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La 24 Ore di Le Mans 1985 è stata la 53ª maratona automobilistica svoltasi sul Circuit de la Sarthe di Le Mans, in Francia, il 11 e il 16 giugno 1985, valevole come prova del Campionato del mondo sportprototipi 1985. Viene ricordata per l'influenza dei nuovi limiti al consumo sulle strategie di gara.

Contesto
Dopo più di tre anni dall'entrata in vigore, le norme per il consumo sembrano aver designato la loro miglior interprete: la Porsche 956 sembra quasi imbattibile, sia sulle piste del Campionato mondiale Endurance che a Le Mans, dove ha centrato tre vittorie consecutive. Con due vetture per il Joest Racing, una per i fratelli Kremer, una per Fitzpatrick, una per il Brun Motorsport, una per il Richard Lloyd Racing (RLR) e infine una per il team Obermaïer, le Porsche 956 sono le vetture presenti in maggior numero sulla griglia di partenza. Eppure, alla vigilia della 24 Ore del 1985, molti ritengono che la 956 potrebbe subire la prima sconfitta a Le Mans.

A dar fastidio al nugolo di 956 è la nuova Porsche 962C ufficiale. In effetti, la 962C è uno sviluppo delle 962 progettate per le norme IMSA sulla base della 956 e già viste l'anno precedente nella squadra di Preston Henn. Per motivi di sicurezza in caso d'incidente, il regolamento prevede ora che sulle automobili costruite a partire dal 1985 i piedi dei piloti si trovino dietro dall'asse delle ruote anteriori. È stato pertanto necessario aumentare l'interasse della 956 e accorciarne lo sbalzo anteriore. Tale regola ha imposto alla Porsche l'uso del telaio IMSA, mantenendo il motore biturbo vietato nelle gare Statunitensi. Da qui il nome di 962C, cioè telaio tipo 962 dotato di motore Gruppo C. John Fitzpatrick aveva già portato in gara una macchina simile l'anno prima in assenza della squadra ufficiale, ma la vettura era dotata di una cofano anteriore studiato per le gare brevi e quest'anno non partecipa a causa di un incidente in prova. Altre due 962C vengono affidate ai team Kremer (la nº11) e Brun (la nº19).

Per quanto riguarda gli equipaggi Porsche ufficiali, Jacky Ickx e Derek Bell non sono più sulla stessa auto: il belga corre con Jochen Mass sulla nº1 mentre il britannico è con Hans-Joachim Stuck sulla nº2. La terza vettura è affidata a due dei vincitori del 1983, Vern Schuppan e Al Holbert, affiancati da John Watson (che aveva lasciato la Formula Uno) al posto di Hurley Haywood, che era passato alla Jaguar.

La squadra Lancia, agli ordini di Cesare Fiorio, schiera due LC2 ufficiali, ma le vetture italiane non sono realmente in grado di tener testa alle Porsche. Sotto accusa è l'affidabilità sulla lunga distanza, anche alla luce dei nuovi limiti di consumo previsti per il 1985 (solo 2210 litri a disposizione delle Gruppo C), che mal si adattano al loro vorace motore V8 di origine Ferrari, tanto più che la versione 1985 è molto più larga di quelle viste in gara nel 1983 e nel 1984: la larghezza è stata aumentata fino al limite regolamentare di due metri per migliorare la tenuta di strada, andando a scapito della velocità massima e dei consumi. La nº4 è affidata a Bob Wollek, Alessandro Nannini e Lucio Cesario, mentre sulla nº5 Mauro Baldi fa coppia con Henri Pescarolo, reduce dalla vittoria dell'anno precedente col team Joest Racing.

Schierata in gara anche la Jaguar XJR-5 dal team statunitense Group 44 guidato da Bob Tullius, ma l'esperienza dell'anno prima ha dimostrato che la pista di Le Mans non è adatta alla loro vettura, perciò si ripresentano alla corsa con un pacchetto aerodinamico rivisto per ridurre la deportanza e migliorare la penetrazione (muso più profilato e alettone senza paratie laterali), sospensioni irrigidite e il 10% di potenza in più: conformi al regolamento IMSA, le vetture del giaguaro sono molto più pesanti della diretta concorrenza, coi loro 162 kg oltre il limite regolamentare e inoltre le nuove XJR-6 del Tom Walkinshaw Racing non sono pronte in tempo per la gara.

