It was built by the Spaniards. We have a lot of contradictions here in New Orleans. For example, one of the famous spots in our French Quarter built by the Spaniards is the French Market. And the reason we call it the French Market is this. It was a Choctaw Indian site for their market work, and on it the Spaniards built a market. It's largely peopled by Italian merchants who get their vegetables from the German coast, which is up the river from New Orleans, and it was rebuilt by WPA American money. So obviously we in New Orleans call it the French Market. There are two things I should say that are very interesting about New Orleans. One of the French writers of New Orleans of about those 30 or 40 years ago said that the first man to jump ashore after the landing was a tax collector. And of course, that always struck me as very amusing because a tax collector seems to be with us yet in all languages. My guess is the second man to leap ashore after the tax collector in New Orleans was a man who was sitting in the back of the boat and yelled to one of his friends, three to one he doesn't make it. Because we've had a long tradition of the games of chance here in New Orleans, and I imagine that you will find, in fact you can find in the early history of the city, one of the first ordinances under the American domination the city fathers set out to correct gambling in New Orleans. That has been a periodic, as we say in the newspaper business, a standing head now for about 150 years. We hear a lot about New Orleans gamblers. What part does gambling play in the economy of this city? I hesitate to say that gambling contributes to the economy of anybody except the gamblers. You know, it's a funny thing about gambling. One of the greatest gamblers New Orleans ever had is one of its most fabulous character, Bernard de Marini. Bernard de Marini was of the blue blooded French, and his father had vast estates and vast monies. And when Louis Philippe visited here in 1798, the Marini's shouted him with money. He was broke. He was a bourbon prince out of a job, and so they shouted him with money. And in return, Louis Philippe introduced a unique pastime into this country called craps. Well, Bernard de Marini's enthusiasm was such that he was always guessing the wrong numbers that came up on the little cubes. As a result, he went broke. So if you want to say that gambling is a part of our life in New Orleans, I'll say you are indubitably correct. If you want to say it has contributed to its economic well-being, I ask you to interview a gambler, not me. Then tell us about the influence of the French in this city. Now we like to talk a lot about culture, our French culture in New Orleans. Now frankly, I hope I don't annoy too many of my dear Creole friends. And let me say for the, at that point, the word Creole may have stumped a lot of you people. The word Creole means a pure blooded white descendant of French or Spanish or any European, for that matter, born in the New World. We have English Creoles and we have German Creoles up here, what we call the German coast up above New Orleans. There are many, many, many families today which have French names which actually are Germans and they were known as German Creoles. I'll give you an interesting little story. This is a digression, but I think you'll be interested. Back in 1721, John Law brought a lot of Germans over. And one of the Germans to come over was a man named Johann Zweig. Now when he landed, the little French parish priest asked him all their names that came down the line. He knew not a word of German. So he said, Zweig, Zweig, what is Zweig? Well, Mr. Zweig was befuddled. He didn't know what he was talking about. Finally, he understood at last that the priest was trying to find out what his name was. So the man in exact operation reached up and plucked a branch of a tree and he held it up in front of him. Ah, said the priest, La Branche, La Branche. So Zweig, which means twig or branch, became La Branche in the annals of Louisiana. And today, the La Branche family is one of the Creoles, of the Creole family who are basically Zweig. That is a perfect example. But to get back to the original theme, we talk and we boast considerably about our French culture. I regret to say that we have a tradition for French culture, but our French culture as such is dying out. The French that was universally spoken in New Orleans is now spoken comparatively by a handful of people. I would say the French culture is being replaced by the general culture of America. But with this exception, New Orleans is a port city and port cities do not lose their cosmopolitanism. Well, we're a polyglot community now. I mean, you can find names from every one of the United Nations. And that gradually has taken over and somehow or other the French influence has waned. But one need wander only a little way into this city to find the places that have intrigued travelers since the days when Napoleon flew his tricolor above the city hall. Brennan's restaurant on fabulous Bourbon Street, it was in the early hours of the morning. The dishes of a truly magnificent supper had been cleared away and the diners were enjoying the music of a band as typical of this city as the wrought iron grills in the old houses that stand proudly against the feudal years. My host, Owen Brennan, was telling me about one of his most famous visitors. The highlight of all the people that I've ever met in the French Quarter, the greatest thrill I got was so unexpectedly I was called out to an automobile one night to meet, and it was a real friend of mine. Well, as I stooped down to see who was in the automobile, it was Franklin Roosevelt, our former president. It really was a thrill. And when I told my boys about it, they wanted to know when's Hoppe coming around. I see where the French Quarter can keep in step with any progress that New Orleans has to offer. The music began to come up before he had finished speaking. It was a moment or so before I recognized it. Then, of course, Dixie. But Dixie, as I had never heard it played before, played here in this capital of the old sun. It became a symbol to me, this music, a symbol of the change that has come to this land to all the lands below the straggling line of Mason and Dixie. Here, one may come to find a past that still survives as is fitting, but there are changes too. Listen to this music, for in this rhythm, as in this city, there is a blend of the past and the present. Old houses, heavy with history, standing within sight of the river that stretches off toward tomorrow. Dip your hand into the warm water. It touches Rio and Gibraltar. The river does not end where the land ends. London lies downstream and Shanghai. This is the doorway to the world. You have been listening to Doorway to the World, the seventh in a series, Heritage over the Land, describing the changes that have come lately to the American South. This series, done in cooperation with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is written and directed by William Allen Bales, produced by Miss Lee F. Payton. Dick Dudley speaking. Next week, the story of power, the force that brings light into the shattered places, returns the wheels of the new industries. It is anticipated that later series will deal with changes in other sections of the country.


