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18 preseason game at Seattle.. A: Sam Wyche certainly is known as one of the really creative offensive minds that ever s
18 preseason game at Seattle.. A: Sam Wyche certainly is known as one of the really creative offensive minds that ever stepped on the field in the NFL. "We don't get a lot of injuries per year, but we think the position that the players are in just doesn't appear to be fair, that he's subject to that low block when he's fully engaged with an offensive player.
Baltimore is 6 1 in its last seven meetings with Pittsburgh, including a playoff win at Heinz Field in 2014. On an entirely different plane, of course, more is expected from Bobby. QUESTIONABLE: G Ronald Leary (groin). We talked about motorcycles and he said he had three or four motorcycles.
Referees in Mississippi earned the next lowest salaries at $40 per game. An assistant JV cheerleading coach can earn $1,132.60 monthly during the first year. Or maybe just to provide the night shift some cheap. Together, we CAN find a cure for this deadly incurable disease that affects so many people and even the players of the game we love..
So we think it's time to change the rule.". A normal strokes per minute rate is 28 to 32; Rob rowed 38 to 40 when he was alone in a boat. And the vast majority of hockey fans don't want that.. While the previous year produced some first round flops, the 2012 Draft still produced its share of stars: Andrew Luck, Russell how much are jerseys Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Luke Keuchly, Josh Norman.
Coming off a loss in the Super Bowl, the Falcons are hoping to pair their newest defensive end with 2016 NFL sacks leader Vic Beasley Jr., who accounted for a league high 46 percent of his team sack total last season. "I've thought about giving to his charities just so I could go sit inside his studio," she said.
1, the Monday before Super Bowl Sunday, revealing a switch form the 2015 china jerseys ad's prehistoric setting to the future. I think the last send off we saw was two years ago and that bloke should have been straight off.". Rennel, Kellen Winslow, and Willie McGinest, and in comes Eric Mangini, who management hopes will be able to spark the Browns back to playoff contention.
Here we go again on the road against Baltimore. The Premier League used to excite and enthrall in equal measure, and rightly lived up to the reputation as the league in the world now things couldn be further from that point. Just another layer to add to a combustible mix on a day designed to celebrate peace and joy..
However, something went wrong halfway into the match. Now, as was the case with Ali banishment from boxing, the MOVEMENT has expanded far, far beyond both the issue of Kaep taking a Knee and, most significantly, the capacity, much less the ability, of the NFL that be to manage the situation..
Unclear whether or how the momentum will continue. Currently, more than 66 million individuals receive payments from the Social []The post JUST IN: Trump Admin Sends Powerful Message to Seniors, This Hasn't Happened In YEARS appeared first on Tea Party.ALERT: Horrifying Report Released, 90 Percent of Americans Could Die(Christian News Alerts) Experts are calling on President Trump to immediately rectify what they claim is an existential threat.
The second was the failure of Tom Brady to produce any electronic evidence (emails, texts, etc.), despite being offered extraordinary safeguards by the investigators to protect unrelated personal information. Fellow receiver Mohamed Sanu has a hamstring injury and sounds more in question.
It goes on to describe how more homebuyers means more demands for goods to fill those homes, which means more workers employed to make those things, which means more price of authentic nfl jerseys people who can then buy houses themselves, "Isn't that the power of America itself?" the voiceover concludes.
BILLS: Safety Bacarri Rambo second stint with the team he played for Buffalo in 2014 and 2015 lasted barely a month when he was one of the six players released, with cornerback Jumal Rolle, receiver Rashad Ross, running back Cedric O guard Karim Barton and defensive end Jake Metz.
My lip reading skills are not what they used to be but I think I saw one say to the other, "Hi Johnny! How's the wife doing? It's been a while since we saw her. The Chargers will eventually join the Los Angeles Rams in a $2.66 billion stadium that Rams owner Stan Kroenke is building in Inglewood, Calif.
EntertainmentEntertainment NewsThe SceneGeorge to the Rescue1st LookOpen HouseBreakfast With Open HouseCOZI TVTalk StoopWorth The TripB. I would endure my kids watching reruns of "PAW Patrol" and "Peppa Pig" on Sundays. Commissioner Roger Goodell, executives at the league office and owners of other NFL teams believe it's imperative that the Bills have a new stadium.
ESPN anchor Jemele Hill has been suspended by the network for two weeks for making political statements on social media. 1 pick, because he figures to have the best chance of being immediately productive and having a long, successful NFL career. The majority of recent mock drafts that I read had the Vikings drafting a wide receiver with the 23rd pick, which was also the case the last time I compiled this mock draft roundup.
To ensure that this defensive unit operates at a peak level, football teams hire talented coaches to guide and direct these players. Michaud said despite efforts by public health officials to educate the public that vaccines are overwhelmingly safe and effective, there still a lot of fear about vaccines.
Dhani Jones: We were there trekking and learning the art of mountain climbing at one of the base camps on Mt. On concussions, when a fan asked him about safety for his 10 year old son: "The most important thing is to get the right facts, and we've put all our facts out there.
Am proud to stand with our players and support them in their work on and off the football field. I'm blaming ESPN and NFL Network off season preview shows for pumping me full of too much optimism about Arizona QB Carson Palmer bouncing back from a rough season.
For that we make no apologies and never will.. While it unclear exactly how big of an impact the BoycottNFL movement is having on the ratings, it becoming readily apparent that there is a large segment of Americans who have turned away from football for reasons other than the games themselves.
But new coach Justin Fuente made Jackson a priority, flying out to meet Josh and his family as his first order of business after taking the Virginia Tech job.. Everything I've added: Super Affiliate Links, The Clickbank, All in one SEO, Street Articles links nothing's showing even when I enter it in the editor itself!!.
Ilove you. Sleep overrated."White sitting on the deck of a venerable seafood place, with her back turned to the yachts in the marina. The owner of his team and his coaches are rather candid about his weaknesses and their concerns about committing to him as the long term quarterback of their team.
They decided it's not just the one in last place who gets punished. Sometimes discount custom football jerseys guys get injured, while other guys grow complacent. Fantasy football has taken the NFL by storm over the last few years, becoming a hot commodity of fans world wide. It was Kumble's approach and insistence on discipline and hard work that led to excellent results and it is sad that he had to go.
Alle Tore. But with seven harmless little words, Lance changed that. They have put up with a lot to root for their favorite teams, but these protests, which many regard as disrespecting America and the flag, may have exceeded their high tolerance level..
Be told, it not optimal, even in the same market, said Marc Ganis, president of a Chicago based sports business consulting firm. They were searching for a gunman and ordering patrons who cowered near craps tables and slot machines to run for the exits..
My approach is this: Boy, you're in the middle of the game, and some kid's having a tough time. My job isn to complain; just be a professional about it, and make sure to take advantage of the opportunities. He made a vow to her on her deathbed that he would play Division I college football, then used that promise as motivation during a discouraging stretch at a community college, after he got a scholarship to the University of California but failed to qualify academically..
Now is the time for the public to influence Dynegy's closure plan.". "This creates situations around a stadium where people can trash talk and bait opposing fans. In 2005, for example, Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown chose to wear a sunburst patterned visor in a game.
In a 2015 study published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing, researchers found that perimenopausal women who had the highest levels of diet related self efficacy, or self confidence, had the lowest likelihood of binge eating (and vice versa). The Cougars paid tribute to Freeman High last Saturday by wearing the same helmet stickers that the Scotties players wear during their games.
Ealy broke into the scene with his performance in Super Bowl 50, where he registered three sacks, tied for most all time in a single Super Bowl with Darnell Dockett and Hall of Famer Reggie White. Several team owners have been big Trump backers, and Jones is one.
But there are plenty of questions surrounding the economics. Don know football most guys barely do. You want to see it. They were told. Wentz is eligible for a contract extension in 2019. Agents can also offer a flat fee structure for specific duties..
The Gosford product was originally signed by the Washington Redskins but failed to play a game for them.. Compared to National Football League players, who average $1.9 million annually, AFL athletes receive comparatively meager compensation, measured in the tens of thousands per year.Pay Per Game in the AFLUnder the collective bargaining agreement reached in 2012, effective through 2017, active rookies receive $775 per game for the 2014 season.
For these measurements I replica basketball jerseys decided the a total of 2.75" for the height which I distributed to the top and bottom side walls. Click for full scheduleOn Monday morning NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handed Tom Brady the Super Bowl MVP trophy following the Patriots win against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Even with star receiver Julian Edelman out for the season with a knee injury, Brady is in line for a landmark year. Just that whole, they want to be the best in Virginia, and so do we. Hennig held the basketball uniforms for sale title for one year before dropping it to Jerry "The King" Lawler..
It creates the distinct possibility of pricey personal seat licenses to buy season tickets that are far more expensive than what fans are accustomed to paying for a team whose ticket prices have been among the most affordable in the NFL.. Der Rechtsverteidiger machte 133 Lnderspiele und erzielte dabei 22 Tore.
I certainly don't love it. Attend church on Sunday. Reiff, a first round pick in 2012, started 69 of the 77 games he played for the Lions and likely will be asked to step in the departing Matt Kalil, who signed with Carolina on Thursday. But it remains a mind boggling amount of work for Spielman and his scouts who, if a player has been in the league for 10 years, will have charted and graded his progress and/or decline every step of the way..
In the Falcons case, the PSL will provide ownership for 30 years, plus three five year renewal options. Earlier on Tuesday, a league spokesman said on in a media call that the issue would be "front and center on the agenda.". While beginning the process of transitioning into professional athlete representation, she has been working as an intellectual property attorney at the Mobile firm AdamsIP, where her husband, Hunter Adams, also works..
The winless Browns, coming off a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, are led by quarterback DeShone Kizer and running back Isaiah Crowell.. I improved upon a lot of the things I came back to improve upon. LAS VEGAS, Nev. The Seahawks lost running back Marshawn Lynch buy basketball vest to retirement after the season..
Martin Luther King Jr., time comes when silence is betrayal. A lobster's two claws can come in several different forms (crusher and cutter, two crushers or two cutters). Everything points to this being a blowout, right? East Carolina's been awful in all facets.
That what they want to do. If a team is a 5 point underdog, its odds are +5. He is a former state senator and is no longer serving in the Legislature.. I got to get him down however I can.. He was one of the greatest storytellers of our time, not just in sports but in any part of the American society.""Steve Sabol leaves a lasting impact on the National Football League that will be felt for a long time to come," NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said.
It all added up to Chicago's lowest win total since the 1973 team went 3 11, the most losses since a 1 13 finish in 1969, and a cheap baseball jerseys busy offseason for a rebuilding team.. For example, football players could eventually have difficulties with their hips, knees and elbow joints because of repeated contact to those areas during their playing days.
Eric Ebron came along predictably slow after missing so much time in the preseason.. Fans with questions about obtaining a refund may call the Bills ticket office at (877) 228 4357 starting Monday. "I don't know if the city has thought far enough ahead or put that type of thought into involving the kids in something like this," said McGee, a 43 year old IT auditor from North Kenwood.
According to the BLS, marketing managers in the 90th wage earning percentile make at least $187,199 per year as of 2013. So what are their secrets? We asked, and it turns out the fittest stars like to change it up. To tie it at 14. Major additions: The off season at the Jets was more about the number of veterans who were released rather than any high profile signings.
Vikings WR Stefon Diggs had team high 52 catches in 13 games, third most by rookie in franchise history behind Randy Moss (69, 1998) and Percy Harvin (60, 2009). It's like an abandoned gravel pit infested with cats.". Holding the G Men to 30 yards or whatever in the first half Sunday night tells me this defense is for real, and now it looks like Zeke will be around all season.
My take is more apathy than disinterest. Brad finished in 15th place and Monica was the season 27 runner up.. The Tennessee Titans fans are the best in the NFL. And for those of us who are veterans, that why the military there, to protect the right to do that.
The film is respectable to the point of stuffiness. A lot of them are talented and have the ability to play in the NFL. Eyes translate to advertising money for the League and it owners. Sundays are all you can eat chili, served during NFL football games.
Listen, we've been in much worse stadiums, believe me. "What planet does this clown live on?" Bongino said. Sporting goods stores sell inflatable goal posts that you can place in each end zone to kick "field goals" and "extra points." They are also safe should someone accidentally run into one..
Titans Jurrell Casey, Wesley Woodyard, Brian Orakpo and DaQuan Jones raised a fist, while Tennessee wide receiver Rishard Matthews was not on the field for the anthem. And that didn't happen for 21 years, and they didn't actually win a playoff game until they were in their 34th season.
But a lot of the time [stoned talk] wasn't even about football. Pre flight 2016 baseball jerseys dinner with the crew at Minneapolis airport saw me pretend to be healthy and opt for a chicken salad. Nobody can take that away from us.". "The alternatives that were discussed today were all over the place, but some were very consistent," McKay said.
Thought process there is if you own two teams in the same market, you understand the market better, Ganis said. I know Bart went back (to Green Bay) and did it https://www.newsaboutav.com/ and it wasn't as successful as everyone would have assumed. Our game has long provided a powerful platform for dialogue and positive change in many communities throughout our nation.
"Our players have exercised their rights as United States citizens in order to spark conversation and action to address social injustice. "They want those guys to basically be their future. The National Football League is extremely competitive, so players must compete hard to keep their jobs against new players entering the league every year.
Planning started earlier this year and here we are. The media scene for him, your third string quarterback, would be a circus, and every other player and coach would be subjected to questions about Kaepernick, his activism and the continuing protests around the NFL..
Aaron Schatz, the editor of Football Outsiders, chose the Buffalo Bills as his answer to that question, offering up the following reason:. Time to plan and organize a fair and impartial election is at hand and the doubt surrounding the constitutionality of the Ranked Choice Voting Act casts uncertainty on all aspects of voting preparation.
We shall see down in the city of New Orleans.. The Jets beat the Bills twice last season (37 31 in Buffalo as a 1.5 point underdog; 30 10 in Jersey as a 3.5 point Don think I seen the Buffs favored by this much since generic nfl jerseys Jim Kelly and his crew came up short in four Super Bowls.
Fred grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the 1960s and played quarterback in college at Jackson State in Mississippi he was a senior in 1971 when Walter Payton was a freshman running back. Sorvino now uses a slow release insulin pen and medication to keep his blood sugar on an even keel, while still watching what he eats.
I been an avid fan for over six decades. In Sunday morning tweets, Trumprenewed his criticismof the protests, slamming the league ratings and saying players should be fired or suspended for such protests. "She came back with me from the club, and we did it a little while, then I asked her to leave.
Meanwhile, the BLS reported PR specialists earned a median yearly salary of $51,280 in May 2008.SampleProfessional sports teams are always in need of PR workers to relay information to the media, and therefore, sports fans. Thanks primarily to our players, the NFL also has been a unifying mesh basketball jerseys force in our country and impactful change has and hopefully will continue to be the result of peaceful expression, done so in order to highlight social injustices of all kind.
Baltimore signed a quarterback without NFL experience, a guy who played most recently in the Arena Football League. Moreover, the report documents your failure to cooperate fully and candidly with the investigation, including by refusing to produce any relevant electronic evidence (emails, texts, etc.), despite being offered extraordinary safeguards by the investigators to protect unrelated personal information, and by providing testimony that the report concludes was not plausible and contradicted by other evidence..
Buffalo) as the third longest in NFL history, behind Ed Reed 106 yarder against Cleveland in 2004 and Reed 107 yarder against Philadelphia in 2008.. 59 wide receiver. Don have any insight into that, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said early in the week.
Sports mouth guards play an important role in dental protection. "I mean, when I tell you what I'm telling you, it's the truth. Will Stand for Anthem, But Won't Judge Those Who Don'tOver 23,000 Sign Online Petition to Ban Pete Morelli From Reffing Eagles GamesPanthers Have Identified Perpetrator of Brutal Fan Violence at Eagles GamePolice Arrest Perpetrator of Brutal Fan Violence at Eagles Panthers GameColin Kaepernick Files Grievance Against NFLPackers' QB Aaron Rodgers Could Miss Rest of Season With Broken CollarbonePanthers Have Identified Perpetrator of Brutal Fan Violence at Eagles GameNFL Players' Union Unhappy With Jerry Jones' National Anthem CommentsSources: Jorge Velandia Emerges as Strong Candidate for Phillies Manager JobOver 23,000 Sign Online Petition to Ban Pete Morelli From Reffing Eagles GamesRoob Stats: Just How Historic Has the Eagles' Run Defense Been So Far?.
After the NFL's response to a video showing former Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his then fiancee now wife generated widespread criticism in 2014, the NFL amended its personal conduct policy.. Those physicians are associated with some of the best medical facilities in the country.
When such a high ranking member of law enforcement feels compelled to share such broad, inaccurate, and shameful comments, their judgment can no longer be trusted to help protect Michigan diverse communities. There was a time when this country saw the value in a tough disposition.
I urge my colleagues in the Senate to quickly send legislation back to the House so that we can finally provide relief.". His physical maturity has always been a lot higher than his chronological age, and I think that probably still true in the NFL..
According to officials in Albany, Goodell for weeks has been privately discussing the new stadium option as the best avenue to ensure the team and its new owners do not leave. Then divide the $26,000 by the $100 to work out how many points you make a year, nfl jersey cost and that is 260, then divide by 52 to see how numerous points profit a week, and that comes to 5pts a week.
We get to travel all around the country and the team pays for that. Field Goals and Extra PointsAn NFL kicker can use either a drop kick or a placekick to kick the ball through the uprights of the opponent's goal for field goals from behind the line of scrimmage, or to score an extra point following a touchdown.
It should be noted that the NFL is not simply taking a knee en masse in the hope that others will take action. They use them to monitor trends and determine probability of the outcome of certain plays or the performance of certain athletes. Evans was a great college quarterback, but I think there are reasons to wonder whether that translates to the NFL.
Employment is expected to grow by 30 percent from 2008 to 2018, which is much faster than average.PTs have a beginning yearly salary of $50,880 to $60,941. In addition to being a frequent blogger, his articles appear on eHow, Answerbag and other Web sites.
"It's a good class of tackles and they vary from different defensive schemes," said Kelvin Fisher, the Bills' director of college scouting. Can you get paid the incredible $$ you get paid playing football,ANYWHERE else on this planet? Be grateful for the cool job you scored only because you live in America".
He also wanted to ensure prices are reasonable compared to other pro sports teams in south Florida. They're coming off an embarrassing loss to an Idaho State team that was picked by media to finish last in the Big Sky preseason poll and the Wolf Pack are giving up more than 32 points per game.
While some of Wilson's commercials can be seriously grating Stop whispering to me about my dreams and home insurance, Russell! It's creepy! there's no discounting the third year quarterback's burgeoning endorsement prowess. In all, three teams traded up to land quarterbacks, with the Chiefs moving from 27 to 10 for Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes and the Texans moving from 25 to 12 for Clemson's Deshaun Watson.And all of this occurred with the Browns, holding the No.
He completed 18 of 23 passes for 246 yards and three scores against a battered Seattle defense that was without safety Earl Thomas and didn't have half the pass rush it could have in 2017. The issue of fans holding tickets wishing to use them at the neutral site location was being worked on Thursday, according to Brandon..
He played basketball in college before switching to football and being a tight end.The Vikings return to practice Tuesday after taking Monday off.Vikings rookie tight end Bucky Hodges cleared waivers Monday and is now on injured reserve.Minnesota had released Hodges to make room on the roster for tight end Blake Bell, acquired on waivers Sunday from San Francisco.
The Saints are the first of this season's across the pond teams to set up shop to prepare there all week. Lacerations are a daily occurrence, you suffer numerous knee and ankle injuries, and some injuries are so brutal that they need to be edited out for broadcast (get hit in the head with a foreign object at the wrong angle, and suddenly you've got a gash in your scalp that takes 22 staples to close)..
Comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities. Belichick was fined $500,000, and the team was docked $250,000 and stripped of its 2008 first round draft pick..
The Eagles have been involved in the ongoing national anthem protests this season. They contacted the Seahawks and the information had been forwarded to my agent, who set up a meeting. "Faggot Goodell" (also described as a "punk" and "dictator" by Harrison), Anderson ("another dummy who never played a down"), and Hanks, a former Pro Bowl safety with the Niners ("he needs to be ashamed because he played D before, though he never was what you call a real hitter"), conspired, he says, to target the Steelers, who have "too much force, too much swag, and are predominantly black." Says Harrison: "We sent them a tape of 27 hits from games that following week 27 hits like mine or worse but none of got flagged or fined.