Per quanto riguarda le squadre francesi, sono presenti cinque Rondeau, ma nessuna di esse può aspirare al podio; Yves Courage si affida ai motori Porsche per le sue Cougar C02, derivata dalla precedente C01-Cosworth e progettata da Marcel Hubert, già coinvolto nel progetto della Renault Alpine A442, vittoriosa nel 1978. Insieme a loro la squadra WM-Peugeot si presenta a Le Mans per la decima volta e per festeggiare l'avvenimento porta in gara tre WM P83B. Sul fronte piloti la grande sorpresa è data da Jean Rondeau, che dopo essere arrivato secondo l'anno prima al volante di una Porsche passa quest'anno alla squadra un tempo sua rivale. In squadra anche Jean Claude Andruet e Roger Dorchy, che aveva brillantemente debuttato nella gara del 1984 permettendo per la prima volta alla "piccola" WM di tenere la testa della 24 Ore. Dopo la scelta tecnica della Lancia di adeguarsi alla concorrenza, le WM erano ora le uniche vetture a non sfruttare tutta la larghezza regolamentare, allo scopo di ottenere una maggiore velocità di punta, ma difficilmente ripeteranno l'exploit dell'anno precedente.

Altra contendente è la nuova Sauber C8, spinta da un motore V8 Mercedes-Benz turbocompresso, ma non riuscirà ad esprimere il suo potenziale poiché durante le prove il pilota John Nielsen si prende un grande spavento decollando sul dosso di Mulsanne e atterrando sulle quattro ruote dopo un "looping" completo. Peter Sauber saggiamente decide di non portare l'auto in gara.

Assenti le Aston Martin Nimrod dopo il doppio incidente patito l'anno prima: Ray Mallock schiera le sue Ecosse (che sembrano delle Nimrod in scala ridotta) nel Gruppo C2, mentre il motorista inglese fornisce i motori alla Emka di Steve O'Rourke e alla Cheetah nº24, due vetture non hanno grosse ambizioni per la classifica generale.

Anche la Toyota è sul circuito con un programma ufficiale basato sull'esperienza maturata con le Gruppo C del'All-Japan Endurance Championship insieme al Team TOM'S e le sue due Dome 85C sono affidate a un equipaggio tutto giapponese (la nr.36, con Satoru Nakajima) e uno internazionale (la nr.38), ma le vetture hanno un'eccessiva deportanza all'avantreno che le rende instabili sul dritto e il problema viene risolto con il cambio della carrozzeria, mostrando però il vero lato debole della 85C, cioè la scarsa potenza del motore quadricilindrico 2,1 litri turbocompresso: i suoi "soli" 550 CV non le permettono né di competere con le altre C1, né di superare la soglia psicologica delle "200 miglia orarie" (320 km/h), pertanto la priorità diventa finire la gara e accumulare esperienza.

Per quanto riguarda il Gruppo C2, lo schieramento è formato da Alba, Ecosse, Tiga, Gebhardt Motorsport e le Mazda ufficiali, che insistono nel partecipare nella categoria inferiore con la loro 737C spinta da un birotore Wankel. Presenti anche le Gruppo B: tre BMW M1 e una Porsche 911.

Qualifiche
Stuck coglie la pole position con 3'14"80, Ickx è secondo, staccato di 48 centesimi, terza è la Lancia LC2 di Wollek/Nannini/Cesario. Al quarto posto il team Joest con la nº7 di Klaus Ludwig (quest'anno affiancato da Paolo Barilla e John Winter), a ribadire che l'anno prima quella stessa vettura non aveva vinto per caso. Quinta la terza Porsche ufficiale, sesta l'altra Lancia e settima la 956 Kremer dell'equipaggio Van der Merwe/Fouché/Hytten. All'ottavo posto l'altra vettura di Joest. Nei team Kremer e Brun le 956 sono più veloci delle 962C.

Gara
Partenza alle ore 15:00 e Ickx adotta subito una tattica di risparmio del carburante, comune a tutte le Porsche ufficiali, mentre il più aggressivo Bob Wollek prende il comando alla curva Dunlop, seguito da Klaus Ludwig sulla Porsche 956 di Joest e alla fine dell'Hunaudières le 962C sono quarta, quinta e undicesima. Già dalle prime battute si capisce che il tema del consumo di carburante condizionerà le strategie: Ludwig, infatti, preferisce restare in scia alla Lancia LC2 in ottica di risparmio, anziché sorpassarla e fare la lepre.