In the wake of World Communications and Information Day, Nigerians have been urged to harness the opportunities and impact which digital communication brings. Destiny Momor has more. World Telecommunications and Information Society Day has been celebrated annually every 17 May since 1969 to mark the founding of the International Telecommunication Union, ITU and the signing of the First International Telegraph Convention in 1865. The COVID-19 crisis has not only highlighted the critical role of information and communication technologies for continued functioning of societies, but has also brought to the fore the startling digital inequalities between and within countries. In commemoration of the day, a telecommunications expert, Michael Dazzie, says Nigerians have embraced digital communication as the new normal, complying with social media and other digital services. Information technology is a great invention that has come to enhance humanity in every respect and in every way of life. Nigeria to some extent has embraced it. We can see that with the introduction of GSM in 2001. Many other innovations that have come into the country that is powered by ICT. So it's really a big achievement for Africa and Nigeria that we have embraced information technology. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of accelerating digital transformation and advancing the goals and targets of the Connect 2030 agenda to leave no one behind. Just how has communication and information helped in building a society to achieve national development? Do we have enough infrastructure that will enable information to get to everyone? I said to you, internet penetration is less than 50 percent. So if we are going to use the web to disseminate information, how many people will get access to that? How many people have access to TV? How many people have access to radio system that they can listen to? World telecommunication and information there is an opportunity to continue to push for digital transformation by promoting national strategies on ICT development, smart policies to encourage investment cooperation and partnership. Destin Momo for Plus TV Africa. Updates


Alright my friends, what is going on and welcome back. Welcome back to some more reaction videos today. It is the next day Yesterday we got up to a guy Logan Ryan in fact it buzzed me up because this was the first free agent listed. I've ever seen on this list Now I'm not sure exactly what that means. Does that mean no actually What I'm assuming that means and in fact we're looking at him right now. I better get the screen recorder going But looking at Ryan he may Sitting in the middle there Here's a corner back. He's a free agent right now, which must mean he played for the Titans got let go at the end of the season and hasn't been picked up or at least that's how I see it now That was five months ago. He may have been picked up since we're about to find out but first let's get into the video You know I really buzzed out there because I thought his number was seven six for whatever reason But that wouldn't make sense because corner that can't be in the 70s, right? Please all over the place Another person that people don't really Logan Ryan and play for the Titans. He's got it makes a lot of plays For the record Logan Ryan had a hundred and thirteen tackles what last year as a cornerback in the NFL for cornerbacks Ryan had a hundred and thirteen tackles Chops in the NFL for cornerbacks One of the reasons is that he plays all over the field. I'm gonna see that flip For the record Logan Ryan had a hundred look at that.  He's gonna take your waist.   He got flipped up for it One of the reasons is that he plays all over the field having the ability to play inside and outside and I was gonna rewind it to the last time that that guy yelled out sack But he did it again and he's most likely gonna do it for a third time. So let's just keep listening It's hilarious.  Let's see if I can find it on Google who yells. No What NFL commentator yells sack? sack Chris Collins with is it is it is it Chris Collins with? The 16 most annoying sportscaster. Sorry guys. We'll get back to Logan Ryan eventually, but if I can just Put a face to a name or to a voice. I'd be happy It's not Skip Bayless sexy a sportcaster Aaron Andrews possibly Chris Collins with can be heard bumbling his way through football games I Don't think it was him. You know what guys to be fair. I I don't think I'm gonna be able to find it But that that was quite funny I think this guy has maybe almost 30 passes broken up. It was actually 18 To behind the league leaders Damn bro, no wonder. He's on the list right having been voted there by his peers by the wide receivers that he's breaking up the Passes for right these good. Well, this is clean. I think this is Keenan Allen right here Possibly possibly not Either way, he's an absolute ballhawk. He's all over the field and he must have some epic Pre-draft measurable. So before we continue, I want to know How old he is how tall he is how heavy he is and how fast he is. So let's find out February 9th, 1991. He's 29 to be honest. I did not believe he was that old I thought he was about 25 5 foot 11 or 180 on the dot 195 pounds or 88 kg Pick number 83 in the third round of the 2013 draft He's played at the Patriots for three years the Titans for two years and at the point that this video came out He must have been released and now he's been picked up by the Giants two-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots 525 total tackles as of week 13, 2020 Let's get these pre-draft measurables here. Oh, so he's 181 at the pre-draft not 180 So he's five foot 11 and 18th of an inch I'll give him that 456 for the 40 yard dash I'd say he uses every single millisecond of that within the game 32 and a half inches in vertical jump 9 foot 8 in the board Jump 9 foot 8 in the broad jump 14 reps of the bench You know to be honest I feel like he probably was just your average third round Cornerback the Patriots selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft He was the 14th cornerback drafted in 2013 now. He's the 60th best player in the league Seven years later. It's quite a it's quite a fair amount of time to be honest seven years to be playing your trade now Let's find out what happened With his release January the fourth 2020 the Titans played in the wild card round of the playoffs where they faced Ryan's former team The New England Patriots and the waning seconds of the game with Titans leading 14 13 in New England on their own one yard line Ryan intercepted a deflected pass from former teammate Tom Brady Which turned out to be Brady's final pass as a Patriot as he would not return to the Patriots the following season He returned it for a nine yard touchdown the score secured a 2013 upset allowing the Titans to play in the divisional round of the playoffs for the second time in three years In the divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens Ryan recorded a team-high 13 tackles during the 2812 Road victory and as we all know the Titans did play against the Kansas City Chiefs in the final Okay, so the New York Giants on September 5th 2020 signed a one-year $7.5 million contract with the New York Giants and weak five against the Dallas Cowboys have recorded a tackle on quarterback Dak Prescott that caused Prescott's right ankle to compound fractured as he was the reason for Dak Prescott to be injured. Okay Okay Not many people would probably know that they'd look at that and they'd think oh Dak Prescott's injured who actually made the tackle Well, it was Logan Ryan in week nine against the Washington football team One day against one day after his wife suffered an Etopic pregnancy Ryan recorded his first interception of the season off quarterback Alex Smith with less than two minutes in the fourth quarter to secure a 23-20 Giants win Was that the first win of the Giants season that may have been? No, no the Giants are actually doing okay. They've got five wins. Maybe I was sorry. I was thinking of the Jets Sorry, I was thinking of the Jets. All right guys. Let's continue I'm hoping that they tell us exactly why he was released This year seven or eight for him and for him to be doing that. I love like that I definitely respect it 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. That's a big time. He's in his eighth season Oh See what could what could Landry have done better then could you've got a better release? Could you have faked him on the inside to really get him to go that way? Would it have even worked is Logan Ryan that good of a corner back? Let's see Yeah, he didn't really give him anything. He just went to the left In the biggest game in decades for the Titans their old film bested in old good There we go.  