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Home HockeySt. Louis Blues	Has Doug Armstrong truly done enough to earn a four-year contract extension?
Photo by Jeff Roberson/AP Photo.
Has Doug Armstrong truly done enough to earn a four-year contract extension?
written by Jeremy Bowen February 20, 2018
Two days after Christmas, the St. Louis Blues announced a four-year contract extension of general manager Doug Armstrong, whose current contract was set to end at the end of this season. Armstrong joined the Blues front office in 2008 as the Director of Player Personnel. Then in the summer of 2010, former Blues GM Larry Pleau retired from the GM position to take a less significant role within the organization. It would then be announced that Doug Armstrong would take over as general manager. The saga had begun.
Since Armstrong took over in the 2010-11 season, the Blues have gone 348-194-58 in regular season play. That is actually a tremendous record, one of the best regular season records in the NHL during this stretch. Since Army took over as GM, the Blues have made the playoffs every season but Armstrong's first season back in 2010-11. However, their playoff record in that span is 26-32. They have won four of the ten playoff series they have appeared in. The Blues made a push in the 2016 playoffs and made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they were just two wins away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final. Other than that playoff run, the Blues have failed to make it passed the second round of the playoffs every season under Armstrong's reign.
On the surface, with the regular season record and six straight playoff appearances, it seems as if Armstrong has done a decent job. But has it warranted a four-year extension? That question is surely up for some debate. Let's dive into some of the good and bad of Armstrong's tenure with the Blues.
Now I am not going to dissect every single trade Armstrong has orchestrated over the years, because we would be here for hours. Instead we are going to plunge into the very good and the very bad.
One of the first trades Armstrong made was franchise altering, though not many knew it at the time. The Blues traded former first round pick David Rundblad, who had just signed his entry level contract with the Blues to the Ottawa Senators for the 16th overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. With that pick, the Blues would select Vladimir Tarasenko. This trade turned out much better than anyone could have hoped for. Armstrong also turned around and the next day dealt lowly prospect David Warsofsky for Vladimir Sobotka, who has turned into a solid third liner throughout his somewhat strange of an NHL career.
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images.
After those two moves, Armstrong and the Blues stayed rather quiet in the trade market up until the trade deadline of the 2010-11 season. Armstrong dealt former number one overall pick Erik Johnson and third line grinder Jay McClement to the Colorado Avalanche in return for promising rookie Kevin Shattenkirk and former 20 goal scorer Chris Stewart who was having a down year. This seemed like a rather successful year one for Army despite missing the playoffs.
The Blues would make a few trades here and there but nothing significant for quite some time. At the trade deadline of the 2011-12 season, Armstrong traded goaltender and hometown kid Ben Bishop, who was still a prospect and a big what if at the time, to the Senators for a 2nd round draft pick. Bishop has since gone on to be a solid goaltender in the NHL and has the ability to be a top ten goalie when he is able to stay healthy.
Fast forward to the spring of the 2012-13 season. The lockout shortened the season to 48 games, and the Blues at this point in time were a proverbial lock to make the playoffs once again. The Blues offense was clicking, as they had six players tally 24 or more points in the 48 games. The defense was in question though. In an effort to shore up the back end, Armstrong went and made a few trades.
When it boils down to it, Armstrong acquired Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold (both in separate trades) for a 2013 first, second, fourth, and fifth round pick, along with two low end prospects. Armstrong highly overpaid and went all in for a playoff push. Later that season, the Blues would face the Los Angeles Kings in the playoffs where they would jump out to a 2-0 series lead then drop four straight. So much for that.
The following summer, Armstrong would trade Kris Russell, who has turned into a decent and somewhat offensively gifted defenseman for nothing more than a 5th round draft pick. In an effort to shake up the locker room after another first round exit, Armstrong just days later traded David Perron to the Edmonton Oilers for former first rounder Magnus Paajarvi and a second-round pick. Paajarvi tallied just 39 points in 189 games over four and a half seasons with the Blues. Yikes. Perron was later brought back to St. Louis in free agency for the 2016-17 season where he would amass Paajarvi's point total with the Blues in just one season, as he totaled 46 points.
Fast forward again to February of 2014. Armstrong made what turned out to be one of his biggest debacles of a trade in his short GM history. Armstrong and the Blues acquired goaltender Ryan Miller, who was fresh off of nearly leading the USA to the gold medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics, along with Steve Ott from the Buffalo Sabres. In exchange, the Blues gave up Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart, William Carrier, and a first and third-round pick. The Blues seemed to be making a playoff push once again, but were ousted in the first round, again, this time at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks. They had again jumped out to a 2-0 series lead and dropped four straight. Déjà vu. Miller had a horrendous .897 SV% along with 2.70 GAA. Miller had allowed 19 goals over six games.
Photo by Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports.
Near the trade deadline of the 2014-15 season, Armstrong dealt young promising defenseman Ian Cole, who always seemed to be on head coach Ken Hitchcock's bad side no matter what, to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Robert Bortuzzo. Bortuzzo has been a solid defenseman, but its been clear since that the Blues got the short end of the stick on that trade. Later on that season, the Blues would be eliminated from the playoffs in the first round for the third straight season, despite winning the central division.
Armstrong sensed another locker room shakeup was needed. He in turn dealt T.J. Oshie to the Washington Capitals for Troy Brouwer, Pheonix Copley, and a third-round pick. There were mixed emotions as to who won the trade at first. Oshie had underperformed horrifically in the playoffs for the Blues, tallying just nine points in 30 playoff games as a top two-line guy for the Blues. The Blues got Brouwer, a proven playoff performer and former Stanley Cup Champion. Brouwer later had 13 points in 20 playoff games when the Blues made it to the WCF. But Brouwer signed with the Calgary Flames after that season and Oshie re-signed with the Caps, putting the trade at an easy loss for the Blues. To add insult to injury with Brouwer signing elsewhere, Armstrong and the Blues also failed to re-sign their captain of the last five seasons, David Backes.
The Blues again went for a while without an earth-shattering trade. They wanted Jake Allen to be their number one goaltender, so they dealt Brian Elliott to the Flames for a second-round pick that turned into high end prospect Jordan Kyrou and a future third-round pick back in the summer of 2016. Elliott has not exactly been stellar since his departure and has also signed elsewhere since, so it seems at least on the surface, that the Blues got the better end of the deal.
Near the beginning of the 2016-17 season, the Blues acquired Nail Yakupov for Zach Pochiro and a 3rd round pick. Yakupov did not pan out for the Blues, but really no one won this trade. The only other trade Army would make this season was to deal Kevin Shattenkirk to the Caps for Zach Sanford, Brad Malone, and a first and second-round pick. Most people knew Shattenkirk did not plan to re-sign with the Blues the following summer, so this was the right move to make for the Blues.
Then on the night of the 2017 NHL Draft, Armstrong had arguably his best night ever. Armstrong traded Jori Lehtera and two future first round picks to the Philadelphia Flyers for proven forward Brayden Schenn. Armstrong really lucked out because he had given Lehtera a new contract with an AAV of almost $5M. Armstrong also dealt fourth liner Ryan Reaves to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for prospect Oskar Sundqvist and a draft pick that turned out to be Klim Kostin, who has tremendous upside. A very successful night for Armstrong and the Blues.
The Schenn trade has already proved itself as one of the best trades in franchise history. Photo by Todd Korol/Canadian Press.
The Blues have not done much since, as they recently traded a fourth-round pick for Nikita Soshnikov. But it is still expected that the Blues will make a blockbuster move before the trade deadline on Monday.
Bad Contracts
Bad contracts are where Armstrong has made his reputation of being a bad GM. Again, I am not going to dive into every single contract Army has given out since 2010, but the main ones that are affecting the team today.
Armstrong has two of the best player on the Blues, Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz, signed for under a total of $13 million. That seems like a miracle. The Blues signed Colton Parayko to an extension which involved a $5.5M AAV. Not terrible. They also have Alex Pietrangelo, who has proven himself to be one of the better defensemen in the NHL, at just $6.5M a year, a lot less than what similar players of his talent are making.
However, the bad contracts far outweigh the good. After Bouwmeester was traded to the Blues back in 2013, Army re-signed Bouwmeester for five years, $27 million. The Blues signed him until he is 35 years old and are giving him $5.4 million a year. Bouwmeester is in the top 35 of cap hits by defenseman. Armstrong paid him way more than for what he brings to the table.
Alexander Steen has been an integral member of the Blues for quite some time now since being traded to the team long ago. Despite getting older, Steen is still productive in many facets of the game. But Armstrong signed Steen to an extension until he is 37 years old and is paying him nearly $5.8 million per year until then. That is just asinine.
Going down the line, Armstrong brought hometown guy Paul Stastny to the team back in 2014 via free agency. Stastny was given a four-year $28 million contract. His current cap hit is a mighty $7 million. Stastny was thought of to be a number one center when he was brought here but has not fully panned out as such. He again is being paid far more than what he brings to the table.
Patrik Berglund has been a career long Blue. He is in his tenth season with the team. However, Berglund has only tallied over 40 points in a season twice, back in 2008-09, his rookie season, and again in 2010-11. His highest point total in a season since is 38, and this is for a guy that has logged second line minutes most of his career. Another thing that has hurt Berglund is the fact that he has not been able to stay healthy throughout his career. But none of that stopped Doug Armstrong from giving Berglund an extension to pay him almost $4 million a year until 2022 which also involves a no trade clause.
Berglund's inability to stay healthy has been detrimental to his career. Photo by Getty Images.
There is another contract that bugs me but is often overlooked by most. That would be the contract of defenseman Carl Gunnarsson. Armstrong acquired Gunnarsson back in 2014 in exchange for Roman Polak. Gunnar was noted for his offensive skill before he was traded here, as he tallied double digit points for the Toronto Maple Leafs every season he had been in the league, which was five seasons. Gunnarsson tallied 12 points in his first season for the Blues, followed by a nine-point season the following year. Gunnarsson signed an extension in March of 2016. This new contract saw his AAV at close to $3M per year. Gunnarsson then put up just a six-point season in 2016-17 and thus far in the 2017-18 season has eight points. His AAV is quite a steep price for someone who is average at best and is not even a lock to make the starting lineup daily when the Blues have all of their defensemen healthy.
Last but not least, is the critically acclaimed contract of Vladimir Sobotka. At the beginning of the article, I mentioned how one of the first trades Armstrong made as GM was to acquire Sobotka. Sobotka was never anything more than a third-line center and has never been expected to be anything more than such. But after the 2013-14 season, amidst contract disputes with the Blues, Sobotka would decide to go play in the KHL for the next few seasons for more money.
Sobotka eventually came back and was signed to the Blues roster just before the playoffs last spring due to Paul Stastny being injured. Sobotka showed no loyalty to the Blues, but Armstrong showed plenty of loyalty to Sobotka, as he gave him a brand new three-year, $10.5M contract with an AAV of $3.5M. Don't get me wrong, I think Sobotka is a good fit as a third-line center. He is a good faceoff man, even though the Blues hardly play him at the center position. He is a solid penalty killer. Sobe has even reached an NHL career high in goals with 10 this season and could potentially reach his NHL career high in points by the seasons end. He was a nice addition to the team; however, the price tag is far too high.
Armstrong has made some decent trades and some bad ones, just as every GM does. However, his inept contract negotiating skills have handcuffed this franchise over the years which has prevented them from serious contention. Sure, the playoffs are nice every year, but how great is it when you're almost always ousted in the first, maybe the second round? Not exactly much. Patrik Berglund is the only player currently on the Blues that was on the team roster during the 2008-09 season when Armstrong joined the Blues front office. The current roster is practically entirely Armstrong's making.
Before you come calling for my head in the comments of this article, let me say a few things. I understand that Doug himself is not actually out their playing, that winning is mostly on the players. I am also not sitting here playing armchair GM saying I could do a better job. I also understand that we are not in a video game simulation where every contract and trade is going to be negotiated perfectly.
However, I believe in his now seven seasons as GM of the Blues, Armstrong has severely underachieved in his roster building, primarily due to all the bad contracts given out over the years. I would have not been opposed to maybe a one or two-year deal to give him one last chance. But I certainly do not think Army did enough to warrant a four-year extension. Now I am sure if the Blues win their first cup down the road while Armstrong is GM, he is probably going to be heralded by St. Louis sports fans as the greatest GM in sports ever. But until that happens, this move to extend Armstrong another four years should be heavily questioned by Blues fans.
Has Doug Armstrong truly done enough to earn a four-year contract extension? was last modified: February 20th, 2018 by Jeremy Bowen
#AllTogetherNowSTLAlex Pietrangeloalexander steenBen BishopBrad MaloneBrayden SchennBrian Elliottbuffalo sabresCalgary FlamesCarl GunnarssonChris StewartColorado avalanchecolton paraykodavid backesdavid perronDavid RundbladDavid WarsofskyDoug ArmstrongEdmonton OilersErik JohnsonIan ColeJaden SchwartzJake AllenJaroslav Halakjay bouwmeesterJay McClementJordan KyrouJordan Leopoldjori lehteraKen HitchcockKevin ShattenkirkKlim KostinKris RussellLarry PleauLos Angeles KingsMagnus PaajarviNail YakupovNHLNikita SoshnikovOskar SundqvistOttawa SenatorsPatrik BerglundPaul StastnyPheonix CopleyPittsburgh PenguinsRobert BortuzzoRoman Polakryan millerRyan ReavesSliderSt. Louis BluesSteve Ottstlbluest.j oshieToronto Maple LeafsTroy BrouwerVladimir SobotkaVladimir TarasenkoWashington CapitalsWilliam CarrierZach PochiroZach Sanford
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Yet a new report on poverty by the World Bank reveals that is the lowest rate ever recorded!
The data collected by the Washington,DC-based body reveals that in 2015 (the last year for which reliable data is available) 10% of the world's population lived below the threshold of extreme poverty. This means that they were forced to live on less than $ 1.90 a day. Jim Yong Kim, president of the institute, pointed out in a press release that this is the best (lowest) rate ever recorded in history. In other words, from 1990 to 2015, extreme poverty dropped from 36% to 10% globally—an average rate of one percentage point on an annual basis, even if a deceleration was recorded in the two year period 2013-2015. In fact, from 2013 to 2015 the drop was only 0.6% on an annual basis and according to World Bank forecasts, extreme poverty will fall in the period 2015-2018 at an even slower pace, with a rate of less than 0.5% per year until reaching 8.6%.
In concrete figures, the decline implies that 735.9 million people in 2015 lived in extreme poverty, compared to 804.2 million in 2013 (or 11.2% of the world population). It also means that in the two-year period from 2013-2015 about 68 million inhabitants of the planet have managed to lift themselves up from the condition of extreme poverty, more or less equal to the population of countries like Thailand or the United Kingdom.
In almost all regions of the world, extreme poverty has declined, albeit in a non-homogeneous way.
The greatest decline occurred in South Asia, which includes two demographic giants: India (more than 1.3 billion inhabitants) and Bangladesh (164.7 million). In the macro-region, the number of people living on less than $ 1.9 a day fell in the period 2013-2015 by 58.1 million, from 274.5 million (16.2%) to 216.4 (12.4%).
In the same period, 25.9 million people recovered from extreme poverty in the macro-region of East Asia and the Pacific, down from 73.1 million (3.6%) to 47.2 million (2.3%).
The decrease in Latin America and the Caribbean was more modest, where 2.1 million inhabitants managed to escape extreme poverty, which still affected 25.9 million people in 2015 (compared to 28 million in 2013).
Paradoxical is the situation in Africa in the south of the Sahara, where the extreme poverty rate registered a decrease of 1.4% from 2013 to 2015, from 42.5% to 41.1%. But despite this, the number of people living in extreme conditions has increased in the region by 8.3 million in the period 2013-2015, or from 405.1 million to 413.3 million, so the report reveals.
Of the 27 countries in the world with the highest rates of extreme poverty, 26 are sub-Saharan. One of the explanations for this is the rapid demographic growth on the continent, defined as "unrestrained" by the Süddeutsche Zeitung (September 11). The situation in Nigeria is emblematic. Today it has about 191 million inhabitants and is the most populous country in the entire continent and the seventh in the world. According to an estimate provided by the United Nations, by the year 2050 the Nigerian population will surpass that of the United States and will become the third most populous country on the planet, after China and India. Nigeria is about to become (some say it is already) the country in the world with the largest number of inhabitants in extreme poverty; this is suggested by the projections of the World Bank. At least until 2015 it was India that led this unenviable ranking: the huge country was home to more than 170 million people below the threshold of $ 1.90 a day—that is, almost a quarter of the total number of extremely poor people across the globe.
These huge increases, in sharp contrast with other regions, are caused by the conflict in Syria and the civil war (or perhaps best called war by proxy) in Yemen. In the latter country, located in the Arabian peninsula, violence has led to the "worst humanitarian crisis created by man in the world" affecting millions of people—writes the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). On the other hand, the Syrian crisis has caused about 6.7 million internally displaced persons and more than 5 million refugees.
This is also true for Sub-Saharan Africa, which in 2015 housed more than half of those living in extreme poverty: 413 million out of a total of 736 million. Moreover, more than half (54%) of people in so-called "fragile and conflict settings" (FCS) were living in Africa in the south of the Sahara in 2015.
While in 2015 the poverty rate in 35 FCS countries was 35.9%, i.e. an increase of 1.5% compared to 2011 (34.4%), in the same year almost a quarter (23%) of all the poor lived in this category of nations. According to the World Bank, extreme poverty is increasingly associated with institutional fragility and conflict.
Extreme poverty is also a "disproportionately" rural phenomenon, in the sense that more than three quarters of the planet's poor live in rural areas, the report suggests. It is also a female phenomenon: globally 104 women per 100 men live in poor households, a ratio that rises to 109 women per 100 men in South Asia, notes the text, which adds that children are two sometimes more at risk of living in poor households.
The World Bank report also relates that in 2015 more than 85% of the poor lived in two regions of the globe: sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia.
The other 15%, about 106 million poor people, lived in the other four regions examined by the report.
It should be remembered that in Africa south of the Sahara, 84.5% of the population lives on less than $5.50 a day, which is more or less the price paid in New York City for a Venti Caffe Latte in Starbucks, as Kate Gibson observes on CBS News.
Below this threshold, considering the threshold of poverty in middle-upper income countries, lives almost half (about 46%) of the world's population, or 3.4 billion, as stated in a World Bank press release. Slightly more than a quarter (26.2%), or 1.9 billion people, lives off of less than $3.20 a day—the poverty line in middle-low income countries, recalls the text. The path to achieve the goals set by the UN thus presents itself as still very difficult.