Alla fine del secondo giro nessun cambiamento in testa: Wollek è primo, poi Ludwig, Sarel Van Der Merwe (Kremer Porsche nº10), Oscar Larrauri (Porsche Brun nº18), Jean-Pierre Jarier (Kremer Porsche nº11) e Jonathan Palmer (RLR Porsche nº14). La migliore delle Porsche ufficiali, quella di Schuppan/Holbert/Watson è ottava, preceduta dalla Emka-Aston Martin nº66 di Tiff Needell, che non sembra badare alla strategia di consumo; strategia che condiziona la gara di Ickx, che sceglie di girare in 3'45", mentre le Porsche private hanno un ritmo compreso tra 3'37" o 3'38": si ritrova così diciannovesimo.

Al quarto giro Wollek viene sorpassato da Ludwig e allora imposta il proprio ritmo "economico" e si lascia poi passare anche dalle altre Porsche private. Nella prima mezz'ora di corsa il carosello dei sorpassi "concessi" da chi vuol risparmiare porta in testa Palmer e al terzo posto la Emka-Aston Martin. La prima ora di gara si è svolta all'insegna delle Porsche private, che si fermano per il rifornimento a cavallo del sessantesimo minuto: le Porsche ufficiali, che hanno risparmiato, si ritrovano al 6º, 7º e 8º posto e alla fine del carosello dei rifornimenti in testa resta la Emka-Aston Martin, che per guadagnare tempo ai box decide di riempire metà serbatoio e ritrovarsi al comando per un po' e farsi pubblicità, salvo poi cedere il definitivamente il comando a Ludwig e Palmer al 20º giro, che si dimostrano i più veloci e i più economi in pista, a differenza delle Porsche ufficiali, che, nonostante la loro accurata strategia, consumano anche più delle Lancia.

Durante la terza ora la Cougar C02-Porsche subisce due incidenti in un solo giro e rientra ai box per le riparazioni, mentre la corsa è ancora un affare tra le auto di Joest e Richard Lloyd, seguite dalla 956 del team Brun, dalla LC2 di Wollek/Nannini/Cesario e dalla 962C di Bell/Stuck, con le due vetture di testa che si sorpassano in continuazione e sembrano quasi due ciclisti in fuga dal gruppo che si alternano per aiutarsi vicendevolmente. Intanto alle 18:30 Mass è costretto a rientrare lentamente ai box per problemi di accensione: viene sostituita la centralina e un'ora dopo tocca a un tubo dell'olio. A questo punto Ickx rompe gli indugi e va all'attacco senza preoccuparsi del consumo e alle 20:15 gira in 3'25"1, dimostrando di essere il più veloce in pista, ma dopo l'exploit la gara può ritenersi finita per Jacky e Jochen, per colpa del cambio da riparare.

In serata la WM-Peugeot nº43 di Jean Claude Andruet sbanda inspiegabilmente sull'Hunaudières e ne esce distrutta, mentre il pilota è illeso: la pace-car neutralizza la gara per circa una mezz'ora e alla fine della sesta ora in testa è ancora la 956 nº7 di Joest, seguita ancora dalla nº14 del Richard Lloyd Racing, mentre quella di Brun ha ceduto il terzo posto alla Lancia di Wollek/Nannini/Cesario, seguita dalle 962C.

Alle 21:30 la vettura nº7 resta sola in testa, poiché la 956 del RLR si ferma per ben due volte ai box per risolvere dei problemi elettrici e sprofonda al settimo posto, mentre la nº18 di Walter Brun sale al secondo posto, ma è molto distante. Al calar della notte cominciano a spuntare le noie di affidabilità che solitamente decimano lo schieramento e anche la Porsche 962C di Bell/Stuck deve fermarsi a i box per sostituire il portamozzo anteriore sinistro, cedendo diverse posizioni.

Durante la notte accade qualcosa di spiacevole: diverse squadre sono vittima di carenza di carburante ai box e non possono rifornire le loro vetture. Ne fanno le spese alcune Porsche (tra cui la nº14) e le due Lancia, tanto che la direzione gara gli conteggia i giri non coperti in funzione del tempo perso ai box e dopo 12 ore di corsa la classifica vede in testa sempre la 956 di Ludwig/Barilla/Winter, seguita dalla 962C di Schuppan/Holbert/Watson e dalla 956 di Brun, con la Lancia di Wollek/Nannini/Cesario scesa al quarto posto che poco dopo perde le ultime speranze di vittoria per colpa di un turbo rotto. All'alba la classifica vede la 962C di Schuppan/Holbert/Watson attardata da un portamozzo da sostituire, che la fa scendere al 5º posto, dietro i compagni di squadra Bell e Stuck, mentre durante la notte si è completata la rimonta della 956 nº14 del Richard Lloyd Racing, che si è ripresa il secondo posto a scapito del team Brun, alle spalle della 956 giallo-nera nº7.