So I'm gonna go Logan Ryan, I mean we all know who's next right? It was OBJ Logan Ryan released from Titans Cornerback bids farewell on Twitter remains one of the NFL's top available free agents. That was May 5th, 2020 It has been apparent for weeks Logan Ryan made it official Tuesday The veteran cornerback will not resign for the Titans big part of the community He did not indicate where he was headed or whether or not he even knows He's been an unrestricted free agent since the start of the NFL's new contract year in March He said to the Titans fans Thank you for all the love the energy and support this past season is what led to an epic run It looks as if the 29 year old coming off his best season to date. He's one of the top players still available He set career highs in in 2019 Also had four interceptions One short of his career high which made him the third defensive back in the last decade We're with at least four sacks interceptions and force fumbles on the same season So clearly He wanted to get paid the next year He's been public with this desire for a contract that pays at least 10 million per season Which is what he made during his time of the Titans He signed a three-year 30 million deal with the Titans in 2017 and Played 45 out of a possible 48 games over the past three years. Okay, so he's left He's come to the end of his contract that obviously haven't given him 10 million a season which he's wanted and then we did read that he signed with the Giants and he still didn't get his 10 million dollar a season contract He got 7.5 million for one year Interesting. All right guys That's about enough of that in the next one. We're gonna be looking at an old favorite OBJ It's been a fair few a fair few months since we've looked at OBJ But for any of you guys who are searching out their rugby player reacts to OBJ or Odell Beckham, Jr. Or rugby player reacts to the Cleveland Browns These videos are gonna come up and I can't wait for you to watch so thanks for watching guys. Peace out and I'll see you soon


Can you do this Vectis review? I'm practicing. Haven't you heard of practice? Let it go. Mom over here. Welcome to the Pyramid Insider. I'm Tyler Patner. Hots on Vectis, lever action. The Vectis was announced at Shacho 2019 in January, and they had these on shelves basically right towards the end of January, early February. So it's awesome to see a company announcing a gun and quickly getting it onto shelves in India users' hands, which is fantastic. There's a lot going on here with the Vectis. Obviously, the lever action being the most notable part. It's available in 1, 7, 7, 22, and 25. Now let's check out some of the close-up specs. So one thing you guys will all obviously notice about the Vectis is that there is a lot of polymer on this gun, and that includes a fully polymer shroud. Now at the end here, you kind of an air stripping device. Under there, I believe what they say, at least, is that there is a QE system set up under this shroud piece. So we'll see how that does in the noise department. I'm not sure having these over here kind of directing that air off to the sides that may impact our noise output a little bit, may make things a little bit louder. But we'll see. We'll get it out there and test it for you guys, of course. Now on top of this polymer frame rail here is an entire Picatinny 11 millimeter dovetail set up. And it actually comes with a set of open sights that fit in there quite nicely. And they're pretty low-profile flip-ups. So if you do want to leave them on the gun and mount your scope, it's not a huge deal to do so. They are fiber optic, of course. And I'm not a fan of fiber optics, so I just chose to take them off. And of course, for accuracy testing, we're going to mount a scope on it anyway to see how it does. Now internally, the Vectis is patterned after the Hotson Flash, which we saw last year, which did very well in our review. So a lot of this stuff is going to be similar between the two. When we talk about filling the gun, it's a 200 bar fill pressure. It does include a fill probe. And you will notice that the probe is threaded on one end. So that's 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 inch BSPP. You're going to need that little male quick disconnect fitting to go ahead and adapt this to most hose set up. So keep that in mind. But when we're talking about filling the gun, one thing that I griped about with the flash is that there was no cover or dust port insert. And they have actually added that here. And I believe they've added it for the flash as well. So that's great to see. I love that.  Now underneath the rail on the bottom of the forestock here, you will notice a small picatinny section. We mounted a bipod just to show it here. But you could certainly mount bipod laser light, whatever the heck your heart desires there. And moving on back into the trigger and lever action assembly here. This is the Quattro trigger. So it is fully adjustable out of the box. It's got a nice first stage, second stage definition. But definitely on the heavier side, then I would prefer it. But we're going to test it as is for you guys like we do with everything. And you have a manual safety just above it, which is really nicely placed for the right handed shooters out there for you lefties. I'm sorry. It's not going to be that friendly for you. But very easy to just actuate with that finger. Now talking about this lever action guys, I was really skeptical of this when I found out about this gun purely because my experience with lever action PCPs really is just the Sumatra at this point. And that gun is very hard to rack with just your hand. I kind of have to hold it like this to go ahead and operate. It's kind of like you do with a Daisy Red Rider. This is super easy. I was astonished on the Shacho floor when they showed me how to do this. And then I did it myself. It's super easy. And it's a very short throw as well. It's only about 45 degrees. So cocking this thing is that. That's it. It's super easy. You can do it with the back of your hand without hurting yourself. There's almost no strain on it whatsoever. And getting those quick follow up shots is going to be a breeze. If you have the gun in the shoulder, I mean, this is just, that's it. That's it. And you got another round in the chamber. So assuming you don't have any issues with your magazine, this is maybe the fastest non-semi-auto follow up shot in terms of, you know, getting those rounds down range quickly gun that I've seen to date. So that is really awesome. I like this feature a ton. One of the other features of the Vectis I wanted to highlight for you guys was de-cocking the gun. On lever action guns, it's typically very difficult to do. But with the Vectis, it's pretty simple. They've actually added this in here, it looks like. So basically you have this tab on the inside of the trigger guard there that you can depress. And if you depress it and then pull the trigger at the same time, you'll hear it click. And you just get your hand out of the way and let that lever lock back in. And now you are de-cocked and good to go. So if you ever do need to do that, just keep in mind because it's not detailed in the manual. Now moving up to the breech, of course, it is the same 11 millimeter kind of weaver combo rail that we normally see out of the Hotson guns. You do have two 12 round magazines here in 22 caliber that come with the gun. They have worked reliably for us so far through our pre-testing, no problems with these. I know there were some initial problems with the flash magazines, which these are basically the same mag. So these have held up just fine for us. The gun does also come with a single shot tray as well, which is a nice little touch. Although I don't think you're gonna be using it too much with that nice follow-up shot capability there. One thing to