text:
Fishpath
FishPath Process
FishPath Tool
FishPath Applications
FishPath Network
FishPath Team
FishPath is being applied across the globe, both led by The Nature Conservancy, NOAA, CSIRO, and other members of the FishPath Network. FishPath case studies range from full FishPath engagements with a series of multiple workshops to trainings on the use of the FishPath tool.
where-we-work-intro
More Applications of the FishPath Tool
case-studies-section-title
FishPath Engagement Processes
© Paul Stickland
New South Wales (NSW), the central eastern state of Australia, manages a range of coastal fisheries. The annual total value of NSW wild harvest commercial fisheries is approximately AUS$90 million at first point of sale. The wider seafood industry generates close to AUS$370 million of economic activity each year, employing more than 3,500 people. Simultaneously, the NSW recreational fishing industry generates about AUS$3.4 billion annually. Despite implementing a catch quota system in 2019, NSW fisheries management is not underpinned by formal harvest strategies.
Following a series of introductory workshops and FishPath webinars to NSW fishery managers and broader stakeholders, a dedicated workshop was held in early 2019 to apply FishPath to identify harvest strategy options for a beach-based, intertidal fishery: Beachworms and Pipis (small bivalves) Estuarine General Hand Gathering fishery. Via a series of workshops and core group intersessional work, CSIRO is now partnering with NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries to provide expert, context-specific guidance in the development of harvest strategies using the FishPath process and tool. We aim to build capacity in data-limited fishery stock assessment and deliver implementation ready fishery harvest strategies for a range of NSW DPI Fisheries. The key issues in NSW fisheries are less around data limitation, and more a lack of formal guidance to develop tailored harvest strategies for multiple gears and sectors (including the important recreational sector), especially given that many target species are cross-jurisdictional.
the-bahamas
© Jeff Yonover
© TNC
Watch our short video: Bahamian Queen Conch - Fishers and Scientists Share Knowledge for a Sustainable Fishery
Queen Conch (Lobatus gigas) is an important source of income for Bahamian communities, a staple in local diets, and is important to cultural identity. However, overfishing and habitat degradation undermines the sustainability of the conch fishery throughout the country. Surveys of abundance throughout the Bahamas suggest declines in conch stocks, threatening the health of the marine ecosystem and livelihoods of thousands of fishers.
The Nature Conservancy and its partners, The Bahamas Department of Marine Resources and The Royal Bahamas Defence Force, have been working together to apply the FishPath process to Queen Conch since late 2017. After a foundational step of using the FishPath tool in a multi-stakeholder setting, the Conservancy specifically focused on engaging fishers to hear and document their voices regarding the feasibility of management measures and proposed actions facing the fishery. One of the key bottlenecks identified was a lack of information on determining mature Queen Conch and ensuring that mature individuals can remain in the water to reproduce and maintain a healthy population. To address this challenge and inform the development of improved management measures, the Conservancy began hosting educational engagements with conch fishermen and conch scientists during 2019 about conch biology and maturity. A shared understanding of shell characteristics that indicate maturity, such as shell length and lip thickness, will support both fishermen and fishery managers in ensuring a sustainable fishery. Combined with data analyses with partners at NOAA Fisheries, next steps for the Conservancy and Bahamian stakeholders involve the development and testing of an adaptive fishery management plan.
FishPath Workshop Summary Article by IFOP
Fisheries are an essential economic driver for almost every coastal community in Chile, a country with an extremely productive coastal zone that forms part of the Humboldt Current, one of the world's richest upwelling systems. While Chile is known as a pioneer in developing co-management approaches for nearshore marine resources targeted by artisanal fishermen, overfishing and illegal fishing continue to be a threat to the sustainability of small-scale fisheries and marine ecosystems. The Conservancy is collaborating with government agencies, local fishing communities, academics, local NGOs and other stakeholders to apply FishPath to small-scale fisheries across the country.
In partnership with the Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (IFOP), the Conservancy and partners began applying the FishPath process to the coastal finfish, Vieja Negra (Graus nigra), a species of importance to small-scale and recreational fishers and kelp forests in the central and northern regions of Chile. Through this first FishPath engagement in the country, main challenges to develop and adopt a management plan for Vieja negra, and coastal finfish overall, were identified. To understand the fisheries legal setting for implementing management actions for unmanaged coastal finfish and address challenges in data limitations, data organization exercises and legal analyses were performed and informed by multi-stakeholder workshops. Next steps involve continuing to evaluate the Vieja Negra status through a suite of data-limited assessments supported by expert judgement, and explore options for developing and implementing management measures at the national level. In addition, the Conservancy is currently exploring the application of FishPath to other fisheries in Chile, such as blue and mako sharks, with communities, local NGOs, and university and government partners.
© Peter French
Coral reefs and associated reef fishes of Hawai'i provide invaluable cultural and ecological benefits for nature and people. The nearshore fisheries of Ka'ūpūlehu and Kūkiʻo, located on the western side of the island of Hawai'i, have been a sustainable source of sustenance to the people of these lands for several hundred years. In recent years, concern for the health of the coastal ecosystem has stimulated a desire to ensure long-term conservation for these resources and prompted the formation of the Ka'ūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee (KMLAC), tasked with involving community members in efforts to oversee and effectively manage marine and anchialine pond resources within the Ka'ūpūlehu ahupua'a and Uluweuweu Bay.
In August 2018, The Conservancy and KMLAC convened scientists, fishermen, natural resource managers, educators, cultural practitioners, members of fisheries-focused NGOs, staff from the Hawai'i Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) and Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), and Conservancy staff to begin the development of a comprehensive Subsistence Fishing Plan using the FishPath process that conserves the marine resources of Ka'ūpūlehu while ensuring sustainable subsistence use and soundly managed take in a changing climate. The stakeholder group is using FishPath to co-develop an adaptive ecosystem-based fisheries management plan that includes all culturally, ecologically and economically important fish and invertebrate species in this area. Through applying the FishPath process, the group broadly aims to demonstrate a successful process for co-development of adaptive, ecosystem-based fisheries management plans that can be scaled to additional communities throughout the islands.
© Kevin Arnold
© NOAA
Indonesia contains some of the most diverse marine habitats and richest fishing grounds in the world. Its many islands and high water to land ratio makes management a distinct challenge. A large number of stocks across a large area, combined with limited technical capacity, poses an intense challenge to the development and implementation of science-based fisheries management. The FishPath tool was first introduced to colleagues in Indonesia through a stock assessment training in 2017. A subsequent FishPath engagement in 2018 led by NOAA Fisheries brought together scientists, managers and NGOs representing national and provincial levels of governance throughout Fishery Management Area 715 for the first time ever.
Additional applications of the FishPath process and tool have focused specifically on provincial fisheries in West Papua and on nationally-led stock assessments for snappers. In West Papua, NOAA scientists are working with Indonesian colleagues toward establishing the first fishery management plan in Indonesia, and one in its poorest region, to empower local authorities to ensure sustainable catch in anchovies for local villagers who have recently seen diminished livelihood opportunities because of much of the industrial anchovy fisheries diverting catch to provide bait for the tuna fisheries. There is hope this fishery management plan can become a template for the rest of the country. At the national level, the goal of the FishPath process in the mixed-stock snapper fishery is to stabilize fish populations vulnerable to overfishing. In Indonesia, FishPath has been an organizational tool that has repeatedly been used as data collection, assessment, and management options have been critiqued and formulated for the specific needs of each fishery examined.
© Nick Hall
© Carlos Aguilera
The region of the Gulf of California and the Mexican Pacific harbors incredible biological diversity and represents more than 70% of national fishery production. Despite this importance, only one in ten fisheries are managed sustainably, demonstrating the importance of focusing on the remaining fisheries in need of management improvement, conducting stock assessments, and implementing responsive harvest strategies. One of the challenges lies in limited resources for fisheries management, of which a majority are directed towards industrial or larger scale fisheries, which are important for export markets. However, it is important to recognize the vital role that artisanal fisheries play in Mexico; more than 250,000 fishers depend directly on this activity and this sector represents more than 23% of national fishery production.
In order to improve management of small-scale coastal fisheries, a partnership between The Nature Conservancy, the Instituto Nacional de Pesca y Acuacultura (INAPESCA), and the Comisión Nacional de Acuacultura y Pesca (CONAPESCA) was established in 2017 to apply the FishPath engagement process to the Huachinango fishery (Lutjanus peru). The Conservancy and partners used the FishPath tool to understand the current setting and challenges of the Huachinango fishery, and begin the selection process of appropriate data collection, assessment, and management measure options. A technical sub-group from the Mexican government agencies, with support from the Conservancy, is currently executing trainings and capacity-building workshops dedicated to fishery data organization and data-limited assessments. Next steps include the development and implementation of standardized data collection protocols, as well as the use of FishPath process results, to support the management plan for huachinango and overall effective management of the fishery. Furthermore, the Conservancy is exploring the application of FishPath to other fisheries in Mexico.
FishPath Process in Peru Overview
Technical Workshop Summary Article by IMARPE
Artisanal fisheries in Peru are incredibly important to the nation's domestic seafood supply, health of marine ecosystems, and economies of coastal communities. Because of this, The Nature Conservancy has been working across diverse fisheries in Peru to apply FishPath in collaboration with the Instituto del Mar del Perú (IMARPE) and local fishing communities.
In collaboration with IMARPE, the Conservancy and partners applied the FishPath engagement process to the Chita fishery or Peruvian grunt (Anisotremus scapularis) in 2015. This is one the species of concern that IMARPE identified as in need of management reform. Over a two-year period, the Conservancy and Peruvian partners used the FishPath process and tool to select the monitoring actions, stock assessment options, and decision rules applicable to the Chita fishery. During this period the team also completed suitable data-limited assessment approaches identified by FishPath, and considered the associated management regulations that may be implemented to better collect and utilize fishery information. One of the implemented management actions was an annual closed season from 1-31 December, now adopted by Peru's Ministry of Production (PRODUCE). Continuing the collaborative work with Peruvian partners, the Conservancy and IMARPE are continuing to apply the FishPath process for additional species of concern, including lenguado (Paralichthys adspersus), shark species including Shortfin Mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) and Blue shark (Prionace glauca), and Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), among others. each involving IMARPE and other fishery stakeholders. In addition, as part of this collaboration, IMARPE and TNC have been implementing a series of workshops to contribute to strengthening technical capacities for implementation of data-limited stock assessments, aimed at fishery scientists. In addition, TNC continues to collaborate with artisanal fishing communities of Ancón to apply FishPath in the design of community-based management strategies for rockfish and benthic resources.
© ADFG
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) is tasked with writing fishery management plans for state managed rockfish. In late 2019, the FishPath Tool was applied by the data stewards, scientists, biologist and managers to begin this daunting task. This overall team first divided into small groups, with each group walking through all three Tool questionnaires separately. The small groups then joined together to compare and ultimately settle on answers, documenting any discrepancies and nuances. Any lingering questions were flagged, with FishPath experts at NOAA Fisheries providing clarification through remote meetings. These questionnaires primarily allowed the researchers to identify which stock assessments methods to investigate further or work toward in the future, as well as which management measures were best suited for their management system. It also identified where data collection could be improved. In early 2020, ADFG has now organized and moved forward on its next steps through FishPath by preparing data, conducting stock assessments, and developing control rules. Within the next year, the agency hopes to have fully realized fishery management plans, stock assessments and control rules, with outlined next steps.
© Luis Gustavo Cardoso
Along the coast of Southern Brazil, industrial and artisanal catches targeting demersal fishes have been declining gradually since the 1980s, largely due to lack of an effective management strategy combined with a weak enforcement system, which has led to high fishing effort. The FishPath tool was used to support a decision process of selecting management measures options across an area of 13,700 km² within the territorial sea along the coast of Rio Grande do Sul State (RS), during the initial phases of a broader effort. After the initial tool application and several subsequent stakeholder meetings and data analyses, a ban on bottom trawling, which includes vast bycatch of undersized fish and endangered species, was proposed within the 12 nautical miles (territorial sea) along the RS coast. A follow-up study on the potential impacts of a bottom trawl ban was conducted and showed that each discarded ton of small fish of the four key species would produce 3 tons of fish at commercial size after one year and 10 tons after two years, resulting in potential revenues of ca. US$9 million for the fishing sector and government coffers through associated taxes, as well as benefit an estimated 22 endangered fish species. The results of this study were essential in gaining public support for the bottom trawling ban, which was approved and published as a Decree by the government of RS in 2018.
© David Hills
Fitzgerald et al. (2018): Detecting a need for improved management in a data-limited crab fishery.
The small-scale, data-limited Southern California Rock Crab fishery targets multiple species, including red (Metacarcinus or Cancer productus), yellow (Metacarcinus (formerly C.) anthonyi), and brown (Romaleon antennarium (formerly C. antennarius)) rock crab. Although economically valuable, the fishery has never been formally assessed and has exhibited rapid fishery growth in recent years that may be leading to overfishing. The fishery is currently managed through a state-wide size limit and restriction of the number of fishing permits, but little information is available on the efficacy of these controls or life history information. The assessment section of the FishPath tool was used to identify a suite of data-limited stock assessment approaches best suited for the available information and conditions of the fishery. Assessment results collectively indicated symptoms of serial depletion (Fitzgerald et al. 2018). The results may be utilized by managers and fishery stakeholders to provide the critical scientific foundation for management in the California Rock Crab fishery.
© Mwangi Kirubi
Blog Post: Steering a New Course for Kenya's Fisheries
Small-scale coastal fisheries in Kenya target many species that are important for coastal biodiversity and form the basis of local livelihoods. However, there is often limited data and capacity for monitoring and managing these important coastal resources, such as spiny lobster, coastal finfish, and octopus. During the development of the conceptual framework that underpins FishPath, under the auspices of SNAPP, the FishPath tool was tested and refined through a pilot case study in Kenya, focused on lobster and reef fish, with the engagement and support of local fishery scientists, NGOs, and fisheries managers. Moving forward, the use of FishPath process is planned to continue in lobster and start in octopus fisheries led by TNC together with local partners, government agencies, and CSIRO and supported by scientists from NOAA.
© Jason Houston
The Republic of Seychelles has one of the highest per capita rates of fish consumption in the world. The Seychelles fishing sector constitutes ~17% of total formal employment, while exports of fish and fish products represent ~95% of the total merchandise exported in Seychelles. The Seychelles marine ecosystem has been compromised by increasing human pressures, including overfishing. Several fisheries have collapsed, prompting the government to take stronger actions to ensure Seychellois fisheries remain sustainable. Fisheries management is currently limited by insufficient legal and institutional frameworks, human capacity, and infrastructure. In late 2017, an MOU was signed between the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) and CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, to encourage joint research activities including in fisheries stock assessments and harvest strategy development. In early 2019. the SFA and CSIRO, held an initial FishPath workshop in Victoria, Seychelles, to demonstrate the use of the FishPath tool. During this first exposure to FishPath in Seychelles, progress was made towards developing a draft harvest strategy for the lobster fishery. The positive feedback and interest from SFA and local partners and the fishing sector have helped paved the way for continuation of the refinement of a harvest strategy for lobster and a broader series of FishPath engagements in the country led by CSIRO, TNC and NOAA Fisheries in collaboration with local partners.
Learn more about the Organización de Productores Pesqueros 72 (OPP-72)
Throughout the Gulf of Cadiz in southwestern Spain, the Bocinegro (Pagrus pagrus) fishery is economically and culturally important. The community of Conil de la Frontera (Conil), is responsible for approximately 64% of the total annual bocinegro catches in the Gulf of Cadiz region. Despite the development and enforcement of self-regulations, traceability platforms, and marketing measures by the Organization of Fishery Producers (Organización de Productores Pesqueros 72; OPP-72) of Conil, the fishery is limited by a lack of scientific and fleet information. The FishPath process was applied through a collaborative project with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The project sought to explore how tools, such as FishPath and the Data-Limited Methods Toolkit, can help move data-limited fisheries along a path towards certification. During the FishPath process, diverse participants, including representatives from OPP-72, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, and local non-profit organizations, collaboratively used the FishPath tool to identify appropriate data collection, assessment, and management options for the Bocinegro fishery.
The Bahamas FishPath process is focused on the Queen Conch Fishery (Lobatus gigas).
In Mexico, the FishPath process is being applied in the Huachinango fishery (Lutjanus peru) in the Gulf of California and the Mexican Pacific.
The application of FishPath in Chile is focused on bringing stakeholders together to improve management of coastal finfish fisheries, such as Vieja negra (Graus nigra).
The FishPath process was shaped in Peru, where a strong agency partnership has led to assessment of numerous coastal fisheries and stronger technical capacity.
In Hawai'i, a multi-stakeholder group is using the FishPath process in the co-development of adaptive, ecosystem-based fisheries management plans that can be scaled to additional communities throughout the islands.
FishPath was applied in Spain through a collaboration with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
The assessment section of the FishPath tool was used in the California rock crab fishery.
Led by CSIRO, the FishPath process is being undertaken for multiple inshore coastal fisheries in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
In Indonesia, FishPath is being led by scientists at NOAA Fisheries, applied at both the national level and in West Papuan fisheries.
The FishPath process and tool were initially applied and refined in Kenya during the Science for Nature and People Partnership (SNAPP) working group, with additional projects planned for 2021 for lobster and octopus fisheries.
FishPath was introduced in Seychelles through an initial workshop focused on the spiny lobster fishery in Seychelles, led by CSIRO and NOAA Fisheries, with follow-up refinements and application to additional fisheries planned for 2021.
In Alaska, the FishPath tool is being used to guide the development of fishery management plans for state-managed rockfish.
In Brazil, the FishPath tool was used as a decision-support system in the initial steps of a broader process to develop fishery management actions for demersal fisheries along the coast of the Rio Grande do Sul state.
The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.