I am working with a service created from a mosaic raster dataset that contains over two hundred images. These images vary in pixel depth, bands and sensor type.
They display properly when viewed in AGX. However, when they first load a large out of focus grey square partially appears (attachment 1). This happens on any of the images I click on and remains visible as I pan around at that extent. If I zoom out a full grey square appears (attachment 2). When I get to this extent AGX starts streaming the data and the square disappears (attachment 3). Then I can zoom back in and the grey square is gone (attachment 4).
There are a couple other places where I have other mosaic services that only contain about 10 images and none of these locations have this problem.
Does anyone have any thoughts about why this could be happening?
Tom, are you working in 2D? While at the extent of grey square you can try "Refresh" the layer and see if the grey square is gone (Manage layer-> select layer -> Clear Cache). If that does not help this is just the way AGX renders your service. Once cached - you should not see that grey square again.
Thank you for your response. I am working in 3d and I am deleting my local cache each time I close down AGX. The thing I think is strange is the fact that it is not consist between the different locations.
I am not familiar with 3D drawing process. I guess, it is a bug in 3D view. If you have ArcGlobe you can see if it behaves the same way.
Is this a bug? I am having simiar issues. This is a major problem for our customer.


Women from many cultural backgrounds invite friends and colleagues to take time at a Saturday brunch to consider if connecting to Jesus Christ could add value to their very busy lives. Each team member knows this decision changed her life and her attitude towards herself and those around her. They understand the questions and objections raised by those who do not believe, and are willing to walk with their friends on a journey of discovery.
April 2017: Felicia Lee – What if Achieving Isn't Enough?
April 2015: Sharon Smith – Where is God in The Dark Places?


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Maggie Orenda Midgett Smith
Published 6:27 pm Tuesday, December 27, 2022
By Contributed
Maggie Orenda Midgett Smith, 80, of Chesapeake, Va., died December 19, 2022 at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. A native of Rodanthe, she was born November 5, 1942.
Graveside funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on January 7, 2023 in the family cemetery in Waves.
Twiford Funeral Homes, TwifordFH.com
READ MORE OBITUARIES HERE.
Barbara "Barb" Shimpach
Juanita Faye Burke
Douglas Maxwell Drummond
Daniel J. Beideman