keep in mind, you are definitely gonna need high mounts because you can see when you throw that magazine into the breech there, you kind of have to be mindful, just looking at it here of where that goes in because obviously you have a very little amount of clearance space between most rings. So you're definitely gonna need high rings. And if you are using a 30 millimeter tube scope, you may have to play with the positioning of the saddle here to make sure that you're not interfering with the magazine. Overall, the thumbhole stock feels pretty good in the hand. It's not terribly heavy as well. And you got a rubber butt pad at the back as well as this raised cheek piece here. The gun comes into the shoulder pretty nicely. And again, the weight's not too bad at all. It's gonna make this a nice field gun for you. The stock is kind of a nice rugged polymer, although it doesn't look the greatest in my opinion. And to be honest, there is a ton of polymer on this gun, which typically something I'm not a huge fan of. But if the gun performs well, I don't know if it matters. So let's head out to the range and see how it does. So seeing that the Vectis is basically the same action overall as the Flash was, we knew the gun was gonna be accurate out to 45 yards and we also knew that it wasn't gonna get a whole lot of shots per fill. So we elected to do five shot groupings here out at that 45 yard distance. And the results were pretty solid.  And the JSB 18s did the same thing as well. Again, like 0.7172. So really nice five shot groupings there. We also tested the new JSB Hades pellets. This is some early samples that we have here. And just over an inch for five shots, definitely gonna be an interesting hunting round for you guys, but maybe not the most accurate out of the Vectis here. Overall, our Vectis definitely prefers the JSB pellets to everything else we tested. So grab yourself some of those and you're gonna be in good shape. Since we saw the same accuracy from the JSB Jumbo's and the Jumbo heavies, we went ahead and chronographed both. They're putting out about 30 foot pounds and 28 foot pounds respectively. The one thing you'll notice though is that there's a very large extreme spread with a very steep downward curve. So what you're seeing is this gun's basically power tuned, meaning you're gonna get your best velocity, your best energy right off the top of the fill at 200 bar. Now the downside to that is that you're only getting about eight to 10 good shots before we're getting outside of a 20 or 30 foot per second velocity range that is gonna influence our point of impact down range. So while we did two magazines worth of shots, I would say you're looking at about 15 usable shots on a stock setting with the Vectis. Before we get into our wrap up, as always, don't forget to like this video, give us some lever action love for the Vectis. Comment down below, tell us what you thought of the gun, what you'd like to see us review next and don't forget to subscribe. Starting with the positives for this 22 caliber Hotson Vectis, obviously it's got good accuracy out to 45 yards. You have great power out of it and that quick shot ability with this lever action system is in my opinion right now, second to none. This is absolutely fantastic and I hope they can integrate this on more of their guns. Now, my gripes with this gun, there are a few of them. I am not a fan of this much polymer, especially where I'm mounting my scope rings because usually your scope rings are metal, mounting that into a polymer section, typically not the best idea, but we didn't have any drift issues. I didn't see any POI change. So I can't really, it's a personal gripe for me. Now the gun is loud, that's fact, all right? So know that going in if you are looking at purchasing this gun and you're not gonna get a whole lot of shots out of it. Good power, but low shot count. I would love to see them kind of tune somewhere in the middle of that and give you more shots with a decent amount of power. That's just me. Or to be quite honest with you guys, if they could integrate that lever action system onto something with a wood stock, with a bottle on it or larger air capacity, I'm gonna be all for that product as long as they make it quiet. But for the price point, this is in guys, the Vectis is certainly a solid contender from a performance perspective and one you need to have your eye on if you like a quick follow-up shot capability. So check out the Vectis on pyramidair.com for the Insider I'm Tyler Patner. We'll see you guys at the next one.


I'm presenting here ZTSDB, a time series database management system for our users. The high-level goals are to handle many incoming time series potentially from different sources, to get real-time access in R where the statistical analysis can be handled best, and to delegate the heavy lifting to the database. The main concepts of ZTSDB, first and foremost, it's a no-SQL database. Instead, we provide an R-based programming language that's used for queries, for programmatic access, for backup, copy, transform, distribution, and the automation of all this. And we also propose usual R structures, and in addition an n-dimensional time series and nanosecond resolution temporal types. It's got immediate and symbiotic access via R. It can access live data with little lag, and it allows transformations in real-time. So, for example, the mean minute, the median minute, or custom function can be applied to incoming data. It's got time-specific operations, so it's possible to do a subset on a complex set of time intervals, or combine time series via alignment. And finally, it's got seamless connectivity between database instances. So, this means that any database instance can execute arbitrary code on another database instance. So, the connection to a ZTSDB instance is very simple. One loads the interface package, and then one creates a connection by providing the IP address and the remote port. And each such connection creates a new remote context, so it's a multi-user database. And that same command can be used between ZTSDB instances.  It overloads the query operator, that question mark operator, and the arguments to that operator are the actual queries. They're not evaluated by R. Instead, they're passed locally, and the whole abstract syntax tree is sent for evaluation to a remote ZTSDB instance. So, in this first example, we have the expression 1 plus 1. It is passed and sent for evaluation, and obviously we get the result 2 back. And in this case, it's the whole assignment that will be remotely evaluated, and then it's possible to retrieve the result of the assignment. For other example of queries, we can assume, for example, that we have a list of time series that exists on a remote instance, and we simply want to pick a specific time series within this list and display the last six rows.  It's got seamless data exchange, so it has an escape operator that forces local evaluation of part of the query. So, in this first example, this second sys.time function is going to be escaped and evaluated locally, and the result of this evaluation will then be bundled with the query and sent as part of this whole expression to be evaluated remotely. Here, as another example, we send a local matrix to be appended to a remote matrix, and here we append a remote matrix to a local matrix. Persistence is implemented with Linux memory mapped files, and the types Matrix, Array and Ztsdb can all be declared as persistent. That's fairly fast, so it takes about eight seconds to retrieve one billion 64-bit floating point numbers from disk into an R session on a standard laptop. The distribution is a lot of flexibility. It also can be hierarchical, and that's allowed because there is push-pull possibilities between each database instance. So, here's an example where we have a set of database instances that are working as data collectors and transformers that can be potentially filtering or throwing away part of that data or making aggregations that are then consolidated on two database instances that can then be queried by an arbitrary number of R sessions. The status of the project is alpha, it's not production-ready, and any testing feedback and criticism is very much appreciated. And finally, further information can be found by following these links.