Product prices and availability are accurate as of 2019-04-20 08:28:51 EDT and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on http://www.amazon.com/ at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Vintage 1950s reproduction fashions,stunning retro swimsuits,we have what your are looking for!
Accentuate your curves,adorably retro swimsuit Perferct for your pinup look at the beach.


text:
The SinterCast Mini-System 3000 control equipment will be installed at the University of Alabama-Birmingham this year, and will be used to conduct research for Caterpillar's efforts to develop new CGI alloys that support higher specific power density and better thermal efficiency for heavy-duty diesel engines.
Caterpillar Backing New CGI Research Project
Developing "new, high‐strength ferrous alloys" Need for continuous advances in engine performance, efficiency Leap-frog material advances
Robert Brooks | Apr 23, 2013
With the help of a U.S. Dept. of Energy grant, Caterpillar Inc. is taking a fresh look at compacted graphite iron as a high-strength, lightweight material for diesel engine structures. The agricultural and off-road equipment builder will work with the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Dept. of Material Science and Engineering laboratories, where a new Sintercast AB process control package will be installed this year to develop new CGI products for Caterpillar's applications.
Funding for Caterpillar's project stems from a $3.47-million grant by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, to "develop new, high‐strength ferrous alloys for cylinder heads and engine blocks to allow for higher cylinder pressures and increased engine efficiency."
"By investing in next-generation vehicle materials and components, we are helping U.S. manufacturers improve the fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks and ensuring American companies remain at the cutting-edge of the global auto industry," U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, announcing the research in January 2012. "Lighter, stronger materials will help improve the performance of our vehicles while saving families and businesses money at the pump."
Overall, DOE's $14.2-million program grants funds to Ford, General Motors, the U.S. Automotive Materials Partnership, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as to Caterpillar.
Last year, DOE indicated Caterpillar would develop a cost model for the new components, for comparison with current production components.
Now, SinterCast details further that the objective for Caterpillar and UAB is to develop cost-effective, high-strength cast materials that support increases in specific power density (horsepower/weight) and increased thermal efficiency for heavy-duty diesel engines.
"This project reinforces the need for continuous advances in engine performance and efficiency, and the need for advanced materials to support these objectives while ensuring durability and emissions compliance," according to SinterCast president and CEO Dr. Steve Dawson. "These demands, and the opportunities for CGI growth, are particularly applicable in heavy-duty engine applications, defined by this project as the 10- to 17-liter displacement range, for engines with more than 350 horsepower."
High-Strength Alloys for Heads, Blocks
CGI is a specialty grade of cast iron that has greater tensile strength, stiffness, and fatigue strength than gray iron or aluminum, and it has gained wide popularity among engine manufacturers seeking to reduce weight, noise, and emissions for their designs.
SinterCast developed the most widely used process for commercial CGI production. It licenses the process to numerous automotive foundries worldwide, which use it to cast more than 50 components in series production.
Some foundries use a laboratory-scale version to test new applications. Working under a separate agreement, UAB will install SinterCast's Mini-System 3000 equipment, and SinterCast will provide technical support to the research with Caterpillar.
Caterpillar is listed by SinterCast among numerous OEMs to have incorporated its CGI products in the past.
"Building on our successful experience with compacted graphite iron in commercial vehicle engine applications, we look forward to this unique opportunity to explore leap-frog material advances," Dr. Dawson continued.
The University has two casting laboratories, including 500-lb. and 100-lb. hydraulic tilt-box furnaces, with a 175-KW power supply. Material research systems include optical and stereomicroscopes with digital cameras for direct image acquisition and image processing software. The lab also has scanning electron microscopy (SEM), casting simulation software, and casting modeling technologies.
SinterCast Sets Record for Revenue in 2012
Diesel Options Drive CGI's U.S. Market Gains
GIFA Results Please Organizers, Exhibitors

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
December 01, 2021 - Field Level Media
Billy Napier closes out Louisiana career vs. Appalachian State
Billy Napier has one more thing to accomplish at Louisiana.
The 24th-ranked Ragin' Cajuns (11-1, 8-0) have won the Sun Belt Conference West Division title in each of Napier's four seasons as head coach and lost in the championship game twice.
After seeing last year's championship game against Coastal Carolina canceled because of COVID-19, Louisiana hosts the Sun Belt title game for the first time when it faces Appalachian State (10-2, 7-1) on Saturday in Lafayette, La.
Napier, who was named head coach at Florida on Sunday, will coach the Cajuns on Saturday in search of their first title game victory. It's undetermined whether he will coach them in their bowl game. The winner of Saturday's game goes to the New Orleans Bowl.
"We set out to build a program that would make this University and Louisiana proud," Napier said.
Louisiana lost its season opener at Texas, 38-18, but has won a school-record 11 games in a row, tying the win total under Napier two years ago.
The distraction of Florida's courting of Napier was nothing new to the Cajuns. Napier has been a frequent target the last couple of years. Last year he reportedly spurned overtures from two other SEC schools – South Carolina and Auburn.
"It hasn't been difficult," safety Kam Pedescleaux said. "I feel like as a team we don't really focus on those outside things."
One of reasons for Napier's lack of interest in other jobs a year ago was that Louisiana was returning 20 starters and expected to have a chance to succeed as it has.
"We know that this group is special," Pedescleaux said. "All we want to do is bring a championship to Lafayette."
The Cajuns, who went undefeated in Sun Belt play for the first time, defeated the Mountaineers 41-13 on Oct. 12 in Lafayette.
"After the Louisiana game we came back and we regrouped," Appalachian State head coach Shawn Clark said. "We didn't coach well in that game and we didn't play well in that game."
The Mountaineers have won six straight since then. The streak started with a 30-27 victory at Coastal Carolina and each of the subsequent victories has come by at least 24 points.
"We've been performing at a high level these last couple weeks, and I think that just goes to our preparation," linebacker D'Marco Jackson said.
The Mountaineers are coming off a dominant defensive effort in a season-ending 27-3 home victory against Georgia Southern last Saturday. They had four sacks and allowed just 194 yards. They've allowed a total of just 31 points in their last four games.
"We went back to keeping things a little simpler," Clark said. "We have really been rallying to the football, getting 11 hats to the football and playing fast. That has shown the last four or five games."
Like Louisiana, Appalachian State is a very experienced team. The Mountaineers have a group of seven sixth-year seniors who have been part of compiling a 62-15 record.
"This is the third time (the Sun Belt Championship Game) has been played, and it's been us and Louisiana the whole time," Clark said. "I think it's big any time you can have a chance to play for championships and that's what we sell in our programs."
Sport Writer & Editor
FLM has a North American focus while tying into regional and hyper-local resources – providing the ability to distribute compelling content through the writing of professional journalists. As the U.S. sports content provider to dozens of digital and print media publishers through strategic partnerships with the likes of Reuters and Nielsen Sports, FLM covers the nuts and bolts with a breaking news desk and game event coverage.
No Games Currently Available


Campbell Crafts Vintage was founded by international Fashion Stylist Lindsay Campbell Crafts, pulling her love for fashion and all that is vintage into one online luxury boutique. Having traveled extensively with her work, she found that she was always drawn to that 50's cut and feel - with an Americana feel. Think Diners and Bowling - and you will understand where Campbell Crafts started.
Campbell/Crafts Vintage launched in 2013 and started out selling American brands that no one else in the UK stocked. Having seen the success of Campbell Crafts, winning The Best Online Boutique in 2015 at The National Vintage Awards, the decision was made to start creating and selling a small amount of own brand clothing - up first was pastel coloured diner shirts. When we were selling out and seeing bloggers, and customers alike raving about our designs, we decided to add a bowling shirt design in early 2016 along with a new diner dress and tied blouses. With the own brand being received so well, the decision was made to ONLY stock own brand with a few 'accent' items - launching in 2018!
The Fifty Five collection launched in May 2018, taking reference from Palm Springs, CA! We still stock additional pieces from specially selected retailers that we feel fit our 55 aesthetic, complement our outfit and appeal to our customer base.
Our vintage aesthetic runs slightly mainstream, meaning anyone can enjoy the look of the 50s, a classic, flattering cut transcends time and is stylish in any season, age or era!
There is something for every vintage lover at Campbell Crafts Vintage!


As a Buffalo Criminal Lawyer, I am often asked by clients if they can obtain youthful offender status when charged with a crime. If you are under the age of 19 and charged with a criminal offense in New York State, you may be eligible for youthful offender status. This means that if a court finds that you are eligible, your criminal conviction will be a nullity. It will be as if it never happened. You will not have a criminal record, and there will be no criminal history about any conviction. You still may be punished, and there still may be penalties imposed if you are convicted, but you can go forward in life without having a criminal conviction.
Are you under 19 and have been arrested for a crime? Contact Buffalo Criminal Lawyer Arthur Pressman to see if you are qualified for youthful offender status.
This educational blog post was provided by Arthur Pressman, an experienced Buffalo Criminal Lawyer.


4th of July is one of my favorite holidays and today begins the holiday weekend. I believe this entire weekend is a celebration of our freedom and our liberties and a time to honor the men and women that fight for us to continue to have these rights. I thought today I would leave you with some 4th of July inspiration.
Great quotes! Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!!!
I love these! Very inspirational!


This case study-based manual provides a framework for the establishment, development and management of sport-in-development organisations and programmes. The selected case studies are: Magic Bus (Mumbai), Mathare Youth sport Association (Nairobi), Go Sisters (Lusaka) and Youth Education Through Sport (Harare).
The basic premise of the manual is that a process-led approach will contribute to staff development and capacity building, greater organisational integration, and more coherently designed and consistently delivered programmes.
The manual recognises that as each programme will vary, reflecting local circumstances, it rather addresses broader issues by providing a framework for thinking about and establishing programme aims, objectives and related performance indicators and providing guidance for establishing and implementing a framework for the monitoring and evaluation of the processes outcomes and impacts of programmes.
Professor Coulter has truly and strongly given eye-opening stuff in this.
Professor Coulter's critical perspectives on "M&E Manual: Sport-in-evelopment" are academically rewarding (real Professor!). His critical thoughts (in his books and articles), his scholarly advice and support made me think broader than I used to be. May God bless his wisdom?


