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As the mornings are getting darker and the afternoons are getting shorter we had to get some plans in place for our winter trip. What to do? Before we go to the future a quick update on what we have been up to lately.
Mike has been busying himself helping a friend out with some work – project managing council house refurbishments in Norwich. It's a challenge getting up with an alarm clock in the mornings, but he's enjoying getting his teeth into something completely different.
As for me, I've just published my second book. (details here)'The Motorhome, What You Need to Know Before You Go'. This gives practical help for anyone wanting to hit the road, but to liven it up I have included more of our experiences over the years. Readers won't feel as though they are reading the first book again, this is the flesh on the bones with more anecdotes, photographs and information. It's really about what we could have done with knowing about before we set off. I'm now working hard to get the paperback version formatted and this will be available during November.
As well as researching and booking our winter trip, I'm training for my first ever half marathon. I have started from a very low base (last in the 5k Norwich Park Run). This was the catalyst for my slightly longer jog. Think of me - and my knees - on November 23rd.
Finally, what to do with December and January? This year we're going 'off piste' and I'm not talking about mountains. Not on the tourist trail, and overlooked by backpackers; we're off to Bangladesh. The flights are booked and we can't wait for the challenges ahead.
We'll be off for a couple of months, back at the end of January and what next? Check the blog for updates, it should become interesting as the plan unfolds...
Take care and keep in touch.
Below is the cover of my latest book (just so you know what you're looking for)
Thanks to Mark Kennelly for cover design.
Motorhome Life... The Second Edition
The second edition of my first book 'Motorhome Life...A Few Tips and Ideas' has just gone live in the Kindle store. It is an Amazon Kindle exclusive and is exactly the same as the first edition, apart from...
I have ironed out the typos and deleted the howlers.
Reduced the file size.
Included a free sample of my next book, 'The Motorhome...What You Need to Know before You Go'
Updated the cover.
Included over 60 web links throughout the text to make researching motorhomes more convenient.
You can buy a copy today by clicking this link.
Please remember to leave a favourable review on the Amazon website. If you don't like it, or can see room for improvement please contact me. I will respond to you personally within 48hrs.
This post has ideas on where to find suitable locations for motorhome parking in Europe this winter. The annual migration has started, not of birds but motorhomes. Over the past couple of weeks we have received emails from friends letting us know their plans. We're not setting off yet but if you are, read on.
One of the best things about a motorhome is that you don't have to plan in advance where to stay if you don't want to. There is no greater pleasure than stopping when you've had enough, or simply deciding to stay on the spur of the moment. However, if you have children with you, or haven't got much time, then you may have a different view on planning. There are thousands of camp sites to choose from at home and abroad. Joining an organisation brings member benefits and saves on site fees. In the UK this includes The Caravan Club and The Camping and Caravanning Club. The ACSI offer discounts out of season UKCampsite.co.uk and Vayacamping are useful for searching camp site locations.
With the advent of GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) co-ordinates there are tens of thousands of locations available throughout the world given on many websites. In Europe provision is given for motorhome parking, often with service points to take on fresh water and dump waste. They are called Aires in French, Sostas in Italian and Stellplatz in German. There are more springing up in Spain and Portugal, where many motorhomes head during winter.
We joined France Passion during our first year and this enabled us to stay free at vineyards and farms in France. We did find some idyllic locations but there were drawbacks. Many farms were very rural, and isolated. Most only have places for two or three campers and on one occasion we found ourselves blocked in by two other vehicles on a drive. Fortunately we didn't have to be off early in the morning. It often takes considerable navigating skills to find these farms as they are usually off the beaten track. When you do arrive at one, only to discover that there isn't a slot, it can be disheartening. During the time that we were members the regulations clearly stated that we were under no obligation to buy produce. However on one occasion we were asked to leave a Château because we didn't want to buy any wine. France Passion did take my subsequent complaint seriously but it tainted the experience for us and we haven't renewed our membership. With so many aires and municipal sites to choose from in France, we don't feel as though we've missed out.
The term wild-camping is used describe staying in a motorhome, off a camp site, perhaps a car park or at the beach. Some people become upset about this being called wild-camping, as they regard it to be an inaccurate description because there's nothing wild about it. Other names for it are free camping or tolerated camping. Many won't consider the idea because it appears dangerous and foolhardy, without the security of a camp site. Whatever your view, or what you choose to call it, if you do give it a go you should try and remain discreet and not look as though you are camping. Many people who take up motorhoming on a long term basis do wild-camp.
There are locations in Spain and Portugal where free camping is tolerated. These are mainly on large tracts of rough scrub land near the coast. The winter down south is a lot kinder than ours and if you do decide to head for one of these areas you will meet many like minded folk from all over northern Europe. The local economy in some of these out of season resorts would collapse without motorhomes as the occupants buy their supplies from shops and markets. It also means that if you are on a restricted budget, you're avoiding camp site fees and saving a considerable amount of money through the course of a season. However, places do change, perhaps a new mayor is appointed who doesn't have the same penchant for motorhomes as their predecessor.
During the winter of 2013/14 we stayed in Portugal and Spain. There were so many motorhomes in some areas it seemed like an infestation for the host country to deal with. This was because the facilities for dumping waste, obtaining fresh water and so on, weren't always readily available.
Remember to respect those in authority, and when visiting another country you are a guest and subject to their rules and regulations, whether you agree with them or not. Also, spare a thought for the locals. How would you feel if you couldn't get parked in your home town on market day because your regular car park was full of motorhomes? Not just for a day or week, but a complete season. Try and support the local community by using the shops, restaurants, cafés and bars.
In Spain and Portugal you will find local people call in at motorhome areas to sell goods and provide services, such as laundry, bakery, fruit, home-made wine and honey. I gorge myself on oranges in the winter, they taste so delicious compared with the long suffering fruits we get in British supermarkets, that have travelled many miles, and not been allowed to ripen on the tree.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter there are many websites detailing aires, stellplatzes, sostas and wild-camping with GPS co-ordinates. Some aren't in English, but because symbols are used with a few words in that language, you should be able to work out what they mean. For example, the availability of drinking water is usually represented with a simple outline of a tap. Many aires are free all year round but some charge in high season.
Furgow VW, has locations mainly in Spain and Portugal, it's in written in Spanish and designed for VW campers, so some access roads may be narrow. Aires in Portugal; Promobil in German; Camping-Car Infos in French and Wildcamping in the UK. Search For Sites is a non commercial venture that makes lists of campsites and motorhome parking places in Western Europe readily available. I have found it easy to use and you can search close to your actual location. There are over 22,000 stop-overs listed and there is also a mobile friendly version.
We often stop over if we find a place that looks nice, but are always discreet as we don't want to intrude on the local people. Before we order food at a pub or restaurant we ask the landlord, or owner's permission to spend the night in the car park, and have never been refused anywhere in the world.
Most of all, with a motorhome, if you can - take time, remember to relax and enjoy the view. There's no need to rush and this type of travel is as much about the journey as where to stop and stay. Just potter along and only do a few miles at a time. By slowing the pace down you're more likely to see the ideal spot to settle for a few hours, or even the night.
In 2012 we drove to Antalya province in Turkey and parked on a deserted beach. Unfortunately the sand was deeper than we realised and we got stuck. Luckily for us, the man who drove along the lane behind the beach in his tractor noticed. He stopped, took a closer look, and was happy to haul us out.
Why Do I Need To Know How To Say It When It Comes To Motorhomes?
You know I know a bit about motorhomes and the lifestyle. If you've never visited this site before you can learn this quite quickly, it's plastered all over - practically every page. Perhaps you're wondering what this has to do with you.
This year I decided to write a book. I thought this would provide me with an entertaining project and stop me from getting bored, stretching the grey matter in the process. I published the book in June, it's called 'Motorhome Life - A Few Tips and Ideas."
I gave a copy of the book to a friend and she gave me some feedback on it. This one sentence is enough to make me the laughing stock of the entire motorhoming community. It's about how to save water in the shower because in a motorhome fresh water is a limited resource.
"To avoid continual fresh water tank fill ups, you should wet yourself, switch off the tap, then soap yourself, and finally rinse"
What a howler! My friend almost wet herself laughing at that because of course, that wasn't what I meant at all.
The first edition of the book was completed at a sprinter's pace. Now it's out there I'm slogging through a marathon to publish the expanded and improved second version. As a reader I hope you are cheering me on enthusiastically from the sidelines and not throwing missiles in order to hamper my progress. I don't want to trip myself up and would like you to;
Check for mistakes
Tell me what else you think I should include.
In return you will receive a free copy of the book as a PDF when I publish it in September. If you're interested please contact me .
Now, I'll just have a quick shower and leave the tap running the whole time! Ahh, the joys of being a dweller for a few months.
To brighten up the post I've placed a couple of photos below.
My niece is on the left with Sandy and Sandra from the TV show Gogglebox , and on the right, my nephew is wearing his current favourite outfit.
My Best Day
This has to be one of my best days. After several years of procrastination, deliberation, insecurity and general reasons that I don't even know myself-now that I've done it, I have finally published a book. It's available to buy or borrow through Amazon Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle, and can't wait for the paperback version, you don't need a Kindle device to read it. Just download a free Kindle Reading App from the Amazon website and you could be up and running within a few minutes. Click here for the link to the App.
The book provides a quick read to share our hints and tips for motorhoming beginners, as well as those who are interested in how Mike and I got started with our lifestyle, and it costs less than a 12 oz cup of coffee. If you do buy it, please take the time to feedback-positive reviews on Amazon go a long way. I'll be posting a link on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, so if you like it please share with your contacts. Don't worry though, I won't carry on shouting off the rooftops with this, ad nauseam. I'm just in a beginner's frenzy of excitement because I'm getting on with my new venture.
If you think I have missed anything in the book, please contact me, rather than leaving negative reviews, as I will be able to make changes for the paperback which I plan to publish in July.
As you can see, I have accompanied the book launch with a new look, face- lifted website. I think it's brighter and fresher than the original, and easier to navigate. I have removed most of the advertising affiliate links as I think they were just slowing everything down and they certainly weren't earning me any dosh. An Amazon search box remains on the right of this post, so if you fancy doing some shopping, make a start from there and I get a 5% share of the sale.
Apologies, if this all reads like a love-fest for Amazon, my excitement will die down and you won't feel like the 'A' word is being rammed down your throat after today.
Please do let me know what you think of the new site, if you have the time and energy. I welcome positive and constructive comments.
Now, enough about me. What about Mike and the van? Mike is well and so is the van. The factory has done a wonderful job of the restoration to its pre-accident glory. Mike's love of the open road, and our van, is rekindled as he compiles the departure list of jobs, including MOT and service. Then he will head off to Europe and resume his solo meanderings, following his whims on where to go next. I'll provide regular updates on his progress, which will make a blog about motorhome life more interesting for those that follow us for that reason. Who wants to read about my day for goodness sake? I spend most days straining my eyes in front of the computer screen.
Robert joined us for a meal out last night, a delicious feast at the Edith Cavell in Norwich. This kicks off my ten days of birthday celebrations. I'll make more noise for the big 5-O next year, you can be sure about that.
Space is an issue
I am six weeks into my "Got to get this book finished" phase and I just can't believe the time has gone so quickly and, I hasten to add, so enjoyably. I am like a pig in ........clover, with this whole project. I love having the flat as a base and I relish using the lounge as an office, without having to put everything away, every time I want to take a break. Looking back, the first few days in the flat would have made an observational study for a scientist. Yes, really. It was all down to the space issue, I just didn't know what to use each of the three rooms for. I'm not counting the bathroom, I haven't ever forgotten what that is for, well, not yet anyway-unless my forgetfulness marches on to full-blown senility. So, back to the point. I woke up the first day Mike left and decided I would spend the whole day in bed, which I did. Reading, writing and researching. I took my meals in there and wondered if I would develop a pressure sore. The next day, I rearranged the flat and set the bedroom up as my workspace. There's a lovely view of Norwich from there and I thought I could gaze at the view and words of inspiration would flow into my head. There wasn't really enough room and I moved everything back and set up my office on the dining table in the lounge. Finally, I'd worked it out. Breakfast bar in the kitchen for eating, lounge as semi-permanent office and bedroom, YES! Eureka- for sleeping. Why did it take me three whole days to work it out?
Mike returned from Germany and arrived here last Tuesday evening. He had an overnight stop in Zutphen, which he said was worthy of another visit with more time to spare.
The Norfolk and Norwich Festival is in full flow at the moment and has coincided with a wonderful heatwave. There was a family day in Chapelfield Gardens over the weekend and so we took time out to go and have a look. We wandered into a crowd watching the Lords of Strut. A pair of clueless Irish brothers, who were just so funny, we stayed on to watch their whole performance a second time.
Break dancing, just the way I like it
Remember Mike's travelling companions from my last post? The Owl and the Pussycat. Their adventures didn't last long as Mike left them in the wardrobe before he returned to the Wildax factory with our damaged van on Sunday. I wasn't sure who was responsible for their creation but Mum got back to me. "Liz knitted the charming and lovable grey cat and Catherine did the face for her. I made the owl during patchwork sessions in Malta. I never dreamt it would have such an adventurous life."
The owl and the pussycat. Created in the 1970's by Mum and my twit twoo sisters, Liz and Catherine
Is this known as a double selfie? Mike and Jane in Yorkshire
Spain already
View Motorhomelifers September 2013 in a larger map
Got to the south of France, got a sniff of Espagne and thought 'what the hell?' Poor old France didn't stand a chance after we left Millau behind us.
I last wrote from Kirnbergsee in the Black Forest and the last blog entry was very perfunctory because I was sitting outside with the sun shining on the screen and couldn't see a thing. The source of the Danube is at Donaueschingen and it is very pretty, we saw it last year and didn't see the need to hang around as we were just waiting for Mike's stings to calm down. From there we took a scenic yellow road which looked like spaghetti on the map to Mulheim. It was single width most of the way but the villages had a bus service. Mulheim felt a bit weird for some reason and I didn't like it much.
Wasp nest in the ground, Mike trod on one of these just behind the van
View of the Kirbergsee
We then headed to France and one of the first things we noticed after the hanging baskets was the lack of cycle paths compared to Germany, but nowhere could ever have that many, except the Netherlands of course. There are loads in France but they aren't as obviously by the side of the road as they are in Germany. Our first night was at Cousance. There was no lie- in in the morning as the church bells had it in for us. In fact, there were two sets of bells going, they started at 5 am but all hell let loose at 7am and I laughed to myself as it was easy to imagine I had woken up in the middle of St Peter's Square when a new pope had been announced.
Then to Puy en Velay. This has a small church on top of an extinct volcano. It has been a place of worship for thousands of years as people believed that they could get closer to their gods in pre christian times. It was an amazing sight and a good climb up to the top and we were fortunate to be able to park right beneath it for the night. There was a large cathedral and a statue of the Virgin Mary, on another hilltop across from our pinnacle. We didn't want to pay to go into the Cathedral but there was a door open at the side and no one noticed us wander in. The old buildings were all built out of volcano stone and were mainly buildings associated with the church which I thought looked rather dark and foreboding.
Our view from the carpark
Then on to Millau and to Spain. Having chatted to French people (in French!) We have learnt that we're pronouncing Millau all wrong. Its not Millau to rhyme with the noise a cat makes but Mee-Oh.
There is a fabulous Argentinian steak restaurant in Empuriabrava, near Rosas on the Costa Brava. As I said earlier Mike gets a sniff of Spain in his nostrils, but this time we could hear the sizzle of the steak as well. We found somewhere to park near the Aero Club. The Dutchman parked next to us had been there one night already and gave us the heads up. Just as we were about to lock up and go out a local police tow truck turned up. The driver had the look of Franco's chief henchman as he gesticulated for us to get off. This we had to do and so we drove on to Platja, tastebuds unquenched by those juicy steaks. Optimistic side taken as ever though because we understand that the fine for a towaway now stands at 300 Euros. That would have been an extremely expensive steak.
As for roads we haven't paid to drive on any and stuck with A roads when going from A to B and then the yellow ones on the map for the scenic parts. We had intended spending a bit longer in France but the forecast was poor and the views wouldn't have been good in the rain. The A roads were all clear, hardly any traffic and we didn't get lost.
Those of you that know us or follow the blog may remember that we spend a considerable amount of time here on the Costa Brava. Last year the official Aire in Platja was closed and a height barrier put in place. Feeling cheated Mike went to the tourist office today to find out why. The council have closed our car park because the toilet dump is broken and they haven't got the budget to fix it and haven't decided what to do yet. We were all supposed to pay to park there but no one did because the pay machine had broken and they didn't send anyone round to collect money. I suppose they don't have a salary budget for that either. The businesses in the town love having 40 or so motorhomes parked here and the residents didn't mind either. I wonder what the business rates are for and if accountants are making too many decisions. Anyway, the short answer was that no one minds us parked on the grid which is also officially signed for motorhome parking and Mike has worked out how to use the toilet dump safely and unmessily even though it is broken. All being well we will be here for a few days yet. Its lovely to be here while it is still hot, summery and busy. It has been during the low season when we have stayed here in the past and pretty much everything shuts down during the week and few places are open at the weekend.
How to be idle
I do suffer a recurrent guilt trip at not having to work at my age.
'How lucky am I?' is a question I often repeat to myself, and I'm also asked what I do all day by folks who work. This guilt has been assuaged by the discovery of the book, 'How to be Idle', by Tom Hodgkinson. A marvellous read, it's funny, irreverent and provides evidence that we weren't all born to work for other people. I have to share with you the quote of a quote from the book which sums up our style of travel and life very well.
'All day long, no plans,
And I remain at leisure'
Wang Wei (698-759) in reply to Chang Tin.
So we continue to go with the flow, while the weather is fine. We see no need to head for sunnier climes when we have one here. So, business as usual with walking, cycling tours and free swimming. The activity should all go some way to counteract the super-size me mode I embraced while helping Lizzie empty her freezer for their house move. When we arrived here an elderly German lady gave us a jar of home-made blackcurrant jelly, welcomed us to Germany and wished us a happy holiday.
Mike bought toilet paper the other day, 'Happy End' was the brand, in large and bold print on the packaging.
On that note here endeth this blog entry.
The first daddy longlegs
While we were staying with Lee and Lizzie in Monchengladbach, I had my first sighting of a daddy long legs this year. For me, this is the first sure fire sign of autumn and was enough for a weather cooldown panic to set into my head. The evenings had become noticeably chillier and so after saying our farewells we shot straight down south to the Black Forest. We spent a few weeks in this area last summer, based on a single line of advice from a local,
'Freiburg is the sunniest place in Germany.'
This advice had played well last June and the forecast looked good, the Autobahn was clear and so we just drove here in a day and so far so good.
If you were with us on the Blog last year, you may remember one of my first posts, 'I've lost my best bucket'. This occurred just up the road in Oppenau. A lovely free Stellplatz, a great location with challenging walks, an excellent Italian restaurant and a water supply from a freshwater spring. Expecting it to be heaving at this time of year we were surprised to find just 3 other motorhomes parked, and no German registered vans. As we know, places never stay the same and an idyllic repeat of last year was not to be, as we only stayed one night. Chiefly, because we felt rather cheated by the €5 parking charge that has come in since last summer. I do appreciate that isn't a lot of money but all we were getting was a car park and when the Italian restaurant served us pizzas on a pre cooked base the fate of Oppenau was sealed and we backtracked the 11km back to Oberkirch. €32 for the week here, lots of German motorhomes and access to the fabulous Black Forest guest card. Just providing proof that we paid to stay with the parking ticket from the Stellplatz and we are entitled to use of the public transport network throughout the whole Black Forest region for the duration of our stay– completely free. There are other special offers around the town including free use of the local open air swimming pool thrown in for good measure.
On Monday we travelled to Freiburg by train. The journey took about an hour, and we changed once. Clean, quiet, and absolutely running to time. The larger, regional train consisted of a double-decker, upper deck for seated passengers and downstairs for standing with bicycles. Freiburg provided a pleasant wander , complete with an old Minster undergoing renovation, a traditional market in the main square. The restored cobblestones were lethally slippery after a passing shower, there were tram lines to negotiate and an open channel with water running along each one. Loss of concentration or disorientation could result in serious injury and as a University town, surely the students must regularly take a tumble whilst under the influence?
The market stalls closest to the Cathedral provided a 'Wurst Walk' with stalls cooking row upon row of sizzling German sausage. The greasy smell that infused my nostrils did nothing for my appetite. There were plenty of takers for one of these phallic lunches, each sausage in excess of a foot long, the central third encased in a bun, served with lashings of mustard. During a heavy shower we dived into the 'Uni Kebab' The kebab may not seem like typical German fare, but as the Turkish people provided a substantial proportion of the workforce required to rebuild postwar Germany, there is a sizeable Turkish population and the result is plenty of kebab shops. This one must be the most genuine article this side of the Black Sea. The chef took a fresh ball of dough, rolled it into a flatbread, cooked fresh on a flat circular hotplate for each of our wraps. They provided the most pleasurable chewy consistency, The filling was equally fresh and delicious, REAL meat rotated on the skewer, not that awful pre-formed doner meat. The place was packed full with Turkish people. And so, the highlight of my visit to the historic city of Freiburg was provided by the kebab.
Thunderbugs Are Go
Well, here we are in Germany. Definitely scorchio with temperatures at 34 degrees C outside and 38 inside the van.
Having arrived in Dover for a midnight crossing on Wednesday night, we were allowed onto an earlier ferry. Travelling at night saved us £50 on the daytime fare which we thought was well worth it. We then filled up with fuel at Calais (1.32 Euro a litre), another saving worth having. There was no traffic at all and as Mike was wide awake he continued to drive all the way to within an hour of our destination. I wasn't so alert and fought waves of sleepiness with my head lolling around, doing my neck no good whatsoever. Once we both got too tired to carry on we put our heads down for a few hours at a motorway rest area in the Netherlands, near Arnheim. We don't usually travel at speed, preferring to take in the daytime views, but for a change we just thought we'd go for it as we'd set our hearts on a few days R and R in an area we're familiar with.
We are parked at the marina in Emmerich Am Rhein, having taken advantage of the 20 euro 3 night deal. This includes 4 Amp electricity, water and waste dump and luckily with Amps like that we don't need a lot of power. This Stellplatz is featured in the Bord Atlas book (see link above) and we stayed here a year or two ago.
I was asked last week how we kept cool in the van without air conditioning. My answer was to take advantage of the breeze, with windows and doors open. The Germans and Dutch parked here with us keep their blinds down all day, to block out the sunlight-but that wouldn't suit us-too gloomy. The awning has been deployed and we are taking advantage of the shade. My Mum always says that air conditioning makes people bad tempered in the heat because they can't acclimatise. Perhaps we ought to have an on line poll. We're not bad tempered-Mike has done a wash load and I am pottering- with a smattering of expired thunderbugs embedded in the sun lotion applied several hours ago. Looking forward to the cool shower tonight-another measure to help combat the heat. A cockerel woke us up early from his perch in the small petting zoo type area on the stellplatz.
Germany is covered by a very extensive cycle network and this region takes particular pride in theirs. From our waterside location we can cycle into town where there is a lovely promenade front facing the Rhine. The bars have great views of the river and the assorted boats, barges loaded with all different types of cargo. We saw all this a bit sooner than we anticipated yesterday when the Garmin took us through the pedestrianised town centre. Another reminder for us that around towns we're better off using our eyes and our common sense, rather than a Sat Nav.
I love travel, any type. There is always a buzz in finding & exploring a place for the first time, meeting and making new friends and if you return things are never quite the same.
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Kent Bazemore Allegedly Turned Down More From The Lakers And Rockets To Re-Sign With The Hawks
Bill DiFilippoTwitterAssociate Editor
When his NBA career started, Kent Bazemore was just a dude on Golden State's bench who averaged two points per game and was more well-known for his overly-enthusiastic celebrations on the bench than his game.
But over the last few years, Bazemore has carved out a role in Atlanta as an athletic wing who can hit threes, defend, and rebound. He is so good at those things that the Hawks decided that he was worth a big deal. According to Brian Windhorst and Shams Charania, Bazemore will return to Atlanta on a four-year deal worth $70 million.
Hawks have reached a deal with Kent Bazemore, 4 years/70 millions according to sources
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 2, 2016
Free agent guard Kent Bazemore has agreed to a four-year, $70M deal to re-sign with Atlanta, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2016
According to Charania, the final year of Bazemore's deal will include a player option.
Bazemore will have a player option on the fourth season of his deal to return to Atlanta, sources tell The Vertical.
It sounds like Bazemore decided to give the Hawks a little bit of a hometown discount to head back to Atlanta. David Aldridge of NBA.com reported that Bazemore turned down deals for the same amount of time and a little bit more money from Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kent Bazemore takes four years, $70M, turning down four/$72M from Houston and the Lakers, to go back to the Hawks, per source.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) July 2, 2016
This isn't the first time that Bazemore and the Lakers have failed to agree to terms in free agency. After the 2013-14 season in which Bazemore suited up for LA 23 times, the Lakers had the chance to extend him a qualifying offer. As Arash Markazi pointed out, that didn't happen, and Bazemore ended up signing with the Hawks.
The Lakers decided not to give Bazemore a $1.1 million qualifying offer in 2014 to make him a restricted free agent. https://t.co/4bwKg0D4RC
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 2, 2016
And of course, as with any big contract, there were plenty of excited people. None more so than Bazemore, of course, whose birthday is today. But one of his old teammates in Golden State was especially excited that Bazemore got paid.
Best birthday present ever….
— Mitch Rapp (@24Bazemore) July 2, 2016
#499 @24Bazemore God is Great!!!!!!
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) July 2, 2016
The 499 is a reference to when ESPN said that Bazemore was the 499th-best player in the NBA prior to the 2012 season. This was out of 500 players, and the only person below Bazemore was Eddy Curry.
Fast forward four years, and there were rumblings that Bazemore could be in for a hefty payday this offseason. This was something that he hoped would inspire other undrafted basketball players to keep persevering even if they didn't hear their names called on the night of the NBA Draft.
Bazemore played in 75 regular season games for the Hawks in 2015-16, averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game. Not bad for a dude who averaged two points in 4.4 minutes a night during his rookie year, don't you think?
Topics: #Atlanta HawksTags: ATLANTA HAWKS, Kent Bazemore, NBA Free Agency

