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Category: Scotland National Team
Big Nathan is on the Comeback Trail
February 9, 2009 in Player Watch, Scotland National Team, Six Nations
By Rory Baldwin
Tags: Nathan Hines
Nathan Hines has told the BBC he hopes to be fit for Saturday's game in Paris. Good news if he can slot in straight away with his form of the Autumn, as he was sorely missed on Sunday will he be really fit though or is it too risky?
Full article and video here.
And while we're all running over to the BBC website, have a look at the gentlemen of the press ripping into Scotland's performance on Sunday…
5 Really Stupid Things Scotland Did
February 9, 2009 in Six Nations
Tags: Al Kellock, Ben Cairns, Chris Cusiter, Frank Hadden, John Barclay, Phil Godman
For the most part you could argue that for "Scotland" you could read Frank Hadden…
1) Only having one lock on the park. With an already weakened scrum, Jason White played with a bit of heart but wasn't really the answer in the lineout. Gough and Jones were pretty dominant for Wales in an area we had (before the loss of Hines and rash selections) hoped to target. If he had to play a back rower in the second, surely it would be Simon Taylor who has been doing it all season? Ally Kellock has been playing well for Glasgow, with no little amount of fire in his belly. He's been in the wilderness long enough – surely it is time for him to return and give some grunt alongside big Jim Hamilton?
2) Early substitutions of Cairns and Barclay. Peter Wright apparently left the commentary box in disgust when Barclay went off. I'm pretty sure "aperplexed" is not a word, but as it combines "apoplectic" and "perpelexed" quite nicely it sums up what was, I am sure, the mood of many. Barclay had been relatively solid to that point, and while his replacement Scott Gray did well, surely one of the cornerstones of our defence and more importantly the one who sets the tone for the forwards (in the absence of Hines and Strokosch) should not come off just when we are getting into the game. The expression on Barclays face as he went off summed it up. I believe the expression was: WTF? While Max Evans did pretty well when he came on, scoring a great try past both Byrne AND Williams, Cairns wasn't given a chance. I counted about 2 passes he received in 50 minutes. Surely if the crash ball through Morrison wasn't working he could have had a bit of a chance, or failing a chance, a pass? Now that Max Evans has made his mark, Cairns would under normal circumstances have to fight for his place back from Evans. Having said that I would still stick with Cairns as he has a slight edge defensively but Evans is pushing hard. This being a Frank Hadden team though you could see Andrew Henderson in the team next week for all we know.
3) Not picking Strokosch or Thom Evans. Max's late try seemed a little like an "I told you so" (though that was not the language I used when I first expressed this thought) from the Evans family to Mr Hadden. His pace and lack of fear set a little spark in the crowd which in turn spurred on the team. "Win the crowd. You will win your freedom" Olly Reed said in Gladiator. Shadows and dust Max Evans, shadows and dust. Imagine what we could have done with two Evans boys in that end period. The big Stroker should definitely come in at 6, with Barclay preserved at 7. Without Hines, Scotland were a blunt-edged instrument in the forwards. Strokes could be the man to return that edge, given his tendency to use anger as a motivating factor. Pick who you like at 8, it's a tough call between Brown Hogg or Taylor as none of them was outstanding while not being terrible. I'd probably go with Taylor.
4) Playing like headless chickens. So eager to try and fix things after a ropey start, they were knocking balls on, playing Chunk at first receiver (actually not unsuccessful sometimes) or rushing headlong into dangerous tackles. Dr Cross, in particular, will have little to remember (if he can) of his debut cap. Two poor tackles and twenty minutes in and the bench was half empty and the set piece in even worse shape. The Mossy debate was put to bed early as he was forced on to the pitch – where he had a pretty good game and nearly scored two tries. You do wonder though if Evans or Lamont would have had the power to get over for the first of those. Where was the controlled aggression of the Argentina tests or the autumn internationals. Still in Gloucester? Lamont had another off day, and if you were being really out of your gourd inventive you could have an Evans on each wing which keeps Cairns in the backline too. It's more likely to be another Mossy shuffle though, as we'll now have forgotten we had confidence in Godman's goal kicking 24 hours ago even though he wasn't tested yesterday.
5) Playing the backline too deep. This was the biggie, the final nail in the coffin of an already consumptive corpse. Godman likes to play on the gain line for Edinburgh, yet yesterday he sat way too deep. On instruction perhaps – was that the plan to beat Wales: to sit off their blitz defence rather than try and get in behind them? Is it any surprise that Parks, Hadden's standoff of choice, likes to sit deep too? Morrison had little chance to make an impact on quick ball as the Welsh defensive line had plenty of time to size him up. Cusiter came on and it seemed like he had instructions to get them flatter. And it worked. This one can be fixed simply – allow Godman to play flat. Giving Cusiter a start at 9 might be a good call given his familiarity with the French and the obvious boost he gave to Scotland's game. We had talked up Mike Blair but he had a curious off day – he'll be back I'm sure. With Southwell at 15 you have a big kicker who can sit deep if your plan is to kick. But if you are going forward, you want Godman flat where he is much more dangerous. The solution is NOT to bring Parks in and get him playing flat (or deep). Give Godman a decent game plan playing flat and he should be fine. Don't be too worried about blitz defences, interceptions or any of that. It happens. Trust in the skills of the players – confidence comes from the top. Regardless of what he says in post-match interviews about how confident he is, Mr Hadden's game plan is not inspiring confidence either in players or fans. I think we are all sick of seeing feckless and overly conservative Scotland teams, yet we know these players can play fired up, aggressive and attacking rugby. So who is not pushing the ignite switch?
Feel free to add numbers 6-10 below as we lick our wounds and look "forward" to France next week. While one never likes to say I told you so, if there is one message reverberating around the message boards it is that. Do we amateur pundits really know more than the coach this time? It beggars belief.
My team for France would be:
Jacobsen, Ford, Dickinson, Kellock (Hines if fit?), Hamilton, Strokosch, Barclay, Taylor, Cusiter (c), Godman, Evans, Morrison, Cairns, Evans, Southwell with Low, Hall, White, Hogg, Blair, Paterson, Lamont on the bench.
A version of this post also appears on scrum.com
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Good Omens?
February 6, 2009 in Six Nations, World of Rugby
Scotland U20 18 – 17 Wales U20
See, it's easy really. I knew there was some rugby on TV tonight but I missed it. Still you can get a BBC report here.
Let's hope it's a good omen. Speaking of which, Wales have never lost a Six Nations game Gavin Henson has started. But he's not starting on Sunday anymore, having been pulled due to a calf strain (his replacement is Tom Shanklin). Interesting – or just straw clutching?
Good luck to Italy tomorrow, and for that matter to England I hope they manage to sort something out. France and Ireland too, here's looking forward to a great Six Nations. See you on the other side with a roundup.
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Scotland and Wales Announce Teams
February 4, 2009 in Scotland National Team, Six Nations
That sound you can hear is Mr Expectation, Mr Hope and Mrs Triple-Crown running out of the door, leaving Mr Uhohherewegoagain nursing his pint in the corner.
Is it just me or is this not quite the team we had hoped for? Shorn of Hines, Murray and Strokosch that pack looks a bit cobbled together and out of position, and without Evans at 14 a little short of killer instinct in the backs. It puts an awful lot of pressure on Godman as goalkicker and playmaker. It could just be me, as it's not that much different to the team I picked earlier in the week and a lot of the calls were close. If there is an injury to Thom that would explain things, but otherwise his exclusion seems dangerously close to folly. I hope this team can prove me wrong…
Scotland team:
Hugo Southwell (Edinburgh), Simon Webster (Edinburgh), Ben Cairns (Edinburgh), Graeme Morrison (Glasgow), Sean Lamont (Northampton), Phil Godman (Edinburgh), Mike Blair (Edinburgh), Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), Jason White (Sale), Jim Hamilton (Edinburgh), Ally Hogg (Edinburgh), Simon Taylor (Stade Francais), John Barclay (Glasgow)
Replacements: Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors), Alasdair Dickinson (Gloucester), Kelly Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Gray (Northampton Saints), Chris Cusiter (Perpignan), Chris Paterson (Edinburgh), Max Evans (Glasgow Warriors)
Wales team: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Leigh Halfpenny (Blues), Jamie Roberts (Blues), Gavin Henson (Ospreys), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Mike Phillips (Ospreys); Gethin Jenkins (Blues), Matthew Rees (Scarlets), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Ian Gough (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Ryan Jones (Ospreys, capt), Martyn Williams (Blues), Andy Powell (Blues).
Replacements: Tom Shanklin (Blues), James Hook (Ospreys), Dwayne Peel (Sale), John Yapp (Blues), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Dragons), Dafydd Jones (Scarlets).
UPDATE: I'm not the only one, check out some of the comments about Evans absence on the Scotsman website… There seems to be a sense that if it doesn't pan out, Frank Hadden is digging a rather large hole for himself on the (unused) Murrayfield back pitches…
UPDATE: Also now that the teams are announced you can make adjustments to your fantasy XVs. For example you can take out Evans and Murray. Bet they don't let you select your half backs as Mauro Bergomasco and Andy Goode…
My Scotland Team Set for "Glory"
Tags: Al Strokosch, Allan Jacobsen, Ben Cairns, Chris Paterson, Euan Murray, Graeme Morrison, Jim Hamilton, John Barclay, Mike Blair, Nathan Hines, Phil Godman, Ross Ford, Sean Lamont, Simon Taylor, Thom Evans
This would be the team I announce tomorrow, and here's why:
15 – Chris Paterson. This was trickier than I thought, which is a good thing. Hugo has been on fire recently, but before the recent rib injury, so was Mossy. Frank Hadden is looking for maturity of decision making from this team, having identified that as the difference between Scotland and South Africa in the Autumn. Scotland's record cap holder displayed this in spades in the gritty Heineken Cup defeat to Leinster, out-foxing a charging Rob Kearney on a couple of occasions and showing a better ball retention than Paterson of old. Hugo on the other hand does still have a little rash streak. If Scotland are going to live up to their potential this has to be brought under control. Then of course, there's the kicking. It's almost a flip of a coin between Hugo's educated left boot and Mossy's goal kicking. Sadly we need the points more.
14 – Thom Evans. Time for Thom to step up and make people take notice. Blistering pace, a much improved defence and now the chance to show some of these other chaps (Shane Williams, Rob Kearney) he means business. Named by Stuart Barnes in his Lions XV at the weekend on the back of just 3 caps – although credited as a Welshman! He's been in miraculous form for Glasgow and the ball seems to bounce his way almost every time. If Hadden is looking for luck, Evans should be the rabbit's foot he needs.
13 – Ben Cairns. There's a lot of talk about Max Evans at the moment, and both he and Cairns seem to have jumped De Luca as the bright young things of Scottish centre play. In a tournament where they could come up against the likes of O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Jauzion or Wales powerhouse Jamie Roberts, I think the extra grit in Cairns' defence gives him the odds over the naivete Evans has been known to show (although he is improving quickly under Lineen). Given a free reign and a little outside space to work in, Cairns could be devastating.
12. – Graeme Morrison. Shown some fine form recently, and will add some bulk to a backline outside him that for once is more pace and raw talent than raw meat. Will need to keep breaking the line though as a Hadden-style 12 should or he'll soon find himself back in the shark tank with the circling young bloods in the squad such as De Luca, Dewey and Houston. De Luca may be the ideal choice, but he's never shown ideal form at international level. I'll be surprised if he doesn't get a run at some point though.
11 – Sean Lamont. Scored a wonderful wingers try recently for the Saints and needs to recapture the form of a couple of years ago. A chance for him to escape the glare of brother Rory's halo and prove why he's worth his place in a Scotland team getting younger by the minute. Remember the Sean Lamont who scored 4 tries in one game for Northampton in between Six Nations victories over France and England? Go on Seanie, have a wee run…
10 – Phil Godman. Hopefully the Dan Parks thing has been put to bed. Yes he is reliable, sometimes. Yes he is frequently very good for Glasgow. But Scotland just play better with a mazy runner like World Class Phil bringing them on to the ball. With an attacking back division they need an attacking fly half. Godman has improved his positional and goal kicking too (as has Paterson) making the usual arguments for Parks' inclusion less relevant. A couple of steady games (dare we hope for a victory?) and the shirt should be his for some time to come. At least until Glasgow's young pretender Ruaridh Jackson gets picked for a Scotland squad. Oh, wait…
9 – Mike Blair. Probably the form scrum half in Europe over the winter despite a relatively poor showing from the pro-teams. Mike Philips and Danny Care are up there, but there is a coolness to Blair's game that sets him apart – and keeps him on the pitch head up, rather than in the sin bin or at the bottom of a ruck. Being captain gives him the chance to set the pace and the others will follow if they can keep up. Good to see Chris Cusiter coming back to form and if there is an injury he'll be chasing hard to get his old shirt back.
8 – Simon Taylor. Damn this one was tricky, as I'm a big fan of Hoggy and Kelly Brown has been playing pretty well for Glasgow (at 6). There's Johnny Beattie too. There is a wee niggle in my mind that Taylor has been playing at lock all season. In the end Taylor has too much class to leave him out – witness his textbook tackle in the recent Stade vs Perpignan game and a couple of solid performances in the autumn. Hogg and Brown may once again suffer for their back-row versatility and it's a coin toss for the bench spot.
7 – John Barclay. One of the easiest choices. Hadden fumbled about without a proper 7 for long enough, now he has several itching to get on the pitch. Consistently solid, aggressive yet organised, with good awareness – and sick of losing. His battles with Martin Williams at 7 in the first match and with David Wallace in March could well set the tone for Scotland's Six Nations, and possibly the Lions tour too.
6 – Al Strokosch. You could pick any one of Jason White, the Big Stroker, Kelly Brown (again), Ally Hogg (again); even Scott Newlands has been in good form. Al Strokosch has been consistent if unexciting for Gloucester so far this season, but in terms of regular playing at 6 it's between him and Brown. I've gone for Strokosch's extra fire here but he is not yet quite the player he was last season when walked into the Italy dressing room and handed his man of the match award to Sergio Parisse after the Italy game. That shows a level of commitment and sportsmanship that can only be applauded.
5 – Jim Hamilton. In great form since his return to the fold at Edinburgh. Adds tremendous bulk to the front five and is starting to take on a little ball carrying now too. Given his proportions, this makes him hard to stop.
4 – Nathan Hines. News he did not train on Monday is a little concerning. The man from Wagga Wagga has been a fixture on the team sheet since his return from international exile. Continued knee problems could see a last minute replacement by Al Kellock who on recent form may manage to bring a similar amount of niggle as Big Nathan.
3 – Euan Murray. One of the first choices on many team sheets as a result of his sterling play since moving to Northampton to learn at the feet of the great Tom Smith. Recent news of a rib injury could open up a spot for Geoff Cross or Moray Low to make their mark but from Scotland's point of view Murray has to be fit!
2 – Ross Ford. Offers a lot both in attack and defence. Dougie Hall is coming back to a bit of form after the switch to Glasgow while last season's incumbent Fergus Thompson has dropped off a bit. Ford is the front runner by some distance, and offers good handling and running as an auxiliary back-row type. In the absence of the bulky back divisions we have seen in the past, forwards like Ford and Hines will need to step up for their share of the ball.
1 – Allan Jacobsen. He might not be praised at Murray's level but still a capable pair of hands who shows up well in attack. In fact, in last year's Six Nations he was about the only one who showed up in attack. We can but hope that this year's brand of Scotland team will allow Chunk to concentrate a little more on the scrummaging. There are a number of younger props coming through though, so Chunk may do well to hold them off.
Bench: Geoff Cross, Dougie Hall, Ally Kellock, Ally Hogg, Chris Cusiter, Max Evans, Hugo Southwell
There are only 2,800 odd tickets left. Go on, you know you want one. A full Murrayfield would really help the team: I'd be there were it not for previous commitments. Damn those commitments.
Six Nations Fantasy Rugby