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Needham Heights, MA
Monday Apr 6
Beagle wrote:
<quoted text>Cottonelle makes good adult size wipes. And they leave fewer pieces, too. Might save time and water.
Beagle, Thanks, that is a brilliant suggestion!
<quoted text>I thought Philip was from Alexandria. Isn't Alexandria a Mason-ic code word for lighthouse (not library)?
Not only do you bring humour here, but it is so nice to read someone who is educated and doesn't think of Alexandria as being a city in Virginia.
please remember...no one should be falsely accused.
Especially, if they're falsely accused for four years non-stop, only a little of it online. That kind of continual, false accusation can really take its toll, wear one down, make one a bit defensive.
in FC's defense, it was more or less down time, and, hey, it's cheaper than a singles bar.
You're right it was in down time and it is cheaper than a singles bar.
No, they didn't. It wasn't until after the took it, that there was an interest in it, I believe.
Actually, there was very likely an INTEREST in the computer, but who on earth wouldn't look at it or have it looked at unless they were immediately advised by someone else, a PI for example, to avoid the computer entirely? I think it's safe to assume that LE did not advise anyone to stay away from the computer.
thumbs up to "neutral" and "eames".
this 'ole owl ain't alone sittin' on a tree branch somewhere in MA.
Good to hear it because I totally agree with eames and neutral. Although I am sorry though that I outed Firecat on Topix by quoting Neutral re: flirting, very childish of me, but I do have a temper. Any flirting or maybe it was just a very long off topic conversation was totally innocent. If it was flirting it doesn't bother me in the least even in these most sacred and hallowed halls.
I just don't have the tolerance and patience that you, Snowy exhibit here. Firecat states she is not hung up on my words and yet so many of her posts start with the word Suzanne and she quotes me more frequently than anyone else. I used the word publish and she did in fact go ballistic accusing me of trying to prove something or other. It is all so tiring and juvenile and I am so embarrassed for ever being a part of it.
Amherst is now off the table and almost all the sharp, intelligent and in some cases brilliant minds have quit in disgust. So it's back to studying the dents in the car, bashing the locals, bashing NH LE, what local saw what at what time, what local heard what at what time, who called 911 at what time, when did the hospital worker drive down which road at what time, did RO see this on her way to the store or on her way back from the store, is there a laundromat in the basement of the store, who peeled the orange yadda yadda yadda etc etc etc on and on and on and on. Until they shrivel up and die from old age, realizing they haven't accomplished anything in their lives because they have spent so much time "looking for Maura."
Just like hamsters running in a wheel. But saying we are doing this to keep Maura's name out there. Yeah right, this really keeps Maura's name out there. How does it keep Maura's name out there if you are only talking to yourselves.
As Mason said several times Maura is an adult who had every right to choose to disappear. Quoting Mason again, we have no right to interfere with the decision of an independent adult. Everything in Amherst leads me to this 'run away, start a new life, conclusion. But now once again Amherst is off the table and MMM has been restored.
I'll miss the good people I met here, I've learned a lot from them but right now my life is bursting at the seams and I wouldn't have time to visit here anyway, let alone read here and actually post. So I'm erasing these two forums from my favourites. Goodbye, it's been interesting and very, very educational.
There you go, making assumptions again. Lonely, single, and searching for a significant other aren't words to describe me. I have a fulfilling life, and a fulfilling long-term relationship.
What about the Nazi boots and Bill Ovrights? Does John know about Bill? It's love by the bashboard lights around here. Maybe I should go back to Minnesota where all the women are strong and the men are good looking. I guess.
Murphysboro, IL
<quoted text>Actually, there was very likely an INTEREST in the computer, but who on earth wouldn't look at it or have it looked at unless they were immediately advised by someone else, a PI for example, to avoid the computer entirely? I think it's safe to assume that LE did not advise anyone to stay away from the computer.
They did not make an effort to look at the computer when they had it. It was only after it was taken away that they wanted to examine it. Did a PI suggest that? I have no idea. Obviously you know otherwise????
Suzanne, hope you change your mind, you will be missed.
hi all, mr Murray seems sure that Maura was in N.H.Why he did not stop in Amherst, as is reported is still a mystery to me.I would have assumed the saturn was stolen and checked Mauras' room.As for why L.E. has not told the Murrays about Maura's day to day schedule I can only guess.take care philip
Not too long ago mcsmom posted some pretty interesting information about towing cars from UMass parking lots. So I talked to someone about this and was reminded that towed cars that go unclaimed or are abandoned in college parking lots, are stripped of everything valuable by the towing company before being taken to the crusher. Batteries, interior contents, even airbags are worth pretty good money.
Does Stockley's crush cars? Or does Casella's in Bethlehem accept them?
[QUOTE who="Benjamin Franklyne
"question of the day is....WHO will be writing a book?"
[/QUOTE]Mark Furman.
[QUOTE who="
Beagle"]<quoted text>Mark Furman.[/QUOTE]
FACT?
I think almost any PI would have advised the same, but certainly a very smart, highly trained, and specialized PI - from MA, for example - would have advised them to avoid the computer. The important point is the DATE on which the advice was given. WHEN were they told not to touch the computer?
mcsmom
Mr. Simpson said that the concrete pad under the crushing area needs to be cleaned. It is so dirty at presentthat the oil cannot be collected prior to crushing the vehicles. Mr. Keenan agreed.The Board agreed that oil disposal plans need to be submitted to Inspection Services as soon as possible.Mr. Simpson asked if it was realistic to condition that vehicles be stored on the site no longer than 120 days.Mr. Hersey said that, with business much decreased, they now crush every 9 months.
Not very many in Amherst are interested, in the NORMAL sense, in Maura Murray's disappearance. The AVERAGE person in the Amherst area has more interest in missing domestic animals, even cows, than in Maura Murray. Almost no one in Amherst even knows who Maura Murray is/was.
But there is a VERY intense interest in Muara Murray's disappearance by a small group of people in the Amherst area. They just aren't very obvious. And they sure are NOT very nice and friendly.
mcsmom wrote:
But are you sure the Londonderry ping was not from a caller in New Zealand re-routed via Romania through to the Londonderry tower? lol.
That's what OJ said.
Nitey nite.
Don't despair.
Amherst tongues will wag.
<quoted text>What about the Nazi boots and Bill Ovrights? Does John know about Bill? It's love by the bashboard lights around here. Maybe I should go back to Minnesota where all the women are strong and the men are good looking. I guess.
You're from Here??? OMG - now it all makes sense ;>)
Good looking men wearing their flannel shirts (or "colors" as we call them); jeans and baseball caps. Attire for any big event - but good lookin' all the same.
Benjamin Franklyne
In the same way it isn't necessary to bash the New Hampshire locals, it shouldn't be necessary to bash anyone to put a discussion of Amherst on the table.
A quick jab at anyone isn't going to help us solve what happened to Maura.
Unfortunately - arguements are not isolated to recent occurance here - and some of the recent exits were made by people who had witnessed these arguements for a long period of time, not leaving then.
But I should say that some of the reasons stated by those that have left us are valid in my mind, but not an undeniable truth. And until I come to a point that I feel the truth is undeniable - I am not prepared to ignore other possibilities.
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It's a stressful day for you, so if you can you need to take it as easy as possible. I suppose you could get a dose of Mondayitis and stay in bed! Aggressive communications, arguments and the like are to be avoided, or you'll find yourself in hot water. Take no chances.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Today we are hitting the mountain biking trails of Reefton on the West Coast thanks to recommendations from the friendly locals.
If you liked this video and want to see more of our 365 Days: 365 Activities in New Zealand, consider subscribing on YouTube.
It's day 100! We have spent 100 days on the road can you believe how much we've done so far? I mean, looking back at it it's incredible. And where better to celebrate than Reefton? Where the hell's Reefton? It's on the West Coast of New Zealand on the South Island. And you may laugh, because you've probably never heard of Reefton but actually after the day we're going to have we are pretty happy to spend it here. It is full of epicness and and enjoyment.
Before we hit the mountain bike trails today we are being shown around the town of Reefton by our host at The Breadshop Backpackers. Trevor is showing us around the historical sites of Reefton because Reefton actually used to be a thriving mining town back in the day. At the i-SITE there are some old mining machinery to have a look at as well. And did you know that Reefton actually used to be the first town in the Southern Hemisphere which distributed electricity to the public?
Trevor also finds the time introduce us to quite a few locals and this is basically how we write backpackerguide.nz when we do not know anything about a town like Reefton we just ask around. So we meet Paul which is the owner of this lovely cafe which has amazing treats, awesome hot chocolate and yummy cakes, and we just ask him what he likes to do in Reefton and what he thinks Reefton should be famous for. And all he's talking about is mountain biking. He tells us that Reefton has some of the best mountain biking tracks in the country and some of the best landscapes in the country as well. They are accessible and stunning so he invites us to join him into a mountain biking trip. So we head to the Reefton Sports Centre where we are able to hire mountain bikes as well as helmets which are mandatory in New Zealand and we are on our way. We are meeting back with Paul in town and the first section of the ride is just a short road section which leads us to the track. It's a very short road section that lead us to a really awesome track.
The track has been made through forestry land as well as old mining land and it is engulfed with heaps of history that Paul is really keen to share with us.
The first section goes through a massive pine forestry area which is the industry that has taken over from mining in the Reefton area.
Then it's quickly up tot he fun part. Because this track is wide it's considered a beginners track but it's pretty rough and it goes uphill and honestly we are huffing and puffing our way up. This is quite a challenge for not really experienced mountain bikers like us.
There are sections of this track where it's so rocky that it sort of shaking our arms out of our shoulders. The name of this track is the Lookout Track because well, I'm guessing it's going to take us to a lookout any time now after we've done this steady uphill climb.
But it's a good feeling when we reach the top of the lookout track we get these awesome views of Reefton and the famous river that passes through which is famous for trout fishing. I think the river is called the Ingahua but I'm not quite sure how to pronounce it. Paul's also taking the time to show us other mountain biking tracks that we can see from up here as well as the main sites of Reefton.
For the way down I'm going to do something quite fun just to show you guys how rough the track was and how much fun we had. I'm not going to be using the stabiliser I'm just going to show you exactly how it felt. The downhill section is speedy rocky and challenging it takes all of us to kind of maneuver the bike around the rocks and the loose areas. It's really fun. Laura and I are really having a lot of fun. Despite the fact that we are beginners and this is something we're not really used to. I would definitely recommend people to try mountain biking on an easy and wide track like this one at the first time just because oh my God I cannot believe doing that on a very very narrow path is something that people do for the first time. I just can't. This section of the track is called the zigzag track and we can see exactly why as it zigs and zags it's way down the mountain. There is quite few interesting things to see around us. So we are in between native bush as well as pine forest which is used for forestry but there is also a lot of gorse which is a tree that produces really bright yellow flowers. Actually it's more of a bush than a tree and this was imported here in New Zealand by the early settlers. They were using this bush as natural fences for sheep paddocks.
And I feel like most of this gorse is hitting me on the face on the way down. It's my first time doing downhill mountain biking and it really is challenging it's super rocky I am a bit scared of some of the bigger boulders down here and of course the plants hitting me in the face but I do start to get the hang of it and actually have a really awesome time.
After having experienced the thrill of downhill mountain biking we are finally getting out of the forest and getting on with our journey. The first stop is one of the main sites of Reefton which is an old mining site and there is some really awesome displays where you can look through them to see what was here back in the day. Then we are off tot he massive swingbridge of Reefton which well is not that massive but man it is really narrow so it makes it for quite a challenging crossing on the mountain bike.
And soon enough we are back in town with the sun coming down.
And tonight we are joining our hosts from the Breadshop Backpackers for a pub quiz night along with some more people staying at the hostel as well and after the pub quiz I insist that we go to check out one of the main sites of Reefton. This is the earliest street light right here which was the Southern Hemisphere's first street light and first electricity experience.
Wait a minute, I've run into a Frenchman here, who's gonna speak in French for you and tell you how the Buller team is going.


