Only you can help.

For the price of two or three fancy lattes a day you can give a hipster access to Wi-Fi.

Hi. I’m a guy from The Onion’s AV Club forums, here to talk to you about a horrible, unseen evil right here in America: a lack of socially acceptable Internet devices for hipsters in cafes across the country. Today with the economy slow to recover and many know-it-alls in their 20s too bearded, “eclectic,” or adorned in stupid glasses and leggings to be employable we’re facing a shortage of epidemic proportions. But it’s not hopeless. Not as long as there are people like you, and the ViewSonic gTablet.

For a low one-time donation or several monthly donations if you’re not into paying up your credit cards in a timely manner, you can donate this tablet to a hipster in your neighborhood. It runs on Android 2.2; that’s way cooler than any iPhone OS these days. Its 10.1” capacitive touch screen is just big enough for everyone else in the coffee shop to see the live performance video of some indie darling band they’ve never heard of in beautiful 1080p.

Please. Donate now. You’ll receive monthly updates on your hipster via seemingly random photos and “ironic” quotes on their Tumblr. More importantly, you’ll know that you’ve made a difference in helping an entitled, good for nothing, holier-than-thou jerk espouse his worthless opinions online.

Authorized for SquareTrade Extended Warranty

"

Warranty: 1 Year ViewSonic

Condition: New

Features:

• The ViewSonic gTablet has a crisp and vibrant 10.1” capacitive touch screen display with plenty of real estate for even the most demanding tablet users
• Great for multitasking, viewing multiple apps, and browsing web pages in their entirety, including the ability to play Flash videos
• With is 1080p playback resolution, sharing entertainment and photos on this gorgeous display is truly a delight
• Extensive format support includes H.264, WMV, WMA, MP3, DivX and more
• Easy to take anywhere with its super slim and sleek design and smooth beveled edges. Weighing in at 1.5 pounds and just 0.5” thick, just grab it and go
• Newly revised OS gives you the ability to switch between TapnTap menu environment and Droid graphic environment with a single screen touch and results in improved system stability and speed
• Engineered with you in mind, the navigation is practically instinctive. You find the buttons exactly where you would have placed them, which will have you toggling, searching, going back and moving forward all at lightning speed
• On-display buttons include Search, Home, Menu and back. Volume rocker is located on top
• You get an awesome performance from practically any source with this tablet: play music files, watch movies, or upload images from your camcorder and share entertainment with your friends on the go
• Switch between apps and tasks instantly: while checking email, download apps while updating your calendar, jump from reading your eBooks to keeping up with your favorite blogs
• Open multiple apps with the flick of a finger. It is so intuitive, you’ll be able to pinch, scroll, rotate or zoom to your heart's content
• Expandable memory up to 32GB via microSD
• Offers 3.5 mm headphone jack, USB port, and mini USB port
• Direct access to the Apps Store to download thousands of leading Android apps
• Features Google’s Android 2.2 OS with new features and benefits such as faster web browsing, simple app launching and updating, and a completely more intuitive experience
• Improvement in JavaScript loading, better overall performance of Android OS, USB and Wi-Fi Internet Tethering, Microsoft Exchange integration, compass support for Google Maps, improved Google Voice Search that recognizes long and complicated speech
• Now you can contact anyone just the way they like. Use email, video chatting, tweet them on Twitter or update your status on Facebook
• Wi-Fi b/g/n support, video conferencing via 1.3MP camera, and Bluetooth support with 8-10 hours of battery life
• Experience the power of NVIDIA’s latest processor. Designed for mobile applications, you will experience super fast gaming, crystal clear 1080p HD video, blazingly fast web access and surreal HD video chatting
• 1 GHz Dual ARM Cortex-A9 processor, 512MB DDR2 memory, 2D/3D Graphics processing, HD Video encode and decode, Ultra-low power GeForce GPU, 1080p video playback processor, OpenGL ES 2.0, and 32-bit LP-DDR2, DDR2
• Applications and games come alive in your hand with the G sensor. Your gaming imagination never has been this real or this wild. An ambient light sensor also automatically reduces brightness in dim lit settings to conserve power. It follows your every move; it feels what you feel
• The gTablet app is preloaded, which gives you instant access to manuals, user guides, the latest update information, file download resources, support hotline number, source code information for developers, and more
• Quick Start Guide (click here)
• Users Guide (click here)
• How to Use Android (click here)

Additional Photos:

• Power Button, USB Port, Speakers, Headphone Jack, and Power Port
• Speakers and On-Display Controls
• Volume Rocker
• Microphone and Proprietary Port
• Back Profile
• 1080p Resolution Video Playback
• Best use for this and all other PCs
• Package Contents
• Packaging

Specifications
CAMERA:	1.3-megapixel camera
BATTERY:	3650mAh Li-ion polymer battery
OPERATING TEMP.:	32°F to 113°F
STORAGE TEMP.:	-4°F to 113°F
DIMENSIONS:	6.8” (H) x 10.5” (W)
WEIGHT (with battery):	1.55 lbs.
MEMORY:	16GB internal memory
INPUT/OUTPUT:	USB 2.0 (Slave) Mini USB 2.0 (Host) 3.5mm stereo headphone MicroSD DC Input (Power)
OPERATING SYSTEM:	Google Android 2.2 (Froyo)
CPU:	1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2-Dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU with 512MB DRR
VIDEO:	NVIDIA Tegra 2, OpenGL ES 2.0, 32-bit LP-DDR2, DDR2
DISPLAY:	10.1” TFT-LCD with LED driver system
NETWORK:	Wi-Fi : 802.11 b/g/n Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
RESOLUTIONS:	1024x600 resolution
AUDIO OUTPUT:	Built-in 2 x 1-watt stereo speakers 3.5mm stereo headphone
POWER:	7.4 Voltage Power Adapter
SUPPORTED MEDIA FORMATS:	S1080p H.264/H.263/ VC-1/MPEG-2/4/WMV9/DivX 4/5 Video Decode 1080p H.264/MPEG-4 Video Encode Supports multi-standard audio formats, including AAC, AMR, WMA, and MP3

Included Software

Adobe Flash Player Kindle Pandora Radio G-market Angry Birds Color Note

In the box:

• ViewSonic gTablet 10.1” PC Android 2.2 (UPS300-2.2)
• USB Cable
• Power Adapter
• Cleaning Cloth
• ESD Cover
• User Guide
• Quick Start Guide

 

photo credit: juplife

In late 2007, student Meredith Kercher was found brutally murdered in a hillside cottage in Perugia Italy. Her murder sparked a media frenzy due to the alleged sexual nature of the crime. News out of Perugia told unsubstantiated tales of a satanic ritualistic sex orgy that led to murder. At the heart of these accusations was Meredith's roommate Amanda Knox. This outrageous fantasy all began with a kiss.

The morning following the murder, Amanda Knox and her boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were standing outside the cottage watching investigators and members of the media converge on the murder scene. As both stood there in the cold, Raffaele held Amanda keeping her warm and at one point they shared a few short kisses. At that moment cameras flashed, images of the two kissing were viewed around the world, instantly creating the fictional satanic ritualistic sex crazed killer "Foxy Knoxy." The media failed to note that Amanda was scared and shaking, looking for comfort in an extreme moment of shock. They also failed to note that the nick-name pulled from Amanda's MySpace page was actually a childhood nickname earned for her skills on the soccer field. "Foxy Knoxy" made for salacious headlines in a story that was becoming more sexually charged with each coming hour. Sex sells and the media saw the opportunity to cash in. Unfortunately the truth was nowhere on their radar.

In the days and weeks that followed, the fantasy of a lust driven and sexually motivated sex killing was the topic of conversation about a case that in reality had absolutely nothing to do with sex. Police moved forward with their investigation of what they would call a "threesome sex-orgy gone wrong." False claims fueled what quickly became a sexual obsession that overwhelmed every media report. One story in particular sent the obsession into overdrive. It was reported that Amanda went to a lingerie shop with Raffaele shortly after the murder to by a g-string. Readers were told they were seen laughing and talking about "wild" sex in the store. As it turns out, the witness claiming to hear the sex talk didn't speak any English. Amanda and Raffaele just so happened to be speaking English in the store. We would later find out that the witness was paid by a tabloid. Even worse, the store wasn't even a lingerie shop. Elizabeth Vargas, an ABC reporter, reported on the Oprah Winfrey show that she visited the store and observed that they didn't even sell the sexy lingerie that was described in the media. She described the store as being similar to a Target store in the United States. Unfortunately, the security camera footage that showed a brief moment when Amanda smiled at Raffaele was all the media needed to propel the lie around the globe.

 

Barbie Nadeau

One of the most salacious writers in the case, yellow journalist Barbie Nadeau was front and center when it came to fueling the sexual obsession hovering over the case. She printed outright lies regarding excerpts leaked from Amanda's prison diary stating that Amanda claimed to have slept with seven partners during the time she was in Italy. The truth is, in a dishonest attempt to gain information about her sex life, Amanda was told by corrupt prison officials that she tested positive for HIV. In a very responsible manner, Amanda put together an honest list of partners she had been with during her lifetime. Little did she know that immoral journalists such as Barbie Nadeau would use this information to formulate egregious lies to be used against her.

Nadeau consistently shows how out of touch she is with the current culture in Perugia Italy. For example, Nadeau left college students in Perugia baffled when she made this observation:

"I don't think it's completely out of the picture to assume that group sex is part of the university experience now.  Based on interviews I have done, it's just what kids are doing in Perugia. These kids are not strangers to what I would consider to be extreme sex games."

Most readers would probably be quite interested in hearing from those Barbie claimed to interview. If group sex is a normal part of college life, Barbie Nadeau is the only one to realize this.

But Barbie's salacious style is not just used to sexualize the students of Perugia or Amanda Knox. Instead, Nadeau is one of the few yellow journalists willing to take her constant sexualization to the next level by disrespecting the murder victim, Meredith Kercher, in her book Angel Face, describing her lifeless naked body in lurid and sexualized terms ( as viewed during autopsy). There was no reason whatsoever to mention anything about the appearance of Meredith’s private parts and Nadeau should be ashamed for stooping to that level to promote her career. 

Sexually charged headlines for articles written by Barbie Nadeau, and others like her, came easy for editors all around the world.  For those who haven't followed the case, salacious headlines like the following were the norm:

"Lesbian Sex Plea to Knoxy"

"Foxy Knoxy plays the field from her jail cell with new romance"

“Diary reveals Foxy Knoxy’s sex secrets"

“Hayden banned from seeing sex monster Knox”

 

The Prosecution and the Court

The media carries much of the blame for fueling the sexual obsession, but we must not forget that they were being fed erroneous information from the prosecution's office led by Giuliano Mignini. Mignini was the media's source for many of the lies that were spread early on. Prosecutor Mignini would change his theory of the crime many times throughout the course of the trial. He eventually dropped the sex game theory that filled the headlines for over two years leading up to the verdict, going with an equally ridiculous theory that Amanda simply hated Meredith enough to kill her. Along with the baseless motivation of hatred, he was able to keep lust in his narrative. He created dialog for Amanda during his closing argument and imagined her saying this to Meredith during the attack: "You are always behaving like a little saint. Now we will show you; now we will make you have sex."

Judge Massei, the head magistrate in the case, didn't buy Mignini's theory and instead created his own lust driven theory of the crime. Massei suggested that Amanda and Raffaele were being intimate in Amanda's room when they overheard Rudy Guede attacking Meredith. Instead of coming to Meredith's aid, Amanda and Raffaele decided to join in on the attack. The amazing thing is that Massei's theory is even more ludicrous than Mignini's. Why would Amanda decide to help a virtual stranger attack and murder her friend? How would they have known that Rudy would not attack them? Common sense was nowhere to be found and apparently any sexually driven theory would do.

 

Peggy Ganong and Perugia Murder File

The sexual obsession fueled by the court and observed in the media was quickly adopted by a group of individuals running an ongoing hate campaign against Amanda Knox online. This group assembles on a discussion board called Perugia Murder File (PMF) run by Seattle resident, Peggy Ganong. The same group also runs a so called informational site called True Justice (TJMK) run by New Jersey resident, Peter Quennell. This group claims to be dedicated to preserving the memory of Meredith Kercher but in reality their only goal is to smear Amanda Knox. They continuously show an obsession with sex in their daily conversation attempting to paint Amanda's supporters as middle-aged men that only support Amanda because they are sexually attracted to her. Here are a few quotes from PMF, the site moderated by Peggy Ganong:

"They are middle aged Perverts who dream of being the foxy to Amanda's knoxy"

"All are middle-aged men driven by fantasies of recapturing lost youth, being a hero and carrying the damsel in distress off into the sunset."