February 3, 2009 in Adventures in Rugby, Six Nations
Hey people, we'd love you to join us playing Six Nations fantasy rugby to pit our amateur punditry skills against one another. It's a free game, you can sign up here:
http://scrum.fantasyleague.com/
The deadline for teams is (I think) Saturday the 7th before the first game kicks off. Once I've set up a mini-league I'll post the PIN you'll need to join it in the comments section. I can't promise a prize for the winner but you never know… if you're really good I suppose you might win a Land Rover.
BBC Scrum V Six Nations Preview
February 3, 2009 in Rugby on TV, Six Nations
Quite Welsh-centric this one, but at least there's plenty of chat about the Scotland vs Wales match on Sunday with Jiffy, Ieuan and Warren Gatland.
Click here for the video (30 mins).
Murray Could Be A Worry
Tags: Euan Murray
BBC reports that great white hope of Scottish propping Euan Murray is recovering from a rib injury and could make him a doubt for our opening Six Nations game. This would be a bit of a blow to be honest, as the scrum was hopefully going to be one of our key strengths in the upcoming tournament. We wish him a swift recovery!
You can read the full story here.
6 Nations – the ill-informed view…
January 28, 2009 in Site News, Six Nations
By Al Kerr
Having not had the opportunity to post for a while now I thought I had better remove my finger and provide the world with some more of my ramblings.
You guys have had it too good since New Year, having the pleasure of Rory's well-considered musings on the game. As with any good partnership you need the Yin and Yang – I am the screaming, cursing, bipolar ("we're great…nah, we're sh*te"), Townsend-sceptic rugby fan in comparison to Rory's deer-stalker wearing, drinks out the back of the Land Rover, Townsend-lovin' rugby toff. As such my musings are formed purely of prejudice, half-baked ideas and a tenuous knowledge of the rules (I played in the front row, no need for rules!).
The 6 Nations are less that 2 weeks away and this year's tournament looks like it is shaping up to be a cracker. The Northern Hemisphere's premier tournament is always essential viewing but this year there is a general feeling that pretty much every team has the ability to pick up results…well maybe except England! Here are my thoughts on Scotland in the lead up to the big kick-off, look out for my views on the other teams in the coming days:
Every year, without fail, I'll look at the Scotland squad and think to myself that it looks pretty strong and that with a wee bit of luck this could be the year we string some result together and maybe claim a wee bit of glory. Every year I'm wrong and the last couple of 6 Nations have seen Scotland win 2 games…out of 10! Can this be the year where Scotland turn promise into results?
Well, yes!
Hadden has by far and away his strongest squad in his tenure as top dog. A pack that is possibility the best in the tournament and a set of backs that, whilst not the finished article, look like they might actually score some points. The club sides are producing good results (think Glasgow and Edinburgh winning in France) and are pushing at the right end of the Magners League. Key to their success has been the breakthrough of a number of younger players and this has fed into the national side where an injection of fresh blood has been needed for sometime now. Since the last 6 Nations the national team has toured Argentina picking up a win in the process and put in 2 encouraging displays in their Autumn Internationals (didn't see the NZ game but didn't sound great). The game against South Africa, the world champions, showed just how far the team have come…and how far they still have to go. We bullied the South Africans around in the pack. The forwards were tight and very, very aggressive. The backs ran good angles and with a little more precision could have scored more points. That though is where they still have issue: finishing off the chances they create. For Scotland to prosper this coming 6 Nations they need to take the form from the South Africa and Canada games and add the finishing – if, and it's still a big if, they can do that then they may well have a very good tournament.
This Scotland team has the look of a team that is still a distance from peaking (2011 would be nice!) but if they continue to develop at the same rate as the last 12 months then the future should be good, or at least better than what has gone before. A successful Scotland side will help ensure that the punters turn up in number ensuring more money into the SRU coffers which will then, hopefully be fed into the grass routes (and not Chris Cusiter's pockets!) to bring on the next generation of players.
A quick note on Hadden, who like his squad, appears to have come on leaps and bounds in the last 12 months. I've never been a huge fan (despite the fact he put up while Rory and I dribbling drunken nonsense to him in St Etienne) but he seems to have got a better idea of the game he wants to play. Like most Scotland fans I'm delighted that Dan Parks has burnt the dodgy pictures he must have had of Hadden and he is no longer compelled to pick him. Hadden has a depth of squad that has not been available to him in the last couple of years and this should allow him to develop a Plan B in the case any games are going pear shaped. Of course this means that the excuses that Hadden has used to cover his own inadequacies are not going to wash. This tournament will cast a fair eye over Hadden's abilities at this level.
Finally, the backroom staff appears to be doing a good job, the pack is tight (although the lineout is still in need of work) and provide an extremely solid base for attacking the opposition. As much as I was never a huge Townsend fan when he was a player (way too erratic) if his coaching is half as good as his thoughts on the game then we should see a back line that will trouble even the best sides in the world.
So, can Scotland win the 6 Nations? Yes!
Really? Well it's certainly not outwith the realms of possibility and we are certainly due a run of luck in terms of injuries and the bounce of the ball…
The first game against Wales is the key. Wales, off the back of a Grand Slam and a decent set of Autumn Internationals will be looking to start strong but Murrayfield is far from a happy hunting ground for the singing coal miners. Presuming Scotland don't forget how to tackle, they will fancy bloodying the noses of the Welsh and setting up a lip-smacking clash in Paris the following week. The other home games should be winnable (the Irish are on the slide in my opinion, and Italy should still always be beatable) so a lot comes down to the trips to Paris and London. Scotland don't travel that well (not lately anyway!) but this is a Scotland squad filled with players who have won on French soil (albeit at club level) so Paris may not be so scary. As for England, who knows but this could well be the year the Scots end the Twickers hoodoo!
Head: Mid table mediocrity. Win against Ireland and Italy at home, lose in France, just miss out in a classic open running game versus Wales and a lack of composure in scoring position ultimately see us lost to England by a score. 4th / 3rd
Heart: Get off to a flyer against Wales, lose in France but pick up 3 more victories, including a gritty display at Twickers to records a long awaited victory to finish 1st or 2nd.
Arse: Lose badly against a buoyant Welsh side, struggle for composure in France, run Ireland close but lose and face an England side that suddenly comes into form at the right time. Sneak a win at home to Italy to avoid the wooden spoon. 5th.
Fixtures:
Scotland v Wales (Murrayfield) – Sunday 8th February, 3pm.
France v Scotland (Stade France) – Saturday 14th February, 3pm
Scotland v Italy (Murrayfield) – Saturday 28th February, 3pm
Scotland v Ireland (Murrayfield) – Saturday 14th March, 5pm
England v Scotland (Twickenham) – Saturday 21st March, 3.30pm
France Playing Loony Tunes Again
January 22, 2009 in Six Nations, World of Rugby
France's Coach Marc Lievremont has named a Six Nations squad shorn of Vincent Clerc (one of the standouts of last year), and with only one "dedicated" stand-off in Lionel Beauxis, who has not played exclusively in that position for Stade having been over shadowed by Argentinian Juan Martin Hernandez. Still, it does feature some of the usual suspects (Jauzion, Heymans, Rougerie, Elissalde, Chabal, Dusautoir) alongside those I've never heard of, despite watching a fair amount of European rugby this year.
Still, look what happened to us last time we said "oh check out crazy Marc, we might have a chance here". Scotland were going to win the Six Nations by kicking off with a victory against a novice French team, and we got humped 6-27 at home. This time round, Ireland are the guinea pigs.
France squad – Backs: Maxime Medard, Clement Poitrenaud, Cedric Heymans (all Toulouse), Alexis Palisson (Brive), Julien Malzieu, Aurelien Rougerie (both Clermont-Auvergne), Yannick Jauzion, Florian Fritz (both Toulouse), Benoit Baby (Clermont-Auvergne), Maxime Mermoz (Perpignan), Lionel Beauxis (Stade Francais), Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (Toulouse), Sebastien Tillous-Borde (Castres), Morgan Parra (Bourgoin).
Forwards: Julien Bonnaire (Clermont-Auvergne), Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse), Fulgence Ouedraogo, Louis Picamoles (both Montpellier), Damien Chouly (Perpignan), Sebastien Chabal (Sale), Lionel Nallet (Castres), Romain Millo-Chluski (Toulouse), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Guilhem Guirado (Perpignan), Benjamin Kayser (Leicester), Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Lionel Faure (Sale), Fabien Barcella (Biarritz), Fabien Lecouls (Toulouse).
In other news on the rest of my trawl around the Sky Sports Rugby site I found an intriguing ad offering me a 3/1 bet on England for an outright win in the Six Nations, which if had had any tea in my mouth would have made me spray it all over my screen. I also found Stuart Barnes extolling the virtues of Glasgow and John Barclay, Will Greenwood naming Glasgow in 3 of his 5 thingies "of the Week" awards and a Lions XV "Team of the Week" where Ally Kellock and Max Evans were the only Scots. Still, some of the ludicrous pro-irish XV selections in the comments were quite a laugh. Tomas O' Leary? C'mon.
Enjoy the Heineken Cup weekend coming up in which Edinburgh are out to spoil Leinster's party, and Glasgow are out to umm, not lose against the Dragons again. Next week I – or hopefully we, ahem – will start the Six Nations buildup, this being the time of year when Al comes out of his cave with a big bag of tuppences…
Scotland Six Nations Training Squad
January 20, 2009 in Scotland National Team, Six Nations
Tags: Chris Cusiter, Frank Hadden, Rory Lamont, Ruaridh Jackson
Scotland coach Frank Hadden springs the odd surprise in today's announcement of his 33 man Six Nations training squad, most notably the addition of tyro Glasgow fly-half Ruaridh Jackson, presumably rewarded for a storming game against Bath in the Heineken Cup. While it's unlikely that Jackson will make the test 22s (barring injury), he should learn much at training at this level. It's good that Hadden is starting to bring young players on to a big stage sooner in the same way that Australia or France have done in recent years. If he can handle it, why not? Maybe Frank has grown a pair. Or maybe it is just the influence of crazy Gregor Townsend.
Other newcomers/returnees include prop Geoff Cross and winger Simon Danielli. Absentees include Rob Dewey, Scott MacLeod and the injured Rory Lamont and Matt Mutschin who will be sad to miss out on his Six Nations debut, having come to international rugby late in his career. I'm glad to see Chris Cusiter – who has been a regular fixture for Perpignan depsite rumours of a move to Clermont with big Jason or a possible return home to Glasgow – back in the fold. Ally Kellock may also have played his way back into at least a bench spot with some recent strong, feisty performances. having said that, now that Simon Taylor is playing almost exclusively at lock for Stade, perhaps he or Jason White will get a run there. That might be the real test of how willing Hadden (who I believe sees Taylor as an 8 ) is to throw the dice.
This squad may well be trimmed down somewhat before the final selections are made for the Six Nations which kicks off against Wales on the 8th of February. What would be your team selection based on these?
Scotland squad:
Backs: Mike Blair (capt), Ben Cairns (both Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Perpignan), Simon Danielli (Ulster), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Thom Evans, Max Evans (both Glasgow Warriors), Phil Godman (Edinburgh), Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Lamont (Northampton Saints), Rory Lawson (Gloucester), Graeme Morrison, Dan Parks (both Glasgow Warriors), Chris Paterson, Hugo Southwell and Simon Webster (all Edinburgh)
Forwards: John Barclay, Kelly Brown (both Glasgow Warriors), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), Alasdair Dickinson (Gloucester), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Scott Gray (Northampton Saints), Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors), Craig Hamilton, Jim Hamilton (both Edinburgh), Nathan Hines (Perpignan), Allister Hogg, Allan Jacobsen (both Edinburgh), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Euan Murray (Northampton Saints), Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester), Simon Taylor (Stade Francais), Jason White (Sale Sharks).
Toony Army Marches On
January 9, 2009 in Scotland National Team, Six Nations, World of Rugby
Tags: Gregor Townsend
The SRU announced today via their shiny new website that former Scotland and Lions (not to mention Gala, Northampton, Brive, Warringah, Sharks etc etc) standoff and centre Gregor Townsend is to take over the coaching of Scotland's back division for the upcoming Six Nations. While this is certain to set the fingers muttering in Al's neck of the woods due to Gregor's, shall we say, inconsistencies as a player, I reckon it could be a good move. Edinburgh's backs (Godman and Cairns in particular) seem to have benefitted from his recent input by showing a bit more of a cutting edge, and his mentoring scheme of pairing young Scottish talent with past masters such as Gavin Hastings, Sean Fitzpatrick and, er, himself was the envy of many, including All Black Kevin Mealamu. And besides, Parks and World Class Phil already know plenty about throwing intercept passes and running up their own backsides.
He also has more coaching qualifications than his Lions captain and current England manager Martin Johnson, so far as I can find out.
Scotland's Six Nations Dates, Times and Officials
December 19, 2008 in Six Nations
Tags: David Changleng, Peter Allan
A little dry, I know. but here they are. Grand Slam decider anyone?
8 February, 3pm Scotland vs Wales
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Touch judges: Chris White (England), Rob Debney (England)
Television match official: Geoff Warren (England)
14 February 3pm France vs Scotland
Stade de France, Paris
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England), Tim Hayes (Wales)
Television match official: Giulio De Santis (Italy)
28 February, 3pm Scotland vs Italy
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Touch judges: George Clancy (Ireland), Romain Poite (France)
Television match official: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)
14 March, 5pm Scotland vs Ireland
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Television match official: Hugh Watkins (Wales)
21 March, 3.30pm England vs Scotland
Twickenham, London
Referee: Joel Jutge (France)
Touch judges: Christophe Berdos (France), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Television match official: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
This last one is subject to Joel Jutge passing a fitness test. Scots whistle-blower Peter Allan will man the touch line for England vs Italy and Ireland vs England, whilst David Changleng will do the same for Ireland vs France and Italy vs Wales. Which should please Jonathan Davies no end.
Glasgow Warriors 23 – 22 Edinburgh
Podcast: Episode 139 – Rebound Ex
PRO14 Round (hmm): Glasgow vs Edinburgh
Podcast – Episode 138: Tainted By Association
Edinburgh v Glasgow – An Alternative View
Barclay & Paterson: Former captains discuss state of the nation
Heineken Champions Cup Preview: Sale Sharks v Edinburgh
Podcast: Christmas Special "Hams In The Ruck"
SlowWalk90 on Glasgow Warriors 23 – 22 Edinburgh: "I felt Edinburgh ran out of steam a little bit after that incident, but at least the game wasn't as…" Jan 17, 18:29
Grant on Glasgow Warriors 23 – 22 Edinburgh: "To the lad's credit he stood up an took the next high ball , cleanly and showed good confidence. I…" Jan 17, 15:48
Bazz on Glasgow Warriors 23 – 22 Edinburgh: "Sounds like I made a mistake switching off after half time. The amount of excessive stoppages/time outs drove me mental.…" Jan 17, 14:13
Bazz on Glasgow Warriors 23 – 22 Edinburgh: "Cherry is the best shout for bench imo. He consistently shows up when he gets the opportunity in pro14 and…" Jan 17, 13:54
Neil on Glasgow Warriors 23 – 22 Edinburgh: "I would have Turner starting and rotating the Bench spot between Grant Stewart, Ewan Ashman and Dave Cherry… get a…" Jan 17, 12:45
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Very large disk traveling east then north above the clouds, blocking out first a 3/4 moon and then stars as it traveled.
The moon was blocked out to a sliver with a very sharp shape. As I observed the moon, thinking it was supposed to be about 3/4 from full, the disk began heading east with the clouds leaving the moon at it's appropriate size.
As the disk (guessing at about 1000 ft in diameter) traveled above the clouds, it was going slower than the clouds, but it's shape was clearly visible through the clouds as a perfect disk and unlit.
I realized what I was seeing was the shadow on the clouds from the moon. After about two minutes, it veered north and passed across some clear areas and appeared as a huge very black disk against a lighter sky and blocked out every star above it until it passed letting me once again see them.
This took about 4-5 min., until it passed over a thick bodied cloud and was then gone from view.


text:
Posts by Kirsty Hughes
Brexit Deal Kicks Can Down the Road – and Not Towards a Soft Brexit
The first stage deal reached between the UK and the EU27 is an important staging post, says Kirsty Huges, but any suggestions that this opens the path to an easy future relationship are wide of the mark. The UK-EU27 deal on EU citizens' rights, the divorce bill and Northern Ireland's border will... Read more
Post type: Blog entry
Brexit after Article 50: a rollercoaster ride
As Theresa May fires the starting pistol on the Brexit negotiations, Kirsty Hughes looks down the track at what shape Britain might be in when, and if, it reaches the finishing line. And so it begins, the extraordinary process of UK withdrawal from the European Union, after 44 years of... Read more
Second independence referendum before Brexit – is the timing right?
Nicola Sturgeon has pre-empted Theresa May's triggering of Article 50, getting in first with her plan to hold a second independence referendum after Brexit plans are clearer and before (or very close to the moment when) the UK leaves the EU. But if May triggers Article 50 this month, as planned,... Read more
Brexit Talks: What will we know in autumn 2018?
If Brexit talks go to schedule (and don't break down), the shape of any deal should be clear by the autumn of 2018. Kirsty Hughes explains what will be known by then and how various political actors may respond. If Theresa May triggers Article 50 on schedule this month, then Brexit talks should... Read more
Brexit and the EU: Germany moves on
In Berlin, Brexit is not at the top of the agenda. EU challenges will loom large in the upcoming German elections. But Germany's main concerns on Europe range from Russia's behaviour to the impact of Trump, France's presidential election, and unity, or not, amongst the EU27. Tough talks ahead –... Read more
Canada-Dry: Where next for UK-EU Brexit talks?
Amid talk of a UK-EU trade deal, many seem to have forgotten that the divorce talks need to happen first. As Kirsty Hughes explains that both processes are unlikely to run as smoothly as some might like to believe. The UK remains on course to trigger Article 50 and start the two-year Brexit... Read more
Scotland's EU Single Market Options: Some challenges from the trade side
The Scottish Government's plan for a continuing trade relationship with the EU overlooks an important issue, says Kirsty Hughes. Were Scotland to join EFTA as the proposal suggests, it could not also be a member of the EU Customs Union. The Scottish Government paper 'Scotland's Place in Europe'... Read more
Scotland's Brexit proposals: Massive devolution, Indyref2 or just a holding game?
Nicola Sturgeon's paper 'Scotland's Place in Europe' sets out some fairly clear tests for what she calls a compromise on Brexit – while maintaining that her preferred option is Scotland as an independent state inside the EU. The paper outlines some central demands for what should be in the UK's... Read more
Brexit by March 2019: Does the government have a plan and will Labour oppose any part of it?
Wednesday's vote is likely to be remembered as the day when 84% of MPs at Westminster voted to set the UK on a rapid path to Brexit, says Kirsty Hughes, with the Tory government of the day supported by the main Labour opposition. The UK is on the path to Brexit by early 2019. On Wednesday, the... Read more
Scotland's Choice: Brexit with the UK, Independence, or a Special Deal?
On 23 June, the UK as a whole voted to leave the EU, but the majority of voters in Scotland opted for Remain. Scotland now faces a choice, and soon: 'hard Brexit' within the UK, independence in the EU, or a special deal that gives Scotland individual membership of the single market. This paper... Read more
Post type: Publication

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Okay, let's go a little off the beaten track.
Some treasures need serious protection. For that, mages will create a zone of protection which, when an intelligent creature trespasses upon it, summons a hellspawn dinoguard.
I'm creating a series of factions inspired by the class options in Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Today I'm looking at the cavalier from the fighter class.
You're about to run D&D for the first time. Awesome!
I've written several other posts explaining in detail the very basic material that you need. This post summarizes all those posts, serving as a checklist for your first session.
Today I'm turning my attention to dinosaur-themed monsters.
Last week, I created an ice bear. Let's do the same to another creature, and create an ice boar.
Whenever I think of boars, my mind immediately jumps to the boars from Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece Princess Mononoke. Those porcine antagonists were truly monstrous. How can we mimic them?
I'm creating a series of factions inspired by the class options in the D&D 5E supplement Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Today, we're looking at the druid; specifically the Circle of the Shepherd.
This is part of a series of posts about planning and running your first session as a new GM. In previous posts, we created an enemy faction: a tribe of goblins. Now we'll think about the goblins' lair.
We've hit another cold spell, and I'm still in the mood for a winter-themed monster.


text:
Home › live performance
Clear-Com Goes Back to School at Belmont
Students at the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, Belmont University in Nashville recently got hands-on intercom training from Clear-Com.
By ProSoundNetwork Editorial Staff ⋅ Published: January 7, 2020 ⋅ Updated: January 8, 2020
D.A.S. Teams with Manowar for Tour Musikmesse
New York (April 4, 2011)--D.A.S. Audio has entered a partnership with heavy metal act Manowar and Magic Circle Music for the band's current Battle Hymns 2011 tour, including a special performance during Musikmesse 2011 in Frankfurt, Germany.
By ProSoundNetwork Editorial Staff ⋅ Published: April 4, 2011 ⋅ Updated: March 27, 2020


text:
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There are currently four members of the Online Slots NZ team, and although we don't work in an office together (we all work remotely) we are in constant contact with each other about the site, looking for ways to make it the best it can be. We all are online gaming professionals or professional journalists who share a passion for gaming and New Zealand. Here's a little about each of us…
Fraser Jackson
Fraser was brought up in Wellington New Zealand before his family moved to the UK when he was 18, he's worked in and around the online gaming industry for over 10 years and has a passion for quality Slots. Fraser now spends his time between London and Wellington (where he goes whenever he gets the opportunity). Fraser's current favourite online slot is: Where's the Gold.
Beth is a professional journalist who grew up in Canada, but has spent a lot of time in New Zealand – the country she considers a home from home! Beth is currently working from the UK, but keeps a very close eye on the news coming out of New Zealand as she is the chief contributor to our news section. Beth's favourite current online Slot is: Caisen's Gold
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Jane, a recent English graduate from Victoria University of Wellington, is new to the team is helping us keep up to date with our news and Slot reviews. She is a self-confessed Poker freak, but like to play on the Slots for fun… Jane's current favourite online Slot is: Wolf Gold
Steve has been in the gambling game for as long as he can remember… A Kiwi by birth, he's become something of a nomad, living in Vegas, Monte Carlo, London and now Gibraltar. He is a slot game producer by trade and advises us on the best games coming out online. You will see Steve contribution to news and reviews all over the site too. Steve's current favourite online Slot is: Thunderstruck II.


text:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">

<TITLE>
Uses of Interface org.apache.fop.area.OffDocumentItem (Apache FOP 1.0 API)
</TITLE>

<LINK REL ="stylesheet" TYPE="text/css" HREF="../../../../../stylesheet.css" TITLE="Style">

      Overview
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fop 1.0

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Uses of Interface
org.apache.fop.area.OffDocumentItem

Packages that use OffDocumentItem

org.apache.fop.area
FOP's area tree.

org.apache.fop.render
Generic renderer interface.

org.apache.fop.render.afp
An AFP Renderer implementation and supporting classes.

org.apache.fop.render.intermediate

org.apache.fop.render.pdf
PDF Renderer

org.apache.fop.render.ps
PostScript Renderer

org.apache.fop.render.xml
Area Tree XML Renderer.

Uses of OffDocumentItem in org.apache.fop.area

Classes in org.apache.fop.area that implement OffDocumentItem

 class
AbstractOffDocumentItem

          Abstract base class for objects that are processed by the renderer outside
 of the actual document.

 class
BookmarkData

          An instance of this class is either a PDF bookmark-tree and
 its child bookmark-items, or a bookmark-item and the child
 child bookmark-items under it.

 class
DestinationData

          An instance of this class is named destination from fox:destination

 class
OffDocumentExtensionAttachment

          This class wraps ExtensionAttachments which cannot be transported inside the area tree but
 need to be handled in the AreaTreeHandler.

Methods in org.apache.fop.area with parameters of type OffDocumentItem

 void
RenderPagesModel.handleOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem oDI)

          Handle an OffDocumentItem

 void
AreaTreeModel.handleOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem ext)

          Handle an OffDocumentItem

Uses of OffDocumentItem in org.apache.fop.render

Methods in org.apache.fop.render with parameters of type OffDocumentItem

 void
Renderer.processOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem odi)

          Tells the renderer to process an item not explicitly placed on the
 document (e.g., PDF bookmarks).

 void
AbstractRenderer.processOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem odi)

          Tells the renderer to process an item not explicitly placed on the
 document (e.g., PDF bookmarks).  Note - not all renderers will process
 all off-document items.

Uses of OffDocumentItem in org.apache.fop.render.afp

Methods in org.apache.fop.render.afp with parameters of type OffDocumentItem

 void
AFPRenderer.processOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem odi)

          Tells the renderer to process an item not explicitly placed on the
 document (e.g., PDF bookmarks).  Note - not all renderers will process
 all off-document items.

Uses of OffDocumentItem in org.apache.fop.render.intermediate

Methods in org.apache.fop.render.intermediate with parameters of type OffDocumentItem

 void
IFRenderer.processOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem odi)

          Tells the renderer to process an item not explicitly placed on the
 document (e.g., PDF bookmarks).  Note - not all renderers will process
 all off-document items.

Uses of OffDocumentItem in org.apache.fop.render.pdf

Methods in org.apache.fop.render.pdf with parameters of type OffDocumentItem

 void
PDFRenderer.processOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem odi)

          Tells the renderer to process an item not explicitly placed on the
 document (e.g., PDF bookmarks).  Note - not all renderers will process
 all off-document items.

Uses of OffDocumentItem in org.apache.fop.render.ps

Methods in org.apache.fop.render.ps with parameters of type OffDocumentItem

 void
PSRenderer.processOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem oDI)

          Tells the renderer to process an item not explicitly placed on the
 document (e.g., PDF bookmarks).  Note - not all renderers will process
 all off-document items.

Uses of OffDocumentItem in org.apache.fop.render.xml

Methods in org.apache.fop.render.xml with parameters of type OffDocumentItem

 void
XMLRenderer.processOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem oDI)

          Tells the renderer to process an item not explicitly placed on the
 document (e.g., PDF bookmarks).  Note - not all renderers will process
 all off-document items.

 void
AbstractXMLRenderer.processOffDocumentItem(OffDocumentItem oDI)

          Tells the renderer to process an item not explicitly placed on the
 document (e.g., PDF bookmarks).  Note - not all renderers will process
 all off-document items.

      Overview
      Package
      Class
    Use
      Tree
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fop 1.0

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Copyright 1999-2010 The Apache Software Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


See what the IHS Markit Score report has to say about Sterling Bancorp.
Sterling Bancorp NYSE:STLView full report here! Summary * ETFs holding this stock are seeing positive inflows * Bearish sentiment is low * Economic output in this company's sector is expanding Bearish sentimentShort interest | PositiveShort interest is low for STL with fewer than 5% of shares on loan. The last change in the short interest score occurred more than 1 month ago and implies that there has been little change in sentiment among investors who seek to profit from falling equity prices. Money flowETF/Index ownership | PositiveETF activity is positive. Over the last month, ETFs holding STL are favorable with net inflows of $72.05 billion. This was the highest net inflow seen over the last one-year.Error parsing the SmartText Economic sentimentPMI by IHS Markit | PositiveAccording to the latest IHS Markit Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data, output in the Financials sector is rising. The rate of growth is strong relative to the trend shown over the past year. Credit worthinessCredit default swapCDS data is not available for this security.Please send all inquiries related to the report to score@ihsmarkit.com.Charts and report PDFs will only be available for 30 days after publishing.This document has been produced for information purposes only and is not to be relied upon or as construed as investment advice. To the fullest extent permitted by law, IHS Markit disclaims any responsibility or liability, whether in contract, tort (including, without limitation, negligence), equity or otherwise, for any loss or damage arising from any reliance on or the use of this material in any way. Please view the full legal disclaimer and methodology information on pages 2-3 of the full report.
Does Sterling Bancorp (NYSE:STL) Have A Good P/E Ratio?
MONTEBELLO, N.Y., April 05, 2019 -- Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL), the parent company of Sterling National Bank, today announced that it plans to release results for the first.
Sterling Bancorp Inc provides banking solutions, innovative loan products and outstanding personal service to the residential and commercial markets, as well as retail banking services. The dividend yield of Sterling Bancorp Inc stocks is 0.37%. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Signs with SBT.
MONTEBELLO, N.Y., March 15, 2019 -- Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL), the parent company of Sterling National Bank, today announced that the Board of Directors has declared a.
Sterling Bancorp is a provider of financial services. The company functions through the Sterling National Bank, which delivers deposit, lending, and wealth management products to commercial businesses and affluent consumers. The dividend yield of Sterling Bancorp stocks is 1.38%.
Sterling Bancorp (STL), through its principal subsidiary, Sterling National Bank, announced today that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the asset-based and equipment finance lending businesses of Woodforest National Bank. The balance of commercial loans and leases outstanding acquired was $495 million, with $331 million in asset-based loans and $164 million in equipment finance loans. Jack Kopnisky, President and CEO of Sterling, noted, "We are pleased to close this acquisition, which is consistent with our strategy of accelerating the transition of our balance sheet to a more diversified and higher-yielding commercial loan mix, and will augment strong organic origination volumes that we anticipate in our commercial businesses in 2019.
SBT earnings call for the period ending December 31, 2018.
STL earnings call for the period ending December 31, 2018.
Key Performance Highlights for the Twelve Months ended December 31, 2018 vs. December 31, 2017 ($ in thousands except per share amounts)GAAP / As Reported Non-GAAP / As.
Sterling Bancorp (STL), through its principal subsidiary, Sterling National Bank, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the asset-based and equipment finance lending businesses of Woodforest National Bank. As of December 31, 2018, the balance of commercial loans and leases outstanding to be acquired was $504 million, with $339 million in asset-based loans and $165 million in equipment finance loans. The acquisition will add significant origination capabilities in the Midwest and Southwest regions to Sterling's established national commercial lending platform, including a direct lending equipment finance sales and originations team.
MONTEBELLO, N.Y., Jan. 23, 2019 -- Sterling Bancorp (NYSE: STL), the parent company of Sterling National Bank, today announced that the Board of Directors has declared a.


text:
https://apnews.com/cc72002485cd9f8eb18da40782fe4ee2
Official says 80 in Bahamas shelters after Dorian have TB
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — At least 80 people living in government-run storm shelters have tested positive for tuberculosis in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, the health minister of the Bahamas said.
The patients are being further screened as medical officials await test results, Health Minister Duane Sands said Monday.
A 15-year-old boy at a gym being used as a shelter tested positive for tuberculosis this month, he said.
Dorian hit the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco in early September as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, killing at least 70 people and causing more than an estimated $3 billion in damage.
Tens of thousands of people were left homeless, and dozens of others remain missing.


text:
Q: React native F2 chart does not show up on android Does anyone knows why it does not show up on android? it works perfectly fine on iOS. I'm using this lib btw https://github.com/aloneszjl/react-native-f2chart. In example, it seems to work with both iOS and android, but I can't get it to work on android. Any help would be appreciated
const HomeTab = () => {
      const data = [
        {
          date: '2017-06-05',
          value: 116,
        },
        {
          date: '2017-06-06',
          value: 129,
        },
        {
          date: '2017-06-07',
          value: 135,
        },
      ];

      const initScript = data => `
      (function(){
          chart =  new F2.Chart({
              id: 'chart',
              pixelRatio: window.devicePixelRatio,
          });
          chart.source(${JSON.stringify(data)}, {
          value: {
          tickCount: 5,
          min: 0
          },
          date: {
          type: 'timeCat',
          range: [0, 1],
          tickCount: 3
          }
          });
          chart.tooltip({
          custom: true,
          showXTip: true,
          showYTip: true,
          snap: true,
          crosshairsType: 'xy',
          crosshairsStyle: {
          lineDash: [2]
          }
          });
          chart.axis('date', {
          label: function label(text, index, total) {
          var textCfg = {};
          if (index === 0) {
              textCfg.textAlign = 'left';
          } else if (index === total - 1) {
              textCfg.textAlign = 'right';
          }
          return textCfg;
          }
          });
          chart.line().position('date*value');
          chart.render();
      })();

      `;

    return(
    <View style={{ height: 200, width: 400}}>
         <Chart
            style={{flex: 1, width: 400}}
            initScript={initScript(data)}
         />
    </View>
    )
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: React Native: Rendering infinite number of pages (bi-directional swiping) Question
How do people implement an infinite number of pages for you to swipe through dynamically?
Details
If an app renders a page for a day you can expect to swipe to the right for the previous day and to the left for the next day.
For example, the FitNotes app does this seemlessly:

Swiping to the right/left is the same as pressing on button 5/6. and displays already rendered pages. At the same time new pages for the now adjacent days are rendered as well.
Initially, I thought that this is something you would do using a carousel e.g., using the react-native-snap-carousel library. I imagined something like the example below but rendering a page using state variables instead of an array of images.

So, if I wanted to render a page with the date at the top, I would have an array as part of the state, for example:
carouselElements: [ '2019/01/21', '2019/01/22', '2019/01/23']

Fed into the carousel below, I would get back three pages each one with the date rendered at the top.
<Carousel
    ref={(c) => { this._carousel = c; }}
    data={this.props.carouselElements}
    renderItem={this.renderDay}
    sliderWidth={sliderWidth}
    itemWidth={sliderWidth}
    enableSnap
    firstItem={1}
    initialNumToRender={3}
    maxToRenderPerBatch={3}
    onBeforeSnapToItem={(index) => this.changeEvent(index)}
    useScrollView/>

Problem 1: Infinitely growing array
You can start at Day X and render the adjacent two days ahead of time.
If I swipe to the left, you access Day X+1 and concat Day X+2 to the end of the array and render that day as well.
The array becomes:
[ 'Day X-1', 'Day X', 'Day X+1', 'Day X+2']
For performance, I can keep checking the index against a 3 day window and only render the selected day and the adjacent two days. But the array will grow infinitely and your code is O(n) at best.
Problem 2: Indexing
a) Prepending elements:
You can start at Day X and and then swipe to the right. You are now showing Day X-1. You add Day X-2 to the start of the array and render it to prepare for a second swipe to the right. The problem is you added an element at index 0. Your system is pointing at the state of index 0 when it changed from Day X-1 to Day X-2, thus the page now shows Day X-2 instead.
i.e., instead of moving back one day when you swiped to the right, you moved back 2 days with each swipe.
b) Removing elements
If I remove an element to keep the array small, everything shifts but the index remains the same. The index now points to a different element than the intended one in the array and this reflects in the rendered page before the index can be corrected.
Thus my question:
How do people implement dynamic page rendering ad infinitum with page swiping? It seems like a lot of apps have it and I can't find anyone talking about it.