The word squamous comes from squama which means scale Like the scales of reptiles or fishes Squamous epithelium is composed of flat cells the cells are as flat as scales That's why they are called squamous epithelium since the cells are so flat Substances can easily diffuse through them in both the directions and That's why they can be found in Capillaries and alveoli if you take a layer of squamous cells and roll it into a tube this is what it looks like and This is also what a blood capillary looks like the walls are composed of just a single layer of flat Squamous cells so this is very important for the function of capillaries because what do capillaries do they supply? Materials to tissues so capillaries go to every part of your body and they're responsible for supplying oxygen and Taking out carbon dioxide to the tissues and They also supply nutrients and take away waste products Now all this rediffusion is possible only because the wall of the capillary is so thin thanks to the squamous epithelium Similarly, if you look at the alveolus you can see that the wall is only one cell thick This squamous epithelium and that's important for the alveolus because That's a structure as you know is present in the lungs and that's where the air comes in and goes out So the alveoli are very closely associated with capillaries. So this here is also a capillary and Here it's mostly the exchange of gases So oxygen again So the oxygen in the alveolus that comes from the air breathing in our lungs that goes into the blood Capillary so that it can enter the bloodstream and go to different parts of the bodies and Similarly carbon dioxide that is there in the capillary that diffuses out into the alveolus So it can be breath out So both the alveolus and the capillary are one cell thick the squamous epithelium and hence this diffusion can happen So easily so in both of these cases the squamous epithelium is called simple squamous epithelium Simple because it consists of only one layer of cells. There is another type of squamous epithelium Which as you can see has many layers this type of epithelium is called stratified squamous epithelium Why stratified? Because the word strata Means layers So you must have guessed that diffusion of substances through this whole thing all these layers is quite difficult And that is indeed the case stratified squamous epithelium is not meant for diffusion Then what is it meant for it is meant for protection Which makes sense right because it has so many layers So it is kind of thick and even if let's say one or two layers from the top are peeled off somehow because of some Mechanical stress or some kind of chemicals the bottom layers are still there to protect the tissue beneath So now can you guess where this kind of epithelium is found? It's found in the skin and also other areas such as the buckle cavity That is the surface inside your mouth And if you look closely in the stratified squamous epithelium you can see that the top layers are indeed Flat like we saw in simple squamous epithelium But if you look at the bottom layers, they're not quite flat, right? They look more like cubes and still they're called squamous because the stratified squamous epithelium is named after only the top most layers and stratified squamous epithelium is also called Compound epithelium as opposed to simple epithelium Because it has many layers So we have looked at two types of squamous epithelium in this video simple squamous epithelium and stratified squamous epithelium The simple squamous epithelium is good for diffusion of substances Whereas stratified squamous epithelium is used mainly for protection


From Hollywood, it's time now for Johnny dollar Lola, why are you at a hotel over at Marisol Beach Marisol Beach you're here in Barbados Look when I left you in New Orleans you promised to go back home to New York. I know but I just couldn't stay there look It's my husband. You're after Johnny. He's an embezzler and according to you. He's even a Murderer, but he's still my husband If there's anything I can do to help you Lola the best you can do is to stay away Sorry, I just can't Johnny. Please don't try to make me Lola I'm coming over to see you Tonight and every weekday night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigators yours truly Johnny dollar From special investigator Johnny dollar location Barbados British West Indies To the Home Office Universal Adjustment Bureau Hartford, Connecticut assignment the Phantom Chase matter expense account continued Item 23 a dollar 20 American cab fair to Lola's hotel at Marisol Beach. She was waiting for me on the terrace I'm not mad Lola. It's just that I hate to see you keep leading with your chin It's the best way. I know of to get kicked in the face. I know after all chase is done. You still I've discovered something about me. Yeah, what do you mean? It does hurt to get kicked in the face. It hurts plenty but you know After a while you get over being hurt. Oh When you found out it was a woman who arranged Tom's hideout in New Orleans, I thought Well, it seemed like the end of the world for me up to that point I kept trying to tell myself that the reason Tom had embezzled the money was because he was in trouble of some kind And I could help him But I guess down deep I knew right from the start It had to be another woman And that's why I wanted you to go back to New York Lola. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore. I know But Johnny, I don't think I can be hurt anymore. Yeah, well, I wouldn't count on it. I mean it When I found out there was another It ended a lot of things for me And one of them was the way I used to feel about Tom You're over it now Not completely of course, but Things are different with me now, then I still don't get why you came down here I still want to help Tom if it's humanly possible. Don't you see? Let's say I feel obligated to because of the way things used to be Does that make sense Johnny? Yeah, I guess Well, I gotta be going now Lola it looks like your husband has holed up on an island about three hours from here Is he all right? I wouldn't know I haven't been close enough to find out except once And that once got me a lump on the head. What do you mean? Oh, I ran into a girl named Connie He thought she was Tom's friend. She offered to locate him for me I guess he was following and caught up with me down at the waterfront. He attacked you? Yeah Then it turned out the girl was only trying to promote herself a trip back to the States She knew I was looking for chase. She'd had a date or two with him So she saw a chance to make some money, but how did you find out where Tom's hiding the girl heard him talking to a fisherman? She pointed him out to me. He told me he'd taken chase to Lagos Island That fisherman's on the level it looks like the case is just about wound up and if he isn't it could be another trap But with luck, I should be back by dark with your husband Expense account item 24 915 long distance call to chase a senior partner George Everson in New York I Figured he ought to know that Lola was down here in Barbados Now she just arrived this morning She says she's over that part of it. You don't know Lola. I don't think she'll ever be over Tom chase It's a dollar. I'm going to take the first plane to Barbados and bring Lola back to New York with me Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Mr. Everson this time. Maybe you can make her stay Things could get a little rough around here, and I just assumed she was somewhere else Johnny you've located Chase. I think so Maybe if I came down right away, I could persuade him to get himself afraid It's a little too late for that Mr. Everson. It looks like Chase is holed up on a deserted island I'm leaving in a few minutes to pick him up. He doesn't know you're coming. That's what I'm gonna find out see you when I get back I hope Item 25 30 bucks rental on a power cruiser. I wanted one I could handle a loan and one with a radio After I'd arranged for it. I told the owner to get it ready. Well, I paid a visit to Inspector Whitzett at Colonial Police headquarters Larger silence, sir. That's where this chap chase is