"those middle aged one hand typists who spend their sleepless nights imagining romantic interludes with Amanda."

"seriously sick, pitifully perverted, lust aided attraction that some bored middle aged males with keyboards, have for a unanimously convicted, justly incarcerated young female"

Recently, this group suggested that Wikipedia Founder Jimbo Wales became interested in the Amanda Knox case because he was looking to have sex with Amanda.

"I don't see the pay-off in the end. Right now, Jimbo is on the verge of losing any sense of respect as a new media entrepreneur (lying about his checkuser results, for example) just for a chance to catch a peek of some tender young sex killer flesh."

"Jimbo is precisely the profile of the aging Lothario looking for access to tail through his powerful media connections. He isn't thinking with his correct head and everything he's proposed is straight out of the FOA manual."   

"Somebody should give Jimbo a cold shower. He's really lathered up and ready for brunette sex killer action"   

Peggy Ganong should have been ashamed to be part of that conversation, but as moderator she not only endorsed the dialogue but joined in with a zinger of her own: "In all seriousness, what is it with these wiki guys and their wicks?"

 

Peter Quennell: The worst of the sexually obsessed

Peter Quennell, who runs the website True Justice, does nothing to hide his obsession with murder victim Meredith Kercher on his site, giving readers an experience that is outright creepy. He doesn't hesitate to carry on the sex laden talking points of his group. He had this to say about me when he felt the need to talk about my daughter while accusing me of lusting over Amanda:

"Hmmm. Someone now tells me that Bruce Fisher who runs some FOA website claims to have a daughter. I have never paid much interest in him, but one has to wonder why he is slobbering kinkily over Amanda Knox while at the same time undermining those public institutions that are the bedrock of the future of his daughter and, when she has them, her own kids."

Even though many of the people that support Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito are women, Peter Quennell, Peggy Ganong and their followers, like to spread lies that the support comes primarily from perverted middle-aged men. This line of thinking is disgusting, but not surprising.  More likely than not, followers of Quennell and Ganong project their own shameful and creepy sexual obsessions onto others.

Recently, Quennell showed his obsession with young women when he stalked and attempted to extort money from a young woman who resisted his advances. This young woman's name will not be mentioned in this article in order to protect her privacy. Quennell attempted to lure this young woman into a business deal in which he would create a promotional website to help build her career. She was new to the United States and Quennell's offer sounded pretty good in the beginning. Quennell proceeded to create a website telling the young woman that he was creating the site free of charge to show her the benefits of his promotional expertise. The site included many personal details of the young woman's life and she did not approve. The young woman was shocked at the website Quennell had created and also became concerned (and was warned by at least one friend) that his interest in her was not solely business-related. Quennell's emails were at times sexual in nature, repeatedly asking for her to take trips with him. He refused to cease communications with her when asked, and he appeared to her to be obsessed.

The young woman asked Quennell to take the website offline but he refused, demanding money to remove it. Quennell sent the young woman hundreds of emails encouraging (pressuring) her to work with him. This disturbing daily barrage of emails led the young woman to become afraid of Quennell and she decided to go to the police. It was only after being contacted by detectives that Quennell finally removed the website ending this young woman's nightmare.

Quennell has been instructed by the police to have absolutely no contact with this young woman. In fact, if, as a result of this article or any other catalyst, Quennell decides to disobey the instructions of the police and contact or harass this young woman, or repost the offensive website he created, he knows that he will be in violation of stalking laws, and will be subject to arrest.  Additionally, individuals close to the case are in possession of several hundred emails sent by Quennell to this young woman. To this point, they have been kept confidential, and will remain so, unless Quennell violates stalking laws by any of the previously mentioned actions or continues to harass the young woman in any way, shape or form.

I know of other women that have been mistreated by Quennell that have chosen to stay silent for personal reasons. I encourage anyone that has been wronged by Peter Quennell to come forward. Exposing the truth will help to prevent Quennell from mistreating others in the future. Peter Quennell is one of the leaders of the ongoing hate campaign against Amanda Knox. If this information doesn't cause readers to pause and reevaluate what kind person Peter Quennell is and how credible his website is, nothing will.

The truth in this case has been clouded over by a disturbing sexual obsession that began with the prosecution. This obsession spread like cancer throughout the media, distorting public perception, fueling a hate campaign, eventually leading to the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, who now face a quarter century behind bars.

The murder of Meredith Kercher was a brutal crime but not a complicated one. Rudy Guede ambushed Meredith when she arrived home while Guede was in the process of burglarizing the residence. Meredith endured a violent attack which included rape. This crime was not one of lust acted out by three sex killers. This crime was one of extreme violence inflicted by one man in an act of pure evil. The sexual obsession that overwhelmed this case was based on pure fantasy; it was never about sex.  

The Democracy Manifesto (go to the manifesto) represents a significant moment as far as the global conversation on democracy is concerned. It is also a moment of new beginnings.  A good conversation is one that produces more of it. I hope this one snowballs into more debates and dialogues. Democracy is worldly, primarily an artifact. Like other human artifacts, it too needs care, continuous attention, ingenuity and passion. The ongoing conversation on democracy, as I can recall from my own experiences, never suffered from dearth of ambition. Yet it has always been an exercise in humility and deep engagement.

Imagine that you go into a ‘sleep mode’ today and are revived after a gap of several decades. What do think will have been the history of democracy while you slept? What narratives will emerge? Will experiences in different parts of the world, particularly in the global south, be a part of the larger story of democracy?

You only need to ask the question to sense the importance of an affirmative answer. If currently existing democracy in India has merely overcome corruption and ensured the rule of law, if China has moved towards democracy, if Brazil continues to have popular government and there are elections in South Africa that change the ruling party, if there is democracy in Egypt (who would have thought of writing that three months ago?) and Palestine… or if there are not any of these things…

It is clear that the dominant ways of thinking of democracy are and continue to be narrow. They tend to make the political clamour, experiments and mobilizations in different parts of the world invisible. But it is surely the case as our experiment shows that if we think of democracy and look forward then the still dominant view is quite inadequate. The future of democracy will be shaped and even decided in countries that are more experimental than its traditional homelands. The ‘frontier’ of democracy to borrow an image, is no longer found in the ‘west’ or the global north.

This is the starting point of our global conversation. It questions the dominant view, and shows that other ways of engaging with democratic experiences are possible. Not only possible but also necessary and now in the public domain. 

First, a bit of history. 

A few years ago a group of scholars and activists from South Asia wanted to reflect on democratic experiences in their countries in the region. They all agreed that knowledge about democracy must be produced in a democratic fashion and that this demands a methodology that does not devalue specificities of experiences. They initiated a conversation within the region and finally produced a report - State of Democracy in South Asia.  The impetus for a further, global conversation on democracy emerged from several regional conversations that followed especially this South Asian one. No doubt, in the past there were discussions on democracy. But this time round, the conversation delves deeply into the fundamental questions regarding the ways in which democracy has to be explained and evaluated.  It attempts to re-define what it means to be democratic.

The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), in Delhi, coordinated the initiative, and thanks to the intellectual energy of Professors Rajeev Bhargava and Yogendra Yadav, and a grant from the Ford Foundation, the global conversation took off to a good start three years ago.   During this period, three major international meetings, involving participants from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America, were held (two in India and one in South Africa). Besides academics, a good number of participants came from the world of civil society and social movements.  The conversations thus far have been focused and productive.  

As I write this, activists and ordinary citizens have gathered in different parts of India to raise the issue of corruption in politics and public life. To them, fighting against corruption is a struggle for democracy. Like the continuing upsurge in the Arab World, the mobilization in India reflects the local concerns, dreams and aspirations. In some of these cases, practices on the ground seem to run way ahead of the dominant democratic thinking. However there are occasions when these events fall far short of the high normative standards of democracy. The lack of fit between theory and practice, in the above sense, is what grounds the substance of the ongoing conversation on democracy.

Being conversationalists we decided that we would produce only a draft of a Democracy Manifesto and ask for further thoughts, comments and even asides. Here it is. Let’s see what happens. We already have responses from Anthony Barnett, Laurence Whitehead, Jorge Heine and Melissa Williams. Hope more will join in.

The Democracy Manifesto: Re-imagining Democracy in Our Time 

To the introduction

The Arab democratic upsurge of 2011 inspires democrats all over the world. It has fired up the imagination of all those struggling for self-rule under authoritarianism. It also gives hopes to those engaged in deepening democratic practices everywhere. To all those who see democracy as a shared journey of humanity, it provides an occasion to reflect on what democracy means. This is a moment to re-imagine democratic ideals and practices in our time. 

