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Diminished Capacity Expert Witnesses
W. Anthony Gerard, MD, FACEP, FAAFP
https://www.tonygerardmd.com
Emergency Medicine & Urgent Care Expert Witness
Dr. Gerard offers unique experience in both Emergency Medicine, Urgent Care and Family medicine.
Full-time clinician working in both emergency medicine and urgent care and also assistant clinical professor. Board certified in Family Practice. As a family practice trained emergency physician, has a broad scope of...
Forensic Psychiatric Associates, LLC
New Jersey - Serving: All States
www.forensic-psych-assoc.com
Clinical and Forensic Psychiatrist / Expert Witness
Forensic Psychiatric Associates, LLC is a Clinical and Forensic practice headed by Dr. Alberto M. Goldwaser, with over 30 years of experience in these areas. Dr. Goldwaser is Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology: Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry. Distinguished Fellow American Psychiatric...
Comprehensive Neuropsychological Services, PC
www.clinicalneuropsych.com
Neuropsychology and Brain Injury Expert Witnesses
Provide case review, neuropsychological assessment, diagnosis, treatment, consultation and forensic services for brain injury/trauma, psychology trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, pain management, disability evaluation, pediatric psychology and malingering. CNS doctors are trained and peer-reviewed in systematic...
Stephen Reich, Ph.D., J.D. - The Forensic Psychology Group
www.forensicpsychologyexperts.com
Forensic Psychological and Psychiatric Evaluations Expert Witness
Stephen Reich, Ph.D., J.D. is a forensic psychologist who is also an attorney. Dr. Reich directs the Forensic Psychology Group, a team of leading providers of expert forensic psychological and psychiatric services. He testifies as an expert witness in courtrooms around the nation -- in state and federal courts as well...
Andrew P. Levin, MD Adult and Forensic Psychiatry
(914) 250 4450 x103
Adult and Forensic Psychiatry Expert Witness
Andrew P. Levin, MD, Board Certified in Adult Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry, holds the rank of Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. With more than 35 years of clinical and forensic experience. Dr. Levin treats the full range of adult...
Mark I. Levy M.D., D.L.F.A.P.A., a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. He has been practicing Forensic Psychiatry, Clinical Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis for more than 35 years. He is a...
Stephen M. Raffle, M.D. & Associates
California - Serving: All States and Canada
https://psychiatristexpertwitness.com
Forensic Psychiatry, Psychiatric IME, Fitness for Duty/Threat Assessment Expert Witness
Stephen M. Raffle, M.D. has conducted over 5,000 psychiatric evaluations and testified in over 150 civil and criminal trials as an expert witness, Board-Certified in Forensic Psychiatry and (general) Psychiatry. He has conducted thousands of Fitness for Duty and Threat Assessments for employers. His expertise in...
Sanjay Adhia, MD
Texas - Serving: All States, and Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
https://www.forensicpsychiatrynow.com
Forensic Psychiatrist Expert Witness & Forensic Consultant, Triple-Board Certified
Dr. Adhia is Triple Board-Certified in Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry and Brain Injury Medicine. He assesses complex psychiatric conditions and severe emotional distress, Anxiety and Depression, malingering, complicating physical conditions, treatment and diagnosis. His clinical practice as Medical Director at PACE...
Pogos H. Voskanian, M.D.
www.forensic-psychiatrist.com
General & Forensic Psychiatry Expert Witness
Pogos H. Voskanian, M.D. specializes in the application of scientific and clinical expertise to legal issues in legal contexts embracing civil, criminal, and correctional matters. He is a Clinical and Forensic Psychiatrist certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and is Associate Professor of...
Allan M. Block, M.D.
Neurology Expert Witness
I'm a neurologist in practice since 1998, with expertise in the field and legal experience. I deal with most aspects of neurology, and have worked with several local firms.
Anne C. Pratt, Ph.D.
Northampton, Massachusetts
Clinical and Forensic Psychologist: Criminal, Personal Injury (PTSD)
Dr. Pratt received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Rhode Island in 1985. Her two primary areas of specialization are forensic psychology and psychological trauma. Dr. Pratt has conducted over 1,000 evaluations as a court-appointed and independent expert since 1987. She has...
Barbara A. Barone, Psy.D, PA
Forensic and Clinical Psychology
Dr. Barone is an expert psychological witness in the criminal, civil, immigration, and family courts. She completes IQ evaluations ages 4-96.; She provides evaluations and expert testimony regarding questions of sanity and legal criminal competency. Dr. Barone assesses geriatric patients and...
Burrell Health Consulting
Nephi, Utah
Registered Nursing and Life Care Planning - Expert Witness
Burrell Health Consulting provides professional consulting services and expert witness services, specializing within the litigation arena. Services are directed towards providing services for Life Care Planning, Medical Fact Witness, Expert Witness, Nursing Standard of Care, traumatic injury, and...
Carole I. Lieberman, M.D., M.P.H.
Forensic Psychiatrist, Expert Witness & Legal Analyst for Media
Dr. Lieberman is a Board Certified Forensic Psychiatrist/Expert Witness with a winning record in hundreds of civil & criminal cases–including many high profile cases. She has built her reputation on persuasive testimony at deposition and trial, as well as meticulous record reviews and IME's...
Carter Psychology Center
Mental Health Experts In Family, Criminal, Probate and Dependency Matters
Our group of 10 Board Certified/Board Eligible Psychologists includes experts in family law, criminal law, probate law, and dependency. Our services include expert witness services, work product reviews, litigation support, sentence mitigation studies, parenting coordination, custody evaluations,...
Consulting Psychological Resources, LLC
Biloxi, Mississippi
Clinical and Forensic Psychologist
Trial Consulting in Clinical and Forensic Psychology
Dawn Cook Consulting
Certified Life Care Planner, Testifying Expert, Nurse Life Care Planner
Dawn L. Cook is a licensed Registered Nurse with three certifications in life care planning. She has worked with serious and catastrophic illness and injury for over 30 years including clinical settings, home care, and life care planning.; Dawn Cook has prepared over 500 expert reports and has...
Dr. David Greenfield, PhD.
Internet and Technology Addiction Expert Witness
Dr. David Greenfield, PhD. is a practicing Psychologist since 1987. "Dr. Dave" has treated over 400 patients for various ; forms of compulsive abuse of technology. He literally wrote the book on Internet and virtual addiction back in 1999. ; Clinical and research specialty in: Internet addiction;...
Dr. Richard J. Stride, Psy.D., MBA, LPC, LMHC
Mental Health Expert Witness / Litigation Consultant/Ethics/Mental Health Business
Richard J. Stride, Psy.D., MBA, LPC, LMHC has been providing forensic mental health services to attorneys and courts since 1996. He has been an expert witness and/or consulted in over 100 cases. He is the current CEO at Cascade Mental Health Care, Centralia, WA; Dr. Stride has been an expert...
Dr. Robin E. Dock of Perkins Forensic Mental Health LLC
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Forensic Mental Health and Expert Witness Services
Perkins Forensic Mental Health LLC provides professional forensic mental health services to attorneys, courts, individuals, and families. Forensic Psychology/Mental Health services/specializations include Disability Management, Social Security Disability Adjudication, Life Care Plans, Catastrophic...
Dr. Sonia Paquette, OTD, OTR/L, CPE, ABVE-D
Ashton, Maryland
Work Capacity Evaluation and Ergonomics Risk Analysis Expert Witness
Dr. Sonia Paquette, OTD, OTR/L, CPE, ABVE-D establishes capacity to work despite a medical condition affecting function by evaluating all components of performance. Along with her expertise in ergonomics, Dr. Paquette specializes in work capacity including the physical and social aspects of work...
Florida Forensic Psychology, Inc.
Florida Forensic Psychology Provides Expert Evaluations, Testimony, & Consultation
Florida Forensic Psychology, Inc. serves legal and mental health professionals in Federal, State, Juvenile, Immigration, and Civil Courts. Based in South Florida, FFP provides services in over 12 states.; Over 90% of our psychological evaluations are filed within seven days. ; Our reports are...
Forensic Assessment Consultation and Treatment Services - FACTS
Psychological Evaluations, Expert Witness, Litigation Support and Forensic Services
Dr. Yufik is a Board Certified Forensic Psychologist with experience in conducting criminal and civil evaluations. He uses his knowledge of forensic psychology and his legal training to educate the judge and jury about complex matters of law that is convincing and credible. He conducts Competency...
Forensic Medical Associates LLC
Liverpool, New York
Neurology-Pharmacology Expert Witness
Robert E. Todd, M.D. is a Board Certified Neurologist and Licensed Pharmacist who uses his unique skill set to formulate opinions on complicated subjects and reduce them to concepts that are professionally refined, simply stated and easily understood. ; Dr. Todd is an experienced Expert Witness who...
G. Michael Pilcher, PhD, LPC/MHSP, LADAC
Bristol, Tennessee
Forensic Mental Health & Substance Use Examiner
The court system is not designed to solve emotional problems — it is designed to solve legal conflict. Therefore, when emotions are running high and raw, Dr. Pilcher will provide rational and empirically-based interventions.
Jerald H Ratner, MD
Forensic Psychiatry Expert Witness and Litigation Support
Jerald H Ratner, MD a clinical and forensic experienced psychiatrist applies psychiatric expertise to legal matters. He has received Board Certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with an expertise in forensic psychiatry.
Lawrence B. Erlich, M.D.
Celebration, Florida
Forensic, Addiction and General Psychiatry Expert Witness
Merrill Rotter, M.D.
Psychiatric and Mental Health Forensic and Expert Witness Services
Nicole Charder, MD
Forensic Psychiatrist, Psychiatric Evaluations, and Expert Witness
I am a forensic psychiatrist and am available to serve as an expert witness in a variety of criminal and civil matters. My specialties include psychiatric malpractice, review of medical records, violence/suicide risk assessment, post-traumatic stress disorder, testamentary capacity, fitness for...
Psycholegal Assessments, Inc.
Forensic Psychology Expert Witness
Psycholegal Assessments, Inc. is committed to providing expert Forensic Psychological Evaluations to attorneys and insurance companies along with expert witness testimony in a variety of forensic psychology specialty areas. We have offices in the Chicago, Illinois and the Atlanta, Georgia...
Sanford I. Finkel, M.D., S.C.
Wilmette, Illinois
Geriatric Psychiatry, Contested Wills and Undue Influence Expert Witness Services
Sohrab Zahedi, M.D.
Farmington, Connecticut
Adult & Forensic Psychiatry
Dr. Zahedi is a board certified general & forensic psychiatrist. His main experience stems from his time in the CT department of corrections where he has assessed & treated thousands of patients in various capacitities. In his private office, Dr. Zahedi has provided expert testimony of both...
Teo Ernst, Psy.D.
San Franciso, California
Clinical and Forensic Psychologist - Expert Witness
Dr. Ernst specializes in the assessment of PTSD in civil, work-related, and criminal proceedings, with office locations available throughout California. He is a UCSF Assistant Clinical Professor, Qualified Medical Evaluator for the State of California Workers' Compensation System, court appointed...
Tina Minkel - Medical Legal Strategies
Cameron Park, California
Certified Legal Nurse Consulting Firm and Expert Witness Services
Tina Minkel, is founder and President of Medical Legal Strategies, a national consulting firm established in 2006.; Tina and her network of associates have been working with attorneys, law firms and healthcare organizations reviewing and evaluating medical records for adherence to standards of care...
Tye F Hunter, Ph.D., ABPP
Forensic Psychological Services
Forensic and Clinical Psychology- Board Certified Forensic Psychologist
Zachary D. Torry, M.D. Forensic Psychiatrist
Forensic Psychiatrist Expert Witness
Adult and Forensic Psychiatrist with expert witness experience specializing in civil, criminal, and work-related matters. This includes: Personal Injury, Psychiatric Disability, Psychic Injury Evaluations, Defense Base Act cases, Fitness for Duty evaluations, Harassment claims, Testamentary...
Ziv E. Cohen, M.D.
Forensic and Clinical Psychiatrist
Ziv Ezra Cohen, M.D., is Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, in New York City. He brings his expertise in psychiatry and wide ranging clinical experience to a broad range of criminal and civil forensic psychiatric issues, including:...