hiding. Yeah, it looks like it According to this chart I have it's about three hours out. Yes, that's about I should think How'd you find out that Chase was there? Well, I finally located that girl Connie who pulled the disappearing act on me good Not good turns out. She isn't Chase's girl after all. Oh, at least I don't think she is But she'd heard him talking to a fisherman. She pointed out the fisherman and he told me he'd taken Chase to Lagos Island I wonder Mr. Donna. Hmm. Oh, doesn't the whole story sound just a wee bit pat to you? Yeah, and that's just what's worrying me This whole deal could be a trap Connie gets still be Chase's girl and that fisherman could be in on the deal, too In which case you could be in for a bit of trouble at Lagos Island. Well, there's one way to find out inspector Well, let's hope it's not the wrong way. What do you know about Lagos? Well, it's a fairly flat pretty heavy underbrush The small cove with a rickety pier and an abandoned house on the other side of the island anyone living on the island I mean other than Chase. No, not that I know of or they used to be rather good sport fishing out there But that died down a couple of years ago. Oh, I doubt that anyone's been near the place in quite a while. I see Look inspector.  I said, well, I've got a radio on the boat. I run it my call letters are 6x3 Now here's a description of the fisherman in this boat I'd appreciate it if you could have one of your men keep an eye on him and radio to me if he puts out to see After I do very well, of course, even if he did put to see it wouldn't necessarily prove that he was working with Chase Was going after you do you might just be going fishing? Oh, sure. Just one thing though inspector. Hmm. I don't want to be the fish I Went down to the waterfront my boat was all ready. So I went aboard and shoved off Once out of the harbor I set my course for Lagos out The boat was equipped with a rig for lashing the wheel in position sort of an automatic pilot So I snapped it in place and started down into the cabin and then I saw the cabin was occupied Lola Hello, John. Oh Great for two cents. I knew you'd turn back and put me sure but please don't I can't but only because I can't afford to take the time I'm glad but if you think I like the idea of your stowing away. You're crazy Give I tell me why you did it for a very good reason. Well, that's happened Tom Obviously doesn't want to be found. I think he's made that clear enough and you will you're the kind who doesn't stop until you finish your job, so That being the way things are Johnny somebody could get hurt And I couldn't stand that I thought that maybe if I came there There wouldn't be any violence. Oh, look Lola Chase isn't gonna get hurt if you'll just be sensible. I I wasn't only thinking of Tom. I Wouldn't want you to get hurt either Johnny. Oh, I've thought Thought about your lot But how wonderful you've been to me It's funny. What is oh? Just that if things were different, maybe you and I Maybe But things never are different alone. I know Are you sure that's the reason you came along? What do you mean? It wouldn't by any chance be because you want to help Tom Chase help him I told you Johnny if there's anything I can do to help you. I want to That's why I came I mean Help him get away from me Thanks for your very charming opinion of me It's wonderful knowing that's the way you feel look Lola whatever my own private opinions and feelings are or might be sometimes I have to file them away and concentrate on the way things look When the time comes Johnny You'll see that that isn't the way it is at all. I hope so because the time could be pretty soon That's a 6x3 go ahead. This is inspector with that dollar. Oh, yes, Inspector The fisherman in question left the harbor about 20 minutes after you did you may be following you Be careful. I'll try believe me. Thanks inspector over and out What does that mean Johnny? It means that this Lagos island deal could be a trap. Oh, what are you going to do? Find out what else we kept going a couple of hours later. We started the There's no sign of life and I headed to the rickety pale. There was nobody in sight. So we went ashore Inspector Whitsitt had said the house was on the other side of the island. So we started through the underbrush Dance How far is it across the island Johnny? Oh a lot of mile. I think Is there anything over there a deserted house, although it's probably not deserted now Easy through here. This stuff is pretty rough for me Look Tom won't give himself up Will you let me talk to him? Oh, I don't know. I'm not gonna take any chances with you Lola You mean you still think I might try to help him escape. I mean he could be pretty dangerous right now Well, he'd never turn on me Johnny. Don't count on it. I remember a guy named Freddy Quintana who tried to turn him in back New Orleans Freddy wound up dead.  He's not the type You were saying Lola Who knows in this underbrush come on down in the gully he's shooting wild you mustn't be able to see us What do we do? Work a way along the gully and keep as quiet as possible Maybe we can spot him from the other end You're gone you're you're not going to try to To shoot him. You think he's trying to shake hands with us. Oh, but be quiet Can you see anything at all? Oh nothing Hold it a minute. Not a sound Now look you better stay right here. Lola. This is a fairly shallow spot. You'll be safe. What are you gonna do track him down Johnny? How do you know it's Tom? I don't I don't but whoever it is is sure not hanging the welcome man out for us I'm funny that way Lola. I don't like getting shot at now. You stay here. I say Still wild came from a different direction that sounded there from behind us toward the beach. Well, they must have circled around us Hey, what's the matter beach? Oh Brother is this a sucker play? What do you mean? He's heading for our boat. Come on We took off through the underbrush heading for the beach. It was slow going lines kept grabbing our legs the footing was bad Then we finally came out into the opening. I saw my hunch was right He'd started the boat was pulling away By the time we got to the pier he was heading out to sea out of range He turned and looked back at us over his shoulder Johnny. It's Tom. It is Tom Here's our star to tell you about the next exciting episode of this story next a friend of the rescue and an Unfriendly phone call from a killer join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dollar Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is transcribed In Hollywood written by Robert Reif it is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone Be sure to join us for the next exciting episode of this story on yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking


and welcome to my talk on Skill Acquisition in Cricket, part of the Science in Cricket series. Today, we'll cover how Skill Acquisition concepts fit into the coaching kit bag we all have and how we can go about helping others develop their skills. There are some theories to help guide us through this process, so first and foremost, we'll set some ground rules. My name is Alex Lascu. I'm a PhD candidate and lecturer at the University of Canberra in Australia. I've been coaching cricket for a decade now and my research focuses on talent development in female cricketers. If you have any questions about this talk, please reach out to me on Twitter. Okay, the ground rules. We'll carry these concepts with us through this talk, so this is a great place to start. The blueprint, which helps us understand humans and their skill development, is based on a prevailing theory in Skill Acquisition known as ecological dynamics. While that may seem like a mouthful, the concepts behind this theory are actually quite relatable and help us see or explain some of the more complicated parts of human movement. I'll walk you through this blueprint now. So ecological dynamics is where ecological psychology and dynamic systems theory meet and Rob Gray's talk in this series is a great place to start if you want to know more about these theories. Here, I'm talking about the relatable parts, the things we can observe and