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The State of South Carolina, the Governor and the SC Department of Commerce have been, and continue to be, an outstanding partner to GE and an enabler for our steady manufacturing expansion and job growth in the state," said Kim Gardner, site leader for GE Aviation's Greenville plant.
Gardner leads a 150,000 square-foot facility with some 250 employees that produce high pressure turbine blades, one of the most critical and sophisticated parts in a jet engine. The blades are in the hottest part of the engine, where temperatures exceed 2,500 degrees. Advanced thermal barrier coatings and intricate cooling passages that create a layer of cool air on the surface of the blades enable them to operate for thousands of hours in temperatures hotter than the melting point of the blades themselves.
Blades manufactured at the Greenville plant can be found in seven different GE jet engines, including the CFM56 — the world's best-selling engine, and the GE90 — the most powerful engine in the world, producing up to 115,000 pound of thrust. The CFM56 powers the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320 family of aircraft. The GE90 powers the Boeing 777.
Kim Gardner was named Plant Leader for GE Aviation's Greenville facility in 2014, overseeing some 250 employees who produce more than 400,000 turbine blades annually. Gardner joined GE with the acquisition of Smiths Industries in 2007, and held leadership roles at GE's plants in Manchester, CT; Rutland, VT; and Miramar, FL, before moving to Greenville. Gardner is a Connecticut native and graduated from Post University with a degree in business management.