1. Democracy as a political principle and as a form of government has expanded to nearly all corners of the world. It is recognized now that every human being must have an effective say in the decisions that affect their life. The notion that every government must respect this fundamental principle has greater acceptance than ever before. The ideal of self-rule has begun to fire up peoples’ imagination all over the world.  Democracy may not be a form of government that is experienced globally, but it has become an aspiration that is shared across the globe. This aspiration takes different forms. The ideal of popular self-rule has multiple readings.  Theses will depend on which people are being talked about, what understanding of self is being invoked and what  is accepted as self-rule.  “ The people” could mean all the citizens of a national state, the citizens at a region or locality, or the planet’s entire population. The self could be seen in terms of the individual citizen or in terms of a social community. Self-rule could be interpreted as voice, consultation, consent or consensus in any authoritative and binding decision-making process. A standard understanding is that democracy means free and fair elections, but it can also take other forms.
2. The globally dominant notion of what democracy means, however, does not reflect the journey of democracy. The prevailing orthodoxy about democracy  draws upon the limited experience of a small part of the globe. Selected facts of European and North American history have been turned into abstract principles. One of the many strands of western political thought has been assumed to be the sole repository of the normative imagination for democratic practices in different societies at different points of time.  An idealized notion of western liberal democracy hegemonizes the democratic imagination. It is assumed that capitalism and modernity have an intrinsic relationship with democracy. This hegemony of the western experience and imagination may not always affect popular struggles that are being waged in the name of democracy all over the world. Yet, it does constrain the translation of popular aspirations, practices and struggles into a set of norms, institutions and theories in the Global South. It also constrains the deepening of democracy within the global North.
3. Enriching our democratic imagination in line with the expansion of democracy would involve several things: widening our conceptual apparatus to accommodate diverse languages and idioms of democracy;  enriching our normative standards to reflect multiple histories and traditions of democratic thinking; and  correcting our explanations to account for radically different experiences and trajectories of democracy. Reimagining democracy along these lines is one of the most pressing ethical and political tasks of our times. It is imperative not just for democrats in the ‘aspiring’ and ‘new’ democracies, but equally in ‘established democracies’.
4. The prevailing orthodoxy on the democratic imagination assumes that democracy is strictly the gift of western civilization.  Yet, an honest genealogy of democratic ideas and practices must acknowledge that these are rooted in multiple trajectories. Ancient Greece was but one of the sources of democratic imagination. The ideas of democracy can be traced to Buddhist Sangha, Ganatantra traditions in ancient India, Islamic traditions in many societies and practices among the indigenous communities across the world. Much of the modern ideology and language of democracy has spread to most parts of the world from Western Europe and North America. Many of the well-established democratic institutions and practices in today's world were secured first in Europe through a series of popular struggles. The gains of these struggles are now part of our global human heritage.  Yet the western legacy is neither singular nor unambiguous.  For every advance in democracy, there is also the history of denial of democratic rights. Besides, the history of the expansion of self-rule for one's own citizens was inextricably woven with the history of denial of self-rule to larger subject populations outside and ethnic minorities inside the territory of a ‘democratic’ state. For most of the world, the contemporary practices of democracy are neither a direct off-shoot of the various ancient traditions nor an imitation of the modern west. The democratic aspiration spread to most of the world by way of anti-colonial struggles and the various movements for self-determination and self-rule in the last two centuries.
5. Enriching the democratic imagination requires questioning the simple-minded democracy/non-democracy binary canonized by the dominant orthodoxy. As democracy becomes the most sought after regime label, the quest for self-rule is reduced to a contestation about the latter. This promotes binary, either-or, thinking over a graded understanding of the spectrum from democracy to non-democracy. The dominant orthodoxy’s focus on classifying a country either as a democracy or a non-democracy encourages façade democracies. This binary distinction has resulted in an excessive focus on the threshold of when a non-democracy turns into a democracy.  This summative and static judgment performs the function of putting some ‘established democracies’ beyond reproach. This artificial binary construct must come to an end.  Democratic practices may exist in apparently non-democratic regimes. Established democratic states can embody a vast array of non-democratic practices. There is no "finished product democracy" and there never will be.  The aspiration for democracy is open-ended. Each fresh step opens new horizons.
6. The dominant orthodoxy espouses teleology. Democracy is the ultimate and inevitable destination. This often leads to thinking in terms of stages or pre-conditions to the ‘transition’ to and ‘consolidation’ of democracy. Yet, there are multiple sequences and routes by which different political regimes come to be democratic. The route taken by democracy in the west is but one sequence of many. In turn, there are multiple trajectories within the west itself. Material prosperity and cultural uniformity are neither necessary nor sufficient conditions for democracy.  We also need to move away from an instrumental and determinist view of the outcomes of democracy.  Democracy leads to different outcomes in different historical settings.  Democrats need to be aware of the dysfunctions of democracy, and not just in 'new' or 'developing' democracies. The case for democracy cannot rest on dubious and instrumental grounds such as its purported usefulness for desired economic outcomes. Democracy must be cherished for its intrinsic value, for what it means to human dignity.
7. Reimagining democracy requires a fundamental shift. There is a tendency to assume that democracy is an attribute of political regimes rather than that of political practices. This leads to privileging form over substance, to making too much of formal political institutions and to reducing democracy to electoral democracy. An emphasis on practices would require a more careful and painstaking sifting of the substance of political action, its contextual meaning and its consequences.  This also enables us to think of democracy beyond the formal domain of politics. Practices within the domain of the family or the market, for example, need to be viewed in terms of the extent to which they enable or constrain self-rule. Democracy needs to be thought of as a way of life.
8. Questioning the dominant orthodoxy also leads us to the search for an appropriate level of analysis. There is a need to move beyond a fixation with the national state as the natural unit within which one thinks about self-rule. The locus of national power is no doubt the principal level of struggles for self-rule. But to focus exclusively on it side-steps the colossal inequalities among and within nation states. The latter deny vast numbers of people across the globe an effective voice over decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods. The quest for democracy must go wherever effective and binding decision-making occurs.  Shifting sites of sovereignty require that we begin to think of inter-national relations as an arena of democratic contestation. The same could be extended to the level of continents or other groupings of nations. At the same time, the unit of analysis needs to be extended downwards, to regional and local units, for this is the level at which most citizens experience self-rule or its absence.  
9.  The idea of democracy is becoming global, and it acquires multiple meanings. As democracy becomes a global aspiration, it attaches itself to different and often competing values.  This entails a conversation with pre-existing cultural values. Many of these values are contradictory to the democratic ideal; they must go. Some of the pre-existing values are not fully compatible with democracy; they must change. At the same time, the idea of democracy itself does and must undergo a change.  As the idea of democracy is interpreted and re-interpreted in different parts of the world, misunderstandings and misuses will arise. Therefore democracy is and will remain a contested concept.  This contest is resolved by entering on a case by case basis. It cannot be resolved a-priori by insisting upon an original, all-encompassing definition of democracy.  The demand that democracy all over the world must conform to a fixed definition first worked out in one part of the globe is inherently undemocratic. The ideal of democracy requires a respect for the democracy of knowledge. Knowledge production is not limited to some privileged sites, some societies or some period in history. The ideal of democracy has emerged from a dialogue of the various expressions of self-rule in human history. If democracy is anchored in reason, dialogue is the custodian of reason.

10. Current definitions of democracy threaten to reduce it to an institutional checklist derived from idealized notions of the experience of a small part of the globe.  The ideal of democracy is seen to be synonymous with the historical form of liberal democracy in advanced capitalist societies of Western Europe and North America.  Often this is further reduced down to a few key institutional features.  Yet, the historical experience of democracy in most of the world provides overwhelming evidence against this approach.  More often than not, imported institutions do not produce the same consequences that they did in their home context. Similarity of form is no guarantee of democratic substance.  In fact, a search for familiar form is an invitation to cynical and superficial copying for extraneous gains. On the one hand, the experience of ‘established democracies’ shows that the appearance of a democratic form of government can very well go hand in hand with the de facto rule by experts, the dominance of corporate power, social control by private networks and  the decline of citizen participation. On the other hand, the experience of democratic success outside the global North suggests that a departure from the mandated institutional form is often a pre-condition for success.  Mass democracies of post-colonial societies tend to acquire depth through practices that may not have a legitimate institutional expression in the conventional wisdom on democracy.  Institutions are crucial to the formation and strengthening of democracies, but what institutions do depends on the context in which these are located.  We need to shift the focus from the form of an institution to its real- life consequences in a given context. Democracy is an ever-evolving principle that can take different institutional expression at different points of time in different societies.

11. Thus, the principles and practices of democracy have to be open to multiple sources of learning. There are several living 'traditions' of consultation and consensus making all over the world. Such local practices need to be 'critically transformed' in order to make them relevant for democratic practices today. New power sharing arrangements are being worked out all over the world in different contexts, in response to different needs. Various monitoring tools are being invented in different democracies. So far only a few of these appear on the radar of  the democratic imagination. The search for a richer democratic imagination requires that we look for practices, institutions, intellectual traditions and thinkers everywhere to help us reshape democratic theory.

12.  The very notion of exporting democracy is inimical to the spirit of democracy. Democracy promotion can turn into democratic imperialism. Like all ideologies, democracy too can turn into a dogma. Strengthening democracy is about deepening the values which shape the principles of democracy within a society. The 'culture of democracy' of a given society is vital to building democracy. The idea that some people lack 'culture' and are not ready for democracy also goes against the principle of democracy.

13.  To deparochialize the idea of democracy is not to privilege an Eastern or Southern view of democracy over existing Western or Northern views. To the contrary: it means universalizing our understanding of democracy and democratic practices. The insistence on difference and divergence is designed to synthesize the multiple experiences of democracy. This is a necessary condition for reclaiming the global heritage of democracy and for reimagining a truly global future for it. FROM SOUTH TO NORTH.

Of the various values that the idea of democracy attaches itself to, four deserve a special mention.  First, democracy requires individual and collective freedom, for self-rule cannot exist in the absence of a basic guarantee of freedom.  Any kind of coercion or violence thus goes against the spirit of democracy. Second, the idea of self-rule requires that everyone have an equal say in matters that concern them.  Democratic deliberations require a level playing ground, free from widespread inter- and intra-group inequalities. Third, the ideal of self-rule requires a recognition of communities that often constitute the self. Thus democracy requires respect for deep diversity. In a world where most political units contain diverse communities, any attempt at cultural homogenization is not in keeping with the spirit of democracy. Fourth, given that democracy requires maintaining the conditions for democratic deliberations for future generations, it implies an ethic of responsibility towards nature.

Wigan travel to Aston Villa knowing they need points to help beat the drop. Watch Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic Live with GetSport.TV Aston Villa forward Emile Heskey has recovered from the knee problem that ruled him out of last weekend’s defeat by West Brom. Midfielder Jean Makoun will again miss out with the dead [...]

The proceeding moved forward just 11 days after an Augusta County Circuit Court grand jury directly indicted Elliott on three charges that he sexually abused three girls younger than 10 years old.

Globe and Mail

Honda Accord: No surprise, you can count on it Globe and Mail Although I drive a wide range of test cars throughout the year – everything from turbocharged Porsches to ultra-luxurious prestige Mercedes sedans – one of the models I most look forward to evaluating is the humble Honda Accord. Why? Several reasons. ... and more »

Telegraph.co.uk

Massa: Mercedes a growing threat Yahoo! Eurosport UK Felipe Massa is encouraged by the progress that Ferrari has made with its car in recent weeks - but thinks the team needs to be wary of the step forward made by rival Mercedes GP. With Ferrari having got to the bottom of the windtunnel calibration ... Turkish Grand Prix 2011: Williams face long road before they can return to the ...Telegraph.co.uk Road back has been a long oneThe National Norbert Haug amused by reports about Nico Rosberg's link with Ferraribettor.com (blog) pitpass.com -Formula 1 all 121 news articles »

What may be the most shocking thing that Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and former Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone have in common? Both superstars had to wait 12 years before winning an NBA MVP award. Isn’t that something? Malone, who played 19 seasons and was a 14-time All-Star, already is in the Hall of Fame, and Bryant is headed there. …

The Australian-born critic Shane Danielsen wrote an amusing piece for Indiewire about this year’s Berlin Film Festival. He compared the smell outside some of the screening rooms to that of sperm. I remember it being stinky, but not that particular odor. Shane is, however, a reliable source. 

One of two things at Cannes that really gets on my nerves is the smell inside the press screenings, especially those that take place at 8:30 a.m. The 5000-seat theater is packed. No pun intended, but these projections are the pits, the lower depths of hygiene. Maybe it’s time constraints or perhaps cultural practices, but you pray for the manna of soap and toothpaste. Attendees tend to be part of the Great Unwashed; an asthmatic who showers once a day, I feel like one of the huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.

The other annoyance is of a different vein: the pretense of colleagues who don’t refer to films by name, but by director. For example, Melancholia is spoken of as the von Trier. Then there are the Almodovar, the Bilge Ceylan, the Kim Ki-duk, and the van Sant. They don’t call some of the super lightweight movies showing this year the Rob Marshall or the Jodie Foster: in the context of Cannes, they get names: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Beaver, respectively. 

Like almost every critic, I’ll see the first group, the the films, anyway; it’s almost a necessity. The ones that I’m most looking forward to, however, lie somewhere between those and the films that are called by their titles, if that. These are works by directors much lower on the festival hierarchy and not yet considered to be of the status, or lesser-known filmmakers whose names and titles are both unknown, but whose previous efforts have shown promise. Some of them are the possible surprises that I’m most looking forward to seeing, even if I have to hold my nose in the process. 

Competition 

The Source / Radu Mihaileanu / France 

Mihaileanu epitomizes the Jewish worldview: Life is simultaneously tragic and funny. A Romanian Jew now based in France, he directed… Read the rest

My son is interested in politics. So I'm sure he and all his peers looking forward to voting for the very first time next year will be thrilled upon learning how badly they've been dissed by the Florida Legislature.

Felipe Massa is encouraged by the progress that Ferrari has made with its car in recent weeks - but thinks the team needs to be wary of the step forward made by rival Mercedes GP

Jacksonville, NewToday.jpg Medical Office Park Eye Center is looking for TEAM PLAYERS to join their front office and clinical staff. Positions are full-time. Benefits package available. Please forward resume & references to 6 Office Park Drive Jacksonville, NC 28546

Upscale Salon in Sherman Oaks looking for a reliable, organized assistant who is motivated and willing to learn.
Multitasking abilities, communication skills and dedication is a plus. This is a full time position.
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Please include some details about yourself along with why you should be considered for this position.
We look forward to hearing from you!

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Local residential house cleaning company has a position available for someone that is energetic, professional, pays high attention to detail, and has a very positive attitude. Professional house cleaning experience not required but it is preferred. Typical hours of operation are Monday through Friday between the hours of 9am and 3pm. You may be asked to work outside those hours but that would be out of the norm. Expect to be available to work between 6 – 20 hours per week.

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The #1 direct marketing contractor for Comcast is looking for 15 sales
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We look forward to hearing from you if you are excited about working hard and joining a team of successful, but laid back sales rockstars. Hiring Organization: TroyDecker37@gmail.com

• Location: Portland Metro Area
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We are a boutique commercial litigation and class action litigation firm in Del Mar , California. We are currently searching for a full-time paralegal with 5+ years law firm experience who is familiar with Microsoft Office 2007. Ideal candidate will be able to quickly prepare Discovery and Discovery Responses, including, but not limited to, Motions to Compel, and/or Motions to Quash, Summarizing Depositions, Notice to Consumer, Subpoenas, etc.