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Like it or not: everything is politics
The political media comes under constant criticism for focussing on the internal workings and intrigues of governments. But we must analyse the politics of an event to properly understand it.
Ever since American journalism academic Jay Rosen talked to the Melbourne Writers Festival in 2011 about how impoverished our political media is, because of its seeming obsession with the internal workings and intrigues of governments and political parties, the same criticism has been levelled at Australian political journalists and writers who seek to explain the mechanics and mysteries of politics.
The articles of contention describe the judgments and tradeoffs made by political players to maintain the tenuous balance between sound policy or doing what is morally right and what will win or maintain votes at the next election.
The most common criticism of such posts is that they focus on how things "are" instead of how they "should be". My Drum column last week on the politics of Ebola, and others published elsewhere about how the budget is being sold to voters or various political figures are positioning themselves for future leadership contests, are amongst those criticised in this way.
There was particular consternation about my contention that the Government's response to the growing Ebola crisis in West Africa was shaped by politics, as was the Opposition's approach. Commenters on The Drum and Twitter complained the column should have focused on what the Government "should" be doing about Ebola, instead of explaining why it was not.
Such criticism misses the point entirely: like it or not, everything in politics is politics. There's no way to take politics out of Australia's democratic institutions and processes, be they parties, elections or parliament. While democracy continues to rely on "the people" to exercise their vote, and human behaviour remains in the mix, there will always be politics (which by definition is the theory and practice of influencing people).
Public opinion looms large when it comes to politics: if a party can't win the hearts and minds of voters then they won't get elected. It's that simple. And it's virtually impossible to implement one's policy agenda from the opposition benches.
So it's a difficult proposition for an opposition to willingly diminish its electability or a government to risk its incumbency by advocating a course of action that is not supported by the majority of voters – even if that action is the right way to go in a policy or moral sense.
This is why former prime minister Kevin Rudd backed away from his emissions trading scheme in the face of growing voter antipathy for carbon pricing, and his successor Julia Gillard similarly ruled out a carbon tax. Neither wanted to sacrifice their governments' future prospects for one, albeit critically important, matter when their reform agendas encompassed so many other important things that also needed to be done.
It could be argued that, even though Gillard was subsequently forced to renege on her "no carbon tax" commitment, she may not have been elected without having made it and then would not have been able to follow through on many of the important reforms started by the Rudd government such as the NBN, Gonski and NDIS.
Such are the swings and roundabouts of politics.
There is an alternative to conceding to popular opinion, and that is to change it, but this is akin to doing a u-turn in a cruise ship.
Getting the voting public to change its mind, not on superficial matters, but on those that tap into core values and concerns, is a slow and laborious task that can take longer than one three or four-year parliamentary term to produce results. Doing so is hard enough for a government, even with the authority that comes from being in power and having a phalanx of departments and battalions of advisers at its disposal.
One illustrative example is former PM John Howard's attempt to change voters' views about the GST leading up to the 1998 federal election. While he did manage to do so slightly, Howard also lost almost 5 per cent of the vote at that election.
Gillard tried similarly with the Clean Energy Future Package in 2011, which included the carbon tax and associated compensation measures, but to little effect. Three years on from the launch of that package, only 38 per cent of voters support having a carbon tax or emissions trading scheme to manage climate change.
Changing popular opinion is even more difficult to do from opposition. Liberal opposition leader John Hewson failed spectacularly to bring voters on board with his comprehensive Fightback policy manifesto in 1993. More successful (at least from the Liberals' perspective) was opposition leader Tony Abbott's campaign, which turned community sentiment against the carbon tax, but still took four years spanning two parliamentary terms to come to do so.
It was politics that thwarted Howard, Rudd, Gillard and Hewson, and it was politics that helped Abbott prevail. Without understanding the politics of each event, we have a limited understanding of how each leader failed or succeeded in shaping public opinion to their political or policy ends.
So to dismiss the political dimension of any civic event as somehow unworthy of consideration because it's not as things "should" be, is to diminish one's own capacity to fully understand that event.
That may be an acceptable stance for the ignorant and blinkered, but it does nothing for those who wish to fully and productively exercise their democratic rights.
Author Drag0nistaPosted on October 27, 2014 July 5, 2016 Categories PoliticsTags policy, politics
Did I miss the zombie apocalypse?
Here's my latest piece at The King's Tribune
I must have missed that moment when we relinquished our brains. You know, that moment when we scooped out the gelatinous orbs that give us independent thought and popped them into a bin for collection. That didn't happen, you say?
Well then, did I miss the zombie apocalypse? Was I in a coma while ghouls shuffled about and munched on our cerebral cortexes? No? Then how else to explain why we rely so much on the media to do our thinking these days, particularly when it comes to politics?
Contemporary political news is now pitched in a way that suggests, instead of thinking for ourselves, we've abrogated our scrutiny of political policies and events for the opinions of journalists. Every newspaper, radio program, tv show and online forum that covers Australian politics and current affairs places an inordinate emphasis on what celebrity and wannabe celebrity journalists "think" about political events.
Click here to keep reading…..
Author Drag0nistaPosted on June 5, 2012 January 28, 2013 Categories Media, PoliticsTags apocalypse, celebrity journalists, journalists, mainstream media, media, objectivity, opinion, politics, zombie2 Comments on Did I miss the zombie apocalypse?
A surprising omission from Tingle
I was disappointed by Laura Tingle on Friday. Tingle is one of the few journalists writing from the Canberra Press Gallery that we usually can depend upon to be consistently rigorous in research, forensic in analysis and objective in reporting.
There was however a piece of information missing from her Canberra Observed column that surprised me.
Tingle was commenting on the poor prospects for long-term policy debates due to distractions such as the obsession with "process" or insider stories rather than "outcomes" stories.
She held aloft as an example the case of Jillian Broadbent AO, the esteemed business woman who chaired an expert panel looking into investment for clean energy.
An eminent panel headed by Jillian Broadbent reported to the government this week on the structural problems of getting investment in clean energy.
Broadbent is a member of the Reserve Bank board (appointed by the Howard government), and a director of ASX Ltd and Woolworths. Such an obvious Labor stooge, in fact, that the Coalition accused her of engaging in "partisan activity and partisan criticism" simply for observing that the Coalition "haven't been very interested in speaking to me, despite my preparedness to brief them".
Anyone trying to contribute to the current public policy debate, as opposed to anticipating where political fortunes might go next, is smeared in the process.
Any reasonable reader would conclude from this analysis that the Coalition had snubbed and smeared an experienced and independent business leader simply because she wanted to brief them on clean energy investment.
However, Broadbent has an important and relevant role that Tingle did not include in her column. Broadbent is in fact Chair of the Government's $10bn Clean Energy Finance Corporation, an entity that the Coalition has vowed to scrap on the attainment of government. So why would the Coalition agree to a briefing from the head of such an organisation?
Broadbent chaired the expert review in her capacity as chair of CEFC. In fact, it is called the Chair's Review in the media release which announced it:
The establishment of the Chair's Review is intended to assist the Government in framing the enabling legislation, associated instruments and determining what operational issues can be left to the CEFC's Board after the corporation has been established. Following consideration of the Chair's Review, the Government will introduce legislation for the establishment of the Corporation in sufficient time to allow the CEFC to fully develop its systems and products before it commences operations from 2013-14.
Amongst other things, the Chair's Review ultimately recommended ways to prevent, or at least make extremely difficult, the Coalition's scrapping of the CEFC. It's hardly surprising then that the Coalition would be disinclined to receive a briefing from Broadbent.
So, in reality, that which was depicted by Tingle as the smearing and snubbing of a dispassionate expert was in fact pragmatic politics.
Politically, there was nothing for the Coalition to gain from meeting with Broadbent. Any such meeting would have sent mixed messages and could have been beaten up by the media as hypocrisy or potential wavering on the part of the Opposition.
By agreeing to chair a government entity, Ms Broadbent has, in fact, "taken a side" and opened herself to reasonable criticism of being partisan. Other business leaders who've taken on government-appointed roles have suffered the same fate; although I hasten to add, not all have been tarred with the partisan brush.
None of this was mentioned by Tingle yesterday. In fact the additional contextual information would have diminished the impact of the example she was making of the Coalition's treatment of Broadbent.
I raised this omission with Tingle on Twitter. She said I was being deliberately obtuse and missing her broader point. In fact, I agree with Tingle's broader point – that political inside gossip and smears attract more attention and divert resources from considered reporting of political outcomes. It was the selective information used to illustrate a point that troubled me.
The prickly nature of our Twitter exchange prevented me from asking Tingle why she did omit the fact that Broadbent is chair of the CEFC.
Author Drag0nistaPosted on April 21, 2012 October 7, 2013 Categories Media, PoliticsTags CEFC, clean energy, Coalition, Jillian Broadbent, journalists, Laura Tingle, mainstream media, politics, twitter10 Comments on A surprising omission from Tingle
Is the tide turning for Tony Abbott?
It's a truism in politics that while one opinion poll might evoke an interesting point, it's the trend in poll findings that reveals much more.
The same could be said for opinion pieces written by journalists who report federal politics. Each piece has its own merit (or not), but when there's a trend in the opinion being advanced, then this is something worth noticing.
Why? Because the appearance of a theme in a string of opinion pieces suggests, not that several journalists autonomously and simultaneously came to the same conclusion, but that an external action or actor initiated that thought.
The external factor could range from something as innocent as journalists musing aloud to colleagues over coffee, to something more Machiavellian like a political operative briefing against opponents. Either way, it's worth taking note when a trend appears in political opinion pieces.
Such a trend appeared this weekend. At a time when there is seemingly unending mainstream media criticism of the PM and her government, not one but five senior political reporters appeared to significantly escalate their scrutiny of Tony Abbott's tactics and policies.
In his weekend column, SMH Political Editor Peter Hartcher ran the rule over the Coalition's known policy positions and found "the Coalition is changing from the free-market, pro-business, economically sound party of Howard and Costello to a populist party under the influence of Abbott and Barnaby Joyce.
"Abbott's opposition shuts down debate about workplace reform, shows signs of being tempted away from a wholehearted commitment to free trade, proposes a new tax on big business to fund an expensive parental leave scheme, and, while it certainly monitors government spending closely, has yet to explain its own fiscal policy."
Hartcher's stablemate, Lenore Taylor, pointed in her weekend column to the new heights in spin being employed by Abbott, "ignor[ing] facts altogether" to score political points.
Yet another Fairfax journalist, the Age's Associate Editor Shaun Carney, sharpened the policy scrutiny focus even more in his weekend piece:
"Abbott's assault on Labor has been almost entirely policy-free… He attracts support largely because of what he says he will not do and by his relentless critique of the government. His vision for Australia is defined by his negative appraisal of Labor. Even with the Coalition's massive opinion poll lead, the time is coming when Abbott will have to do more than that. Perhaps it has arrived."
Similarly, the West Australian's Federal Political Editor Andrew Probyn, blogged that "Tony Abbott has sown the seeds of his own destruction. It's not that he won't win the next election. He most probably will. But unless he sets about seriously reconfiguring various policies, when he becomes prime minister he will either have to break promises, commit humiliating backdowns or attempt to wheedle his way out of controversy."
And over in the News Ltd camp, somehow foreseeing this trend, The Weekend Australian's National Chief Reporter Tom Dusevic contributed a feature on Abbott that examines his policy credentials.
What does this mean? It's not that these pieces are the first to canvass the need for Abbott to show policy depth and integrity. Incoming Liberal Senator, Arthur Sinodinos, advanced it in his weekly Australian column back in early September. Canberra Press Gallery doyen, Laurie Oakes, covered it in his opinion piece last week on politicians lying.
But other columnists did not pick up the point until now. And all at the same time.
What does this mean? Do the reporters in question regularly chat, and decided last week that it was time to turn the heat up on Abbott's policy credentials? Is this an indication that the tide is turning for Abbott in the Canberra Press Gallery? Perhaps.
Or has the Prime Minister's newly-appointed Communications Director turned the heat up on journalists and demand parity in policy scrutiny? Maybe, but he has not yet officially started in that post.
We'll never know how this alignment of political opinion pieces came about. Whether through independent thought, osmosis or suggestion, they do suggest a turning point; the beginning of a new phase for the Opposition Leader in which he is expected to do more than just oppose.
Time will soon tell whether a new trend has emerged. Stay tuned for more: it will be fascinating to watch.
Postscript: One week later – this from the Financial Review's political editor, Laura Tingle. And then this from Laurie Oakes. Other notable pieces since then include this from The Australian's Paul Kelly (paywalled), and this from Michael Gordon.
Author Drag0nistaPosted on October 23, 2011 October 7, 2013 Categories MediaTags Andrew Probyn, groupthink, John McTernan, Laurie Oakes, Lenore Taylor, Michael Gordon, opinion, Paul Kelly, Peter Hartcher, policies, politics, press gallery, Shaun Carney, Tony Abbott11 Comments on Is the tide turning for Tony Abbott?
Abbott in a Zegna suit?
Shaun Carney's recount today of former Treasurer Howard sending Treasurer Keating a congratulationary note on becoming the world's greatest treasurer, caused me to ponder what sort of Opposition Leader Keating would've been.While no more than a fantastical imagining, I can't help think he'd be more in the Abbott mould than the Turnbull one.
Because, when you think back, is there any other modern Australian politician who was more singularly negative in pursuit of their political quarry than Keating was?
My memory is a little dusty but I can't recall Keating employing the Howard/Rudd tactic of agreeing with the other side's policies when they had merit. Putting aside that this was a tactic to emphasise the points of difference, I can only remember Keating going for the jugular every time.
While Keating had more rhetorical flair to his parliamentary jibes, he never pulled his punches. Andrew Peacock was the soufflé that wouldn't rise twice; John Hewson was the feral abacus who'd be done slowly; Alexander Downer was ole darlin' and the salmon who jumps on the hook for you; and John Howard was a miserable political carcass.
Would Keating have traipsed into misogyny to score a few points? Maybe. The PM who implemented a number of progressive policies for women, was nevertheless known to universally address them as darl' and sweetheart.
Would he mercilessly court the media to support his policies to the exclusion of all others? Well, yes, because that's exactly what he did. There was nary a journalist or news organisation that did not support his tilt against Bob Hawke, his destruction of Hewson and the Fightback package, and his ill-fated run against Howard.
Would Keating have abandoned ALP philosophies and overturned public promises to get back the political advantage? Of course! Do the sale of the Commonwealth Bank or "L.A.W. tax cuts" ring a bell?
As astute political observer Malcolm Farnworth said recently on a related topic,
… politics in 2011 may be lively but it barely rates against some of the great upheavals in our history. Those who see the nation beset by crisis really should do some reading.
Perhaps the same observation applies to our perception of Tony Abbott as the most negative politician to have ever walked Australia's democratic stage.
Author Drag0nistaPosted on September 23, 2011 October 7, 2013 Categories PoliticsTags Alexander Downer, John Hewson, John Howard, journalists, media, objectivity, Paul Keating, Politicians, politics, Rudd, Tony Abbott4 Comments on Abbott in a Zegna suit?
Whether you like it or not – looks DO matter in politics