The automaker uses high-powered photography to allow users to zoom in on the smallest details of MX-5 RF.
It's been a few years since Mazda Canada used the "zoom zoom" tagline in its advertising, but it's letting people do exactly that – over and over again – in its latest campaign.
The online experience places a Mazda MX-5 RF outside of David Dunlap Observatory where it was photographed by noted car photographer Shin Sugino, who used a Phase One Camera System to capture extremely small details in the photos. That allows visitors to the site to zoom in incredibly close and see the smallest elements of the car's design from multiple angles. Putting it outside the observatory is meant to provide a comparison between the details that can be seen in stars in the sky (which users can also get a close-up view of).
Mazda Canada worked with J. Walter Thompson Canada and Excelerator Media on the campaign, with Thinkingbox handling digital production on the website.
Mazda will be driving people to the site through digital ads and social posts, with prints from the photoshoot being sent to Mazda owners, driving enthusiasts and automotive bloggers as part of a PR push.
Earlier this year, Mazda and JWT created a billboard with face-tracking technology built in so it could track how many times the MX-5 RF literally caused people to turn their hands. The idea was to focus on how attention-grabbing Mazda's focus on detail and design is. Neal Bouwmeester, national manager of brand communications at Mazda Canada, says this new campaign simply interprets that same idea in a far more literal way.
Such hi-res zooming might, for example, reveal some oxidization on the break router. But Bouwmeester says that kind of thing won't bother Mazda's target consumer.
"Anybody who is a true performance vehicle enthusiast will know that's completely normal. That just means it has been driven, and the next time you hit the breaks, that little bit of oxidation shakes off," he says.
From a marketing perspective, Bouwmeester says the response to the "Head-Turning Billboard" gave Mazda the confidence to be a bit more adventurous with how it communicates its attention to detail, like in Observatory. A spot currently running in Quebec that shows the hood of a Mazda 3 being blasted with salt (to prove it can stand up to harsh weather conditions) will also be adapted for the rest of Canada in the near future.