MPV Car Hire Byron Bay is a flexible and low cost way to travel. No matter how many people are in your group we can fit them in with anything from six seater vehicles to 12 person people carriers. If you want an MPV hire Byron Bay vehicle with GPS then you can rent the seven seater Ford Espace, while the Vauxhall Zafira is also a popular multi purpose vehicle. While many of our customers are tourists who are going on family holidays and require a spacious MPV, we also rent out minivans for business purposes. Whether you need a van to do a job or an MPV for corporate travel, MPV hire Byron Bay is affordable.
The illustrious pale sands of Byron Bay will tempt many a beach lover, as will its laid-back streets filled with mellow local bars, relaxed restaurants and trendy boutique shops. Take up residence in one of the town's beach houses for bedtimes that are filled with the sounds of the sea.
Byron Bay is Australia's southern surfing hub that consists of a collection of sandy surf beaches. It's possible to see them all on an exciting surf safari trail.
Multi purpose vehicles are great for all occasions where you need to transport multiple persons such as weddings or sporting events. If you and your friends want to hire out an MPV to see a big match or have a fun stag party, we recommend that you book at least two months in advance. As availability will be better then you will get cheaper MPV hire Byron Bay rates. The summer, Christmas and Easter holidays are our busiest MPV hire Byron Bay times so plan your reservation accordingly.
You can choose from the latest makes of vehicle by companies like Toyota, Ford and Suzuki. All cars come with excellent AC so that there is no need to get hot and bothered with a lot of people in the car. Prices of just 150 dollars per week are also fully inclusive of all your insurance needs such as a CDW and liability cover. Multi purpose vehicles are so popular because of their versatility and reliability that they make the perfect vehicle for any vacation. Book now for great prices on MPV hire Byron Bay.


We Design and Engineer technologies from major brands such as Extreme Networks, Microsoft, VMware, Cisco, and EMC and also customize with application specific technologies from innovators like Palo Alto and A10.
Our team can help identify network and business requirements around routing and switching design, virtualized environments, cloud and network services, and IT Services Management.
Since 1995 Random Access has provided IT sales, service, and consulting support services addressing a wide array of technical and logistical issues. Our customers range from smaller, commercial users to large enterprises. Our client support model features a "customer centric" approach tailoring the solution to meet the business mandate.
Rapid turnaround for pricing on all brands we represent.
'House of Lync' is one of 30 national Microsoft PSLPs. We can help enable Lync to unify voice and video calls, Lync Meetings, presence, and instant messaging (IM) in one easy-to-use client, making it simple to choose and switch between different forms of communication.
Microsoft Lync unifies voice and video calls, Lync Meetings, presence, and instant messaging (IM) in one easy-to-use client, making it simple to choose and switch between different forms of communication.
Use the device you want. Lync makes communicating easier with a consistent and familiar experience available on Windows PCs, Windows Phone, iOS, and Android smartphones.
Connect with the outside world. Lync federation extends unified communications securely over the Internet to customers, suppliers, and partners using Lync or Skype.
Take advantage of standards-based HD video: Lync uses open standards including H.264 SVC to provide a high-quality video experience on a wide range of devices.
Extend Lync Meetings outside your organization with browser- based access. The Lync Web App allows PC and Mac users to join a Lync Meeting from a browser and delivers a full online meeting experience including IM, voice, multiparty video, data collaboration and sharing.
Similar to the changes in IT hardware, software and services purchasing, the selection of network services has also changed. The services are varied, the distribution confusing and the contracts complex. Allow us to help sort through the confusion and complexity by assisting you in selecting the right service and contract arrangement that suits your needs.
Cost - we receive the same pricing as the direct carrier account teams and will use the data to drive your cost down by leveraging the comparison.
Business continuity - most account teams from the major carriers average less than a year on a given account, we are a team that provides a coverage model that features company-wide participation. The result is that we are all familiar with you.
Our back-office can act as an extension of your IT staff - review billing information, opening trouble tickets, problem escalation and resolution.
Trying to determine what and when to make a cloud shift - we can help.


text:
For official information on the COVID-19 situation, please follow this link.
Newsletters |Donor Resources|PAIA
Phone : +27 (21) 447 6020
Email : info@psfa.org.za
Introducing our new bookkeeper, Nicky Samuel
The PSFA general committee, management and staff welcome Nicky Samuel to the team. Nicky joined us on January 3, 2017, taking up the reigns as our new bookkeeper.
Nicky who was born in Claremont, Cape Town attended St Ignatius Primary School and Livingstone High School in Claremont. After leaving school, she held various positions in office admin and was then promoted to creditor's supervisor. This opportunity launched her career in finance.
Nicky completed a bookkeeping certificate and later studied financial accounting through Intec College. She gained vast experience in accounting packages and bookkeeping as she worked in various industries as a bookkeeper and salaries officer in the industries of clothing, retail, education, health care, poultry and engineering /manufacturing. She also worked for a few years as a supply chain manager and Project Co-ordinator.
In her spare time Nicky enjoys spending time with her family and friends at home, the outdoors, camping, walking, dancing, gardening, swimming and visiting the sick. She also volunteers her services by doing her church's finances, manages the churches planned giving campaign and assists with fundraising.
Nicky is married to David Samuel and has two sons and a daughter and is also a grandmother to five grandchildren. She enjoys the company of her two dogs, Whiskey and Tiny, a snake called Tom Tom which belongs to her grandson Thomas, Francesca the tortoise, an aviary of birds and a tank full of fish.
It has been Nicky's dream to work for a non-profit organisation and she is delighted to part of the PSFA team. We wish Nicky a long and happy tenure at PSFA!
Abercrombie and Kent feed children at Obs Junior for another year
7 Food Tips to Reduce the Disastrous Effect of Hunger on Education
Facts about donating to PSFA
PSFA directs 100% of all donations towards the direct cost of school feeding.
PSFA has Section 18A status, which makes all donations tax deductible.
PSFA's electronic donation mechanism is secured by Thawte. Your credit card details will be encrypted. You will receive an e-mail acknowledging your donation and within a few days a receipt, provided we have your contact details.
Donation Options Please select an option
for a Month
R82.50 per Month Quantity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 70 80 90 100
for a Year
R495 per Year Quantity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 70 80 90 100
Feed a Class
R14,850 per Year Quantity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 70 80 90 100
Feed a Child during the School
Holidays for only
R100 Quantity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 70 80 90 100
Make this donation In Lieu of a Gift / In Honour of
Name & Surname:
Comments / Instructions:
Notify Recipient - Your donation amount will not be disclosed
I would like to receive a tax certificate
Donate Via
Title Mr Mrs Miss
Subscribe to Newsletter I Accept The Terms & Conditions
Please Note: You will be redirected to Nebank Iveri secure payment gateway and your credit card details will be encrypted. You will be sent an email acknowledging your donation. Within a few days, you will also receive a receipt.
While your donation is helping to feed children, any donation is also tax deductible in terms of Section 18A of the South African Income Tax Act.
Other Donations Methods
Direct Deposit Into PSFA Bank Account
Name of Account: Peninsula School Feeding Association
Bank: Standard Bank
Branch: Thibault Square
Account Number: 070894159
Status: Cheque Account
Swift Code: SBZA ZA JJ (For donors outside South Africa)
You May Send A Cheque In Favour Of:
Peninsula School Feeding Association
Make A Financial Contribution Every Month
This will ensure that a hungry child will continue to receive a daily nutritious breakfast and lunch while at school.
Click here to download the Monthly Giving Form
Bequests/Legacies
If you would like to remember us in your will as a gift to the future of this county, you may nominate PSFA as a beneficiary. Your gift will extend beyond your lifetime and contribute to meaningful change in the lives of our children.
Click here to download the Bequest/Legacies Brochure
For more information, please contact us at 021-4476020 or email us at info@psfa.org.za.
Click here to view Donor Resources
Physical Address: 26 Purdey Road, Sheffield Business Park, Philippi, 7750
Postal Address: PO Box 154, Observatory 7935
Account Name: Peninsula School Feeding Association
Bank : Standard Bank of
South Africa Limited
Status : Cheque Account
Branch : Thibault Square
Branch Code : 020909
Swift Code : SBZAZAJJ
Account Number : 070894159
Thibault Square Branch,
Corner of Hans Strijdom Street
and Long Street,
Cape Town,
Newsletters |Donor Resources |PAIA


text:
The Lithuanian Cycling Federation or LDSF () is the national governing body of cycle racing in Lithuania.

The LDSF is a member of the UCI and the UEC.

External links
 Lithuanian Cycling Federation official website

National members of the European Cycling Union
Cycle racing organizations
Cycling
Cycling

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Гірська або Гірня () — село (поселення) в Габровській області Болгарії, підпорядковане общині Дряново. В селі налічується 3 мешканця.

Примітки

Села общини Дряново


Almost 500 cancers occurring within the study arm of the Age Trial have had their radiological features reviewed. The commonest radiological features of screen-detected cancers in this age group are granular microcalcification (28%), spiculate mass (22%), poorly defined mass (20%) and comedo calcification and parenchymal distortion both at 18%. Of the 254 cancers detected at screening that had a previous screen, 52% showed some mammographic feature on the previous screen. The most frequent abnormality in such cases was granular microcalcification 44%, parenchymal deformity 17% and poorly defined mass 17%. Of the 138 interval cancers reviewed, 30% had abnormalities visible on previous screens. The commonest features present on previous screens were microcalcification, asymmetric density and ill-defined mass.
The radiological features of cancers arising in younger women who are being screened are different to those occurring in older women. Spiculate masses are less common and microcalcification is more common in this age group. Microcalcification is also a common feature of screen-detected cancers visible on previous screens.
False negative interval cancers show a more varied distribution of radiological features, with asymmetric density, parenchymal deformity and microcalcification all being important features.