I have to confess I noticed the PM's earlobes long before it was cool to do so, back in the days when she was a mere Deputy PM. Once or twice I mentioned them to non-politicos who responded with quizzical stares, but I soon discovered they had been a long-time topic of conversation amongst Labor staffers.
Before you accuse me of trivialising politics by focusing on a person's appearance, let me let you in on a little secret – whether you like it or not, looks DO matter in politics.
It's a real shame that Niki Savva stooped so low in her recent article about Ms Gillard's appearance because the substance of her comments had merit. Politicians ARE measured by their looks, and not just female MPs as decried by Annabel Crabb.
Recent research by the University College London and Princeton University has found that voters make judgments about politicians' competence based on their facial appearance, with facial maturity and physical attractiveness being the two main criteria used to make these competence judgments. The researchers found that appearance is most likely to influence less knowledgeable voters who watch a lot of television. This research built on earlier work that found voters rely heavily on appearances when choosing which candidate to elect.
Perhaps the most striking example of the weight given to politicians' appearance was the perceived outcome of the first debate between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy during the 1960 US Presidential election. The 70 million television viewers believed the tanned, relaxed Kennedy had beaten the pale, stubbled Nixon, in contrast to the radio listeners who thought the opposite. Nixon's appearance directly affected public perceptions of his competence.
Moving forward to more recent US elections, opponents of 2004 Democrat presidential candidate, John Kerry, were accused of planting a story that Kerry used Botox to smooth his Lincoln-like brow. While no direct link was drawn between this cosmetic practice and Kerry's competence, the subtle inference was nonetheless encouraged. The same tactic was employed against Queensland Premier Anna Bligh in 2008, which she quickly defused by admitting to the practice and then moving on.
And so, in politics, do clothes maketh the man?
Yes they do, even as far back as 1892 when the UK's first Labour MP, Keir Hardie, took up his seat in Parliament wearing a tweed cap and a working man's suit. His failure to wear a top hat prompted the magazine Vanity Fair to declare: "His headgear has endangered the foundations of parliamentary propriety, and provided innumerable paragraphs for the papers."
We may move more quickly to judge female MPs, but this may be because their hair and clothes present such an array of style, colour and shape.
One writer mused that:
It is precisely because our interior selves are essentially inscrutable (most of us can't unscramble the psychological coding of our spouses much less the machinations and motivations of public figures) that we depend so much on surface clues. The whole superficial shebang — from hairstyles (who can forget Hillary's little-girl headband?) to accessories (remember the fuss about Cherie Blair's pricey Tanner Krolle handbag?) — provides us with the contextual tools to read the Other, the person who is not us, be it the stranger across the room or the stranger angling for political office.
And so we are superficial by nature – judging books by their covers – and this is exploited by others. Political spin and campaigning techniques encourage us to accept a politician's appearance as a measure of their competence.
A prime example is our twice-removed former PM. Despite Howard's eyebrow trimming, teeth capping and spectacle refurbishment, and even the final banishment of the comb-over, we still remember him as Little Johnny. While Howard is in fact as tall as the average man he always looked short next to the towering Fraser. The diminutive term may have first been struck to match his appearance, but was later used to suggest smallness of spirit. It was the reinforcing visual image that made it stick.
Numerous other subtle but similar connections have been made between the appearance of politicians and their competence. Would Beazley or Hockey have been more successful if they had been slim and less disheveled? Would Tony Abbott have won more female votes this year if he had not paraded around in his sluggoes and licked his lips during interviews? Does Bob Katter seem even madder because of his hat? Yes. Probably.
Pollsters of any political persuasion will tell you I speak the truth. They know better than anyone how a punter's vote can be won or lost based on the appearance of the candidate. War stories abound with focus group quotes including "I won't vote for him, I don't like his eyes" or "she's a smart girl but she just needs a good blow-wave".
So remember next time a politician is ridiculed for their hair or their personal style. Yes, it is superficial, but there is a deeper intent at play. Don't be distracted or attracted by this sleight of hand – appearance does not equal competence, but it is up to common punters like you and me to prove it.
This post was also published at The Notion Factory.
Author Drag0nistaPosted on November 29, 2010 October 7, 2013 Categories PoliticsTags Annabel Crabb, Bob Katter, federal election, Joe Hockey, John Howard, Julia Gillard, Kim Beazley, media, Niki Savva, Politicians, politics, Tony Abbott5 Comments on Whether you like it or not – looks DO matter in politics
Refuse the election media spoonfeed and make up your own mind!
I have sympathy for people wanting more substance from the Australian media this federal election. Truly, I do. As I've previously explained, some of the political media's obsession with election frippery is due to them rebelling against being tightly managed during the campaign. However, I've noticed an assertion creeping into some commentary that the media should not only be covering more policy announcements but actively analysing the policy content.
This seems to me to be an abrogation of the citizen's responsibility to make their own mind up.
I'm not a journalist and I've never studied media but I've worked around journos for 20 years. I used to think the main value that drove journalists was the community's right to know, but this has changed over time to a more didactic role. I think this is why I don't read newspapers, watch tv news or current affairs or listen to the radio. (I will confess however to indulging myself with an occasional viewing of the Insiders.)
My self-imposed mainstream media blackout is due as much to source bias as it is to journalistic bias. I'm well aware that pretty much all information transmitted by the MSM has been massaged or spun by someone – a press secretary, a departmental or corporate PR officer, a lobbyist or an activist. This message is further "refined" by the journalist with juxtaposition against related information and arguments. By the time it's published, the information can often bear little resemblance to the facts. So I just don't bother wasting my time reading such arrant nonsense.
This distortion is amplified during an election campaign. Everyone is shrilly trying to achieve primacy for their version of the facts, with accuracy (or even truth) becoming the victim in these skirmishes.
Why has it come to this? Why have we regressed to mostly superficial and combative election campaigns? Is it because Australians have surrendered their natural scepticism when it comes to thinking about politics? Have we become accustomed to having our opinions spoonfed to us by the media and commentariat? I suspect not. The number of people who make up their mind in the last days and hours of an election campaign are enough to change the government. Nevertheless, we are a politically disengaged citizenry. I believe this is because we have never had to fight for our freedom or the vote.
This disengagement should not justify the media stepping in to perform what is each voter's civic duty. While I agree with comments made elsewhere that journalists should not simply produce a hesaidshesaid story without questioning the credibility of the source, journalists should not be making any comment on the merits of an argument or policy. That is for the media's audience to decide based on the information provided by the media, not the media itself. Being intellectually lazy enough to expect the media to provide "objective" analysis leads to an acceptance that what celebrity journalists say about matters or policies is an unchallengable truth – more often than not, it is nothing more than their (sometimes informed) opinion.
Anyone seeking to know about parties' policies should do what they would do if they were about to make a huge financial commitment like buying a house – do your homework! Visit the parties' websites, ring or email their campaign offices with questions. Talk to the candidates on Facebook and Twitter. Why leave it to Peter Hartcher or Michelle Grattan or Malcolm Farr to tell you what is a good or bad policy? How can you be sure they have the same values and needs as you?
The days of the media as a "medium" between the news-maker and the news-consumer are almost gone. We have made the transition through internet search engines, video on mobile phones and social media such as Twitter. So why do we still insist on MSM meeting our information needs during election campaigns? It's time to refuse the election media spoonfeed and make up your own mind!
Author Drag0nistaPosted on August 14, 2010 October 7, 2013 Categories Media, PoliticsTags celebrity journalists, federal election, influence, journalists, mainstream media, media, objectivity, Politicians, politics, reporters, social media, twitter, voters2 Comments on Refuse the election media spoonfeed and make up your own mind!
Time to throw out the astroturf and step forward
Astroturfing denotes political, advertising, or public relations campaigns that are formally planned by an organization, but are disguised as spontaneous, popular "grassroots" behavior. The term refers to AstroTurf, a brand of synthetic carpeting designed to look like natural grass.
At any given point in time activists, political parties or business interests are at the forefront of techniques carefully honed to influence public opinion. We never really know for sure which of these has the ascendancy until one of the combatants blows another's cover.
The nature of the "disguise" has changed over the years. Decades ago, when a vested interest provided a public rationalisation for their actions, they would automatically be met with a variation of the Mandy Rice-Davies response: "well you would say that, wouldn't you".
It was clear at this time that those who sought to influence opinion could not credibly do so in their own right. Alternative methods were identified and explored.
As the art of influence became more sophisticated, the players took note of market research that indicated people were most likely to believe what scientists and esteemed scientific institutions such as the CSIRO had to say about contemporary and controversial public policy issues. This finding heralded the "battle of the boffins" era.
This era saw governments and corporates mobilise behind the scenes to identify, solicit and enlist scientifically credentialed third parties to "endorse" their preferred position. Activist and pressure groups refined this dark art even further by strategically placing a number of their field-savvy campaigners into scientific roles in academic institutions, as well as establishing their own think-tanks and creating their own "independent panels of concerned scientists".
This approach proved to be counter-productive for all concerned. Faced with scientific boffins squabbling over what were generally seen to be esoteric issues, ordinary people turned their backs on the divided scientific community and looked inwards to their core values for guidance.
Arising from this introspective mood is the phenomenon we now know as astroturfing. At its heart, astroturfing is a fake grass roots campaign.
Once the vested interests realised that they had lost the community's hearts and minds with their battling boffins, they undertook more market research and found that people had reverted to focusing on the mitigation of tangible issues at the local level. Those seeking to influence public opinion studied and learned from the successes of Landcare and Rotary and then established faux local interest groups to support and promote their own interests.
Activist and interest groups followed swiftly with the establishment of similar entities. Some did not make much effort to hide this sleight of hand, with some "local interest" groups publicly sharing fax numbers and postal addresses with high profile activist groups.
Today, the casually interested observer in political and public policy issues is confronted with an array of information sources, some of who may or may not be who they say they are. No wonder there is little confidence in the credibility of most public information sources.
The huge irony in all this, is that people are now demanding that vested interests step forward and publicly defend their own positions. Many people have moved on from the Rice-Davies form of skepticism to a new variation that says "if you are not prepared to publicly defend your own position, product or party then there must be something indefensible about it".
Activists, political parties and business interests should take note of this change in community expectations. Throw away the Astroturf and step forward. Being prepared to publicly defend your position is the first step in winning new hearts, minds and supporters.
Author Drag0nistaPosted on July 8, 2010 October 7, 2013 Categories PoliticsTags astroturfing, credibility, influence, opinion, politics, trust1 Comment on Time to throw out the astroturf and step forward
In defence of Tony Burke's tweets
It's not that the Member for Watson, Tony Burke, isn't big enough or tough enough to defend himself. In fact I suspect he's more than capable, being a member of the NSW Right. But after watching the (not so) lighthearted journo jabs at his tweets in my Twitter-stream today, I feel compelled to jump to his defence.
It's not easy for a politician to hit the right note on Twitter. Some think its just another megaphone with which to blast criticisms at their opponents. Others use it to mouth their own party's meaningless pap and propaganda.
But Burke has got the balance right. He uses it to make real connections with real people. How do I know this? Because I talked to him about it.
I first started to take notice of Burke's Twitter-style when he began to tweet about his road trips to Canberra each Sunday before a parliamentary sitting. The old political campaigner in me thought "How clever, to send such an innocuous tweet with such a powerful subliminal message." In my mind's eye I could see those of Burke's constituents on Twitter nodding with approval that their MP drove himself to Canberra rather than take the easier limosine-plane-limosine option.
When I commended Burke on this cunning strategy he demurred. He claimed that he tweets his movements for more modest reasons (1) to let his constituents know where he is and what he is doing, (2) to let journalists know when he is on a plane so they know when he is uncontactable and (3) to let his staff, friends and colleagues know when it is a good time to call him.
Whether he does it for political or practical reasons, I think Burke tweets well.
And I'm surprised that the journos making fun of him today (@BernardKeane "I've grabbed a coffee on my way to the study) didn't think to look a little further into Burke's objectives before making fun of him.
Author Drag0nistaPosted on July 8, 2010 October 7, 2013 Categories Social mediaTags journalists, media, Politicians, politics, Tony Burke, tweet like tony burke, tweetliketonyburke, twitter
We are ashamed but must accept that politics eats its young
Like many people, I was deeply moved by Kevin Rudd's final press conference this week. I held my breath each time he paused, silently willing him to hold it together. I shed a tear when his voice trembled. And I also felt ashamed to be excited by the momentousness of the occasion, when I could see in High Definition the immense anguish it had wrought upon a man of faith and conviction, who was clearly loved by his wife and family.
Kevin Rudd's world changed irrevocably in a matter of hours. That is the nature of politics – it is a huge and relentless beast, constantly in motion and oblivious to good intentions, time-honoured philosophies and the frailties of humankind. It hungrily and indiscriminately consumes hours, words and souls, all in the name of public good.
Some members of the commentariat have indulged in confected rage over Rudd's treatment by "faceless apparatchiks".
This is not so much because of empathy for Rudd, but because they feel affronted by the ruthless installation of an unelected Prime Minister purely in order to win the next election. This indignation is quite amusing to those who have worked within party machines. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a party cannot serve its electorate without first winning and then holding the Treasury benches. As my teenage daughter would say, "well, duh!!"
Rudd was not so much a victim of his party, but of politics itself. It is the undeniable preoccupation of any incumbent side to want to retain government and of the other side to wrench it from the incumbent's grip. It is the undeniable preoccupation of the fourth estate to convey this struggle with as much drama as possible, while securing stories (or scalps) that differentiate them from their competitors.
Therefore the political beast can best be illustrated as something conjured by Dante. It is the sum of its many parts: politicans, parties, the parliament and media. Perhaps the irate journalists need to look in the mirror before they accuse others of having Rudd's blood on their hands.
In conclusion, I want to say that I've been thinking about others who've been mauled by the political beast. Whether they first taunted the creature is another question altogether.
Does anyone ever spare a thought for Godwin Grech? I was distressed to hear recently that he is still hospitalized and that his house and possessions have been auctioned off.
I feel sad for people like John Brogden and Nick Sherry who will always carry the scars of their encounter with the beast.
And relieved that others like Grahame Morris and Cheryl Kernot survived their skirmishes relatively unscathed.
And finally I am in awe of people like Lindsay Tanner and Geoff Gallop, who have resolutely stood before the slavering creature, stared into its red maw, and then calmly walked away.
Author Drag0nistaPosted on June 26, 2010 October 7, 2013 Categories PoliticsTags apparatchik, journalists, leadership, media, party machine, Politicians, politics, reporters, spill2 Comments on We are ashamed but must accept that politics eats its young
RT @Ageinvestigates: BREAKING: Having sued his wife and made serious allegations (reported widely) she accessed his email, Ben Roberts-Smit… 1 hour ago