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History, Reference, Research, and GrogTalk »
Military (and other) History »
British Trench Humor - The Bangalore Torpedo
Author Topic: British Trench Humor - The Bangalore Torpedo (Read 510 times)
ArizonaTank
One of the most interesting and well read first hand accounts of the British PBI (Poor Bloody Infantry) in the Great War is Frank Richard's Old Soldiers Never Die.
Frank Richards was a reservist who had served in India before WWI broke out. According to his own account, he avoided promotion, and so managed to stay a private through the entire Great War.
The book often has a fatalistic, wry sense of humor. The story of the first use of the Bangalore torpedo from Chapter XI is a great example:
We were in the Cambrin trenches and a Bangalore Torpedo was sent up to the Battalion, which had to be taken out and attached to the German barbed wire. This torpedo had been tried and proved a great success in some Back Area or other where there were no shells and bullets flying about and also no enemy waiting to ram a foot of steel through a man's chest. It was claimed that this torpedo would destroy more barbed wire than a battery of artillery would, firing for a week. Our comments were that if the inventor and the men who had tried it out in the Back Areas had the job of hitching it on the enemy's wire here at Cambrin they'd not reach halfway across no-man's-land before they'd be returning to change their under-pants.
Volunteers were called for from C Company: which met with no response. Everyone knew that the men who went out with the thing would be extraordinarily lucky to get back. There was every prospect of being spotted by a German patrol or listening-post and even if they escaped these, there would probably be German working parties busy on the wire. There was also the danger of the torpedo being struck with a bullet as they were carrying it and blowing them to pieces. A second call came for volunteers, and three old soldiers, as a matter of Regimental esprit de corps, said that before anyone should be warned for the job as a duty, they'd volunteer. One of the men was called "Freezer": I knew him very well, having soldiered with him in India, and he was a hard case. He was continually being awarded Field Punishment Number One and getting the sentence washed out for some daring deed or other. What he didn't know about patrols and trench warfare in general was not worth knowing. The volunteers were shown how the torpedo was to be fixed and where to fix it, and before they left the trench it was set ready to explode at 1 a.m. that night. They went out at midnight with Freezer in charge, and perhaps forty minutes later we were glad to have the message passed along that they were safe back. A little group of officers was now in the front trench. They had their watches out and were anxiously studying the luminous hands. One of them commenced to reel the seconds off: five seconds to go, four, three, two—CRASH! This was a German shell exploding five yards from them. But the Bangalore Torpedo failed to explode.
When day came and we stood-to, the torpedo could be distinctly seen where Freezer and his chums had put it on the enemy's wire. Some very beautiful remarks were made about it. One old soldier told a few young soldiers that the torpedo hadn't finished yet. It was liable to go off and when it did it would travel up and down the German Front, with a rage against barbed wire, blasting it all away without missing a single strand; after which it would turn its attention to the barbed-wire dumps in Back Areas, and finally make for Germany where it would destroy the factories where the barbed wire came from until there wasn't a strand of barbed wire left in enemy territory large enough to stick a louse with.
It lay out on the wire all that day but a message came through from Brigade Headquarters that it must be re-trieved without delay. We all wanted to know what they wanted the thing back for, after calling for volunteers to get rid of it. I heard an officer remark that the reason was so as the enemy would not be able to get the Secret of it. So volunteers were again called for. The first journey had been dangerous enough, but this would be doubly so: the enemy would be on the watch, and have their machine-guns set. The same three men volunteered.
It was a quiet night. The Germans were not firing a shot in front of C Company, which made us think that they were waiting for whoever might come to fetch the thing back. But the men crept out, unhooked the tor-pedo and brought it back, much to everyone's surprise, without themselves or it being hit. Freezer, safe home in the trench, remarked that the torpedo seemed a damned sight lighter than when they took it out. He was right. Either that night or the night before the Ger-mans had got hold of it and brought it into their trench. They had taken it to pieces, removed the mechanism and hung the empty thing back on their wire for us to retrieve. That was why they had not fired—to invite us to come and fetch it. I expect they did a good grin over the Secret of that torpedo. It was the first and last Ban-galore Torpedo that I ever saw come up the line. The three men were not even recommended for medals, let alone get them, for this daring job they undertook. But they did get an extra drop of rum when they returned from the first journey.
« Last Edit: May 02, 2019, 10:06:20 PM by ArizonaTank »
"Baseball's Sad Lexicon" - 1910
These are the saddest of possible words:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double—
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance"
"where doubles go to die"
These three players helped the Cubs win four National League championships and two World Series from 1906 to 1910.
besilarius
ringmaster at circus amateur night
Re: British Trench Humor - The Bangalore Torpedo
Very good. Thanks for sharing.
"Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don't find out until too late that he's been playing with two queens all along". Terry Pratchett.
During filming of Airplane, Leslie Nielsen used a whoopee cushion to keep the cast off-balance. Hays said that Nielsen "played that thing like a maestro"
Tallulah Bankhead: "I'll come and make love to you at five o'clock. If I'm late, start without me."
"When all other trusts fail, turn to Flashman." — Abraham Lincoln.
"I have enjoyed very warm relations with my two husbands."
"With your eyes closed?"
"That helped." Lauren Bacall
Master Chiefs are sneaky, dastardly, and snarky miscreants who thrive on the tears of Ensigns and belly dancers. Admiral Gerry Bogan.
That epic sarcasm about how thoroughly it would destroy barbed wire...!
Fortunately for the Allies, Bangalores do turn out to be useful about 30 years later.
RommelFox
Equites
What a fantastic read
Love just the dry sarcasm.
My ancient Egypt site:
Gods and Pharaohs
Pete Dero
The use of massive bombs and charges by the Royal Engineers was crucial during the war.
See slow motion footage of them using explosive devices such as the Bangalore Torpedo today.


Need to replace your windows? Don't leave your home's future up to chance. Unfortunately, in the window replacement industry, you don't always get what you pay for. There are poorly trained installers and poor quality products that can leave you in a worse place than when you started off.
When you deal with a Window Wise manufacturer, like Gentek, you can rest assured that you're getting top quality windows that are installed by top quality contractors. Window Wise manufacturers and contractors have been tested and certified so you can be confident in your investment.
Here are 5 reasons to deal with a Window Wise dealer.
Window Wise audits and certifies contractors and window manufacturers, and conducts window installation training seminars for installers. A Window Wise certification means there's a full 5 year transferrable guarantee; there will be a trained, certified window dealer and window installation contractor; high quality, energy star efficient windows; random inspection for contract workmanship; and registration of your window replacement job to ensure all criteria have been met.
Using a Window Wise dealer will give you peace of mind that your window investment will be one you can be proud of. It will be a lasting investment that you don't have to worry about. Plus, you can be sure that the tradespeople installing your windows are of the highest quality. The window manufacturer and contractor are protected by an industry-backed guarantee, so you can sleep easy at night.
Window Wise manufacturers have all been tested and exceed building code standards for everything from energy efficiency to water leakage and strength. This provides you as a buyer with an extra sense of ease when you invest in your new replacement windows.
There's no point replacing your windows if they're not going to be superior quality. Windows are an investment and the last thing any home owner wants is to buy windows that are going to need to be replaced in a few years. Window Wise manufacturers like Gentek only sell high quality windows that feature water leakage and strength, air filtration, and significant energy saving benefits.
One of the main benefits of windows is that they protect your home and keep it secure. They prevent air loss, keep noise out, and maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. Dated windows can have trouble keeping outside noises from entering your home, but quality replacement windows, like the ones you can find with a Window Wise dealer maximize your privacy and quiet so you can live your life peacefully and undisturbed. This is especially important if you live in a noisy area.
If you're looking to replace your windows, deal with a Window Wise manufacturer to ensure you get top contractors and the highest quality windows. Gentek offers a wide range of Window Wise windows that will suit your home needs!