Verso le 10:00 la seconda 956 di Joest deve ritirarsi: Jean Paul Belmondo va in testacoda alla curva Dunlop danneggiando irrimediabilmente la vettura da lui riportata ai box, mentre poco dopo si ritira anche la 962C di Schuppan/Holbert/Watson col motore muto e dopo le 11:00 un testacoda sull'Hunaudières mette fuori gioco la 962C del team Brun: auto distrutta e pilota illeso. Ma non finisce qui, perché a mezzogiorno il cambio tradisce l'altra vettura di Walter Brun, la 956 nº18: a seguito di questi ritiri la Porsche nº2 sale al terzo posto, la 956 di John Fitzpatrick ottiene il quarto e le due Lancia il sesto e il settimo.

Sempre verso le 11:00 c'è la svolta nel Gruppo C2: la Mazda 737C che guidava saldamente la categoria perde 83 minuti ai box per riparare il cambio, cedendo la testa della propria classe a favore della Tiga-Spice di Gordon Spice/Ray Bellm/Mark Galvin, che la manterrà fino alla fine.

Alle 15:00 la Porsche 956 nº7 passa per prima sotto la bandiera a scacchi, confermando la vittoria conquistata l'anno precedente dal medesimo telaio, il 956/117, un onore condiviso con la Ford GT40/1075 del team di John Wyer, la sola altra vettura ad avere precedentemente ottenuto la stessa impresa nel 1968 e nel 1969 ma con due numeri di gara diversi (n. 9 nel '68, n. 6 nel '69). Klaus Ludwig, Paolo Barilla e John Winter si sono imposti sulla concorrenza, soprattutto i primi due, poiché John ha infatti pilotato per soli 70 minuti, tra cui una mezz'ora dietro la pace car. al secondo posto la 956 del Richard Lloyd Racing, che ha pagato il ritardo patito ai box in serata, ma che ha riagguantato il podio con una strepitosa rimonta, mentre la 962C ufficiale di Bell e Stuck completa il podio più per le disgrazie altrui che per i propri meriti, ma comunque mitiga la disfatta del team della Casa di Stoccarda.

Classifica finale

† - La numero 41 non passò le verifiche tecniche post-gara, causa sottopeso. Era arrivata 24ª prima di essere squalificata.

Statistiche
Pole Position - numero 2 Rothmans Porsche - 3:14.80
Giro più veloce - numero 1 Rothmans Porsche - 3:25.10
Distanza - 5088.507 km
Velocità media - 212.021 km/h

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

24 Ore di Le Mans
Serie e competizioni motoristiche nel 1985


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Golden shovels pierced the ground at SFU's Terry Fox field on March 19, officially marking the start of construction for a new sports stadium targeted to open in summer 2020.
"The stadium is going to be a tremendous addition to campus life," says SFU President Andrew Petter. "Not only will it be a great place to come and watch some fabulous sports activities, and our football and soccer teams compete in the NCAA, but it will also mean the Terry Fox field can be used for other events like concerts or gatherings, as well as a whole bunch of student orientation events."
"I'm particularly proud of the fact that our students made a major contribution to allow this to happen."


For any Roman legionary on the march in foreign parts the day did not end when their commander decided they had marched long enough. No matter how far they had come, when the legionaries reached their destination they then had to knuckle down and build a 'castrum' or camp. As befits Romans, these marching camps were not casual affairs. A suitable spot would be chosen and measured out to create an enclosed area of four Greek 'plethora' or 3600 square metres. A ditch would then be dug all around the perimeter and an earth rampart built up with a barricade of wooden stakes on top. Spaces for each maniple or cohort were assigned according to a standard plan. All this was done in under two hours and would provide considerable fortification while on the move. All this work needed practice, lots and lots of lovely practice, as centurions must have explained as they hit slacking legionaries with their vine sticks.