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Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker comes to the Cotswolds
Published: 4:34 PM October 28, 2013
The State Ballet Academy of Belarus are performing The Nutcracker - Credit: Archant
The State Ballet Academy of Belarus has returned to the UK with a new and vibrant Classical Ballet, The Nutcracker – a family orientated production with an emphasis on the fairy tale quality of the story.
Amande Concerts is presenting the popular ballet to twenty-four venues across the UK, with the tour beginning on Monday, October 28 and finishing in the run-up to Christmas, on Saturday, November 23.
Tchaikovsky's classic ballet has for generations enchanted audiences with its spectacular performance of music and dance. It's based on the story 'The Nutcracker and the King of Mice' by E.T.A. Hoffman, which follows the adventures of a young girl, Marie. Marie, who is given a Nutcracker doll for Christmas, enters a dreamlike land of magic where she discovers her Nutcracker prince.
The State Ballet Academy of Belarus was established in 1928 and has performed on famous stages around the world, including Russia, Paris, London and New York.
The ballet is being brought to life by forty five young artists, and the score will include many favourites such as 'The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy', providing entertainment for families and ballet enthusiasts alike in the months leading up to Christmas.
The ballet will be performed at local venues including The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury on November 6, The Courtyard, Hereford on November 10 and Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa on November 20, as well as other parts of the UK.
For more information, visit: www.amande-concerts.co.uk
Cotswold Life