Photos from Spring 2006 sports season featuring the Oregon Youth Rugby Finals, the U.S.A. finals for the Manchester United Premier Cup and Portland metro area high school sports. Oregon Sports Photos Online Sales - Reprints of photos on this page are available through the Oregon Sports Photos online sales gallery.
Division I. The Eastside Monkeys capped off their league dominance with a 33-17 victory over Vancouver to capture the Division I crown. In Boys Division II, the Westside Alliance claimed the championship trophy over Eugene 33-5. In the Girls final, West Linn steamrolled a "never say die" side from Lincoln High School 51-0.
During the Memorial Day Weekend 40 of the top premier U-15 boys and girls club teams from all over the U.S.A. assembled on the Nike World Campus in Beaverton, Oregon for the Manchester United Premier Cup U.S.A. Finals. Ohio FC Mutiny from Dublin, OH will travel to Manchester, England to represent the U.S.A. in the boys final, while So. Cal. United from Thousand Oaks, CA took the girls title and will represent the U.S.A. in the Gothia Cup in Gothengurg, Sweden.


looking back over the past year I realised just how many lovely handmade projects and tutorials I've shared with you here on my blog. I thought It would be a really nice idea to pick my top five favourites to share with you again, just incase you missed them the first time around!
So, first up has absolutely got to be my number 1 favourite the 'up cycled chair' remember this beauty with its minty loveliness and neon colour pop legs? well this project was hugely popular with you guys too, and has also been pinned hundreds of times over on Pinterest. I adore my chair and its become my favourite thing in my craft room too.
Next up at number 2 is this simple but effective paper cut picture 'I love you more than flowers' something you can do in no time at all with instant results, this project would make the perfect handmade gift for your loveliest family and friends, or for a nursery or craft room, just change the words up a bit to suit yourself.
Sitting nicely at slot number 3 is the 'happy jar' I love this so much, its a cute little tutorial that acts as a constant reminder for us to be grateful for all the lovely things we do everyday. Sometimes when we are really busy, its easy to forget just how much we enjoyed those fish and chips and donuts whilst sitting on the beach, or those gorgeous new boots that make you smile every time you wear them! Not anymore, the 'happy jar' stores all your happy memories away for a rainy day when you might need a little pick me up!
At number 4 is the 'floral headband' just because every girl needs flowers in her life and wearing them in your hair makes you feel like the prettiest girl in the world just for the fun of it and of course they look totally gorgeous too! If you haven't made one already, try it, honestly you'll be twirling round the kitchen like a flower fairy in no time!
And finally, sitting proudly at number 5 is my 'pretty storage tins' tutorial. I can't help but love this make because these tins started life as empty coffee containers that would otherwise have been thrown in the bin, but with a little bit of patterned paper, a pritt stick and just a couple of minutes of your time, they can be transformed into something really useful that barely costs you a bean (pardon the pun!) fantastic stuff hey!
It really wasn't easy choosing just 5 today, as every week I create things from the heart that I hope you will love and enjoy making too. Which have been your favourites?... and which makes are on your 'to do list?... I would love to see pictures of the projects you've made following my weekly tutorials!


The device also features a jib arm to support the weight of the rattle gun.
People will have the opportunity to apply for permanent roles with BHP.
The RISE Accelerator in Queensland would be fully funded by the state government.
She is a mining engineer with 30 years of global mining exposure.
Technology companies say satellite link ensures remote connectivity.
Whitehaven has long advocated for the role of HELE coal in a more carbon constrained future.
The new membrane is economical to use.
The partnership will build on CSIRO's metal membrane technology.
RCT's recently upgraded automation centre has been designed for comfort.
Each coal miner should be a leader in his or her own community.
Puregraph graphene products use graphene supplied from First Graphene's commercial graphene plant.
Resurgent miners warned to lure talent.
The proof is in the RCM.
Rio and Nespresso team up.


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Immersion Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2012 Results
Immersion Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2012 Results 37.6 KB
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Immersion Corporation (NASDAQ:IMMR), the leader in developing and licensing touch feedback technology (http://www.immersion.com/corporate/), today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012.
Total revenues for the second quarter of 2012 were $6.5 million, compared with $6.7 million for the second quarter of 2011. Royalty and license revenues of $5.9 million for the second quarter of 2012 were roughly flat with the same period last year. Net loss for the second quarter of 2012 was $(2.2) million, or $(0.08) per share. This compares to a net loss of $(1.3) million or $(0.05) per share, for the second quarter of 2011. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2012 was $(938) thousand, as compared to $442 thousand in the second quarter of 2011.
"We continue to see opportunity for our solutions in our mobile, automotive and gaming lines of business, in particular our success with mobile OEMs in Japan and automotive infotainment system designers. Additionally, we continue to innovate and develop new solutions and IP to further expand and capitalize on the opportunities in front of us," said Immersion CEO Victor Viegas. "With the proliferation of over 200 million unlicensed Basic Haptics smartphones within the rapidly growing mobile touchscreen device market, our near-term revenue growth is being impacted by the current widespread violation of our intellectual property rights. Once we are successful in our legal efforts to protect our IP, we will then be able to more fully benefit from the growing use of haptics in mobile devices."
"Based on our current outlook and taking into account potential Basic Haptics royalty agreements and payments from new and/or existing customers prior to the end of the year, we are broadening our expected revenue range for fiscal 2012 to $32 to $38 million, and we continue to expect to achieve positive Adjusted EBITDA for the year," concluded Mr. Viegas.
As of June 30, 2012, Immersion's cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments were $52.4 million, compared to $56.3 million as of December 31, 2011. During the second quarter of 2012, the Company used approximately $2.0 million to purchase 387,288 shares of its common stock.
Immersion licensee Samsung began shipping the latest release of their flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III. In addition to using TouchSense® 3000 software, the Galaxy S III also includes Immersion's Reverb technology. Marketed by Samsung as Auto Haptics, Reverb uses specially designed algorithms to automatically translate audio from an application into haptic effects, creating a more engaging consumer experience.
Fujitsu announced the world's first smartphone with Immersion HD Haptics. The Raku-Raku F-12D smartphone uses Immersion's TouchSense 5000 embedded control software to control a high-fidelity piezo actuator, creating high quality haptic effects to enhance the Raku-Raku's trademark easy-to-navigate interface.
Google invited Immersion to participate in their Developer Sandbox at the Google I/O conference. At Google I/O, Immersion demonstrated the latest updates to its Haptic Development Platform, which provides new capabilities and flexibility for third-party developers to incorporate touch feedback into games and applications.
Daesung incorporated Immersion haptic feedback in its automotive control system design, which was introduced in the 2013 Kia K9 sedan. Daesung selected Immersion's TouchSense force feedback technology to create an adaptive user interface through a rotary knob that dynamically adjusts haptic feedback based on the information available to the user.
Texas Instruments released two new integrated amplifiers to improve the performance of haptic actuators in mobile devices. The DRV 2665 is the first integrated amplifier for piezo modules that is compliant with Immersion's TouchSense 5000 embedded software, while the DRV 2603 supports devices using Immersion's TouchSense 3000 embedded software with resonant actuators.
Conference Call Information
Immersion will host a conference call with company management on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time (5:00 p.m. Eastern time) to discuss financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012. To participate on the live call, analysts and investors should dial +1 877-941-4774 at least ten minutes prior to the start of the call. A replay of the call will be available until 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on August 9, 2012 by dialing +1 800-406-7325 and entering the passcode 4549995#. A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available for 90 days within the investor relations section of Immersion's corporate Web site at www.immersion.com.
About Immersion (www.immersion.com)
Founded in 1993, Immersion (NASDAQ:IMMR) is the leading innovator in haptic technology; the company's touch feedback solutions deliver a more compelling sense of the digital world. Using Immersion's high-fidelity haptic systems, partners can transform user experiences with unique and customizable touch feedback effects; excite the senses in games, videos and music; restore "mechanical" feel by providing intuitive and unmistakable confirmation; improve safety by overcoming distractions while driving or performing a medical procedure; and expand usability when audio and visual feedback are ineffective. Immersion's TouchSense technology provides haptics in mobile phone, automotive, gaming, medical and consumer electronics products from world-class companies. With over 1200 issued or pending patents in the U.S. and other countries, Immersion helps bring the digital universe to life.
Immersion reports all financial information required in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), but it believes that evaluating its ongoing operating results may be difficult to understand if limited to reviewing only GAAP financial measures. Immersion discloses this non-GAAP information because it is useful in understanding the company's performance as it excludes non-cash and other special charges that many investors feel may obscure the company's true operating performance. Likewise, management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to manage and assess the profitability of its business. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measures.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties as well as assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of Immersion Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
All statements, other than the statements of historical fact, are statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the statements regarding our expectations for fiscal 2012 revenues to be in the range of $32 to $38 million, and the expectation as to our Adjusted EBITDA for the full year and other statements regarding future growth and our intellectual property.
Immersion's actual results might differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties associated with Immersion's business, which include, but are not limited to, potential and actual claims and proceedings, including litigation involving Immersion's intellectual property; delay in or failure to achieve commercial demand for Immersion's or its licensees' products; a delay in or failure to achieve the acceptance of force feedback as a critical user experience; unexpected difficulties in transitioning to a pure IP licensing model and in monetizing the patent portfolio; the commercial success of applications or devices into which Immersion's technology is licensed; potentially lengthy sales cycles and design processes; unanticipated difficulties and challenges encountered in development efforts; potential restructuring charges; unexpected costs; failure to retain key personnel; competition; the impact of global economic conditions and other factors. Many of these risks and uncertainties are beyond the control of Immersion.
For a more detailed discussion of these factors, and other factors that could cause actual results to vary materially, interested parties should review the risk factors listed in Immersion's most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which is on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this press release reflect Immersion's beliefs and predictions as of the date of this release. Immersion disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements as a result of financial, business, or any other developments occurring after the date of this release.
Immersion, the Immersion logo, TouchSense, HD Haptics and Reverb are trademarks of Immersion Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
The use of the word "partner" or "partnership" in this press release does not mean a legal partner or legal partnership.
(IMMR — C)
June 30, December 31,
Cash and cash equivalents $ 8,397 $ 7,298
Short-term investments 43,964 48,987
Accounts and other receivables, net 2,748 1,487
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 743 479
Total current assets 56,470 58,889
Property and equipment, net 1,520 1,737
Intangibles and other assets, net 14,933 14,053
TOTAL ASSETS $ 72,923 $ 74,679
Accounts payable $ 1,678 $ 365
Accrued compensation 2,089 2,830
Other current liabilities 1,778 2,054
Deferred revenue and customer advances 5,109 4,120
Total current liabilities 10,654 9,369
Long-term deferred revenue 11,738 13,229
Deferred income tax liabilities 215 215
Other long-term liabilities 604 245
TOTAL LIABILITIES 23,211 23,058
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 49,712 51,621
TOTAL LIABILITIES &
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 72,923 $ 74,679
(1) Derived from Immersion's annual audited consolidated financial statements.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
Three Months Six Months
Ended June 30, Ended June 30,
Royalty and license $ 5,930 $ 5,882 $ 15,015 $ 14,235
Product sales 344 546 616 1,547
Development contracts and other 202 254 536 668
Total revenues 6,476 6,682 16,167 16,450
Cost of revenue 214 247 529 721
Sales and marketing 1,694 1,909 3,440 3,759
Research and development 2,124 2,243 4,318 4,342
General and administrative 4,361 3,061 9,132 6,172
Amortization and impairment of intangibles 393 335 734 692
Total costs and expenses 8,786 7,795 18,153 15,686
Operating Income (loss) (2,310 ) (1,113 ) (1,986 ) 764
Interest and other income 68 52 78 114
Income (loss) from continuing operations before provision for income taxes (2,242 ) (1,061 ) (1,908 ) 878
Provision for income taxes (66 ) (267 ) (619 ) (861 )
Income (loss) from continuing operations (2,308 ) (1,328 ) (2,527 ) 17
Discontinued operations:
Gain on sales of discontinued operations 153 18 153 61
Net Income (loss) $ (2,155 ) $ (1,310 ) $ (2,374 ) $ 78
Basic net income (loss) per share
Continuing operations $ (0.08 ) $ (0.05 ) $ (0.09 ) $ 0.00
Discontinued operations $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
Total $ (0.08 ) $ (0.05 ) $ (0.09 ) $ 0.00
Shares used in calculating basic net income (loss) per share 28,058 28,610 28,000 28,431
Diluted net income (loss) per share
Shares used in calculating diluted net income (loss) per share 28,058 28,610 28,000 29,241
Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA
GAAP Net Income (Loss) $ (2,155 ) $ (1,310 ) $ (2,374 ) $ 78
Interest and other income (68 ) (52 ) (78 ) (114 )
Provision for income taxes 66 267 619 861
Depreciation and amortization 161 239 327 485
Stock-based compensation 818 981 1,538 1,765
Discontinued operations (153 ) (18 ) (153 ) (61 )
Total adjustments 1,217 1,752 2,987 3,628
Adjusted EBITDA $ (938 ) $ 442 $ 613 $ 3,706
Reagan Crossley, +1 650-762-2955 (Media)
reagan.crossley@edelman.com
The Blueshirt Group
Jennifer Jarman, +1 415-217-5866 (Investors)
jennifer@blueshirtgroup.com
Source: Immersion Corporation
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Q: South - migrating django application from sqlite to mysql I have a django application and until now I used sqLite as database backend. Now when it's quite close to production I thought of moving it all to mySQL which will be used on the box.
I reconfigured my settings to a mysql database and run
manage.py syncdb --migrate