He made his appearance in God's daylight in the year 1828, I remember, on his father's ancestral estate, in one of the most remote nooks of a remote government of the steppes. I still preserve a distinct recollection of Misha's father, Andrei Nikolaevitch Polteff. He was a genuine, old-fashioned landed proprietor, a pious inhabitant of the steppes, sufficiently well educated,–according to the standards of that epoch,–rather crack-brained, if the truth must be told, and subject, in addition, to epileptic fits…. That also is an old-fashioned malady…. However, Andrei Nikolaevitch's attacks were quiet, and they generally terminated in a sleep and in a fit of melancholy.–He was kind of heart, courteous in manner, not devoid of some pomposity: I have always pictured to myself the Tzar Mikhail Feodorovitch as just that sort of a man.
Andrei Nikolaevitch's whole life flowed past in the punctual discharge of all the rites established since time immemorial, in strict conformity with all the customs of ancient-orthodox, Holy-Russian life. He rose and went to bed, he ate and went to the bath, he waxed merry or wrathful (he did both the one and the other rarely, it is true), he even smoked his pipe, he even played cards (two great innovations!), not as suited his fancy, not after his own fashion, but in accordance with the rule and tradition handed down from his ancestors, in proper and dignified style. He himself was tall of stature, of noble mien and brawny; he had a quiet and rather hoarse voice, as is frequently the case with virtuous Russians; he was neat about his linen and his clothing, wore white neckerchiefs and long-skirted coats of snuff-brown hue, but his noble blood made itself manifest notwithstanding; no one would have taken him for a priest's son or a merchant! Andrei Nikolaevitch always knew, in all possible circumstances and encounters, precisely how he ought to act and exactly what expressions he must employ; he knew when he ought to take medicine, and what medicine to take, which symptoms he should heed and which might be disregarded … in a word, he knew everything that it was proper to do…. It was as though he said: "Everything has been foreseen and decreed by the old men–the only thing is not to devise anything of your own…. And the chief thing of all is, don't go even as far as the threshold without God's blessing!"–I am bound to admit that deadly tedium reigned in his house, in those low-ceiled, warm, dark rooms which so often resounded from the chanting of vigils and prayer-services, with an odour of incense and fasting-viands, which almost never left them!
The Vigil-service (consisting of Vespers and Matins, or Compline and Matins) may be celebrated in unconsecrated buildings, and the devout not infrequently have it, as well as prayer-services, at home.–TRANSLATOR.
 Meaning the odour of the oil which must be used in preparing food, instead of butter, during the numerous fasts.–TRANSLATOR.
Andrei Nikolaevitch had married, when he was no longer in his first youth, a poor young noblewoman of the neighbourhood, a very nervous and sickly person, who had been reared in one of the government institutes for gentlewomen. She played far from badly on the piano; she spoke French in boarding-school fashion; she was given to enthusiasm, and still more addicted to melancholy, and even to tears…. In a word, she was of an uneasy character. As she considered that her life had been ruined, she could not love her husband, who, "as a matter of course," did not understand her; but she respected, she tolerated him; and as she was a thoroughly honest and perfectly cold being, she never once so much as thought of any other "object." Moreover, she was constantly engrossed by anxieties: in the first place, over her really feeble health; in the second place, over the health of her husband, whose fits always inspired her with something akin to superstitious terror; and, in conclusion, over her only son, Misha, whom she reared herself with great zeal. Andrei Nikolaevitch did not prevent his wife's busying herself with Misha–but on one condition: she was never, under any circumstances, to depart from the limits, which had been defined once for all, wherein everything in his house must revolve! Thus, for example: during the Christmas holidays and Vasily's evening preceding the New Year, Misha was not only permitted to dress up in costume along with the other "lads,"–doing so was even imposed upon him as an obligation…. On the other hand, God forbid that he should do it at any other time! And so forth, and so forth.


5. What are the adhesion features of photoresists on different wafers?
Adhesion between coating and substrates is a very sensitive feature. Smallest changes of the cleaning procedures or the process parameters can have a fatal impact on the adhesive strength. Silica, silicon nitride, and base metals (such as aluminium, copper) generally exhibit good resist adhesion properties, while adhesion is reduced on SiO2, glass, noble metals such as gold and silver, as well as on gallium arsenide. For the last-mentioned substrates, adhesion promoters are absolutely required to improve the adhesion strength (→ Item 4 Optimal pre-treatment of substrates). If the air humidity is too high (> 60%), adhesion is also substantially reduced.


ACP would like to announce its cooperation with one of the latest additions (the tournament was first organised in 2014) to the open European circuite, the Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival.
The tournament will be held from December 14-23 in the beautiful Hotel Sunway Playa Golf&Spa Sitges. The impressive prize fund of 25 000 EUR has a first prize set at 5000 EUR, making it very attractive for all players.
The cooperation with ACP includes full board for two of our Premiums rated 2650+. This also applies to their families, if they desire to come along. In some cases also a free transfer from and to the airport can be arranged.
We hope to have good cooperation with the Sitges tournament and ACP Premiums rated 2650+ are welcome to contact the ACP Board to confirm their interest.


Quantum computing could totally revolutionize computer technologies and even the way we interact with machines. The joint team working on this project is led by John Martinis of University of California, Santa Barbara. This collaboration reunites prestigious public and private research resources from NASA's Ames Space Research Center in Silicon Valley, Google and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA).
The project focuses on the applications of quantum computing to artificial intelligence (AI). As the director of engineering from Google explained, the Quantum AI team is an integrated hardware group that works with the aim to implement and test new designs for inference processors and quantum optimization, based on learning from the D-Wave quantum annealing architecture and recent theoretical insights.
As scientists continue to explore how to manipulate the technology, quantum computing is still in its infancy. Researchers aim to move the technology from laboratory to computer industry applications. Despites some tests by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) that have suggested that the Vesuvius D-Wave supercomputer had no tangible benefits over silicon processors, American researchers have great hopes to transform quantum computing into a stable technology within environments outside the laboratory.
The National Security Agency (NSA) is among Vesuvius D-Wave supercomputer's clients. The NAS facility hosts the Quantum AI Laboratory, a collaborative effort among Universities Space Research Association, Google and NASA. The research team explores the potential for quantum computers to approach some optimization problems that are impossible or just difficult for traditional supercomputers to handle.
In spring 2013, a D-Wave Two quantum computer was installed in the laboratory. The system is housed inside a cryogenics system within 10 square meter shielded room and about the size of a garden storage shed. The system is the most powerful of its kind in the world, with a processing capacity of approximately 512 superconducting flux qubits.
The Quantum AI Laboratory makes use of the 512-qubit D-Wave Two quantum computer, housed on the NASA Ames campus, at the NAS facility. In order to provide isolation from vibration and noise, the facility has been extensively retrofitted. A cooling infrastructure was added as well, in order to cool the system to its operating temperature of near-absolute-zero.
After the installation team completed a series of rigorous calibration and acceptance tests, the Quantum AI laboratory has become operational in early fall 2013.The Vesuvius D-Wave supercomputer is co-owned by Google and NASA Ames. In order to aid the research its processing capacity has been doubled. The supercomputer was upgraded to a 1,000 qubit Washington processor.
NASA researchers use this system to research areas where quantum algorithms might dramatically improve someday the agency's ability to solve difficult optimization problems in space exploration, Earth and space sciences, and aeronautics. Among potential applications relevant to NASA are included pattern recognition, machine learning, distributed coordination and navigation, mission planning and scheduling, and system diagnostics and anomaly detection.
A quantum computer makes use directly of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as wave-particle duality, tunneling and entanglement. The system is based on qubits, the name for quantum. A qubit represent a zero, one or both values simultaneously, unlike traditional computers where bits must have a value of either zero or one. The qubit's quantum properties allow scientists to effectively try all possible solutions at once for certain types of optimization problems, arriving at the best answer much more quickly.
Everything about the Google and NASA's Quantum AI Laboratory is exciting. The joint effort provides a powerful D-Wave machine at the disposal of researchers from around the globe. The Universities Space Research Association is inviting international teams of engineers and scientists to share time on the unique super computer.
Quantum computing can be leveraged to advance machine learning, a branch of AI crucial to Google's success. The internet company has already researched with quantum computing before. Its new goal is apply this experimentation into real world results. By combining the traditional data centers with highly specialized extreme computing power, Google aims to build more accurate models for everything from web search to speech recognition.
Google Drive app gets its end of support date for December 11 and the end of life date for March 12, 2018.
Google is all set to release its next mobile operating system aka Android O today.
Google announced today that it's adding 30 new languages to voice typing in its popular keyboard app, Gboard.


