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You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2014 / Open Thread (Closed State Races)
Open Thread (Closed State Races)
by Anne Laurie | November 3, 2014 10:27 pm | 66 Comments
This post is in: Election 2014, Local Races 2018 and earlier, Open Threads, Decline and Fall
I wish Oliver had done this piece before the primaries, when it might have had more of an effect on his wrap-up…
"Between the lack of accountability and the bad behavior, state [legislatures] are not so much the laboratories of government, as the frat houses of government. And yet, they get no attention. Perhaps that's because it's very hard for us to be angry with people whose names we don't know…"
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Mike E
So, here's the final tally from my little phone bank:
130,000+ numbers dialed
14,000 conversations
7,500+ said yes, they'll vote
I'd be happy if half of them did. Onward.
For the election enthusiasts in the crowd, the photo accompanying this article in The Guardian is great. It shows Alexander Zakharchenko, the rebel leader in Donetsk, on his way to vote yesterday in the unrecognized-by-anyone-except-Russia elections in the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine.
The added fillip is that the ASCE (trying to be like the OSCE, but basically like Rand Paul's medical accrediting body) observers were among the worst of European far-rightists. I've yet to see any among the "Kiev is all Nazis" crowd process this cognitive dissonance.
NotMax
I wish Oliver had done this piece before the primaries
As his show began at the very end of April, would have been quite a trick.
@Gin & Tonic
:I've yet to see any among the "Kiev is all Nazis" crowd process this cognitive dissonance.
Give it time. Now that you've brought the subject up, the crowd (of one, at least) will appear to explain this all to us.
pseudonymous in nc
I think it takes an outsider — especially a British one — to recognise that state legislatures are the scariest bit of American "democracy", because they have a massive amount of power and fuck-all accountability. I am still staggered at not only the corruption of state legislatures, but the incompetence: "state legislator says something fucking ridiculous, news at 11" is a thing. In Britain, politicians that stupid and craven would be at best county councillors, because the truly fuckwitted generally don't become MPs. In the US, they have power over polities the size of Belgium, and nobody seems to care.
Plan B not working so great:
Two of the main rebel groups receiving weapons from the United States to fight both the regime and jihadist groups in Syria have surrendered to al-Qaeda.
The US and its allies were relying on Harakat Hazm and the Syrian Revolutionary Front to become part of a ground force that would attack the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
For the last six months the Hazm movement, and the SRF through them, had been receiving heavy weapons from the US-led coalition, including GRAD rockets and TOW anti-tank missiles.
But on Saturday night Harakat Hazm surrendered military bases and weapons supplies to Jabhat al-Nusra, when the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria stormed villages they controlled in northern Idlib province.
I foresee some openings at the NSC very shortly. I hear Liz Cheney is available.
@beltane
And mewl that the entirety of the front page of the Gray Lady is not dedicated solely to coverage of it, to boot.
PsiFighter37
I hope tomorrow turns out as well as I think it will. It seems like almost all the prognosticators at DKE are giving the GOP 51 or 52 seats…and I'm giving Democrats 53 in my predictions (although I have Louisiana going to a runoff and Landrieu prevailing).
Either I'm horribly off, or my gut instinct – which is that polling has gotten exponentially harder over the past couple of years, the quality has gotten worse, and the number of shitty polls being pushed is way up – is spot-on.
It will be an interesting night, and I definitely am cutting against the grain. That said, I nailed my 2012 predictions (Obama wins, nailed the EV count, Romney gets 47% of the popular vote, Democrats pick up House & Senate seats) – the only thing I missed was Cantor not overthrowing Orange Julius…ironic that he lost his primary earlier this year. So I feel confident in myself, and I think Bannock Street is going to surprise a lot – A LOT – of people come tomorrow night.
50D – 3I – 47R – let's see how it holds up!
@srv: So to beat ISIS, it's gonna be either US troops or the Syrian Army. I have no idea how this story is going to end.
gogol's wife
I didn't want to continue OT in the thread below, but Schlemazel asked my opinion of Clara Bow — all I can say is that is the first silent film I have willingly watched, and enjoyed, from beginning to end. She was charming, and so expressive. I really liked the two guys too, neither of whom I had ever heard of. The music was by Carl Davis, who wrote the music for the 1995 Pride and Prejudice — he's a genius!
(I unwillingly watched Napoleon from beginning to end because I had to stay in the theater.)
Referencing all the recent talk about street harassment, I came across this article written in 2009: SCHRÖDINGER'S RAPIST: OR A GUY'S GUIDE TO APPROACHING STRANGE WOMEN WITHOUT BEING MACED (sorry for the shouting, I just cut/pasted the title)
When you approach me in public, you are Schrödinger's Rapist. You may or may not be a man who would commit rape. I won't know for sure unless you start sexually assaulting me. I can't see inside your head, and I don't know your intentions. If you expect me to trust you—to accept you at face value as a nice sort of guy—you are not only failing to respect my reasonable caution, you are being cavalier about my personal safety.
Omnes Omnibus
@skerry: This is something that bothers me. As a minor offshoot of the harm that rapists do, they make make women fear me. It is, as I said, minor compared to the harm that they do to their victims, but it is yet another reason that men in general should not tolerate shitty behavior from their co-genderists. It is wrong in general and it makes us all look bad.
@El Caganer: I think it's time for Putin to come to thre rescue again.
Ukraine is for wimps, Chechnya was for real men.
@efgoldman: I don't follow football at all, at any level, so this may very well be a stupid question, but when a team has over 100,000 people on a waiting list to spend multiple thousands of dollars for a seat, and when the television revenue is shared equally, what earthly difference does it make if they win or lose games?
@efgoldman: i have a degree in political science and a law degree. i follow (or have followed) politics pretty closely since the late 80s, when i was still in elementary school. and i'll admit that i've left more than a few down ballot votes blank over the years when i don't know anything about the candidates. i've also voted third party when i've found both the R and D choices lacking on high ballot lines.
@Gin & Tonic: The players care, the coaches care, and the fans care. I don't know if it matters to owners – OTOH, is a sports team a good investment, as a rule, or is it an ego thing? I say ego. People want to win, at whatever level. The owners care (except, possibly, for Bill Wirtz).
@Gin & Tonic: because it's an advanced form of tribalism that allows one city to say they beat another city without dead bodies in the streets.
burnspbesq
@efgoldman:
Boy, do the Meadowlands Giants suck.
On the book of faces yesterday, I asked which was the best team in East Rutherford, Giants, Jets, or the 7-1 Becton Regional Wildcats. Looks like the case for Becton is getting stronger every day.
@Omnes Omnibus: I'm not sure I agree with your use of the word "minor". It is an fear that every woman lives with daily, albeit to varying degrees. It is something that we all think about and make adjustments to our lives and our travels in ways that men don't have to do. Not sure how something that affects 50% of the population can be classified as "minor". Constant fear takes a toll.
I agree totally that men have to take responsibility to force a change on other men's behaviors. Right now, this behavior is tolerated at its best, and encouraged at its worst.
Take a look at Elon's twitter @elonjames over the last couple of days. He has taken tremendous heat over standing up for women about this issue. I particularly liked his hashtag #DudesGreetingDudes
@gogol's wife
Saw your mention of Pola Negri earlier.
Another forgotten superstar of the era actress rarely (as in practically never) showing up is the vamp's vamp, Theda Bara. (Granted, most of her films were lost to fire in the thirties.)
@KG: Me, BA in Government and JD. I skipped one election (1988) because I bought into the idea that army officers should be apolitical. I have never voted for a Republican. I got a bit DLC oriented in the late 80s/early 90s, but that is it.
@Omnes Omnibus: if you're talking one of the four major pro leagues in the US, buying one is a helluva investment. especially right now with the TV deals going crazy. apparently the average value of NBA teams jumped 25% last year. NFL teams are up 23% from last year. that's dotcom bubble types of returns.
Tree With Water
Oliver is turning into a regular De Tocqueville, isn't he?
@Omnes Omnibus: the fans care
That seems to be a fact not in evidence, when the stadiums are equally full for good and poor teams.
@Gin & Tonic: for football, it's a super limited supply, you get 8 home games a year and most teams are in markets big enough that you can get about 800,000 to go to a game without much trouble. baseball, basketball, and hockey have a harder time because they have a lot more games.
@skerry: I wasn't intending to deny or diminish your concerns. I was trying to suggest that an additional negative effect of the problem is that decent men get suspected. It is a much smaller and less significant concern. OTOH, if mentioning it causes a couple of people to become more concerned….
@KG: @Gin & Tonic: You both seem to assume that money is the only factor at play here. My argument is that it isn't. Fan approval seems to mean a lot to players. So does winning.
We turned on Stripes about halfway through. Not exactly fine cinema, but it has its moments. Plus it has Warren Oates, who's probably one of the most underrated supporting actors in American film.
Also, too, it turns out that Shane Black stole the "I'm too old for this shit" line from Stripes.
@Omnes Omnibus: That's funny, in '88 I passed on voting for president (I filled out the rest of the ballot tho) out of utter disgust that the Dem was losing to such a panty waist. I vowed to never do that again, and that promise made me hold my nose and put a check mark next to Al Gore's name on the 2000 ballot. Heh.
@Mnemosyne: He could have come up with it independently, especially since it is a common refrain among aging cops and military NCOs.
@Omnes Omnibus: And yet, from what I can see, the "NY" Jets have the 4th-highest home attendance so far this season.
@Gin & Tonic:
And yet, from what I can see, the "NY" Jets have the 4th-highest home attendance so far this season.
The accounts of the Jets' suckitude are so implausible and over-the-top that people refuse to believe they are true until they've seen it with their own eyes.
The truly scary thing is that the Raiders appear to be even worse.
@Gin & Tonic: I wasn't saying that winning alone affects attendance. I was saying that caring about winning affects attendance. Teams like the Packers, Bears, and some others will have support during lean years, because the fans feel like they were rewarded by the wins and they were a part of it, it is only fair that they stay with the team in bad times. It's fandom.
@Omnes Omnibus:
If it was a writer other than Shane Black, maybe. But Black is one of those Tarantino-like obsessives who've seen every movie every made and loves to mash them together, so the "swiping" theory seems more plausible when it comes to him.
@pseudonymous in nc:
In Britain, politicians that stupid and craven would be at best county councillors, because the truly fuckwitted generally don't become MPs.
But even councillors can cause massive harm with nobody looking. A case in point from Britain:
Fears of a "deliberate cover-up" by public officials of the sexual abuse of children in Rotherham have been fuelled by the large number of documents detailing the scandal which have vanished, an investigation by MPs has concluded.
They urged the Home Office to launch an immediate search for the missing paperwork and to examine claims that files warning about the activities of paedophile rings were stolen from a locked council office in the South Yorkshire town.
In a report published on Saturday, the Commons home affairs select committee said the "shocking" failure to act on repeated warnings of systematic exploitation had exposed more victims to abuse.
At least 1,400 girls as young as 11 were groomed and abused by gangs in the town over a 16 year period and new victims continue to come forward.
The committee, in its second inquiry into Rotherham, said there was "compelling evidence" that the town's council and South Yorkshire Police ignored "numerous, credible warnings about the scale of child sexual exploitation".
Over 1,400 girls have had their lives destroyed and a big chunk of the responsibility for that lies with local councillors, some of whom will probably end up behind bars.
In Britain and the United States by far the most important qualification for becoming a politician at any level is the ability get elected. Anything beyond that – including competence and integrity – is gravy.
@Mnemosyne: I'll defer to your greater knowledge.
@Mnemosyne
Surely there are earlier cases, but wasn't that also a line in one of Bakshi's movies? Perhaps it was Wizards (1977), pre-Stripes.
A for "swiping," believe the CYA term is "homage." :)
A glimmer of good news from Alaska? http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/03/1341506/-AK-Sen-Daily-Caller-Freaks-Out-About-Mark-Begich-D-Leading-Dan-Sullivan-R-In-Early-Voting
@Mandalay: Golly, you are right. Everyone sucks. Congrats on focusing on trees and missing the forest again.
Joe Falco
@NotMax: In your state, sure, but there were also primaries still going on in other states at the time.
Really, this message by John is more important way before the general election and the primaries. It's important during the time when people can enter these local races and announce their candidacy. One of the biggest takeaways in that segment is that however important these local races are, we (the sane ones that are not rabidly racist, corrupt, creepy, etc.) are not engaged enough in the process to challenge these loons so at least they don't go on to run unopposed. The crazies probably did have some challenges from other crazies in the race to become the Crazy Heir Apparent, but that's not helpful to anyone.
Tomorrow, my congressional representative, Paul "Lies from the Pit of Hell" Broun, will most likely be replaced by my former pastor, Jody Hice. You can imagine how excited I am that my area is going to be represented by Broun 2.0.
@Omnes Omnibus: I agree with you, I was just addressing the issue of whether owning a team was a good investment, and if you've got a spare couple billion bucks, I'd rather you buy a team than a senator. To your point, rarely is money the only driving factor in any decision
@KG: It is like buying racehorses writ large. Some do it as an investment; most do it because they want a winner.
ETA: Or they want to be part of the game with a chance at a winner.
@Joe Falco
In your state, sure
Um, the primary here was held August 9.
The point was that his show started into the primary season and by the time it built up any sort of regular viewership most of the action had passed.
@srv: Putin? I think he's having a good laugh over this one. If he does anything, it might be to ship some anti-aircraft missiles to the Syrian government, just to piss us off. He's got his hands on enough stuff now to keep him from screwing around there.
Strictly IMHO – Broun is a dope, whereas Hice is a loon.
@NotMax: Hice is an opportunistic snake in the grass. Strictly IMHO, of course.
Ex NCO here and I'd say it's about 6-7th on the all time list. I was 22. And still too old for some of that shit.
@Ruckus: My NCOs were always 5 to 10 years older than me. I found that it (the excuse) came up more often when I wanted something physical to come from my guys.
Here's a Constitutional nightmare scenario:
Senate ends up split 50/50 after all seats are decided. Biden keels over dead after new Congress begins, and the Senate Republicans refuse to provide a single vote to provide the required majority for whomever Obama nominates as replacement Veep (ditto in the House, no majority for confirmation).
@NotMax:
A meteor hits… Come the fuck on.
@Omnes Omnibus
Still got quatloos riding on the Vogon constructor fleet showing up.
@Mandalay:
But even councillors can cause massive harm with nobody looking.
Indeed. And if you're a subscriber to Private Eye, which I am, you know all about rotten boroughs of all parties.
But that's a bit of a deflection: state legislatures have powers only slightly less than those of a nation state, and Americans mostly give not a fuck about who's running them. People moan here about Andrew Cuomo, but he's very much representative of a shitty state legislature. The US gave the world the concept of federalism, and has mostly sat on that concept for the past 200 years while other countries have actually created powerful sub-national entities with legislative power over millions of people that their respective electorates give a fuck about.
@NotMax: John Boehner Wins!
Morzer
Yes, but that's mostly because people see them as a comedy troupe that happens to play in the NFL. They've now added the Butt Touchdown (Buttdown?) to the Buttfumble, so their repertoire is quite impressive.
SRW1
@srv:
Maybe that connection also explains the report in The Independent that the islamists in Syria have got their hands on US-made guided missles.
@Joe Falco:
One of the biggest takeaways in that segment is that however important these local races are, we (the sane ones that are not rabidly racist, corrupt, creepy, etc.) are not engaged enough in the process to challenge these loons so at least they don't go on to run unopposed.
His point is that a state has powers to affect people's lives close to that of a nation state, perhaps more so on a daily basis than the US Congress. The decisions made in state legislatures actually matter, and the people elected to serve there actually matter, and the fact that it's very easy to buy up those people and replace their function with a set of PDFs download from ALEC HQ in DC fucking well ought to matter.
These aren't even "local races". These are races affecting populations of 3 million, 4 million, 9 million, These are races that, from John Oliver's perspective, affect populations the size of Lithuania, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden. Populations the size of actual countries. And that's before considering the states with 20 or 30 or 40 million people.
The takeaway is that you should treat state legislative races like national elections because they are the functional equivalent of national elections. And Americans treat state legislative elections like, I dunno, something that affects other people. And then get surprised when they find a pack of fuckwits making laws in their state capitals.
@pseudonymous in nc: Yes, The Eye do a great job with Rotten Boroughs, but they can only do so much, and the demise of local newspapers will surely have a negative effect with respect to local government. Electing better local politicians is one thing, but the monitoring of them will decrease without local/state papers monitoring their misbehavior. That applies both here and in Britain of course.
But as you suggest, the root issue here is to get people to give a fuck about who represents them. Australia has compulsory voting, and I'm warming to the idea. Make people think of voting as a responsibility and a civic obligation, just like jury duty. That wouldn't solve everything, but I think it might be a step in the right direction.
@SRW1:
The article you linked to mentions other intriguing possibilities as well:
How did the Islamists receive these American weapons? On the international arms market? Or from 'moderate' rebels who were given American weapons and then sold them to the highest bidder.
I'm sure our vigilant media will be grilling John McCain about that on Sunday. Or not.
Calouste
@pseudonymous in nc: About 40% of the Tories would fit right in with the GOP. And then we're not even talking about UKIP (anti-European parties from all countries in the European Parliament display Palin-levels of gift). The only effective difference is that in the UK candidates are nominated by the local party organization, not via primaries, so anyone with a complete lack of social skills doesn't make it through, unlike in the US where you can win a primary (and in a lot of gerrymandered cases that means winning the general) as long as you can get your name on the ballot and you can get the votes of a majority of the 300 or so people that show up.
@Calouste:
In UKIP (and the BNP from whom they have inherited quite a few supporters) lack of social skills might actually be part of the appeal – it manifests an "authenticity" lacking in London-based mainstream politicians who are parachuted into safe seats by their metropolitan chums. Farage himself is boorish enough, but Godfrey Bloom was even more crass and obviously bigoted.
@Morzer
Sounding more and more as if they're competing to be Alan B'Stard.
I would guess that was several notches on the social scale above their ambitions. What they really aspire to be is Norman Tebbit – an ideological thug of limited intelligence and less charm, eternally toadying to the Dear Leader. Or, among British contemporary politicians, Eric Pickles who blends the godlike physique of Karl Rove with the witty charm of Alan Simpson and the humble compassion of Newt Gingrich.
After mentioning my trip to the Yoichi distillery in Japan, I might as well note for the record that a seismic shift is apparently happening in the world of whisky:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/04/suntory-time-japanese-whisky-named-worlds-best-in-sour-dram-for-scotland
Scottish drinkers could be forgiven for crying into their drams after a single malt from Japan was named the best whisky in the world for the first time.
Whisky expert Jim Murray awarded a record-equalling 97.5 marks out of 100 to Suntory's Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013, hailing it as "near indescribable genius" in his comments in the forthcoming 2015 World Whisky Bible.
Murray's tasting notes described the whisky, from the company's distillery near Kyoto in western Japan, as possessing "a nose of exquisite boldness" and as "thick, dry, [and] as rounded as a snooker ball".
It is the first time since the guide was first published 12 years ago that the top award has gone to a whisky from Japan. The country's whiskies were once the butt of jokes but have won a slew of awards and widespread critical acclaim in recent years.
To compound the pain felt in the spiritual home of the "water of life", this is the first time that not a single Scottish whisky made it into the top five in Murray's respected guide.
The generation of young flunkies such as the one depicted herein are now the ones seated in the ample chairs behind the Big Desks.
Another Holocene Human
@Omnes Omnibus: For you, since you're a decent person, you react this way.
You shoulda been in online atheism when the nerdrage was spewing about women thinking a guy who didn't respect her boundaries might be a rapist. That's not FAIR. I'm a NICE GUY. I'll never get LAID. What about MY human rights? If everybody thought like YOU the HUMAN RACE would DIE OUT. argle bargle
@pseudonymous in nc: oh no, unless many state executives, cuomo was in a position to–and did–make his state lege shittier. get it right, credit where due, etc.
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Eurovision 2020 – Participants, songs and videos
41 countries will take part at the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest. Under the slogan 'Open Up', they present different music styles and performances for the viewers and the juries to choose between.
This year's Eurovision Song Contest is planned to take place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands following last year's Dutch victory to Duncan Laurance. Compared to the 2019 contest, Hungary and Montenegro won't participate. Ukraine and Bulgaria return after a year absense.
1 Semi-final 1
The first semi-final will take place on the 12th of May 2020.17 countries will compete and vote in this semi-final. Italy, Germany and the Netherlands will vote in this semi-final too.
Country and act
First half Australia: Montaigne – Don't Break Me
Won Australia Decides 2020 on the 8th of February
First half Belarus: VAL – Da Vidna
Won Eurofest on the 28th of February 2020.
First half Russia: Little Big – Uno
Internally selected. Presented on the 2nd of March 2020. Song released on the 12th of March 2020.
First half Ireland: Lesley Roy – Story Of My Life
Internally selected. Presented on the 5th of March 2020.
First half North Macedonia: Vasil – You
Internally selected on the 15th of March 2020. Song released on the 8th of March 2020.
First half Slovenia: Ana Soklič – Voda
Won EMA final on the 22nd of February 2020.
First half Lithuania: The Roop – On Fire
Won Eurovizijos Atranka on the 15th of February 2020.
First half Sweden: The Mamas – Move
Won Melodifestivalen on the 7th of February 2020.
Second half Ukraine: Go_A – Solovey
Won Vidbir final on the 22nd of February 2020.
Second half Norway: Ulrikke Brandstorp – Attention
Won Melodi Grand Prix on the 15th of February 2020.
Second half Belgium: Hooverphonic – Release Me
Internally selected on 1st of October 2019. Song released on the 17th of February.
Second half Azerbaijan: Samira Efendi – Cleopatra
Internally selected. Presented on the 28th of February 2020. Song released on the 10th of March 2020.
Second half Croatia: Damir Kedžo – Divlji vjetre
Won Dora on the 29th of February 2020.
Second half Cyprus: Sandro – Running
Internally selected. Presented on the 29th of November 2019. Song released on the 6th of March 2020.
Second half Israel: Eden Alene – Feker Libi
Won HaKokhav Haba L'Eurovizion on the 4th of February 2020. Song selected in the show HaShir HaBa on the 3rd of March 2020.
Second half Malta: Destiny – All Of My Love
Won X-Factor on the 8th of February 2020. Song released on the 9th of March 2020.
Second half Romania: Roxen – Alcohol You
Internally seelcted. Presented on the 11th of February 2020. Song chosen in Selecția Națională on the 1st of March 2020.
The second semi-final will take place on the 14th of May 2020. 18 countries will compete and vote in this semi-final. France, United Kingdom and Spain will vote in this semi-final too.
First half Poland: Alicja Szemplińska – Empires
Won Szansa na Sukces – Eurowizja on the 23rd of February 2020.
First half Austria: Vincent Bueno – Alive
Internally selected. Presented on the 12th of December 2019. Song released on the 5th of March 2020.
First half Czech Republic: Benny Cristo – Kemama
Won Eurovision Song CZ on the 3rd of February 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94V_m1e0I_Q
First half Estonia: Uku Suviste – What Love Is
Won Eesti Laul on the 29th of February 2020.
First half Greece: Stefania – SUPERG!RL
Internally selected. Presented on the the 3rd of February 2020. Song presented on the 1st of March 2020.
First half Iceland: Daði & Gagnamagnið – Think About Things
Won Söngvakeppnin on the 29th of February 2020.
First half Moldova: Natalia Gordienco – Prison
Won O Melodie Pentru Europa on the 29th of February 2020.
First half San Marino: Senhit – Freaky
First half Serbia: Hurricane – Hasta La Vista
Won Beovizija on the 1st of March 2020.
Second half Finland: Aksel – Looking Back
Won Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu on the 7th of March 2020.
Second half Switzerland: Gjon's Tears – Repondez-Moi
Second half Georgia: Tornike Kipiani – Take Me As I Am
Internally selected. Presented on the 3rd of March 2020.
Second half Albania: Arilena Ara – Fall From The Sky
Won Festivali i Këngës on the 22nd of December 20190.
Second half Denmark: Ben & Tan – Yes
Won Dansk Melodi Grand Prix on the 7th of March 2020.
Second half Bulgaria: Victoria – Tears Getting Sober
Second half Armenia: Athena Manoukian – Chains On You
Won Depi Evratesil on the 15th of February 2020.
Second half Latvia: Samanta Tīna – Still Breathing
Won Supernova on the 8th of February 2020.
Second half Portugal: Elisa – Medo de sentir
Won Festival da Canção on the 7th of March 2020.
Will vote in
First semi-final Italy: Diodato – Fai Rumore
Won San Remo Festival on the 9th of February 20200.
First semi-final Germany: Ben Dolic – Vilolent Things
Internally selected. Presented on the 27th of February 2020.
First semi-final The Netherlands: Jeangu Macrooy – Grow
Internally selected. Presented on the 10th of January 2020. Song released on the 4th of March 2020.
Has been drawn into starting position 23.
Second semi-final France: Tom Leeb – The Best In Me
Internally selected. Presented on the 14th of January 2020. Song released on the 15th of February 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D02Xlo_LfRU
Second semi-final Spain: Blas Cantó – Universo
Internally selected. Presented on the 5th of October 2019. Song released on the 30th of January 2020.
Second semi-final United Kingdom: James Newman – My Last Breath
All three live shows will be broadcast live from Ahoy, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Rehearsals will start two weeks prior to the final.
Following Duncan Laurence's victory, the prepations for the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest were in full swing when the contest was sadly cancelled due to Covid-19. The Netherlands are now preparing for their fifth time hosting the contest in 2021. Whether you will attend as a visitor or watch it in front of the TV screen, a fantastic event is awating you. Below we have gathered a collection of articles about the preparations, to keep you updated on what to expect.
What will happen with my Eurovision tickets according to EBU's four scenarios?
Today, EBU revealed a four scenario plan to make Eurovision 2021 happen. They want to ensure all fans that the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Rotterdam no matter what. What will happen with my current Eurovision tickets? Is it still possible to get tickets for next year contest? We try to get answers. Read more
Rotterdam 2021: Eurovision to take place on the 18th, 20th and 22nd of May 2021
It's time to save the date, and perhaps start looking for flights and accommodation too. Just remember to secure yourself in terms of refunding. We know the host city, and the dates for Eurovision 2021, but not yet under which circumstances, it will be held. Read more
Use your Eurovision 2020 tickets for 2021 - or get a refund.... under these circumstances
EBU just confirmed that tickets already bought for the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest are valid for next year. Fans will have the opportunity to re-use their tickets for the 2021 event – or to get a refund. But it happens under restrictions. Read more

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Salem Returns Update
News for our families from Salem Public Schools
A note from Steve Zrike, Superintendent
In partnership with the City of Salem and as part of our efforts to be a more inclusive and anti-racist school district, we are celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, October 12th. For many, the traditionally recognized Columbus Day has been a reminder of the oppression, abuse, and slavery that our continent's first inhabitants experienced when Europeans arrived. It remains a source of pain for many families in our district and beyond who continue to be victims of discrimination and injustice. On Monday, we want to celebrate the contributions of the native Americans who have contributed to the diversity that makes our country so special today.
As a school system, we are actively working to embrace the backgrounds of all members of our community, create a space where students and staff feel safe to identify inequities across our schools and where our curriculum represents a balanced and wide range of historical perspectives. We appreciate your support as we strive to create a culture in the Salem Public Schools where all of our students, families, and staff feel heard and valued.
As a reminder, at our School Committee on Tuesday evening, October 13th at 7 pm, I will present a recommendation for a safe return to in-person schooling for more of Salem's students. I look forward to the discussion that will follow as we work together to provide our students with the strongest educational experience possible during these unprecedented times.
Please enjoy the long weekend with your families,
Homework is an opportunity for students to practice new skills, explore content already introduced by their teacher more deeply, work on extended projects, read, and take advantage of online interventions designed to address targeted gaps and/or offer extensions for students who are ready. During remote learning, families should expect to following.
PK-Gr. 5: No homework should be assigned outside of what can be completed during independent time that is scheduled as part of the remote learning day. The exception is independent reading.
Middle & High School: Homework should not exceed 1-1.5 hours/day cumulatively across all content areas. Teachers should consider the amount of screen time when planning homework.
If you have concerns about homework, please connect directly with your student's teacher.
Universal Family Check-Ins
We know that these are difficult times for everyone and want to do our absolute best to ensure that student and family needs do not go unmet. This is why Salem Public Schools is trying a new strategy this fall to proactively identify and meet the needs of our families. We are calling every family regularly to ask about some of the basics like food and technology access, mental and physical health and your child's overall experience in school.
This comprehensive and universal approach to family engagement and support is new and evolving, and we have been able to identify needs that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. As we face this global pandemic together we thank you for your patience, flexibility and continued care not only for your own children but for our whole Salem community.
Here are a few frequently asked questions:
Q: I already answered these questions, why are you calling me again?
A: The questions are intentionally designed to ask about needs that are constantly changing. We know the pandemic has caused great instability. Access to food, internet and health services can change quickly, so we want to provide support before families are experiencing a crisis.
Q: I don't have any issues, can I get off the list?
A: We designed this process to be for everyone. We are tracking positive data as well as needs so we can understand how many of our families are secure and in what ways. We want to refrain from making assumptions about who is in need and who is not. Circumstances for students and families change quickly in these uncertain times. We are also asking a question about your child's learning experience which is important to gather regularly, regardless of need, so we can understand how kids are doing in this remote environment.
Q: Why have I not received a call?
A: This process has helped us check that our contact information is up to date. If you have not yet received a call, please contact your school to ensure the right number is being called. Just like families, our educators have had many adjustments to grapple with and some calls did not get started right away. This process, however, is now fully underway and you should be getting a call soon.
Q: How long will the calls continue?
A: We intend to do the calls weekly for the first month of school and then switch to every other week. Most schools have now moved to an every other week schedule and this will continue at least up to the winter break and then we will reevaluate.
Q: Who do I contact to get more information or to ask a question?
A: If you have questions about the process please reach out to your school principal.
CVS Flu Clinics at Schools
As we mentioned last week, Salem Public Schools is partnering with CVS Pharmacy to provide flu clinics at each of our school locations. This service will be provided to students ages 3 and above with parental consent (expanded from last week when we were told ages 8+). This year, per Governor Baker, all school-aged children must be vaccinated against influenza by 12/31/20 or they risk being excluded from school, both remote or in-person.
Families do not need to go to their "home" school for a vaccine. However, they must have the necessary paperwork complete with insurance information. Those forms can be found here. Vaccines will be administered by MA state licensed CVS pharmacists on a first-come, first-served basis. Masks and physical distancing are mandatory. Clinics will be held outdoors wherever possible. For remote learners, only one parent/guardian per child, please.
Questions can be directed to school nurses or Charlene Moske-Weber 978-265-4059.
Flu clinic schedule:
10/13/20 SHS/Horace Mann 8:30-12:00 (held at Horace Mann, SHS walks over)
10/14/20 Carlton 9:00-12:00
10/16/20 ECC/Bates 10:00-1:00 (held at Bates)
10/17/20 Collins Middle School 9:00-12:00
10/19/20 Witchcraft Heights 9:00-12:00
10/20/20 Saltonstall and Bentley 3:15-6:15
10/22/20 Early Childhood Center (ECC) 9:00-11:00 (held at Bates)
10/27/20 Salem Prep/New Liberty by appointment at Essex St. CVS (please contact the school nurse to schedule)
Free COVID-19 Testing in Downtown Salem October 8-30
In addition to the free testing offered at Salem High School, free COVID-19 testing will be offered in downtown Salem at Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, weekdays October 8th through October 30th. Testing will take place Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Enter Old Town Hall on the Essex Street side of the building and follow all signs and guidance to maintain safe physical distancing from others while waiting to enter or inside the testing site.
hub connects!
This week marked the beginning of our in-person Hub Connects program. It was a joy to see our students and staff interacting in person and having fun.
We'd love to hear stories about your student and Hub Connects. Please send them to publicrelations@salemk12.org
Connecting with Superintendent Zrike
Are you looking for a one-on-one meeting with Superintendent Zrike?
Dr. Zrike will be holding one-on-one meetings outside, distanced, and with face coverings at Salem Common by appointment on Friday's between 7:30 am-10:00 am.
Please send an email to mmarino@salemk12.org to set up your appointment.
Hispanic Heritage Month Highlights
Please submit your family stories and pictures to publicrelations@salemk12.org
Raising of the flags
A celebratory moment marking the observance of Hispanic Heritage Month by the Latino community in Salem -- it's the raising of Latin American flags at Riley Plaza to mark the beginning of the celebration on September 15, 2020.
Lucy Corchado, life-long resident of the Point neighborhood and President of the Point Neighborhood Association, as well as Board member of the LLC, is registering voters at 135 Lafayette Street in Salem.
We know that families still have many questions about this unique start to the school year. We have created a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document that will be continuously updated as we advance through this school year.
Please take a look and if you still have a question that was not addressed, please send it to publicrelations@salemk12.org
Bookmark this! Family Tech Support Landing Pad
Click for the 2020-21 SPS Family & Student Handbook
Salem Public Schools
Facebook @SalemSchoolsk12
29 Highland Avenue, Salem, MA, USA publicrelations@salemk12.org salemk12.org


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Home ANTHILL TV Let's be blunt: It's a website for truthseekers
Let's be blunt: It's a website for truthseekers
Caimes
Your new iPhone app is brilliant, but the Flash intro on your site is so 2005. And what's up with that neon, floral-print shirt?
Niles Toh thinks people need more honest assessments like those — unvarnished opinions from folks outside your trusted friends, from voices beyond your inner circle.
Toh is so passionate about this belief that he has cobbled together a website that aspires to give people what they need rather than what they want to hear. The site — ineedtruth.com — launched in beta in mid-July.
Toh, a 20-year-old entrepreneur from Singapore, says the site "will enable the community to interact and give useful opinions to others who really need truthful thoughts. There is no worry for any biased opinions when all you need is the truth."
It currently hosts two areas specifically for generating feedback on new business ideas and new products. For example, before quitting your day job and betting the farm, it's now possible to see the the unvarnished views of the 'crowd'.
If only these people had visited his site first.
The Comfort Wipe
In fact, in the not too distant past, we dedicated an entire post to products that could have benefited from the cold, hard truth (Here: Anthill's Top 10 Most Brainless Consumer Products).
In a media release, he describes how he scrambled to get the site together before beginning a two-year conscription with his country's National Service in late July. He had no programming experience, so he outsourced the code chores to India. He says no IT companies were willing to form a partnership because of his National Service obligation, so he "decided to bootstrap it himself, running the company alone."
It's an inspiring tale of resourcefulness and determination. But we're sure that Toh, of all people, would appreciate some unvarnished truth — one would charitably describe ineedthetruth.com as a work in progress.
Based on a Facebook API, the site encourages people to post business ideas, products, fashion choices and art, among other things, in the hope that visitors will weigh in. At this point, the posts feel incomplete and disjointed, and the responses, not surprisingly, are few.
Ah, but remember that the site is in the beta-testing stage. Toh posted on Twitter that a "total changeover" should be expected sometime in August.
Will young Mr. Toh's online venture eventually help us dump that cheating partner, ditch that dopey venture or simply pick out a better tie? Only time, and truth, will tell.
Image by Diana Gurley
ineedtruth.com
Niles Toh
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Far too much time is wasted in coffee shop meetings. More often than not, the conversation falls off topic, interruptions cause distractions and, before you know it, the meeting is over and you've achieved nothing. That's what Antony Gaddie calls a Coffee and Doughnut meeting. You get a coffee and… zero. He's the founder of Green Ant Marketing and he shared with us (over coffee) five things that you can do to help you make the most of your coffee shop meetings.
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Raiding can be hard work, but it's so much worse when you're not enjoying your class. Sometimes the only solution to make raid nights fun again is to switch mains. But how will this affect the raid team? When is the right time to switch? What should officers do to help the person make the transition? And how is switching mains in Legion different from any other expansion that has come before?
With raiders, when should you let them swap mains? People want to play something that's fun, but gear can be important to progression. If the person doesn't have the gear that other mains do, how close is fair to the raid? Should ask them to wait until a more natural break shows up like a new Raid?
Unfortunately, gear isn't even the real issue anymore. The gear comes to alts fairly easily. You can get to a certain point with ilevel through World Quests, Mythic+, Raid Finder, etc. and then by raiding farm content with the guild to catch up completely. In that respect, Legion actually makes it way easier to get the right ilevel on alts than in the past.
In several other ways, however, the situation with alts is rough. The Artifact Power and legendary situations have made getting a character "raid ready" a lot more complicated than just getting a high enough ilevel. It's still a fairly long grind to match your main's ilevel. Now your new main will be behind not just in ilevel, but in investment into their Artifact weapon and availability of legendary gear.
Most mains that have been raiding throughout Legion have an Artifact with high concordance. They have multiple legendary items. They may not have every best-in-slot legendary for their spec, but they are often at the point where they can swap out legendaries to suit a specific encounter when needed.
The benefit of having a full roster of maxed-out followers is also overlooked when it comes to mains versus alts. Mains have an army ready to go to rake in more Artifact Power and other handy items full time. Alts are typically behind in this respect also.
Legion's systems just aren't friendly to switching mains. Patch 7.3 has made it better by removing the whole Artifact Research hassle. Now the main sticking point is legendaries. There's simply no easy way to get them. It takes time and effort, and for some players it will take a lot more time and effort than others. That's just the nature of RNG loot mechanics.
Sticking with a main has both tangible and intangible benefits. Unless a person has been devoting nearly equal time to an alt throughout Legion, their new main will be far behind their old main in several critical aspects.
I review all of this not to say that players should never be able to switch mains, but to make officers aware of the "hidden cost" of doing so. I would argue that only the most progression-y of progression guilds should dictate whether a player can switch to a different class at all. All other guilds should try to negotiate the appropriate time to switch with the player instead of a blanket no.
The assumption is always that the person will do everything they can to get their new main up to speed. That will be reflected on the meters for DPS and heals and on their ability to survive as a tank. It's not difficult to tell if a player's character isn't getting the job done.
1. How much is this impacting your raid?
Are you wiping because of DPS checks you're no longer meeting? Are your tanks dying because they aren't getting enough throughput on heals? These issues are very serious, and you may have to ask the player to switch back to their main until they get this character more gear, AP, or whatever they need.
Such situations are rare. Unless this player has swapped to a tank, it's uncommon for one player's gear to make enough of a difference, especially on farm content.
2. Is it the character — or the player?
IT nerds have an old acronym called PEBKAC: "problem exists between keyboard and chair." Sometimes the character is fine — it's just that the person playing it doesn't have enough experience. Maybe they're working out a new rotation or they just haven't performed that role before. Tanking, healing, and DPS are very different play styles requiring completely separate mentalities.
One other consideration is whether you have someone to replace that person in their role of choice. If they're swapping away from tank, you better have someone lined up to replace them before you give them the green light.
The best time to allow a switch is obviously the content lull between expansions. Everything basically gets reset when the X.0 patch launches, and then the player can level and gear up with all the other mains without skipping a beat.
Barring that, the best time is when your raid has their difficulty of choice on farm for a specific tier. You can bring their new main into the zone feeling secure that you can help them gear up for the next tier without any impact on your progression. If your guild has cleared Tomb, now is a great opportunity for people to switch mains before Antorus is released.
The worst time is in the middle of progression. This can affect your ability to down bosses, especially if the person is a tank or has another key role. If they're your only Priest for Mass Dispel, for example, that might make certain encounters a lot more difficult than they need to be.
You can let them bring their new main and see how it goes. If things look rough, you can ask them to switch back for progression fights for now.
You can ask them to wait until your guild has cleared the current raid zone before they switch.
You can ask them to bring their previous main to the encounter(s) they are most needed for, and otherwise use their new main.
Most players are all too aware that this decision can make things difficult for the guild. They'll want to cooperate however they can, including switching at the right time. You may also want to ask them to pass on loot for their old mains before they make the switch, so drops aren't wasted.
As someone who switched mains fairly early on in Legion, I understand the need for it. Sometimes when there are massive class changes like the ones Legion brought, you can't be sure if you'll actually like playing a character until you bring it into a raid zone. Like shopping for a new car, you need to get it on the highway and see how it feels before you can decide if you want to buy it.
Sometimes a player just gets sick of their old character. If they've been playing the same class for years, it can get pretty stale. At other times, a player isn't happy with their class's performance and they think they can benefit the raid better by switching to another class.
In this case, I would urge caution. Blizzard will eventually buff underperforming classes. If someone likes playing the class, they might be better off in the long run if they can summon the patience to wait for a balancing fix. So many specs have been massively up (Fire Mage, Shadow Priest) and massively down (Elemental Shaman, Frost Death Knight) during Legion. For one's own sanity and emotional health, it's better not to switch cars on the balance roller coaster. Just ride it out.
Regardless of the reason, everyone spends their own $15. If someone isn't having fun because of the class they chose, they have a right to make the switch. Managing this transition to have the smallest possible impact on your raid is your job as an officer — it's not your job to tell them which class they have to play.
Good raiders who fit with your guild's culture are a precious resource. It's not worth losing a player like that because they don't like their current main. Temporary setbacks will be balanced out by the long-term health of your roster.


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Red Magic
Posted on January 11, 2019 August 19, 2022 Author Candlekeep Janitor
Author: Jean Rabe
For the third book in the open-ended Harpers series, another new writer briefly joined the Forgotten Realms' usual stable of authors. Jean Rabe's only credits to this point had been tabletop D&D materials for the RPGA, but TSR gave her a shot at writing a full-length novel. Daring decision or terrible error? Let's find out.
This novel explores the hitherto unexamined land of Thay, an expansionist nation where an aristocracy of powerful and evil wizards holds sway over hordes of slaves. They're one of the "designated villains" nations in the Forgotten Realms, along with Zhentil Keep — whenever you see a character from Thay show up, it's a safe bet that they'll be evil and probably magical in some way. I appreciate the setting work in this book, because Rabe goes out of her way to point out that not all Thayvians are evil and it's actually a rather visually lovely place. Their society may be messed up and the aristocracy may be a bunch of malevolent prats, but it's not a Mordor-style evil land of evilness. It's always nice when a Realms novel doesn't lean hard on easy "good versus evil" tropes. If this book had extended the same moral ambiguity to its characters, I'd probably have liked it better.
The short version: Two Harper agents and an Aglarondan sorceress have a vague idea that something bad is going down in Thay, so they blunder into the country and bumble about in an incredibly unsubtle fashion. Seriously, their actual plan is "Let's go into this city and just ask random people questions until we find an evil plot." No leads, no contacts, nothing — not exactly James Bond material. And of course they bring their Harper pins along and are recognized because someone spots them. You'd think the Harpers would eventually figure out what a horrible liability those things are.
Eventually they're found out — no great surprise, given the degree of spycraft they demonstrate — and are railroaded into working for Szass Tam, the undead leader of Thay's fractious wizard rulers. That cringeworthy conversation basically goes like this:
"You will serve me or die!"
"Never!"
Sheesh. So they have a big battle with the evil overlord and things get all dramatic until the end.
The ratio of plot and character development to action scenes is good; I appreciate books that are more talk and less combat. Unfortunately, instead of arising as a consequence of the plot, the fight scenes are often just random encounters where they'll stumble into a bunch of monsters, or monsters will stumble into them, and they'll slug it out for a while. Even if something plot-relevant comes out of the aftermath of the combat it still feels forced, as if it were motivated more by the author feeling a need to ratchet up the dramatic tension than because the book actually needed a battle there.
There could have been some good themes in here. The nation of Thay is rife with rich veins of political and social commentary which an author might mine, and maybe you could work in something poignant about the ruinous cost of unchecked ambition to one's soul. But nothing really stands out as a theme as I'm looking back over the book — just maybe "nature is good" and "don't piss off immortal archmages who command vast armies of the dead," neither of which come as much of a surprise.
In particular, the system of slavery entrenched in Thayvian society could have made for some good drama, but aside from a couple of characters saying "Man, I hate slavery" and a couple of scenes of Maligor being cruel to his slaves, little is made of it. We don't hear their stories or see what life is like for them, and the only dialogue the slaves have with our heroes is to deliver exposition, so it all feels like window dressing.
Galvin, a druid who works for the Harpers, had a lot of potential to be an interesting protagonist. He's agoraphobic and misanthropic, uncomfortable with social interaction and preferring to live by himself in the wilderness. If the author had played up the vulnerable aspects of that characterization — shyness or awkwardness, for instance — he might have been a memorable and better-rounded character. But instead he's a callous, self-centred jerk whose tone-deaf interactions with his companions make you wince. I get the impression that the author was expecting us to feel sympathetic towards him, but she doesn't give us many reasons to.
This isn't to say that protagonists necessarily have to have positive or humanizing characteristics — that's the whole point of an antihero. But for the antihero thing to work, they have to be engaging. You have to be intrigued about what drives them, as with Meursault from L'Étranger, or curious about the conflict that they're embroiled in, as with Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon. If you're not going to make the protagonist likeable, you still have to give the reader something to care about, and Galvin fails hard at that. He doesn't seem to know what he's doing, he spends most of the book not being very competent, his motivations aren't much more than just "the Harpers told me to do this," and his characterization is too shallow to keep one's attention for long.
Brenna is his designated love interest. She gets little character development — pretty much all we learn about her is that she's a member of the governing council of Aglarond. But who is she? What does she like? What motivates her? The only answers we get are "a sorceress," "pretty dresses," and "not liking Thay," respectively. She also serves as the not-very-bright character whom the other characters have to explain things to for the benefit of the reader, which doesn't make her any more likeable or even make sense at all. What are the odds that an educated, accomplished wizard and politician would need basic things like "what's a druid?" or "what's a ghoul?" explained to her?
Galvin and Brenna's interactions make me feel like I'm watching a 1940s screwball comedy. You know the type: he's kind of a demanding jerk, she's fussy and impractical. He's all "This dizzy dame is going to spoil everything!" She's all "Why, I never! You brute!" They have the usual slap-slap-kiss relationship development with lots of belligerent sexual tension. Finally, they learn to appreciate each other, which mostly means her learning to appreciate him and him not having to change much. That's our protagonists' relationship in a nutshell, even down to the obligatory scene where he picks her up, throws her over his shoulder, and carries her off when she's being obstreperous. Their interactions feel like they belong in a black-and-white romantic comedy, but stand out as anachronistic and cheesy next to the otherwise fairly serious tone of the rest of the book. It's as if the author was aiming for Much Ado About Nothing, but forgot that both characters need to be likeable and well-characterized for that story to work. Instead the pattern is that she acts rather dim, he behaves like a dick to her for it, and the reader loses sympathy for both of them.
Wynter, Galvin's centaur companion, is much better. He's a sensitive, clever fellow who's conflicted about returning to his hated homeland, so right off the bat you've got a fair amount of material for characterization. Once it became clear that he was sensible, competent, and not a complete tool, I started wishing he'd been the protagonist of this novel instead. Unfortunately he gets sidelined partway through the novel, leaving us saddled with the other two as viewpoint characters.
Maligor, the evil wizard who sets the story in motion, is your standard evil overlord from Central Casting. He's got no backstory, few distinguishing personality traits besides the usual "calculating and cruel", hardly any connections to other characters, and he's even introduced in a scene where he tortures animals just to make sure the reader is crystal clear on who the bad guy is. So much for subtlety! He gets rather a lot of screen time, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, we learn a lot about Thay and its society by watching how its leaders live and work, and their constant plotting against each other is reasonably interesting to watch. On the other hand, he's just so bland that all of the other characters he interacts with — Asp, Szass Tam, Willeth, et cetera — overshadow him. I'd rather spend a scene with any of the minor characters he interacts with than see what Maligor is up to, because I've seen the "standard evil overlord" template so many times that it just doesn't do much for me any more. As villains go, Cassana from Azure Bonds got about a tenth the screen time this guy gets, and she was still more vivid and well-characterized. The best thing I can say about him is that at least he's competent; he effectively executes his evil plan and cleverly turns situations to his advantage, so it doesn't feel like he's an ineffectual roadblock for our heroes.
His adjutant Asp, a naga, actually has the beginnings of a decent characterization: ambitious, petulant, fallible, and anxious for approval. But she spends most of the book doing things that aren't relevant to the plot, doesn't get a chance to interact with anyone besides Maligor, then goes down like a chump at the end. So it goes.
Szass Tam, the lich archmage, could have been such a great character. He's creepy, amoral, collects corpses like some people collect postage stamps, and could have been a mysterious chessmaster positioned on either side of the conflict. But he's hamstrung by a great deal of incredibly hammy, clunky dialogue:
"Harper spies," Szass Tam said evenly. "I don't like the Harper organization and its politics. Harpers are nothing more than meddlers in other people's affairs. I remember many decades ago when I crossed paths with some meddling Harpers. I defeated them with ease and needed no potent sorcery to do it. Your organization is unruly and ineffectual, poking into everything and commanding nothing. Your membership is secret, so you have no single strong leader. You are fools."
Who talks like that? Rather than a compelling antagonist who subtly intervenes in the plot, what we end up with is a deus ex machina who suddenly provides our "meddling" heroes with a big army and a ton of sweet magic items, then turns them loose on his enemies. Instead of, you know, gutting them like fish, turning them into mind-controlled vampires, and then turning them loose on his enemies. Such a waste of a villain.
I think the only characters here that I'd actually want to read a book about are the dwarven slaves whom Wynter buys midway through the book. They're hilariously surly, rebellious, and uncommunicative, and probably have way more interesting stories than our ostensible protagonists, so of course they disappear and are never mentioned again.
The writing is not great. Most of it is in the mediocre-to-decent range, but there are so many little rough edges all over that could have been sanded down without much work.
The wagon, which must have been from a local farm, was filled with some type of crop.
It was also driven by some type of hominid, and pulled by some sort of quadrupedal mammal! I don't think I've ever seen an author tell me "I thought about putting a detail here, but decided not to" in quite such a straightforward manner before. Or there's this fun bit:
He sauntered from the chamber as erect as his aged back and the liqueur allowed.
I get the "bad back" thing, sure, but I can't read the rest of the sentence without parsing it as "he's drunk so much that he's having a hard time getting erect." And the dialogue often sounds incredibly clunky coming out of the characters' mouths:
"I had wanted glory at the head of an army, but the subtlety of this intrigues and excites me. When do we move?"
This sort of thing is pervasive; characters speak woodenly, like they're narrating what's happening to themselves rather than carrying on a conversation with another person. There are many problems like this, each individually small, but so numerous that their cumulative effect breaks your immersion and makes the artifice obvious.
One quirk that quickly becomes apparent is that the writer has a very tenuous grasp on how nature works, which is a problem when you're writing a novel where a druid is the main character. For instance, apparently rubbing some plants on a deep, near-fatal spear wound will cause it to heal overnight. With natural healing like that available, why do people even bother with clerics? Later Brenna loses a boot, so Galvin makes her a pair of moccasins out of antelope hide. A freshly killed antelope's hide. Which he hasn't tanned. So basically she's going to spend the rest of the novel walking around with squishy rotting skin on her feet.
Look, I know I'm not the best person to be criticizing this stuff. I grew up in the suburbs. Most of my days involve some form of sitting in front of a desk staring at a computer. I can barely tell poison ivy from mint. The outside and I don't generally get along, is what I'm saying. But even I know enough about wilderness survival to be sure that you shouldn't treat a freely bleeding stab wound by rubbing a bunch of ferns into it, and you shouldn't try sliding around the forest on gobbets of raw antelope.
Grade: D+
It's not quite as excruciating as some of the other books we've seen so far, but it's far from good. I was initially going to give it a higher grade, but as I was writing this I noticed that I kept finding only negative or lukewarm things to say. This isn't a travesty against literature like Feathered Dragon, but it was certainly a slog to finish it, so I'm not sorry to see that this particular author didn't get the chance to turn this into a series.
•Tagged 1991, Forgotten Realms, Jean Rabe, The Harpers•Leave a Comment on Red Magic
Pools of Darkness


Free agent Anibal Sanchez is reportedly seeking $90MM over six years and that may still fit the Blue Jays' budget. GM Alex Anthopoulos says that the club could accommodate that kind of average annual value, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter). The club hasn't talked about going beyond their current five-year limit on contracts, but Anthopoulos said that things can always change (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Anthopoulos says that he can promise free agent pitcher Carlos Villanueva the 30 starts that he is seeking, Davidi tweets. The GM said that the club has never doubted Villanueva's abilities, but has raised concerns about his durability in the past.
Anthopoulos went on to say that the club is taking a wait-and-see approach with their left field approach while being a little more aggressive in terms of the rotation, tweets Davidi.
After wrapping up his six-year, $52MM deal with the Red Sox, agent Scott Boras tells Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal that Daisuke Matsuzaka figures to have a number of suitors now that he comes with a lower price tag.
The Yankees would like to find an upgrade for Jayson Nix which means finding someone who can play 100 games between shortstop and third base, tweets Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
I like Carlos, he has been a huge help to the Jays the past two seasons, but he has not convinced me that he can be a full-time starter for a full season.
That's exactly my sentiments. I mean if they could re-sign him at reasonable/deserving price, I'm all for it, but there can be no guarantee he will have a rotation spot more or less one for the whole year.
Yep, I think he's pretty adamant on being a full-time starter though, and there are teams that will give him that opportunity. I highly doubt he'll be back in T.O. next season.
My guess would be he'll end up in the AL Central: KC, Cleveland, or Minnesota.
Yankees should go after Marco Scutaro. guy can play SS,2B and 3B.
Because it's the Yankees and every player's dream is to play for them.
Boras left out several huge differences when he was comparing Matsuzaka to Tazawa.
One is that Tazawa doesn't try to nit pick around corners and refuse to attack batter. Tazawa isn't afraid to throw a strike.
Two is that Tazawa actually has COMMAND of multiple pitches anyway.. Like a devistating splitter, a 95-98mph FB that Matsuzaka NEVER had in his MLB career and a decent changeup and slider as well.
Just like Boras.. he tells half truths, leaving out the most important parts.
Matsuzaka will get a minor league invite at best for no more than 1m and probably take until Jan-Feb to accomplish that.
Given that Matsuzaka has shown in the past that he has good stuff with mechanics, a wide arsenal, smarts, and competitiveness, I'm sure he'll be in demand and some one's going to give him a ML deal in order to get him.
Regardless, both guys are undersized meaning that they can't be counted on to log major innings or to stay healthy.
Tazawa came to the US needing TJ, his only injury. He is a reliever now so no reason to suggest inning would be an issue and he is now throwing the ball as hard as reports on him were when he was pitching as an amateur in Japan.
Matsuzaka on the otherhand came to the US with high praise, painted as someone with 6-8 pitches and showed he didn't have the ability (nor confidence) to throw a single one for a strike. he also came with the supposed ability to throw mid-upper 90's and that was proven false right away. He was low 90's and touched 94, maybe 95mph his 1st year and never got close to that again.
There is no comparison at all between someone who attacks the zone with confidence and a repitoire of plus pitches and another who lacks all confidence, plus has all below average "stuff" as Matsuzaka does, healthy or not.
Maybe try and convert him to long reliever, if could get him to throw strikes, cause it sure is awful letting him start games putting his team in 5-7 run holes by the 2-3rd inning on a consistent basis.
someone will likely give him a major league contract with incentives.
Just like EVERY sales person on the planet. Whether it's Boras or the guy trying to sell you an Lazy boy at the furniture store. Same thing.
Anibal Sanchez 6 years 90 million? What? He's never even pitched 200 innings in a season, and hasn't had an ERA of under 3.50 in any full season. His career high in wins is 13. When did that become 6 years/90 million caliber?
He's almost asking for a $100 million dollar contract, and how many pitchers have gotten that?
But all were pretty good when they signed except for zito. Zito was good early in his career, but the 3 years before FA really should have alluded to the giants what to expect.
I wouldnt put Sanchez in this club or in the level below it.
He's hitting free agency at the perfect time for him, he's still young and one of only two solid SP's on the market that someone will likely offer 4-5 years for. He's not worth $15 mil per yr but he'll get close to that, pitching is so scarce. Just dumb luck on the timing for him.
From the FA class only scutaro and keppinger are the only two infielders I'd let play a 100 games. And im not even sure if keppinger can play ss.
…..what about Kelly Johnson, Theriot, Freddy Sanchez (if healthy)? All are guys that can definitely be starters, and I'm just looking at the available second basemen.
They dont fit the criteria cash set out which is a 100 gms at ss and third. sorry i should have been more clear. And no one theriot anyway.
Why are you down on Theriot, he's a guy that just knows what he needs to do during each AB to get on base, hits for a decent average, and can even steal a little bit. Definitely would've preferred to see AA sign him over Izturis.
.316 OBP last year to go with his zero HR's. So yeah he knows what to do to get on base, but he doesn't do it all that well.
Fair enough, had a down year last season, but he has a career OBP of .341 which isn't too shabby.
Someone will sign Daisuke but I would be shocked if it's more than 1 year with a lot of incentives.
Makes the Weaver deal look even better.
what would edwin jackson be looking for in a deal? i would like to sign him. someone posted a trade of arencibia for darwin barney. i dont know much about barney but that doesnt sound bad to me either, any thoughts on it?
Wasn't he trying to get 4 years/40 mill last year? I presume he'll be looking for the same again. As for that trade, I'd rather use one of the catchers to try and net a pitcher. I don't have a problem with the Jays using Izturis for the time being until Hech is ready to be up full-time.
are there any particular pitchers that you are thinking of?
Can't pinpoint anyone in particular, but I think Texas would make a great trade partner. Maybe someone like Matt Harrison.
I don't think the Jays could pry Harrison from Texas. Maybe Ogando for Arencibia + a prospect.
Texas isn't really solid on pitching themselves enough to trade what they have.
As long as they intend for Hech to ultimately take over for Izturis. No way Izturis is a starter on a team looking to contend.
Why not? Lots of playoff teams had a handful of lousy players playing everyday. The Tigers made the World Series with black holes at DH, 2B and LF for most of the season.
I think we have more "black holes" right now (hitting and pitching) then the Tigers did last season.
If we get 2 solid 1-3 SP's we can contend. We don't need a solid 9 lineup. Smart hitters that can get on and create runs along with a few big bats to drive em in is all you need. If you get solid D and some hitting from SS thats more than enough.
He's probably going to be looking for the same money that Sanchez is looking for, and unlike him, Jackson's actually worth the investment.
As for Arencibia for Barney, that'd be a heist on Hoyer's part. AA knows better than that.
barney cant hit at all, but a quick peek at his fangraphs page shows that he provides big time value on defence and on the basepaths. whether that meets the eye test or not i have no idea.
that being said, i still dont think i make that deal if i'm the jays, cause i think izturis has a decent shot of outperforming barney, especially if you think his road splits from his last few years in anaheim (.304/.368/.424) will translate to toronto.
i really think/hope there's a a jon niese for arencibia+ trade to be made. mets and jays seem to line up really well as trade partners.
Never seen Barney play, but his numbers are impressive, especially on defence. I like Izturis, but he's definitely more of a utility guy. Jays are potentially loaded at catcher, so I'd do JP for Barney in a second. Not sure the Cubs would do it, though.
Given AA's bullpen fetish, anyone think that he could pursue Affeldt? Provides good insurance in case Oliver decides to retire, and I'm not big on having the likes of Loup, Crawford, and Cecil being our left-handed options.
Say one thing about AA's love of relievers, at least he doesn't sign them to 3 year deals.
2) GM AA's 'fetish' with relievers is overblown.
Before he wanted relievers for their draft pick compensation. (Ex. Rauch, Francisco, Downs, Gregg). It wasn't just relievers. If you remember GM AA grabbed Miguel Olivio, only to decline the option to grab the compensation pick. It was a fetish of compensatory picks. However, that is over because the CBA has changed.
AA's recent splurge for young relief pitchers is to keep them for the long haul. Delabar, Lincoln, Rogers aren't set to hit free agency until 2017 (approximately). Same idea goes for Perez, Jansen, Santos, Loup.
AA wants stability in his bullpen, which has been lacking in past years.
It has nothing to do with a 'fetish' for bullpen players.
Also, in signing young controlable relievers (everyone lovers those words) it allows them to not overspend on RP and focus that money on SP and other areas that are more predictable and not wasted.
2 starting pitchers is the bare minimum the jays need to even consider making a run in 2013.
Probably all of those guys expect to play everyday, except maybe Theriot, so I'd be surprised if any of them signed with NYY.
Seriously…. is anyone else in here thinking that that deal would be insane for Sanchez? Why all the hype on him? Seriously, he hasnt had a winning record twice in his career and one of those is by one win. Im aware that wins and losses isnt the make or break it in a pitcher but cmon, he might be one of the bigger names on the block this year but 90million and 6 years for this guy is way too much.
Because teams pay for not what they've done but what they're projected to do. If a player is still in his prime and has improved even slightly over the past few years then theres reason for believe he may break out. Especially if he's on an improved team. You'r right, wins/losses are not relevent because they're team related. So with all things taken into account (command,velocity,ability to mix pitches and of course health) they have some ability to project how a player will perform over the next few years. Of course they're not always right, some players are always gonna under perform and some will over perform.
Forget Sanchez. Sign Marcum and another pitcher that's trying to rebuild value on 1 year deal ie Dan Haren. Trade Arencibia for Ogando.
These moves will not jeopardize the future because haren (should perform well because he'll be motivated for longer contract ) will be only a one year guy. That will open up a spot in the rotation for one of our big three pitching prospects in 2014. Also Ogando can always move back to the rotation if/when another one is ready, making bullpen stronger. Thoughts? Too much?


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What the Law of Military Obedience Can (and Can't) Do–What Happens if a President's Orders are Unlawful?
by Christopher Fonzone
James Mattis, Military, Military justice, North Korea, Nuremberg, Pentagon, torture, unlawful orders
A proposal to bring back waterboarding and a "hell of a lot worse." The possible suggestion that members of the military should intentionally target terrorists' civilian family members. A threat to rain "fire and fury" on North Korea. With comments like these, President Donald Trump has turned the responsibility of members of the military to obey superior orders – long an object of study for scholars of military law – into the subject of popular headlines and editorials. What happens, commentators have asked, "if President Trump orders Secretary of Defense Mattis to do something deeply unwise?" Would the military actually carry out such orders?
Much has been written, of course, on these important questions, which almost inevitably arise in extremely difficult situations. In order to provide those interested with the basics of what the law requires in such situations, I recently wrote an American Constitution Society Issue Brief entitled What the Military Law of Obedience Does (and Doesn't) Do. This body of law, which has roots that date back to antiquity, makes clear that members of the military have a dual obligation to both obey "lawful" orders and disobey "manifestly" or "patently" illegal ones. As I argue in the Issue Brief, this means, in practice, that service members must refuse to transgress clear and well-known legal rules, but that commentators should not expect military disobedience to save the nation from simply unwise or legally contested orders.
To understand why this is the case, it is important to recognize that the law of obedience sits at the intersection of two fundamental interests – the need for good order and discipline in the military, which requires service members to obey superior orders; and the supremacy of the law, which requires service members to be responsible for their illegal acts. Because these interests can conflict – a superior can issue an unlawful order – the law must mediate between them.
To that end, it is clear that neither extreme can work. On the one hand, the Nuremberg Tribunals and a large body of military jurisprudence rejects the notion that members of the military should be insulated from liability for following orders. On the other hand, there is broad recognition that holding subordinates liable for all infractions, whether they were conducted pursuant to superior orders or not, would threaten good order and discipline by encouraging legal debate at every stage of the chain of command.
So how does the law of obedience resolve this tension? In short, by narrowing the set of orders members of the military are required to disobey to those that are "manifestly" or "patently" illegal. Scholars of military law are clear that such orders are not difficult to discern; as one military justice scholar put it, manifestly illegal orders are precisely those orders that do not prompt a service member to "reason why" the order is unlawful. Rather, they are orders that any soldier would immediately recognize as problematic.
Which brings us back to Trump's comments. Then-candidate Trump's comments about waterboarding or the targeting of civilians prompted immediate and strong criticism from numerous former government officials – most prominently, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael Hayden, but also many former senior government lawyers – who all made clear that they would expect the military to disobey such orders. Indeed, the intentional targeting of civilians (who are not participating directly in hostilities) is the paradigmatic example of an illegal order and recent changes to the law have also made clear that waterboarding is prohibited. It thus seems likely that service members would refuse to carry out such orders.
Trump's comments about North Korea, however, are a different story. The vast majority, if not all, of the members of the military are in no position to exercise any degree of control over the jus ad bellum question of whether the United States goes to war, and the law therefore does not generally hold these members liable for such a decision. It is thus unclear whether such service members would even have an obligation to disobey manifestly illegal orders to use force, as they would face no punishment if they carried them out.
But even if they did have such an obligation, there are few questions of constitutional law more contested than the circumstances in which the president can use force without prior congressional authorization. Similarly, international law does not precisely define the circumstances in which a State may use force in the territory of another State. Thus, although one could, of course, imagine a manifestly illegal order to use force, it seems likely that such an order would present a question of contested legality that does not trigger an obligation to disobey.
It is important to note here that the obligation of members of the military to follow superior orders is distinct from the responsibilities of individuals, including lawyers, who advise decision-makers, such as the president, the defense secretary, and other military officers, in the first instance. Those individuals should argue for the legal and policy positions they think are right. And, as Department of Defense doctrine contemplates, individuals in the chain of command may ask legal questions through appropriate channels or seek clarification of questionable orders.
But once an individual with appropriate authority has made a decision and any questions have been clarified, the strong presumption is that subordinates will carry out that order. This may seem unsatisfying, particularly given the rise in presidential war-making since World War II. But it is the way it should be. Expanding the circumstances in which members of the military could disobey superior orders would not only threaten good order and discipline, but it would also reduce the incentives for senior leadership to pay careful attention to the legality of their actions and potentially have a deleterious impact on civil-military relations. An elected president, Senate-confirmed military leadership, and strict adherence to the chain-of-command are the foundation of civilian control of the military, and being too quick to refuse orders from the president or the defense secretary threatens this bedrock tenant of American democracy. For, in the end, it is not individual members of the armed forces who bear the primary responsibility for stopping unwise military actions. Rather, it is the responsibility of other actors in our political system – Congress, through the exercise of its war powers; civil society; and, ultimately, all of us working to make our political vision a reality.
The views expressed in this article are exclusively those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sidley Austin LLP and its partners. This article has been prepared for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship. Readers should not act upon this without seeking advice from professional advisers.
*This piece was cross-published at ACSBlog.
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Christopher Fonzone
Christopher Fonzone is a former Deputy Assistant to the President, former Deputy Counsel to the President, former National Security Council Legal Adviser, formerly worked at the Department of Justice in the Office of Legal Counsel and on the Civil Division's Appellate Staff, and formerly served as Special Counsel to the General Counsel of the Department of Defense.
Just Security Podcast: Promoting Diversity in the U.S. Military
Under the Pentagon's New Civilian Harm Action Plan, Addressing Credible Cases is a Moral Imperative
by Joanna Naples-Mitchell
Just Security's Climate Archive
New Suit Against Liberia at ECOWAS Court of Justice Seeks Accountability for Civil War-Era Massacre
by Catherine Amirfar, Ela Matthews and Taylor Booth
Gender Norms as a Tool for Wartime Torturers – A Look at Sexual and Gender-Based Violence under International Humanitarian Law
by Grant Shubin
The Last, Best Chance for Accountability at Guantanamo? A Negotiated Plea for the 9/11 Defendants
by Jonathan Hafetz
Why We Serve: Upholding the Democratic Process
by Bishop Garrison


text:
2019 Information Guide
Baseball Information Guides
2019 Quick Facts (.pdf)
Yellow Jackets in the MLB Draft
Danny Hall Baseball Camps
2019 Promotional Schedule
No. 1 Georgia Tech Sweeps Doubleheader from Oakland, 16-0 and 19-4
Box Score – Game 1
ATLANTA – Second baseman Richard Lewis had eight RBI and Kevin Cameron and Philip Perry turned in solid pitching performances to lead top-ranked Georgia Tech to 16-0 and 19-4 doubleheader sweep over visiting Oakland on Tuesday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
The victory was Tech's eighth win in a row and improved the Yellow Jackets' season record to 9-1. Oakland dropped to 0-5.
In game one, Cameron (1-0) tossed a complete game one-hitter while striking out seven batters. He allowed just two balls to leave the infield and faced just one batter over the minimum in the seven-inning contest.
Lewis homered twice in the first game and drove in a career-high seven runs on three hits. Bryan Prince, who went 4-for-5 with a home run, added four RBI. Matthew Boggs, Brad Stockton and Wes Rynders each added two hits for the Yellow Jackets.
Tech scored early and often, building an 11-0 lead after three innings. The Jackets, who had 15 hits in six innings, added two runs in the fourth inning and three more runs in the sixth. The 16-0 score was Tech's highest shutout margin of victory since posting a 18-0 win over Augusta on April 25, 1989.
Oakland starter Gordon Hosbein (0-1) took the loss after allowing 11 runs on 11 hits in 2.1 innings.
In game two, Victor Menocal went 5-for-5 and Jason Basil drove in five runs to lead the Tech offense. The Yellow Jackets built a 5-0 lead after two innings, but the Golden Grizzlies scored three runs in the top of the third to trim the lead to 5-3.
Tech answered with three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take control of the game, and then added six runs in the fourth and five runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
Stockton, who added three more hits in game two, had three triples on the afternoon. Jon Henry Kail added a pair of hits and drove in two runs for the Yellow Jackets.
Oakland was paced by third baseman Rob Brockman, who went 3-for-3 with a home run, and catcher Matt Gabrielli, who had three hits and drove in two runs.
Perry (1-0) picked up the victory in his first start of the year after allowing four runs on nine hits in six innings of work. He walked one batter and struck out four. Oakland starter Adam Sokoll (0-1) took the loss after allowng 10 runs, only six of which were earned, in three-plus innings.
Georgia Tech and Oakland will conclude the three-game series on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium.
July 13, 2019 #TGW: Fast Track to the Big Leagues
#ProJacket Johnathan Langley journey to Big Leagues culminates at 2019 MLB All-Star Weekend
#TGW: Fast Track to the Big Leagues
July 2, 2019 Five Jackets Named to Academic All-ACC Team
Guldberg, Hurter, Murray, Roedig and Waddell receive academic recognition
Five Jackets Named to Academic All-ACC Team


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The Flock: Impressions
Sunday, August 23, 2015 Aldershot, indie game, the flock, YTN No comments
The Flock comes with an interesting hook in that it'll go offline and become unavailable for sale once the population counter ticks down to zero. The game itself is something similar to "juggernaut" game modes from other online games, but with an emphasis on stealth.
When you spawn into a match, each player tries to find and attain the light. Once attained that player will become the "Carrier" and every one else will remain as a "Flock". It features an asymmetrical cat and mouse style of gameplay where it's every one on the Carrier. You can gain points through killing flocks by shining the light on advancing Flocks, completing objective points, or simply through holding the light as long as possible. The Flock have a variety of ways to ambush the carrier. They can stand still which will put them into a "Petrified" mode giving full immunity to the light, they can also create decoys that they can teleport to at their will, and can give a howl that'll buff other Flocks around them. The core of this is pretty fun and interesting when you first jump into the game, though with this as the only game mode it can become repetitive after a while.
The Flock is also pretty easy on the senses. The environmental and character designs are suiting to the mood and atmosphere, with ancient looking dilapidated environments, and eerie music and sound effects. The Flock does a good job at communicating it's dark themes.
Though the hook of a permanent end to the game, and the core gameplay being initially enjoyable and interesting, the fun of "The Flock" doesn't last long. There are only 3 maps available and only 1 game mode. The game becomes very repetitive very quickly. There's also no incentive to continue playing with a huge disconnect from the mechanics and the perma-end concept. None of the mechanics would be affects if the perma-end system wasn't in place, and because of this, the immediacy that the game tried to force on the player falls flat. I feel like most players would be bored of the game before the countdown become relevant. You can experience every thing there is to experience in a matter of a couple of matches. Since that's the case, what's the incentive for players to protect the global population? Why should players care if it'll end permanently if the game can't hold their interest to see it to the end? There's not even a record system to track how much a player have contributed to the population countdown, making the game's premise feel pointless.
Besides the design flaws with it's perma-end system, and the lack of variety, the Flock also suffers from a myriad of technical issues. The game sometimes crash from alt-tabbing or when a match ends and sends the player back to the lobby. The graphics setting's effectiveness is questionable and while playing with those settings, my game refuses to go fullscreen, It's stuck on windowed mode. I've also experienced lobbies that refuse to start the game, and games where the goal (the light) refused to spawn in. To say the least, The Flock has a lot of problems.
Overall The Flock has an interesting foundation, but it's under developed, under conceptualized, and suffers from both technical and design flaws.
- Good looking and sounding
- The one game mode is fun for a little while
- Buggy
- No connection between the perma-end concept to it's mechanics
- repetitive
- Lacks content
Hardland: Early Impressions
20XX: Quick Look (Megaman Roguelike indie game, ga...
Caves of Qud: Early Impressions


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IBM Developer Blog
Follow the latest happenings with IBM Developer and stay in the know.
Why IBM doesn't agree with Google's Open Usage Commons
Google's Open Usage Commons for the Istio project falls short of expectations
By Jason McGee
In May 2017, IBM and Google jointly announced the launch of Istio, a merger of Google's Istio and IBM's Amalgam8 projects. As a founding member of the Istio project, IBM is strongly invested in the engineering, leadership, and success of the Istio project.
Today's announcement by Google of the creation of the Open Usage Commons (OUC) is disappointing because it doesn't live up to the community's expectation for open governance. An open governance process is the underpinning of many successful projects. Without this vendor-neutral approach to project governance, there will be friction within the community of Kubernetes-related projects.
At the project's inception, there was an agreement that the project would be contributed to the CNCF when it was mature. IBM continues to believe that the best way to manage key open source projects such as Istio is with true open governance, under the auspices of a reputable organization with a level playing field for all contributors, transparency for users, and vendor-neutral management of the license and trademarks. Google should reconsider their original commitment and bring Istio to the CNCF.
Istio resources
IBM's reflection on Istio's third birthday, written May 2020
Istio Explained
Open governance: It's all about community
Play outline
Deep dive into Istio