it started creating tables and all but failed in the first (out of 40) migration with an old error (can't insert blob without key length and all that).
I first thought of manually fixing the migration files but quickly realized there is too much manual work.
So I thought ok I'll run manage.py migrate core 0040 (the last migration and that will do the trick) but it still attempts to run the initial one as well:
File "D:\~Sasha\Portman\core\migrations\0001_initial.py", line 23, in forwards
  ('name', self.gf('django.db.models.fields.TextField')(unique=True)),
... error message

Is there a way to migrate my models somehow without manually fixing the initial migration file and all the other magic?

A: First, you can't pick and choose migrations to run. migrate core 0040 means run all migrations up to 0040. In other words, it wouldn't run 0041, but it would run 0001-0040.
Now, it's side-stepping your question a bit, but if you have not moved this project to production yet, you don't actually need all those migrations. Assuming they're all schemamigrations you can rollback to zero with:
python manage.py migrate core zero

Then, delete them all (including 0001_initial.py) and simply run again:
python manage.py schemamigration --initial core

To regenerate the initial migration. It will base it off the current state of your models, negating the need for 40 migrations.
It's always a good idea to compress your migrations like this before you move new code to production. Since this is the first launch, you can remove them all and start from scratch, but in future iterations, if you generate 5 migrations during the course of development, before you commit, rollback to before the first of those, then delete those 5 and then generate a new schemamigration. The result is just one migration with all the changes of those 5. Then, you can commit that and migrate in production.
It may not solve your problem completely here, but it will definitely make things simpler to debug.

A: Very occasionally, I've seen problems with migrations when deploying a project on a mysql backend.
Since you are deploying a fresh copy, you do have a couple options for sidestepping the need to run all of your mightations:
First, if you want to maintain your migration history as-is, you can force syncdb to create all of your tables regardless of migrations, and then run fake migrations to get your new database up to date.  That would look like:
python manage.py syncdb --all
python manage.py migrate --fake

Alternatively, if you don't care about your historical migrations, you can clear the old migrations out (just delete them) and then create a new initial migration, like:
python manage.py schemamigration --initial core

Just be sure that you also clear out the south_migrationhistory table in your dev database so that everything stays in sync between dev and prod

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package info.gameboxx.gameboxx.options.single;

import info.gameboxx.gameboxx.messages.Msg;
import info.gameboxx.gameboxx.messages.Param;
import info.gameboxx.gameboxx.options.SingleOption;
import org.bukkit.command.CommandSender;

import java.util.*;

public class BoolO extends SingleOption<Boolean, BoolO> {

    public static List<String> TRUE_VALUES = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList("true", "yes", "t", "y", "1", "+", "v"));
    public static List<String> FALSE_VALUES = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList("false", "no", "f", "n", "0", "-", "x"));

    @Override
    public boolean parse(CommandSender sender, String input) {
        input = input.toLowerCase();

        if (TRUE_VALUES.contains(input.toLowerCase())) {
            value = true;
            return true;
        }

        if (FALSE_VALUES.contains(input.toLowerCase())) {
            value = false;
            return true;
        }

        error = Msg.getString("boolean.invalid", Param.P("input", input));
        return false;
    }

    @Override
    public BoolO clone() {
        return super.cloneData(new BoolO());
    }

    @Override
    public String getDisplayValue() {
        return display(getValue());
    }

    @Override
    public String getTypeName() {
        return "Boolean";
    }

    @Override
    public List<String> onComplete(CommandSender sender, String prefix, String input) {
        List<String> suggestions = new ArrayList<>();

        for (String string : TRUE_VALUES) {
            if (input.isEmpty() || string.startsWith(input)) {
                suggestions.add(prefix + string);
            }
        }
        for (String string : FALSE_VALUES) {
            if (input.isEmpty() || string.startsWith(input)) {
                suggestions.add(prefix + string);
            }
        }

        Collections.sort(suggestions);
        return suggestions;
    }

    public static String display(Boolean bool) {
        return bool == null ? null : (bool ? Msg.getString("boolean.display.true") : Msg.getString("boolean.display.false"));
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