The RCE, or Replacement Cost Estimate, is the algorithm that insurance companies use to determine the maximum limit for a "Replacement Cost" policy. It is critical that your RCE reflects the options within your home. Do you know what your RCE is? Give me a call. I can help.


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Chemical Materials Science
We're searching for new and unusual catalytic processes to create materials that have not been possible until now – or have always been believed to be impossible.
Catalytic methods for new materials
Until recently, it was a "dream reaction": a doubling of the chain length of natural fatty acids, and this in an entirely catalytic, scaleable and virtually wast-free fashion. In this case, vegetable oils and algae oils are the feedstock for which this reaction was realized – to generate new chemical building blocks, which, on a regenerative basis, opens the door to a whole new range of polymer materials and products. This multi-faceted challenge is one example of the subject areas covered by the Mecking Group.
"Our research deals with the discovery of new and unusual catalytic paths, which open the door to materials which have been inaccessible up to now," Prof. Stefan Mecking explains. "The aim of our research is to understand the different processes, some of which are interlocking, of catalytic transformations on a molecular level." This includes the activation of small molecules, without allowing the active centre to be destroyed by functional groups which are also highly reactive, as well as the development of larger, defined molecule structures enabled hereby, and the arrangement of these into superstructures. Special attention is devoted to the question of how the properties of a material evolve during its creation. In his research, Stefan Mecking has already found an industrial application, in designing plastics which are less brittle and hence more durable.
Website Mecking Group

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Rideau Valley Rollergirls
Lay of the Land: Where Canadian Teams Stand Midway Through WFTDA Season
The Nerd breaks down the rankings and records of Canada's top WFTDA teams as the playoff push continues.
All four Canadian D1 teams have seen considerable action this season, and at the midway point, all seem fairly secure in their D1 status for the season. Barring any disastrous summers, the next few months should be dedicated to improving placement.
Terminal City All Stars
Current Ranking: 17th / 2015 Record: 4-0
Terminal City is officially the top team in the nation, but they have not in any way distanced themselves from Montreal and Toronto. Impressive wins over Helsinki and Nashville to kick off the season were followed by the narrow streak-stopping victory over Montreal (182-177) and an even narrower win over Boston (177-174). Interestingly, despite the loss to Vancouver, Montreal has better results against Nashville and Helsinki, and Toronto has a better result against Boston but lost (barely) to Montreal. It seems that there is nothing really separating Canada's top three teams right now.
The Terminal City roster returns largely unchanged from last season but there have definitely been internal shifts, with the likes of Eve Hollows and Sundown taking on more on-track leadership and Maiden Sane rising to the top of the jammer rotation.
Next up for Terminal City are Wasatch (39th) and Rocky Mountain (14th) at Besterns on May 29th.
Montreal Roller Derby: New Skids on the Block
Montreal started the season very well holding off frantic pushes from both Rideau Valley (166-140) and Toronto (180-171) before handling Nashville and Helsinki with relative ease and then suffering the team's first ever defeat to a Canadian team in the last-minute loss to Terminal City.
Montreal is going through a minor rebuild this season from the bench staff right through to the jammer rotation. And while skaters like Ohi(0) and Demanda Lashing in the pack and Falcon Punch with the star have emerged as prominent pieces, there is still a very experienced core at the heart of this team that includes Jess Bandit, Mange Moi El Cul, Cheese Grater and Mel E. Juana.
The Skids have a busy June coming up with tough games against Boston (21st), Stockholm (32nd), and a tumbling Windy City (13th) scheduled.
Toronto Roller Derby: CN Power
Toronto has been very busy so far this season and despite a considerable roster shuffle in the off season has looked strong in 2015. An impressive three-game winning streak over Rideau Valley, Steel City and Boston built up CN Power's confidence going into a showdown with long-time rival Montreal, a game they led most of the way before losing narrowly. An up-and-down Spring Roll saw them sneak by Kansas City (191-188) before strong performances in losses to higher ranked Arch Rival (18th currently) and the surging Dallas Derby Devils, who have jumped 31 spots in the standings so far this season.
Toronto, largely, has a new-look jammer rotation with transfers Mad Megz, Smoka Cola, and Bay Street Bruisers graduate Bellefast all in the top four of the depth chart. Blocking, Misery Mae has added some much-needed power to the pack while Ames to Kill has emerged as a more-than-capable team leader.
Toronto faces some old (and also rebuilding) rivals in Naptown (35th) and Ohio (22nd) next.
Rideau Valley Vixens
The Vixens remain somewhat of an enigma. Although their record speaks to the quality of competition the team has faced in 2015, they have had some inconsistent results. Starting the season with a big win over Steel City, Rideau Valley looked very good in losses to the higher ranked Toronto (32 point loss), Boston (23) and Montreal (26), they then crushed Green Mountain and held off a cagey Tri-City before coming up flat in a loss to Queen City (a team that, to be fair, has often seemed to baffle the Vixens—for whatever reason).
While the Vixens have been slowly extending their bench (and the B-Team Sirens are developing well), depth remains a problem. Skaters like Jamie's Got a Gun (who has transitioned nicely from the junior to the senior game) and Restless Ross are taking on more responsibility in the pack, but they still have problems at the jammer position. With Shania Pain once again missing most of the summer schedule, they have yet to find a consistent third jammer capable of replacing her at this level, a gap that was evident in the loss to Queen City.
The Vixens do, so far, have a quiet summer planned, but have a very important showdown scheduled against Baltimore's Charm City in July.
Canada has two teams securely in Division 2 playoff spots, and although both would love to advance to D1 by the season's end (and it remains a possibility), either team could do some serious damage in the D2 playoffs and would both be considered contenders if they remained.
Calgary Roller Derby Association All Stars
Current Ranking: 43rd / 2015 Record: 3-6
A very busy Calgary team is getting a crash-course in how hard it is to stay competitive in WFTDA's Division 1. The darlings of the Association last season (built upon a record-setting surge up the standings), Calgary briefly slipped into D1 early in 2015 before settling back high in the D2 standings. Calgary hasn't yet managed the big wins this season as they've faced some stiff competition, losing one-sided decisions to strong teams from Arizona, Jacksonville, Arch Rival and Dallas. However, most surprising was their recent loss to 54th ranked Tri-City (208-196) in a thrilling game between the cross-nation teams.
Calgary retains its core after last year's run up the rankings and their jammer rotation (led by Team Canada's Kryss Myass) has been shored up by the strong play of Mulan Bruise and Easy Break Oven.
Calgary awaits its schedule for Beach Brawl 2015 in June, and also has yet to announce an opponent for a June 6th home game.
Tri-City Thunder
After a seemingly ominously auspices start to the 2015 season (a one-sided loss to a rebuilding Ohio), Tri-City has turned its fortunes around and anchored by a solidly rebuilt jammer rotation has won six of the last seven games to all-but-secure a spot in the D2s once again (they were in the D1 playoffs last season, but the D2s in 2013). The only loss in that run was to the higher-ranked Rideau Valley (186-156) and included considerable upsets over Calgary (43rd) and Queen City (30th).
Changes all around have helped to shore up Tri-City's game. Recent transfers Andy Slamberg and Anne Tastic join Fox Hadley, Wylde Leigh Coyote, and Fraxxure in a deep pack, while the jammer rotation has been completely rebuilt around transfers Honey Badger and Crazy Squirrel (with double threat AnneX providing the most consistent relief with the star).
Up next is a tough June meeting against 45th ranked Chicago Outfit in Chi-town.
THE BEST OF THE REST
The rest of Canada's WFTDA teams are either currently unranked due to lack of sanctioned games (Muddy River and Winnipeg, for example, who both just picked up a handful of games after strong performances at Mayday Mayhem and will enter the rankings shortly) or have either fallen far out of D2 (Hamilton continues its slide, down now to 141st) or haven't yet climbed their way into it (Forest City, for example, whose inconsistency has them still hovering at 136th).
However, the best of the rest is easily the Royal City Roller Girls' Brute-Leggers, who after winning their first three sanctioned bouts, have leap-frogged the rest of the Canadian competition to find themselves ranked 105th and on the cusp of Division 2. The Brute-Leggers' next sanctioned action comes in June at ECDX where they will square off against Salisbury (107th) and Connecticut (112th). It will easily be the stiffest test the team will have faced yet in sanctioned play, but they are both winnable games that provide a quality opportunity to build on what has been an incredibly successful start to their WFTDA run.
*I'll be at the Bunker in Downsview Park this weekend working with Rogers TV to broadcast Toronto Roller Derby's playoffs! After their quarterfinal win on May 9th, the Smoke City Betties have advanced to take on the defending champion Death Track Dolls for an opportunity to play in this year's Battle For the Boot. The night will begin with the D-VAS hosting Royal City's Our Ladies of Pain (5:00 PM), with opening whistle for the semifinal scheduled for 7:00 PM. Tickets are now available.
Posted in Extreme Sports, Preview, Profile, Recap, Roller Derby, Sports, WFTDA Playoffs, Women's Sports and tagged Brute-Leggers, Calgary Roller Derby Association, cn power, CRDA All Stars, Montreal Roller Derby, new skids on the block, Rideau Valley Rollergirls, rideau valley vixens, Royal City Roller Girls, Terminal City All Stars, toronto roller derby, Tri-City Roller Derby, Tri-City Thunder on May 20, 2015 by Derby Nerd. 1 Comment
Busy Weekend for Canada's WFTDA Teams: Montreal, Toronto, Tri-City and Rideau Valley in Action
Montreal heads to the West Coast on an important three-game road trip; Toronto and Tri-City head to the Mid West for Spring Roll; and Rideau Valley heads to the East Coast.
Montreal Heads West
Montreal's Honey Badger tries to get passed Toronto's Ames to Kill and Mega Bouche in a March matchup up in Toronto. Montreal won 233-216. (Photo by Greg Russell)
As the spring crawls toward summer, the WFTDA schedule is ramping up as teams jockey for playoff positions or, in the case of Division 2 teams, simply fight for a playoff spot. Fans of Canadian derby get a little bit of everything this weekend as four of the nation's top five teams are all in action.
First off, Montreal (currently ranked 12th after moving up a few spots in the most recent rankings) head to the West Coast for an important three-game road trip all against Top 20 teams. They kick things off with a game against Seattle's Rat City on Friday night. It was February 2011 when these two teams first faced off, with Montreal recording an at-the-time shocking 110-103 win. It would announce Montreal's reaching the highest level of competitive play: a level they have stayed at since. They will continue their challenging road trip with games against Rose City in Portland and then the Oly Rollers in Olympia.
Montreal is off to a great start in 2014 with a 4-0 record that includes two victories in a home-and-home series against Toronto. Rat City (ranked 18th) crushed Sacred City 444-58 in their season opener, while Rose City (5th) is 3-1 in WFTDA play with 300+ point victories over Kansas City and Treasure Valley, and a tight 252-199 win over Philly. Their loss came at the hands of Texas (274-194). Montreal will end the weekend against the Oly Rollers who return to WFTDA after focusing on USARS last season. Oly is a team largely rebuilt from its run to the 2012 WFTDA championship game, and has had a rough return so far with a pretty one-sided win over Treasure Valley being followed by un upset loss to Vancouver's Terminal City (139-130) and a 263-140 loss to Rose City.
Toronto and Tri-City At Spring Roll in Fort Wayne
Toronto (23rd) and Tri-City (40th) will both be heading to Fort Wayne for this year's Spring Roll. Both play their first games on Saturday with Tri-City (3-5 on the season with wins over Ft. Myers and Queen City and losses to teams including Detroit and Naptown) kicking things off against Everett, Washington's, Jet City (36th), while later in the day they'll have the privilege of playing a cross-ocean opponent in Glasgow (ranked 104 and who are coming off of a season-opening loss to Cardiff's Tiger Bay Brawlers). Tri-City will close out the weekend on Sunday against New Orleans' Big Easy Rollergirls (82nd). Tri-City recently slipped into Division 1 and this weekend's favourable draw gives them an opportunity to at least hold that (and perhaps even increase it with a win over a beatable Jet City team).
Toronto finds itself attempting to slow an early season slide. They peaked at 13th in the WFTDA after opening the year with two wins but have since dropped eight in a row (to tough opponents including Monteal, Rocky Mountain and London). This weekend gives them an opportunity to, at the very least, hold their position. They'll face off against a surging Jacksonville on Saturday (16th), a team on the exact opposite trajectory as Toronto at this point in the season; it will be a good challenge, especially after they showed signs of improvement in losses last weekend to Pittsburgh and Atlanta. Toronto also has two games on Sunday, starting with Jet City (36th) and concluding with a matchup against Cincinnati (56th), a team that beat Toronto by only 20 points last year but that has been on a freefall since, and could even be in danger of losing a spot in the D-2 playoffs at this rate.
All games will be boutcast. You can find the complete schedule here.
Rideau Valley Vixens Head East
Finally, Ottawa's Rideau Valley Vixens (64th) will be on the road to take on Maine Roller Derby's Port Authorities (72nd) on Saturday night. Rideau Valley jumped five spots in the current ranking after knocking off DC on the road in their season opener. Rideau Valley is on the cusp of a D-2 playoff spot and a convincing win over Maine (who beat Rideau Valley last season by 35 points [187-152]) would help the push for a position. Maine is not a team to take lightly though. After tumbling badly in 2013, they have had a hot start this season, jumping 9 positions so far in 2014 on the strength of their 5-1 record.
Posted in Extreme Sports, Preview, Roller Derby, Sports, WFTDA Playoffs, Women's Sports and tagged cn power, Fort Wayne Derby Girls, Montreal Roller Derby, new skids on the block, Rideau Valley Rollergirls, rideau valley vixens, Spring Rol 2014, toronto roller derby, Tri-City Roler Derby, Tri-City Thunder, WFTDA on May 16, 2014 by Derby Nerd. 2 Comments
Beast of the East 7: A Preview of BOE 2014
Two days, sixteen teams, twenty-six games, and one winner. The 2014 Beast of the East promises excitement and unpredictability.
The seventh annual Beast of the East comes at an exciting time in eastern Canadian roller derby history, and specifically in Ontario and Quebec's history. Ontario alone now has eight full WFTDA member leagues (three of whom will be represented at the tournament). On top of that, Toronto is now ranked in the Top 20 (although that may change in the next rankings), Tri-City remains on the cusp of Division 1, and both Rideau Valley and Hammer City have more-than-valid shots at a place in this year's D-2 playoff tournament. These are, indeed, boom times, and when there is such consistent competition at the top, it inevitably filters down through all ranks of the sport.
The great charm of the double-elimination Beast of the East is that it is exclusively a house league tournament, featuring the future (and even some current) stars of the sport in the region. This year, seven teams will be playing in their seventh Beast (Forest City's Thames Fatales, the three Montreal teams and Toronto's three representatives were all competitors in the original Beast), while another (Rideau Valley's Slaughter Daughters) will be in its sixth. Added to that mix of experience will be a contingent of new teams and leagues as well: Four teams will be making their second appearance, and two will be debutantes: the Killer Queens will be the first representatives from Guelph's Royal City Roller Girls to make an appearance, while Durham Region's Atom Smashers will join their leaguemates, the Motor City Madames, who will play in their second tournament.
These teams will have a lot to live up to, as by most accounts, last year's tournament was the best of the bunch, featuring the highest level of competition the tournament had ever seen.
The 2013 Beast was also a tournament of firsts:
First two-time winner (Slaughter Daughters)
First three-time finalists (Daughters and La Racaille)
First team to reach 20 wins (La Racaille)
First teams to average over 100 points a game (three teams managed it, led by the Death Track Dolls' 110 point average)
Highest scoring game and most points by a team in a single game (the upstart Rouge et Gore [Quebec] scored 159 points in a 159-32 win over Greater Toronto's Derby Debutantes).
Least year's champs, the Slaughter Daughters, have gone through a major off-season overhaul.
If you look at the history of this tournament, it has been one dominated by three leagues. From 2008-2010 the hosts placed nine teams in the Top 3 (peaking in 2010 when the Montreal home teams ran the board). But since that time, only La Racaille (second last year) has medaled. The only other league to come close to this level is Toronto, who has had five medalists over the years. And finally, Rideau Valley's Slaughter Daughters have absolutely dominated the past three tournaments, winning two and losing in the final of the other.
Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
After a few years of struggling to place teams, Montreal showed signs last year that they are ready for the top once again. All three teams are potential contenders, with winners of the recent MTLRD round-robin kick off tournament Les Contrabanditas leading the way (they remain the only host team to yet win the Beast). But that tournament was tight (La Racaille only lost to the Ditas by 3 points), and all three are viable threats.
Toronto Roller Derby has also become a perennial contender with both the Death Track Dolls and Chicks Ahoy! picking up top three finishes in the past three years. While the Chicks (currently tied for second in ToRD's house league) won't be in this year's tournament, the defending ToRD champs the Dolls will be back along with a resurgent Gore-Gore Rollergirls (who have underachieved since a heartbreaking loss in the 2011 championship game). Both should be considered threats.
The biggest (and most exciting) off-season change in Ontario roller derby was the reshuffling of Rideau Valley's house league into three teams, two of whom, have to be considered contenders. The Prime Sinisters and the Riot Squad are both loaded with talent including many members of RVRG's A-level travel team, the Vixens. While neither is quite the juggernaut that the Daughters were, they are both threats in this tournament.
THE DARK HORSES
Durham Region's Atom Smashers will be making their debuts and could turn a few heads.
After last year's thrilling run to the quarterfinals (including a last gasp 2-point victory in a must-win game against Toronto's Smoke City Betties), no one should be surprised by the strength of Roller Derby Quebec's Rouge et Gore. Nine members of the team form the core of the RDQ's travel team, Les Duchesses, add coach (and member of Canada's National Men's Team) El Tennant to the bench, and this is a team that has a lot of track experience. Emboldened by last year's run to the final eight, they should be a team to watch this year as well.
One team that may be off of people's radars is Durham Region's Atom Smashers. The Smashers are a team that features a nice balance of veterans (including former and current Toronto skaters in Amefyst and Lucid Lou, who appeared in this tournament with the Death Track Dolls for years) and up-and-coming stars. They have dominated Durham Region the last two years, winning the Gibson's Cup twice (DRRD's championship) and compiling an 11-2 record over that time.
NERD'S PICKS
This will be Riot Squad's fourth appearance in the tournament, but their best shot at winning it.
This year's tournament feels particularly wide open, and given the unpredictable nature of the 20-minute format, making predictions sometimes seems like an exercise in futility. Nonetheless, the Nerd sees a final eight consisting of the three Montreal teams, Toronto's Dolls and Gores, Rideau Valley's Riot Squad and Prime Sinisters and Quebec's Rouge et Gore, with a potential Sinisters vs. Riot Squad showdown in there as well.
On paper, these two Rideau Valley teams are virtually equal, and given the amount of collective experience on the two rosters, both should be considered top contenders to take top spot. Although the edge in depth may go to the Sinisters, the slightest edge in experience at the top could be given to the Riot Squad.
Of course, predictions are meaningless once the whistle blows. And first whistle blows at 8:00 AM on Saturday.
***The tournament will be boutcast (at least some of the tournament: stay tuned to the event page for further details and schedule).
***Tomorrow the Nerd looks at Friday night's CN Power / New Skids on the Block showdown.
Posted in Beast of the East, Extreme Sports, Preview, Roller Derby, Sports, Women's Sports and tagged Atom Smashers, Beast of the East 2014, Beast of the East 7, Casse-Gueules, Death Track Dolls, Durham region roller derby, Gore-Gore Rollergirls, Killer Queens, La Racaille, Les Contrabanditas, Les Filles du Roi, Montreal Roller Derby, Motor City Madames, Prime Sinisters, Rideau Valley Rollergirls, Riot Squad, Roller Derby Quebec, Rouge et Gore, Royal City Roller Girls, Slaugter Daughters, Smoke City Betties, toronto roller derby on April 23, 2014 by Derby Nerd. 2 Comments
The Beast of Beasts: Daughters win second Beast in a thrilling tournament
Tommy Toxic's trophies are always a highlight of the tournament, but this year's were particularly beastly. (Photo by Joe Mac)
Some things just get better with age. Like wine, cheese and scotch, Montreal Roller Derby's annual Beast of the East just keeps on improving. While it could just speak to the age of the sport and overall development of the game, it also speaks to the strength, popularity and steady growth of roller derby in this region specifically. Despite the fact that the best players in the two biggest leagues represented (Montreal and Toronto) were not involved in the tournament (their talents were on display in a thrilling Friday night WFTDA showdown won by the New Skids on the Block 210-121), the competitive level and the display of skill far surpassed the expectations for a house league tournament.
The Slaughter Daughters accept their second Beast in three years. (Photo from the Slaughter Daughters Facebook page)
It was a historic tournament on a historic date, and in the end it became a duel between the two most successful teams in the tournament's history. In the process, MTLRD's La Racaille became the first team to appear in four finals, while their opponents, Rideau Valley's Slaughter Daughters joined the 2008-2010 La Racaille team as the only to reach three consecutive championship games, but then one-upped them by becoming the first ever repeat champion.
From the energy and consistency of the nearly perpetually capacity crowd, to the stunning displays of athleticism on the track, this 6th annual Beast certainly lived up to the moniker the Beast of Beasts.
ToRD's Chicks Ahoy! kicked off the tournament with a minor upset over Rideau Valley's Riot Squad. (Photo by Joe Mac)
DOUBLE ELIMINATION ROUND
A remarkable twenty games get played on the opening day of the Beast, and the tone was set when the tournament kicked off with a minor upset. The Chicks Ahoy!, ToRD's most inexperienced team (playing short handed at that) managed to hold off Rideau Valley's Riot Squad by 8 points. Remarkably, seven teams managed to top the century mark in the opening round as for the most part things went as expected early. The Slaughter Daughters dispatched two ToRD teams early on to advance straight through to the quarter finals (scoring over 100 points in both games including a 117-2 win over the Smoke City Betties), joined by Montreal teams Les Filles du Roi and La Racaille and ToRD's Death Track Dolls as teams going 2-0 to advance. Even at this stage of the tournament it was clear that La Racaille and the Dolls were joining the Daughters at a level of play that was going to be hard to match. La Racaille also topped 100 points in both their openers, while the Dolls looked equally impressive dispatching Les Casse-Gueules and then shocking the hometown Contrabanditas 96-30 in a surprisingly one-sided win.
Vicious Dishes pivot Sofanda Beatin puts a hit on Filles du Roi jammer Beth Rave. (Photo by Joe Mac)
The rebuilding Vicious Dishes became the first defending champion not only to lose in the first round, but were actually the first team eliminated from the tournament when they lost to the Riot Squad. First timers from Quebec, Les Casse-Gueules, and London, the Luscious Lunch Ladies, also fell 0-2 to be eliminated, joined by five-time participants, the Derby Debutantes, who have yet to make it past the first round in their history at the event.
The final four elimination games lived up to the expectations, all providing thrillingly competitive action. The Chicks Ahoy! concluded their surprising tournament by giving the far more experienced Thames Fatales all that they could handle before falling 53-46. It took a while, but Les Contrabanditas were able to hold off the Riot Squad 86-57 and the TKOs eliminated the Gore-Gore Rollergirls in a scrappy, penalty-filled affair that seemed closer than the 85-42 score indicated. Finally, rookie participants from Quebec, Le Rouge et Gore, pulled off the stunner of the tournament, holding off a shocked Smoke City Betties teams 58-56 in the closing game of the opening day, and arguably the most emotional win of the tournament.
ToRD's Death Track Dolls picked up momentum early in the tournament and carried it all the way through. (Photo by Joe Mac)
KNOCKOUT ROUND
By the time the quarterfinals rolled around, three teams, at least, had clearly distanced themselves from the pack. While Les Filles du Roi were able to dispatch Le Rouge et Gore 76-17, it was the performances in the other quarterfinals that truly impressed. La Racaille simply overwhelmed their leaguemates Les Contrabanditas (117-64), while the Daughters slaughtered the Thames Fatales 113-31 (with only a 29-0 four minute run midway through closing the gap for the Thames), and ToRD's Dolls, despite major penalty trouble, rode some phenomenal power killing to a 79-35 win over the surging TKOs.
2013 Beast champs the Slaughter Daughters flanked by 2nd place La Racaille and 3rd place Death Track Dolls. (Photo from Slaughter Daughters Facebook page)
In the opener, Les Filles du Roi played their absolute best derby of the tournament. With La Racaille leading 50-9 and seemingly on cruise control, Les Filles mounted a major comeback, completely flipping the table to outscore their leaguemates 51-10 the rest of the way and set up a final jam with the score tied at 60. An FDR jammer penalty on the first pass sealed the deal and La Racaille picked up 25 to win 85-60. In the other semifinal, the Dolls and Daughters engaged in one of the hardest hitting bouts of the tournament with blockers from both teams providing their entries for hit of the tournament, while the Daughters ended up pulling away in the end (it was 26-24 at the midway point) to win the thrilling game by 28 (68-40).
The Dolls shook off their semifinal loss to compose themselves and come back and dominate Les Filles du Roi 136-29 in the third place game, completing an impressive tournament and earning them third place honours for the second time in three years. The historic final matchup (this year extended to two twenty minute halves) started off incredibly tight with La Racaille playing some of their best derby to keep pace with the Daughters, down only 2, 43-41 at the half. While La Racaille were able to keep pace, they could never dictate it, and eventually the relentless Daughters, who had the deepest bench in the tournament, inched ahead before pulling away for good at the end, holding on for a 103-74 victory to become the first ever two-time Beast of the East champions.
The Dolls' Rainbow Fight (right, warming up with Santilly In Yo Face) was virtually unpassable as a blocker and unstoppable as a jammer. (Photo by Joe Mac)
MVP: Rainbow Fight (Death Track Dolls)
The continued development and depth of the Slaughter Daughters knocks Hanna Murphy (formerly Semi-Precious) off the perch she's held for the past two years. Not that she's not still worthy, but the play of skaters like Eh Nihilator (finals MVP), Margaret Choke, Da Big Block, Sister Disaster and others have risen to a more equal level (no doubt pulled up by the continuous excellence of Murphy). And certainly a few other skaters warrant consideration with the exceptional Mel E Juana leading the way (Sofanda Beatin looked strong early but her Vicious Dishes only played two games). But this weekend, Rainbow Fight emerged as a powerhouse in the sport (those who saw her dominate on the smaller scale of last year's RDAC Atlantics aren't surprised). Virtually unpassable as a blocker/pivot, Rainbow also could win the argument for top jammer on the Dolls, if not in the tournament: handed the star whenever her team needed a shift in momentum, she consistently delivered. On a Dolls team loaded with individual talent, Rainbow Fight still managed to stand out.
Breakout Player: Miracle Whips (Les Contrabanditas)
Miracle Whips jamming against the Thames Fatales. (Photo by Joe Mac)
There were a handful of players in contention here. Beth Rave and Demanda Lashing stepped up for Les Filles du Roi in a big way, and Nana Bistouri was a huge reason behind the surprising success of the Le Rouge et Gore, while it's easy to forget that Ova Kill is only in her second year with the TKOs, and rookie Kindree Surprise seems to be the centerpiece of a rebuilding Thames Fatales offense; however, there is no new player who had a bigger impact on her team than Miracle Whips. A star at last year's Fresh and Furious rookie tournament in Toronto, the argument could be made that there was no single player who was more important for her team all weekend. The rebuilding Contrabanditas were constantly buoyed by the consistent play of Whips who almost single-handedly gave them a boost whenever things seemed about to get out of hand.
Le Rouge et Gore made it all the way to a quarterfinal bout against La Racaille in their first Beast. (Photo by Joe Mac)
Breakout Team: Le Rouge et Gore (Roller Derby Quebec)
For the second year in a row, this was a pretty easy selection. From their record-setting performance against the Derby Debutantes (most points scored by a single team, 159, and most combined points in a 20 minute BOE game, 191), to their stunning upset over the Smoke City Betties (58-56 in a must-win elimination game), Le Rouge et Gore proved to be a team to watch in a league on the rise. From the clutch jamming of Nana Bistouri to the relentless pounding of Mobydith to the depth provided by Dina Myth and Douche Nuken, this Rouge et Gore team more importantly displayed a spirit of perseverance that was impossible to ignore.
** For the fourth season in a row, Canuck Derby TV broadcast all of the action live, and you can relive it here at the archives.
**The Nerd would like to extend a special thanks to Montreal Roller Derby once again, and also to the crew (production and announcing) at Canuck Derby TV led by Dr. Johnny Capote.
Posted in Beast of the East, Extreme Sports, Profile, Recap, Roller Derby, Sports, Women's Sports and tagged Beast of the East, Chicks Ahoy!, Derby Debutantes, Forest City Derby Girls, Gore-Gore Rollergirls, GTA Rollergirls, La Racaille, Le Rouge et Gore, Les Casse-Gueules, Les Contrabanditas, Les Filles du Roi, Luscious Lunch Ladies, Montreal Roller Derby, Rideau Valley Rollergirls, Riot Squad, Roller Derby Quebec, Slaughter Daughters, Thames Fatales, the Death Track Dolls, the Smoke City Betties, TKOs, toronto roller derby, tri city roller girls, Vicious Dishes on May 1, 2013 by Derby Nerd. 8 Comments
Beast of the East 5: Preview
The nature of the Beast is changing.
Montreal's wildly popular annual Beast of the East tournament will be played out for the fifth time this weekend at Arena St. Louis. In the beginning, this tournament acted as a showcase of Eastern Canada's top hometeams. All fifteen teams in the region took part in the first tournament in 2008, and Queen City's Devil Dollies (Buffalo) were brought in to fill out the 16-team bracket. Once again in 2010 an American team (Vermont's Green Mountain Derby Dames) were brought in to fill out the bracket. But around that time there was an explosion of derby happening all across North America: the post Whip It second wave of derby expansion that has continued unabated. Remarkably, it has only been two years since there weren't quite 16 Eastern teams prepared to play in the tournament. Well, times certainly have changed.
With upward of 25 distinct leagues operating in Ontario and a major boom happening in the Atlantic provinces, finding 16 teams to play in the Beast of the East is certainly no longer a problem, limiting the number to 16, on the other hand, is a new challenge. While spaces were held for the eight teams that had taken part in every tournament, and an additional one held for the defending champions, for the first time in the tournament's half-decade history a lottery had to be performed to determine which teams would fill out the rest of the bracket. This lead to an interesting mix of participating teams, ranging from the very experienced, to the very new. While this system may not have produced the most competitive tournament, it has successfully succeeded in continuing what has always been the underlying importance of the tournament: the idea of developing the competitive level of the Eastern Canadian hometeams. It's an opportunity for some of our nation's best skaters to face against some of our nation's newest.
Rideau Valley's Slaughter Daughters defeated Toronto's Gore-Gore Rollergirls in last year's final. (Photo by Derek Lang)
Last year, because of Montreal's 2011 travel-team realignment, it was widely known that the defending champion Les Filles du Roi (with an almost unrecognizable roster) would be hard pressed to repeat as champions; it left the field wide open. In 2012, the defending champion Slaughter Daughters are not facing the same kind of impossible odds, though they do have to contend with history: no team has successfully defended the Beast championship (La Racaille appeared in the first three finals, winning in 2009). The Daughters have suffered some big roster losses, but have gained some new skaters as well, and retain the core that carried them through last year's stunning victory.
Toronto Roller Derby will be represented by all four hometeams, three of whom appeared in last year's final four; the teams look strong again this year, and based on very early action in the 2012 ToRD season, the Smoke City Betties look the strongest that they have looked since their exciting run to the semifinals in 2009. Although all three Montreal teams appeared in the quarterfinals last year, none made it any further, the first time that has happened at the tournament. With one more year of experience under their belts, expect the host teams to look to change that. The final invited team is Forest City's Thames Fatales. Although the team has only advanced out of the first round once (2010), they are always a hard-working team that provides exciting games.
The lucky lottery winners are the Tri-City's Vicious Dishes (making their fourth appearance); GTAR's Derby Debutantes (also for the fourth time); Roller Derby Quebec's Les Duchesses returning after debuting last year; and first-time participants Reines of Terror (from Moncton's Muddy River Rollers), Motor City Madames (Durham Region Roller Derby) and Thunder Bay's Babes of Thunder.
Chicks Ahoy! have only been on the rise since last year's impressive 4th place finish. (Photo by Kevin Konnyu)
THE EXPECTATIONS
Despite having a ton of success in ToRD's house league (including finals appearances in 2007, 2010 and a championship in 2008), the Chicks Ahoy! could never find success at the Beast of the East. A quarterfinal loss in 2008 was followed by shocking first round exits in 2009 and 2010. Finally, last year the Chicks made it to the final four before being taken down by the eventual champion Slaughter Daughters (they were then upset by the Death Track Dolls for third place). But with another ToRD championship under their belt and a four game winning streak on the go, the Chicks Ahoy! could finally erase those bad memories and pull it all together this year. With a solid and now experienced four-jammer rotation, packs led by all star pivots and supported by all-star blockers, the Chicks Ahoy! look a lot like a roller derby juggernaut, and for the first time in the team's history, may be steamrolling into Montreal at just the right time. With a deep bench and a winning swagger, the Chicks may be a hard team to beat right now.
One team that will have a lot to say about that is the defending champion Slaughter Daughters, and they'll get to say it in the opening game of the tournament. The Chicks and Daughters will get things started on the opening day of the two-day double elimination tournament and the outcome of that game could inform a lot about how things shape up (no matter who wins this first game, both teams could—and should—still make it to the semifinals). Based on the way the bracket worked out this year, and based on continuously excellent performances, it is conceivable that this year's final four could be same as last year's (Dolls and Gores being the other two).
Les Filles du Roi won Montreal's season-opening round robin tournament, making them automatic contenders for this year's Beast. (Photo by Single Malt Scott)
The three co-hosts, of course, will be looking to keep that from happening. Although defending Montreal champions and Beast record setters (a 148-0 shutout last year), Les Contrabanditas lost to both La Racaille and Les Filles du Roi in Montreal's season opening round-robin tournament, they have an amazing roster and should not be overlooked. They will get a chance to avenge a 2011 quarterfinal defeat to ToRD's Dolls in another intriguing opening-round matchup. La Racaille, the winningest team in Beast history, also has a massive challenge in the first round, slotted to play last year's finalists the Gore-Gore Rollergirls, and it may not get any easier after that (with either the Daughters or the Chicks after that). This year's intriguing Montreal team, round robing winners Les Filles du Roi, will face off against BOE freshmen Babes of Thunder, and while they could face a daunting second match against the Vicious Dishes, should also have a clear path to the final eight. Without any significant action outside of Montreal, it is hard to judge how far these Montreal teams have grown. One thing is certain: it would be dangerous to underestimate them.
While this tournament has a tendency to be unpredictable in the early rounds, things usually settle down by the knockout stages, and this year should be no different. Expect the ten most experienced teams to compete for the final eight spots, with La Racaille and potentially Les Contrabanditas and the Gore-Gore Rollergirls facing the biggest challenges for a spot in the quarterfinals out of that elite group.
*** For the third year in a row, Canuck Derby TV will be covering all 28 bouts live. Tune in beginning at 8:00 AM on Saturday, April 21, 2012, for all the weekend's action (the tournament opener is Chicks vs. Daughters; if that's not enough to get you up at 8 on a Saturday morning, I don't know what is!)
***The Derby Nerd's coverage of this year's Beast of the East is brought to you in part by the fine people at Neon Skates!
Posted in Beast of the East, Extreme Sports, Preview, Roller Derby, Sports, Women's Sports and tagged Babes of Thunder, Beast of the East 2012, Beast of the East 5, Chicks Ahoy!, Death Track Dolls, Derby Debutantes, Durham region roller derby, Forest City Derby Girls, Gore-Gore Rollergirls, GTAR, La Racaille, Les Contrabanditas, Les Duchesses, Les Filles du Roi, Montreal Roller Derby, Motor City Madames, Muddy River Rollers, Reines of Terror, Rideau Valley Rollergirls, Roller Derby Quebec, Slaughter Daughters, Smoke City Betties, Thames Fatales, Thunder Bay Roller Derby, toronto roller derby, Tri-City Rollergirls, Vicious Dishes on April 18, 2012 by Derby Nerd. 3 Comments
Team Canada Roster for 2011 Blood and Thunder World Cup
Here it is! The final picks are in and Team Canada's Roster has been selected (with leagues and team(s)):
Killson (London, Forest Derby Girls; Thames Fatales)
Soul Rekker (Ottawa, Rideau Valley Roller Girls; Slaughter Daughters, Vixens)
Brim Stone (Toronto, ToRD; Gore-Gore Rollergirls, CN Power)
Motorhead Molly (Kitchener, Tri-City Roller Girls; Vicious Dishes, Thunder)
Rainbow Fight (St, John's, 709 Derby Girls; Vaders Vixens)
Georgia W Tush (Montreal, MTLRD; New Skids on the Block)
Smack Daddy(Montreal, MTLRD; New Skids on the Block)
Lil Mama (Montreal, MTLRD; New Skids on the Block)
Iron Wench (Montreal, MTLRD; New Skids on the Block)
Bone Machine (Montreal, MTLRD; New Skids on the Block)
Jess Bandit (Montreal, MTLRD; New Skids on the Block)
TAZ (Red Deer, Red Deer Roller Derby Association; The Belladonnas )
Gunpowder Gertie (Red Deer, Red Deer Roller Derby Association; The Belladonnas )
Maiden Sane (Regina, Pile O' Bones Derby Club; Lockdown Lolitas
Hell 'on Keller (Edmonton, E-Ville Roller Derby; Los Pistolitas)
TeeKnee (Edmonton, Oil City Derby Girls; Oil City All Stars)
Beretta Lynch (Kootenays, West Kootenay Women's Roller Derby; Kootenay Kannibelles)
8Mean Wheeler (Vancouver, Terminal City Rollergirls; Faster Pussycats, Terminal City All Stars
LuluDemon(Vancouver, Terminal City Rollergirls; Riot Girls, Terminal City All Stars)
Windigo (Houston, Houston Roller Derby; The Brawlers, Hard Knocks)
Posted in Extreme Sports, Roller Derby, Sports, Women's Sports and tagged 709 Derby Girls, Blood and Thunder World Cup, E-Ville Roller Derby, Forest City Derby Girls, Montreal Roller Derby, Oil City Derby Girls, Pile O Bones Derby Club, Red Deer Roller Derby Association, Rideau Valley Rollergirls, Team Canada Blood and Thunder World Cup, Team Canada Roller Derby, Terminal City Roller Girls, toronto roller derby, Tri-City Rollergirls, West Kootenay Women's Roller Derby on August 5, 2011 by Derby Nerd. 5 Comments