Edits
EDIT 1: Added images with accompanying edits to explain my problem better.
EDIT 2: I have a working implementation with react-native-swiper that basically takes a massive array and only renders the batch of slides immediately adjacent to the displayed page.
<Swiper style={styles.wrapper}
          showsButtons={false}
          index={currentDateIndex}
          loadMinimal={true}
          loadMinimalSize={1}
          showsPagination={false}
          loop={false}
          onIndexChanged={(index) => dispatch(changeSelectedDayByIndex(index))}
         >
          {dates.map((item) =>
              this.renderDay(item)
            )
          }
</Swiper>

However, the dates.map command imposes a large performance penalty at startup.
Edit 3:
Using a slice command on the dates array before mapping doesn't seem like an option because I'd be rendering during an existing state transition..

A: This solution is based on this react-native-swiper you mentioned.
This is a tricky solution that can work if caching is done properly.
It's based on the following assumptions:

*

*Given an ID, you can derive ID+1 and ID-1. (This is valid for dates)

*You can scroll left or right only by 1 frame(View).

The idea is to have a wrapper component around the <Swiper> to hold an state array with 3 IDs: current, left and right.
state = {
  pages: ["2", "3", "4"],
  key: 1
}

When you swipe left or right, you can derive the next or previous 3 IDs and call setState. The render method would call the local cached information to get the view attributes for this 3 IDs and render the new Screens.  The <Swiper> element always have to point to index={1} as initial param, and keep it this way.
const cache = {
  "0": "zero",
  "1": "one",
  "2": "two",
  "3": "three",
  "4": "four",
  "5": "five",
  "6": "six",
  "7": "seven",
  "8": "eight",
  "9": "nine",
  "10": "ten"
}

renderItem(item, idx) {
    const itemInt = parseInt(item)
    const style = itemInt % 2 == 0 ? styles.slide1 : styles.slide2
    return (
      <View style={style} key={idx}>
        <Text style={styles.text}>{cache[item]}</Text>
      </View>
    )
  }

However, when you swipe, it will set the current index to 2 or 0. So in order to make it to always point to index 1 (again, because you shifted and reloaded), you have to force the <Swiper> element to reload. You can do that by setting its key attribute to be defined by a state variable that always changes. That's the tricky part.
onPageChanged(idx) {
    if (idx == 2) {
                                                 //deriving ID+1
      const newPages = this.state.pages.map(i => (parseInt(i)+1).toString())
      this.setState({pages: newPages, key: ((this.state.key+1)%2) })
    } else if (idx == 0) {
                                                 //deriving ID-1
      const newPages = this.state.pages.map(i => (parseInt(i)-1).toString())
      this.setState({pages: newPages, key: ((this.state.key+1)%2) })
    }
  }

render() {
    return (
      <Swiper
        index={1}
        key={this.state.key}
        style={styles.wrapper}
        loop={false}
        showsPagination={false}
        onIndexChanged={(index) => this.onPageChanged(index)}>
        {this.state.pages.map((item, idx) => this.renderItem(item, idx))}
      </Swiper>
    );
  }

Aside all that, you have to make sure to always have enough cached information for your IDs. If the cache access is getting close to end, make sure to request new data and delete some amount of cached data in the other direction.
Here's a PasteBin for the App.js and a GitHub project so you can test the whole idea.

A: That is interesting.
I think some changes in system design would also be needed. Let me try to give answer point by point.
Problem 1: Infinitely growing array
You don't have to use array here as I see your criteria to add swipe feature is based on date. You have to have date functions to subtract/add to current date and making call for the same to server. Once data is received you need to maintain user cache which will help you reduce the calls for you.
OR if you want to stick to the arrays only you have to load the Date+-3 data on user entry only and keep it in the cache only (Or new DB is one way but that would include cost).
Problem 2: Indexing
a) Prepending elements:
This shouldn't be an issue when you are getting rid of arrays. You can work with states and single object should work for you.
b) Removing elements
Your removing of elements would be on the basis of date and not on index. So if you receive empty response for a date i.e. Date-1 then make a call for Date-2 and as you have limit of 3 days you can disable the swiping functionality on null response.
(OR
If you are dealing with array only then you have to have a cron job which will update the data for you)
Hope it helps, I can go more in deep details if you want.


text:
GOAL: Shanghai SIPG' Brazilian forward Hulk (C) and teammate Elkeson celebrate a goal during the AFC Asian Champions League.
'No evidence' of Brazil star wrongdoing in punch row
A Chinese football official has said there is no evidence that Shanghai SIPG striker Hulk broke any rules after the Brazilian was accused of punching a rival team's coach.
Guizhou Zhicheng's then head coach Li Bing had accused the muscular Brazilian of punching his assistant Yu Ming in a racially-motivated attack at half-time during SIPG's 3-0 victory on Saturday, allegations that the Shanghai club and Hulk both flatly denied.
On Monday, Guizhou Zhicheng abruptly announced that Spaniard Gregorio Manzano, former coach of Shanghai club Shenhua, had replaced Li as coach. The club gave no further information or indication that Li was let go because of the Hulk controversy.
«At half-time there indeed was a dispute between the two sides. But according to our understanding of the situation so far, there is no evidence that Hulk violated any regulations,» Li Lipeng, a Chinese Football Association (CFA) official involved in overseeing the professional leagues, said in Beijing on Tuesday.
Speaking to Chinese media, Li added that the run-in «was not as serious as some imagined.»
The comments appeared to suggest that Hulk, one of a number of highly paid foreign stars imported to the cash-rich Chinese Super League, was unlikely to be sanctioned over the controversy.
Guizhou's Li had suggested Hulk had a racial motive for the alleged attack, saying that the Brazilian star «cannot be here and despise Chinese people,» though he later appeared to back off those comments.
READ MORE: Conte: Chelsea one 'little step' from title


Thank you God for helping all the little boys and their coach get rescued from the the cave in Thailand. Thank you for the strong rescuers and people that helped to bring them home. It proves we are one.


text:
Пламен Любенов Юруков е български бизнесмен и политик, председател на Съюза на демократичните сили (СДС) от 15 юли 2007 г. до края на 2008 г.

Биография
Завършва 9-а френска езикова гимназия "Алфонс дьо Ламартин", след което учи в Софийския университет "Св. Климент Охридски". Дипломира се със специалност "Философия" през 1990 г. Издава сп. "Философски форум" от 1998 г.

Основава (1994) компанията "Балкам" АД с основна дейност е международна търговия и внос на сурово кафе и ядки. Основава (1997) компанията "Спетема кафе", специализирана в производството на кафе, открива и фабрика за кафе през 2004 г..

Назначен е за почетен консул на Република Казахстан в България със седалище в София през 2000 г.

Активен айкидист, той е притежател на черен колан с майсторска степен 6 дан (от 2021 г.) и  президент на Българската Айкидо Федерация от 2000 г..

Владее френски, английски и руски език. Съпругата му Соня работи в обреден дом, имат 2 деца – Анина и Венилина.

Политическа кариера
Става член на Съюза на демократичните сили през 2003 г. Взема участие в работните групи, изработващи новата програма и платформа на СДС, в частта за политическата философия на партията.

През 2007 г. е избран за председател на СДС. През ноември 2008 г. Пламен Юруков организира първите преки избори за председател на СДС и отказва да се кандидатира за този пост отново, като остава партиен лидер до началото на 2009 г.

Източници

Дейци на СДС
Почетни консули в София
Почетни консули на Казахстан
Български предприемачи след 1989
Български издатели на списания
Български спортни функционери
Български айкидисти
Родени в София

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Defender has a proven record of being incredibly durable and resilient to the forces of nature, even after extended use. 70D nylon + Heavy TPU coating + Reinforced stitching + Heat taped seams = 7.2 lbs (3.3 kg) of superb defense against mother nature.
With its own convenient stuff-sack, and a packed size of 16 x 9 x 6 in (40 x 23 x 15 cm), the Defender is an incredibly tough tarp that still packs up small. Tuck it away and be prepared for when you need it most.


text:
Purchase a CD
Take a listen to Rick
Rick Hatfield
& The Jumpin' Bobcats
The Frill Is Gone
True confession time, boys and girls .... I probably should have squeezed this on in last month. On the other hand, I'm more familiar with the disc now, 'cause I listen to it a lot!
Rick Hatfield has put together an unusual and distinctive sound, featuring both harmonica and fiddle as lead instruments...sometimes in harmony. The band also features acoustic guitar, bass, and drums, and some enjoyable intelligible vocals. (This is the first time I've understood the "gold tooth - telephone booth" verse of "Flip, Flop and Fly"). Rick and Co. do some interesting takes on Blues standards, as well as some good original tunes, and of course, the train song.
The CD kicks of with "Play Mitzy For Me" ...an instrumental showpiece for harp and fiddle, and a primmer on the Jumpin' Bobcat's sound. The tune is a jazz-flavored 12-bar Blues, done with an original and tasty instrumentation and arrangement.
The three Blues "standards" on the recording are very enjoyable; once you accept that Rick has another way of doing things.....And it's a GOOD way. I love "Flip-Flop"! "Cherry Red & Blue" is a classic song of love lost, and he might even miss the girl. OK, Blues guys ain't supposed to drive cars like this, but I helped a friend crossbreed a Healy 3000 drive train with a 100/6 chassis, and you learn to love 'em, Lucas electricals and all!
I guess if you put a gun to my head I'd have to say this isn't "pure" Blues, but it's musically tight, well recorded, and just a lot of fun...Check it out at Rickhatfield.com
- George Willett
Suncoast Blues Society Issue #40 March/April 2004