Generation after generationstands in awe of your work;each one tells storiesof your mighty acts.
It is up to us now to tell of God's mighty acts.
Papa Neckie, as he is affectionately known by his Great Granddaughters has now joined Great Grandma in heaven.They are no longer here to tell the stories.
And we will tell of your faithfulness.
The Obituary for my dad is in the paper today.Linking with Lisha Epperson, Give Me Grace Community – Lisha blogs through out the week and I appreciate her honest writing. I think you will enjoy her too. Most weekends you'll find me here with other like-minded souls in this community.
Oh Linda. This reminded me of something precious I read of great comfort in His word: "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His faithful servants." Psalm 116:15 The picture of Him waiting is expectation is enough to last a lifetime. The arrival is not only expected, it is so treasured He calls it "precious." How awesome is that. Nothing beats the truth.
Such a rich heritage to honor and celebrate. I love the photos, especially the photo of your mom and dad. Their embrace is so sweet and heartwarming. I also love the photo of your family and all those precious grandchildren you are loving and sharing this rich heritage with.
You remain on my heart and in my prayers my dear friend.
mom told me one time she and dad felt a bit adventuresome with this embrace, but they were out with another couple by themselves for the day! I love this picture!
carol, i love your post today on the christian heritage you had. i peeked back to see that your dad just recently passed away.
you will be in my prayers during this time when your grief is fresh…and as you recoup from being a full time caretaker.
Thanks Martha – lots of adjustments. I had retired right before he came to live with us unexpectedly. It's been quite a year, and I am glad we were here for him, hard as it was. it's a bittersweet time…and so SWEET for him to be with my siblings and my mom once again.
Blessed to see your family living His word…the truth of a Christ centered legacy. Thinking of you as you walk out the grace of a faithful family.
thanks for visiting Lisha. I enjoyed visiting your post today too…good stuff.
Good evening, Carol … God has kept you near my heart this week, and I have lifted you back up to Him as you walk through this grief.
And these photos, these loving thoughts … what a delightful tribute, a rich heritage.
oh Linda, what a sweet sweet message. Today is the first day where i wasn't so busy and not with people…so i called an out of town friend. it was just what i needed..your prayers are being answered. Grace upon grace….


