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Week 9 NFL Game Recaps
Falcons 31, Colts 7
Forget 0-16. If you gave this Colts team 100 games, they'd go 0-100. They absolutely stink, and their lack of effort and miserable execution is completely embarrassing.
This was seriously like a blooper reel. Indianapolis was guilty of the following ridiculous plays:
- Delone Carter fumbled the ball on the second play of the game. The Falcons took over and scored with Michael Turner (19-71, TD) after running it five consecutive times. All they had to do was rush the football. Carter (4-8) was benched in favor of Donald Brown (16-70).
- On the next drive, Curtis Painter (13-27, 98 yards, INT) threw a terrible interception to Kelvin Hayden - a cornerback whom the Colts cut earlier this year.
- Painter had a pass of his tipped back to him. He then decided to throw the ball again, and consequently was whistled as an illegal forward pass.
- Julio Jones (3-131, 2 TDs) caught touchdown passes of 50 and 80 yards. On the former, Jones was covered by three Colt defenders, who couldn't do anything to stop the stud rookie wideout.
The Falcons won this convincingly, but Matt Ryan looked like he was trying his best to keep Indianapolis around. Ryan's stats look good (14-24, 275 yards, 3 TDs, INT), but his interception was an ugly pick-six to Jerraud Powers. Ryan also nearly threw multiple other interceptions, mostly at the end of the first half.
Ryan's other touchdown went to Tony Gonzalez (4-36). Roddy White didn't score, but he had a solid outing (4-76).
Speaking of receivers, none of Indianapolis' wideouts did anything. Reggie Wayne (4-30) and Pierre Garcon (3-22) disappointed. Dallas Clark (3-21) left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury.
Saints 27, Buccaneers 16
By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell
(Editor's Note: Matvei texted me when the Buccaneers scored what looked to be a backdoor cover touchdown: "It's nice to have shady pass interference penalties go our way for once. Go Bucs!" So much for that. Ugh, did the Saints really have to kick that frontdoor cover field goal? Why does something like this happen to me every week? Why God, why!?)
Saints cornerback Tracy Porter put a big hit on Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams, jarring the ball loose for an incompletion on one of the first plays from scrimmage. Both players were injured, with Porter having his head immobilized and carted off the field.
After a missing field goal, New Orleans got on the board with a drive led by running back Darren Sproles. He started it with a 35-yard run up the middle of the Tampa Bay defense. On the next play, Sproles caught a swing pass for 15 yards. They finished the drive with Drew Brees throwing a fade pass to Lance Moore for a short touchdown.
The next drive saw the Saints move the ball downfield quickly. They pounded the Buccaneers' run defense on the ground and set up a 21-yard screen pass to Sproles for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
Just before halftime, Tampa Bay's offense got going. Freeman lofted a deep ball to wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe for a 46-yard gain. That set up a field goal to cut New Orleans' lead to 14-3. Brees led a quick-strike drive to get the three points back.
In the third quarter, Brees was intercepted by veteran Ronde Barber on a dump off pass to Sproles. That set up the Buccaneers to get another field goal. It could have been more, but an idiotic late hit penalty by running back LeGarrette Blount put Tampa Bay in a 3rd-and-15. The Saints answered with a long drive to take a commanding lead. Running back Pierre Thomas charged through a few defenders to score a 9-yard touchdown run.
Freeman later tried to mount a comeback for the Buccaneers. He led a field goal drive to start the fourth quarter, and after getting the ball back, he engineered a 77-yard drive for a touchdown. Freeman made a clutch third-down play to wide receiver Mike Williams and tossed a 5-yard pass to tight end Kellen Winslow in the back of the end zone to cap the drive. That cut the Saints' lead to 24-16 with five-and-half minutes left. New Orleans put the game away on their next possession when they drove down the field and kicked a field goal.
Brees finished the afternoon 27-of-36 for 258 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Jimmy Graham led the Saints with six receptions for 78 yards. Sproles had 89 yards rushing and receiving with a touchdown reception.
Freeman finished the game 27-of-37 for 267 yards and one touchdown. Blount ran for 72 yards on 13 carries. Williams paced Tampa Bay in receiving with six catches for 46 yards. The Buccaneers killed themselves with terrible gap integrity in run defense and horrible tackling. They also played very undisciplined football with a number of stupid, critical penalties.
Texans 30, Browns 12
The Browns almost won this game. Seriously. All they needed to do was have a lot more talent on offense and tackle much better on defense, and they may have beaten Houston.
All kidding aside, this score was completely indicative of how much of a bloodbath this matchup was. In the first quarter and a half alone, Houston had outgained the Browns, 216-38. Cleveland's tackling effort against Ben Tate and Arian Foster was pathetic.
The Browns' offense, meanwhile, wasn't going anywhere. Colt McCoy didn't threaten the secondary, and it didn't help that Chris Ogbonnaya (13-28), starting in place of Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty, coughed up the ball right away. Ogbonnaya's fumble on Cleveland's opening drive allowed the Texans to score an easy second touchdown, putting the game out of reach.
The Browns ruined any chance they had with another turnover right before halftime. McCoy foolishly heaved a weak-arm lob into triple coverage on a 2nd-and-19. It was naturally picked off, allowing the Texans to kick a field goal with two seconds remaining prior to intermission.
McCoy went 14-of-22 for 146 yards, one touchdown and a pick. If it wasn't obvious before, Cleveland has to look for a new quarterback this offseason.
Only one Cleveland receiver (Josh Cribbs) had more than two receptions (5-50, TD). Greg Little (2-33) was not a factor, outside of the fact that he spent some time arguing with McCoy on the sideline.
None of the Houston wideouts did much either, only because Matt Schaub (14-23, 119 yards, 1 INT) didn't have to throw much. Owen Daniels (3-32) had the most yardage, while Foster actually led the team in receptions (5-26).
Speaking of Foster, he barely had more rushing yardage (19-124, TD) than Tate (12-115, TD). It's amazing how easily they both ran the ball against Cleveland.
Jets 27, Bills 11
Could this be the end of Buffalo's magical 2011 run? This game certainly could have been an indication of that. Because as lopsided as this score was, it could have been much, much worse for the host.
The Jets outgained the Bills, 339-207 while the game was still in question (Buffalo had an 80-yard drive late in the fourth quarter against a prevent defense). The only reason this was remotely close for so long was because of two Jet turnovers deep in Buffalo territory. Mark Sanchez tossed an ugly interception in the end zone following a long opening drive. In the second quarter, there was a botched snap between Sanchez and Nick Mangold.
Buffalo had its own turnover problems. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a really ugly outing, as he spent most of the first half lobbing interceptions to Jet linebackers. He was 4-of-12 for 24 yards and two picks at halftime, and most of his total yardage (191) came in that aforementioned 80-yard junk scoring possession.
Fred Jackson was also guilty of a key give-away. Down just 6-0 at the beginning of the third quarter, he fumbled deep in his own territory, giving New York an easy touchdown drive. Given Buffalo's inability to move the chains - they had just three first downs up until that point - a 13-0 deficit was just too much for them to overcome.
As for the Jets, Mark Sanchez played pretty well aside from that aforementioned pick, though he nearly had a second interception prior to halftime. Sanchez finished 20-of-28, 230 yards, one touchdown and that pick.
Sanchez's touchdown went to Santonio Holmes (3-29). Plaxico Burress, meanwhile, led the team in receiving (5-79).
Shonn Greene has been running the ball well since Nick Mangold returned from injury. That once again was the case today, as Greene gained 76 yards on 19 carries. Unfortunately, LaDainian Tomlinson (5-18) vultured a 1-yard touchdown opportunity.
Dolphins 31, Chiefs 3
So much for taking over the AFC West. Every good thing the Chiefs did in their Monday night upset victory was just erased by this. How do you allow a winless team to blow you out; let alone beat you at home?
The Dolphins apparently don't think they need to Suck for Luck. Matt Moore was amazing in this contest. His stat line was great (17-of-23, 244 yards, 3 TDs), but that doesn't even do his performance justice. He threw some perfect passes, including a beautiful 27-yard touch lob to Reggie Bush along the sideline.
Two of Moore's touchdowns went to Anthony Fasano (2-38), who actually dropped one of Moore's few incompletions. Brandon Marshall (8-106) had the other score.
Reggie Bush had a tremendous outing. Despite the fact that Daniel Thomas was able to play with an injury, Bush had nearly twice as many carries, rushing for 92 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts. He also caught three balls for 50 receiving yards.
As great as Miami's offense looked, Kansas City's scoring unit was obviously on the other end of the spectrum. There seemed to be a lot of confusion once again, and the crowd spend the entire second half booing Matt Cassel and Todd Haley after almost every play.
Cassel went 20-of-39 for 253 yards. With a ton of pressure in his face (five sacks), he had to run around a lot. In fact, he fell two yards short of leading his team in rushing yardage. Jackie Battle (14-40) paced the Chiefs in that category.
Only two Kansas City players had multiple receptions: Steve Breaston (7-115) and Dwayne Bowe (6-88). Jonathan Baldwin's one catch went for 12 yards, but he was targeted six times and had a touchdown nullified by offensive pass interference.
49ers 19, Redskins 11
By Greg Cox - @ActuallyGregCox
(Editor's Note: I don't think I'm ever going to draft a Mike Shanahan running back ever again. He's just being an a**hole at this point. Oh, and by the way, I'm now calling John Beck "John Blegh.")
I anticipated a defensive struggle and was not disappointed. Late in the first half, neither team had reached 100 total yards.
The Redskins did start with a bang. Rookie Roy Helu Jr., who got the start at running back, ran around the edge for 16 yards on the first play from scrimmage. Unfortunately, Helu (10 rushes for 41 yards) would average just 2.5 yards per carry the rest of the game. Even with Ray McDonald out on the defensive front, the 49ers were not budging. Starting in his place was Ricky Jean Francois, no doubt pumped over his alma mater LSU's huge win the previous night. Two short runs and a failed pass to Terrence Austin later, the opening possession ended in a punt.
San Francisco's offense was just a little more functional in this one even though they only drove more than 40 yards once. Their first drive was stopped by a funky shift that resulted in a penalty on 3rd-and-1 from the Washington 49. Head coach Jim Harbaugh clearly felt it should not have been a penalty for inducing the defense to jump and therefore an illegal motion penalty. Nevertheless, needing to throw, Alex Smith was crunched by rookie Ryan Kerrigan for a sack.
After a quick exchange of punts, Washington mounted a bit of offense, digging its way out from their own 3-yard line to reach the 37 thanks in part to a pair of 5-yard penalties. However, John Beck (30-for-47 254 yards 1 TD, 1 INT) was picked off by Dashon Goldson. One play later, the scoreless first quarter was over.
The 49ers went to Gore three times in a row to start the drive totaling 21 yards, then went away from him and failed to muster three yards on two plays to force a long field goal. David Akers, one of the most valuable players for them this season, was good from 52 yards out to make it 3-0.
The Redskins tried to mount an answer with Jabar Gaffney (4-40) catching two passes to convert third downs. However, on the second one, Trent Williams was nailed for a totally unnecessary smack in the back of Justin Smith for a 15-yard personal foul to force a punt following a pass to Helu. Now that I mention it, passing to him was a large part of the offense. He set a team mark with 14 receptions, putting Art Monk out of the record book in the process, for 105 yards.
Following another exchange of punts, San Francisco took over at its own 45. Alex Smith scrambled for eight yards on first down and Gore (19-107) had his longest run of the game chugging down field for a gain of 27. Two runs by Kendall Hunter set up the two-minute warning for a third-and-one. Smith threw incomplete under a bit of pressure, missing a wide-open Gore in the flat. Harbaugh decided to go for it, putting Smith in the Pistol formation. However, backup tight end Justin Peelle moved prior to the snap to set up another field goal for a 6-0 lead.
For some reason, Mike Shanahan was determined to get points prior to the half, even after a false start set them back to open the drive. Two plays later, a Helu reception ended in a fumble forced by Patrick Willis and recovered by Donte Whitner. Like a bolt of lightning, the 49ers immediately called a play and executed it, hitting fullback Bruce Miller down the sideline for a 30-yard touchdown for a 13-0 lead. The Redskins did scratch their way down the field in the final minute and get into field goal range. Graham Gano set a team record with a 59-yard effort to make it 13-3 at the break.
In the second half, Washington really never had a chance to get back in the game. After an exchange of punts, San Francisco finally converted its first third down (having failed on their first six) and made it to the 21-yard line before Brian Orakpo delivered a sack to force another field goal by Akers and a 16-3 lead. Trying to answer, the Redskins battled their way into scoring range, but had to go for it on fourth down. Navorro Bowman came up with the play to end the threat and things looked grim as the game entered the final quarter.
With the defense wearing down ,it was easy to mix in some passing plays. Vernon Davis picked up 22 yards and Braylon Edwards broke tackles turning a short gain into a big play for 24 more. The drive ended with another field goal for a 19-3 lead. Bowman, who of course had a great game, recovered a fumble but the 49ers gave it right back when Vernon Davis coughed it up. However, the subsequent drive ended on downs. After forcing a punt, they finally faced a soft prevent defense. It was too little, too late even though Gaffney caught a touchdown and rookie starting wide receiver Leonard Hankerson added the conversion to make it a 19-11 game with 1:05 to play. The onside kick was recovered by Vernon Davis who drew a flag for trying to fair catch a ball that was driven into the ground.
There was not much to this game. Both defenses can play. Smith (17-for-24 200 yards, 1 TD) was amazingly efficient and did not turn it over. Washington was forced to throw, and Chris Cooley or Santana Moss, that was not going to work. Fred Davis (4-42) did not start making plays until after the outcome was decided.
Cowboys 23, Seahawks 13
The biggest story to come out of this game was DeMarco Murray. The rookie runner, who broke Dallas' single-game rushing record a few weeks ago, proved Sunday that his previous performance was no fluke. Murray gained 139 yards on 22 carries to go along with four catches for 47 receiving yards. And he wasn't doing this against some pedestrian defense; the Seahawks were ranked second against the run heading into this weekend.
Murray is the real deal. At this point, it'll be a complete shock if he has to share the workload with Felix Jones once the latter back returns from injury.
Despite Murray's great running and Tony Romo's solid outing (19-31, 279 yards, 2 TDs), the Cowboys couldn't really pull away because they did what they do best - shoot themselves in the foot with dumb mistakes.
This game was tied at 6 at halftime despite the fact that Dallas was outgaining Seattle, 304-134. The Cowboys had the ball on the Seahawk 1-yard line on two occasions and mustered only three points. One instance was a first-and-goal at the 1 in which Dallas couldn't punch it in. The second was a Dez Bryant fumble.
Bryant's fumble hurt because he could have reached the end zone at the end of his long reception. He had four catches for 76 yards. Jason Witten also had four grabs (71 yards, TD). Miles Austin-Jones (2-53), meanwhile, left early with a hamstring injury.
I mentioned earlier that Murray was able to run the ball well against a stout run defense. Well, the same could be said about Marshawn Lynch, who tallied 135 yards and a score on 23 carries. Dallas was ranked seventh versus ground attacks heading into this contest.
The Seahawks were ultimately done in by Tarvaris Jackson's ineptness. Jackson made some nice throws, particularly to Sidney Rice (3-69), but his three interceptions were costly. He went 17-of-30 for 221 yards otherwise.
Broncos 38, Raiders 24
(Editor's Note: Keyshawn Johnson said Sunday morning that there was no chance Tim Tebow would beat the Raiders. Haters will keep on hating.)
Tim Tebow returned to the stadium where he made his first NFL start, often called the Black Hole. Funny, because last week it must have felt like he fell into a black hole, getting smashed up by Detroit. However, the first possession went to the other Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Carson Palmer. His first pass fell incomplete trying for dynamic rookie Denarius Moore, but Denver safety Rahim Moore was lost for the game with a concussion. After Michael Bush ran for seven yards, Palmer again threw incomplete for Moore.
Denver's offense started with a bit of foreshadowing. Willis McGahee ran for two yards. Tim Tebow then ran twice for six yards to set up the punt. The pair of them would wind up being the bulk of the offense, but more on that later.
Oakland's second play of the next drive was a 38-yard completion to Jacoby Ford who bolted down the middle of the field. He fumbled at the end of the play, but tight end Marcel Reece was there for the recovery. Bush (19-96) picked up 14 yards on the next play to put the ball in the red zone. He also wrecked Brian Dawkins, but the grisly veteran would soon return to the game. The drive would stall from there, and Sebastian Janikowski hobbled on for a 48-yard field goal to make it 3-0.
Left tackle Ryan Clady had a tough game, starting with wrecking Denver's next drive with a holding penalty leading to a quick punt. Oakland punted right back though, and Tebow really made his presence known even as the crowd chanted his name followed by a word that rhymes with ducks. He faked the handoff to McGahee, a regular play on the afternoon, and ran for 32 yards. Two plays later, he hit Eric Decker over the middle for a 27-yard touchdown and 7-3 lead.
After trading punts, the Raiders got their offense in motion as the second quarter started thanks to the Broncos failing to get their punt off. Britton Colquitt wound up throwing incomplete after bumbling the snap. On third down, Palmer hit Bush who did the rest, leaping for his first career touchdown reception and the 10-7 advantage. After another Denver punt, Oakland started running Bush, three times in a row in fact, before a pass to Moore put them in plus territory. Then, they tested Champ Bailey and found out he is still an elite player. Bailey intercepted Palmer.
In the first half, Oakland's defense was holding up and forced a quick punt. The offense showed some explosion on their next possession. Ford (5-105, TD) picked up 31 yards down the sideline at the two-minute warning. Three plays later, Reece proved why he is the "matchup nightmare," making a tough catch down the middle on a well thrown ball by Palmer for a 40-yard touchdown to give Oakland a 17-7 lead.
Head coach John Fox made a regrettable call during the final drive of the half, taking points off the board when Taiwan Jones followed up jumping offsides by running into kicker Matt Prater on a successful field goal attempt. Two failed plays later, he missed a shorter attempt, and the offense came up empty. At this point, the Silver and Black were very much in control of the game, but Eddie Royal changed all that after the break.
Denver took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field with McGahee and Tebow doing all of the damage. A strike down the middle to Royal for a 26-yard touchdown capped it off, but he was not done making plays. Oakland did answer with Palmer spreading the ball around before finding Ford for a doozy of a touchdown reception to put the Raiders ahead by double digits again at 24-14. It would be their final score of the afternoon though.
Perhaps departed head coach Josh McDaniels smiled when the Broncos opened their next drive with Tebow throwing to Demaryius Thomas for a 29-yard gain. Those were two of his first-round picks. The drive ended in a field goal, but they were committed to coming right at the Oakland defense.
Palmer came out firing on the next possession, connecting with newly signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh for a gain of 28 to put Oakland in enemy territory. Three plays later, Palmer tossed his second interception when Moore tipped the errant throw in the air and Chris Harris came up with it. This was definitely a turning point because the Broncos quickly took the field and McGahee blazed down the field on the first play 60 yards for the tying touchdown. Oakland was stunned as the third quarter ended with a 24-24 tie.
After trading punts, the Raiders' offense stalled again and reliable punter Shane Lechler booted the ball past his coverage. Royal housed the return, and all of a sudden, Denver led 31-24. Palmer hit Moore twice on the next drive for 35 yards, but also had four more incompletions and the Raiders punted. After a long afternoon of trying to tackle Tebow and McGahee, the Raider defense was spent. Tebow went for 28 and McGahee picked up 17 to start what would be the clinching march. Two plays later, McGahee capped it off with a 24-yard scoring scamper and the 38-24 final margin. For good measure, Palmer (19-for-35, 335 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs) threw another pick to Bailey.
This was not about any magic from Tebow; just smart play-calling. He had a lackluster passing day (10-for-21, 124 yards, 2 TDs) but ran 12 times for 118 yards. McGahee had 20 rushes for 163 yards and two scores. The key stats for Tebow were no turnovers and just two sacks.
Oakland's pass rush is less vicious without Matt Shaughnessy. Obviously, the run defense is a huge problem after coming within three feet of allowing 300 yards. Denver took the fight to them and absorbed the aerial effort of Palmer in the process. As a result, the AFC West is totally up for grabs.
Bengals 24, Titans 17
Hours prior to kickoff, ProFootballTalk.com broke a story about how the Titans would really consider cutting Chris Johnson this offseason because they could save $8 million next year.
Johnson played like a PFT reader early on. Javon Ringer received the first carry, but Johnson then just took the next attempt for 20 yards. He had a 21-yard reception later on the drive, which culminated in a Tennessee field goal. It appeared as though everything was back to normal, and that the Titans were perhaps going to salvage this season and perhaps become a threat to Houston.
Yeah, not so much. The first drive proved to be a fluke, because Johnson's other 13 carries went for 44 yards. He also had three other receptions for only 25 yards. CJ20 still looked tentative and sluggish whenever he had the ball.
I'm amazed the Titans blew this though. They looked well in control, maintaining a 17-7 lead at the break. Tennessee was outgaining Cincinnati at that point, 233-139. The Titans had just 86 yards after halftime, however, while the Bengals mustered 189. Andy Dalton had a huge second half, finishing 22-of-39 for 217 yards and three touchdowns.
A.J. Green didn't score, but he caught seven balls for 83 yards. Cedric Benson, meanwhile, had 78 yards on 20 carries in his return from suspension.
As for Matt Hasselbeck, he went 24-of-41 for 272 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hasselbeck was really sharp early on, but struggled to complete routine passes once Nate Washington injured his hip. It didn't help that tight end Jared Crook had a key fumble that set Cincinnati up with a short scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
Cardinals 19, Rams 13
You gotta love the NFC West. I can't remember the last time I've seen a team be guilty of two safeties in a quarter; let alone a single contest. Well, this is the type of stuff that can happen when a backup quarterback starts in an NFC West battle. Thanks for the high comedy, John Skelton.
What's even worse is that the team that was called for two safeties actually won the game. How does that even happen?
Arizona won this abomination of a game, and Ram fans have to feel really discouraged. With Sam Bradford back and Steven Jackson running well, St. Louis should have blown out this miserable Cardinal squad that was playing without its backup quarterback. Instead, they lost, and Bradford didn't look much better than Adam Joshua Feeley did the past two weeks; the second-year signal-caller had several overthrows in this contest.
Bradford finished 23-of-36 for 255 yards and an interception. He showed an OK rapport with Brandon Lloyd, who hauled in five grabs for 80 yards. Lloyd drew a key pass interference at the end of regulation to set up what should have been a Josh Brown game-winning field goal. However, Calais Campbell blocked the kick, which would eventually allow Patrick Peterson to return yet another punt for a touchdown for what would be the decisive score.
Jackson, as mentioned, performed pretty well. He had 130 yards on 29 carries. Chris Wells, meanwhile, had just 20 yards on 10 attempts. The Rams were ranked 31st against the rush going into the contest, but the Rams were selling out against the run because they didn't respect Skelton.
And rightfully so - Skelton went 20-of-35 for 222 yards and a touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald (4-43). Skelton had trouble moving the chains throughout the afternoon, converting just 2-of-10 third downs.
The Rams should have won this game. They had 121 more yards from scrimmage and seven more first downs. They also won the time-of-possession battle by nearly 12 minutes.
Special teams were a killer. The blocked kick really hurt, and Peterson obviously did them in. Ultimately though, this was probably a good thing for the Rams, who are one loss closer to Falling Flat for Matt Kalil.
Giants 24, Patriots 20
(Editor's Note: Was this a replay of the Super Bowl? Eli Manning even made an important throw to a receiver wearing a No. 85 jersey. I guess he is a top-five quarterback. And by the way, if the Patriots still had proud defensive veterans like Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law, Mike Vrabel, Richard Seymour, etc. they wouldn't have allowed that final touchdown. This defense blows.)
In the first half, the Patriots and Giants got a lot of use out of their punters and neither team was able to get any points. New England started to move the ball midway through the half, but on the first play of the second quarter, Tom Brady was intercepted. His ball was deflected by Michael Boley, and Mathias Kiwanuka snatched the deflection.
New York's offensive line had a lot of issues in the first half. They had multiple holding penalties and were letting consistent pressure get to Eli Manning. He took some big hits and moved well to avoid taking sacks.
Late in the second quarter, the Patriots started moving the ball with Brady making a series of short passes. After making a beautiful catch for a 21-yard gain against cornerback Corey Webster, Wes Welker was driven into the ground by Boley. Welker stayed in the game after getting attention from the medical staff. Brady missed Aaron Hernandez running open in the end zone, which really hurt as the Patriots missed the field goal, and at halftime, the score was deadlocked at zero.
To start the third quarter, Brady threw a bad pass for an interception to Deon Grant. There was no opening as the New England signal-caller forced the ball to Rob Gronkowski. The Giants took advantage and started moving the ball. Manning had good gains to Victor Cruz and Jake Ballard. That set up a field goal for New York. On the next New England possession, Brady got hit as he reared back to throw the ball and it came loose. The sack-fumble was recovered by the Giants at the Patriots' 10-yard line. The next play saw Brandon Jacobs run up the gut into the end zone, virtually untouched.
Special teams became a liability for both teams in the second half. First, a muffed punt by Giants cornerback Aaron Ross was recovered by New England. That set up the Patriots for a field goal. A short time later, New England committed their fourth turnover when Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich forced a fumble from Julian Edelman in punt coverage. On the drive, Manning moved the ball with a couple of good passes along the sideline. The Giants got inside the 10-yard line when Manning hit Michael Clayton in the back of the end zone. His catch was tossed because he had stepped out of bounds. A few plays later, Manning threw a pass up for grabs in the end zone after throwing off his back foot. Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington spun off of his man and made a leaping interception to negate scoring chance. It was Arrington's fifth interception of the season.
Brady answered with a big 27-yard toss to Welker in the middle of zone coverage. They hooked up again for 28 yards to get inside the 20. Brady finished the drive with a touchdown strike to Hernandez. He caught the ball short of the end zone and made a few defenders miss before charging in for the game-tying score. Brady led another a field goal drive to take a 13-10 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Giants came up with a big answer. Manning made a few good throws to move the ball down the field. He was aided by a 35-yard pass interference penalty on Arrington. On 3rd-and-5, Manning made a perfect throw to Mario Manningham, who got by Arrington running through the end zone. The 10-yard score gave the Giants a 17-13 lead. A penalty on Manningham after the play helped give the Patriots good field position.
Brady got to work with a good pass to Deion Branch, and then a 19-yard pass to Gronkowski brought it to the Giants' 15 yard-line. A few plays later, and Brady had a 4th-and-8 at the Giants' 14-yard line. He threw a strike to Gronkowski in the front of the end zone for the lead.
To start the game-winning drive, Manning got a huge gain to Ballard. Manning tossed a ball down the seam, and Ballard made a leaping catch for 28 yards. Manning then scrambled for 12 yards. On the next play, he threw incomplete for Victor Cruz in the end zone but pass interference was called. That put the ball on the Patriot's 1-yard line. Manning threw incomplete for Ballard. Jacobs got stuffed on the next play. On third-and-goal, with 19 seconds remaining, Manning threw a touchdown pass to Ballard running an out route in the end zone. That completed New York's massive road win and saw the Giants improve to 6-2 on the season.
For the night, Manning was 20-of-39 for 250 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Jacobs ran for 72 yards on 18 carries, while Cruz led the Giants in receiving with six receptions for 91 yards. Ballard caught four passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Brady completed 28-of-49 passes for 342 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Giants had a good rush, but Brady missed some open receivers whom he normally hits. Brady seemed off against New York. Welker led New England in receiving with nine receptions for 136 yards. Gronkowski had eight grabs for 101 yards and one touchdown.
Packers 45, Chargers 38
If you put on the NFL Red Zone channel several minutes prior to the 1 p.m. kickoffs, you get to hear fantasy football predictions from random guys standing around in a circle. Two of the people are Michael Fabiano and Dave Dameshek, but I don't know the others. At any rate, one of the guys said something like, "Aaron Rodgers is going to have a bad game. Minimal yardage and one touchdown because San Diego's defense is great against the pass."
Rodgers is amazing. Some of the throws he made in this game were just breath-taking. He threaded some passes into some really tight windows, and I don't know how he continues to complete those back-shoulder throws. It's like he's some sort of robot who can place any ball wherever he wants. And like any robot, Rodgers can also scramble; he rushed for 52 yards on eight scrambles.
Passing-wise, Rodgers finished 21-of-26 for 247 yards and four touchdowns. All of his scores went to different targets: Greg Jennings (6-46), Jordy Nelson (5-105), Jermichael Finley (5-44) and James Jones (1-21).
As for the ground attack, James Starks had more than three times as many carries (13-66) than Ryan Grant (4-16).
It really looked like Philip Rivers was going to make this really competitive very early on. He completed all three of his passes on the opening drive for 57 yards, giving San Diego a 7-0 lead. However, after a Packer score, Rivers tossed two pick-sixes to Charlie Peprah and Tramon Williams.
Rivers would finish 26-of-46 for 385 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He led some impressive scoring drives, but those turnovers proved to be costly.
Three of Rivers' scores went to Vincent Jackson (7-141) who really rebounded from a disappointing Monday night performance. The other was hauled in by Antonio Gates (8-96, TD), who could have had a bigger day if he hadn't dropped two passes.
Mike Tolbert also found the end zone. He rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Tolbert also had four catches for 59 receiving yards. Curtis Brinkley, the hero from Halloween night, was nowhere to be seen.
Ravens 23, Steelers 20
ESPN analysts tend to overreact to everything, but I completely agreed with Trent Dilfer when he said that Baltimore's decisive drive was a defining moment in Joe Flacco's career. Flacco had never beaten Ben Roethlisberger prior to this year, and he didn't really need to be clutch in that season-opening win. Well, he definitely came up huge; down four with 2:24 on the clock and one timeout remaining. he drove Baltimore 92 yards down the field for a touchdown.
What's even more amazing is that Flacco's receivers tried their best to lose this game for him. Torrey Smith dropped what would have been a 38-yard touchdown on that final drive. Anquan Boldin then bobbled a pass that would have set up a first-and-goal with 15 seconds remaining. Smith redeemed himself, however, hauling in a 26-yard score with less than 10 seconds on the clock.
Flacco went 28-of-47 for 300 yards and that score. His most impressive number was 14-of-21 - as in Baltimore's third-down conversions. It's amazing how different he looked compared to the inept quarterback who couldn't complete any passes two weeks ago against Jacksonville on a Monday night.
As for Flacco's two wideouts, Smith (5-71, TD) and Boldin (7-88) were both good statistically. Smith had two drops overall and was guilty of a hold that negated a Ray Rice touchdown. The call was terrible though; more on that later.
Rice had 43 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries with five catches for 43 receiving yards. It's a shame for his fantasy owners that he had an 80-yard score wiped off the board.
As for the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger went 20-of-37 for 330 yards, one touchdown and a pick. Big Ben's score went to Mike Wallace (4-68), but emerging stud Antonio Brown was the one who led Pittsburgh in receiving (5-109).
Rashard Mendenhall (13-52, TD) and Heath Miller (5-73) also pleased their fantasy owners.
Walt Coleman was the official in this contest, so naturally there were a number of awful calls on both sides.
Against the Ravens:
- Smith's hold to negate an 80-yard Rice touchdown on the opening play was completely bogus. Cris Collinsworth nearly had an aneurysm yelling about it.
- Rice ran into the end zone in the first quarter, but the play was blown dead extremely early.
- Smith was held a bit later, which prevented a long reception. The hold wasn't called.
Against the Steelers:
- Brown was interfered with in the end zone, but no penalty was called.
- Ike Taylor was whistled for a questionable pass interference in the third quarter that would later give Rice a short touchdown.
- Max Starks' bogus hold wiped out a nice Rashard Mendenhall scamper later on.
General ineptness:
When Smith scored the decisive touchdown, there was also a pass interference penalty. Coleman apparently thought the Ravens would wipe the score off the board because he announced: "Pass interference on the defense. The ball will be placed on the spot of the foul."
Because that game-winning score wasn't exciting enough.
For thoughts on Bears-Eagles, check out my updated 2011 NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.
NFL Picks - Jan. 15
2021 NFL Mock Draft - Jan. 13
Fantasy Football Rankings - Jan. 11
2022 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 15
NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 14
2020 College Football Recruiting Rankings - April 14
2020 NBA Mock Draft - Sept. 27
2020: Live 2020 NFL Draft Blog - April 25
2020 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 11
2020 NFL Week 4 Recap - Oct. 2
2020 NFL Week 6 Recap - Oct. 16
2020 NFL Week 9 Recap - Nov. 6
2020 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 13
2020 NFL Week 13 Recap - Dec. 4
2020 NFL Week 14 Recap - Dec. 11
2020 NFL Week 17 Recap - Jan. 3
2019 NFL Week 1 Recap - Sept. 9
2019 NFL Week 6 Recap
2019 NFL Week 10 Recap
2018 NFL Week 10 Recap - Nov. 9
2017 NFL Week 19 Recap - Jan. 15
Super Bowl LII Recap - Feb. 5
2016 NFL Week 21 Recap - Feb. 6
Super Bowl 50 Recap - Feb. 8
2014: Live 2014 NFL Draft Blog - May 8
Super Bowl XLIX Live Blog - Feb. 1
Super Bowl XLIX Recap - Feb. 2
Super Bowl XLVIII Recap - Feb. 3
Super Bowl XLVIII Live Blog - Feb. 2
Super Bowl XLVII Recap - Feb. 4
Super Bowl XLVII Live Blog - Feb. 4
Super Bowl XLVI Live Blog - Feb. 6
2010 Hall of Fame Game Live Blog - Aug. 8
2010 NFL Kickoff Live Blog - Sept. 9
2010 NFL Week 1 Review - Sept. 13
2010 NFL Week 4 Review - Oct. 4
2010 NFL Week 5 Review - Oct. 11
2010 NFL Week 8 Review - Nov. 1
2010 NFL Week 10 Review - Nov. 15
2010 NFL Week 13 Review - Dec. 6
2010 NFL Week 14 Review - Dec. 13
2010 NFL Week 17 Review - Jan. 3
2010 NFL Week 18 Review - Jan. 10
Super Bowl XLV Live Blog - Feb. 6
2009 Hall of Fame Game Live Blog - Aug. 10
2009 NFL Kickoff Live Blog - Sept. 10
Super Bowl XLIV Live Blog - Feb. 7
2008 NFL Kickoff Blog - Sept. 4
NFL Week 1 Review - Sept. 8
NFL Week 2 Review - Sept. 15
NFL Week 5 Review - Oct. 6
NFL Week 6 Review - Oct. 13
NFL Week 9 Review - Nov. 3
NFL Week 10 Review - Nov. 10
NFL Week 13 Review - Dec. 1
NFL Week 15 Review - Dec. 15
NFL Wild Card Playoffs Review - Jan. 4
NFL Divisional Playoffs Review - Jan. 11
NFL Championship Sunday Review - Jan. 19
Super Bowl XLIII Live Blog
© 1999-2021 Walter Cherepinsky : all rights reserved
WalterFootball.com is part of the NESN digital network.


text:
New edit of "The Breakthrough of Geri Allen," includes a few transcriptions.
Chronology 1
I've started a new column for JazzTimes, "Chronology." (Thanks to Vinnie Sperrazza for the name.)
James Newton's Lonely Path.
Make Hay in May
Dick Tracy, "88 Keyes," 1943
Thanks to the Jazz Journalists Association for awarding DTM blog of the year.
I watched the movie of Ready Player One directed by Steven Spielberg. It's fine for what it is. Like Avengers, GoT, and so much else, this "blockbuster" seems created by a focus group in order to hit the maximum number of successful emotional beats in storytelling. As a result, it has almost no personality of its own.
The book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is an idiosyncratic masterpiece, a retelling of creation myth from a lonely and wounded vantage point. I frankly cannot understand the various think pieces that claim the film is better than the novel.
(On a related topic, I really like this piece by Soraya Roberts, "When Did Pop Culture Become Homework?")
Wynton Marsalis offered a guide to twelve favorite records for Rolling Stone, and followed up (perhaps encouraged by a tweet by DTM's technical director Wayne Bremser!) with a longer list on his own site. Wynton's selections and commentary are fascinating and at times hilarious. My feed has anti-Wynton snipers, but surely anyone could learn something from Wynton here. (I always try to remember to sit and learn something from my betters before I go on the attack. I don't always succeed, but that's the goal.)
Al Foster and Ron Carter at the Zinc Bar on Saturday night. It was Ron's 82nd birthday. I told the audience for the first set that Ron was turning 62…and I think many believed me.
MMDG Pepperland at BAM this week. Gia Kourlas preview in the NY Times:
Ok, ready for a really unprofessional display of ego?
A trending topic on Twitter was Eric Alper's question, "What's a great cover song that is better than the original?"
My response was, "Iron Man" by the Bad Plus. LOL! Highlights of this track include the transition to major key, "Dies Irae" counterpoint in the tenor voice at the end, and of course the Tchad Blake production.
Jenkins Orphanage Band (1928)
Hyland Harris sent along video/audio of youthful African American brass and drums filmed right before the Great Depression.
The music is extraordinary, perhaps especially the drumming. Later on in the video, there is great dancing.
Jabbo Smith, Trummy Young, Cat Anderson and others came out of the Jenkins Orphanage Band.
Badarzewska-Baranowska in the News
I turn up in "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love the Piano" in the New York Times. My selection is "The Homeless Wanderer" by Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou. This choice has proven successful, at least in the sense that many people have written to me, "Wow, I didn't know about her! She's great."
The previous DTM post about this Ethiopian nun is "The Story of the Wind." In that post I namecheck Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska's "The Maiden's Prayer," which has turned out to be Lang Lang's choice for "5 Minutes That Will Make You Love the Piano." H'mm!
"The Maiden's Prayer" is indeed a proven "gateway drug" selection. It's not a great piece of music but it offers compelling introductory level piano glamor. (Lang himself plays it very well, of course.)
"The Maiden's Prayer" makes me think of the theme to "Hill Street Blues," also in E-flat, written by Mike Post almost exactly one hundred years after Badarzewska-Baranowska's hit. How many kids have fooled around with the big box thanks to being shown these charismatic collections of E-flat, A-flat, and B-flat triads?
I'm going on a 7-week tour with the Mark Morris Dance Group doing Pepperland and taking a break from social media (except cute photos with dancers on Instagram) until May. Do the Gig listings will continue. Don't forget to subscribe to Transitional Technology if that's your kind of thing. (I seem to be responding to emails from the associated Substack address, at least some of the time).
DTM in 2019 has included:
Lil Hardin
Lennie Tristano
Theory of Harmony
a guest post in memoriam Ira Gitler by Mark Stryker: The Bard of Bebop
and there was also a look at Don Shirley for the New Yorker Culture Desk.
Thanks for reading! Much more Iversonian text when I'm back, I have several things I'll be working on while on tour.
Rob Schwimmer put together the geography of the upcoming weeks as follows. Please say hi if you come to the show! P.S. I am playing trio with Jeff Williams and Conor Chaplin at the Vortex March 24, and duo with Martin Speake at the 606 Club on April 22.
BIRMINGHAM — WEST MIDLANDS
SALFORD — GREATER MACHESTER
BRADFORD — WEST YORKSHIRE
EDINBURGH — MIDLOTHIAN
CANTERBURY — KENT
CARDIFF — SOUTH GLAMORGAN
PLYMOUTH — DEVON
SOUTHAMPTON — HAMPSHIRE
NORWICH — EAST ANGLIA
NEWCASTLE — TYNE AND WEAR
Photo with Dance Heginbotham yesterday in Philadelphia:
March 17, 2019 Ethan Iverson

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The 2016 Western Athletic Conference baseball tournament will take place beginning on May 25 and ending on May 28 or 29.  The top six regular season finishers of the league's ten teams will meet in the double-elimination tournament to be held at Hohokam Stadium, spring training home of the Oakland Athletics in Mesa, Arizona.  The winner will earn the Western Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

Seeding and format
The top six finishers from the regular season will be seeded based on conference winning percentage. Grand Canyon is ineligible for the tournament due to their transition from Division II.

Bracket

References

Tournament
Western Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Charbonnières-les-Varennes è un comune francese di 1.568 abitanti situato nel dipartimento del Puy-de-Dôme nella regione dell'Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi.

Società

Evoluzione demografica

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Charbonnieres-les-Varennes


The Shark Meshing Annual Report report showed shark nets deployed along the NSW coast from Wollongong to Newcastle caught and/or killed 403 marine creatures in 2017/18, including dolphins, rays and endangered turtles.
- 295 of the marine animals caught (55%) were killed in the nets.
- threatened and protected species caught and/or killed in the nets, included non-threatening Grey Nurse Sharks, Green, Leatherback and Hawksbill Turtles and dolphins.
- there were a total of 34 target sharks and 369 non-target animals caught.
The results from the NSW North Coast reveals smart drumlines snared eight times more 'target sharks' than nets between November and May in a trial at five north coast beaches with virtually no by-catch compared to shark nets. .
Greens Marine Spokesperson Justin Field urged the NSW Government to heed the evidence of its own data and haul up the shark nets for good - on the North Coast and beyond.
"The facts are in. We have ample evidence that the shark netting program in NSW is really a culling program and primarily it is culling rays, turtles, and non-threatening sharks. Shark nets do little to improve beach safety but take a terrible toll on local marine life," he said.
"I'm calling on NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair to abandon the shark net program on the NSW North Coast and across Sydney's beaches and to redirect those resources into more effective, non-lethal technologies, including the targeted use of SMART drumlines.
"But ultimately, the best long-term solution is to move away entirely from lethal options like shark nets to community based observers programs, better resourcing volunteer and professional life guarding services, drone surveillance technology and community awareness of the importance of healthy shark populations and how to avoid shark risks.
"Shark netting has been an unmitigated disaster for marine animals the the evidence shows that. The next season of the shark meshing program off Sydney beaches is due to start in September, the NSW Government should leave the nets out of the water and engage with the community to put in place an alternative plan now," Mr Field said.


1. Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pan.Add onions & cook till transparent.
2. Add mushrooms.Stir for 2 min.
3. Sprinkle flour.Stir continuously for a minute on low heat.Remove from fire.
4. Add the milk,stirring continuously.Return to fire& cook till it coats the back of a spoon.
6. Add chicken & simmer for a minute.
7. Add grated cheese & remove from heat.
8. Transfer to a baking dish & sprinkle bread crumbs.
10. Bake for about 20-30 min in a hot oven till the dish gets brown.
Thanks so much for your votes!! Let me know which pattern you want. Thanks again!!


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text:
Scene: Enough
'Prattlegate'
'A Few Quirks of Surrender'
'Godsent Vermin'
'The Invisibility of Wealth'
'Fierce Bombardier of the Vast Imperial Skies'
'The Thing That Ate Cars and Avatars'
'Dialogue in a Dead Zone'
'The Projectionist'
'Sweeper of the Blue Star'
'The Rains of Abracadabra'
"Pills vs. Decapitation"
'The Failure Ward'
'Notes for the Living and the Dead'
'Movie Life'
"Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice"- Bonhoeffer and Bernanos More Relevant Now Than Ever
July 26, 2017 By Baron Von Compos Mentis in Our Ungentle Politics Tags: politics, stupidity, Trump	Leave a comment
The last thing I would want to be accused of is underestimating the malice of Donald Trump and many of his benighted supporters. There's plenty of it there. No doubt it is often the case that misinformation and propaganda play into the hands of an already inherent set of prejudices.
For those anxious to make sense of the present era, when an ideologically exotic and extreme political party led by a buffoonish authoritarian with a base of infantilized, broadly ignorant supporters attain access to critical levers of power, there are voices from the past that are remarkably prescient, and astonishingly on the money.
The German Lutheran minister and opponent of Hitler, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the French Catholic novelist and essayist George Bernanos are perhaps the most useful. For the most part I'll simply allow their words to speak for themselves here.
We can all agree: it's complicated out there. A complicated world. One that even a well-meaning citizen may find requires too much day-to-day ingestion of information, and digging for knowledge to sustain with a limited amount of time.
This state of affairs is much too easily exploitable by those who would flourish on the abuse of the insufficiently enlightened.
For that reason, we live in a time that is nearly unprecedented, given the concepts of truth and factuality are themselves under assault, and expertise and competence demonized. This is far in excess of any traditional anti-intellectualism.
Orwellian doublespeak now is the coin of the realm, "Reform" is used to describe its opposite, in other words, the destruction of say Social Security and Medicare.
"Freedom" is routinely hijacked in order to describe subservience to corporate interests and private wealth in the absence of basic government protections of actual freedoms.
Perhaps the best way to think of stupidity for present purposes is the loss or absence of a capacity for critical thinking. This encompasses those who subscribe to nonsense because either ideology or propaganda, or a combination of the two has overwhelmed reason, as well as those who are simply intellectually dull.
It is fairly easy to understand the ideologues themselves, and the naked vested interests acting as their enablers and cohorts. We know for instance that the greed of petroleum interests sufficiently explains their distaste for, and motivation to deny the facts of climate science. If there is truly a climate crisis that endangers us all, only the irresponsible would resist the necessary measures required to address it. So the obvious choice is to simply deny that the crisis exists at all.
We know that the prevailing ideology of the American right idolizes business and entrepreneurship out of all proportion for a healthy, decent society. We know it opposes government investment in the middle class, and the reduction of wealth disparity, while supporting every sort of anti-consumer policy in the interest of keeping more of the nation's resources in the hands of those with embedded wealth and power. And the needy are regularly demonized as deserving of their fate because of their alleged inherent flaws, and quite ironically, alleged greed.
And we know of course that racism, and America's currently grotesque anti-immigrant nativism fit neatly with the bidding of these invidious special interests and ideological absolutists.
But what many these days seek to understand I think is: How do these transparently cynical, manipulative, prevaricating and frankly bad people achieve such power? What kind of people would actually cheer them on? How does one best cope with such stupidity, however it is defined?
Bonhoeffer and Bernanos have much to contribute I believe.
Excerpts from Bonhoeffer's On Stupidity, included in Letters and Papers from Prison:
'Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one's prejudgment simply need not be believed- in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical – and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self-satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack. For that reason, greater caution is called for than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous.'
'If we want to know how to get the better of stupidity, we must seek to understand its nature. This much is certain, that it is in essence not an intellectual defect but a human one. There are human beings who are of remarkably agile intellect yet stupid, and others who are intellectually quite dull yet anything but stupid. We discover this to our surprise in particular situations. The impression one gains is not so much that stupidity is a congenital defect, but that, under certain circumstances, people are made stupid or that they allow this to happen to them. We note further that people who have isolated themselves from others or who lives in solitude manifest this defect less frequently than individuals or groups of people inclined or condemned to sociability. And so it would seem that stupidity is perhaps less a psychological than a sociological problem.'
'Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or of a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. It would even seem that this is virtually a sociological-psychological law. The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other.'
I/n conversation with him, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with a person, but with slogans, catchwords and the like that have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupidest person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy human beings.
'But these thoughts about stupidity also offer consolation in that they utterly forbid us to consider the majority of people to be stupid in every circumstance. It really will depend on whether those in power expect more from peoples' stupidity. than from their inner independence and wisdom.'
Excerpts from Under the Sun of Satan by George Bernanos:
…the wrath of the Stupid has always saddened me; but today I might also say it terrifies…. The Stupid asked nothing better than not to have to understand anything, and they even used to get together and try not to understand, because the last thing of which a man is capable is to be malicious and stupid all by himself…. Without understanding, they formed spontaneously into herds, not according to any particular affinities…but in obedience to the petty function, which swallowed up the whole of their small lives, allotted them by birth or chance.
The middle classes have almost a monopoly in the fabrication of true stupidity, since the upper classes specialize in a brand of entirely useless foolishness, a luxury foolishness; whereas the lower only achieve rough, and sometimes admirable, attempts at the purely bestial.
Your profound mistake is to fancy that stupidity is harmless, or even that there are harmless forms of stupidity…once you get it going, it smashes everything.
…of one thing I must first convince you: that you will never defeat the Stupid by shot nor steel nor poison gas. For they invented neither shot nor steel nor poison gas, but they know how to use everything which preserves them from the only effort of which they are quite incapable, that of thinking for themselves. They would far rather kill than have to think, unfortunately. And you go on supplying the machinery!
« Shut Up Pundits: American Political Division Is Well Past the Reaching Across the Divide Stage
The Sun Also Rises in the West: How the Liberal Elite Conned Americans Into Believing the Sun Rises in the East »
Will Majority Rule Return to America, or is it too Late?
The Republican Base: America's Original Snowflakes and Hothouse Flowers of Ultra-Sensitivity
Ah, America: Go Bullish on Pessimism
A Majority Starving for Justice in the Time of Trump and Republican Hegemony
The Sun Also Rises in the West: How the Liberal Elite Conned Americans Into Believing the Sun Rises in the East
Shut Up Pundits: American Political Division Is Well Past the Reaching Across the Divide Stage
Humans Can't Help Themselves, And Another Age of Darkness Descends
The Senate, The Electoral College and Gerrymandering Saddle Us With Minority Rule
Well Blow Me, Herr Donald Won
If War Is the Continuation of Politics by Other Means, the American Right Has Been There for Twenty Years
Never Go Full Primeval: The Trump-Brexit Tribalism Has A Long History of Misery
Trump: The Logical Progression in Republican Radicalization…If Only the Press and Very Serious People Had Noticed
How Trump Would Reduce America to a 97 Pound Weakling
Our Country is Insane, And Bleeding Out
Trump Discovers Fascism is Often Popular
Welcome in the Syrian Refugees, Ship Out the Chickenshit Republican Dickheads
Republicans vs. Terrorism Is A Lopsided Win for Terrorism
Several Choice Lies From Uber Republican The Donald, His Party's Most Thrilling Liar, Roasted, Garnished and Served
The Donald, The Great Man Theory of History, And Republican Voters' Fantasy: The Strongman Who Will Stop the Future
Press Blankets Nation With Hillary Non-scandal & Smut from the Mouth of Trump, Pleasing Press, Imbeciles & Republican Creeps Alike
Impeach Chuck Todd: Conservatism and Media's Long Night of the Long Knives
Filmic LSD or Pure Cinema
The Republican Good Life Awaits You, My Children
Planned Parenthood Foes Should Know That Anti-Choice Laws Are State Imposed Religious Belief, And A Violation of the First Amendment
Slaughterville: The Right's Happiest Place on Earth
Stefan Zweig, Grand Budapest Hotel, And The Writing on the Wall
Shitheads In Paradise: The Moneyed Owe the 47% Everything
America the Beautiful: Ted Cruz Reaffirms Any Idiot Still Can Run for President
2014: Obama Succeeds, But Otherwise, The United States Is Sad And Boring
The Ten Sort Of Commandments For Wingnuts, With Extra Sauce
Glengarry Glen Cruz: Let Me Tell You A Little Something About Republicans
Idealism is Ruining America
Beware The Pumpkinheads, Kids
Fortress Republican Brain Keeps America Safe From Americans
Thomas Bernhard Is Still A Fun Guy
Everybody, And God Himself Wants To Kill Me I Guess
Blackshirts Come In Red, White And Blue
Ginger & Eno: Two Fine Docs
Chase Republicans With Baseball Bats, Or Give It Up
Germany's Horror For Germans, In German Films
Obama, Decimator Of America, And Distant Lands, Or Not
How I Save Republicans From The Chore Of Their Cynicism and The Labors of Their Dissimulation
Appreciating the Ancients: Susskind & Cavett & Buckley
Zombie-Fucker Dick Cheney And His Zombie-Fucker Family Rule All Of Hell
The Political Question of the Day Is: How Much Would You Mind Being Dead?
John Boehner, Rick Perry, John McCain & Republicans Everywhere Say Very Silly Things Almost All The Time, As The Press Listens Closely
Paul Bowles' Spellbinding And Inspiring Dissoluteness
Hey Stupid, You Don't Have A Constitutional Right To Own a Gun (The NRA & Pro-Murder Club Put Several More Notches In Their Belt In Isla Vista)
80 Bad Years: Conservatives' Exemplary Record Of Being Wrong About Everything
Baron Von Compos Mentis is a Los Angeles author.
The Worthies
"An Introduction to a Variation" by Milan Kundera
"In the Life of 'The Wire'" by Lorrie Moore
"Interview with Milan Kundera" by Olga Carlisle
"Notes on Nationalism" by George Orwell
"The Paranoid Style in American Politics" by Richard Hofstadter
A Writer's Life: Andrei Makine
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Tim Steer has written a helpful and enjoyably readable book.
In it he presents a rogues' gallery of struggling companies and usefully highlights early warnings whose identification could have saved investors' heartache.
Anyone who invests directly into shares will benefit from studying it – and I absolutely include myself.
He offers several heuristics I wish I had been alert to decades ago, for instance, his blunt advice to "just run" if you come across a company that engages in transactions with related parties.
• It has been said the only difference between professional and amateur investors is the former make mistakes with other peoples' money, not their own. But whichever, I do positively encourage you to be open to making at least a few (small) mistakes. The tales in the book are cautionary, but there is no substitute for making your own errors of judgement and doing in some of your own dough. That sting is worth a dozen 'how-to' manuals – if you learn from it.
• Be grateful for our 21st century annual report and accounts. People sniff about disclosure standards in some emerging markets, but we should not forget the Anglo-Saxon markets too used to be untrustworthy. Indeed, there is a case to argue the valuation of equity as an asset class has been gradually rising as systemic honesty and transparency have risen too.
• Mr Steer's examples are hair-raising, but not endemic.
• Profitable growth is rare. Company management sometimes bend the rules (as opposed to break the law), not because they are wicked, but because they struggle to give investors what they demand. Most companies are mediocre. Never forget this. But I would also say: why would you ever invest in almost any of the businesses in this book, or their ilk? No one forces you to invest in mediocrity.
• The whole world needs a dose of John Maynard Keynes' 'animal spirits'. We need more inspired entrepreneurs and hard-working business builders.
By all means – read books like this and learn to recognise some of the pitfalls.
But do not lose the faith. New ideas and new businesses will create more well-being, employment and investor wealth. Keep investing.


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Song Years
Song Artists
Song Charts
Album Artists
Album Years
Album artist 923 - Alison Krauss
This page lists the album chart runs of Alison Krauss. The albums are listed with the most widely successful first.
# Artist Album Title Year Chart Entries
1 Alison Krauss A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection 2007 US Gold (certified by RIAA in Oct 2007), Norway 7 - Apr 2007 (10 weeks), Billboard 10 - Apr 2007 (45 weeks) (2 weeks in top 10), UK 38 - Apr 2007 (4 weeks), US BB 93 of 2007, Chart2000.com album 74 of 2007
2 Alison Krauss Now That I've Found You 1995 US 2 X Platinum (certified by RIAA in Mar 1996), Billboard 13 - Feb 1995 (66 weeks), US BB 72 of 1995, UK Silver (certified by BPI in Jan 2005)
3 Alison Krauss Live 2002 US 2 X Platinum (certified by RIAA in Feb 2005), Canada Platinum (certified by CRIA in Apr 2004), Billboard 36 - Nov 2002 (70 weeks), RYM 110 of 2002
4 Alison Krauss Union Station New Favorite 2001 US Gold (certified by RIAA in Mar 2002), Billboard 35 - Sep 2001 (53 weeks), WXPN 865 (2001), RYM 173 of 2001
5 Alison Krauss Paper Airplane 2011 Billboard 3 - Apr 2011 (21 weeks) (2 weeks in top 10), UK 11 - Apr 2011 (8 weeks), ODK Germany 51 - May 2011 (2 weeks)
6 Alison Krauss Lonely Runs Both Ways 2004 US Gold (certified by RIAA in Jan 2005), Billboard 29 - Dec 2004 (30 weeks), WTMD 755
7 Alison Krauss Forget About It 1999 US Gold (certified by RIAA in Apr 2002), Billboard 60 - Aug 1999 (8 weeks)
8 Alison Krauss So Long, So Wrong 1997 US Gold (certified by RIAA in Dec 1997), Billboard 45 - Apr 1997 (14 weeks)
9 Alison Krauss Essential 2009 UK 13 - Aug 2009 (6 weeks), Sweden 37 - Oct 2009 (1 week)
In addition to the above listed albums Alison Krauss also contributed to the following entries:
1 Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand 2007 Norway 1 - Nov 2007 (30 weeks), Grammy in 2008, UK 2 - Nov 2007 (60 weeks), Billboard 2 - Nov 2007 (72 weeks) (4 weeks in top 10), Sweden 2 - Nov 2007 (29 weeks), Mercury prize 2008 (Nominated), US Platinum (certified by RIAA in Mar 2008), UK Platinum (certified by BPI in Jan 2008), Canada Platinum (certified by CRIA in Apr 2008), ODK Germany 28 - Nov 2007 (10 weeks), Acclaim Year 29 of 2007, Switzerland 32 - Nov 2007 (17 weeks), US BB 41 of 2007, Radio Caroline 263 (2007), WTMD 421, RYM 67 of 2007, Chart2000.com album 23 of 2008
Comment on the contents of the 'Album artist 923 - Alison Krauss' page
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Previous Comments (newest first)
Double Listing - Paper Airplane
#8 & #2 (under Duets w/Union Station) are the same.
Data fixed, thanks
Double Listing - New Favorite
#5 & #10 are the same.
(3) Double Listings
#2 & #12 are the same (Live). Also #3 & #11 (Now That I've Found You). Finally #8 & #10 (New Favorite).
© 2007-19, Steve Hawtin et al. Generated 20 Dec 2019 21:13 GMT. This data may be freely copied or used provided that first the source is acknowledged, second a link to the tsort.info site is prominently incorporated and third the version number is attached (this data is version 2.8.0037). If you cannot, or do not wish to, follow these three restrictions then you must licence the data (inquire via the contact form).


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After Saudi, Trump Endorses 'Independent Kashmir'; Why Are Key Allies Turning Against India?
These are the dying moments of the US elections as a 'war of attrition' between US president Donald Trump and Joseph Biden is turning out to be, as predicted, a nail-biter, and fortunes may swing either way. Trump had already declared that the 'transfer of power' would not be smooth if he loses.
The world is looking at the US, whose president, perhaps in a first-ever, has debunked his own establishment, by claiming that the Pentagon and its deep state i.e. CIA is not ready to withdraw from Afghanistan, even at the cost of a disastrous war of 19 years. He trashed his establishment that it bundled all the deaths as due to COVID-19, which amply shows as to how US establishment works, of course, to the tune of corporate masters.
Trump also has termed the killing of Osama Bin Laden – which has been called the biggest achievement of former US president Obama – a hoax, thus, leaving the world into a tizzy as to how the US works to its own agenda!
The worst was yet to come, as Trump, who forced India to sign BECA, in order to put 'China into order' by 'way of India' had started to feel the rug under his feet slipping as 72% of Indo-Americans, as per NDTV on October 14, 2020, were in favour of voting for Trump's rival Biden!
Biden's vice-president nominee is Kamala Harris, who is of Indian origin, and in case of any eventuality, for instance, if Biden dies or steps down, then the obvious next thing would be an Indian making it to the presidential post of the US.
This has enraged Trump, so much so, that even before the polls results were declared, Trump Junior released a world map, with 'red' being the nations in support of the US and 'blue' being in opposition to it. Mexico, China and, believe it or not, India, is shown in 'blue'! To add more smirk into it – wait for the surprise! Yes, Trump Junior has shown Kashmir, as being independent of both India and Pakistan!
This leaves a big question for all the lovelorn politics of Indian PM Narendra Modi who has been in the US campaigning for Trump with 'Howdy Modi' in Houston in September 2019, shortly after he had annulled the special status of Jammu & Kashmir under Article 370. And later, the 'Namaste Trump' visit of Trump to Modi's home state Gujarat in February 2020 to mobilize Indian voters towards Trump has also turned to be a damp squib!
What turned out to be more intriguing was when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia released a 20 Riyal Banknote, on October 24, 2020, to celebrate the country playing host to the G20 summit, it was without Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) as part of Pakistan and showed Kashmir as an independent country. Although Pakistan did not even register a squeamish response to the move, India registered a protest saying the banknote was a distortion of the Indian map.
Now, it was the exact same world map, being tweeted by Donald Trump Junior that too hours before the results of the election are to be announced! Certainly, India, which is facing one of the worst war threats from China and Pakistan, in its last 70 years, has been left in a quandary, realizing the world powers want Kashmir to be independent of both India and Pakistan.
Wonder, then, what Modi has got after all these years?
Trump Jr Chops Kashmir From Indian Map
The map tweeted by Trump Junior shows Pakistan in 'red' meaning 'in support of Trump Senior' which is quite opposite to reality since Pakistan is loathed by Trump and US establishment alike, for Pakistan did not let US 'sell-off' its weapons to India, after 'vacating' from Afghanistan and US had to incur an amount 'triple their cost' on transportation alone.
Here, it leaves a question? Will Modi or his battery of ministers make India register the same response with the US, as it did with KSA after Kashmir has been annulled from India too? As it becomes clear that KSA did what had been dictated to it by the US.
Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) is now being made Pakistan's fifth province, on the lines suggested by China, as it is China's gateway to its life-line project China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). And, ironically, when India had started to air the GB weather report on May 9, 2020, it led to a backlash from China in Ladakh in which India lost its 20 soldiers on June 15, 2020, as China perceived the Indian move to finally attack CPEC.
The latest move from Trump Junior throws back the obvious cardinal question – has Pakistan already sold off its side of Kashmir? And, what would now be the Indian policy vis-a-vis the US which ultimately wants Kashmir to be a sovereign nation, to make it its military base in order to thwart China for the times to come.
India has been caught on the wrong foot, thanks to Modi, as the US is set to steer clear of Indian position on Kashmir, and the worse is that in the middle of all this, India has already lost its 70-years-old friend Russia.
How will 'blue' China, as shown in the map respond, along with 'blue' India (sic), is something only time would tell, as China will seek to make its moves to blunt US maneuvers over GB and the next years would find this new game unfolding. With Russia on the side of China, we may see India scurrying for its new 'place' as Kashmir is now into the hands of world powers.
If Trump loses, then, the move of Trump Junior will be a constant 'reminder' of the Republican position on Kashmir, which perhaps Democrats will find it too hard to put into favour of India?
The writer is a former State Information Commissioner, India. He is a media analyst and writes on international politics.
Previous articleAfter Rafale Jets, India Quietly Working With France To Acquire Stealth Submarines In A Multi-Billion Dollar Deal
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BlackBerry shares soar after it reports financial results that exceeded expectations
By Ian BickisThe Canadian Press
BlackBerry Ltd.'s shares soared Friday after its latest financial results topped expectations and it outlined plans for growth in autonomous driving, a push into health care and intentions to add significant engineering talent.
The company beat expectations through growth in its enterprise software and services business, as well as in its fast-growing automotive division, John Chen, BlackBerry's executive chairman and chief executive, said in an interview.
"Transportation, especially when it comes to autonomous driven vehicles and connected car, that unit had done the best in the last quarter," he said.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, said it earned $43 million or eight cents per basic share in its latest quarter, more than double earnings of $19 million or four cents per basic share a year ago.
On an adjusted basis, BlackBerry said it earned four cents per share for the quarter, beating the penny per share profits analysts on average had expected according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.
While overall revenue dropped to $210 million from $238 million last year, the automotive division saw 29 per cent revenue growth with more to come, Chen said.
"It will continue to grow double-digit for the next couple quarters, so we think that is a big growth opportunity for BlackBerry."
The company recently announced a partnership with Ottawa-based technology accelerator L-SPARK to help small- and medium-sized businesses bring new products to market using its BlackBerry QNX automotive software.
Chen said the company also plans to ramp up efforts in autonomous driving and other divisions.
"You ask our own people, who are much more bullish than I am, they're talking about adding a thousand engineers," he said.
"It's going to be multi-years, I mean you can't find a thousand engineers because there's such high demand and short supply. But we do have the advantage that a lot of our development organization is in Canada, so we're very closely tied to the university programs. So we're going to hire a lot of engineers I'm sure."
But while technology development is ramping up on the automotive side, Chen said he's more cautious than his colleagues as to when we'll see fully autonomous vehicles take hold.
He said the technology should be available and affordable in the next few years, but thinks infrastructure and policies on safety and other issues will push back a widespread rollout.
"I'm encouraged for the future, I just think that most people think it's going to happen faster than I think it will."


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Carolyn Deady
Producer, Story in the Public Square, Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy
B.A. in English, University of Massachusetts Amherst
M.A. in journalism, University of Maryland, College Park
Personal Statement:
Areas of expertise: World legislatures, international media, Congressional affairs, media analysis, education
Deady is a freelance journalist and former international producer at C-SPAN in Washington, D.C. While at C-SPAN, she was the liaison with world legislatures, obtaining coverage of parliamentary proceedings for broadcast. Deady also worked with television networks worldwide in getting foreign newscasts to offer the C-SPAN audience an international perspective on events affecting the United States. She also covered multiple parliamentary and presidential races in the field, including the British House of Commons and the 2000 Mexican presidential race. Deady also field-produced programming of U.S. Congressional and presidential elections. She is an adjunct fellow at the American Security Project, a nonprofit, non-partisan public policy and research organization based in Washington, D.C.


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Kopen Zonder Kijken is een Nederlands televisieprogramma dat sinds 25 februari 2019 wordt uitgezonden bij RTL 4. De presentatie van het programma is in handen van Martijn Krabbé. Het programma wordt geproduceerd door Krabbé's eigen productiebedrijf Wise Monkeys.

In het programma geven stellen de zoektocht en aankoop van hun nieuwe woning uit handen. De deelnemers geven Martijn Krabbé en zijn team, makelaar en taxateur Alex van Keulen, interieurstyliste Roos Reedijk en bouwdeskundige Bob Sikkes, toestemming om een huis voor hen te zoeken, kopen en verbouwen. De deelnemers zien het huis pas voor het eerst nadat de koopovereenkomst getekend is.

Een zesde en zevende seizoen zijn aangekondigd.

Opbouw van een uitzending
Een uitzending van het programma begint met een introductie van de kandidaten, ze worden voorgesteld en de huidige woonsituatie wordt laten zien. De kandidaten leggen uit waarom de huidige woonsituatie niet meer voldoet en stellen een wensenlijst op. Daarin worden wensen met betrekking tot locatie, budget en dergelijke uiteengezet. Daarnaast maken ze in elke aflevering een moodboard om te laten zien wat de wensen qua inrichting zijn.

Vervolgens wordt bij de notaris een volmacht getekend, waarin ze formeel het kopen van de woning uit handen geven aan het team van Kopen Zonder Kijken.

Vervolgens is makelaar Alex van Keulen aan zet om te zoeken naar een geschikte woning. Wanneer dit langer duurt dan gehoopt, wordt om een concessie gevraagd. Door de verhitting van de huizenmarkt en stijgende prijzen werd het steeds lastiger het programma te maken. In 2022 is hiervoor een nieuw element aan het format toegevoegd: de 'concessieklok'. Dit is een aftelklok, waarbij als de aftelklok op 0 staat een concessie gedaan moet worden en iets van de wensenlijst af moet.

Wanneer de woning is aangekocht, komt Martijn Krabbé dit vertellen. Hiervoor komt hij onaangekondigd langs. Hij neemt de route voor de puzzeltocht mee. De kandidaten volgen een route door het zoekgebied en rijden langs het aangekochte huis, maar ze weten niet welk huis dat is.

Nadat de wettelijke bedenktijd voorbij is, is de aankoop officieel. Wederom komt Martijn Krabbé langs om de kandidaten geblinddoekt naar het aangekochte huis te rijden. Daar zullen ze de woning voor het eerst zien, op het moment dat de woning nog niet is verbouwd.

Bob Sikkes leidt de verbouwing en daarin zitten vaste elementen. Er komt vrijwel altijd een nieuwe (gesponsorde) badkamer en keuken. Roos Reedijk verzorgt met het resterende budget de inrichting.

Clichés
Bepaalde elementen komen vaak terug in de uitzending. Bob Sikkes belt redelijk vaak op om te vragen of het stel nog extra budget over heeft. Daarnaast gaat het vaak om koppels die zwanger raken, heerst er een voorliefde voor sfeervolle jaren 30' woningen en wordt er met regelmaat een visgraatvloer gelegd. Er zijn kijkers die hiervoor speciaal bingokaarten maken om alle clichés af te vinken.

Nederlands televisieprogramma
Programma van RTL 4


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6 Zodiac Signs Who Have Major Emotional Walls Up
By Ruby Miranda — Written on Apr 10, 2021
"It's really hard to get through to that guy." Ever find yourself saying that? That's because "that guy" has his emotional walls up, and he's so established in keeping them up that you know you'll never get through.
If we add astrology into the mix, the zodiac signs who have emotional walls up can cause the same frustration. They refuse to open up, and there's nothing you can do to help them become vulnerable.
What does it mean to have walls up?
Emotional walls are basically boundaries but on steroids. Your brain develops "walls," or emotional barriers, as a way to protect you. Building an emotional wall is a defense mechanism.
Sometimes, these walls are a good thing, but other times, your brain goes overboard in its efforts to protect you, and you end up missing out on amazing adventures life has to offer.
Having walls up also means you aren't letting others in and letting them know you on a deeper level.
What causes emotional walls?
People put up emotional walls if they have been hurt in the past and don't want to experience that deep pain again. They've gone through something that was emotionally painful and build these walls to keep people from getting close. This way, they don't have a risk of someone hurting them.
Men do this often, especially after they fall in love for the first time and it ends horribly. But women do this as well. It affects everyone's mental health and causes feelings of isolation.
In their mind, they reason that the more they let people in, the more they can hurt you. The only person they can count on is themselves, which makes them emotionally unattached in relationships, not sharing intimate things with their partner.
Take this one step further and you've got the main problem in relationships: lack of communication. In fact, the lack of communication between couples is the leading cause of divorce.
Not everyone can own up to their feelings, nor can they be honest about their emotional state. All that vulnerability is enough to make certain people hide behind their stoic attitudes.
We all feel pain, and we all get crippled with emotional reactions, but many of us have taught ourselves to restrain, withhold and play down anything that has to do with emotion.
Here are 6 zodiac signs who put up emotional walls:
Some might say Aquarius is the one sign that actually has no emotion to wall up, and on some level, they might be correct. Of course, you, Aquarius, are able to feel emotion, but that would get in the way of your desire to control everything you see, and we all know that's never going to happen.
Whatever it is that you are hiding behind, that emotional wall is top-notch personal to you, and what's personal to you is out of reach on a permanent level to us.
RELATED: The 10 Best And Worst Personality Traits Of Aquarius + Their Perfect Love Match
You feel so intensely, Taurus — perhaps even more than others. And you've learned through trial and error that showing emotion only gets you in deep trouble.
You've adjusted your life so you feel as little pain as possible, and in doing so, you've perfected the building of your protective walls.
You may be a person of deep feeling and emotion, but you want no more to do with unnecessary amounts of pain, and if shutting down is what you do to maintain your personal peace, then so be it.
RELATED: 50 Best Taurus Memes That Describe This Zodiac Sign
The walls came up the moment you exited the womb, Scorpio.
You know how to protect your heart and you view everything "out there" as a potential enemy. With that kind of defense in place, your wall of emotional protection makes you come across as cold and unfeeling, which is exactly what you want people to know about you.
You are relentlessly closed down when it comes to feeling emotion, and, in a way, that's good because you don't lie; you let us know right at the top that you are emotionally unavailable.
RELATED: The Best & Worst Personality Traits Of The Scorpio Zodiac Sign
4. Libra (September 23 - October 22)
Libra, you like the idea of people thinking you are a sensitive, emotional creature of love and light, but in truth, you are just another human being who is scared to death of just about everything.
You put up walls to guard yourself, and those walls look like you lying to everyone or being overly kind to everyone else.
You fib with faux friendliness so people think you are nice and end up leaving you alone. Your walls look like a fabrication of kindness, all created to stave off the curiosity of anyone who might hurt you.
RELATED: What Libras Are Like In Relationships
5. Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
Sagittarius, you weigh your emotions and see what works for you and what doesn't. And when things don't work for you, you make your move towards shutting down.
The 3 Zodiac Signs With Great Monthly Horoscopes In February 2023
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The 3 Zodiac Signs Who Are The Luckiest In Love On January 30, 2023
You are giving with your emotion until it's time to stop, and when you decide to put the breaks on and withdraw your emotional involvement in something, you do it coldly and without relent.
Sagittarius feels no guilt, especially when it comes to shutting out the crowd for the sake of finding inner peace.
RELATED: Sagittarius Compatibility In Love, Sex & Relationships
Emotion is not something you want to be involved in, Gemini, and considering that it's almost blissfully easy for you to shut down and say nothing, that's your go-to response when things become too emotional for you.
You are lucky in this regard, as you rarely let anyone past your walls to begin with, but should such a thing as vulnerability or emotion enter your world, you know just what to do about it: end it before it hurts.
To bring down your emotional walls is hard because you are intentionally making yourself vulnerable again. The best thing to do is to see a professional, so they can help you identify and break down why the walls are there, and establish personal growth to safely break your walls.
RELATED: The Best & Worst Personality Traits Of The Gemini Zodiac Sign
Ruby Miranda is a New Yorker who learned astrology, I Ching and all types of cartomancy and numerology from her crazy, gypsy mother. She currently writes for a wide range of esoteric publications.


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Olympus Trifecta
Filed under: Bribery Act,FCPA,FCPABlog,Francine McKenna,KPMG,Tracy Coenen,Wall Street Journal — tfoxlaw @ 1:17 am
Tags: compliance programs, DOJ, FCPA, New York Times, SEC, Wall Street Journal
Richard Cassin author of the FCPA Blog, among others, consistently writes about corruption as ripping apart the fabric of many countries. This makes anti-corruption and anti-bribery legislation not only appropriate but mandatory. Over the past few weeks, I believe that we have seen another reason and that is that shareholders may have some comfort that the companies in which they invest are valued fairly and will not implode. In the US, we had the last decade brought us the trifecta of Enron, World Com and Adelphia, where accounting frauds destroyed these companies. But Japan is experiencing something different with the still unfolding Olympus matter.
On Monday, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), in an article entitled "Olympus Admits to Hiding Losses" reporters Kana Inagaki and Phred Dvorak, wrote about the scheme by which the Olympus Corp. hid years of investment losses by making wildly overpriced acquisitions and then writing off the investments losses by writing down the value of the acquisitions. Such a business strategy is so well known in Japan that it even has a name, "tobashi."
To recap this story, on October 14, 2011 the now-resigned Olympus Chairman, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, dismissed the former head of the company, the Briton Michael C. Woodford, citing cultural differences in management styles. Mr. Woodford contended that he had been fired after raising questions about a series of acquisitions made by Olympus, that, he said, were inexplicably high prices paid for the acquired companies or involved exorbitant advisory fees paid to tiny entities which acted as agents of Olympus for the transactions in question. Indeed one of these commissions was a payment of $687 million, almost one-third of the amount of a transaction of just less than $2 billion. Of course the company claimed he was fired for the catch-all usual suspect reason, that being he was 'not a team player.'
Later the WSJ reported that the three companies purchased by Olympus, whose purchases led to the unusually high commissions, had the following characteristics: "two of the acquired companies, medical-waste disposal company Altis Co. and food-container maker News Chef Inc., were founded in the early 1990s under different names, public company records show. The companies conducted no business for years." The third company was founded "less than a year before Olympus bought a stake". Olympus eventually acquired control of all three companies. Within a year of acquiring control of these three companies, "Olympus wrote off three-fourths of its investments in the companies."
In an article in Wednesday's New York Times, entitled "Shares Dive as Olympus Scrambles for Answers", Christine Hauer reported that "The developments cast a harsh light on Olympus's auditors, KPMG until 2009, which have signed off on financial statements that may now be suspect." While auditor negligence may well have been a factor, I will leave this area of comment to Francine McKenna and her blog site, retheauditors.com. If you do not read Francine of a regular basis, you should take this opportunity to begin doing so.
So what makes this new revelation so stunning? First, much like Harry Markopolis, who could not have predicted that Bernie Madoff was running a decades long Ponzi scheme, I could not have predicted that Olympus was defrauding its shareholders by hiding investment losses through acquisitions. And while fraud may well be a part of this story, I will leave that discussion to Tracy Coenen and her blog site, sequenceinc.com. As with Francine, if you do not read Tracy's site on a regular basis now might be a propitious to start.
Remember the $687 million commission paid to an agent of Olympus? It is this part of the story that relates to Richard Cassin and all the others who tirelessly campaign against bribery and corruption in the corporate world. One of the bases for jurisdiction of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) applies if a company with a US presence engages in bribery or corruption and the US banking system is involved. While at this point it is unknown if any of the monies paid for the companies acquired by Olympus to hide its investment losses came through the US banking system, if it did, the FCPA might well be invoked. To this end the New York Times reported that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and FBI are investigating the matter.
Admittedly the FCPA is a supplier side law, which only punishes the bribe-payer. However, the same is not true of the UK Bribery Act, which makes illegal the payment or receipt of bribes. Clearly Olympus does business in the UK so the Bribery Act may also be invoked. Further, while the FCPA applies to 'foreign governmental officials', the UK Bribery Act applies to bribery between foreign officials and private citizens. If any of the monies paid as commissions was made to purchase the silence of the putative agents, then jurisdiction may lie. Lastly, the Board of Olympus should also note that the Bribery Act has a strict liability component for those who are actively involved in conduct which violates the Bribery Act.
So just who on Olympus could have been involved in any untoward conduct? Perhaps any person involved in properly not recording the company's transactions so as to provide a fair and accurate representation of the financial health of the company? Any person involved in the transactions of purchasing the companies bought for the purposes of writing down their values? Maybe the agents who received the high commissions and, by the way, where did those exorbitant commissions go after they went into those Cayman Island bank accounts? How about any persons from the company's purchased? Was this conduct systemic, as it engaged in for 15-20 years?
In my last post on Olympus (Olympus Redux) I wrote about the need to perform due diligence on transactional agents. While this need still exists, the use of transactions and transactional agents to hide investment losses may explain why it does not appear that such due diligence was done on the agents. Moreover, if such transactional agents are going to be used for fraudulent purposes, it really doesn't matter what quality of due diligence is performed. Further, if the amount of the commission is exorbitant, as in one-third the value of a multi-billion dollar transaction, this in and of itself may be a Red Flag. This is the initial Red Flag that the now fired UK whistle blowing President reported to UK authorities. So now we have hit the trifecta for Olympus in the arena of corruption: (1) termination of the UK subsidiary President for reporting Red Flag conduct; (2) use of small agents who were paid huge commissions which were not deserved; and (3) failure to actively report years of investment losses by fraudulent transactions. I can only wonder what might be the next bombshell. I guess it will have to be called the quadruple.