Children age 2 to 6 years old are invited to the Pleasant Hill Library on Wednesday, April 29 at 10:30 a.m. for a special showing of favorite kids' movies. We will be showing the following moooovies: Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type, The Cow Who Clucked, Dooby Dooby Moo, and Farm. The program is free and no registration is required.
Children age 3 to 6 years old are invited to the Pleasant Hill Library on Thursday, April 30 at 10:30 a.m. for a morning program called Camp Caldecott: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Children will act out the book with cast members from SteppingStone Theater. They will learn all about the character called Pigeon, created by children's author Mo Willems. The program will feature art, music, and creative play. The event is free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 651-438-0200 or visit the library website at www.dakotacounty.us/library. Registration opens April 16th.
Children age birth to 2 years old, along with their caregivers, are invited to the Pleasant Hill Library on Monday, May 4, at 10:45 a.m. for a baby story time. Children will sing songs, hear stories, and enjoy playtime activities. The event is free and no registration is required.
Children age 6 to 12 years old are invited to the Pleasant Hill Library on Monday, May 4 at 4 p.m. for an afternoon of fun with frogs. Children will listen to a story about frogs and learn to draw one. This program is presented by Abrakodoodle. The program is free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 651-438-0200 or visit the library website atwww.DakotaCounty.us/library. Registration opens April 20th.
Children age birth to 6 years old are invited to the Pleasant Hill Library on Wednesday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m. for a story time session. The event will feature stories, songs, and crafts. This program is ideal for mixed-ages audiences such as childcare groups and families. The event is free, and no registration is required.
Children age 3 to 5 years old are invited to the Pleasant Hill Library on Friday, May 8 at 11 a.m. for a program involving trains. Children will hear stories, sing songs, play games, and make crafts that are all about trains. This program is sponsored in part by ECFE. The program is free, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 651-438-0200 or visit the library website atwww.DakotaCounty.us/library. Registration opens April 24th.
Area adults are invited to the Pleasant Hill Library on Wednesday, May 13 from 1 to 3 p.m. for the annual Silver Tea. Guests will tap their toes to a variety of traditional music from Pop Wagner, a curator of fine fiddle music who has also been featured on "A Prairie Home Companion." Also appearing at the event will be John Hurt, a style guitarist, cowboy singer and lasso twirler. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free, and no registration is required.
Teens age 10-16 years old are invited to the Pleasant Hill Library on Thursday, May 14 between 3 and 5 p.m. for a Make and Take session featuring wearable washers. Kids may drop in anytime in the afternoon to create funky jewelry from washers to wear yourself or to give as gifts. The program is free, and no registration is required.


Perfect for the Christmas holidays, these elegant German Gluhwein glasses are made in Germany and have an engraved design of wine leaves and grapes on the cup. The engraved design on these glasses is done with a diamond wheel which gives it more depth and dimension than simple etching does. Although traditionally used for Gluhwein (mulled wine), these glasses may also be used for any favorite beverage, cold or hot. Purchase individually or in a set of six glasses.


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Hotel in Muscat
Book cheap hotel rates in Muscat, enjoy great discounts. The city called as "muscat" is in fact three smaller towns which have grown together over time. They are Muscat, Matrah,, and Ruwi. Muscat is the capital city of Oman. Muscat means "safe anchorage", and the sea continues to constitute a major part of the city. The city is often referred as the "walled city". Muscat is also renowned as one of the cleanest Arab capitals and has gained the honour of winning the Cleanest Arab City Contest several consecutive times.
13 Hotels Found in Muscat
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Shangri la s Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa Al Husn
The hotel is located in the Sultanate's capital of Muscat, nestled alongside the sparkling bay of Al Jissah in a dramatic desert setting of rugged mountains and inviting beaches. Muscat International Airport is situated at a distance of approximately 20 km.
Hormuz Grand
Hormuz Grand is ideally located for access from across the city and is only a few minutes drive from Muscat International Airport and the international exhibition center and close proximity to the city shopping destinations.
The spectacular hotel is spread over approximately 10 acres on the sandy beaches of Shatti Al Qurum, overlooking the azure waters of the Gulf of Oman. It is 12 km from the Central Business District (Ruwi) and 15 minutes drive to the airport. The hotel enjoys a peaceful, stunning location. 12 kms to city centre 18 kms to the nearest airport (seeb) 18 km to the nearest fair site (oman int'l exhibition centre) Close to the beach
Intercontinental Muscat
This hotel is located next to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 2 km from the Grand Mosque, 5 km from the Oman Museum and the Bait Al Zubair Museum and 6 km from the shopping venues at the Muttrah Souk. The centre of Muscat is 15 km from the hotel and Seeb International Airport is just 22 km away.
Millennum Executive Apartments Hotel
Crown Plaza Muscat
Grand Millennium Muscat
Sheraton Oman
This hotel is located within the city of Muscat. It is a short drive away from Matrah Old Souk and the nearest station is Na.
Shangri la s Barr al Jissah resort & spa Al Waha
This club resort is located in the Sultanate's capital of Muscat, nestled alongside the sparkling bay of Al Jissah in a dramatic desert setting of rugged mountains and inviting beaches. The Ruwi Business District is a 15-minute drive from the spa complex and Seeb Airport is approximately 20 km away.
The hotel has a beach-front location and is just 10 minutes from the city centre and financial district, Ruwi. It is just 41 kilometres or a 35 minute drive from Seeb (Muscat) International Airport, via Muscat excellent road network. 8 kms to city centre 40 kms to the nearest airport (seeb) 40 km to the nearest fair site (oman exhibition center) Close to the beach
The Chedi Muscat
The hotel is a mere 15-minute drive from Muscat International Airport. It is located 20 minutes north of Muscat, the capital of Oman. Boushar Beach is 5 minutes away by foot whilst other attractions such as Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Corniche Fish Market and Muttrah Souk are all 20 km away.
Shangri la s Barr al Jissah resort & spa Al Bandar
The spa complex is located in the sultanate's capital of Muscat, nestled alongside the sparkling bay of Al Jissah in a dramatic desert setting of rugged mountains and inviting beaches. Ruwi's business district is around a 15-minute drive from the hotel and Seeb Airport is approximately 20 km away.
Shangri La Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa
Exclusively located on the bay at Barr Al Jissah, Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa nestles against the dramatic backdrop of the rugged interior mountains and the spectacular waters of the Gulf of Oman. The resort is 20 kilometers from city center and 60 kilometers from Seeb International airport. Early flight arrivals must not expect early check in. The hotel will always try to help, but guests must be advised that check in time is 2pm. 20 kms to city centre 60 kms to the nearest airport (seeb) Close to the beach
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A painting made (and sold) in 2000 recently came in to my studio. It was a contemporary oil on canvas.
This year – 2014 – the paint had started to 'liquify' – rivulets of paint running down the surface of the image.
It was an oil painting which, according to the artist, the paint had not been modified in any way – added to or overly thinned.
The paint layer is heavy impasto and the paints fairly unmixed so this bearing out the artists statement. The top white paint layer – probably Titanium White -was the layer undergoing liquefaction.
A quick recap:- oil paint takes about a year to 'dry' (which is why varnish should not be applied during this drying period as it will be imbibed into the surface). The drying process is complex and undergoes expansion and contraction of the paint layer during this period which is affected by thickness of the paint and application periods.
As the white paint layer was liquifying and running down the painting in some areas was picking up a little pigment from underlying layers, in others a yellow oil layer was visibly seeping out and running down the image.
As an experienced Conservator of Paintings and dealing with all aged paint layers ancient and modern (and knowing how paint is made commercially) I have never seen anything like this.
My first reaction was the artist must have added something to the paint – a non drying oil? and why should this begin to happen after 14 years?
We are it seems at the beginning of a crisis and one which will affect modern paint materials in the age of health & safety and profit margins.
Lead Acetate is added to commercial artists paints as a drier. Paint manufacturers have since the 1980′s been removing such lead soaps from paints. Manufacturers hold their secrets close so finding out what they are replacing lead soaps with is something is yet to be learned.
Manufacturers have also been adding non-drying oils to the paint such as safflower and sunflower oil. It is much cheaper than that beautiful liquid gold Linseed oil, used in oil paints since oil painting began in the 15th century.
Non drying oils are just that, they do not dry. Probably these non drying oils have been heat modified and additives incorporated into formulations to encourage them to dry and enable them to formulate a paint layer.
Age testing has clearly not been part of the process and we are now we are the witnessing this new phenomena of paint layers breaking down and liquifying because of untested materials, health and safety measures and no doubt short term profit.
Along with Daler Rowney and Schminke artists paint manufacturers other companies have admitted changing formulations.
One Danish artist is taking a paint manufacturer to court over disintegration of his work. The process of litigation will no doubt set standards of proof but ultimately the world of modern art is going to see the ground liquify before its very eyes and there is no way of stopping it.
A get out clause is that artists add and subtract materials to their paints and usually do not record or remember work techniques. I would reckon paint analysis will easily identify any reckless materials.
Implications may also be in the pipeline for household paints, indeed any oil based paint. More to be posted…….


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31 posts categorized "104 Things in 2004"
Where to go in 2008 ...?
I am thinking ahead to 108 in 2008 ... what to put on it, whether I even want to do it, or whether there's another effective way to map out and execute a new project.
The Reduce-Reuse-Recycle challenge worked out really well for a lot of reasons this year: the incremental nature made it easy to incorporate new actions into everyone's lives; the tripartite nature of the challenge let us mix up the activities each month; it was a collaboration where we all shared information; we have somewhat quantifiable net results. I don't think I want to do another reduce-reuse-recycle challenge, but I would like to do another month-by-month venture that picks up the best traits from Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.
What areas do you think we can take this into in 2008? Fiscal fitness? Consumer activism? Conscious commerce? Think about one area you'd like to tackle in 2008 and make your suggestions below.
Okay, y'all. Revel in reviewing how I did and didn't meet my 104 Things in 2004.
I'll probably close out the year with a 70% completion rate. It's passing, but I'm not thrilled about the areas I fell short in. And my unstated goal of reviewing the books I read was a total no-go. On the bright side, I now know what areas to concentrate on for "105 Things in 2005." And I'm still taking suggestions for that list.
I'll be posting the year-end wrap-up detailing how I did on my 104 Things in 2004 shortly. I'm also beginning to compile the 2005 list.
USNWR's Dec 27, 04 feature "50 Ways to Change Your Life" -- which can be broken down in "Simplify," "Stimulate," "Organize," "Get Well," and "Take Stock" -- is a useful starting point for trying to pound protean urges to change into concrete goals. But I'm sure there's something out there beyond making sure the house stays organized and 5 servings of vegetables pop up on the daily diet.
So what are your suggestions for 105 in 2005? And what are some of the things you'd like to do in the new year?
So I got an e-mail from Jenn asking if I was up for next year's marathon.
And, lo, the answer to a question I asked myself from miles 12-20 became clear. The question: "What kind of idiot would want to do this again? I'm not even enjoying it now"
The answer: The kind of idiot that is me.
I'm already looking at intermediate races to keep me fit between now and then; my feeling is, now that I've got a decent cardio fitness base, my next challenge is to improve upon it. And so I'm eying the Huntington Beach half marathon in February, the Whidbey Island half marathon in April, San Francisco half marathon in July or America's Finest City half marathon (San Diego) in August of next year.
If I were even so inclined, I could do the Silver Strand half marathon.
So it's official: I'm back in training for next year's USMC Marathon.
Just in case you're not tired of reading about the marathon (nearly one week after the fact ...), here are a few other entertaining links.
Phil wrote an Idiots Write About Sports entry from his perspective. For you, the added bonus is seeing how hideously my fingers swelled up during the race (normally, my wedding band is loose on my finger). For me, the added bonus is that this is one of the sweetest things he's ever written about me. Aww!
DCist has a few entries on the race here and here. Information Leafblower had a very nice photo entry, and a much faster runner than I, Catherine at Unrequited Narcissism, has her own account.
The adventure didn't end with the race ... it's another lengthy slog, and I beg your indulgence for any gross errors in spelling, punctuation, etc.
In this part: miles 1-26. It's a marathon slog unto itself, and I apologize in advance for any and all typos and punctuation errors.
Note: because this is a fairly lengthy story, I'm breaking it up into three parts. In this one: we lead up to the first mile of the marathon.
With a combined four bum knees, three tricky hips, two blisters spanning one's insteps and one post-race trip to the hospital for heat exhaustion and dehydration ... we beat the bridge, finished the race, and did a marathon.
Big thanks go to: my long-distance training partner and the woman who kept me on a 13-14-minute mile pace, Jenn Sweigart; my enthusiastic pit crew who cheered us on at FIVE separate stops, Anna "4.0" Schmeiser, Joe Fisher and Philip "So Glad I Married Him" Michaels; ALL of the folks who selflessly stood on the course sidelines and cheered on total strangers; you folks with your comments and well-wishes. Also, the Marines ran an excellent operation as usual.
I may have been the one getting said blisters, but I couldn't have completed my goal without the support of a lot of people.
And now, time to go pass out. I've been up for 18 hours. Like I said, we ended up going to the hospital afterward*, and I'm only now showered and re-hydrated. It's been a long day. I'm happy, but I'm beat.
* This was surprisingly painless, but I can say that because it's Jenn who had to ride in the back of the ambulance as the patient. I only had to sit up from and ask the driver why he didn't turn on the pretty lights and the siren. But we got to the hospital, and in every examining room I passed in the E.R., there was a pissed-off marathoner sitting on a gurney. It was apparently a record day for dehydration and heat exhaustion. More on that later.
Again -- I'm running how far?
Several factors convinced organizers to increase [marathon] security preparations, which had already been significantly bolstered after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, race director Rick Nealis said.
He said these included the timing of the race, which falls two days before the presidential election; the Marine Corps' continued prominence in Iraq; the assault on the lead runner during this summer's Olympic marathon in Athens; and the fact that the race falls on Halloween for the first time in its 29-year history.
Part of me is curious to see what the experience will be like. But more of me is a little sad, because I will inevitably be comparing it to the 99 race.
And today's "People in the Pack" feature: "Marine Wives Rally In a Soldier's Memory."