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Stocks making the biggest moves in the premarket: Alphabet, Spotify, Pinterest, Shopify & more
Take a look at some of the biggest movers in the premarket:
Alphabet (GOOGL) – Alphabet reported record profit for the second consecutive quarter, earnings of $26.29 per share compared to a consensus estimate of $15.82 a share. Revenue beat forecasts, and the Google parent also announced a $50 billion share buyback. Shares jumped 5.1% premarket.
Spotify (SPOT) – The music streaming service logged a smaller-than-expected loss for its latest quarter, as well as beating revenue estimates and reporting a 24% increase in monthly active users. Its projected range for the current quarter's operating loss falls largely below analyst forecasts, however, and the shares skidded 7.8% in the premarket.
Pinterest (PINS) – Pinterest shares tanked 11.9% in the premarket, despite beating estimates on both the top and bottom lines for its latest quarter. Investors are focusing on a slowdown in user growth for the image-sharing company.
Shopify (SHOP) – The e-commerce platform provider's stock rallied 5.5% in the premarket after reporting better-than-expected earnings and revenue for its latest quarter. Shopify continues to benefit from the boom in online shopping.
Boeing (BA) – Boeing lost $1.53 per share, compared to a consensus forecast for a loss of $1.15 per share. Revenue was better than expected, although the jet maker said the global pandemic continues to challenge the overall market environment. Boeing fell 1.2% in premarket trading.
Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) – The tool company beat estimates on the top and bottom lines for its latest quarter. The company also raised its fiscal year forecast and boosted its stock buyback plans by 20 million shares. Stanley Black & Decker saw particularly strong growth for tools and storage products.
Humana (HUM) – The health insurer earned $7.67 per share for its latest quarter, better than the $7.08 a share consensus estimate. Revenue beat forecasts as well, helped by strength in sales of its Medicare Advantage plans.
General Dynamics (GD) – The defense contractor's shares added 2.2% in premarket action after it beat top and bottom line estimates for its latest quarter, helped by strength in its aerospace unit.
Garmin (GRMN) – Garmin earned $1.18 per share for the first quarter, beating the 89 cents a share consensus estimates. Revenue exceeded estimates by a wide margin amid double-digit growth for its fitness, outdoor, marine and auto segments.
Brinker International (EAT) – The parent of Chili's and other restaurant chains missed estimates on the top and bottom lines for its latest quarter, but it gave a better-than-expected outlook. Shares rose 2.7% premarket.
Starbucks (SBUX) – Starbucks beat estimates by 9 cents a share, with quarterly earnings of 62 cents per share. Revenue came in short of forecasts, however, due to weak international sales. The coffee chain said U.S. sales have recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Starbucks shares slid 1.6% in premarket trading.
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Visa (V) – Visa reported quarterly profit of $1.38 per share, 11 cents a share above estimates. The payment network operator also posted better-than-expected revenue, boosted by the ongoing surge in online shopping. Shares gained 1.6% in premarket action.
Sony (SONY) – Sony reported better-than-expected profit and revenue for its latest quarter, driven by an ongoing jump in gaming demand as well as the popularity of the PlayStation 5 gaming console. Sony gained 3.6% in premarket trading.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Barry S3E7 Recap: Forecast Is Doom With a Slight Possibility of Change
Sarah Goldberg as Sally Merrick Morton/ HBO
Last week, Barry finally let us come up for some air, take a deep breath, and have a good laugh. Now, we're diving headfirst back into its dramatic depths, as the season's penultimate episode forces its protagonist to confront his misdeeds in both the physical and metaphysical realms. With almost certain doom on his horizon, might Barry finally be on the cusp of real change?
When we last left Barry Burkman (Bill Hader), he has just been poisoned by Sharon (Karen David), the widow of an army buddy whose suicide he staged to protect his secrets. Unable to watch Barry foam at the mouth, Sharon flees the scene and, left alone, Barry seems to recover, wandering outside to a nearby beach. If this seems too good to be true, it is. The idyllic oceanfront to which we return several times throughout the episode is either a dream or a liminal space between life and death. Barry joins a group of people gathered along the shore, and as the wordless sequence progresses, our suspicions as to the nature of this gathering are gradually affirmed. The first faces we see are only vaguely familiar, but a freeze-frame and a peek at the end credits confirm that we have indeed seen them before. The figures become incrementally more recognizable. There's Goran, the Chechen boss from Season 1; Sharon's husband, Chris; the Burmese gang leader, Esther; the bikers from last week's car chase. Barry stands amongst a mass of the people who he's killed over the course of the series.