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* All filing and service requirements for District Court and Superior Court

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We are a full service day spay specializing in facials and massage. We are looking to add a certified nail technician, that is passionate about natural nail services. We are looking for a perfect candidate that is trained in Shellac nails, excellent at giving spa pedicures, and who knows creative's polish technique. This is an exciting opportunity to start on with us just before we launch a huge ad campaign for nail services. Please forward us your resume to this listing. We look forward to meeting with you soon. Hours needed at this time are Tuesday, Wednesday, 10:30 to 3:00, Friday 2:00 to 8:00, Saturday 10:00 to 2:00 and Sunday 10:30 to 4:30. We look forward to meeting with you soon.

• Location: Bellevue
• Compensation: DOE
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Ocean View Montessori is looking for the right person to join our staff as a Head Teacher. We are looking for someone who has their Early Childhood Montessori certification or is presently enrolled in a Montessori training program. Prior experience with pre school aged children is preferred but not essential.

Our small school offers a bright, spacious, well equipped classroom that has been designed to stimulate the curiosity and interest of the children. In addition to our indoor Montessori classroom, we provide a beautiful outdoor playground space complete with a children’s garden. Ocean View Montessori also provides art, music, yoga and various field trips.

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-Job is available beginning June, 2011.
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-Salary is dependent upon experience.

Interested applicants may apply by submitting resume. We look forward to hearing from you!

• Compensation: Dependent Upon Experience
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We need an assistant who is great with people and enthusiastic about dentistry. We have a part time position to start (20 hours). Experience with digital-xrays (Dexis) and computers (Dexis) is a plus. Our primarily cosmetic practice includes many advanced dental procedures. Friendly doctor with over 20 years experience and great staff to work with. Please tell us about yourself in a cover letter and resume and any letters of recc you care to send. Looking forward to seeing your application!

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ostatic.com: I always look forward to new SimplyMEPIS releases, and yesterday I was treated to version 11.0. Just two days after mini-MEPIS made its debut, its full-featured big brother was unveiled.

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When Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) finished 9th overall in last year’s Giro d’Italia, a discerning minority regarded the performance, and not Ivan Basso’s victory, as the most significant of the Corsa Rosa for Italian cycling. For years an unheralded journeyman, Pinotti had slowly risen to prominence in the latter part of the noughties as contemporaries like Ivan Basso and Danilo Di Luca’s stock fell, their reputations and palmarès sullied by doping scandals.

Few, though, would have batted an eyelid at Pinotti’s five Italian national time trial titles, his four days in the pink jersey in 2007 or indeed his 2010 Giro campaign were it not for the anti-doping convictions he wore so forthrightly on his sleeve. A graduate engineer, he also spoke eloquently about the environment, the challenge of attracting kids to cycling and just about any topic on which his views were solicited. He was, in short, a worthy spokesperson for a cycling nation that for years had placed its trust in men of straw.

Last December, on the eve of the 2011 season, we sat down with Pinotti to retrace his career path up to this point. With just ten days to go to the start of the Giro in Turin, we’re about to discover whether cycling’s voice of reason – and Pinotti’s palmarès – will continue on the same heartening upward curve.

A shorter, adapted version of this interview appeared in the April issue of Procycling magazine.

Cyclingnews: Marco, let’s go right back to the start. How and why did you start cycling?

Marco Pinotti: I started riding when I was 16. I was Matteo Algeri’s teammate. One summer I went round to his house to do homework and we went for a bike ride together. He said I was quite good, that I should give it a go and so on. Then I went to watch an Under 23 race that October. I liked it so I started looking for a team. I found out there was one in my village. So I joined and the next season I started racing.

Did cycling run in the family?

No one rode bikes in my family but my granddad always liked cycling and wanted me to race. He died in January 1992 and that was the year I started racing. He never saw me on a bike but I know he’d have been my biggest fan. I was lucky to be from an area where there’s a lot of passion for cycling, which really developed after the war with Gimondi. He was winning in the sixties, then the oil industry was in crisis in the 1970s and people started using bikes as a mode of transport. So it really grew, then in the 1980s and 1990s you got the ripple effect of Gimondi and that generation. There were lots of clubs in the area then. In the second half of the 1990s, there were something like 27 professionals living in Bergamo, some born there, some from other regions or countries. They were all guys who had started riding in the late 1980s. Now it’s very different; now there are only a handful of pros in Bergamo. I think there are two reasons why it’s changed so much. One is that people just don’t ride bikes as much any more. The other is that the foreigners aren’t coming to Bergamo any more. There’s still Kanstantin Siutsou, Alexander Kuchinski, one of the Efimkin brothers, but that’s about it. That’s because it’s no longer a good place to train. If a young rider, someone like Tejay Van Garderen, asks me to recommend a place to stay and train in Italy, I’d like to say Bergamo but I tell them to go somewhere else.

Kids of your generation in Italy grew up very aware of cycling and the top riders, didn’t they? Do you think that’s changed now?

Italian kids are maybe as aware of cycling as they once were but it’s changed. There are a lot fewer races. There are a lot fewer kids too, when you think of it. Now families have one, two kids on average. There’s more traffic, so parents don’t want their kids on the road. And there’s a lot of competition from other sports. I don’t know…On one hand, the Federation will tell you that the numbers are going up but those statistics are “doped” slightly by the numbers doing mountain biking, which is safer. Granfondos have really taken off too – but those are generally over 30s who are doing it for health reasons. And again, Bergamo’s not at the forefront of that trend.

Did you follow the Giro, the Tour?

Even before I started racing, I followed cycling. I followed all sport. I loved the Tour – with LeMond, Bugno, the back end of Hinault’s career. But I didn’t have any idols as such. I can remember the Fignon and LeMond Tour really well. But I wasn’t a “fan” of any one rider.

You were more focused on your academic work? You went on to get a degree in engineering….

I was certainly more focused on my school work than cycling at that time. I started racing but I didn’t intend to turn pro. That idea only really entered my head the year before I turned pro. I always had to juggle academic work with cycling, so I was always a bit pressed for time. I thought I’d turn pro for two or three years and see how things went, whether my body could take the strain. But I would never have expected a career like I’ve had, so long and successful.

How successful were you as an amateur?

I won races but I was never up there with Basso and Di Luca, those guys. I was always in a small amateur team. Now, and even more so then, there was a massive difference between the big, very organized teams who went on training camps and were basically run like pro teams, with riders who were effectively pros because they’d left school and cycling was all they did. I never went to training camps. I just used to race on a Saturday then go back to my parents’. So, I won races but small ones. I was never really in the set-up for the national team. Time trials were the only way for me to get noticed on a national level. Without those, I would never have gone beyond a few good results in regional races. There was a bit of a dearth of good time triallists so that’s where I slotted in. That’s what got my name out there on a national level

They were rough, unpleasant times in Italian amateur cycling….

Yep. Absolutely. I don’t know what it’s like now but it certainly wasn’t easy then. History has taught us that a lot of victories in that era were the fruit of illegal short-cuts and not talent.

Pinotti in his element

You came into contact with professional cycling for the first time immediately after the Festina affair, when you joined Polti as a stagiaire in August 1998…

I guess I was conscious of what was happening…but the Festina affair was a good thing because it opened up the possibility for change. It gave cycling a big jolt. When I turned pro, I heard mentalities were already changing. Or at least there was that hope. So that was the first jolt, which made people finally take the war on doping seriously.

But did you know what you were getting into?

No, I had no idea.

And you hadn’t seen team-mates or opponents doping with your own eyes?

No.

So it wasn’t as though you were going to races and your team-mates were filling the minibar with EPO…

No. I think if that was ever the case, it probably changed in 1998. After Festina there probably wasn’t much organized doping. It was individual riders making their own choices then. Perhaps the teams were closing their eyes to it but there was no organized doping. I don’t know what it was like before Festina. But something definitely changed there.

Had you already asked yourself the question of whether you would dope or not?

I was lucky that I was turning pro just because I could. I also had an education behind me. I turned pro in 1999 and graduated in 2000. My main aim was to get my engineering degree, then I was going to evaluate whether I could still race my bike. If I could survive with my values and not do too badly…I like racing my bike, so why not continue? Then when I got my degree I felt even more secure because I had something to fall back on. I even went for interviews after I graduated just to see how attractive the offers were. But they weren’t so attractive that I wouldn’t rather carry on racing.

And in fact, in those first two years, you…

Did nothing [laughs].

Well, yeah, you didn’t get amazing results but you did OK.

Yes, yeah. I mean, I turned pro and rode and finished the Tour in my first year. It was one of my biggest achievements in the first part of my career. It was the first Tour that Armstrong won. I finished and the directeur sportifs were all happy with me. 

But it must have been tough.

Well, I didn’t do anything exceptional but, honestly, I finished without ever having been on my knees. I was OK. It was actually a really good thing to do the Tour in my first year because I said to myself that was as hard as it could get. The level was high but the others also had two legs, just like me, and there I was with them. It was a good first experience of the Tour.

Your friend Matteo Algeri had bit more trouble than you adapting to the pro scene.

He did two and a half years. He was passionate but he had lots of physical problems which maybe came from overextending himself to get up to scratch. He’d eventually had enough.

What were your sporting highlights in those first couple of years?

Finishing the Tour in 1999, coming second in a stage in 2001… I was in a break with Rik Verbrugghe. That was the first time I really became aware of Jonathan Vaughters because that was the day he had to quit the race because his eye was swollen from a bee sting and he couldn’t take cortisone. I saw the photos in the paper the next day. I was second in that stage and I was fifth or sixth in the young riders’ classification. I was 30 or 40 minutes behind on general classification but still one of the best Under 25s. That was good for me because I was coming off a few physical problems. Even then I realized that I recovered pretty well. I might have been 50th overall in that Tour but I was in the top five young riders and that was having lost a bit of time in the flat stages. In the mountains I was in the top 40 or 50. I can remember the Alpe d’Huez stage that Armstrong won, when he bluffed Ullrich. I was in the first group of around 40 at the bottom of Alpe d’Huez. I can remember Armstrong bluffing, the penultimate climb…

The Glandon.

That’s it. There were a few hard sections and I could see Armstrong dropping back behind me. He didn’t look too bad but it seemed strange that he was there at the back of the group. There was Livingston on the front, then Ullrich…I can remember Telekom working the whole day. Then we descended, got to the foot of Alpe d’Huez and I got dropped. I can remember being puzzled when I saw him on the Glandon.

With hindsight and everything that’s happening now, what are your impressions of Armstrong?

When I rode the Tour in 1999 he was a source of inspiration. I was like a lot of other people. Looking back now….when he gave up the first time and L’Equipe published the article about his 1999 urine samples, it was a bit of a kick in the stomach.

You believed in him before that?

Here’s the thing [long hesitation]. As long as you don’t have proof, you always hope. I hoped. But there I thought, blimey, everything people said, the rumours…it was all confirmed, albeit not from a legal point of view. Now all I know, I read in the newspapers, and when I read about this investigation in the United States, I just think there’s no point now – the time to act was years ago.

Would context be any excuse? If one were to say, if he’s proven guilty, that plenty of other people were doping?

No, it’s not.

There’s an argument that he also dictated, created the context. He was the standard bearer for the sport. If he had sent out strong signals, would the context have changed?

OK, but it’s not the riders’ responsibility to send out signals. His job is to race his bike and win. Armstrong never tested positive. OK, there are those tests from 1999 but he was never convicted. What annoys me is the role the authorities played or didn’t play. A few months ago I read Paul Kimmage’s book, Rough Ride. As I read it, I was thinking, blimey, this was 1990! And if my memory serves me, Kimmage said that one of the reasons he was writing it was so that the UCI would finally see what was happening. He talked about how the riders all knew there would be no dope tests in the last stage of a major tour, so they took amphetamines. And this gave him a dilemma: he didn’t want to take amphetamines but he did want to help his team leader. So what could he do? In the book, he was effectively asking why the UCI let this kind of thing happen. He wrote it as an invitation to the authorities to open their eyes. They didn’t and so they’re maybe the guiltiest ones.

OK, but there wasn’t always the technology to detect certain substances. The riders also had to take responsibility, let their own ethics govern the sport.