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text:
King Tuff Details 'The Other' LP, Shares New Song
Last week, King Tuff (a.k.a. Kyle Thomas) returned with new track "The Other," which marked his first new music in four years. Now, the he's revealed it to be title track from his first album since 2014's Black Moon Spell.
The fuzz rocker has announced that a new full-length titled The Other will arrive through Sub Pop on April 13. Ten tracks in length, the album was produced by Thomas himself and was mixed by Shawn Everett (War on Drugs, Alabama Shakes). It also features contributions from Ty Segall (drums), Jenny Lewis (vocals), Greta Morgan (vocals), and Mikal Cronin (saxophone).
The Other is said to "ditch the goofy rock'n'roll bacchanalia narratives of earlier records in favour of expansive arrangements" and "a diversity of instrumentation," while Thomas' lyrics "straddle the fence between painful ruminations and reconnecting with that part of yourself that feels childlike and creative and not corroded by cynicism."
"I let the songs lead me where they wanted to go, instead of trying to push them into a certain zone," Thomas said of the record in a statement. "King Tuff was always just supposed to be me. When I started doing this as a teenager, it was whatever I wanted it to be. King Tuff was never supposed to be just one thing. It was supposed to be everything."
Thomas has also shared new single "Psycho Star," which arrives alongside a Cameron Dutra-directed video. You can take that in following the tracklisting below.
The Other:
1. The Other
2. Raindrop Blue
3. Thru The Cracks
4. Psycho Star
5. Infinite Mile
7. Circuits in the Sand
8. Ultraviolet
9. Neverending Sunshine
10. No Man's Land
More King Tuff
King Tuff
King Tuff 'The Other' (album stream)
King Tuff is at last ready to release his new album The Other, the project's first full-length since 2014. As of now, you can stream the ent...
King Tuff The Other
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King Tuff "Thru the Cracks" (ft. Jenny Lewis)
King Tuff drops his latest LP The Other next month, and he's just given us another preview of the new album with "Thru the Cracks." The...
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2021 Return to School
Glasgow Students Opinions on Returning to School
Created by Saron Amdemeskel|Published on February 24, 2021|33 Views
By: Saron Amdemeskel#
2/24/2021#
The Fairfax County Board has approved of the Return to School plan where student groups and staff will go back to the building which started on February 16. It will be hybrid, meaning that some students will be in the building and some at home. 6th graders will return on March 16, 7th graders will return on March 9, and 8th graders will return on March 2. By March 16, all students will have the opportunity to return to school buildings for at least two days a week.
In an interview, when asked why they were going back to school, this 8th grade student said, "I feel that learning virtually is extremely difficult, and that the curriculum was definitely designed for in-person learning." Adding on to this the student said, "I think it is a good idea to return because many students are struggling with online school, and it is important that students learn the material so that they do not fall behind in years to come." Similar to this, Katarina Sochurek, 7th grade student, said, "They had safety precautions earlier in the year, so by now it MUST be safe."
On the other side, Caroline Allison, 6th grade student, said, "The vaccine isn't very widespread which for me makes it dangerous, and with the new COVID mutations and variants that might make the vaccine less effective make it an even more definite no for me." When 6th grade student was asked if they think school should open at all this year, she said, "I think maybe they should wait till next school year, because the vaccine might help stop the virus, and until everyone gets the vaccine it's still a little risky for kids to go back to school." Many students including 8th grader, Ashly Ordonez, think that it's still unsafe, "I think it's not as reasonable since there will be quite a lot of kids even if they are protected with masks, it just seems very risky. i wouldn't want there to be some sort of unwanted spread of Covid-19."
In a recent survey, 55% of Glasgow students said that they will not be returning to the school building in March. On the other hand, 32.4% of students said they would be returning and 12.6% said they were not sure. In the same survey, 51.4% said that they don't think it's safe to go to the building, 11.7% said they think it is safe to go back, and 36.9% said they're not sure. Glasgow has very strong opinions about returning to school and the safety, but whatever you choose make sure you talk to your parents and stay safe.
Saron Amdemeskel, Lead Copy Editor
Saron Amdemeskel is in 8th and goes to Glasgow Middle School. She was born and grew up in Virginia. Her family is from Ethiopia and she has been there multiple times. She speaks Amharic and celebrates Ethiopian holidays. She likes to read and write and that is one of the reasons she decided to join Journalism Club. She plays the clarinet and is in Symphonic band. She also has a really big fear of spiders.