Not everyone he's killed, however. Bringing back every single notable character who Barry has murdered for a brief, silent cameo would be difficult under any circumstances, but particularly given COVID precautions. Notably absent from the crowd is Detective Janice Moss, possibly due to actor Paula Newsome's commitment to CSI: Vegas. Nevertheless, this is a crucial and effective sequence in which writer Liz Sarnoff and director Bill Hader don't overplay their hand. Barry encountering the ghosts of the people he's killed could easily become a cheesy moment of reckoning, but instead, the congregation does not acknowledge him at all. Instead, they patiently await the arrival of some unseen vessel from the ocean, creating a more obscure and dreamlike atmosphere.
In reality, Barry has stumbled out of Sharon's house and been recovered by yet another of the people who Fuches has sent after him: George Krempf (Michael Bofshever), father of Barry's victim and acting classmate Ryan Madison. George is suffering through a crisis of conscience, consumed with grief over his son's death and wrestling against the urge to take revenge. Through tears, George explains his predicament and his pain to a barely-conscious Barry in the parking lot of a hospital, but ultimately chooses to take his own life rather than Barry's. George's gunshot attracts the attention of hospital staff, assuring that Barry will receive treatment and survive his poisoning. It's unclear how much Barry is aware of what's happening around him, as he bounces between the worlds of the living and the dead. Will the two revelations (one regarding the anguish of his victims' loved ones, one regarding the scale of the damage he's done) be enough to inspire Barry to truly turn over a new leaf? Will his next attempt to change his life be born not from a desire to escape responsibility but to truly accept it?
Henry Winkler as Gene Merrick Morton/ HBO
After weeks of musing on the difficulty of forgiveness, Barry has finally offered a meager hope that some measure of amends might be achievable. Last week, Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler) was offered the chance to shoot an acting master class for a streaming service, and in turn invited his ex, Annie Eisner (Laura San Giacomo) to direct it. Gene torpedoed Annie's career decades ago after their romantic relationship ended, and he is now desperate to restore it for her. And, while bygones are certainly not bygones, it appears to be working, as Gene dedicates the entire project (and his full salary) to boosting her career rather than his own. Annie is no fool and recognizes that this is about making Gene feel better as much as it is about improving her life, but she accepts the help regardless, because she deserves the second chance. Is it true justice? Not exactly. Gene still gets to maintain his newfound reputation as a really good guy, with the industry at large still unaware of what he did to her, and nothing can give Annie back those stolen years. But it's a beginning, at least, to the extent that Annie decides it is. If this were to be the end of their story, it would be about as uplifting as this series gets.
Mercy, however, is not contagious on Barry, as Sally (Sarah Goldberg) discovers that her former assistant Natalie (D'Arcy Carden) is now running her own comedy series on BanShe that is suspiciously similar to Sally's canceled drama. Sally corners Natalie in an elevator and screams at her, which on a superficial level it's about as nasty as Barry exploding at Sally earlier in the season. We know the context is a bit different; This is an isolated incident for Sally rather than a pattern of behavior (and also Sally hasn't murdered dozens of people), but that makes little difference to Natalie, who sends a video of Sally's outburst to a Hollywood gossip site. Against the advice of her agent, Lindsay (Jessy Hodges), Sally responds with a video of her own which is a complete non-apology, digging herself a deeper hole. Her descent is represented visually in the scene in which she verbally unloads on Lindsay while gradually stepping backward into a pitch-dark background. It's not the most subtle directorial decision, but Sarah Goldberg sells it hard with her performance. Sally does not treat people very well, in general, but she's also not wrong about being used and betrayed by practically everyone she's met in the industry, and being expected to wear a smile throughout. Here, at the end of her rope, she's found a darkness that might destroy her career and possibly lead her to rebuild her toxic relationship with Barry.
Naturally, a fair chunk of "candy asses" is dedicated to setting up a grand climax for next week's season finale. While in police custody, Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root) manages to point two very dangerous and highly-motivated men in Barry's direction. FBI Special Agent Albert Nguyen (James Hiroyuki Liao) and Det. Moss's father Jim (Robert Ray Wisdom) now both know that Barry has killed someone close to them. Albert has the authority of the law behind him, Jim possesses an uncanny mental fortitude, and Barry is recovering from a near-fatal poisoning. His only ally, Noho Hank, is currently in Bolivia, captured by Cristobal's enemies. And since this entire season has been focused on the unavoidable consequences of selfish or cruel behavior, the question going into next week isn't necessarily "How will Barry get out of this one?" but "Will Barry get out of this one?"
Is Croatia vs France on TV tonight? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Nations League fixture
London Metal Exchange sued for £360 million