text:
Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
I picked this one up on a lark at one of the library's used book sales. Buck a book the first day. Buck a box of books the second day. Phenomenally popular in some circles, phenomenally panned in others, I thought I'd give it a read and see what sense I could make of it.
In case you don't know, Left Behind is the first in a sixteen-book series LaHaye and Jenkins wrote—all of them novels—and all of them based on the end time mythology believed by some Evangelical Christians. The Rapture, The Tribulation, the Mark of the Beast—all of that stuff. Left Behind deals solely with the Rapture itself—millions of people all over the world disappearing in the blink of an eye (evidently swept off the Heaven by Jesus)—and the lives of those left behind who have to make sense of the loss. And I want to deal with the novel on three different levels.
First, there's the writing.
It's not awful. Given the subject matter and some reviews I've heard of it, I expected it to be absolute dreck, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it on par with other popular pulp fiction I've read. The prose is not rich, it doesn't thrill you with its imagery or metaphor, but it doesn't distract you with its clumsiness and it keeps the story moving forward.
Next, there's the plot.
There are 468 pages in the edition I have. And until page 458, I was wrestling with the idea that I might go ahead and at least read the next volume, if not all sixteen of them. How did they manage to lose me just ten pages shy of the end? Let me try to explain.
The story is mostly about a handful of people—an airline pilot, his daughter, a journalist, an assistant pastor—who all got left behind because their faith was lacking in some way, and about how they find their ways back to Christ as they realize that world events are starting to follow the prophecies they see in Revelation. The rise of the Antichrist is a big part of that, and in this novel the Antichrist is:
"Nicolae Carpathia."
"Carpathia like the—?"
"Yes, like the Carpathian Mountains. A melodic name, you must admit. I found him most charming and humble. Not unlike myself!" Again he had laughed.
"I've not heard of him."
"You will! You will."
Buck [the journalist] had tried to lead the old man. "Because he's…"
"Impressive, that's all I can say."
"And he's some sort of low-level diplomat at this point?"
"He's a member of the lower house of Romanian government."
"In the senate?"
"No, the senate is the upper house."
"Don't feel bad that you don't know, even though you are an international journalist. This is something only Romanians and amateur political scientists like me know. That is something I like to study."
"In your spare time."
"Precisely. But even I had not known of this man. I mean, I knew someone in the House of Deputies—that's what they call the lower house in Romania—was a peacemaker and leading a movement toward disarmament. But I did not know his name. I believe his goal is global disarmament, which we Israelis have come to distrust."
This is our first glimpse of the man who would later be revealed as the Antichrist and, given the novel's subject matter, the alarm bells should already be going off. The identity of the Antichrist is never really a mystery to the reader, although the characters struggle somewhat to puzzle it out. But what really stands out to me is how much I'm initially on board with Carpathia. Global disarmament. World peace. Sounds good to me. And it seems like he might have a better shot at that with all the evangelicals whisked off to heaven.
You see, as I worked my way through the novel and Carpathia moved farther and farther along the path outlined for the Antichrist in Revelation, I kept trying to harmonize his actions and those of the people around him with reality as I understood it. That, to me, would have been a much more interesting novel—a story in which the events of Biblical Armageddon took place, but in a way that was logical and consistent with the way humans actually conduct themselves on planet Earth. I thought that would have been really clever, and I kept trying to read this novel that way. Picture a series of events that secularists would interpret as natural and beneficial and that evangelicals would interpret as sinister and evil. The authors could have kept their readers guessing as to what was really going on until the very end. But as I finally deciphered ten pages away from the ending, LaHaye and Jenkins couldn't write that novel. No one could. Because the events of Biblical Armageddon depend entirely on the suspension of reality. They couldn't happen any other way. And if you aren't willing to abandon reality, then nothing that happens is this novel will strike you as plausible.
For example, at a press conference, Carpathia is asked what he thinks is behind all the disappearances mainstream society has not yet interpreted as the Rapture. He refers to a hypothesis of one of his scientist friends:
"Dr. Rosenzweig believes that some confluence of electromagnetism in the atmosphere, combined with as yet unknown or unexplained atomic ionization from the nuclear power and weaponry throughout the world, could have been ignited or triggered—perhaps by a natural cause like lightning, or even by an intelligent life-from that discovered this possibility before we did—and caused this instant action throughout the world."
Um, excuse me? Come again? The fictional press corps is evidently ready to swallow that mumbo jumbo, but one intrepid reporter asks why, if that is so, the disappearances affected some people and not others?
"At this point they are postulating that certain people's levels of electricity made them more likely to be affected. That would account for all the children and babies and even fetal material that vanished. Their electromagnetism was not developed to the point where it could resist whatever happened."
If this was the real world, who would take any of that seriously? Especially a world where all the fundamentalist Christians are gone. The average understanding of real science across the world would have jumped several points. A person's level of electricity? What does that even mean?
And there's more stuff like that that this Antichrist does, things that don't make any plausible sense in the real world, and can only be rationalized if you believe they need to happen because the Bible says they must. Things like a pact between United Nations members to guarantee Israel's borders, an agreement by all nations to give their nuclear weapons to the U.N., moving the U.N. headquarters to Babylon, and the establishment of one currency, religion and language for the entire world. Think about the real political situation in the world today. These things are not just implausible, they are ludicrous. But LaHaye and Jenkins must make them happen because they are writing a novel about the prophesized end times. And how do they do that? How do they make that all work?
That's why it took me so long to figure it out. I kept thinking there would a rational explanation for things, that I was reading a psychological thriller—like The Exorcist—where there are two interpretations of events—one embraced by the believers and one by the non-believers, and the authors would heighten the tension by walking the razor-thin wire between the two interpretations, never letting on to the reader which interpretation was the right one. Was Carpathia the Antichrist trying to take over and enslave the world? Or was he the leader of a broad secular movement, working against religious interpretations of reality and towards co-existence and peace among all peoples?
"You think Carpathia is this Antichrist?"
"I don't see how I could come to any other conclusion."
"But I really believed in the guy."
"Why not? Most of us did. Self-effacing, interested in the welfare of the people, humble, not looking for power or leadership. But the Antichrist is a deceiver. And he had the power to control men's minds. He can make people see lies as truth."
That last bit LaHaye and Jenkins mean literally. What finally pushes me over the edge is the scene where Carpathia murders someone in front of a room full of people, and then hypnotizes them all into believing some madman had rushed into the room and shot the victim. There's no going back after that. Carpathia has literal magic at his command. It's what he needs to make the Bible story actually happen, but it's also the point where I lose all interest.
And finally, there's the worldview.
It's pretty black and white.
As someone observes shortly after the Rapture occurs:
Everyone we know who's gone is either a child or a very nice person.
Of course they are. We all know that only true Christians are good people. All those secularists and Jews and Muslims—they're all working for Satan. The authors really write about non-believers like all they know about them are the stereotypes. Here one of the main characters, Rayford Steele (the airline pilot) thinking about his wife's belief and his lack of belief (the bold type is emphasis I have added):
Irene had always talked of a loving God, but even God's love and mercy had to have limits. Had everyone who denied the truth pushed God to his limit? Was there no more mercy, no second chance? Maybe there wasn't, and if that was so, that was so.
But if there were options, if there was still a way to find the truth and believe or accept or whatever it was Irene said one was supposed to do, Rayford was going to find it. Would it mean admitting that he didn't know everything? That he had relied on himself and that now he felt stupid and weak and worthless? He could admit that. After a lifetime of achieving, of excelling, of being better than most and the best in most circles, he had been as humbled as was possible in one stroke.
As if non-believers are consciously denying some truth that is readily apparent to them. As if they believe they know everything. The atheist clichés are thick as thieves in this novel, and there isn't a single character who has a prayer to survive with their non-belief intact with LaHaye and Jenkins calling the shots. Rayford's dialogue with Bruce Barnes (the assistant pastor) and his inner turmoil as he struggles with his own lack of belief is a treasure trove of these tropes.
I believe God's purpose in this is to allow those who remain to take stock of themselves and leave their frantic search for pleasure and self-fulfillment, and turn to the Bible for truth and to Christ for salvation.
Frantic? Most people who are serious about searching for pleasure and self-fulfillment are pretty disciplined about it. There's no other way to find it.
It doesn't make any difference, at this point, why you're still on earth. You may have been too selfish or prideful or busy, or simply you didn't take the time to examine the claims of Christ for yourself.
Or perhaps you were unconvinced by the utter lack of evidence?
He needed forgiveness of sin and the assurance that one day he would join his wife and son in heaven.
What sin does he need to be forgiven of? Not thinking the right magical thoughts?
He confessed his pride. Pride in his intelligence. Pride in his looks. Pride in his abilities. He confessed his lusts, how he had neglected his wife, how he had sought his own pleasure. How he had worshipped money and things.
Oh, the horror. The horror!
Indeed, much later in the novel when every major character seemed to be turning into a born again Christian, I scribbled in the margin:
This story needs an atheist who, resigned to acknowledge that the God of the Bible is real, still wants nothing to do with the S.O.B.
At first I thought Rayford's daughter Chloe was going to be that character. Here she is arguing with her father shortly after the "disappearances," when those "left behind" are still trying to make sense of them. Rayford and Chloe were both part-time Christians before the Rapture, and now Rayford is coming to understand what has really happened.
"Chloe, I think the Christians are gone."
"So I'm not a Christian either?"
"You're my daughter and the only other member of my family still left; I love you more than anything on earth. But if the Christians are gone and everyone else is left, I don't think anyone is a Christian."
"Some kind of a super Christian, you mean."
"Yeah, a true Christian. Apparently those who were taken were recognized by God as truly his. How else can I say it?"
"Daddy, what does this make God? Some sick, sadistic dictator?"
"Careful, honey. You think I'm wrong, but what if I'm right?"
"Then God is spiteful, hateful, mean. Who want to go to heaven with a God like that?"
"If that's where your mom and Raymie are, that's where I want to be."
"I want to be with them, too, Daddy! But tell me how this fits with a loving, merciful God. When I went to church, I got tired of hearing how loving God is. He never answered my prayers and I never felt like he knew me or cared about me. Now you're saying I was right. He didn't. I didn't qualify, so I got left behind?"
Chloe's conundrum was also mine for a while. I wanted the authors to explain to me what the critical difference was—why some people who thought they were Christians were raptured and why others who thought the same thing weren't. The closest they come to providing an answer is in that earlier dialogue between Rayford and Bruce. In it, Bruce explains that he thought he was covered because he believed and found solace in the Bible verses that said if he confessed his sins and was faithful God would forgive him and cleanse him. Even though:
I knew other verses said you had to believe and receive, to trust and abide, but to me that was sort of theological mumbo jumbo.
And later, he stresses:
But we are to receive his gift, abide in Christ, and allow him to live through us.
These are clearly the key ideas, the description of the difference that saved some and caused the others to be left behind. Believe and receive his gift. Abide in Christ. Allow him to live through you. Sounds good. But I don't have any idea what they really mean. The rest of Bruce's dialogue provides some clues, but they are all so childish, so parochial, that it's hard to take them seriously. With the benefit of hindsight, Bruce laments, he knows that he was left behind because he did such abominations as not tithing to the church, not sharing his faith with others, seeing movies when he was supposed to be witnessing, reading things he was not supposed to read, and looking at magazines that fed his lusts. Well yeah, Bruce, doing shit like that, I can see why God left your sorry ass behind.
And being left behind is evidently a very bad thing in this narrative world that LaHaye and Jenkins have created. As Bruce laments at the end of this dialogue:
There is no doubt in my mind that we have witnessed the Rapture. My biggest fear, once I realized the truth, was that there was no more hope for me. I had missed it, I had been a phony, I had set up my own brand of Christianity that may have made for a life of freedom but had cost me my soul. I had heard people say that when the church was raptured, God's Spirit would be gone from the earth. The logic was that when Jesus went to heaven after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit that God gave to the church was embodied in believers. So that when they were taken, the Spirit would be gone, and there would be no more hope for anyone left.
This, of course, is totally consistent with the evangelical worldview. The only good people on the planet are the true Christians, so when they are gone, the world will inexorably slip into darkness and chaos.
The news was full of crime, looting, people taking advantage of the chaos. People were being shot, maimed, raped, killed. The roadways were more dangerous than ever. Emergency units were understaffed, fewer air- and ground-traffic controllers manned the airports, fewer qualified pilots and crews flew the planes.
People checked the graves of loved ones to see if their corpses had disappeared, and unscrupulous types pretended to do the same while looking for valuables that might have been buried with the wealthy. It had become an ugly world overnight, and Rayford was worried about his and Chloe's safety.
And this, for me, is ultimately the most unbelievable part of the entire story. If only the truest of true believers had been swept off to heaven, then there would still be BILLIONS of people left on earth who were fundamentally good people, who would want to see the world move on the way it always had. I certainly would. Contrary to the authors' opinion of the ungodly, most of them aren't looking for someone else to save them. They are working hard, day in and day out, to save the world from itself. Maybe, since the world population would be slightly more secular than before, they would actually find ways to make things a little better. Chaos would certainly reign for a day or two after the Rapture incident, but cooler heads would prevail.
But not in this novel. There can be no positive atheists in this morality play. For God is real and the atheists are just plain wrong.
Posted by Eric Lanke at 8:33 PM
Labels: Fiction, Jerry B. Jenkins, Tim LaHaye
What's all this, then?
What's the title mean?
Where'd you get that photo?
Is everything on this blog copyrighted?
The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels by Michael Watkins
Boards That Make a Difference by John Carver
Greasy Lake & Other Stories by T. Coraghessan Boyle
Descent of Man by T. Coraghessan Boyle
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham
The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
Battle for the Mind by William Sargant
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Things Written - Novels
Columbia: Reflections in Broken Glass (2008)
Farchrist Tales, Book 6: Sorrow (1997)
Farchrist Tales, Book 5: Crusader (1994)
Farchrist Tales, Book 4: The Price (1991)
Farchrist Tales, Book 3: The Undergod (1991)
Farchrist Tales, Book 2: The Forgotten Temple (1990)
Farchrist Tales, Book 1: Stone to Flesh (1990)
Things Written - Short Stories
River of Doubt (2003)
The Faerie Knave (1990)
The Stray (1990)
Transients (1990)
Things Happen (1989)
The Rain Song (1989)
Ghost (1987)
Suicide Is Just a State of Mind (1987)
The Wizard's Revenge (1986)
Things Read - by Category
Didn't Finish
Philosophy/Religion
Top Ten - Fiction
Top Ten - Non-Fiction
Things Read - by Author
Albee, Edward
Ambrose, Stephen E.
Andera, Margaret
Avalos, Hector
Badaracco, Joseph L.
Bass, Rick
Berger, Thomas
Boritt, Gabor S.
Bossidy, Larry
Bovard, Jim
Boyle, T. C.
Brands, H. W.
Brooks, Geraldine
Buck, Pearl S.
Buckingham, Marcus
Butterworth, Bill
Byers, Mary
Cairo, Peter C.
Canter, Rachelle J.
Carver, John
Cather, Willa
Chappell, Alexandra
Charan, Ram
Christopher, Jay
Clark, Walter Van Tilburg
Clarke, Arthur C.
Coerver, Harrison
Coffman, Curt
Cooper Jr., William J.
Cooper, James Fenimore
Corcos, Alain F.
Coward, Rosalind
Curti, Merle
Daniel, Larry J.
Davis, Kenneth S.
DeCagna, Jeff
Doidge, Norman
Dorin, Patrick C.
Dotlich, David L.
Ellis, Joseph J.
Ellison, Ralph
Finney, Jack
Fitzgerald, F. Scott
Fleming, Thomas
Forester, C. S.
Franklin, Benjamin
Frazer, Sir James George
Gammel, David
George, Bill
Gichon, Mordechai
Gordinier, Jeff
Green, Miranda J.
Greenwald, Glenn
Grenny, Joseph
Gutzman, Kevin R. C.
Haley, Alex
Hardwick, Michael
Hardwick, Mollie
Hattaway, Herman
Heinlein, Robert A.
Herzog, Chain
Hilton, Conrad
Hitchens, Christopher
Hoving, Thomas
Hulston, Nancy J.
Hurston, Zora Neale
Hyde, Catherine Ryan
Jacobs, Jerald A.
Janson, H. W.
Jenkins, Jerry B.
Jenkins, Roy
Johnson, Chalmers
Johnston, Johanna
Jordan-Evans, Sharon
Kantor, MacKinlay
Kaye, Beverly
Keillor, Garrison
Kirsch, Jonathan
Klemperer, Victor
Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth
LaHaye, Tim
Lalli, Nica
Lamb, Brian
Larsen, Lawrence H.
Lawrence, T. E.
Leckie, Ross
Lenardon, Robert J.
Litman, Robert
Markoe, Merrill
Maugham, W. Somerset
McCullough, David
McGeady, Sister Mary Rose
McGowan, Dale
McLaughlin, Mary Martin
McMillan, Ron
McPhee, Nancy
Menzel, Donald H.
Moe, Richard
Moore, Christopher
Moore, Lorrie
Morford, Mark P. O.
Morris, Desmond
Morris, Edmund
Moynihan, Daniel Patrick
Notter, Jamie
O'Reilly, Bill
Oates, Stephen B.
Ossana, Diana
Palin, Michael
Pasachoff, Jay M.
Patterson, Kerry
Perry, Steve
Pfanz, Donald C.
Pfeffer, Jeffrey
Philbrick, Nathaniel
Randall, Alice
Ravikovich, Felix
Remini, Robert V.
Rhea, Gordon C.
Riggs, David F.
Robbins, Tom
Rops, Mickie
Ross, James Bruce
Sagan, Carl
Sargant, William
Schama, Simon
Schlosser, Eric
Scholtes, Peter R.
Shaara, Jeff
Shephard, Ben
Silverman, David P.
Simpson, Brooks D.
Smiley, Jane
Smith, Amy
Sobel, Dava
Spring, Justin
Sutton, Robert I.
Switzler, Al
Tap, Bruce
Taylor, Winnifred
Todd, Lewis Paul
Tolstoy, Leo
Tuchman, Barbara W.
Turgenev, Ivan
Vonnegut, Kurt
Watkins, Michael
Waugh, John C.
Wister, Owen
Wolfe, Tom
Woods, Thomas E.
Wright, Patricia
Wright, Robert
Zakaria, Fareed
Zappler, Lisbeth
Things Read - by Title
Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The
After Daybreak: The Liberation of Belsen, 1945
All the Pretty Horses
All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton, The
Ancestor's Tale, The
Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire
Annals of Tacitus, The
Antic Hay
Art for Dummies
Association Law Handbook
Attention Deficit Democracy
Balancing Work and Life
Battle for the Mind
Battle of the Wilderness, The
Battles of the Bible
Best of H. P. Lovecraft, The
Blank Slate, The
Blind Watchmaker, The
Boards That Make a Difference
Bonesetter's Daughter, The
Book of Insults, The
Booknotes: Stories from American History
Boone's Lick
Boys from Brazil, The
Brain That Changes Itself, The
Brave New World Revisited
Cat Who Walks Through Walls, The
Charles Dickens Encyclopedia, The
City by the Bay: San Francisco in Art and Literature
Classical Mythology
Cold Harbor
Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson, The
Comanche Moon
Come to the Basement: How to Thrive as a Pampered Chef Spouse
Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching, The
Crossing, The
Crucial Confrontations
Crucible, The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Demon-Haunted World, The
Descent of Man
Devils of Loudun, The
Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems
Dragon Complex, The: Strategies for Identifying and Conquering Workplace Abuse
Embattled Shrine: Jamestown in the Civil War
End of Biblical Studies, The
End of Faith, The
Essential Edward Hopper, The
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Exorcist, The
FDR: The War President
Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales, The
Farewell to Arms, A
Fart Proudly
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Female Desires
Field Guide to the Stars and Planets, A
First 90 Days, The: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels
First American, The
First, Break All the Rules
Five Temptations of a CEO, The
Flight of Eagles
Friend of the Earth, A
Gettysburg Nobody Knows, The
Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, The
God Delusion, The
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
God, Please Save Me
Golden Bough, The
Golden Compass, The
Good Earth, The
Greasy Lake and Other Stories
Guilty as Sin
Guns of August, The
Guns, Germs and Steel
Handmaid's Tale, The
Harlot by the Side of the Road, The
Hemingway's Chair
History of New York, A
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The
Hour Before Daylight, An
House of Sand and Fog
I Will Bear Witness, Volume 1
Idiot, The
Inner Circle, The
Jefferson Davis, American
Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine
Jungle, The
King Arthur, His Knights, and Their Ladies
Kiss the Girls
Knowing-Doing Gap, The
Lake Wobegon Summer 1956
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Last Full Meaure: The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers, The
Last Tycoon, The
Late Night with David Letterman: The Book
Leader's Handbook, The
Leading Quietly: An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the Right Thing
Letter to a Christian Nation
Long Remember
Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay
Magnetic North: The Landscapes of Tom Uttech
Make the Right Career Move
Man and Superman
Man in Full, A
Martian Chronicles, The
Metamorphoses, The
Moon and Sixpence, The
Moral Animal, The: Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Myth of Human Races, The
Naked Ape, The
Nature's Oddballs
No Spin Zone, The
Nothing Like It in the World
O Pioneers!
O. Henry Stories - Prize Stories 1989
Old Beauty and Others, The
On Death and Dying
Over Lincoln's Shoulder: The Committee on the Conduct of the War
Ox-Bow Incident, The
Pale Fire
Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids without Religion
Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams
Pendergast!
Pilot, The
Plot Against Asthma and Allergy Patients, The
Portable Medieval Reader, The
Post-American World, The
Problems and Other Stories
Professor's House, The
Purpose-Driven Life, The
Race for Relevance
Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency
Rembrandt's Eyes
Richard S. Ewell: A Soldier's Life
Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, The
Rise of the American Nation
Rise to Rebellion
Road to Wellville, The
Road, The
Rose Madder
Secret Prey
Seven Famous Greek Plays
Severed Head, A
Shades of Blue and Gray: An Introductory Military History of the Civil War
Shadows of the Empire
Shadows on the Rock
Sin Killer
Sink the Bismarck!
Slaughterhouse-Five
Soldiers' Pay
Spark of Independence, The
Spartacus by Howard Fast
Spy, The
Stand, The: The Complete and Uncut Edition
Survival at Auschwitz
Theodore Rex
Thousand Acres, A
Three Musketeers, The
Time to Kill, A
Tom Clancy's Op-Center
Tragic Legacy, A
Travels with Charley
Truth About You, The
Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph over Adversity
Virginian, The
Wandering Hill, The
Warden, The
We Have Always Done It That Way: 101 Things About Associations We Must Change
When This Cruel War Is Over
Where the Sea Used to Be
Whirlwind of War, The: Voices of the Storm, 1861-1865
Who Killed the Constitution?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Why CEOs Fail
Why I Am Not a Christian
Why Is Sex Fun?
Wind Done Gone, The
Wisdom of Crowds, The
Women with Men
World of the Druids, The
X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft But Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking
You Are Being Lied To: The Disinformation Guide to Media Distortion, Historical Whitewashes and Cultural Myths
Zeke and Ned
Things Quoted
Andreas Capellanus
Catherine Beecher
James Michener
Peter Damiani
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
Sink the Bismarck! by C. S. Forester
Simple theme. Theme images by MichaelJay. Powered by Blogger.


A non-security release with bug fixes and small API/feature improvements.
Drupal 8 core maintainer Alex Pott quit his job to work on Drupal 8 full time in March. This week he set up a Gittip account in the hopes that he can continue working on core full time. Please consider paying this man to continue working on Drupal 8 full time.
The Drupal Association is looking for a Drupal Business Community Manager.
Apparently this week the Drupal community discovered Gittip. Greg Knaddison explains it in this post and why it's a great idea. I hope a lot of you create accounts and start supporting people that are making cool stuff.
Andrew Berry discusses his experiences learning Android development on the Lullabot blog.
In Jeff Geerling's thoughtful article he explains the causes of many of the negative perceptions about Drupal.
My collegue at Mediacurrent Kendall Totten shares a cool Sass mixin trick using Breakpoint mixin. Be sure and check this out if you sling the Sass from time to time.
Xjm gives us an update on where the Drupal 8 is and ways we can help move it along. There are quite a few none code related tasks that need work like writing change notifications, update issue summaries, identifying API changes, and de-prioritizing less important issues.
Join The Extended Drupal 8 Sprints In Prague From Sept 21st to 29th!
In this tutorial from Deeson Online you will learn how to insert a form into a popup modal.
Mike Crittenden continues his series on the Phase2 blog.
Another quality tutorial from Web Wash.
A short beginner friendly tutorial from Bryan Braun.
Create Your Perfect Schedule At DrupalCon Prague - Including BOFs!
If you are attending DrupalCon Prague go make your own schedule.
A cool vagrant based project that popped up on the Drupa sub Reddit this week. Instantdrupal lets you spin up a Drupal VM server with Vagrant and Virtual box so you can keep your local system pristine. Looks interesting.
Kristof De Jaeger, Tim Leytens, and Leen are developing native mobile apps for use by Drupal camps. This = Awesome. You can check out their code on Github.
Angela Byron's talk from Drupal Developer Days Barcelona.
I've been digging into the Drupal 8 lately and one of the HUGE improvements is the new configuration management system. Greg Dunlap's talk on this subject from Drupal Developer Days Barcelona is a great primer.
Brian Lewis has been doing a great job interviewing different people about DrupalCon Prague so be sure and check out his series of podcasts.
Alex Pott discusses Drupal 8 core maintainer-ship and his funding experiment.
Plan, build, and support Drupal-powered solutions that make a difference in the world. Forum One Communications is seeking a creative Technical Architect with outstanding Drupal skills to join our growing team.
Join our team of talented developers to build Drupal-powered websites for organizations doing important work around the world. Forum One offers a professional development time, a collaborative environment and outstanding benefits.


text:
Biden lays out US vax donations, urges world leaders to join
President Joe Biden urged world leaders Thursday to affix him in sharing coronavirus vaccines with struggling nations around the globe after he promised the U.S. would donate 500 million doses to assist velocity the pandemic's finish and bolster the strategic place of the world's wealthiest democracies.
ST. IVES, England (AP) — President Joe Biden urged world leaders Thursday to affix him in sharing coronavirus vaccines with struggling nations around the globe after he promised the U.S. would donate 500 million doses to assist velocity the pandemic's finish and bolster the strategic place of the world's wealthiest democracies.
Talking in England earlier than a summit of the Group of Seven world leaders, Biden introduced the U.S. dedication to vaccine sharing, which comes on prime of 80 million doses he has already pledged by the top of the month. He argued it was in each America's pursuits and the world's to make vaccination extensively and speedily accessible in every single place.
"We're going to assist lead the world out of this pandemic working alongside our world companions," Biden stated. He added that on Friday the G-7 nations would be part of the U.S. in outlining their vaccine donation commitments.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote in The Occasions of London newspaper that it was now time for rich international locations to "shoulder their obligations" and "vaccinate the world." His nation has but to ship any doses overseas or announce a strong plan to share vaccines. Johnson indicated Britain had thousands and thousands of doses in surplus shares.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the U.S. dedication and stated Europe ought to do the identical.
"I believe the European Union must have no less than the identical stage of ambition as the USA" and be capable of make an analogous announcement, he stated at a information convention.
Biden stated the U.S. was sharing its doses "with no strings connected" or "strain for favors."
"We're doing this to avoid wasting lives, to finish this pandemic, and that's it," he stated.
Biden had confronted mounting strain to stipulate his world vaccine sharing plan, particularly as inequities in provide around the globe have change into extra pronounced and the demand for photographs within the U.S. has dropped precipitously in latest weeks.
"In instances of bother, Individuals attain out to supply assist," Biden stated, including that the U.S. doses would "supercharge" the worldwide vaccination marketing campaign. "Our values name on us to do every part that we will to vaccinate the world towards COVID-19.″
The U.S. dedication is to purchase and donate 500 million Pfizer doses for distribution via the worldwide COVAX alliance to 92 lower-income international locations and the African Union, bringing the primary regular provide of mRNA vaccine to the international locations that want it most. A price ticket for the five hundred million doses was not launched, however the U.S. is now set to be COVAX's largest vaccine donor along with its single largest funder with a $4 billion dedication.
The worldwide alliance has to this point distributed simply 81 million doses and components of the world, significantly in Africa, stay vaccine deserts. White Home officers hope the ramped-up distribution program could be the newest instance of a theme Biden plans to hit incessantly throughout his week in Europe: that Western democracies, and never rising authoritarian states, can ship probably the most good for the world.
White Home officers stated the five hundred million vaccines shall be shipped beginning in August, with the purpose of distributing 200 million by the top of the 12 months. The remaining 300 million doses can be shipped within the first half of 2022.
After main the world in new circumstances and deaths over a lot of the final 12 months, the speedy vaccination program within the U.S. now positions it among the many leaders of the worldwide restoration. Almost 64% of adults within the U.S. have acquired no less than one vaccine dose and the typical numbers of latest constructive circumstances and deaths within the U.S. are decrease now than at any level because the earliest days of the pandemic.
The Group for Financial Cooperation and Improvement final week projected that the U.S. economic system would develop at a charge of 6.9% this 12 months, making it one of many few nations for which forecasts are rosier now than earlier than the pandemic.
U.S. officers hope the summit will conclude with a communique displaying a dedication from the G-7 international locations and nations invited to take part to do extra to assist vaccinate the world and assist public well being globally.
Nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan informed reporters Wednesday that G-7 leaders are "converging" round the concept vaccine provide could be elevated in a number of methods, together with by international locations sharing extra of their very own doses, serving to to extend world manufacturing capability and doing extra throughout the "chain of custody" from when the vaccine is produced to when it's injected into somebody within the growing world.
Biden harked again to the Detroit-area employees who 80 years in the past constructed tanks and planes "that helped defeat the specter of world fascism in World Struggle II."
"They constructed what grew to become often called the arsenal of democracy," Biden stated. "Now a brand new technology of American women and men, working with at this time's newest expertise, goes to construct a brand new arsenal to defeat the present enemy of world peace, well being and stability: COVID-19."
He famous that Pfizer's plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is just not removed from Detroit.
Final week, the White Home unveiled plans to donate an preliminary allotment of 25 million doses of surplus vaccine abroad, principally via the United Nations-backed COVAX program, promising infusions for South and Central America, Asia, Africa and others.
Officers say 1 / 4 of that extra shall be stored in reserve for emergencies and for the U.S. to share straight with allies and companions, together with South Korea, Taiwan and Ukraine.
China and Russia have shared, with various success, their domestically produced vaccines with some needy international locations, usually with hidden strings connected. Sullivan stated Biden "does need to present — rallying the remainder of the world's democracies — that democracies are the international locations that may greatest ship options for individuals in every single place."
The U.S.-produced mRNA vaccines have additionally confirmed to be more practical towards each the unique pressure and extra harmful variants of COVID-19 than the extra typical vaccines produced by China and Russia. Some international locations which have had success in deploying these typical vaccines have nonetheless seen circumstances spike.
Biden's resolution to buy the doses, officers stated, was meant to maintain them from getting locked up by richer nations which have the means to enter into buying agreements straight with producers. Simply final month, the European Fee signed an settlement to buy as many as 1.8 billion Pfizer doses within the subsequent two years, a major share of the corporate's upcoming manufacturing — although the bloc reserved the best to donate a few of its doses to COVAX.
International public well being teams have been aiming to make use of the G-7 conferences to press wealthier democracies to do extra to share vaccines with the world. Biden's plans drew fast reward.
Tom Hart, performing CEO at The ONE Marketing campaign, a nonprofit that seeks to finish poverty, stated Biden's announcement was "the type of daring management that's wanted to finish this world pandemic."
"We urge different G-7 international locations to observe the U.S.' instance and donate extra doses to COVAX," he added. "If there was ever a time for world ambition and motion to finish the pandemic, it's now."
Others have known as on the U.S. to do much more.
"Charity is just not going to win the warfare towards the coronavirus," stated Niko Lusiani, Oxfam America's vaccine lead. "On the present charge of vaccinations, it might take low-income international locations 57 years to succeed in the identical stage of safety as these in G-7 international locations. That's not solely morally fallacious, it's self-defeating given the danger posed by coronavirus mutations."
Biden final month broke with European allies to endorse waiving mental property guidelines on the World Commerce Group to advertise vaccine manufacturing and fairness. However many in his personal administration acknowledge that the restrictions weren't the driving explanation for the worldwide vaccine scarcity, which has extra to do with restricted manufacturing capability and shortages of delicate uncooked supplies.
Miller reported from Washington. Lemire reported from Plymouth, England. AP author Sylvie Corbet contributed to this report from Paris.
Copyright © 2021 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be revealed, broadcast, written or redistributed.
Tags: BidendonationsJoinlaysLeadersUrgesVaxWorld
AdPredictive Announces Appointment of Mainardo de Nardis to