Agreed, but for years these people underestimated the problem. In 1997 it was the riders who applied pressure to introduce a haematocrit limit. Maybe it did more harm than good – I don’t know – but it was the people at the base of the pyramid, the riders, who demanded action before the authorities. I wasn’t there at the time but…I’m more angry with the people who facilitated all this or who didn’t do enough. But then yeah, you’re also right about riders and their ethics. Now there are people trying to undermine the credibility of the biological passport, which is a positive thing that the UCI have introduced. A lot has changed but when Landis says there are riders who the UCI has protected, if that’s true, it’s very serious.

Allegations don’t come much more serious that that.

Yeah, because there is this conflict of interests between promotion and organization. If I was in the UCI’s shoes, it’s clear that I would want to create heroes, drama. The two roles, promotion and legislation, should be separated. There ought to be collaboration with the UCI but they shouldn’t be in control of both areas.

Doping is a completely selfish act, isn’t it? Would you agree that these riders have no concern for the wellbeing of the sport?  

I agree.

For example, Danilo Di Luca gave an interview this winter explaining why he collaborated with the Italian Olympic Committee’s (CONI) anti-doping commission. He said he’d done it “because he couldn’t stand being away from races”. There was no notion of him doing it to serve the sport.

This is hypocrisy at its worst. Don’t get me started on Di Luca because if you do we’ll still be here tomorrow morning. I don’t want to talk about him.

But it’s obvious that you’d like to…

[long sigh] You can’t say what he said. I don’t know what he told the investigators – he must have said something if they reduced his ban – but compare Di Luca and Tom Zirbel. Zirbel was banned for two years by USADA having tested positive for DHEA. He didn’t know how it got into his body and he definitely didn’t take it intentionally. Nonetheless, he admitted that what enters an athlete’s body was his responsibility and he wasn’t able to prove that it was contamination, perhaps because he didn’t have the money and the lawyers. Anyway, he couldn’t prove it and he got banned for two years. There was another case - Zirbel heard about it - of an athlete who did manage to prove that he’d taken a contaminated supplement and the company got sued – but the athlete still only got a three-month reduction to his ban. Then along comes Di Luca, who’s already been charged twice -  once for consulting a doctor who’s banned from cycling for life and now for this. Di Luca tests positive, admits he did it and then he provides the investigators with information, which he can do because he’s an expert in the field, and they give him a nine-month reduction. Then what? He throws his hands up in the air and says, “I didn’t name any names. I didn’t spit in the soup. I just explained my doping methods.” So as an expert in the field, he’s told the investigators how you go about doping. At this point Zirbel says, “Ah, it’s a shame that I’m not an expert in doping. I should have pretended to be one then I’d be able to start racing again next year. Because I’m an idiot, though, and I let this substance get into my system without knowing how, I’ve got two years and I’m stuck with it.” You see these are the inconsistencies of the system. I read what Zirbel wrote and I thought, yeah, he’s right.  I respect him. I mean, they are two different bodies making the decisions, USADA and CONI, but the lack of uniformity is still unacceptable. It’s things like this that undermine cycling’s credibility.

And yet it’s a lot better than it was.

I say that if things remain as they are, it’s at least a big improvement on fifteen years ago. There’s been some progress. Everyone whinges about McQuaid but ever since he took over at the UCI – I don’t know, maybe under another president there would have been even greater strides – but things have improved. Maybe it’s because he’s come under pressure from WADA, the riders, the media, but efforts have been made. Cycling must be one of the cleanest sports now. I mean, I don’t know anything about other sports, but I know what happens in cycling. Sure, if you read WADA’s report on the Tour de France, you think to yourself that they’re still not doing enough, that the holes in the net are still too wide, but what do you do?

Is one of the reasons you still “hope” Armstrong was clean his charisma, his presence?

He definitely has that. I rode the 2009 Giro alongside him and you could see his charisma. Cycling has benefited from that. Do I hate him? No, because I’m more upset with the authorities. I never said a word to Armstrong all those years when he was winning the Tour. He was a lot more accessible at the Giro in 2009. Someone from the hospital in Bergamo called me during that race to ask whether Armstrong might agree to have his photo taken with the oncology department, since there was a stage finishing in Bergamo. I thought to myself there was no way, he’d have people asking him for stuff every two minutes…but I’d told this person that I’d try anyway. So at the first opportunity, in the middle of a stage one day, I found him in the bunch and asked him whether he might be able to help. He was really gracious, actually. He said they should look in the roadbook, find out where his team were staying at the end of the stage to Bergamo and meet him there in the evening. He even asked for their name, so he knew who it was. Sure enough, the day after the Bergamo stage, he found me in the bunch and told that the people had come and got the photos they wanted. Apparently the people from the hospital had invited him to some kind of conference in October but he couldn’t go because his girlfriend was due to give birth then. He was very approachable, really, which is not what you’d expect of someone that famous and in demand.

Another charismatic rider whose career overlapped with yours was Gilberto Simoni, your team-mate at Lampre and then again at Saunier Duval.

His was a different kind of charisma. He came to Lampre in 2000 and rode with us until the end of 2001, when he went to Saeco. Then in 2006 I rode with him again at Saunier Duval. I have good memories of him. He’s not someone who brings a team together, not that kind of leader…

Really?

Not in my experience. He was always a bit in his own world. He was very methodical [pauses] but in his own way. In winter, he hardly rode his bike. I can remember the first year that I was at Lampre, he started his training in January. Then he went and finished third in the Giro. Let’s say that he did things his way. Then, by the time we rode for Saunier Duval, he had become much more of a leader, which he needed to be because we had a lot of young riders. The directeur sportif would often give his briefing in the morning and Gibo would interject with his own ideas. He started to have a big influence on the directeurs sportifs, probably as a result of having won the Giro twice and grown in confidence. He didn’t shout but he didn’t have to; when he talked, you listened.

With the media, he was very enigmatic. Sometimes it could be quite comical.

He was like that with us too. You thought he wasn’t paying attention but he noticed everything, then he’d deliver these killer one-liners. If you messed up in a race he wasn’t one to bang his fists the table and if you did something right he’d always remember it. You’d finish stages happy with the work you’d done for the team but thinking Gibo probably hadn’t even noticed certain things, yet he always did. He was always brutally frank as well – a typical mountain man. He didn’t care about public relations.

Which other riders have particularly influenced you in your career?

I learned a lot from Chris Horner.

Tell us more.

Yeah. I raced with him at Saunier Duval. He had real race craft, really good tactical sense, but all of his own, very American. I can remember in the 2005 Tour of Switzerland, he, Leonardo Piepoli and Fabian Jeker were our strongest riders on the climbs and in the transitional stages rest of us had to cover the breaks. I can remember this puzzling him. He said that all team leaders seemed to do in Europe was sit on for the whole race and see how far they could get on the summit finishes. He couldn’t understand why the leaders didn’t also pull on the flat stages, or why they weren’t covering the breaks too. So he had pretty different perspective from the rest of us. He’d been in Europe in the late 1990s, it hadn’t really worked, then he’d come over for the second time in 2005. He was 34 at the time yet, to listen to him, you’d have thought that he still had six, seven years as a pro ahead of him. I couldn’t work it out: he’d been at La Française des Jeux, broken his scaphoid or something, then won everything in America and come back over here. And here he was now sounding like a kid at the start of his career. I said to myself, blimey, never mind six or seven, the way he’s talking he’s going to ride for another ten years. He was 34 then and now I’ve just had my best season at 34 years of age… and he’s just had his best year at 39.

So it was the power of positive thinking, youth as a self-fulfilling prophesy?

That’s it. I was 29 at the time and I was thinking I didn’t have that long left. I looked at him and thought he’d have one, two years at best. But then you heard him, and five years on you can see now that it wasn’t just wishful thinking on his part. There he is at 39 winning at the Tour of the Basque Country.

In your own career, moving to T-Mobile, which soon became Highroad, was a massive turning point.

Yeah. I’d always wanted to ride in a foreign team and the culture of an American team suited me perfectly. The constant striving to improve, the innovation…it lit a fire under the passion I already had.  It’s the main reason why I’ve improved so much. The old way that still prevailed in Italian teams had its advantages but you only have to look at what this team’s for done me to see that this is the way forward. Liquigas is still a big team but Italy’s still a very traditionalist country because its cycling culture has such deep roots. For example, in this team we spend hours if not days getting our bikes properly fitted. In Italian teams, if they do it, it’s just for show, for the press. I’m not even sure they’re convinced that these things have an effect on performance. For example, at Lampre, Compex supplied us with electro-stimulators, like they do here. But there the directeurs gave us the Compex and that was it, whereas here, last year, we had a two-hour seminar on how to use it. See what I mean? There I seem to remember half of the team got a Compex at the start of the season, they took some photos, then the rest of us got ours later in the year, but no one ever told us how to use it. The same thing with nutritional supplements and equipment. You might already know the stuff that they tell you but you might not. Maybe in Italy the amateurs are more advanced in terms of what they know but then they stop learning.

Somehow it’s hard to imagine you becoming a directeur sportif when you retire, whether it’s in Italy or anywhere else.

You never know. I can’t really see myself driving a team car but you never know. At the moment I’m thinking about racing and nothing else. I’m better off being like Chris Horner and living for the moment. That’s where my focus is now.

...

College Basketball | Tennessee's Harris to stay in NBA draft Louisville Courier-Journal AP Tennessee freshman forward Tobias Harris said Friday he will remain eligible for the NBA draft after being projected as a first-round pick. Harris was second among Volunteers with 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season. ... and more »

I was lucky enough to see actress Sada Thompson, who died Wednesday at age 83, twice on stage - in a 1988 Chicago production of Driving Miss Daisy and then in her final Broadway appearance in the 1993 play, Any Given Day. She was, of course, wonderful in both. However, I first became a fan when she starred as matriarch Kate Lawrence on the 1976-80 TV series, Family, for which she deservedly won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Thompson received a total of nine Emmy nominations, including four for Family, one for a 1977 production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, and one for her performance as Carla's mother, Mama Lozupone, on a 1991 episode of Cheers. She also nearly played Archie Bunker's neighbor Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family, but after taping one episode, she was replaced by Betty Garrett due to creative differences with producer Norman Lear.

Thompson's other Broadway credits include the 1959 musical, Juno, the one-performance 1968 play, Johnny No-Trump (with her future Family co-star, James Broderick, and Bernadette Peters), and the 1971 play, Twigs, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award. She also won a Drama Desk Award and an Obie Award for her performance in the 1970 off-Broadway play, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.

Below you can watch Sada Thompson in the opening credits of Family, in two scenes from the series, winning her Emmy Award on September 17, 1978 (forward to 6:25 in the video), and in a promo for Our Town (after one for TV's Police Woman).

nblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2T68_dxDzrk/TcTFlqDXKqI/AAAAAAAAgf0/k8WXxJRAFdI/s1600/news1.jpg">nblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JpNqkFy6wQI/TcTFqLmHGDI/AAAAAAAAgf8/2rowRnPo5mM/s1600/news2.jpg">Happiness at hand, hard to avoid the desire for excitement. Charmaine Sheh has been struggling for a year and finally decides to leaves TVB. Coming out of the greenhouse, she is seeking for a new breakthrough in her career. In her career, she can take the initiative to attack, but in her love life she still has a soft hand and will just go where fate leads her to.

(The rest is Charmaine speaking...)

Career: Fear of being disgusted by the job

[When the public speaks of Charmaine, she is not only a good actress that can create new sparks, but she also has this unknown stimulation.]

I was in TVB for 13 years, besides gaining fame and fortune, the most important is that I found a job that I like. I can truly be entertained while at work. Because there are many people that don't like their jobs, it is a blessing that I was able to find a job I really like, and one that constantly gives me new and fresh feelings. The more I work, the more interested I get, slowly I fell in love with my job.

Feel excited to work outside

In fact, this time deciding if I wanted to renew my contract or not, I struggled for a year. I slowly realized that I cannot step any further in this environment, I do have work, but I don't have a goal. It can't be like that, most of my time is spent in work, how can I have no goals?! No power or force when acting is already not possible! So, I had to think about how I can get that push. I thought about collaborating with other people, that's how I can get new sparks, and as a human being, you must give everything a try, there can't be no changes.

TVB has protected me well in the past many years, but I don't feel uneasy going out to develop. In fact, I feel excited because I don't know anything, it is TVB who spent all these years paving the road for me, and I can safety step out. When I go out, there is a path I take, and it might be dangerous, but there will only be chances with danger, so I feel it's very exciting, looking forward to it.

Collaborated, no sparks

I hope to be able to continue doing the job I like. Can't give myself too much pressure on what achievements I want to get. My purpose is I don't want to have a job that I'm disgusted by. If I keep shooting TVB series, I will have collaborated with many of the artists before, and working with the same person again and again, there won't be any sparks. It's like a roundabout going in circles, I'm really afraid that one day I'll hate my job.

Love: When it comes eat it

[Charmaine dares to love, just as long as she meets the ideal partner, so won't care about her status or work and completely fall in love.]

Sometimes when I'm shooting, I try as much as possible to not make it difficult. After so many years, it's impossible that I didn't hurt my body, my liver and eyes are definitely not in good shape anymore. However, sometimes when I encounter a good script and co-stars, it's hard not to take it. My goal now is to not make things too difficult, take some breaks. In between every shoot, I will take a break before working again.

Love life, just let nature take its course. It isn't buying clothes or pets. Although people say China is a large market and I will meet many people, I really haven't thought about it. When speaking of China actresses being with rich men, I was in China shooting too and I didn't even meet one. So it's not related, when the heavens wants you to meet someone, then you will meet that person.

Prettier with someone loving you

Like Sonjia Kwok, she met the right person and just went for it? I don't care who the person is, relationships when it's cooked, I will eat it. A person that matches and a good person, that's enough for me. I am not desperate to marry, among my friends there are few that failed, what my life is like, I don't know, but if I do have someone to date, it would be better. Most relationships are quite happy, someone to love you, you will be prettier! (Are you pretty lately?) Quite pretty, I'm pretty every day!"

nblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f_MNb4wqeKQ/TcTFvfAlAEI/AAAAAAAAggE/DINEJj2p554/s1600/news3.jpg">Five Possible Successors Comes Forward

Who will be my successor for Big Sister when I leave? Wah! I can't take that! We are all on the same level! From what I've seen, a FaDan that is popular, most important is they can do both ancient and modern. There are many good ones... Tavia Yeung can be good or evil, and can do ancient or modern. Fala Chen has good audience fate, she already has a head start. Although I haven't collaborated with Kate Tsui, I know she's a smart girl and can diversify [in acting]. Linda Chung is the pretty humble type. Each has their good characteristics and have audience fate. Myolie Wu is very hard working, she is constantly increasing her value and hopes for change. Hehe... they are all good in their own ways! I also want to know who will stand out!

Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Tags: be, charmaine, dry, loved, sheh, so, to, wants

Related posts

• Virgina Lok praises Myolie Wu & Fala Chen to replace Charmaine Sheh (0)
• The Top 5 ‘successors’ of Charmaine Sheh; Artists’ response to her departure (0)
• The Top 5 ‘successors’ of Charmaine Sheh; Artists’ response to her departure (4)
• Tavia Yeung sucking money in Mainland, wants to be the Evilest of China (0)
• Sheren Tang doesn’t admit to making Charmaine Sheh leave TVB (0)

Posted on Sat, 07 May 2011 04:06:00 +0000 at http://hongkongmorning.com/charmaine-she...loved.html
Comments: http://hongkongmorning.com/charmaine-she...l#comments

How much progress is Britain making on gay rights under a Tory-led coalition? Comedian Rhona Cameron, one of the first out lesbians on TV, takes on gay Tory MP Nigel Evans

Over the past few weeks, doubts have been raised about how far gay equality has really come: a male couple were thrown out of a Soho pub for kissing, it was revealed that no data had been collected on the Conservative election promise not to deport gay asylum seekers, and the ban on gay men donating blood may be lifted only if they haven't had sex for 10 years. Emine Saner brought together comedian and author Rhona Cameron and Nigel Evans, Tory MP and deputy speaker, who came out in December, to discuss. First, they talked about reports this week that kissing between same-sex couples on television could be banned before the watershed following a review.

Rhona Cameron: I know the review is about any sexual scenes before the watershed, but when it gets this "gay" focus in reports, it's very worrying.

Nigel Evans: It's sad that it was portrayed in that way. I don't think David Cameron would agree to only banning gay kissing before 9pm, but not heterosexual kissing. On equality legislation alone, it would simply not happen.

RC: The Conservative party does, as it stands, have more out gay people than other parties. It must have been difficult for you, or anyone who had to live a life that wasn't true to their heart, and I'm very pleased for you that you came out and are able to be free in what you are.

NE: I get asked what impact it's had on me, and I would say none, really.

RC: No, there will have been in your inner world …

NE: Yes, definitely.

RC: You couldn't have come out 20 or 30 years ago.

NE: It would have been a lot more difficult. I asked Gareth Thomas, the rugby player who came out, to give me some advice. Chris Smith [the former Labour MP], in coming out when he did was groundbreaking. Or someone like Peter Tatchell. I have huge respect for him the more I've read about him, and about how he has been pilloried for the battles he has fought. For me, being something like the 22nd or 23rd openly gay MP is not brave at all. I helped only a small number. Look at the fact that [cricketer] Steven Davies came out the other day, and Anton Hysén, the Swedish footballer. Sport remains a problem.

RC: There are no out lesbians in major league sport.

NE: If only we could get some gay footballers to come forward, that would help. It's daft to say there are no gay footballers in the premier league – of course there are. Every one of them who could possibly find the courage to come out would help so many people.

RC: I was one of the first out lesbians on British television, and I've often been the one who has had to represent the lesbian thing. It must be nice not having to mention it.

NE: I'm not a poster boy for gays, either.

RC: That's a title, isn't it!

NE: I'm too bloody old.

RC: When did you join the Conservatives?

NE: At 16, in the mid-70s.

RC: It does stun me that you can be gay and be in the Conservative party. How did you feel as a young person knowing you were gay, being involved in a party that put into force draconian measures like section 28, and the legacy of that? The reason people like me were bullied at a young age, which affected me for the rest of my life, was because we grew up in a climate of persecution and oppression. Are you telling me that when you heard the beginnings of section 28, you didn't take a hit for that, you didn't feel something in your heart?

NE: No, because I was going through denial, and what I would describe as my Neanderthal phase. It was just stupid, I clearly wasn't thinking. I probably thought, wrongly, that this is what the public want and we should concede it [Evans backed section 28, and once voted against lowering the age of consent]. Of course, I was completely wrong. I said it when I came out, I showed absolutely no leadership, whereas David Cameron has. When you say you can't work out how there are so many gays in the Tory party – David is hugely instrumental in that, because of his approach to gay issues and equality.

RC: There was some embarrassment around his interview with Martin Popplewell [Cameron made several gaffes when interviewed by the Gay Times in the run-up to the election]. He didn't look too comfortable then, did he?

NE: No. There was a hiccup there.

RC: Sometimes what they say isn't really what they feel, and when they're caught out, they say what they feel. To be fair, Chris Grayling [the Tory MP who said before the general election that B&B; owners should be allowed to bar homosexual guests] was dealt with, and I have to applaud that.

NE: He's been rewired.

RC: How do you feel about the news that the ban on gay men giving blood may end? Even though it only applies to men who haven't had sex for 10 years.

NE: Because of my position as deputy speaker, I'm not allowed to express an opinion, but what I can say is that a lot of my gay friends feel very unhappy. Equality is basically the rule of thumb, and that's what it should be irrespective of what the issue happens to be. If you have distinguishing elements between gay and not gay, you have a problem.

RC: It's ludicrous. There are so many heterosexual men who have unprotected sex and give blood. The Anthony Nolan Trust takes bone marrow from gay men. Do you feel your party are sticking to their promises on equality?

NE: As far as I can see, yes. Irrespective of what you're saying about the Martin Popplewell interview, David is very much at the forefront of opening doors, and there being so many openly gay members of parliament has helped the issue. There are still some people in all parties who are gay and haven't come out yet for whatever reason, and I suspect there are homophobic people in all parties. But things have moved on to a fundamental degree.

RC: Homophobic bullying is still one of the major reasons for suicide and self-harm among young people. I acknowlege and congratulate certain steps forward. But on the other hand, we can't sit here and make out it's all OK and easy to be gay.

NE: We're still getting gay people being beaten up in the streets of London, which I find incredible.

RC: I got an email recently from a 15-year-old girl struggling enormously – in this day and age. Something like 90% of teachers have said there is homophobic bullying. Seven out of 10 teachers have said they received no support when they reported it. What the Tories did was swore a pledge to help tackle homophobic bullying in schools, and yet those percentages have not come down. And there has been an increase in homophobic attacks. There are people who are demoted at work, and those who are still living sad lives of lies, who can't be themselves. If a party goes into power promising things – equality, tackling homophobic bullying, more support for gay asylum seekers – they should stick to that.

I'm brand new to the website and am looking forward to being a part of the community that seems awesome. I just bought a red 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. I believe its fully loaded (NAV, seat heaters, sunroof, etc..) but not sure. I have a...

Polling began in 38 constituencies in the fifth and penultimate phase of the elections to the 294-member West Bengal Legislative Assembly this morning amidst tight security.

More than 7.41 million voters, including 3.51 million women, in the 38 constituencies, spread over the districts of Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls.

There are, in all, 193 candidates in the fray, including 17 women.

The CPI (M), the main constituent of the ruling Left Front, has put up candidates in 32 of the constituencies, while the CPI has fielded one candidate, the All India Forward Block 3 and the RSP 1.

The Trinamool Congress is contesting 33 seats, its ally Congress 5, the Bahujan Samaj Party 12 and the Bharatiya Janata Party all 38.

Unrecognised registered parties account for 50 candidates while there are also 18 independents in the contest.

Prominent candidates involved in today's polling include state Health Minister Surjya Kanta Mishra and state Congress president Manas Bhuniya.

The Election Commission has set up 6488 polling stations in the 38 constituencies and made elaborate security and other arrangements to ensure a free and fair poll.

About 80 per cent of the voters had cast their votes in 54 constituencies in the first phase of polling on April 18, about 85 per cent in 50 constituencies that went to the polls in the second phase on April 23, about 78 per cent in the 75 constituencies involved in the third phase on April 27 and about 85 per cent in the 63 constituencies that voted in the fourth round on May 3.

The sixth and last phase is slated for May 10. Counting of votes will be taken up in West Bengal, as well as in Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, where polling has already been completed, on May 13. All results are expected by that evening.

NNN

Before being able to move forward with its Walk of Fame project, Vulcan Tourism needed approval from the Town to use leftover grant funding.

Section: iPhone / iPod touch / iPad, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, iDevice Apps

When I reviewed Legendary Wars back in March, I had only two minor complaints: it didn’t support Retina Display, and it didn’t support the iPad. Its developers, Liv Games, have addressed the display issue, and they’ve released a full iPad version. Legendary Wars HD is on sale this weekend for 99 cents, and even better, the iPhone version is free.

Again, just to focus on that for a minute, Liv Games is offering the full iPhone version for free from May 6th to May 8th. The iPad version will only cost you $0.99 during that time, after which it’ll go up to its customary $2.99. Current owners of the iPhone version may be disappointed to find out it’s not a universal app, but I have a feeling the $0.99 upgrade will be worth it.

And what is Legendary Wars? Liv Games describes it thus:

Liv Games unveils an iPad version of their acclaimed hybrid fantasy game, Legendary Wars. The game offers a unique blend of traditional RTS, RPG, and castle-defense game-play, set in a beautifully crafted, fantasy world. Now embracing all iOS platforms and offering crisp Retina Display graphics, Legendary Wars offers hours of progression through captivating landscapes on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

Legendary Wars HD:
Players journey through five mystical, though tumultuous, zones of Legendary Wars, as they set out to unravel the secrets that surround the mysterious Sunstones of Legendaria. Throughout 50-plus stages, players command an assortment of units, from noble Elven Archers to brash Magical Unicorns. Players can upgrade their heroes, fortify their castle, obtain legendary armor, and unlock powerful combat abilities.

With individually controlled units, exciting boss encounters, and hordes of varied enemies, the need for strategic game-play grows as quickly as the intricate cast of characters.

And there’s more coming. Orian Livnat, creator of Legendary Wars, said, “We’re excited to release new monsters, bosses, endless mode challenges and tiers of armor soon!”