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Moon walk designed to help the child to walk in comfort and safely!
Handle Design,Harness the Baby Softly.
Breathable Material%2Csuit for all seasons.
Washing:warm water 20 %2C hand washing%2C don't put in the washing machine .
do not put in the dryer dehydration.
Love it, used it on my grandson makes it so easy-to-use.
perfect. made very sturdy . great for my baby!
Har inte hunnit prova den men den känns bra.


text:
A Lesson from Richmond's Gun Rally
How one gun-rights protester made the case for more gun-safety laws.
by Sarah P. Weeldreyer
The first time I saw a .50-caliber rifle up close and in action, I was on board the USS HALSEY, an Aegis Class guided missile destroyer, manned by a crew of more than 300 sailors, armed with Tomahawks and torpedoes. The weapon was affixed to the side of the ship, and I was standing where I had been instructed: a safe distance behind the operator who was unloading rounds of bullets into an inflated, floating target roughly one hundred yards from the ship. The exercise was part of a demonstration of the ship's capabilities. Along with my two young sons, I was on a Tiger Cruise—U.S. Navy lingo for a recreational day at sea for friends and family of the crew. At the time, my husband was the ship's commanding officer. My boys and I were enjoying what was essentially a "take your family to work day."
I remembered that day when I saw a .50-caliber rifle again this week, even though it was just through a photograph. This time, it was being cradled by a smiling, civilian protestor on the streets of Richmond, Virginia, where thousands of gun-rights activists flooded the streets Monday to protest a package of gun-safety laws moving through the state legislature.
Maybe it's because my husband has been wearing a military uniform for more years than I have known him, and maybe it's because his work is about preparing for and preventing real war, but I usually find the sight of adults glamorizing instruments of war particularly unseemly. But I found myself weirdly grateful to the guy who brought his fifty-cal to Richmond and got his picture posted on the Internet. I'm sure he doesn't realize it, but he demonstrated the exact opposite of the point he was trying to convey. The image of a civilian wielding a weapon of war on the streets of an American city shows exactly why we need some reasonable restrictions on the purchase and ownership of firearms.
These weapons are mounted on battleships like the HALSEY to deter small boats from approaching and possibly attacking. They weigh about 35 pounds and measure five feet long. They are not used for hunting animals. They are long-range, high-intensity, sniper rifles intended for warfare, and they can sink a small boat in a matter of seconds. They have no place in civilian life.
The guy in Richmond with the "fifty-cal" assault rifle, along with many other dress-up warriors in battle fatigues, was at the Virginia State Capitol building to challenge Governor Ralph Northam and the new Democratically-controlled General Assembly's proposal to enact a universal background check system and a ban on assault weapons and bump stocks. Many of the protestors were draped in ammunition, and some wore face masks despite a state law prohibiting mask-wearing with the intent to conceal one's identity. They were there to participate in Lobby Day, an annual protest sponsored by the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), a gun-rights advocacy group.
Of course, they have every right to protest and to wear whatever they please while protesting, except face masks. Thankfully, the event concluded without any incidents of violence.
Reports of the protest said that, unlike in previous years at the VCDL's Lobby Day, many of the usual counter-protestors sat this one out. The heavily armed activists succeeded in scaring off their very threatening challengers: mothers who are terrified of gun violence in schools, and the survivors of shootings. "Ooh rah," as the Marines say. What a tough bunch—intimidating a bunch of unarmed parents and children certainly requires a full complement of assault rifles of both the handheld and siderail-affixed variety.
Perhaps the saddest part of the gun-rights demonstration was how unnecessary it really was. The most extreme advocates among them would have us believe that any restrictions on gun sales or ownership will bring us one step closer to the government seizing every gun. But the fifty-cal is a far cry from a revolver in the drawer of your bedside table. It's difficult to imagine how it would prove useful in quickly thwarting a home invasion unless one keeps it mounted and loaded on the kitchen counter. Imagine an America where you pull up to a stop light and the mini-van next to you isn't sporting the latest Swedish luggage rack but two semi-automatic machine guns with laser scopes and night vision.
My fear is that this is exactly the kind of America the guy with the fifty-cal wants. That's why he is the perfect posterchild for the very reasonable gun-safety laws making their way through Virginia's legislature. There is not one Democrat in the Virginia General Assembly, not one member of Moms Demand Action, maybe not even one victim of gun violence who could make the case better. He is one of the most potent reminders that average citizen should not have military assault rifles.
Reasonable, law-abiding gun-rights advocates, who believe in the right to bear arms to protect their homes and families, should support these minimal restrictions. In fact, the polling shows that many do: A Quinnipiac poll from May found that 61 percent of Americans favor stricter gun laws.
Still, a tiny minority, backed by the powerful lobbying force of the National Rifle Association, has effectively prevented a nationwide restriction on civilian ownership of weapons of war. That needs to change. Otherwise, all of us will continue living in danger of seeing a fifty-cal up close and in action even if we're nowhere near a battleship.
Sarah P. Weeldreyer
Sarah P. Weeldreyer is the business manager of the Washington Monthly and a freelance writer.
How Red States Are Steamrolling Blue Cities
by Maresa Strano and Lydia Bean
GOP-controlled legislatures have found a nifty tactic to take control of gun control.
Did We Strike a Nerve at the NRA?
by William V. Glastris Jr.
The gun lobby said our proposal to reduce the supply of hand guns would disarm America. No, it ...read more
A Real Long-Term Solution to Gun Violence
To address one of America's deadliest problems, start by cornering the market.


This AQA-approved textbook and kerboodle software offers a tried and trusted approach from a team of experienced authors to cover the study of Catholic Christianity, Islam, Judaism and thematic studies, for AQA GCSE Religious Studies specification B. It provides a range of activity types, study tips and assessment guidance.
AQA GCSE Religious Studies B: Catholic Christianity with Islam and Judaism Revision Guide.


The second iteration of our root/tree enclosure has been in place for several weeks and has seen more use than the first. Perhaps this is due to the increasingly warmer and sunnier spring weather? Perhaps it has something also to do with the configuration of the enclosure itself? A series of drawings for each iteration of the enclosure provides further opportunities to consider what it means to create an interior and exterior space, what it means to position ourselves in relationship to the tree. Critical to this analysis is the point of view of the drawing. Four drawings for each enclosure were made, all done in parallel (isometric) projection, however the most compelling point of view in my mind, was the worm's eye view.


text:
package org.jetbrains.plugins.scala
package debugger.evaluation.evaluator

import com.intellij.debugger.engine.evaluation.EvaluationContextImpl
import com.intellij.debugger.engine.evaluation.expression.{Evaluator, Modifier}
import org.jetbrains.plugins.scala.debugger.evaluation.EvaluationException

/**
 * Nikolay.Tropin
 * 7/31/13
 */

/**
 * Tries to use first evaluator first. If gets exception or null, uses second one.
 */
case class ScalaDuplexEvaluator(first: Evaluator, second: Evaluator) extends Evaluator {

  private var myModifier: Modifier = _

  override def evaluate(context: EvaluationContextImpl): AnyRef = {
    var result: AnyRef = null
    try {
      result = first.evaluate(context)
      myModifier = first.getModifier
    }
    catch {
      case e1: Exception if first != second =>
        try {
          result = second.evaluate(context)
          myModifier = second.getModifier
        }
        catch {
          case e2: Exception => throw EvaluationException(e1.getMessage + "\n " + e2.getMessage)
        }
      case e: Exception => throw EvaluationException(e)
    }
    result
  }

  override def getModifier: Modifier = myModifier
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Located in the heart of Plitvice Lakes National Park, Villa Lykos is surrounded by a beautiful natural landscape, with nothing to disturb the peacefulness of this place.
The starting point of the trail around the lakes is within easy walking distance. Lake Kozjak is only half a mile away, and the next bus stop is only 220 yards away.
Villa Lykos offers comfortable rooms with a nice view and a restaurant on the first floor serving a wide variety of regional dishes in a relaxing atmosphere. You can also listen to music, watch TV and play games there.
The parking next to the hotel is free of charge, which is a big advantage, because otherwise parking lots in the national park charge a fee.


Today…Teens on the Eastern Shore have been charged in hazing incident at Kent Island High, Schuh speeds up school construction in key elementary school projects, Annapolis tries to explain budget once again, local road closures in Annapolis, Capitals win and the Stanley Cup series is tied at 1. All that plus (not) your local weather forecast from DMV Weather. I hack away at it due to an ill-timed, forced Windows update over at DMV Weather–but for the real scoop–go there!
« Yoga in the outfield this Sunday!


text:
HomeLandmark Synagogue Seeks Right to Demolish Itself
Landmark Synagogue Seeks Right to Demolish Itself
Reid SingerJanuary 28, 2013Image by paul berger
Image by paul berger
With its imposing blocklike twin towers and sober neo-Gothic design, the synagogue at 60 Norfolk Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side has stood like a sentry at its present site since 1850 — long enough to earn landmark status from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. But now, this synagogue's own congregation is seeking its destruction.
Congregation Beth Hamedrash Hagadol, considered to be the oldest Russian Jewish congregation in the United States, is looking to reverse the landmark status of the venerable structure in which it once prayed in order to demolish it and make way for a multi-use development.
In an application submitted last December to the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, representatives of the synagogue argued that cumulative damage to the building in recent years is now too great for their modest congregation to pay to repair. A new development, the congregation argues, with a synagogue and a small museum on the ground floor, and space for residential use on the upper floors, would generate the funds the building needs to survive. Though the old structure would be gone, the congregation claims, the new building, with a small synagogue still inside, would be commensurate with the site's historical and cultural value.
Architectural preservationists have expressed dismay at the idea of losing a building that has been among the Lower East Side's most prominent houses of worship since the mid-19th century.
"When we lose these buildings, we lose our past," Holly Kaye, founding executive director of the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy, told the Forward. "It's not good enough to just have a picture of the way it used to look."
It was through an uncommon bit of foresight that Rabbi Ephraim Oshry sought to have Beth Hamedrash designated a city landmark in 1967. Oshry, then the congregation's leader, acted after hearing from a congregant about plans to develop the cooperative residential towers that now dot the area around the Williamsburg Bridge.
Like most of the Lower East Side landscape, the synagogue and its surroundings have since changed considerably. Whereas the congregation's membership was estimated at 1,400 in the late 1960s, it now hovers somewhere in the teens. The building's front two-story windows, damaged during a summer storm in 1997, have yet to be fully restored. In 2001, an electrical fire severely traumatized the roof and ceiling, exposing the building to deterioration from water and snow.
Because of the resultant exposure of the main sanctuary, the congregation had for years been holding services in a separate room in the synagogue. At the end of 2006, under the leadership of Rabbi Mendl Greenbaum, Oshry's son-in-law, the congregation ceased to meet in the building altogether, moving their services to a smaller synagogue nearby.
"We put in a lot of needed repairs on a localized level — a patch-up here, patch-up there," Greenbaum told the Forward, "until it came to a point where we couldn't continue."
In late 2011, an order to vacate was issued by the city's Department of Buildings, citing safety concerns. Efforts to find a developer willing to restore the building from the inside have, by Greenbaum's description, fallen short.
Critics of the congregation's current management — which consists mainly of Greenbaum — doubt that the synagogue would have deteriorated to this point had it taken better advantage of grants from various historic preservation agencies.
Laurie Tobias Cohen, the current executive director of the LESJC, chose her words carefully on this point. "People like Oshry may have been brilliant at creating communities, teaching and leading all kinds of Jewish functions," she said, "but that doesn't mean that they know how to engage the infrastructure."
A $230,000 grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, offered in 1999, remained on the table for 11 years. It was never put to use, and eventually it was rescinded. A proposed $750,000 grant, offered in 2006 by the city council, the borough president, and the office of the mayor, was never taken up. Ultimately it was withdrawn, following the economic crash of 2008.
"This seems to be a case of 'demolition by neglect,' for which the synagogue should not be rewarded," a group called Friends of the Lower East Side complained in an email published by the Lo-Down, a community newspaper based on the Lower East Side.
Some critics have cited in particular the synagogue's management since the torch was passed to Greenbaum from Oshry in the early 2000s. "We worked for all these years carefully with the family and the leadership," the LESJC's Kaye said. "It has since become apparent that at some point during the process, Beth Hamedrash leadership made a decision to go off in a completely different direction without informing the people they were working with."
Greenbaum offered a decidedly different account. He says he worked faithfully with the LESJC over the past 12 years, and that the loss of grants from the city and state were attributable to a cumbersome bureaucracy, the government's funding pullback since the financial downturn and a collective failure to procure matching funds from private donors — not to any foot-dragging on his own part.
"We acted the most efficient way we were able and capable," Greenbaum said.
The government grants required matching funds, he noted. "There was one matching fund that we were struggling together with the conservancy [to get]. After eight years, it was allocated, [but only if] the building was… transferred into a nonreligious corporation," Greenbaum said. "After 9/11, those procedures would have taken months and months."
LESJC officials counter that transferring the synagogue into a nonreligious corporation would have taken a few weeks at the most.
Conservationists familiar with Beth Hamedrash have wondered aloud if the decision to demolish might be rooted less in the impossibility of redeeming the building than in the cash-generating potential of new apartments at the edge of Seward Park, which received approval for a mixed-use development in October. Greenbaum flatly denies this.
The synagogue has refused more than a few offers over the years from developers looking to convert the address into a for-profit entity as property values in the neighborhood have continued to climb, Greenbaum related. "We shook them off, even when the profit was on the table," he said. "This has nothing to do with Seward."
But given the failure to find any developer to work on the existing structure after all this time, "we had to try whatever's possible for our congregation and the history of our congregation," Greenbaum said. "My voice has always been to preserve the building. But like I said, things happen, they happen, so at least we need to save whatever is possible for our cause."
Contact Reid Singer at feedback@forward.com
Reid Singer


In order to better fulfill the needs of our patients and their families, Hendrick Medical Center is pleased to provide you with free public wireless internet. Our wireless network supports 802.11b/g devices. The wireless coverage includes the main hospital, League House, the Shelton Building, Hendrick Center for Rehabilitation, Hendrick Hospice Care and Hendrick Health Club. Most wireless devices automatically discover wireless access points and allow you to connect. If you have difficulty connecting, the following instructions may help you get connected.
If you are on a laptop, open a web browser page to continue.
You will be taken to the "Hendrick Guest Access Policy Acknowledgement" screen. After reading the policy, click Accept.
Click Obtain IP address automatically.
Click Obtain DNS server address automatically.
Set Network Authentication to Open.
Set Data Encryption to Disabled.
At this point, you should be up and running on the Hendrick wireless internet network. Enjoy surfing the web while you are visiting us, and let us know how we can better assist you in the future.
Hendrick Medical Center cannot be held responsible for any changes you make to your computer's settings as a result of attempting to connect to the wireless network. It is expected that the user/owner of the laptop is capable of configuring the network settings on his/her computer. If you have trouble connecting with your wireless device, please remember you may use one of our free public access computers.
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The Internet is a global resource with a highly diverse user population and information content. It is possible that individuals using the Internet might access information they personally find offensive and disturbing to themselves or others around them. Hendrick Medical Center does not accept responsibility for the content of information accessible through the Internet.
Hendrick Medical Center is not responsible for stolen equipment.
At this time, printing is not available at Hendrick Medical Center.


In my latest guest post for Writer Unboxed, I talk about how often we hold ourselves back, killing our own creative dreams before they can take root.
A story of how Steve Chen left Facebook just before it became a household name, in order to make his own mark by founding YouTube.
Why risk is an essential part of pursuing your own potential, and what that looked like for me.
Three specific actions you can take to give you begin investing in your potential from wherever you are.


A powerfully built man in a black overcoat stands in a dark and dilapidated room. From a table in front of him he picks up an assault rifle and tucks in under his arm. He then selects additional ammo clips, a stout knife, and several grenades for good measure, and stows them in his coat's deep pockets. The man then takes three long strides to his front door, steps outside into the night, and unleashes a bloody rampage on an unsuspecting suburban town.
The carnage just described is the gameplay trailer for a game called Hatred, which was unveiled last October. Hatred is an isometric twin stick shooter game produced by the Polish developer Destructive Creations. Essentially a murder simulator, the game casts the player as an amoral villain set on committing a genocide for the purpose of bringing about his own suicide. To no one's surprise, Hatred is as graphically violent as they come: flaunting the terror of innocent victims as they plead for mercy on the ground before being stabbed repeatedly or shot in the head.
Hatred achieved notoriety online when it was put on Valve's Steam Greenlight platform last December, taken down by Valve, and reinstated after public outcry. Valve is a game developer and distributor best known for the games Half-Life, Portal, and Left 4 Dead. They also run Steam, an online distribution platform that allows gamers to purchase, download, and play video games. Steam Greenlight, is a section of the steam platform which allows game developers to upload content from their uncompleted games in hope of garnering public support to be put on Steam proper. Valve can then decide if the game is appropriate for Steam, and facilitate the transition.
Valve apparently decided that Hatred was not appropriate for Steam, because it pulled the game from Greenlight on December 15th. Valve's Doug Lombari explained the pull by saying: "Based on what we've seen on Greenlight we would not publish Hatred on Steam, as such we'll be taking it down." No further elaboration was given why Hatred was pulled, or how Valve makes its final evaluations on what games graduate from Greenlight to Steam.
Yesterday I heard that we were taking Hatred down from Greenlight. Since I wasn't up to speed, I asked around internally to find out why we had done that. It turns out that it wasn't a good decision, and we'll be putting Hatred back up.
As a law student, I couldn't help chuckling over the internet's reaction to the pull. Every gaming message board and user forum became filled will self-proclaimed legal experts who were more than happy to decry Valve's actions as wholly unconstitutional and a violation of American civil liberties to a degree unknown since slavery. Unsurprisingly, the distinction between state and private action seldom came up. The fact that Valve owns Steam, and can admit or bar any game it chooses according its own terms of service came up occasionally. True to form though, the profession of every user's mother was discussed in great detail.
Is Hatred deserving of the media attention is received and should it have been pulled? I'll leave that debate to the internet forums. I will say that there is still a double standard in America about how the content of video games is treated in terms of societal worth. It goes without saying that books, music, and film all have the ability to inspire, educate, and transcend culture. Even when one work contains violent or sexual content that offends the masses, there is a presumption that these forms of media as a whole carry substantial societal worth.
Despite the Supreme Court decision in Brown affording video games the status of expressive works, video games have still not been issued their benefit of the doubt. As unfortunate as it is to say, a single controversial game like Hatred can make non gamers question the societal value of the rest. It was Voltaire who said: "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." Maybe it's best to give Hatred the benefit of the doubt.
Hatred will be released on Steam later this year. It will be the platform's first Adult's Only rated game.


Prestige SunnySide a new project by Prestige group located off Marathalli-Sarjapur Outer Ring Road Bangalore.Spread over 3.8 acres and its offers 2/3/4 bhk apartments where sizes vary from 1370 sft to 2439 sft of area is priced at Rs. 67.82 lakhs where as a 2,439 sft apartment has a price tag of Rs. 1.21 crores, with world class infrastructure & luxurious amenities.
Prestige SunnySide located off Marathalli-Sarjapur Outer Ring Road Bangalore.
The Prestige Group owes its origin to Mr. Razack Sattar, who envisioned a success story waiting to take shape in the Retail Business in 1956 itself. Since its formation in 1986, Prestige Estates Projects has grown swiftly to become one of South India's leading Property Developers, helping shape the skyline across the Residential, Commercial, Retail, Leisure & Hospitality sectors.
Prestige Court on K.H. Road in Bangalore set the pace for the Group's rapid growth which now stands at over 169 Completed Projects spanning a total developed area of over 51.37 million sqft. It also has another 65 ongoing projects comprising around 56.94 million sqft & 28 upcoming projects totalling 31.15 million sqft., which include Apartment Enclaves, Shopping Malls and Corporate Structures, spread across all asset classes.
Bangalore Apartments off Marathalli Sarjapur Outer Ring Road, Prestige Group Apartments in Bangalore, Prestige Group off Marathalli Sarjapur Outer Ring Road, Prestige Group Projects in East Bangalore, Under Construction Projects in Bangalore. permalink.


text:
Indirect Legislative Elections in Sub-Saharan Africa
1965 Senatorial Election
Composition: (16 Seats) 8 members appointed by the National Assembly, who in turn co-opted an additional 4 members, and 4 members appointed by the King.
Party Number of Seats
Union for National Progress (UPRONA) 8
Co-opted Members 4
Members appointed by the King 4
29 July 2005 Senatorial Election
Composition: (49 seats) 34 members (2 from each province) indirectly elected by an electoral college of communal councilors from each province, 3 members from the ethnic Twa minority, 4 former presidents, and 8 co-opted members appointed to ensure that gender (at least 30% women) quotas are met; members served 5-year terms.
34 (49)*
National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) 30 (32)
Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) 3 (5)
National Council for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD) 1 (3)
Union for National Progress (UPRONA) - (2)
Ethnic Twa members - (3)
Former Presidents - (4)
*The first figure represents Senators indirectly-elected by communal councilors (34 total). Figures in parentheses reflect the final distribution of seats with the addition of co-opted and reserved seats.
28 July 2010 Senatorial Election*
Composition: (41 seats) 34 members (2 per province; one ethnic Hutu/one ethnic Tutsi) indirectly elected by an electoral college of communal councilors from each province, 3 members from the ethnic Twa minority, 4 former presidents. Additional members may be co-opted to ensure respect for an equal distribution of seats among Hutus and Tutsis and for the 30% quota of women; members serve 5-year terms.
34 (41)**
Union for National Progress (UPRONA) 2 (2)
*The election was boycotted by most opposition parties.
**The first figure represents Senators indirectly-elected by communal councilors (34 total). Figures in parentheses reflect the final distribution of seats with the addition of reserved seats. With all mandated quotas met, there were no co-opted seats in this election.
26 January & 9 February 1997 Senatorial Election
Composition: (91 Seats) Indirectly elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies on the basis of a majority vote (absolute in first round, simple in second round); members served 6-year terms.
Party Number of Seats (91)
Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) 53
National Rally of Woodcutters (RNB) 20
Gabonese Progress Party (PGP) 4
Democratic and Republic Alliance (ADERE) 3
Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP) 1
Circle of Liberal Reformers (CLR) 1
Independents 9
9 February 2003 Senatorial Election
Composition: (91 Seats) Indirectly elected by members of municipal and departmental assemblies; members served 6-year terms.
Rally for Gabon (RPG) 8
18 January 2009 Senatorial Election
Composition: (102 Seats) Indirectly elected by members of municipal and departmental assemblies; members serve 6-year terms.
Gabonese Union for Democracy and Development (UGDD) 3
Union of the Gabonese Peoples (UPG) 2
Gabonese Independent Center Party (PGCI) 2
Social Democratic Party (PSD) 2
Democratic and Republican Alliance (ADERE) 1
30 November-3 December 1992 National Council Election
Composition: (26 Seats) Two members from each of the 13 regions chosen indirectly by directly-elected regional councillors; members served 6-year terms.
South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) 19
Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA) 6
United Democratic Front (UDF) 1
29-30 November 2004 National Council Election
Composition: (26 Seats) Two members from each of the 13 regions chosen indirectly by directly-elected regional councillors; members serve 6-year terms.
24 January 1999 Senatorial Election*
Composition: (60 Seats) 45 members elected indirectly by an Electoral College composed of National Assembly members and local, municipal and regional councillors, 12 appointed by the President of the Republic, and 3 elected by Senegalese nationals living abroad for a 5-year term.
13,000 (approx.)
Socialist Party (PS) 9,840 91.32% 58
African Independence Party (PAI) 609 5.65% 1
Senegalese Liberal Party (PLS) 326 3.03% 1
*The poll was boycotted by a majority of the opposition parties, which viewed its creation as inappropriate. The Senate was abolished following a constitutional referendum held in January 2001.
19 August 2007 Senatorial Election*
Composition: (100 Seats) 35 members indirectly elected by an Electoral College composed of deputies and members of local, municipal and regional councils, 65 members appointed by the President of the Republic; members serve 5-year terms.
Invalid Votes
Blank Votes**
Total Valid Votes**
Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) 8,177 86.17% 34
And Jëf-African Party for Democracy and Socialism (AJ-PADS) 736 7.76% 1
Union of Democratic Forces (UFD) 251 2.65% -
Authentic Socialist Party (PSA) 234 2.47% -
Gaïndé Centrist Bloc (BCG) 44 0.46% -
Taaru Sénégal-Taaru Afrik/Movement for Self-Management Socialism (TS-TA/MSA) 40 0.42% -
Bloc for the Reinforcement of Democracy in Senegal (BRDS) 7 0.07% -
*The poll was boycotted by most of the main opposition parties.
**According to the final results approved by the Constitutional Council and published in the country's Official Journal, blank votes (135) were listed separately from those deemed invalid, and added to the valid votes cast (9,489) - for a total of 9,624. Percentage figures in the table are based on the number of valid votes distributed among the political parties. Results based on the original figure are as follows: PDS (84.96%), AJ-PADS (7.65%), UFD (2.61%), PSA (2.43%), BCG (0.46%), TS-TA/MSA (0.42%), BRDS (0.07%), and Blank Votes (1.40%).


The Bad – Through Friday morning we had problem with heating, but for night it was ready. Saturday, heating in one room wasn't working at all. Tullamore helped out. Showers were small, in one water didn't run out, the other one was old and looked dirty.
We spent only few hours per day there, so real budget saver.


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Metso to Acquire the Valve Automation Division of India Based Rotex Manufacturers and Engineers Pvt. Ltd
Metso has signed an agreement to acquire the valve automation division of the India-based valve technology company Rotex Manufacturers and Engineers Pvt. Ltd (RMEPL). The company has a market-leading position in India in the actuator business and an advanced offering of switches, process valves, and valve automation products and solutions.
The acquired division's sales in the last fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, were approx. INR 1,550 million (EUR 19 million) and it employs approximately 275 people. It has two manufacturing facilities in the Mumbai area and sales offices in Mumbai, Vadodara, Kolkata and Pune.
The acquisition will complement Metso's actuation and valve automation offering and enable a full range of actuators for all major valve markets and a broader offering of limit switches for mid-market applications. It also introduces new products to Metso's process-valve portfolio for the oil and gas, pulp and paper, mining, water treatment and other process industries.
"This acquisition represents an important strategic step for Metso's valves business. It expands our offering for the current customer segments, especially outside North America, and increases our presence in attractive new industries and application areas," says John Quinlivan, President, Valves business area, Metso. "In addition, the acquisition strengthens our capacities and our presence in the important Indian market."
"We are confident that RMEPL's capabilities and technological solutions will align perfectly with Metso's offering and global valve network. This acquisition will benefit our customers and employees who have been the most important asset of the Rotex Group," says Amit Shah, Managing Director, RMEPL.
Closing of the acquisition is estimated to occur in July 2018 subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The parties have agreed to not disclose the value of the transaction.
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This article is published by Metso Group
Metso Group is a world leading industrial company serving the mining, aggregates, recycling, oil, gas, pulp, paper and process industries. We help our customers improve their operational efficiency, reduce risks and increase profitability by using our unique knowledge, experienced people and innovative solutions to build new, sustainable ways of growing ...


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Really? The Feminist Case Against Prostitution
Some feminists celebrate women who sell sex, claiming they are the pinnacle of self-determined empowerment. If that were true, millions of men would be queueing up to go in the game. Those who defend sex work are missing the point.
A woman stands at the entrance of a brothel in Frankfurt, Germany
Andreas Arnold/DPA/ ZUMA
Marlen Hobrack
Germany Sources Society DIE WELT Countries
-OpEd-
BERLIN — As an outspoken feminist, from time to time I find myself in opposition to the movement's popular discourse. But among the apparently unimpeachable tenets of today's mainstream feminism, there is none that I find more questionable than its vehement defense of sex work. Certain feminists have even coined a phrase to refer to feminists who are opposed to sex work: SWERF (Sex-Worker Exclusionary Radical Feminist). It's meant as an insult.
But criticizing the sex industry does not equate to disparaging or patronizing sex workers. Quite the opposite. It also doesn't mean painting all sex workers as victims of abuse and violence. It is possible for well-intentioned people to support sex work and mistake this stance for liberalism. But it's not possible as a feminist, without getting tangled up in a web of contradictions. Feminists who support sex work ignore the fact that this industry is indisputably gendered and exists within a patriarchal framework.
Die Welt columnist Teresa Bücker is one of those supposed liberal feminists who in reality are turning a blind eye to the patriarchal power relations surrounding sex work. She recently criticized an attempt by the Women's Union to ban women from working in the sex industry while pregnant. In her article, Bücker claimed this showed a conservative ideal of pregnancy, which sought to deny pregnant women's sexuality. She casually equated sex with sex work, sexual satisfaction with a physically demanding job.
While protecting pregnant women from harmful working conditions was one of the central achievements of the women's and workers' movement, the Women's Union's suggestion was met with criticism, based perhaps on a simplistic interpretation of Foucault's politics of the body. Is it possible that middle-class women don't actually care about the rights of the true working class? It wouldn't be the first time in the history of the women's movement.
But what are the feminist arguments in favor of sex work? There is only one: self-determination. Whatever a woman freely chooses must be good, according to popular feminism. It's clear, however, that this argument relies on a twisted logic, because women can of course make choices that are damaging.
The suggestion of freedom is even more problematic. Doesn't feminism constantly remind us that we do not live in a vacuum? That there are forces, pressures, expectations and societal gender roles acting on us at all times? And let us not forget the basic economic forces at play.
Why are there so few female clients?
If sex work was really a dream job, there would be millions of straight, middle-class men lining the streets of our big cities. Having regular sex and getting paid for it, what a win! So why isn't this the case? Because most men don't want to "demean" themselves (and that is how men would view it) by having to have sex with any client? Because the idea of having to service an unwashed, unattractive, obese or older woman might not be so "awesome?" Because they aren't subject to the same economic pressures as women, as there are more jobs open to men in traditionally masculine industries?
And why are there so few female clients? Is it down to a lack of provision? Or cliches about female sexuality, which claim that, for a woman, sex is only good if the man really finds her attractive?
Many feminists would counter that other industries are also highly gendered (although they admit that is problematic). As Laurie Penny writes in her book of essays Bitch Doctrine, all forms of work are exploitative, so we can only criticize sex work when every form of work-based exploitation has been done away with once and for all. With all due respect, that is not only an oversimplification of Marxism; it's downright cynical.
Let's think back to the #MeToo movement. We saw how actresses, musicians and ballet dancers who were harassed and assaulted and then portrayed as helpless victims of powerful men. But when it comes to sex workers, who — unlike actresses — really can only say no in certain circumstances, because they have to earn their living, suddenly there is no subordination, no power dynamic. There's only freedom and self-determination. Elsewhere, intersectional feminism teaches us that a complex web of patriarchy, capitalism and racism produces power relations, but these hegemonic structures apparently cease to exist between male clients and overwhelmingly female sex workers.
Members of the anti-human trafficking organization Femen dismantle a privacy screen in Hamburg, Germany's red light district — Photo: Carina Lue/DPA/ ZUMA
Critics like to accuse feminism of making women into victims, but when it comes to sex work, the opposite is true. For strident lobbyists and their feminist defenders, the "whore" embodies the ideal of the self-determined woman. "Most of the colleagues I've met are confident women who know exactly what they want," says sex worker and activist Undine de Rivière.
Maybe contemporary feminism has a blind spot around sex workers because they — unlike the widely acknowledged victims of male abuses of power — exhibit so much confidence that everything evil (which feminists agree appears in the form of cis-men) simply rolls off them. In a breath-taking about-turn, the courtesan is transformed into a powerful, disruptive figure within the patriarchal system. This is strange, however, when we consider that prostitution has "always existed" and that for thousands of years it fitted so neatly into patriarchal power structures.
It is not for nothing that the image of the "hetaera" is so often invoked in conversations about sex work (especially by the older generation of sex workers). In ancient Greece, a hetaera was a free man's companion. She is seen as the counterpoint to the grumpy wife who lies in wait for her husband, naked, sexually inexperienced and frustrated. While the wife complains about the uneven division of domestic labor and a lack of sexual satisfaction or desire (which often go hand in hand), her husband can buy a few moments of peace with his hetaera, perhaps even enjoy a good conversation — because it's well known that men like to talk to sex workers.
When sex workers invoke the image of the hetaera, they participate in putting down those women who also serve men — for example by managing their family lives on an unequal footing. The hetaerae achieve an equal footing through insisting on a simple capitalist exchange — sex for money — while in a bourgeois marriage, this exchange is blurred by romantic notions.
Anyone who speaks out against prostitution is dismissed as a dried-up, sex-negative old hag.
As the hetaera serves the penis, but expects nothing in return except for payment, she is able to appropriate some of its phallic power. Sex workers like Salomé Balthus and Undine de Rivière play with the image of the phallic woman, which fuses symbols of desirable femininity with masculine power in a very interesting way. Stark red lipstick and leather accessories, high heels and gelled hair, which is a descendant of the 20th-century bob, also an appropriation of masculine symbols — together these form the image of the phallic, powerful woman. Feminism has still not found another embodiment of powerful femininity.
Proponents of sex work claim to be on the side of sex positivity, libertinism and a progressive worldview. Their positive attitude towards sex work radiates from their disciples: young, hip and cool writers such as Ronja von Rönne and Katja Lewina are rhetorically getting into bed — or into the bathtub — with Balthus to shed their stuffy bourgeois image.
Anyone who speaks out against prostitution is dismissed as a dried-up, sex-negative old hag, with sexist, anti-feminist and ageist invective weaponized against them. The reason is clear: There is a lot of money at stake, a whole industry.
Sex workers protest against the COVID-related closure of brothels in Berlin, Germany — Photo: Imago/ ZUMA Press
If we are to take seriously the argument that sex work is simply another kind of work, then we must talk about what belongs to the world of work: safety regulations and employers' responsibility to check their workers' documentation, for example. Complaints about bureaucracy are a regular refrain among freelancers and businesspeople. If the "oldest profession in the world" wants to step out of the shadows, it must also be subject to this bureaucracy.
The final, most cynical argument often levied against opponents of prostitution is that they talk about prostitutes, not to them, but this is also the case for many of its supporters. Portraying sex workers as entrepreneurs who make use of their bodies in a radical, free manner transforms them into the ideal neoliberal subject. This liberated sex worker is a fantasy of white middle-class women who want to prove their open-mindedness and progressive worldview, but who aren't confronted with the consequences of their unequivocal support of sex work, because they're not the ones waiting for clients on street corners.
It's a shame that feminism seems unable to find a better use for women's newfound freedom than claiming it is the height of "self-determination" to do what women have been doing for centuries: being of service to men.
Trying To Gauge Russian Ambitions? Look How Nervous Its Nordic Neighbors Are
The eyes of the world are on the Russian-Ukrainian border as Putin threatens an invasion. However, the more vital stage of the Kremlin's military ambitions is the Baltic Sea, where the likes of bordering countries like Finland and Sweden are mobilizing troops as Moscow tries to undermine the allegiance of the EU and former Soviet states.
A military from the Swedish Armed Forces
Felix Sundbäck/Försvarsmakten/Facebook
Russia Geopolitics Sources WORLDCRUNCH DAGENS NYHETER Sweden Finland Countries
While tensions between the U.S and Russia mount with the Kremlin gathering troops at the border of Ukraine, countries farther north are preparing for the worst.
In Sweden, Dagens Nyheter reports that the country of 10 million people deployed armored vehicles and 100 soldiers to patrol streets on the island of Gotland on Friday in response to Russian landing ships sailing into the Baltic Sea. Even if the Swedish Armed Forces announced soon after that the ships were leaving, serious questions about Russia's military ambitions remain.
Russian presence in the regional waters is not uncommon, but it was the increase from one to six Russian landing ships over a three-week period that prompted Sweden's move to beef up military presence in the eastern archipelago. According to Swedish Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist, the move was meant to "demonstrate that we are not naive and that Sweden will not be caught off guard should something happen."
Keep an eye of the Baltic Sea
While the Russian muscle-flexing has made headlines in the Nordic press, it has garnered scarce attention internationally as all eyes have been turned to the 100,000 Russian soldiers amassing near the Ukrainian border.
And yet, the main stage of Russia's military ambitions — to create a multipolar world in which NATO is unable to dictate terms — is not Ukraine, but the Baltic Sea.
The balance could be at risk
Throughout the Cold War, the Baltic Sea region was essentially a military no-man's land on the periphery of the main axis of confrontation in central Europe. It was that geo-strategic inconsequence that allowed for a Nordic Balance to emerge, formed by neutral Finland and Sweden as well as special status NATO-members Norway and Denmark — neither country allowed nuclear weapons or foreign troops to be permanently stationed on their territory.
But following the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1991, the sea that separates Russia from the West has rather become a microcosm of pan-European relations — bringing together some of the world's most developed countries and those still struggling to recover from Communist rule.
Moscow's plans for Eurasia
It is that unity that Putin seeks to undermine. By becoming the dominant power in Eurasia, the Kremlin seeks to exert influence over its neighbors and to bargain with the world's top countries on equal footing. That's especially true with regards to the three Baltic countries — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, whose independence and active role in NATO and the EU are seen as threats to Russia's security and autonomy.
And so today, as an increasingly pressured Sweden and Finland sit between the Baltic states and the West, the question is what road the northern neighbors will take should Russia's saber-rattling turn into open conflict. After all, as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are isolated from fully fledged NATO members, it would be problematic for the alliance to respond to an incident in the Baltic region without the acquiescence of Finland and Sweden.
Battalion from the Norrbotten Regiment, designation I 19.
Jesper Sundström/Försvarsmakten/Facebook
Pro-NATO voices rise in Scandinavia
So far, the two countries have managed to walk a line of deepening cooperation with NATO without formally joining the alliance — thus avoiding overly aggravating Moscow. However, as Putin has now demanded written commitments that NATO will never again enlarge, the balance could be at risk.
While Russia's foreign ministry recently stated that Finland and Sweden joining Nato "would have serious military and political consequences," Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin has answered that the country reserves the option of seeking NATO membership at any time:
"Let it be stated once again: Finland's room to maneuver and freedom of choice also includes the possibility of military alignment and of applying for NATO membership, should we ourselves so decide," Niinisto said.
Sweden will not be caught off-guard
Sweden too responded, with the country's supreme military commander Micael Bydén saying that acceding to Russian demands would mean the end of the country's security strategy, Dagens Nyheter reports.
Russia's attempt to shut the door on the countries' freedom of choice also went down badly with the domestic population: In Finland, a number of Green Party politicians have expressed support for alliance membership, joining the long-standing pro-NATO wing within the center-right party; while in Sweden, an opinion poll published by broadcaster TV4 on Monday shows that 35% of Swedes are now in favor of NATO membership, while 31% are undecided and 33% against. That represents a big leap from 2018, where the same poll showed that 48% were against joining the alliance.
Finland and Sweden prepare for the worst, hope for the best
Should the pro-NATO voices become a majority, it will put both governments in an awkward position between responding to the demands of the people while realizing that such a move could potentially trigger large-scale global conflict.
Meanwhile, it's a fact that Finland and Sweden would lack commensurate answers to an eastern attack. Sweden has bolstered its defenses following Russia's annexation of Crimea and even reintroduced mandatory military service in 2017. Still, the country's 25,000 military personnel — roughly equal to that of Finland — is a far cry from its peak capabilities during the Cold War in the mid-1960s, when Swedish troops numbered some 800,000.
As such, while Finland and Sweden are wise to prepare for the worst, what they — and indeed the world — should hope for is that diplomacy can once again find a pathway to a peaceful de-escalation.
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Quebec City to remain as co-host of 2008 world hockey championship
Hockey Canada made the announcement Wednesday night, following the ratification of the host agreement by Quebec City's council, which had originally been signed in April 2003, and approval of the operational and financial plans for the 2008 tournament.
Quebec City had been named the co-host of the 2008 world hockey championship with Halifax, but planning for the event had been plagued by problems. That prompted concern Hockey Canada might be forced to find another co-host for the event.
But Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said Wednesday that Quebec City will remain as the tournament co-host.
"Hockey Canada is very pleased with the developments in Quebec City over the past week," Nicholson said in a statement. "Hockey Canada and the Championship Steering Committee are looking forward to working with Quebec City in partnership with Halifax, and finalizing operational and financial plans as soon as possible."


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You are here: Home / Interviews / Nick Mackie – Author
Nick Mackie – Author
July 9, 2015 by Melanie Leave a Comment
Anyone who is familiar with animation understands that the medium calls for a fabulous imagination, creative genius as well as the discipline of film making which includes meticulous organization and painstaking attention to detail. Nick Mackie is a veteran animator, director and illustrator with numerous awards under his belt.
Nick Mackie is also the author of several children's books. Dino Zoo is a novel for kids ten and over. This review had me laughing because it instantly transported me back several decades to when I was a kid … "I sometimes had to get the emergency torch from under my pillow because I didn't want to stop reading!" – Bella (12)"
I had the opportunity to talk to Nick Mackie about his latest book — a children's illustrated picture book Chester and the Eggie Boo.
Melanie Rockett: You are an award-winning animator, director and illustrator. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
Nick Mackie: I originally studied Fine Art and then Animation. My career has mostly been in commercials, broadcast and TV graphics and I have been fortunate to work for companies such as the Oscar winning Aardman Animations. As a director I won BBC Talent animation and a Royal Television Society award. I have always been interested in storytelling, small press comics and illustration.
Melanie Rockett: You've also contributed to and have written and illustrated several children's books. What prompted you to write a book vs doing an animation?
Nick Mackie: Making an animated film takes a lot of time and often requires a large budget and a team of people. Making books has allowed me to get my ideas out to readers without the need to produce an animated film. Obviously one day I would love all my books to be turned into films.
Melanie Rockett: Your latest book is titled, Chester and the Eggie Boo. Can you tell us a bit about the book and where you got the inspiration for the story?
Nick Mackie: Chester is a little boy whose family home was once a railway station. The old ticket machine in his bedroom is a magical portal to the Land of Eggie Boo. Eggie Boo has its own fantastical transforming train that Chester gets to drive with his new friends.
The inspiration was from watching my young son playing with his toy trains and his love of Thomas the Tank animations. It reminded me of myself as a child playing in these imaginary worlds. I decided I wanted to make a new type of 'train' book for him.
'Eggie Boo' is a nonsense title and it was a tune/ song that I made up that inspired it. I have always admired Edward Lear and his nonsense writing.
Melanie Rockett: Many children's writers team up with an illustrator to create their books. You create the illustrations AND write the text. What is your process for creating a picture book, do you write the story first or do your illustrations spark the ideas for the text?
Nick Mackie: Boo was first inspired by a tune I made up and sang to my son and a few doodles I did in a notebook. In this case the original drawings inspired the story. In other books the words have come first.
Melanie Rockett: Can we look forward to more Eggie Boo books, or maybe a continuation of your kids novel, Dino Zoo?
Nick Mackie: I am currently thinking about the next Eggie Boo book and starting to illustrate a new unrelated picture book. I am also writing my second novel which is a totally different genre and is an Edwardian crime novel. There will be a new Dino Zoo book at some point in the future as I really want to revisit its characters.
Be sure to visit Nick Mackie at his website.
Check out some of the illustrations from Eggie Boo as well as Nick's other children's books: NickMackie.co.uk
Be sure to keep in touch on …
Nick Mackie's Facebook Page: facebook.com/eggieboobook
and on Twitter: @nickmackiebook
Izzy Church – Author
Auri Jones – Author
Drag and Drop Illustrator for Childrens Books
Tom Evans – Author & Mentor
Rich Marcello – Author


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