I don't think I've seen anything like that before, so I decided to share it with you. This book has a cardboard front cover… and a soft back cover, made with the extension of the marbled paper turned over the spine.
Les incunables et éditions anciennes de la bibliothèque de l'université de Toulouse composed by René Gadave is a list of manuscripts and incunables, as it follows from the book's title.
I cannot find any digital traces of this book on the internet, with an exception of this item on AbeBooks, which is a similar edition, that has a soft cover. I don't know whether the new cover for my copy of the book was made right after it was published, or later. The paper used to attach the front cover to the title page has oxidized much less than the pages of the book. However, the back side of the marbled paper used to wrap the spin and as the back cover has almost a similar tint compared to all other pages.
What's even more strange, while the front cover looks quite well made, the marbled sheet of paper on the back is cut unevenly. Looks like it was done by hand, without even using a straight edge!… Or, what's even more like, cut by scissors.
The back cover is sort of reinforced by turning the remainder of the sheet of marbled paper inside. However, it is not flued on the full surface of the turn-in, only by a one-cm-wide area.
Update: Here are some more close-ups. Please point the mouse over the images or click on them to see the descriptions.
Anyway, this strange book binding made me stop for a moment when I was browsing through book market stalls. The marbled paper is quite beautiful!
Do you know whether this structure has a name?


text:
Another 1,700 virus deaths reported in NY nursing homes
FILE – In this April 17, 2020, file photo, a patient is loaded into an ambulance by emergency medical workers outside Cobble Hill Health Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York. New York state is now reporting more than 1,700 previously undisclosed deaths at nursing homes and adult care facilities as the state faces scrutiny over how it's protected vulnerable residents during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state reported more than 1,700 previously undisclosed deaths at nursing homes and adult care facilities in a tally that included for the first time people believed to have been killed by the coronavirus before their diagnoses could be confirmed.
The tally, released late Monday, emerged as state officials faced scrutiny over how they have protected vulnerable residents from the coronavirus.
At least 4,813 people have died from COVID-19 in the state's nursing homes since March 1, according to the new totals.
Exactly how many nursing home residents have died remains uncertain despite the disclosure. The list released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration did not include nursing home residents who were transferred to hospitals before dying.
With the inclusion of the additional deaths, the state now lists 22 nursing homes as having at least 40 deaths. Most of the facilities are in New York City and on Long Island. Sixty-two nursing homes reported between 20 and 39 deaths.
Parker Jewish Institute in Queens and the Isabella Geriatric Center in Manhattan are listed as having the most deaths: 71 and 64, respectively. Even those numbers are likely an undercount. Isabella Geriatric Center officials have said publicly that 98 residents are believed to have died, including those sent to hospitals.
Audrey Waters, a spokeswoman for Isabella Geriatric Center, said in an email last week, that the home, like others in the city, initially had limited access to tests to quickly diagnose residents and staff.
"This hampered our ability to identify those who were infected and asymptomatic, despite our efforts to swiftly separate anyone who presented symptoms," she said.
In many cases, the state's new figures reveal many more deaths at individual facilities. For example, Ozanam Hall, a facility in Queens, now reports a total of 53 deaths, up from just 10.
The disclosure comes as fewer patients are entering hospitals, but several hundred continue to die each day in nursing homes and hospitals. The steadily rising statewide death toll of over 19,000 does not include thousands of probable COVID-19 deaths in New York City alone.
Meanwhile, some nursing homes say that their infection rates appear to be dropping, including the Long Island State Veterans Home, which has reported 53 deaths — 48 confirmed and five presumed COVID-19 deaths.
The state — which is now investigating nursing homes' COVID-19 response — recently found the veterans home in compliance with state standards, according to Ken Kaushansky, senior vice president of health sciences at Stony Brook University Hospital and dean of the university's medical school.
Back on March 2, when only a handful of coronavirus cases had been reported in New York, Cuomo promised to make a "special effort" for nursing homes and congregate homes housing senior citizens. Several days later, on March 6, the state directed nursing homes to screen visitors and consider modifying visiting hours. A week after that, officials suspended visits to nursing homes statewide and required temperature checks of staff.
The governor now faces questions over whether more could be done to help New York's state-regulated nursing homes amass enough personal protective gear, get access to tests and ensure adequate staffing.
Cuomo said he believed nursing homes were trying their best under difficult conditions.
"The nursing homes we said from day one are the most vulnerable place," he said.
Families of residents at several of the affected facilities have expressed frustration with getting updates on outbreaks and the number of fatalities.
Adam Jankowitz said he has resorted to calling members of Congress after several failed attempts to get information about the Isabella Geriatric Center, where his mother, Joanne, lives.
He believed the facility had only a handful of deaths until it reported last week that nearly 100 residents infected with the coronavirus had died.
"We're trying to get a clearer idea of the risk to her in staying where she is. We're also trying to arrange another living place for her until it is safe to be in her building, and to organize details of moving her and her cat to a safer place," Jankowitz wrote in an email.
Amid worries over future COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes, Cuomo has revised some policies after critics argued they were endangering the vulnerable and keeping loved ones in the dark.
At first, the state only recommended that nursing homes alert residents and family members of COVID-19 cases. Cuomo later issued an executive order requiring such alerts for virus cases and deaths.
The following day, after initially expressing concern about violating residents' privacy, Cuomo began disclosing reported deaths at some individual nursing homes.
In late March, New York prevented nursing homes from refusing to admit or re-admit confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. But officials clarified on April 7 that nursing homes cannot accept symptomatic patients if they do not have needed staff. New Jersey and Michigan issued similar orders, and federal guidance says nursing homes that follow infection protocol can accept COVID-19 residents.
Cuomo's administration said last week that certain nursing home workers who test positive for COVID-19 can return to work after 14 days. That's up from seven days under previous federal and state guidance.
While the federal government has yet to release numbers on how the coronavirus has ravaged the industry, The Associated Press maintains its own tally based on state health departments and media reports, finding 22,101 deaths in nursing homes and long-term care facilities nationwide.
Associated Press writers Jim Mustian and Karen Matthews in New York contributed to this report.
Body of man found in Susquehanna River identified


text:
Magnolia Brand Georgia Peach & Pecan Crate Label
SKU: CRL1066 $3.25 USD
The Magnolia Brand Peach and Pecan Crate Label measures 9" Wide x 3" High and is from the 1930s or 1940s. The label features a beautiful peach blossom on one side and a peach and pecans on the other side. The fruit for this mint condition label was grown and packed by William J. and E. Clyde Wilson of Fort Valley, Georgia.
The town of Fort Valley is located in Peach County, Georgia just 90 miles south of Atlanta. The city was chartered in 1856, but the origin of the town's name is unclear. One story claims that it was named "Fox Valley" by its founder's hand writing, James Everett, was misread by post office officials in Washington, D.C., as "Fort Valley." Fort Valley became the center of Georgia's peach industry. By 1921, one third of the peaches shipped from Georgia were from Fort Valley. Today, more than half of Georgia's peaches come from Peach County.
Good News Florida Citrus Crate Label
What a great label to display. This Florida Citrus Crate label measures 7" Wide x 3" High and is original and unused. The presence of a zip code after the city/state indicates that the label is circa 1960s. The fruit was packed and shipped by Hallee-Boy Sales of Apopka, Florida. This is an original label not a reproduction and will make a great addition to any collection, after all, you can always use a little Good News.   WE GUARANTEE OUR LABELS TO BE AUTHENTIC AND AS DESCRIBED!
Pacific Brand California Lemon Crate Label
What a magnificent lemon crate label. This large crate label, measuring 12.5" Wide x 8.75" High, shows a map of the Pacific Ocean with a large lemon in the middle. It depicts the westward shipping routes from California in the United States to the Pacific Rim countries including Auckland, Australia, The Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. The fruit was packed by the Johnston Fruit Company of Santa Barbara, California. The label was designed by the Schmidt Litho Company of San Francisco, California and is copyrighted 1917. It was probably used in the 1920s or 1930s. These lemons probably came from the Goleta Valley which includes Santa Barbara and was the premier lemon growing region of California. The key to the success of the lemon industry was distribution. For nearly 40 years, beginning in 1897, Goleta's lemon growers used the Johnston Fruit Company to harvest, process and market their fruit. Then, in 1935, an independent co-op of local growers founded the Goleta Lemon Association. WE GUARANTEE ALL LABELS TO BE AUTHENTIC AND AS DESCRIBED!
Gulf Brand Vegetable Crate Label
This label measures 9.5" Tall x 7" Wide and dates back to the 1940s. It is the earlier Gulf Brand Texas Vegetables label before zip codes. It is from the Gulf Distributing Co. in Weslaco, Texas. We also have the smaller 1950s labels. Weslaco was named after the W. E. Stewart Land Company who developed the area and is the geographic center of the Rio Grande Valley making it a center for business throughout the Valley. These crate labels date back to days when growers packed their produce in wooden crates. The label was glued to the end of the box so the grower would be instantly identified when the vegetables or fruits were displayed in stores. WE GUARANTEE OUR LABELS TO BE AUTHENTIC AND AS DESCRIBED!
Tavilla Florida Sweet Corn Crate label
This unique label covers both sides of the country. The sweet corn was grown and shipped from Florida and distributed by Tavilla Sales Company of Los Angeles and South San Francisco, California. The label measures 6" Wide x 4" High and is in mint condition from the 1980s. It sports the familiar green, white, and red colors of the Italian flag. Tavilla Sales Company was formed in 1980 by Bill Vogel and Tavilla Sales of South San Francisco. The company brokered fruits and vegetables into the Southwestern United States. Off-season vegetables, tropical and specialty produce items were the focus. Their relationship with Texas and Florida growers formed the backbone of the company. They later expanded to Mexico and Holland and Vogel acquired most of the company stock near the end of the 1990s. The company is still in business today and now grows their own produce. WE GUARANTEE OUR LABELS TO BE AUTHENTIC AND AS DESCRIBED!