"Part of the original business model for Baldwin& has always been to create our own brands. Ponysaurus is a premium craft beer created in partnership with local brewmaster Keil Jansen and entrepreneur Nick Johnson. Though the company is just launching, the reviews have already been phenomenal."


text:
John Wall knows what Lonzo Ball will go through, and how to get through it
Washington Wizards guard John Wall struggled in his rookie year but is now one of the top point guards in the league.
(Nick Wass / Associated Press)
By Tania GanguliStaff Writer
There were times during his rookie year that John Wall wished he were back in college.
The losing, it just hurt so much. He lost 59 games — more than he lost in all of his other seasons of organized basketball combined.
"Let me get paid and go play in college," Wall would think, a feeling he shared only with close friends.
He thought about it Tuesday inside a gym at UCLA, now seven years older and on a team that contends for Eastern Conference championships.
On Wednesday night, Wall will start opposite a point guard who faces the same kind of pressure as a rookie — to save a franchise from the dysfunction that preceded him, saddled with the expectations that come with being a high draft pick. He knows a lot about what Lonzo Ball will go through, and he knows how Ball can get through it.
"He's a humble kid," Wall said. "Doesn't say too much. Just plays the game. Plays with a low demeanor. That's something you can respect about him. He lets his game do the talking.
"I think he'll be fine. People gotta be patient, let him deal with it how he deals with it. Everybody wants him to be an angry, aggressive type of guy. That's not his demeanor. His demeanor is laid back, quiet and don't say much."
Wall and Ball shared headlines this week after Ball's famously verbose father said in an interview that there was no way his son would lose twice in one week. Wall's Washington Wizards teammate, Marcin Gortat, replied to the proclamation on Twitter, saying that Wall would "torture" Ball for 48 minutes.
"The competitor in Lonzo, of course he didn't take it so well," Lakers forward Brandon Ingram told reporters after practice. "And with his teammates behind him, we didn't take it so well."
Lakers guard Lonzo Ball, right, dribbles around New Orleans Pelicans guard E'Twaun Moore on Oct. 22.
(Kelvin Kuo / Associated Press )
Wall doesn't plan to torture Ball any more than he tortures other rookies.
"You want to show rookies what this league is about, point blank, period," said Wall, the first pick in the 2010 draft. "That's what I'm all about. That happened to me coming in. Every point guard I played. Even the guys that weren't a top 10-point guard, top-15 point guard, those guys are going to target you."
He remembered one particularly tough stretch when he played against Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo at home, then traveled right away to face Steve Nash, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
He also remembers having to adjust his game after years of relying on his athleticism to carry him against lesser opponents. And he remembers needing to learn to become a shooting threat. He shot 40% overall and 29.6% from three-point range as a rookie. Opponents backed off when he had the ball, happy to let him shoot rather than make plays, as they are likely to do against Ball this year.
"In this league you gotta prove you can do it," Wall said. "They still do it to me at times."
Ball was a better shooter in college than Wall was, making 55% of his field goals and 41% of his three-pointers. Through three games in the NBA he's shooting 35% overall and 29% on threes, percentages that have some wondering if his unorthodox shooting motion can work in the NBA.
"I'd tell them to go study Reggie Miller's career," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "It doesn't look great. It can be an issue, yes. But … [Ball] has a track record of being a really good shooter. So for us to try to mess with it would be silly. I'm obviously not calling him Reggie Miller, but his shot probably could have been fixed by a thousand people who wanted to fix it, and he is one of the greatest shooters our league has ever seen."
The Lakers have no plans on "fixing" Ball's shooting motion, comfortable it will improve on its own.
Wall's shooting didn't improve on its own. As he sat out the first few games of his third season, he watched more film to see how defenders exploited his poor shooting.
"First year you might be able to get by with getting to the basket not being able to make jump shots," Wall said. "But if you want to be somebody in this league and be something special you've gotta learn how to knock down a couple shots."
Now Wall is one of the league's best point guards, a player Walton called an "elite, elite point guard" and one who has the same advice for Ball that LeBron James once had for him as he slogged through losing like he'd never experienced before.
Just keep working and eventually you and your team will ascend.
"Once we got better, our team got better, we added pieces, then people wanted to come play for DC," Wall said. "A lot of people are gonna want to come play for the Lakers. So they won't go through that for long. They have a foundation, they have a point guard where they can believe in him. They can put their team behind [him], and then you'll have guys that are willing to come play with him."
tania.ganguli@latimes.com
Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli
Tania Ganguli
Tania Ganguli covers the Lakers for the Los Angeles Times.


text:
NOWCAST NewsCenter 5
5 Alert Traffic
5 On: State of Addiction
5 For Good
Better Money Boston
Building Boston
Driver killed in violent early morning crash
A driver was killed in a violent early morning crash in Mattapan on Sunday.Boston police said they responded to a single-vehicle crash at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday at Blue Hill Avenue and Fairway Street.The driver was ejected from the car and was later pronounced dead at the scene.Witnesses said the violent crash damaged area businesses."I heard police sirens, and I saw the car with no headlights on, coming down the street about 100 mph," said witness James Mullen. "Once I got close, the cop was trying to wake him up. But at the speed he was going, there was just no way I think he could have made it."Officers were not in pursuit of the vehicle, according to officials.Boston police have not yet identified the driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle.The cause of the crash is under investigation.The Associated Press contributed to this report.
BOSTON —
A driver was killed in a violent early morning crash in Mattapan on Sunday.
Boston police said they responded to a single-vehicle crash at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday at Blue Hill Avenue and Fairway Street.
The driver was ejected from the car and was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses said the violent crash damaged area businesses.
"I heard police sirens, and I saw the car with no headlights on, coming down the street about 100 mph," said witness James Mullen. "Once I got close, the cop was trying to wake him up. But at the speed he was going, there was just no way I think he could have made it."
Officers were not in pursuit of the vehicle, according to officials.
Boston police have not yet identified the driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
WCVB Boston
News About WCVB
©2020, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WCVB-TV.