consider as coaches. There is one simple instruction that underlines this theory, that the person, their task and their environment are constantly interacting. If we want to understand how Skill Acquisition works, we need to see it from these three perspectives at the same time. If we only observe one or only train from one perspective, the skills we develop may not be what we intended them to be. When we say person, we mean that each individual develops in a nonlinear way or at their own unique rate and our skills are influenced by our early learning experiences. When we say task, this refers to solving the problem at hand, such as how to score the next run or take the next wicket. Our brains can actually perceive the information we need to solve that task without any conscious effort. And when we say environment, we're talking about the learning and training environments that coaches can create. And in some cases, coaches are considered gardeners because of how they cultivate skills in others. Now that we know the three tenets of our blueprint, we'll bring them with us through his talk as our ground rules. So based on the previous slide, our ground rules are that people develop in nonlinear ways. Skills develop based on the tasks we're given and problems we learn to solve and our environments influence skill development. I always prefer to word these as questions to reflect on. So we have, how can we account for nonlinear development? How can we design training sessions? And how can we construct supportive environments? Let's start with nonlinear development. In this section of the talk, we'll consider what nonlinear development looks like and how we can personalize our coaching to recognize it. There are many personal factors that can influence our skill development. These include early learning experiences, relative age, siblings and birth order, physical characteristics and emotional disposition. Positive early learning experiences can have a lasting effect on our skill development. Many cricketers recognize the value of playing backyard cricket as a child and can link how certain features in their backyard shaped the cricketer they are now. Personally, I had an orange tree which made for an excellent cover filter. If one orange ever fell from the tree, I'd be grounded for a week. So I learned to play a mean on drive to avoid it. There are other positive learning experiences like meeting friends at the park and playing there, making up rules and adapting to them, navigating disagreements with peers and learning to work together and playing lots of different sports. On the other hand, the effects of negative early learning experiences can also stay with us as we develop. And these include limited time outdoors or limited time playing, an over commitment to only one sport to the point where they start feeling tired and don't wanna play anymore. Maybe there's even anger or outrage during play. There could be favoritism and not everybody gets a go or a bias towards bigger and older athletes. I mentioned relative age effects before and this is a particularly tricky one to navigate. Each individual develops at their own rate and we know that mental skills, physical capabilities, physical size and maturation occur at different stages. But despite all these things happening at slightly different ages, many sporting competitions are still based on age. This makes it incredibly difficult to answer one crucial question about an athlete. Do they have advanced skill development or are they just more mature? In talent identification, this makes selecting cricket as difficult because so many cricket skills benefit from being physically mature. Bigger, stronger, faster kids are more likely to bowl faster or hit the ball further. But does that mean that they are better cricketers or just bigger, stronger, faster than everybody else? For now. The reason we need to consider this question is to firstly avoid the bias towards mature athletes but also make sure we adapt our training to suit the different developmental stages of all our athletes. Siblings and birth order are really interesting because often a younger sibling will surpass their older sibling in their chosen sport. But why? Well, it's because siblings provide rich socio-developmental experiences which means they develop social and emotional skills as well as having someone to help hone their physical skills. Having someone to play with can present as a role model and provide social interactions. They can influence the chosen sport of a younger sibling. They can contribute to advanced skill development, provide a partner for unstructured play and provide emotional and instructional support. As older siblings are often the one doing the modeling and supporting, sometimes we need to give them someone to model from and play with too. We also have personal characteristics which can mean that some people may appear to be better suited for certain sports than others based on their height, limb length, speed, agility, critical thinking, coordination and relative size. We need to consider how to challenge athletes who are well suited for the physical aspects of cricket and also how to nurture the development of athletes who may not appear to be well suited. It's our responsibility as coaches to provide every person with the opportunity to reach their full potential. When selecting a team, sometimes skill development and execution can be interrupted by physical characteristics, especially around times of disruption like puberty. With growth spurts and more analytical thinking can come messy movement patterns or awkward actions and overthinking or anxious thoughts which can render an athlete unsure or unable to decide. This can be a very frustrating time for athletes, especially if they place high personal value in their skills. Being an understanding and supportive coach during this period can make a world of difference. Great, let's move on to the task side of our ground rules where we consider how to design training which is an art in itself. Another set of complex words with a simple meaning, perception, action, coupling. When we want to make a move, whether in cricket or even just walking around at home, we use the information around us to choose our actions. We don't necessarily think, I'm going to move now or I see that table over there as we do it so our brain isn't actively processing that information but we can still use it. If we walk through a doorway we've never been through before, we use any information we can perceive about what is on the other side before walking through it or maybe you don't perceive the glass door in front of the doorway and you walk right into it. We need to identify these helpful pieces of information if we want to use them to inform our actions. In cricket, this is how we help an athlete go from being a net batter to scoring runs during a match. If they go from playing a beautiful array of shots in an enclosed environment with no fielders to being timid and unable to score in a game, it may be that the information now available such as fielders, a live bowler, space and pressure is a bit too much for them and they don't feel like they can act in the same way as they do at training. What this means for our training design is that the connection between the bowler and the batter is crucial for skill development. We know that batters can pick up early information in the bowler's approach to anticipate where the ball might land. They can then use this information to inform the shot they might play. Bowlers also use information from the batter like their technical competency, stance and shot selection to inform where they bowl next. This is complimented by previous experience which is difficult to recognize if you train by bowling one ball every two minutes. If we want our athletes to be able to identify the sources of information which may help them, those sources need to be available at training. It's worth considering who, what, where and how that information is presented during the game and allowing athletes to explore them at training. Remember, we don't need to cognitively process this information to use