I workout a lot - always have and hopefully always will – but one thing I hate is the piped music you get in most gyms. On the other hand I find wired headphones really irritating so the idea of having some wireless Bluetooth earbuds was very appealing. Enter the Jaybird BlueBuds X.
So why the review? Well unfortunately what sounded like a great idea fell down in practice and I thought I'd relate my experience.
If you're in a rush skip to Quality below. Also see the Updates at the bottom where Jaybird are being a pain giving me a replacement.
I have the black BlueBuds X. Considering the amount of electronics and battery they have to cram in they are reasonably compact. The included carry case was reasonably practical and looks good. Overall, the appearance of the product was fine.
There are 2 ways of wearing the BlueBuds X. The first way is the most obvious allowing the cord that connects each earbud to dangle downwards from the ear and to loop the cord around your neck. This really didn't work for me because the weight of the cord acted to pull the earbuds out as I exercised.
An alternative is to use an over ear placement. When wearing the BlueBuds this way the cord is kept short and the weight of the cord is supported by your ears. This is the way I used them. The one concern I have is that wearing them like this puts the control unit in direct contact with your head which might allow sweat to penetrate and cause damage.
One novel feature of the BlueBuds is the inclusion of flexible 'Secure Fit Ear Cushions'. These comma shaped attachments lock the earbuds in place inside your ear. I found they worked quite well and provided as secure a fit as you could reasonably expect from earbuds.
I listen to a lot of Rock-based music when I'm in the gym with subgenres ranging from aggressive metal to alternative. I found the sound quality of the BlueBuds X to be really good for this type of music. It's quite well balanced and doesn't have that excessive bass response you get from Dr Dre Beats.
As mentioned above I found the fit very good and the ear inserts blocked out a lot of background noise so overall the sound quality was very good.
You can make phone calls with the BlueBuds but this is something I did very infrequently (I was using an iPhone 5S). Standing in the gym apparently talking to yourself isn't my style but on the few occasions I did use them to make calls I could hear the other party on the call very well but they usually struggled to hear me. I guess the placement of the microphone is too far away from your mouth to be particularly effective.
Even if you don't use the BlueBuds to make calls it is useful to get the audio notifications for incoming texts etc.
I tended to keep my phone in a small bag I carry around with me in the gym. I always have gloves, wraps and the such like so it was natural to pop my phone in the same bag. I never had a dropout when using the BlueBuds even when walking several meters away from my bag.
Charging the BlueBuds was easy. All that was required was to connect them to a PC using the included USB cable. One of the earbuds has an indicator light that show red while charging and which turns green when charging is complete.
Connecting them to my iPhone 5S was a doddle. I just switched on the BlueBuds, activated Bluetooth on the phone and they were detected right away.
OK, this is where it all goes wrong. In 6 months I have gone through 2 pairs of BlueBuds, both failing in exactly the same way.
I experienced occasional uninvited power-offs and loss of audio but these incidents were infrequent and restarting the BlueBuds always fixed the issue. However, eventually I hit another issue with both pairs I have owned, an issue that killed the BlueBuds stone dead.
The first indication that something was wrong would be turning up at the gym to find the BlueBuds would not switch on. This despite having fully charged them. I'd return home assuming the charge hadn't worked and would plug them in using the USB cable. On connecting the BlueBuds to the PC the indicator light would immediately turn green suggesting they were fully charged. I'd leave them on to charge 'just in case' but they still would not switch on. End of story. Dead BlueBuds.
The cause of the failure is a mystery but you have to suspect they are not as sweat proof as Jaybird would have us believe. I do wonder if the over ear fitting is part of the problem because it puts the small plastic control unit that holds the buttons in contact with your head.
Jaybird support was quite good overall with prompt responses to contact made using the support page on their website. The most irritating thing was being asked to return the BlueBuds to the USA. I'm in the UK so I really didn't want the added expense. Jaybirds alternative is for you to send 2 photographs to Jaybird: one with the headphones intact and the other with the wire cut. You also have to include a piece of paper in each photo showing your signature and the date.
Good job Jaybird on making me feel like you think I'm trying to con you out of a new pair of BlueBuds. Definitely not the kind of customer experience I appreciate.
A great idea and so close to being an excellent product. Wearability, usability and sound quality were great. The only issue was the build quality. The BlueBuds are clearly not up to the wear and tear of gym use and the most likely culprit is sweat.
Having had 2 pairs fail on me in exactly the same way I can only suggest you avoid the Jaybird BlueBuds X if you intend to use them when training. At £123.00 a pop they are far too expensive to think of as a disposable product.
Firmly but quickly press the power button 8 times and then hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 2 times.
When finished, plug the headset into the charger and tell me what you see.
Most of the time if the headset turns RED it will charge and function normally again, Make sure that if the light is red to fully charge the unit again.
Try holding the power button down for 10 seconds also some times it takes longer to turn them on.
let us know and if this does not work and I would be happy to help with an exchange.
Now I was stupid enough to actually try this and guess what? No change. Back to Jaybird.
Incidentally, I was told when the last pair failed that pressing and holding the power button for 10 seconds does a factory reset.
OK, I'm getting pretty fed up with Jaybird now. For some reason I can't get their support person to understand that the BlueBuds were bought online and that there's no physical receipt. He really wants a 'picture'.
Frankly I'm done. They don't work anyway.
Same story here. But I guess I am a lot more fortunate than you, they were able to replace my Bluebuds 4x. I also received the same instructions from them about pressing the button a number of times for so many seconds, etc. I think they made a mistake by claiming that the BBX1's are sweat-proof. Sadly, my last pair died today for unknown reasons. Do not buy these if you plan to use it for heavy workouts.
I have to admit I did follow up and they sent me a new set (the 3rd) shortly after I posted the above. The last set has been working ever since and I'm still using them 4 to 5 times a week in the gym. The difference has been not using the 'over ear' placement. That keeps the control unit away from contact with my hair and therefore less likely to get sweat in it.
I'm still not impressed with the customer experience though.


text:
GSMA urges timely release of 700Mhz spectrum
Anne Bouverot, Director General of the GSMA, which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, has called on European regulators to give Member States the flexibility to keep pace with the changing needs of consumers by supporting a co-primary mobile broadcasting allocation in the UHF band.
She made her comments in response to the release of the European Commission's (EC) summary of the results of the Lamy Report public consultation.
"Consumer take-up for mobile broadband has grown dramatically in recent years. Recent research predicts that mobile's contribution to global data traffic will more than triple in the next five years," noted Bouverot. "Ensuring networks can meet the increased demand for mobile broadband services requires policymakers to balance the spectrum requirements of multiple industries. The UHF band is a critical frequency range in the bid to provide consumers with good value, high-quality mobile broadband in urban and rural areas. As reflected in the divergent views in the High-Level Group discussion that took place last year, the future use of this band has been hotly debated by the mobile industry and the historic users of the band, including broadcasters," she said.
"The GSMA is calling for the EC to give Member States the flexibility to keep pace with the changing needs of consumers by supporting a co-primary mobile broadcasting allocation in the UHF band at the ITU's upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference 2015 (WRC-15) in November, where the future possible uses of spectrum will be decided," she declared.
"According to Bouverot, a co-primary allocation will give Member States full flexibility to use UHF spectrum for both mobile and broadcast in the future. "If mobile data continues to grow as predicted, national governments will retain the option of reallocating more spectrum to mobile if required. This flexible solution will protect consumer interests by empowering people in Europe to choose how they want to access content. It also supplies long-term guarantees for the future of digital terrestrial TV in European countries that rely on terrestrial broadcast services, ensuring a robust future for both industries," she contended.
"Allowing for flexible use of the UHF band will also mean the EC will be one step closer to achieving its Digital Agenda objectives of providing high-quality mobile broadband to European citizens," she concluded.
In addition, the GSMA calls upon the EC to:
Support Member States' requests for release of the 700MHz band, preferably between 2018 and 2020 and potentially earlier for markets that are able to release it sooner, such as Finland, France, Germany and Sweden; and
Accelerate the review of the sub-700MHz band as the mobile and broadcast markets are evolving quite rapidly, as demonstrated by ongoing 5G research programmes in Europe. A review should take place between WRC-15 and WRC-19.
Spectrum for mobile delivers highest economic impact in Europe
E95bn boost for EU if spectrum used for mobile broadband
GSMA calls for early broadcast spectrum release
Ex-WTO chief to head EU spectrum enquiry
Broadcasting Unions unite against TV spectrum release


My home is already completely covered by my router & the garden& out in the street . How much wifi do you need ?
What's your take on the iTunes rating system?
What type of film do you need for the Kodak Printomatic?


text:
Crush Winter Program
The Knoxville Football Club "Crush" is happy to announce their Winter Training Program for the Winter of 2012/13. The program is based around technical training, speed and agility training, and will incorporate an in house 3v3/4v4 league. With the mixture of all these facets of the game in an intense, yet enjoyable environment, the "Crush" feel that their players, teams, and coaches will benefit from the off-season months. Winter training is optional, yet we feel that it will attract each of our players to continue to work over the off-season. The training program will begin the week of December 3rd and run through January 25th. This six week program (taking the week of December 24th and December 31st off for the Holiday Season) will provide our players with the correct balance of training and playing, while maintaining and preparing them for the Spring season.
The training will be Tuesdays at Rocky Hill Baseball Park, and Thursdays at Hickory Creek, from 6:00-7:30. This will be a club-wide training environment that will be heavily focused upon technical work, while getting in some much needed speed, agility, core strength, and balance training. Each and every player is encouraged to participate, no matter what age, gender, or level.
In an effort to continue to provide our players and families the most for less, the Winter Training on Tuesday and Thursday nights is free. This is included in the club fees that each player pays each season to be a part of the Knoxville Football Club. We encourage each player to take advantage of these two nights.
Indoor League:
The Winter Training Program takes on a new facet this year by adding in an Indoor League at the Emerald Youth Foundation Gym. This will be 3v3 or 4v4 (depending on age, with no goalkeepers) inside the gym, where the touches on the ball will be maximized and giving each player lots of playing time. We are looking to break these leagues into two groups: u9-u12 on Friday Nights and u13 and above on Monday nights. Each night will be broken down accordingly so that the players get the most out of their time.
The League will cost $25 a player for 6 weeks, as this money will go to help cover the costs of the facility rental. Each player will receive two t-shirts for playing (for their games, a home and away) and the rest of the money will go to cover costs.
The games be 25 minutes long, and have the teams consist of 1-2 subs so that the playing time is maximized. There will be two games per team each night that the team plays so that we are able to give our families the most for their time. If interested in participating in the indoor league, please register here.
Monday- 4v4 Indoor League at Emerald Youth Foundation Gym (u13 and above)
Tuesday-Club Wide Technical Training at Rocky Hill Baseball Park
Thursday- Club Wide Technical Training at Hickory Creek
Friday- Indoor League at Emerald Youth Foundation Gym (u9-u12)
For more information feel free to contact Scott Muir or Fields Brown
Scott Muir, Director of Coaching:
scottmuir36@gmail.com
Fields Brown, Associate Director of Coaching
tfieldsbrown@gmail.com