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Georg Ritter von Schonerer (Viena  - Castelo de Rosenau, ) foi um extremista austríaco, um antissemita e um político activo nos finais do século XIX e princípios do século XX, cujas ideias influenciaram, entre muitos outros austríacos, Adolf Hitler.

Vida
Schonerer nasceu em Viena em 1842. Ainda jovem tornou-se um activista político, tendo sido eleito para o parlamento da Áustria (Reichsrat) em 1873.

Inicialmente um liberal, Schonerer tornou-se cada vez mais conservador à medida que a sua carreira progrediu, e no auge da sua carreira tinha-se já transformado num extremista de direita.

Schonerer desenvolveu uma filosofia política que continha elementos de um violento antissemitismo, antieslavismo, autoritarismo, nacionalismo, e pangermanismo, tudo temas que apelavam a muitos vienenses das classes mais baixas.

Como tal, Schonerer rapidamente se tornou uma figura popular e poderosa. Ele formou o partido pangermânico, que se tornaria uma força considerável da política austríaca.

Em 1888, Schonerer foi preso temporariamente por ter saqueado os escritórios de um jornal pertencente a um judeu e assaltado os seus empregados. Esta acção aumentou a popularidade de Schonerer e ajudou membros do seu partido a serem eleitos para o parlamento austríaco.

O próprio Schonerer foi reeleito para o Reichsrat em 1897, e mais tarde nesse ano ajudou a orquestrar a expulsão do Primeiro Ministro Kasimir Felix Graf von Badeni do seu posto.

Badeni tinha decidido que os funcionários públicos em serviço na Boémia, uma zona controlada pela Áustria, teriam de dominar a língua checa, uma medida que dificultava a candidatura de alemães (a maioria deles não falava checo) a empregos da função pública.

Schonerer organizou protestos de massa contra esta medida e atrapalhou deliberadamente os procedimentos parlamentares, exercendo uma pressão à qual face da qual o Imperador Franz Joseph demitiu Badeni.

Schonerer tornou-se ainda mais poderoso em 1901, quando 21 membros do seu partido ganharam lugares no Parlamento. No entanto, a sua carreira desmoronou-se rapidamente, pouco depois, como resultado do seu fanatismo e de uma personalidade plena de ódio.

O seu partido ressentiu-se e desintegrou-se praticamente em 1907. Schonerer morreu em Rosenau bei Zwettl em 1921, mas as suas visões e filosofia iriam continuar vivas, tendo influenciado fortemente Adolf Hitler e o partido Nazi.

Políticos da Áustria
Nacionalistas da Áustria
Naturais de Viena

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Ultrasonic Material Thickness Gauges
Ergonomic, rugged, accurate and easy to use, the Elcometer MTG & PTG range of ultrasonic Material and Precision thickness gauges is ideal for measuring and recording material thickness from just 0.15mm (0.006") to 500mm (20").
With a scratch and solvent resistant display, sealed, heavy duty and impact resistant design - dust and waterproof equivalent to IP54 - the MTG and PTG range is suitable for use in the harshest of environments.
The Elcometer NDT MTG range has a number of measurement modes available to help the user establish the most accurate thickness value.
View Range of Compatible Transducers
Ultrasonic Corrosion Gauges
Everything from the low cost CG10 corrosion thickness gauge, providing users with the ability to measure up to 500mm (20") of a user defined material; to the state of the art model CG100ABDL+, complete with an A & B Scan display, colour screen, 210,000 reading memory and the ability to measure the coating and material thickness individually or at the same time.
Ultrasonic Precision Gauges
With their ergonomic, rugged design, pin point accuracy and easy to use menus in multiple languages, the Elcometer PTG (Precision Thickness) range of ultrasonic thickness gauges is ideal for measuring and recording material thickness from just 0.15mm (0.006") to 500mm (20") and sound-velocity on a variety of substrates in a wide range of industrial applications. The principle advantage of ultrasonic measurement over traditional methods is that ultrasonic measurements can be performed with access to only one side of the material being measured.
The PTG range have a measurement accuracy of ±1% and a measurement range of 0.15mm - 10.15mm (0.006 - 0.400") in Echo-Echo (E-E) mode and 1.65mm - 25.40mm (0.065 - 1.0000") in Interface Echo (I-E) Mode.
Accurate and repeatable readings can be taken on smooth, rough and curved, coated or uncoated surfaces. The stability indicator provides a visual indication of both the strength and reliability of the ultrasonic signal.
Hand held or Bench top these value for money ultrasonic flaw detectors provide users with all the measurement tool kits expected from larger, more expensive products on the market, as well as the benefits of high end corrosion thickness gauges.
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Underwater material and coating thickness gauge ideal for offshore inspections.
Ultrasonic Velocity Gauges
Ideal for determining the speed of sound (velocity) of an unknown material or as a device to assess the homogeneity of a component of known thickness.
The SG80 series of sonic thickness gauges have been specially designed for the automotive industry.
Commonly used for measuring the thickness of cylinder walls, intake or exhaust ports, chassis, tubing, body panels, and windscreens. It also has the ability to scan the length of a part to find the minimum thickness.
Ultrasonic Bolt Tension Meters
The BG80 Series of Bolt Tension Monitors ultrasonically measures the elongation, load, stress and %strain of a bolt under load.
Bolt Tension Transducers
Elcometer NDT offer a full range of bolt gauge transducers to ultrasonically measure the actual elongation produced by tightening a threaded fastener
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Elcometer NDT offer a full range of underwater material and coating thickness transducers, available with single membrane and dual elements, ideal for offshore inspections.


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Q: PHP/Magento: empty($object->property) returns true despite property is String I set some value with Magento function setData:
$this->getChild('childBlockName')->setData('search_field_value', $this->__('field value'));

in parent .phtml file.
Then, in child .phtml file I try to get the value:
echo $this->search_field_value.'<br />';
$testvar = empty($this->search_field_value) ? 'empty value':'non empty value';
echo $testvar;

echoes:
'field value'
'empty value'

and:
$testvar = $this->search_field_value;
$testvar2 = empty($testvar) ? 'empty value':'non empty value';
echo $testvar2;

echoes:
'non empty value'

Why the object's property is being recognized as non-empty only after assigning it to a variable?

A: here is problem with php function
empty()

that function accept only parameter. If you have some function like:
function getValue(){
    return "hallo";
}

and then try to do something like:
echo empty(getValue());

you will get error, but if you try to do:
$val = getValue();
echo empty($val);

you will get right answer without error. That means the function empty() doesn't except function return value, only variable.
I hope that it helps.
explanation for magento:
yes, you are right, your code works fine, but in magento is a bit different then in your example, because magento actually uses magic functions and array:
when you set virtual variable in magento, it actually becomes part of array, not just virtual variable like in your example. If you take a look in magento function
public function setData($key, $value=null);

there is a line where you add your value in _data array:
$this->_data[$key] = $value;

so, when you do something like this:
$this->search_field_value

you are actually calling magic method __call and that function searches in _data array the entered value, in our case search_field_value. This is reason why magento returns empty.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Nicholas James insisted he was "Solomon" – Scotland's sovereign king.
An American man who was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence claimed to police that he was the rightful heir to the throne of Scotland and demanded diplomatic immunity.
A crime report, seen by BuzzFeed News, states that Colorado man Nicholas James insisted he was "King of Scotland" and that his blood was "golden" after he was stopped for driving erratically.
The police report from last Monday reads: "Nicolas' thought patterns were erratic and very disorganised. He called himself the King of Scotland, the heir to the throne of Scotland, and King Solomon. I suspected he may be under the influence of a narcotic based on how he was acting."
The report included James's "alias" of "heir to the throne of Scotland" and "King Solomon".
Scotland has not had a distinct royal family since the Act of Union with England in 1707, casting doubt on Nicholas's claims. However, despite that, police said James "repeatedly demanded we contact the State Department to inquire about his diplomatic immunity status".
James successfully passed an alcohol breathaliser test but then refused to take a narcotic recognition test saying it wouldn't be necessary as he hadn't taken any drugs. He went on to refuse to give a blood sample, according to the police report.
The report said: "I asked Nicholas if he would submit to a blood draw to determine if there were any narcotics in his blood and he declined, stating that his blood was 'golden'."
James was taken to jail and remains there at the time of writing with his bail set at $5000.
Commander Jeff Satur of the Longmont, Colorado police department told BuzzFeed News: "We've been making a little fun of this but the crime is still very serious. The officer did a very good job, this person did try to avoid him and failed to yield."
He added: "In jest, I hope this doesn't cause any problems between our countries."