it so athletes may not be able to verbally tell you which information sources they're using or looking for. If they can think, feel and act as they would on game day while they're training, they're more likely to develop skills which actually transfer into the game environment. Does that mean we need to play mini games at cricket all the time? Not quite. We only need to recreate enough of the game environment to help the desired skills emerge and to do so, we need to know what, when and how. In particular, when would the skill be most functional during the game? What information is available in that moment or the moments leading up to it? And how do you know it's the right time to act? Let's explore an example here. If we want to encourage batters to score more singles, we need to think about when they would want to score a single, what would contribute to scoring a single and how they would know it was a single scored. My answers to these questions were, the skill would be most functional when there have been a few dot balls in a row or to keep thinking over the run rate. The bowlers plan and or style is available as well as the positioning and capabilities of the fielders. Ball placement and distance traveled as well as teammate speed, attention and communication allows the batter to know a single can be scored. If you can answer those questions, they serve as a nice guideline for your training design. The next step is to incentivize the desired skill within our guideline. Some examples can be, you can say the batter to face the least amount of balls in the next 15 minutes wins, which encourages batters to get off strike and subsequently a run to be scored. You can say every single is worth four runs, where the goal is to score as many runs as possible in a timeframe. You can say the person with the highest number of singles wins the session and tally each one. And of course, there's more. Cricket training often occurs in an enclosed net environment. So as a batter, it's difficult to know how far the ball has traveled, if it was a good shot and whether or not it's got a run. As such, learning to score more singles becomes difficult without those decision-making elements. It's also worth noting that while we know a lot about batting behaviors, we often neglect the live bowlers who are integral to our sessions. Make sure you take the time to discuss their goals and plans at the same time during this activity, such as how they might try to restrict single score through their bowling plan. Knowing where the fielders are might help the batter inform where they would hit the ball, and we can replicate this in different ways. You might like to use a whiteboard with a field setting drawn, but it may be difficult to compare the ball direction off the bat to a drawing. I personally like to tie a stump to the net, which roughly represents where the fielder would be in the batter's visual field, which can recreate that feeling of being surrounded by the fielders as they might feel in a game. So by now, we've covered personal and task. It's time to talk about the environment. Here, we'll cover how coaches can be considered gardeners, tending to the garden of skill acquisition. As a coach, we are responsible for designing the right environment for skill acquisition and development, but there are many aspects of the environment that we cannot change, such as the weather or access to facilities. For the things we can change, though, what makes a good learning environment and how do we create one? Let's consider this quote. The gardener cannot actually grow tomatoes, squash, or beans. She can only foster an environment in which the plants do so. If we consider human beings to be a complex system who can adapt to changes in their task and the environment without any conscious thought, then we need to create the environment in which they learn to do so, but also support them in a way that makes them feel safe to do so. As such, we tend to the garden and the nutrients and sunlight available actually helps the plants to grow. A learning environment should provide a rich landscape of affordances, which just means that athletes have many opportunities to act in different ways. They may have a specific task goal, but that goal can be achieved in different ways. This is what the performance or game environment provides the athletes, so we want them to be able to make sense of it and even skillfully navigate it in such a way that helps them achieve their goals. We also need to ensure that the learning environment is all about the learner. If we are constantly feeding the learner instructions or describing and demonstrating actions that perhaps we can make and they cannot, we are not providing an environment to develop their skills, but rather giving them a lecture. As a learning designer, we place value in what the players want and perceive and ensure that our training design takes those things into consideration. But how do we know what to change or manipulate to create this helpful learning environment? We can consider the things that inform our actions and act as barriers to those actions. We call these things constraints. For example, I would probably stop playing a cover drive if the field placement changed and a short cover was brought in because to me, that is now a risky shot. I also wouldn't want to walk to work if it was raining outside. I also wouldn't try to dunk a basketball because I'm five foot three. There are elements of our tasks, our individual characteristics and the environment which constrain our actions and we can manipulate some of those things in our training. Personal characteristics include our height, weight and limb lengths, our fitness, our decision-making skills like patterns of play and anticipation, our personality factors like risk-taking behaviors. Task constraints can include the rules of the games, the equipment we use, boundary playing areas and markets, any nets or goals we set, the number of players involved and information present in the context of the task, like how many wickets we've taken or how many runs the batter is on. Environmental constraints can be sociocultural experiences like family support, cultural expectations and access to facilities as well as the physical environment like altitude, weather, terrain and auditory feedback either from the coach or from a crowd. There are some useful tools available which help us make sense of the constraints that exist within our sport and how to fit them back into our training design so that all of our actions as coaches contribute to skill acquisition. Here, in a book by Ian Renshaw, Keith Davids, Daniel Newcomb and Will Roberts, the session planning tool asks you to consider the task, individual and environmental constraints you want to design into your session so that you invite the desired behavior you and or your athletes have chosen. We also want to consider the purpose and the consequence of this task, how much the task represents the game just as we mentioned in the last section and how much variability there is. So after all that content, how do you know which constraints to manipulate? Well, sometimes you just have to try it out and reflect on how it goes. As long as you consistently present opportunities to acquire skills and support your athletes, there is no wrong session but it may not suit the athletes you're training or not suit the time. You can co-design with your athletes by asking them what they search for, where they might find helpful sources of information or ask what they feel like they need to work on. With a clear objective or goal in mind, you now have the right tools and questions to start thinking about whether you're creating a safe learning environment to help skill acquisition and how to design a session which supports that goal. Remember, it doesn't have to be something complicated or new. It's a matter of identifying what you're trying to do and what they need to know as an athlete to get there. Thank you very much for listening. I hope you've enjoyed this talk and please reach out if you have any questions. If you do try to apply any of these concepts, I'd love to hear how it goes.