Trust me, though. There’s more than enough here to keep you occupied until then, and now it’s bigger than ever. As I said in my review:

As it stands, though, Legendary Wars is one of the best games I’ve played on the iPhone. In fact, on any handheld gaming device. You get over 50 levels to play, and you can unlock more than 10 “endless” modes. You get a wide variety of monsters and bosses to fight. You get a sharp sense of humor. You get great music. You get in-app purchases if you need to quickly power yourself up.

You get too many things to list. Just grab the game while it’s on sale and discover them yourself.

The advice still stands, and it does so now on all Apple iDevices. Can we look forward to a Mac version now?

Products [Legendary Wars and Legendary Wars HD for iPad]

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

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First off .....  Wow!  I seemed to have touched a nerve with the Vanity Callsign renewal fee post from last night.  I've only one more thing to say about that.  Glad to see you're out there, reading!  Sometimes you wonder when you do an undertaking such as this.

Secondly ...... was it just me that seemed to miss this?



I saw this for the first time in the "What's new?" column of May CQ magazine.  Usually, when a new QRP rig is introduced there's a big hoopla, fanfare and general buzz on the QRP mailing lists and blogs.  Did I miss all that; or did I fall asleep at the wheel?

Or is it the reputation that MFJ has for producing "Mighty Fine ....." that has kept this from being bigger news?  Personally, I've never had a problem with any MFJ product that I have owned in the past; and I've owned plenty of them over the years.

For more details, you can click here, which will take you to the MFJ Website.

A lot of my Ham brethren and sisteren (new word - just made it up!) have the philosophy that "you can never have too many radios".  That's a philosophy that my XYL would take exception with.  So as much as I would like to have a neat lil' radio that would fit in my pocket (I never did get my ATS-3B to work), I don't think I'll be forking the money over anytime soon.

You know, I was thinking though - I don't wear my high school or college rings anymore and with the price of gold the way it is ...

Before I go for the night to catch some shut-eye ....... here's a good one to try and work this weekend!  This was posted on the QRP e-mail reflectors:


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very lest

A three-man scoring attack has the Los Angeles Lakes in front of the Dallas Mavericks with just 12 minutes to go in their Game 3 NBA playoff matchup. Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom are each in double-figures, propelling the Lakers to a six-point lead through three quarters, 72-66.

Bynum has a team-high 18 points, with Odom adding 14 and Bryant 13. Bryant also has six assists and four rebounds through the first three quarters. Bynum has a team-high eight rebounds and is well on his way to a double-double.

It's still the Dirk Nowitzki show as the Dallas forward has 23 points to lead all scorers. Jason Terry has 16 points off the bench, but the rest of the Mavs have been unable to step-up on the offensive end. J.J. Barea, the hero of Game 2, has just two points and two assists.

Be sure to check out our Lakers vs. Mavericks hub for full series coverage. For more on the Lakers, visit Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles. For more on the Mavericks, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.

The Los Angeles Lakers held the Dallas Mavericks at-bay heading into the fourth quarter, and were in position to take home the win in Game 3. With four minutes to go, the Lakers were clinging to a six-point lead, but it certainly felt as if the Mavericks had one more run in them. And, of course, they did.

The Dirk Nowitzki show rolled on in the fourth as the big forward took over, hitting tough shots and setting up his teammates. Two free throws and an impossible lay-in, with a Jason Terry three sandwiched between, put the Mavericks up two with just a minute to go. An empty possession on the other end -- Lamar Odom inexplicably ran an iso -- was followed by a terrible foul by Derek Fisher on the other end, putting Jason Terry at the line and giving the Mavs a four point lead.

And, again, the Lakers folded in crunch-time. Fisher didn't even give Lamar Odom a chance on the ensuing inbound after Terry's free throw as the ball sailed out of bounds. Dallas was able to seal it at the line to secure a 98-92 win to take a 3-0 series lead, putting the Lakers one game from elimination.

Nowitzki finished with a game-high 32 points. Jason Terry added 23 points and Peja Stojakovic joined the two in double-figures with 15 points. Jason Kidd finished with 11 points and nine assists.

Andrew Bynum scored a team-high 21 points, but disappeared down the stretch. Lamar Odom added 18 points and Kobe Bryant pitched-in 17 points. Pau Gasol and Shannon Brown were also in double-figures with 12 and 10 respectively.

Be sure to check out our Lakers vs. Mavericks hub for full series coverage. For more on the Lakers, visit Silver Screen And Roll and SB Nation Los Angeles. For more on the Mavericks, visit Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.

Via Huffington Post - Here's a review and look forward, focused on the expanding redefinition of American urban spaces, such as sidewalks and streets, and a symbiotic recalibration of the flanking ...

COMFORT -- 7 (out of 10) - Soft fabric.  Lightweight fabric perfect for summer.  Occasional readjustments necessary. 
STYLE -- 9 (out of 10) - Sizzling.  Lots of fun colors to choose from. 
QUALITY -- 9 (out of 10) - Well made. Will last you. 
VALUE -- 8 (out of 10) - Good value.  Great for summer.

Features Co-Branded Marketing, Lead Sponsorship of the Skyblast Fireworks and Music Series

PITTSBURGH, May 5, 2011 - Iron City Brewing Co. today announced an agreement with the Pittsburgh Pirates to serve as lead sponsor of the Skyblast fireworks and music series, which begins June 11 with Huey Lewis & the News, followed by concerts with .38 Special (July 9) and Train (August 6). The agreement also grants Iron City and the Pirates rights to use each other's name and logos in advertising and marketing materials to drive business for each organization.

Iron City products will be prominently advertised throughout PNC Park. The Pirates and Iron City will conduct joint pre- and post-game marketing initiatives inside and outside the park to engage consumers and drive support for both brands.

"Iron City and the Pirates are iconic Pittsburgh institutions that are united in their dedication to the city and its fans," said Ed Lozano, president and CEO, Iron City Brewing Co. "As we embark on a campaign to re-connect consumers with their hometown beer, we're proud of our new relationship with the Pirates and invite everyone to enjoy a cold Iron City or IC Light at PNC Park this summer."

"The Pirates are very pleased to partner with Iron City and look forward to working with their new leadership on re-establishing the great partnership that existed for decades between our two organizations," said Frank Coonelly, president, Pittsburgh Pirates.

About Iron City Brewing Company

ICB's brands are iconic in the Western Pennsylvania region, and its core products, Iron City Beer, IC Light, and Augustiner Amber Lager, enjoy a loyal following around the world, wherever "Pittsburgh Nation" beer drinkers congregate. During the brewery's 150-year history it has introduced many innovations, including the twist-off cap and the snap top can, and in 1976, Iron City Brewing was the first brewery in the United States to produce a light beer.

For more information about Iron City Brewing, please visit www.ironcitybrewingcompany.com.

No. 1 Star: Milan Lucic, Boston Bruins

The Bruins power forward scored 30 goals in the regular season but didn't have a single tally through 10 playoff games. He picked a hell of a time to get rolling: Game 4 vs. the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring two goals in the Bruins' sweep-completing 5-1 win. Lucic scored the Bruins' second power-play goal of the postseason in the first period and then iced the win with a breakaway goal off a Matt Carle turnover in the third.

No. 2 Star: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings

With the Red Wings facing elimination — and potentially the end of an era — the captain came through with two first-period goals in Detroit's 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 4. Lidstrom's first tally was a blast off an Antti Niemi rebound; his second was a shot from the slot on the power play.

No. 3 Star: Darren Helm, Detroit Red Wings

Helm's second goal of the playoffs at 18:33 of the third period gave Detroit the 4-3 lead. The goal came after the Wings blew a 3-0 lead, as Dany Heatley tied the game at 1:14 of the third period. Here's Helm's tally:

Honorable mention: Johnny Boychuk scored the game-winner for the Bruins on a deflected shot past Sergei Bobrovsky (22 saves) … Brad Marchand scored his fifth of the playoffs into an empty net. … Kris Versteeg scored the Flyers' lone goal. … Jimmy Howard made 25 saves, including some key stops late in the third, for the Red Wings. … Ryane Clowe had three assists for the Sharks, getting helpers on goals by Logan Couture, Dan Boyle and Heatley. … Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist. … Tim Thomas made 22 saves.

Did you know? Lidstrom's first goal gave him 181 career playoff points, breaking a second-place tie with Ray Bourque for scoring by a defenseman, and broke an 11th-place tie overall with Jaromir Jagr. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Jeff Carter had no points and was a minus-4 for the Flyers. … Scott Hartnell finished the Boston series with no points and a minus-5. … The Flyers (18) and Sharks (13) lead the NHL in first-period goals allowed in the playoffs. … Finally, potentially tough break for the Bruins as Claude Giroux takes out Patrice Bergeron, who skated one shift in the third period:

Conn Smythe Watch: 1. Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning; 2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; 3. Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks; 4. Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks; 5. Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins; 6. Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks; 7. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators; 8. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 9. Nathan Horton, Boston Bruins; 10. Vinny Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning.

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Winds of up to 25 mph propelled dozens of windsurfers forward at Waddell Beach Friday afternoon, their wakes slashing like contrails in the sky as the gusts surged them forward across the waves.

Was shopping at Neiman Marcus today and saw a guy I knew I recognized. Figured he was an old customer or something. Then it hit me....SKELETOR!. Right as I was thinking that a sales rep walked right by me and said "Welcome home Mike". I walked over and said "How are you, Mike? How are things looking in DC? Looking forward to the season?" He replied "If there's a season". I said "well what you think?" He replies "I'm not exactly sure, fifty-fifty I'd say". I said well I hope they straighten this mess out I got a few fantasy teams to worry about. He laughed.

WALTHAM - He's not the first athlete to resort to the third person while flexing his sense of immortality. But...

Top US tax policy official to resign Financial Times The top US tax policy official will resign next week, just as the Obama administration is considering whether to press forward with its own plan to transform the taxation of American businesses. The departure of Michael ... Treasury's Top Tax Official Mundaca to Depart as Obama Considers OverhaulBloomberg Mundaca Is Leaving Treasury Tax PostWall Street Journal (blog) all 5 news articles »

Darren Helm scored with 1:27 left in the third period, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to an elimination-avoiding 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series on Friday night.

Detroit Red Wings players from left, Pavel Datsyuk, of Russia, Niklas Kronwall, of Sweden, Nicklas Lidstrom, of Sweden, and Johan Franzen, of Sweden, celebrate Lidstrom's goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series, Friday, May 6, 2011 in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings' Todd Bertuzzi, right, celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with teamamte Henrik Zetterberg, left, of Sweden, as fans react in the background during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series, Friday, May 6, 2011 in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings forward Danny Cleary (11) tries to shoot on San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi, of Finland, as Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) defends in the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey series in Detroit, Friday, May 6, 2011.

San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (31) of Finland, blocks shot by Detroit Red Wings' Valtteri Filppula (51), of Finland, during the first period in Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series in Detroit, Friday, May 6, 2011.

With two online game services down and 100 million accounts possibly compromised, Sony is mulling a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the hackers, according to AllThingsDigital.

Sony hasn’t reached a final decision on whether to offer the reward. The options shows that the company is still taking a hard line on pursuing hackers, even as Anonymous, the hacktivist group, considers more attacks in the coming days against different Sony sites.

The PlayStation Networks, which has 77 million registered users, has been down fore more than two weeks as a result of a hacker attack. The Station, an online network for 24 million PC online gamers, has been down since Monday. Sony has apologized multiple times for the outage and says it is beefing up security.

If Sony moves forward on the reward, it will do so in cooperation with law enforcement agencies such as the FBI. Sony is hoping to knock loose information about who carried out the attack on April 19. Our timeline on the sequence of events is here. Meanwhile, Sony said that accusations by computer security expert Gene Spafford during a Congressional hearing Thursday were wrong.

Spafford said that Sony was running outdated versions of Web server software and had not been using a firewall on its servers. In a statement, Sony spokesman Patrick Seybold, said the company was using updated software and had “multiple security measures in place,” including firewalls. Anonymous is rumored to be planning a new attack.

Tags: Anonymous, hacker attack

Companies: Sony

People: Patrick Seybold

There’s something about top-ranked teams that doesn’t sit well with Chantilly junior forward Morgan Morris. Chantilly has been in that position before, reaching the top spot late last April, and even claiming the Virginia AAA title in 2009.

But after a slow start to this season, the Chargers have yet to reach the top spot, though they have played the No. 1 team twice in the past two weeks. And each time, the result has been the same: a Chantilly win.

The second such toppling came on Friday night when the fifth-ranked Chargers handed Concorde District foe Centreville its first loss of the season, a fast-paced 1-0 win in Chantilly.

Read full article >>

First off, I just want to say Thank You to those who joined us both in person and virtually last week at our Impact 2011: Building the Borderless Workplace conference. Personally, I always get energized by these events, especially when I have the opportunity to participate in real-time conversations with the amazing people who make up the leaders, practitioners, solution providers, media market, and researchers of the HR industry. What a passionate and vocal industry we work in!

I wanted to wrap up this week by sharing some insights on what I saw, heard, and personally felt at the conference last week for those who were unable to attend in person: 

What I Saw:

Although we were in the middle of beautiful St. Petersburg, with a view of the water just outside our windows and at a venue that often feels like you've stepped into a 1940’s vintage Hollywood movie set, the conference rooms were packed with passionate HR professionals taking copious notes on topics that ranged from Leadership development, HR Strategy, to What Learning will look like in 2021 (free streamed sessions). The questions and conversations following the sessions, made it into hallway discussions, and often ended up bleeding into lunch conversations. Participants were focused on learning as much as they could from everyone at the conference, especially from each other.

The networking events were lively and provided an opportunity for informal connections that hopefully everyone found positive. For example Laura Ann Preston from Kelly Services was in demand for introductions at every event based on her discussions on talent segmentation and changing the performance management dialogue in her Talent Initiatives panel. I think her exact words were “I was being chased”, but it was said with a smile. HR analytics and workforce planning was another hot topic. I’m sure I personally introduced Akil Walton, from Eaton Corporation to over 30 different people looking to learn more about Eaton’s great experience in building an HR Analytics function.  Everyone was looking to either increase their own knowledge or bring back information that their colleagues could use. 

What I Heard:

Theses discussions started during the pre-conference executive roundtables on Tuesday, which included companies that ranged from the University of Michigan to Darden Restaurants, and continued till Friday afternoon when I had the pleasure of finally sitting down to grab lunch with Starwood’s head of Talent Management and we finished our conversations over a fantastic Turkey Club.

How to implement successful HR Shared Service functions and COE’s; and differentiate this model from centralized HR functions

Restructuring and rethinking HR was a theme echoed throughout the conference. Those attending the HR sessions were interested in learning more about talent integrator roles, optimal HR structures, and the changing makeup of talent acquisition functions.

One of our international solution providers commented that this was the first conference they had heard the term Chief HR Officer used so often. He specifically asked if this role was on the increase and where was the CLO role heading? Well, that was a tough question that I’ll leave for a later blog, but I did share that in our research we are seeing an increase in the use of the titles Chief HR Officer or Chief People Officer.

Practical development of HR, particularly increasing the skills and capabilities of HR Business Partners and Center of Excellence leads

I saw and heard this theme throughout the conference. Comments centered on the fact that the current certification and higher-education programs offered important initial HR development – but they weren’t getting at the heart of what was missing in the HR community, real life experience and on the ground support.

When Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) presented their case study on Developing an Integrated People Services Organization for Strategic Talent Management; they had several audience questions about how they selected key HR roles and expectations for growth and development of their HR department. Their new HR structure has a heavy focus on the value of each area of HR, which promotes job mobility and breaks down traditional unspoken stigmas that often rise up between shared services functions, COE’s, and field HR roles. Sarah St. Clair, VP of HR for BAH even mentioned that her 80 + direct reports are expected to move and change roles on average every 2 years, emphasized by our speaker Kathy Nichols, an HR Director in her organization. 

In our Practitioner Panel: HR Challenges for the Coming Decade: Building Flexibility for the Future all four of our HR panelist's discussed the need to develop business acumen, solid planning, and advisory skills throughout HR.   Ellen Austin, a Senior Business Partner for Human Resources, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDBC) shared that her organization required all HR leadership roles to participate in 6 to 9 month job rotations in business roles throughout the organization. Once they had the experience of being on the front lines and working directly with clients or in other support roles, they became much more aware of the value of their work and its impact on their clients.  

We also found a lot of excitement in the Solution Provider discussions on this topic.  During the small group break outs in Benchmarking HR: Do You Dare to Compare? session we asked about where HR was seeing their budgets increase or decrease. The 15 or so vendors in my group had a great discussion about the increase in hiring and development needs, even for their own internal HR functions. As companies that sell sophisticated learning and HR offerings, they needed to find HR professionals who understand their business and can help them grow. Companies like Allen Communications said that their internal HR capabilities were critical to continuing their current growth rate. Additionally, almost everyone mentioned that they were spending a lot of time educating clients as part of the sales process or the support process in their particular offering areas. Those who had developed this capability felt it was increasing their sales dramatically.

We also saw announcements at the conference from MindLeaders/ThirdForce who launched their new TalentGuides, performance support modules based off of Bersin & Associates research content for HR professionals. (I’ll admit that this is a shameless plug in the middle of the blog, but I had the pleasure of working with the MindLeader’s team in supporting the development of these modules for the last year, and have a soft spot for their efforts). Conference participants who saw demos of the TalentGuides were excited about the simple idea of providing HR professionals performance support on critical talent areas when it was needed most, in front of clients and at decision making points, rather than in a separate classroom.

Our research found that 92% of High Impact HR organizations had formal internal development programs for their HR functions, and that the most effective HR development tools were coaching and mentoring programs and regular job rotations. These are all examples, of how organizations are accomplishing these best practices. 

The role of HR in managing or supporting organizational cultural changes 

Andy Mackay, from SunTrust Banks said it best, “My business is focused on changing our culture, so I need to be focused on our culture”. In Wednesday’s session on Developing a Comprehensive HR and Talent Strategy, I asked how many organizations were working on cultural change initiatives – over half the room raised their hand. As leaders we just know that Organizational Culture trumps HR initiatives – so changing the culture becomes a real focus when it is counter-productive to the company’s success. Several people came up to me after the session and asked, can HR actually change an organizations culture – and I’d have to honestly say “No, not alone”. They can support leadership efforts to change culture, they can ensure that they are nurturing and supporting a culture that has been set by their leadership, and they can coach leaders on the difference between talking about a culture and actually creating a culture. These are all important roles for an HR function – but they can’t set or change culture without leadership. Feel free to let me know if you disagree.

HR measurement and metrics

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the focus on HR measurement, metrics, and analytics throughout the conference. Almost every solution provider we spoke with shared the fact that HR analytic capabilities was a major part of their upcoming product road-map; even service providers were discussing how they were going to integrate analytics with their offerings. We saw unique, and potentially game changing tools like Zapoint's which has taken data collection methods from social sites and brought analysis of that data  to the next level, and Reward Platforms like  I Love Rewards and  Globoforce, talking about analyzing their data to not only connect it to annual engagement scores and turn-over rates, but start to connect it to the flow of recognition in a company, real time engagement notifications, and tracking organizational culture changes.  Everyone is talking about it, but few organizations and solution providers are doing it well.

We offered a small post session workshop on Building HR Analytics Capabilities which originally had 21 people signed up for the session, by the end of the conference we had an additional 12 people extend their stays to participate in the workshop, when they could have been sitting by the pool. This audience was a mix of solution providers and practitioners, and everyone was there to learn. We spent a considerable amount of time in the workshop, talking about how to prepare and develop HR professionals who could appropriately use the data coming out of these efforts. My co-presenter Akil Walton from Eaton Corporation summed it up by saying “None of the technology, or analytics skills, or even dashboard tools matter if your HR department and line managers don’t understand how to use the data to help the business make good decisions”. 

What I Felt:

Proud to be part of an industry that has so much passion and openness. Frustrated that as an industry we were still struggling with some of the basics. Exhilarated at seeing all the opportunities we, as an industry, have to help not only our companies but every person who interacts with our companies at some level.

Finally, I felt like I personally heard a battle cry – it is easy to overlook when learning about new technology implementations or yet another awe inspiring story about HR restructuring and transformation. Without development of the HR function, these initiatives simply don’t succeed. Today’s HR leaders are serious about developing their HR departments. Development that goes beyond a few business acumen courses and focuses on providing “on the job” programs that include experiences, special projects, job rotations, and extensive business knowledge and data interpretation skills.  Without these efforts, can HR actually fulfill on their goals and strategies?

In closing I’ll quote Ellen Austin, from BBDC when she was asked on her panel how she ensured her HR Strategy and Business Plan were solid, she stated  “I simply ask myself, when looking at my plan; if this was a business… would I lend them the money for this plan?”  Can you look at your own HR organization, strategy, and plan and feel confident that you would lend yourself the money?

If you attended Impact this year we’d love to hear about your own experiences, and we look forward to the next chance we can all get together and learn from each other.

Stacey Harris

Principal Analyst

The 2011 World Conference of Science Journalists is coming up next month (recently moved from Egypt to Doha because of exceptional circumstances...yes, the small historical matter of a people's revolution intervened). The conference program is powering forward and I'm getting...

The COO of one of India’s most successful e-commerce outfits looks forward to the Kindle bug hitting bookworms

Darren Helm scored with 1:27 left in the third period, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to an elimination-avoiding 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series on Friday night.

Detroit Red Wings players from left, Pavel Datsyuk, of Russia, Niklas Kronwall, of Sweden, Nicklas Lidstrom, of Sweden, and Johan Franzen, of Sweden, celebrate Lidstrom's goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series, Friday, May 6, 2011 in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings' Todd Bertuzzi, right, celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with teamamte Henrik Zetterberg, left, of Sweden, as fans react in the background during the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series, Friday, May 6, 2011 in Detroit.

Detroit Red Wings forward Danny Cleary (11) tries to shoot on San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi, of Finland, as Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) defends in the first period of Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey series in Detroit, Friday, May 6, 2011.

San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (31) of Finland, blocks shot by Detroit Red Wings' Valtteri Filppula (51), of Finland, during the first period in Game 4 of a second-round NHL Stanley Cup playoffs hockey series in Detroit, Friday, May 6, 2011.

From the Milwaukee Admirals:

Houston forward Robbie Earl jammed the puck into the net at 8:45 of overtime to give the Houston Aeros a come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Admirals Friday in game five of the West Division Finals.

Earl was able to get to the net and slide the puck past goalie Jeremy Smith's left leg, spoiling a 50 save performance by the Milwaukee goalie. Houston outshot the Admirals 53-25.

The Aeros tied the game in the last 4:22 of regulation. Earl got Houston on the board with a shot from the right point while the Aeros were on a 5-on-3 power play at 15:38 of the third period. Then, with 1:21 to play, Jon DiSalvatore rushed on the left wing into the Admirals zone. He stopped on the halfwall and sent a pass to Chad Rau who was streaking to the net. Rau tipped the puck in to force overtime for the second straight game between the teams.

Milwaukee scored first thanks to a lucky bounce. Kelsey Wilson cleared the puck from the Admirals zone to center where it was corralled by Ryan Thang. Thang skated to the top of the right circle and put a shot on goal. Aeros netminder Matt Hackett made a blocker save and the puck popped straight into the air. Hackett was unable to locate the puck. It fell onto the goal line and Thang tapped it in at 11:28 of the second period for his fifth goal of the postseason. Wilson notched the helper.

Milwaukee made it 2-0 with just five seconds left in the second period. A Houston defenseman failed to hold the left point during an Aeros power play. Milwaukee forward Steve Begin tipped the puck to the right circle in the Aeros zone. Mike Bartlett scooped it up and drove to the net. He was unable to get the shot off but Begin followed to put a backhander into the net for his third goal of the postseason. Bartlett recorded the assist. The goal was Milwaukee's first shorthanded goal of the playoffs and was the first shorthanded goal allowed by the Aeros this postseason.

The teams will be back at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee for game six Sunday at 5pm. Sunday's game is a Private Bank Family Day, where fans get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas for just $48! The Admirals will hold special office hours on Saturday from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm for fans to stop by and pick up their Private Bank Playoff Pack.

For those who can't make it down, tickets can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or logging on tomilwaukeeadmirals.com. For more information, or to purchase group tickets, fans should call the Admirals office at (414) 227-0550. Don't forget to follow the Admirals on Twitter (@mkeadmirals) and on Facebook!

This weekend will assuredly be a pretty stressful one for the entire Predators organization!