So what does BUEditor Plus do?
Well the default behavior of BUEditor is to place the editor on all text areas. You can limit this through paths and ids, but you are still given the same editor on all textareas. This is great for a lot of use cases, but what about different input formats? That's where the power of BUEditor Plus comes into play.
Once you have created your profiles for BUEditor the next step is to edit your entities' text fields you want BUEditor to show on. When you go to edit that field there will now be a drop down selection where you pick the BUEditor Plus profile you with to use on that field. Once you have done that you are set and can start writing your content.
The biggest beauty of BUEditor Plus is the ability to change editors on the fly. Editors are displayed based upon input format. That means you can have an editor for filtered HTML and a more robust one for full HTML. When you change the input format for your textarea BUEditor will also change to the appropriate editor automatically. This comes in really handy when offering different types of markup like HTML, BBCode and Smarty.
Why Not Make It Part of BUEditor?
Originally I thought this would be a great addition to the core BUEditor module, but I have since changed my mind. Actually given BUEditor's long history and high usage, making such a fundamental change in the way it operates could cause problems. Instead this module extends BUEditor and provides the new functionality without the need to patch the BUEditor module. This makes it a great companion to BUEditor and keeps intact the original way BUEditor operates.
I hope people find this module useful in their site building. I have been using something similar on client site's for years and it really works out well. If you would like to see any new features or find a bug, please submit a ticket on the project's issue page. The module has a 1.0 release as it has been extensively tested and appears very stable. Any new features, should there be any, will go into the dev release.


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Q: Breaking point for SQL server database based on connections from app to SQL server We have been asked to confirm on some capacity test for one of our SQL server.
Application team is building their new app servers with better infrastructure to connect to SQL server.
Currently with X app servers connecting to our SQL server with over 500 Gb of RAM and 80 logical processors Numa enabled. Below is the current load
Total sessions:

*

*used and not sleeping - on avg 100;

*used and sleeping - 5000;

*not used and sleeping around 500.

Above shows 40K batch requests / sec followed by approx 10k transactions per sec during the peak day. The described load consumes between 70-80 percent of CPU through peak time on SQL Server.

*

*How can I calculate the max load in terms of additional app servers
this SQL Server can handle without causing any outages or breaking
like slow SQL Server causing issues?

*Does it matter if volume remains same and just more user
connections are made or that's never going to be the case?

*How can I calculate the max capacity of user connections this
SQl Server can handle without breaking apart?

A: You can use a load testing tool which supports the protocol which your application servers use for the database communication (OLE DB, ODBC, JDBC, etc.) in order to mimic the increased amount of application servers talking to the database instance, this way you will be able to collect metrics and correlate increasing load with the increasing query execution times, eventual deadlocks and so on.
Just make sure to configure the load testing tool to use the same connection pattern: connection pool settings, transaction isolation level, etc. so your load test would accurately represent the network footprint of the real application.
Check out The Real Secret to Building a Database Test Plan With JMeter article for more information on the concept of databases load testing using a performance testing tool, in the above case Apache JMeter

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Linking up with Hilary and Kristi for Wordless Wednesday!
Oh My!!!! so adorable. my kids would hugging and squeezing those poor lil chicks.
how fun for the girls.
I love her face when she is petting the chick… give the girls hugs for me!
Will do. She loved petting the little chick and seeing all the animals.


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Q: Не находит строку (StreamReader) У меня скачан html файл в котором есть такая строка:

(Это одна строка)
Мне надо найти её и получить из этой строки только ссылку.
Я пытался так:
using (StreamReader sr = new StreamReader(file, Encoding.Default))
{
    label6.Text = file;
    string line;
    while ((line = sr.ReadLine()) != "")
    {
        label6.Text = line;
        if(line.Contains(@"<img class=\""channel - header - profile - image\"" src=\"""""""))
        {
            htmlimage.Add(line.Replace(@" ", ""));
        }
    }
    sr.Close();
}

Но это не давало результатов.

A: Решил Проблему.
            foreach(var file in Directory.GetFiles(@"C:\Users\TESTER\Documents\Visual Studio 2017\Projects\MFG\MFG\bin\Debug\youtube.com\user"))
            {
                var document = new HtmlAgilityPack.HtmlDocument();
                document.Load(file);
                foreach(var node in document.DocumentNode.SelectNodes("//img [@class=\"channel-header-profile-image\"]"))
                {
                    MessageBox.Show(node.Attributes["src"].Value);
                }
            }


text:
Battle over the Bare Minimum
NDP bill to make $10 the minimum wage dies, campaign continues.
By Andrew MacLeod 26 Oct 2007 | TheTyee.ca
Andrew MacLeod is a reporter at Monday Magazine in Victoria and an occasional contributor to The Tyee.
Two more, too much?
Standing on the street outside a dollar store in downtown Victoria, Arun Kumar does a quick calculation. If someone works full-time at $8 an hour, B.C.'s minimum wage, they would make $1,280 every four weeks. A bachelor apartment goes for about $650 a month, he says, and would consume half the person's money. Then there's hydro, cable, heating, phone, transportation and food.
"It's very hard to survive [for] the people," he says. "What are you going to save? You can't save anything."
He owns a janitorial company and pays employees more than $12 an hour, so they can enjoy a decent quality of life. The economy is good right now, he says, so employers should be able to afford to pay people slightly better and absorb a hike in the minimum wage. "You increase the minimum wage, everyone will live happily."
On April 18, NDP leader and Victoria-Beacon Hill MLA Carole James introduced a private member's bill that would have increased the minimum wage to $10 an hour, then have it rise each year with the consumer price index. The move is in line with a B.C. Federation of Labour campaign to raise the minimum wage and scrap the $6 an hour training wage. Some 30 municipalities have passed motions supporting a raise.
James's bill also would have reduced taxes for small businesses from 4.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent, presumably to help them cover increased labour costs.
Private members' bills normally die without government support, as did this one after it was given second reading in the legislature on Oct. 22.
James issued a statement saying, "It's appalling that the B.C. Liberals won't debate a bill that will give B.C.'s lowest paid workers their first raise in six years. And it's unacceptable that while our minimum wage earners struggle to make ends meet, Premier Campbell has given himself a 54 per cent pay increase."
In an interview, James says the bill brought attention to the issue and made it clear where the government stands. "This government just wants to avoid having discussion around the issue," she says.
The speaker ruled the bill out of order because it would have had financial implications for the government without allowing any debate. Says James, "They said it was a courtesy to allow me to speak to the bill."
Labour minister says 'no'
"We don't have any plans to change the minimum wage," says Olga Illich, the labour minister and the MLA for Richmond Centre. "We don't think it needs to be changed and we think it would be harmful to do that. Every time you start raising the minimum wage you start to lose jobs exactly in the low wage sector."
She cites an Ontario study by University of Toronto professor Morley Gunderson that warned in March that between 90,000 and 180,000 jobs could be lost if Ontario increased its minimum wage by 25 per cent all at once. It led Premier Dalton McGuinty to announce he would phase in an increase from the current $8 an hour, raising it 75 cents a year until it reaches $10.25 in 2010.
In B.C., Illich is using the study to justify keeping the minimum wage parked at $8. "We think our job strategy is working and we're not inclined to be messing with it at the moment," she says. "We're not interested in eliminating jobs. We're interested in keeping jobs and making sure there are opportunities for people." The B.C. economy has created 370,000 new jobs in the last five years, she says, a faster rate of growth than anywhere else in Canada.
In a hot job market, most employees stay at minimum wage for less than a year, she says. "For the most part it's a temporary thing." The ministry hears from employers that they have to give workers raises relatively quickly or they'll lose them to other jobs. The same goes for the $6 an hour training wage, she says, which she believes is rarely used anymore, though the ministry has not studied the issue.
So, if lower wages mean more jobs, why have a minimum at all? "You do need to legislate a minimum. It needs to be balanced with what we feel will help in the economy," she says. "We don't want to see people exploited, but when we see what we have in the job market and the economy, we think we're doing quite well."
James says the strength of the economy is actually a good reason to act now. "If you don't do it now when the economy is strong," she asks, "then when do you increase it? It's common sense that when our economy's strong you look at an increase in the minimum wage."
She adds, "Is their economic plan for British Columbia that weak that a raise in the minimum wage is going to cause the economy to crumble?"
Another problem with the NDP proposal, Illich says, is the move to cut business taxes. "We don't want to give a tax cut to small business," she says. "We'd rather target the assistance to people who really need it. These are people with low wages." The government's efforts to subsidize rents and medical service premiums are a better way to help, she says, and result in more people having some disposable income.
But James says the Liberals are failing to help both small businesses and people with low wages. She says, "This is a government that focuses on supporting large corporations and ignores small businesses and families."
Wage raise popular
The BCFL website says some 250,000 British Columbians now earn less than $10 an hour. Also, there's broad support for raising their income, with 80 per cent saying the minimum wage should go to $10 now.
Outside the dollar store in Victoria, support is certainly strong.
"It is a good idea," says Adgira Domingos. "They work too hard for minimum wage. It should be raised." Domingos had a job at an electronics company that paid well. The company was sold and the new owner laid off everyone, he says. Now he's taking whatever jobs he can find, and has recently been washing dishes for $8 an hour. "It's hard work," he says, adding that a $2 raise would make a big difference to him.
"For sure it needs to be raised," says Scott McCullough. "It's not a living wage." He has a job that pays well now, he says, but he has a daughter who is making $9 an hour at a doughnut shop in Quebec. She works hard but still has to have a roommate and live cheaply to make ends meet, he says. It's not necessary for society to give people hand-outs, he says, but people who work should be rewarded for their efforts. "You've got to give people a lift up."
Melissa Demkiw says, "Our economy's booming, but we've still got people scraping by on $8 an hour. It's long overdue."
She is working for a fundraising company and making decent money, she says, but a few years ago she was struggling. "When I lived in Langley I worked in a coffee shop and earned minimum wage and didn't have much of a life."
She was going to school and working. "You're trying to better yourself but you're earning minimum wage. It's not very feasible."
Many service industry jobs are physically demanding and difficult, she says. They should be paid better. "I think if it was raised to $10 an hour we'd be seeing friendlier individuals in a lot of the places we frequent on a day to day basis."
Campaign continues
For the Raise the Rates coalition, bringing the minimum wage to $10 an hour is one of five core demands. "I think they're going to be forced to give us one sooner or later," says Jean Swanson, a spokesperson for the group and coordinator of the Carnegie Community Action Project in Vancouver.
The failure of the NDP motion means the campaign will have to continue. "It just means we're going to keep at it. I think there are a lot of people making minimum wage," she says. "They deserve a raise. You can't live on less than $10 an hour and have a decent life."
The Liberal government talks often about how strong the economy is, she says. "Where do they get off not allowing the people, who in some cases are working the hardest, to share in the benefits? It's just not very human."
James says the NDP will continue pushing the issue. Party MLAs will bring petitions to the legislature in the coming weeks supporting the raise and she has re-introduced the change in another form. It's still unlikely to get support from the Liberals, she says, but it keeps the issue alive.
"We'll keep the pressure up," vows James. "If the premier wants this to be an election issue, fine, we'll make it an election issue."
Related Tyee stories:
Afraid to Raise Minimum Wage?
We shouldn't be. Research proves it.
Ending Poverty
Five easy steps towards a just society.
Vancouver Eats Its Young
City risks driving away its up and comers.