Interest in regional anaesthesia has been flourishing for a number of reasons, including in particular the feasibility of ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks. This trend is reflected in the growing popularity of fellowships in regional anaesthesia. The syllabus for such fellowship examinations is vast, and the current book aims to provide suitable guidance by presenting typical multiple choice questions with accompanying answers, in detail when necessary. The entire syllabus is covered in four sections that address basic principles and equipment, peripheral nerve blocks, central neuraxial blocks, and regional anaesthesia and acute pain. This book will be especially useful for those preparing for European Society of Regional Anaesthesia diploma examinations or for the regional anaesthesia component of FRCA examinations. It is also highly relevant to equivalent U.S. and Canadian examinations and will be helpful to all who require a self-assessment tool in the subject.
This trend is reflected in the growing popularity of fellowships in reg anaesthesia. The syllabus for such fellowship examinations is vast, and this book aims to provide suitable guidance by presenting typical multiple choice questions with accompanying answers, in detail when necessary. The entire syllabus is covered in four comprehensive sections that address basic principles and equipment, peripheral nerve blocks, central neuraxial blocks. Multiple Choice Questions will be especially useful for those preparing for European Society of Anaesthesia diploma examinations or for the anaesthesia component of FRCA examinations. It is also highly relevant to equivalent U.S. and Canadian examinations and will be helpful to all who require a self-assessment tool in the subject.


TEPCO dumped into the Pacific Ocean tons of groundwater collected at the Fukushima No.1 plant after having confirmed that its radiation level met safety guidelines.
Under a so-called groundwater bypass system, the groundwater was pumped out without approaching the heavily contaminated area of the complex site. By repeating the pumping and dumping, TEPCO aims to slow the pace of highly radioactive water accumulating at the plant.
The release of groundwater has long been planned as a key measure to address the toxic water buildup at the plant, but the operation has been delayed amid toxic water leaks and other problems that have undermined local people's confidence in TEPCO.


The early part of this month was a tough one for Conflict Kitchen, an (in)famous Pittsburgh restaurant/art project. The restaurant was closed over the course of several days after receiving a letter containing death threats. The restaurant has since reopened, but on top of that, a one-time sponsor, the Heinz Endowment, has publicly distanced themselves from the restaurant.
If you're unfamiliar with Conflict Kitchen, you can read more about them here on their website, but the whole point is that they serve a menu that changes from time to time, highlighting food from a country that the U.S. is currently in conflict with. The food's packaging contains excerpts from interviews with people from the country in question. At the heart of the current controversy? The restaurant is now serving Palestinian food and, as could probably be anticipated by anyone who's paid like a split second of attention to international politics in the past several decades, the wrappers (which you really ought to read in their totality) contain some quotes by Palestinians speaking less than favorably about their country's current relationship with Israel. Although the wrappers also contain Palestinians' comments on several other topics including food, religion, dating, and their own government, the restaurant and wrappers have been criticized by conservative media outlets as "anti-Israel propaganda" and even as "anti-U.S." by the geniuses over at Breitbart.
But these critiques miss some hugely important rhetorical distinctions, and grossly misapprehend how significant sharing food can be.
Let's talk about these things in turn. From a rhetorical perspective, there's a huge distinction between presentation and endorsement. We reference things other people have said all the time, for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes we agree with these things, sometimes we don't, sometimes we're merely recounting them for the sake of reportage, and you can often tell our stance on a quote from the language we use to introduce or describe it. For instance, if we're recounting a conversation with someone, and we say that they "proved" a point, that's a lot different than saying they "claimed" or "argued" or "stupidly tried to suggest" it. I mean, just above, I quoted the "geniuses at Breitbart," but you were probably able to guess from the surrounding language that I neither agree with the quote nor think they're actual geniuses.
So, let's look at Conflict Kitchen's wrappers. The central block of explanatory text says each section of interview quotes "highlight[s] the perspectives of multiple people." That's a pretty neutral statement—while we often think it's a good thing to hear the perspectives of lots of people, nothing in that text indicates that Conflict Kitchen, as an organization, necessarily agrees with or endorses those perspectives.
Secondly, Conflict Kitchen's entire mission revolves around an incredibly important fact about food. The whole point of the project is to promote tolerance and understanding. In other words, they're not trying to take a side opposite the U.S. in the titular conflicts, they're trying to do their part to end the conflicts altogether. And sharing food is a great place to start.
In all cultures the world over, food is a source of comfort, a reason to gather with friends and loved ones, and a great unifying factor. There's a reason that major life events and milestones—birthdays, graduations, promotions, weddings, even funerals—often involve sharing food with loved ones. We all eat, we all do so within culturally specific guidelines about what to eat, and we feel affinity with people who eat like we do. We also notice the differences between ourselves and people who eat differently. So, understanding and sharing in a people's food and traditions surrounding meals are two small but hardly insignificant steps towards erasing that difference. Realizing that people across the globe are eating and enjoying the same thing you are now trying for the first time is humbling, and if you're open to learning about someone's food, you're that much more likely to be open to learning more about them. And learning about their food is already learning about them. Not to sound all new agey, but food, in short, can be a transcendent experience. Trying new foods isn't going to, like, eliminate war or anything, but it's a lot harder to hate people when they've invented something as goddamn delicious as hummus.
Taken together, the combination of food and words put out by Conflict Kitchen is an incredibly powerful statement. It serves to remind us that people are people, no matter where they are in the globe. They shop. They date. They marry. They share things with guests and friends. They wrestle with questions about the role of religion in public life. They feel patriotic towards their homeland. They are often confused or frustrated or made to feel marginalized by the actions of their government and governments worldwide. And when they get hungry, they eat. The elegant simplicity of this idea is part of why Conflict Kitchen has become such a popular staple here in Pittsburgh. Because the whole point isn't to take Palestine's side (or North Korea's, or Afghanistan's, or America's, or anywhere else's), it's to encourage us to celebrate our shared humanity and to get past the idea of sides altogether. And it breaks my heart to see that wonderful message misunderstood.
The unifying power of food culture is an idea that has been written about at length by tons of people—scholars, journalists, activists, cultural critics—for a bunch of different reasons. People like Michael Pollan in The Omnivore's Dilemma and Claude Fischler in "Food, Self, and Identity" point out the cultural significance of food to criticize the modern food industry. Jonathan Safran Foer talks about it in Eating Animals to encourage us to rethink our relationship with meat. In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser reflects on how fast food (and, by extension, our whole diet), for better or worse, represents a prioritization of some values over others. Food studies is a huge chunk of my current research, so if you're interested and want more recommendations, please ask!
My point about using contextualizing language to determine a speaker's attitude towards a quote comes from J.R. Martin and P.R.R. White's The Language of Evaluation: Appraisal in English. In their chapter on intertextuality (in short, the way that texts/speech/etc. references other texts/speech/etc.), they note that we can reference other discourse (through quotes or other, less direct means) in such a way that either invites further perspectives or implicitly rejects them, and that we do so in such a way that positions us on a spectrum between outright distance/disavowal and endorsement of the discourse we're referencing. Simply put, merely quoting someone to show their perspective is far from endorsing their ideas. A lot of criticism of Conflict Kitchen's menu seems to stem from the fact that they also don't represent the Israeli side, but c'mon. They're not serving Israeli food. If they were, they'd quote all sorts of Israelis. Indeed, they'd quote nothing but. This is a pretty simple point to grasp, so arguing that they need to represent the perspectives of people not in the countries they're serving food from indicates any or all of the following things: stupidity, stubbornness, or a decision to ignore Conflict Kitchen's "About" page.
I don't want my discussion of intertextuality above to skirt the issue of censorship and/or imply that the only reason Conflict Kitchen's wrappers are okay is because they're not actually advocating a position critical of Israel. Even if that weren't the case, regardless of what the wrappers said, we've got a pretty longstanding tradition here in America of making sure that ideas, even controversial ones (whether or not we like them), are constitutionally protected. Or, as Walter Sobchak would put it whilst enjoying his coffee, the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint. I would hope that as civilized goddamn human beings we could all recognize that no one's opinions on the horrible mess that is the Israel/Palestine conflict warrant death threats—one of the few UNprotected forms of speech, something we've legally decided is even worse when sent through the mail.
Very well said. As someone who lives near Pittsburgh and has been to Conflict Kitchen this was terrible to see. Another one of the goals of conflict kitchen is to also promote conversation about countries we are in conflict with; to show that they are people just like us. Their might people who are extreme in their views, just like we have here (i.e. Westboro Baptist Church), but there are people who just like us, have regular lives, working, dating, like hanging out with friends etc. Part of the point is to put a human face on those we are in conflict with instead of dehumanizing and not talking about them, which is what tends to happen here.
Yes, exactly, and I think that food is a great place to start with that humanizing influence. It's a great thing to think about how "people are people" everywhere, even as an abstract concept. But I think sharing in customs like food really drives that home even more. Your comment makes me think of a crazy thought experiment: what if people abroad thought we were all like the WBC? What would we want the wrappers to say about America if a restaurant like this existed in another part of the world?
Thanks a ton for your readership and your comment!
FYI…your first two links don't seem to work. Maybe it's just me.
Thanks Swarn, I checked it out and they work on my computer, though. Are you perhaps over your free quota for Post-Gazette articles for the month? Is anyone else having this issue?
Yeah, I'm not sure what their quota is, but it's pretty low. I reached it writing this article even! Thanks a ton for the heads up, though, and I'm sorry you can't see them! Basically, though, it seems like you're already familiar with what they say anyway–restaurant closed down due to death threats, restaurant is controversial with Heinz Endowment and certain Jewish organizations, restaurant reopened last week.