(by Benny Avni, NYSun.com) – America and Pakistan's neighbors are being forced to re-evaluate their strategy in the war on Al Qaeda and the Taliban after the resignation yesterday of President Musharraf, whose nine-year reign included a decision after September 11, 2001, to cooperate closely with America in the fight against international terrorism.
Officials in Washington yesterday were careful to balance statements of praise for Mr. Musharraf with expressions of confidence that his successors would do just as well. But in New Delhi, where Mr. Musharraf's recent misfortunes are seen as a probable cause for the renewal of Pakistani-Indian hostilities in the disputed region of Kashmir and elsewhere, officials were almost openly ruing his departure.
But it was unclear yesterday whether Mr. Musharraf would stay in Pakistan, where some are calling for him to be put on trial, or be forced to seek asylum in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, or the West. Asylum in America "is not on the table," Secretary of State Rice said yesterday. According to reports from the region, a Saudi plane departed Pakistan yesterday without picking up Mr. Musharraf, after sitting on the tarmac for hours. A leader of the ruling coalition in Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, spent years in Saudi exile after he was deposed as prime minister in a 1999 military coup by Mr. Musharraf, who was then chief of the army.
"President Musharraf has been a friend to the United States and one of the world's most committed partners in the war against terrorism and extremism," Ms. Rice said in a statement.
American officials said they were confident that the uneasy ruling coalition of the moderately Islamic party led by Mr. Sharif and the Western-oriented party that was led by Benazir Bhutto until her assassination and is now led by her widower, Asif Ali Zardari; son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Prime Minister Gilani, would cooperate with America on the war on terror as closely as Mr. Musharraf did. "The war against extremism is bigger than one man," a State Department spokesman, Robert Wood, said.
Mr. Musharraf's "departure is a loss for the U.S. because the civilian government will not do as good a job against terrorism," a former American ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, told The New York Sun.
In the aftermath of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, "What we needed in Pakistan is someone to stand with us, and Musharraf did just that," a Bush administration official said yesterday, speaking on the condition of anonymity. America reciprocated to the tune of $10 billion in military support for the Pakistani government after Mr. Musharraf promised to dedicate his army and intelligence services to the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Now, according to some in Washington, the best remaining Pakistani partner in the war on terror is the current army chief of staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who has yet to express a preference for any party. Meanwhile, the partnership between the Pakistan Muslim League-N and the secular Pakistan Peoples Party is fragile and unlikely to maintain Mr. Musharraf's tight grip over the army and the country's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI].
India is specifically concerned that a resurgent ISI could shift Pakistan's attention to Kashmir and hostilities with New Delhi from the war on terror and the Afghan border. As speculation about Mr. Musharraf's departure increased in recent weeks, India's national security adviser, M.K. Narayanan, told a Singaporean newspaper, the Straits Times, that the president's absence would leave "a big vacuum." India is "deeply concerned about this vacuum because it leaves the radical extremist outfits with freedom to do what they like, not merely on Pak-Afghan border but clearly our side of the border too," Mr. Narayanan told the paper.
In recent years, the long-standing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad have eased under Mr. Musharraf. The two countries established commercial ties, while the situation in Kashmir grew calmer. During the last few weeks, however, cross-border attacks have increased, Pakistani-backed pro-independence Kashmiri fighters have intensified their activities, and diplomatic talks have slowed. Additionally, both India and Afghanistan blamed the ISI for the bombing in July of the Indian Embassy in Kabul.
Reprinted here with permission from The New York Sun. Visit the website at NYSun.com.
1. a) For how many years was Pervez Musharraf president of Pakistan?
b) How did Mr. Musharraf become president?
2. What type of relationship did President Musharraf have with the U.S.?
3. What is significant about President Musharraf's peaceful departure from office?
4. Why does former U.N. ambassador John Bolton say that Mr. Musharraf's "departure is a loss for the U.S."?
5. a) What type of relationship had President Musharraf established with India?
What do the editors think might happen to the government of Pakistan without Mr. Musharraf? What do the editors say the U.S. needs to do now? What do they say the new government in Pakistan needs to understand?
Pakistan is a federal democratic republic with Islam as the state religion.
The Constitution of Pakistan provides for a Federal Parliamentary System of government, with a President as the Head of State and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the chief executive.
The bicameral legislature (similar to our Congress) is made up of a 100-member Senate and a 342-member National Assembly.
The President is the Head of State and [until November 2007 was the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces] and is elected by an electoral college composed of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four Provincial Assemblies.
The President's appointment and term are constitutionally independent of the Prime Minister's term. President Pervez Musharraf came to power after a military coup on October 12, 1999. He was chief of the army at that time.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan is usually the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly.
If no party wins a majority of the National Assembly, two or more parties may pool their seats and form a coalition to rule the Assembly.
For a map of Kashmir, go to worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/kashmir.htm.


Oxford Builders is a full-service custom builder located in the heart of Connecticut. Blending old- world craftsmanship with the latest in technological advancements, we can renovate your home or even build you a new one to incorporate all your wants and wishes. Our hands-on knowledge in all aspects of the building process and our operating size allow us to keep close control over the quality of the product and your overall experience.
Few clients undertake a project of this magnitude more than once in a lifetime, and they often find that it can be exceptionally daunting. Oxford Builders understands this and works to navigate you through all aspects of the process. We believe that the key to the successful completion of any project is cooperation and collaboration. We maintain a steady dialogue with the client, the architect, the subcontractors and the suppliers, answering all questions in a complete and timely manner, ensuring your project runs smoothly.
It has been said that to build traditionally requires an "aesthetic sense, knowledge, judgment, and a passion for joining materials into meaningful forms that bring true and daily enjoyment to those who look at them, use them and live in them."* We wholeheartedly agree and work under this premise on every project. We recognize that each home is as distinct as the people living under its roof. We have the experience and the know-how to realize your dreams and make them a reality. Come discover the Oxford Builders' difference for yourself.
* Excerpt written by Leon Krier in "Get Your House Right."


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Porthallow to Gillan
A circular walk up Gillan Creek from Porthallow via Nare Point where, during World War II, an elaborate decoy for Falmouth Harbour was created by Ealing Film Studios with fake railways, houses and explosive special effects.
The walk follows the coast from Porthallow to Nare Point on the mouth of the Helford River, and then follows Gillan Creek to the beaches of Gillan and Flushing. From Gillan Beach, the walk joins bridleways and small lanes to Treglossick and then a final footpath through the woods and fields completes the circular route to Porthallow.
Coast path closed just before Gillan. A signposted diversion is in place between 12 and 15. You can backtrack to 14 to visit Gillan Harbour.
Beaches where dogs are allowed all year: Porthallow, Gillan Cove. Just as you depart the lane in Treglossick, there is a stile that dogs will need lifting over. Note that most coastal walks in Cornwall have paths close to unfenced cliffs.
Start from: Porthallow
Parking: Porthallow TR126PW. Follow the B3293 to St Keverne. Turn left at the square and follow signs to Porthallow
Views along the coast and across Gillan Creek
Wildflowers throughout the spring and early summer
Sandy beach at Porthallow at low tide
St Anthony ferry information
South Coast Western AONB info
St Keverne to Porthallow
Near Helford
Near Porthallow
Near St Keverne
Near The Lizard
Walks in South Coast Western AONB
Visiting Porthallow beach
With your back to the sea, make your way to the coast path sign at the top of the beach and turn right to follow the track along the front of the houses to reach a footpath signpost on the steps.
As the name of the pub - the Five Pilchards - suggests, the port flourished during the heyday of pilchard fishing and a number of the buildings are relics of this. During mediaeval times, it was a major fishery, initially owned by an Abbey, and the pilchard fishery continued into Victorian times. In more recent times, Porthallow was largely owned by the Trelowarren Estate and the beach was still owned by the estate until the 1970s when it was purchased by the village. The placename is pronounced locally as "pralla".
Climb the steps, passing the footpath signpost, and follow the path to reach a kissing gate in the field at the top of the cliff.
In 1917 a convoy of cargo ships from Montreal successfully crossed the Atlantic to British waters and the Volnay sailed from Wales around Land's End on a course for Plymouth. The ship zig-zagged along the mineswept area in The Channel but one mine had been missed and this exploded against the cargo hold. The cargo hold that exploded was loaded with 18 pounder shrapnel shells, but remarkably these didn't detonate. The ship's engines weren't harmed and so the captain made a run for Falmouth. As he neared Porthallow, he realised that the ship would not make it to Falmouth and changed course for the nearest land, but the ship sank just half a mile from the shore. All the crew managed to abandon the ship and reach safety. The heavy shells sank, but a storm the next day brought much of the lighter cargo ashore. Much to the delight of the residents of the Lizard, Porthallow beach was 6 feet deep in cases of cigarettes, tea, coffee, meat, butter, jam and even potato crisps.
Keep right to pass the gate on your left and continue on the path along the coast to reach a kissing gate.
On the opposite side of the bay, in a disused quarry at Porthkerris, is the Cornish Sea Salt Factory.
The Iron Age saltworks on The Lizard inspired the idea for the Cornish Sea Salt Company in 2004 which, after three years of development work, began trading in Jan 2008. The salt is harvested from the sea in a purpose-built building on the Lizard coast. Only a fraction of the salt is extracted from the seawater, which is then allowed to trickle back into the sea through a fault in the rocks, ensuring that the local salinity levels are not greatly disturbed. Roughly 90-95% of the sea salt is sodium chloride; the remaining fraction contains a range of other minerals which are generally thought to make it more healthy than the more pure sodium chloride and anti-caking agents present in standard table salt.
Go through the kissing gate and follow the path along the coast to reach a stone stile over a wall at a waymark.
Cross over the wall and continue ahead across the top section of the field, passing to the left of the hedge rising from the bottom of the field. After passing the hedge, make your way to the far-right corner of the field to reach a stone stile.
In March 1891, the Bay of Panama - a four-masted steel ship of over 2000 tons - was wrecked at Penare Point near the Helford River in a blizzard. A farmer searching for his animals came across the wreck and found figures hanging in the rigging, some dead and some still alive. The West Briton newspaper reported:
The lifesaving rockets were brought into requisition, and by their aid, 17 sailors were brought ashore, but the Captain, his wife and 18 seamen were drowned. Several of the bodies were washed ashore yesterday, including the Captain's wife.
Cross the stile in the corner of the field and follow the path to reach a waymarked stile over a wall.
Gannets can sometimes be seen off the headland, circling and diving for fish.
Gannets are the largest sea birds in the North Atlantic with a wingspan of up to 2 metres and are easily recognisable by their long white wings with black tips. Gannets can dive from up to 30 metres, achieving speeds of up to 100kph as they strike the water, enabling them to catch fish much deeper than most seabirds. To achieve this they have air sacs in their face and chest, which act as cushioning when they hit the water. Also they have no external nostrils, instead they are situated inside the mouth.
Cross the stile and keep right along the fence towards the coastguard lookout. Continue to reach a gate on the track leading to the coastguard lookout.
The lookout station at Nare Point was originally part of a torpedo testing range in Falmouth Bay. It was one of two control centres that tracked the position of dummy torpedos dropped by aeroplanes and helicopters and was in use until 1993. After this is was used as a potato store until it was leased by the National Trust to the National Coastwatch Institution in 2005.
Turn left from the gate and follow the track away from the coastguard lookout. Follow it to a hedge where it passes through a gate beside a kissing gate.
The National Coastwatch Institution was set up to restore visual watches along the UK coastline after two Cornish fishermen lost their lives within sight of an empty Coastguard lookout in 1994. The first station - at Bass Point on The Lizard, where the fishermen had died - opened in December 1994. The organisation, staffed by volunteers, now runs 50 lookout stations around England and Wales.
Go through the kissing gate (or the main gate, if open) and follow the track to another gate.
During World War 2, a decoy site was constructed at Nare Point which was built by Ealing Film Studios and manned from a bunker above Men-Aver beach. A sister site existed on Nare Head on the other side of Falmouth Bay, so whichever direction bombers approached from, they could be intercepted before they reached Falmouth. A mark in the grass alongside the coast path is the remains of a fake railway with red and green lights on posts to simulate signals. The site consisted of a range of fire-making devices that were designed to emulate a town that was in blackout where bombs had hit their targets. These included exploding sand bags, tanks with tar and 15 foot long fire-trays which could be filled with different mixtures to emulate the effect of a hit on a ship or a train. During Falmouth's most destructive bombing raid of 1944, the decoy site managed to lure 9 heavy bombs away from Falmouth.
Go through the kissing gate (or the main gate, if open) and bear right down the path leading off the track. Follow the path over a bridge and along the coast to reach a kissing gate beside a metal gate.
The Helford creeks are formed from an ancient river valley that has been flooded by rising sea levels. In total, seven creeks (Ponsontuel Creek, Mawgan Creek, Polpenwith Creek, Polwheveral Creek, Frenchman's Creek, Port Navas Creek, and Gillan Creek) connect to the main Helford River inlet between the headlands of Nare Point and Rosemullion Head. The creeks are an important area of marine conservation and contain eelgrass which provides a habitat for a variety of wildlife including seahorses.
Go through the kissing gate and follow the path along the hedge on the right. Keep following along the hedge to reach a stone stile over a wall.
Cross the stile and follow the path to reach a concrete wall. Follow the path down the steps and continue downhill to reach a beach.
The protruding tongue of land is known as The Herra. The larger of the two mounds is thought to have been a Bronze Age barrow, as an urn was found in the eroding cliff and another urn was found nearby in Gillan Cove which is now in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Also found in the cove was a bronze socketed axe head and three bronze ingots. The other mound has been greatly disturbed but may have originally been a barrow that was later re-used for fortification.
At the bottom of the steps beside the beach, bear left and follow the path past a bench and waymark to the wooden boat shed. The walk continues on the bridleway behind the boatshed; you can optionally follow the coast a short distance further to Flushing Cove and the crossing to St Anthony, and then return here to complete the walk.
At low tide it is possible to cross Gillan Creek between Halamana (on the Flushing side) and St Anthony. Although there is a line of stepping stones, these are sometimes covered with slippery seaweed, in which case it is safer to wade across in the ankle-deep water, avoiding a narrow stretch of deeper water leading towards some old gypsy caravans. A ferry runs at high tide during the summer.
Walk along the left side of the boat shed to join the bridleway. Continue until you reach a gate across the track just before it emerges on a farm track.
Gillan Creek is thought to be named based on the Cornish word gillynn (meaning inlet or creek). Consequently the "Creek" in the name is redundant and is an example of a place name where an English word has been unknowingly added to a Cornish word that already more-or-less means the same thing. Others include "Coombe Valley" and "Porth Beach". Gyllyngvase (beach) in Falmouth is derived from the same word.
Go through the gate and join the concrete track ahead. Follow the track through the farm, going through any gates across the track as necessary. Keep following the track until it ends at a junction of lanes.
The settlement of Trewarnevas was first recorded in the Domesday survey of 1086 as Treurnivet having one acre of land and owned by Alwin. The name is the Cornish for "farm on the sacred place", based on the word neved meaning sacred pagan place or grove.
At the junction, cross over the small lane to join the road ahead. Follow the road to a junction on the left signposted to Porthallow.
Turn left at the junction and follow the lane until you reach a track leading down to a gate on the right, opposite the large metal gates on the left just after the houses.
There are some nice displays of violets along the lane in early spring.
The purple flowers resembling a miniature pansy that you see along the footpaths from March to May are almost certainly dog violets, so-called because they are unscented (rather than scented of dog) to distinguish them from the sweet violet. The plants are able to thrive both in shade and full sun, so are found in grassland and hedgerows as well as woodland. Sweet violets prefer shade, so if you do encounter these it will most likely be in woodland, but the dog violets are more common even in this habitat.
Turn right down the track leading from the back of the parking area and make your way to the stile on the right of the gate. Cross the stile and then keep left to join a grassy track. Follow it to where it forks to go through a gate.
The track seems to be a popular flight path for butterflies searching for nectar-bearing flowers along the hedges.
A popular misconception is that a butterfly was originally called flutterby. In fact, the name stems from the Old English word buttorfleoge which literally means "butterfly". The term "flutterby" is thought to have been coined by Shakespeare.
Keep right just before the gate to follow the grassy path down the valley until a path forks off the track to the right, leading to a footbridge.
Bear right down the path and follow it over the footbridge and wooden walkways to reach a stile. Cross the stile and keep left to follow the path ahead, winding between the trees, to emerge into a field.
Bluebells grow in the woodland and usually begin flowering towards the end of April.
In folklore, the bluebell is a symbol of constancy, presumably based on the fact that they flower in the same place every year. It was said that anyone who wears a bluebell is compelled to tell the truth. This is probably the origin of the '…something blue…' that a bride should wear on her wedding day.
Follow along the top of the field to the far side.
Follow the path leading from the field to reach a wooden kissing gate. Go through this and follow the path until it ends on a track in front of some cottages.
Turn left onto the track and follow it along the row of cottages to reach a lane.
Turn left onto the lane and follow it back to the beach.
Porthallow is now probably best known for being the midpoint of the South West Coast Path.
The South West Coast Path stretches for 630 miles from Minehead in Somerset to Poole Harbour in Dorset. It was created as a route between lighthouses for use by the Coastguard so they could overlook the bays and coves to catch smugglers.


text:
Bryan Nigel Allen (born August 21, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2001 and 2014.

Playing career
Allen was the fourth overall selection in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft to the Vancouver Canucks. A big, bruising defender with a mean streak, Allen earned comparisons to Derian Hatcher at the time of his selection.

Allen made the Canucks at age 18 in his first camp, but was unable to reach a contract with the team's management and returned to the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Oshawa Generals, his junior team. Despite being limited to 37 out of his team's 66 games, his strong leadership style of play earned him OHL First All-Star Team honours. He was also selected to represent Canada at the 1999 World Junior Championships.

After missing substantial parts of the two previous seasons due to injury, he missed virtually all of the 1999–00 campaign following surgery.

Allen would play most of his first two professional seasons in minor-pro before earning a regular roster spot in the 2002–03 season, appearing in 48 games and scoring 5 goals. With the departure of Murray Baron in the summer of 2003, Allen became a regular for the Canucks and did a fine job of replacing Baron's size and physical play. He was especially a standout on the penalty kill, logging heavy minutes as the Canucks finished near the top of the NHL in that category. On November 5, Allen was suspended for two games following an incident on November 3 in which he slashed Detroit Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg, breaking his leg.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Allen suited up for Khimik Voskresensk of the Russian Superleague (RSL) to stay in game shape. Back in Vancouver for the 2005–06 season, with the departures of Marek Malík and Brent Sopel, as well as long-term injuries to several other defenders, Allen's icetime skyrocketed and he became one of the team's most important defenders, finishing with career highs of 7 goals and 17 points.

On June 23, 2006, Allen was involved in a multi-player trade that sent him, Todd Bertuzzi and Alex Auld to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Roberto Luongo, Lukáš Krajíček and a sixth-round draft pick. The 2006–07 season would be the best of his career to date, as he set career highs with 21 assists and 25 points and established himself as one of the Panthers' top defenders.

A knee injury caused Allen to miss all but two games of the 2008–09 season with the Panthers.

On February 28, 2011, Allen was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Sergei Samsonov.

On July 1, 2012 Allen signed a three-year contract as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks. On November 20, 2014 during the 2014–15 season, the final year of his contract, Allen was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward Rene Bourque.

International play

Allen represented Canada at the World Junior Championships. He recorded one goal and three points in 7 games to help Canada to a silver medal. His goal was a huge one, the tying goal late in the final against Russia, but Russia would ultimately win in overtime.

Allen was expected to be a leader for Canada at the 2000 World Junior Championships, but was unable to play as he was recovering from injury.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

1980 births
Living people
Anaheim Ducks players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Russia
Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Carolina Hurricanes players
Florida Panthers players
Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players
HC Khimik Voskresensk players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Kansas City Blades players
Manitoba Moose players
Montreal Canadiens players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
Norfolk Admirals players
Oshawa Generals players
Sportspeople from Kingston, Ontario
Syracuse Crunch players
Vancouver Canucks draft picks
Vancouver Canucks players

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia