Dining room at the Lady L Garden Bistro in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo Credit: Accidental Travel Writer.
Lady L Garden Bistro is one of two restaurants housed in the Nai Lert Heritage Home, a renovated family compound in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. It serves Western style comfort food; the other, traditional Thai fare. Will it find favour with foodies from Hong Kong?
Movie buffs might think that Bangkok's stylish eatery, Lady L Garden Bistro, was named after the eponymous 1965 comedy Lady D, which starred Sophia Loren, Paul Newman, David Niven, and Cecil Parker.
But any similarities between the restaurant and the Hollywood blockbuster, in which Lady Lendale recounts her colourful past to a biographer, are purely coincidental.
Lady L Garden Bistro was actually named in honour of Thanpuying Lursakdi Sampatisiri, who is described as "a lady, a matriarch, and a mother".
Thai-based international real estate developer Country Group Development invited me and two other Hong Kong-based journalists to Bangkok, Thailand, for a briefing on Chao Phraya Estate.
Scheduled for completion before the end of 2018, the 14.2 acre development occupies a prime site overlooking the Chao Phraya River, which meanders through the heart of Central Bangkok.
The site includes a 72-storey residential high rise called Four Seasons Residences Bangkok at Chao Phaya River and two low-rise hotels: Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River and Capella Bangkok.
During our three day, two night, stay, we were taken on a champagne dinner cruise and Riddle of the River, a mysterious journey through the district, which followed a television reality show format.
We also dined at three of Bangkok's toniest restaurants: Ma Maison, the Namsaah Bottling Trust, and Lady L Garden Bistro.
Our lunch at Lady L Garden Bistro was sort of a farewell party. Following a satisfying meal and some spirited conversation, we all headed our separate ways.
Soups include Crab Bisque, Leek Soup with Mussels and Buttery Bread Ball, and French Onion Soup.
I opted for the French Onion Soup, and I was NOT disappointed. The submerged French bread morphed into velvety glob that was a joy to consume.
The soup was the only course that was served individually. The others we shared.
They ran from Australian Beef Tartare with Homemade Potato Chips to Baby Rocket Salad with Fresh Pears, Blue Cheerse, and Lemon Honey Dressing; Parma Ham, Mozzarella, Nectarines, and Figs; White Asparagus with Caviar and Hollandaise Sauce; and the somewhat predictable Caesar Salad.
The table shared the Cobb Salad with Red Wine Vinagrette. Comprising chicken breast, crispy bacon, boiled egg, tomato, avocado, and blue cheese, it was springtime on a plate.
Beautifully presented, the salad was listed as a "signature dish", and it was perfect for sharing!
If I were to have lunch at the restaurant alone, this would make a very satisfying – and healthful – meal.
There were too many starters to mention. We ordered the Deep Fried Camembert with Cranberry Sauce and the Moules Mariniere, which wasn't on the menu – was it a daily special?
I gave the Moules a pass. They reminded me of clams, and I don't like clams. But everyone else said they were fabulous.
As for the Deep Fried Camembert, it was crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside: an excellent starter.
There were 12 main courses to choose from, including three signature dishes: Fish and Chips with Tartar Sauce and Malt Vinegar, Whole Roasted Baby Chicken, Sauteed Baby Carrots, and Roasted Potatoes, and Beef Wellington with Red Wine Sauce.
Did anyone order a main course? If so, I forgot to take a picture of it. Perhaps I was too engrossed to conversation to notice.
But I do seem to remember sinking my teeth into a very yummy piece of delicately encrusted fish that was reminiscent of Japanese tempura.
In addition to main courses were Chicken Pot Pie and four sandwiches: Pulled Pork Burger with BBQ Sauce, Crayfish and Avocado Brioche Roll, and Tenderloin French Dip Sandwich with Gravy.
I took one look at the Pulled Pork Burger, and I knew what I wanted. Can't shake off my Oaktown roots!
I shared it with dining companion Perry Yip, and we both loved it. Not only did he say it was his favourite dish of the day, he went so far as to say it was the best hamburger he had ever eaten.
There were three pastas on the menu: Homemade Angel Hair with Truffle Cream Sauce, Homemade Spaghetti Carbonara, and Homemade Spaghetti with Crayfish and Tomato Sauce.
I'm sure somebody at the table ordered one of them, but I was too preoccupied with my Pulled Pork Burger to notice.
Who says breakfasts should only be served in the morning? There were four set breakfasts were on offer: The Londoner, The New Yorker, The Milano, and the Parisian.
The only surprise here was the inclusion of frankfurters on the New York style breakfast. Whoever heard of New Yonkers eating hot dogs for breakfast?
With so many indulgent soups, salads, starters, main courses, sandwiches, pastas, and breakfasts on the menu, could anyone possibly have room for dessert?
We had been forewarned, so I did save room – that's why I offered to share my Pulled Pork Burger. Otherwise I would have happily eaten it all by myself.
There were nine decadent choices on offer, and I shared the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Homemade Salted Caramel Ice Cream. The Red Velvet was also decadence on a plate!
In addition to sit-down service, the restaurant has a take-out counter, with with some truly decadent-looking cakes, pastries, and candies on display.
All I can say is, this is definitely NOT advised for someone counting calories!
Our hosts for lunch at Lady L included Wipada Monthongtian (far left) and Khunpak Issara (centre) of Country Group Development.
Other Hong Kong-based journalists included Dennis Lee (second from left), Managing Editor, Digital and Features, Perspective Limited, and Perry Yip (second from right), Senior Reporter (Business News), Ming Pao Newspapers Limited.
This stylish eatery pushed all the right buttons! The ambiance was superb, the service was professional but relaxed, the food was delicious, and the recommendations were spot on.
I'm not a big fan of desserts, but I followed her advice, and I LOVED it.
Overall, a giant THUMBS UP!! I look forward to revisiting this charming restaurant on my next visit to the Big Mango!
I was impressed by Lady L, where we seemed to be having lunch in a garden, with real trees around us.
The best dish was the Pulled Pork Burger, which we shared, and my fresh coconut.
A truly glasshouse cafe with a real tree inside, I'm impressed with Lady L's chilled ambiance. A perfect place to get together for an afternoon.
Great selection of food including salad, pasta, and burger too. My favourite has to be the moules. Not the usual big mussels I've tried, but more fresh and juicy.
Desserts are a surprise too with the sticky toffee pudding and red velvet I found most impressive.
Firstly, I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant, especially the fact that they incorporated the use of plants and trees with the glass ceiling. It gave the space a very whimsical vibe.
The food was great. I was happy to see the selection included a lot of British classics such as fish and chips and the sticky toffee pudding (which was my fave!).
Overall, service was great, food was delicious, and the company was even better!
Lady L is an absolutely beautiful bistro with a charming interior and good food. It's a one of a kind bistro that you can go to anytime of the day.
What I liked about Lady L was the delicious range of perfectly mixed cocktails and great coffee menus.
I hope you liked it very much, too!
Lady L Garden Bistro, Nai Lert Park Heritage House, 4 Soi Somkid,m Phloen Chit Road, Bangok, Thailand. Telephone: 02-655-4773.
Next PostNext Hong Kong Airlines Announces Two More Long Haul Travel Destinations!


A very rare documentary about the more than shy genius pianist.
The opera event of the year: Superstar Anna Netrebko and her Polish colleague Piotr Beczala in their first ever Wagnerian roles.
Seiji Ozawa himself appeared on stage this year at the Seiji Ozawa Festival conducting Beethoven's 7th Symphony.
Daniel Harding conducts "Paradise and the Peri" by Schumann with Orchestre de Paris, Matthias Goerne, Christiane Karg, Andy Staples et al.
A documentary to go with the opera "Benjamin, Dernière Nuit" by Michel Tabachnik recorded at Lyon Opera in March.
In 2017, the Queen Elisabeth Competition will hold its first International Cello Competition in Brussels (Belgium). Application opens in November!
A warm welcome to our newest member Lumikinos Production! Check out this interview with CEO and Creative Lead Thomas Freundlich what they do, what they can do for you - and meet them at Avant Première 2017 in Berlin!
Film competition at ITF Golden Prague: Congratulations to IMZ Members!
The IMZ congratulates the winners of the International Television Festival Golden Prague - giving a special mention to IMZ Members!
The IMZ is proud to present its newly elected Board for 2017 – 2019, which consists of representatives of internationally acclaimed broadcasters, producers, distributors as well as educational institutions.
For the 4th time the IMZ brought together professionals with a cultural business background for this year's Academy edition 'Dance in the Digital World'.
Register now for Avant Première Music + Media Market Berlin 2017 and get connected to the international arts TV industry!
Submit your films until 31 Oct 2016!


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Trace: • inland_rail
inland_rail
Inland Rail
Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) Website
Critique of the Business case
Other ARTC web pages
Exponential technological change affecting inland rail assumptions
Inland Rail Action Group Faceboook page
PDF of the Business case
Page 3 Dot point 3
"Financial analysis indicates that Inland Rail would not generate sufficient access revenues to cover the full costs of the Programme, including capital…" It does not financially stack up?
Pg 8 paragraph 2 states in part that the Melbourne to Brisbane freight is dominated by road comprising an estimated 100 000 truck trips per annum and has a citation reference number of 20. No reference number 20 exists on that or subsequent pages.
The Sydney Freight Network has a curfew. Pg 61 Under heading for Sydney. If the larges city in Australia has such a curfew why not the 3rd largest? Or if the project is truly "Inland" why does it not also bypass Brisbane as it does Sydney?
The 5th last paragraph on Pg 74 states that sections of the Newell Highway corridor are currently operating at 55 to 70 per cent of capacity. It cites the NSW Government, 'Draft Newell Highway Corridor Strategy', pp. 70–7, 2014 as the source. Yet that report does not show that on that pages. Rather on page 74, table 4.1 which is a Level of service definitions indicates that 55% to 70%, time following, is stable flow conditions.
Others submissions about the inland rail. We are not the only one unhappy. From page 113 last dot point
ARTC awarded tenders have in some cases as 2500% variation in $value. Does this show the level of reliability of ARTC estimates
If you read any document that has anything to do with financial advice it always has a clause that says something to the effect that past performance is not any indication of Future performance.
It is very good advice and something that astute investors always take into account.
However because of the modern technological era we are now living in this advice should be taken even more so into account.
We live in a period of exponential technological growth. One of the factors of this is what's called Moores law, Which basically says the computing power will double every two years. For those who sit outside of information technology this probably means nothing. However if your look back in history you will see the effect that this has had.
A feel examples:
Kodak was a multinational profitable company that was severely hit by what is called disruptive technology. Disruptive technology is were traditional ways of doing things, no longer apply. In the case of Kodak it was the making of film and developing photos. Digital imaging was so disruptive that Kodak, as it once was, no longer exists. It went bankrupt.
Another example of exponential technological development and how it disrupts businesses is the taxi industry. If you're told a owner of a taxi licence a few years ago that it will be worth far less than what it is today they would have told you "you're crazy". That was before Uber and it's technology.
A third example would be Airbnb. Once Upon a Time only those that owned property where able to make money out of it. Today without owning any buildings or real estate at all, Airbnb is making big heaps of money.
Note, that in relation to the last two examples, that the organisations making the money do not reside in Australia. This is only been made possible by exponential technological development.
If you look at the history of the human race, most of our technological developments that have had the most effect on us, have only happened in the last 10 to 20 years.
A definition of exponential is: (of an increase) becoming more and more rapid.
But words mean nothing. It is better expressed in a picture/graph showing an exponential curve.
This graph only shows 10 iterations. If it were to show more the line would become almost vertical.
The business case put forward for the inland rail, which basically states that it is not financially viable, makes no reference whatsoever to exponential technological development. Yet it is a project (inland rail) that is projected to operate for many years into the future.
If exponential technology development was taken into account, it could be said that the inland rail project would never have got off the ground.
It is impossible, because of the exponential nature of technological development, to project what items may affect the future viability of an inland rail project.
However, here are some factors that some people are predicting for the future.
Because of the move to renewable energy, in the longer term energy would have almost a zero cost. The cost would be in managing it not producing it.
Because of artificial intelligence such as driverless road vehicles and the almost zero cost of energy (renewable vs fossil fuel), the cost of road transportation, including the transportation of goods, could reduced dramatically. There are no current plans to electrify the proposed inland rail.
3D printing could dramatically reduce the need to transport many goods.
Other technological developments could eliminate the need for transportation of goods, even food.
Those taking advantages of exponential technological development may provide future business models such that the current business models become obsolete.
Society may change such that more emphasis is put on intangible things such as happiness rather than physical goods, so reducing the need for such items
Some of the material that I got for writing this is from the documentary video: A future of abundance
https://youtu.be/PcWMn-dMYQg
If you think the above is not possible consider the words of Sir William Preece, Chief Engineer of the British Post Office in 1878
"The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys".
inland_rail.txt · Last modified: 2018/12/14 17:37 (external edit)

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Rubén Alonso Rosales (né le 12 ou le 21 ) est l'un des six hommes composant la junte de gouvernement qui a pris le contrôle du Salvador par un coup d'état en 1960.

Biographie

Jeunesse
Né dans le petit village de Paraiso De Osorio, département de La Paz (Salvador), ses parents sont Vicente et Maria Soriano Rosales. Il est le troisième enfant d'une fratrie de sept. Malgré les efforts de son père pou garder ses enfants mâles à la ferme, sa mère, institutrice, insiste pour que tous leurs enfants aillent à l'école et a tout mis en œuvre pour qu'ils obtiennent au moins une éducation de niveau secondaire, obligeant tous les enfants à déménager vers une plus grande ville, Cojutepeque. Intéressé par l'armée à l'âge de quinze ans, ses parents l'inscrivent à l'académie militaire du pays, malgré le peu de moyens dont la famille disposait.

Armée et coup d'état
Le , il entre à l'académie en tant que l'une des 124 nouvelles recrues. Cependant, en juillet, ses parents ne pouvaient plus payer ses frais de scolarité, mais son séjour à l'académie était assuré lorsqu'il obtint l'une des deux bourses accordées aux nouvelles recrues. Au cours de sa première année à l'académie, Rubén se lie d'amitié avec le colonel Oscar Osorio, sous-directeur de l'académie et futur membre du Conseil de la révolution gouvernant le pays (1948 – 1950) et Président de la république de 1950 à 1956. Le , alors qu'il était en congé militaire dans la ferme familiale, une rébellion éclata contre le président Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, et il fait partie des troupes qui sont chargées de mater l'insurrection. Plus tard cette année-là, il est présenté à la sœur d'une recrue de cadets, Maria Garay, fille du colonel Eduardo Garay, qui deviendra sa femme trois ans plus tard. Ils ont quatre enfants.

En , Rosales obtint son diplôme d'officier. Il est affecté au régiment d'artillerie, connu sous le nom d'El Zapote (maintenant un musée militaire) dans la capitale nationale, en face de la Maison présidentielle. Le , en tant que commandant en service près de la maison présidentielle, il participe à un coup d'état visant à renverser le président Salvador Castaneda Castro, qui porte Oscar Osorio au pouvoir. De  à , il fut l'un des deux officiers salvadoriens à recevoir une bourse du gouvernement mexicain pour se rendre à l'école de guerre, à Mexico. À son retour au Salvador, il sert un temps à l'Académie militaire mais retourne finalement à El Zapote en qualité de troisième commandant. À ce moment-là, le régiment d'artillerie est la plus importante force militaire du pays. En 1957 – 1958, en tant que délégué des forces armées, il rejoint l'entourage du président José María Lemus lors de nombreux voyages officiels à travers l'Amérique latine. En 1958, il est promu commandant en second d'El Zapote. Le major Arturo Armando Molina, qui deviendra plus tard président de la République (1972 – 1977), le remplace à la troisième place.

En 1960, en grande partie en raison de la position stratégique du régiment, près de la Maison présidentielle, il est engagé pour jouer un rôle dans le renversement du président José María Lemus. Oscar Osorio a joué un rôle déterminant dans la planification du coup d'état. Rubén Rosales est nommé à la tête de la junte de gouvernement qui prend le contrôle du pays. La junte dirige le pays du  au , date à laquelle elle a été renversée par un autre coup d'État, et remplacée par le Directoire civilo-militaire.

Exil
Envoyé en exil, Rubén Alonso Rosales s'installe au Mexique, où il s'était lié d'amitié avec de nombreux officiers de l'armée locale dix ans plus tôt, qui l'avaient assisté pendant quelques mois.

De retour au Salvador à la fin de 1961, il est autorisé à rester dans le pays, mais le gouvernement au pouvoir, soupçonnant qu'il fomente une rébellion, lui recommande vivement de quitter le pays pour sa propre sécurité.

Le gouvernement salvadorien organisa son départ aux États-Unis en . Rubén Alonso Rosales s'est installé dans la région de Los Angeles. Il travaille pour une entreprise de déménagement jusqu'en 1985, année de son départ à la retraite.

Références

Liens externes
 Time magazine -
 Dirigeants politiques du Salvador
 Magazine Watchtower, 1er janvier 1978

Naissance en janvier 1925
Personnalité politique salvadorienne

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text:
A map of the territory
www.ruins.blog
An art critic thinks about Conway's Game of Life, part 1
John Conway in 1974, observing, godlike, the life he created.
Recently while doing some "serious research" on Wikipedia I stumbled across Conway's Game of Life. Over the past month I've been trying to figure out what makes it so interesting to me. I'm not really part of the cohort that would be expected to like this sort of thing—I have only a limited fondness for recreational mathematics, and I'm not part of academia. But Conway's Game of Life holds a strange fascination for me. On the surface it seems just a silly thing to do with computers. But I think there is something much, much more profound going on here, and it touches on something I've been preoccupied with for as long as I can remember—the definition of, and limits of, art.
This essay will be in two parts: this installment will be a road map to the phenomenon of Conway's Game of Life (which I will just call Life); the second part is where the real meat will be, and if you are already familiar with Life, you probably won't learn anything by reading this, and you might just want to skip straight to the part two. But if you aren't familiar with it, let me describe Life for you. In 1970, John Conway, a mathematician and computer researcher at Cambridge, published a paper in Scientific American as part of Martin Gardner's widely influential "Mathematical Games" column. In this paper, Conway described a game he had created the previous year. It is a zero-player game; a person plays it by creating a set of initial conditions and watching developments unfold. The rules of the game are absurdly simple. Imagine a piece of graph paper. Color in some of the squares; they are called "live." All the uncolored squares are "dead." Then, follow these rules:
Any live cell with two or three live neighbors survives.
Any dead cell with three live neighbors becomes a live cell.
All other live cells die in the next generation. Similarly, all other dead cells stay dead.
For each turn of the game, repeat these rules, and watch what happens. The fastest and easiest way to understand how the game works is to play it. That is quite easily done, and you can play Life online. Go ahead—take some time to goof around with it; if you do, you will quickly find that Life is capable of producing some very interesting, pleasing, and ASMR-esque patterns. Here is a "triple pseudo still life." This pattern will remain in this static state forever when the above rules are applied.
This next pattern is an oscillator—it comes back into the same configuration after a few steps.
The pulsar, an oscillator in Life
Here is a glider—a small pattern that repeats itself every four steps, and "travels" down the playing field as it does so. (Note: this glider pattern is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. We'll get to why later.)
Here is what is called an R-pentomino. This small pattern goes completely nuts and takes a very long time to calm down.
Some patterns in Life interact with themselves in intriguing ways. This is Gosper Glider Gun (Bill Gosper, 1970)
—a pattern that continuously "shoots" gliders out of itself.
Now, what happens when two or more of these gliders crash into each other? If you have a moment, create this pattern in the online Life game mentioned above, and watch the result.
In this example, three gliders came together to make what is known as a heavyweight spaceship. This sort of thing is called glider synthesis among Life enthusiasts, and here's where the game starts to get very elaborate.
Using a setup of guns, spaceships, and other things like reflectors and eaters, you can make complicated patterns that will interact with each other. A gun "shoots" gliders toward a reflector, which "bounces" them toward other gliders, which "bump" into each other and synthesize into still lifes, which, when smashed into by other gliders, turn into spaceships, which smash into gliders to produce guns, which produce gliders that smash into each other to produce rakes, which move across the playing field while emitting still lifes, oscillators, and other spaceships and rakes . . . ad infinitum. For fifty years, people have been designing these constructions. The first, and one of the most elegant in my mind, is Breeder (1971), by Bill Gosper, which you can view here. But Breeder is just the tip of the iceberg. Enormous constructions of interlocking parts have been built in Life, spaceships such as Mosquito 1 (Nick Gotts, 1998) and Waterbear (Brett Berger / Ivan Fomichev, 2014), and the absolutely immense Gemini (Andrew Wade, 2010), which is made of nearly 850,000 cells and which is so big that my desktop computer can barely run the RLE file that would allow me to watch it in action.
Gemini operates using a mechanism called a "slow salvo"—a stream of gliders, spaced carefully and exactly, that are "read" by the object at the end of their travel path, exactly like a memory tape is read by a computer. There are other ways in which Life can emulate computer systems. From Wikipedia:
if two gliders are shot at a block in a specific position, the block will move closer to the source of the gliders. If three gliders are shot in just the right way, the block will move farther away. This sliding block memory can be used to simulate a counter. It is possible to construct logic gates such as AND, OR, and NOT using gliders. It is possible to build a pattern that acts like a finite-state machine connected to two counters. This has the same computational power as a universal Turing machine, so the Game of Life is theoretically as powerful as any computer with unlimited memory and no time constraints; it is Turing complete. In fact, several different programmable computer architectures have been implemented in the Game of Life, including a pattern that simulates Tetris.
But the ultimate Life creation—and the one that hurts my head just thinking about it—is Metapixel. This creation, designed by Brice Due in 2006, is a construction which can replicate the actions of Conway's Game of Life on its own. There is a short stream of spaceships that move around the perimeter of this pattern, and if the pattern is repeated across the playing field, the spaceships interact with the edges of the adjacent patterns in such a way that they can turn "on" or "off" other streams of spaceships on the inside of the pattern. For a visualization of this, watch the video at the beginning of this New York Times article
. There is some sort of eldritch, Lovecraftian horror about this video—a vertigo-inducing, fever dream quality that arises while watching the view slowly pan out, and speed up, until you realize that this could go on forever, with no limits—one could conceivably build a meta-metapixel using tiled metapixels, and a meta-meta-metapixel using tiled meta-metapixels, and a meta-
Life can be taken very seriously. There is a forum which gets extremely esoteric and arcane, and the official wiki is full of jargon like this:
The blinker can function as a transparent catalyst in a certain reaction where it is converted into a traffic light predecessor, which a fishhook (or another catalyst that engages in the same type of catalyzing reaction, such as an eater 2) then converts back to a blinker in the same position. This rephases the blinker, so it can only be used in odd-period oscillators, such as 66P13 and the p47 pre-pulsar shuttle.
That's not a problem at all, except when the descriptions of Life begin to get bizarrely metaphorical. Remember that anything in Life happens on a cellular level; yet people talk about "spaceships" and "oscillators" is if they are one object. I did, myself, earlier, when I used all of those scare-quote verbs. The individual cells in Life interact with each other according to the rules of the game, but any action in concert or en masse is an illusion. Yet people talk about the game as if it were a microcosm of actual life—the carbon-based kind. The NYT article referenced above contains several of this kind of erroneous take. The worst of them all was by Brian Eno (!), who says
The second thing Life shows us is something that Darwin hit upon when he was looking at life, the organic version. Complexity arises from simplicity! That is such a revelation; we are used to the idea that anything complex must arise out of something more complex. Human brains design airplanes, not the other way around. Life shows us complex virtual "organisms" arising out of the interaction of a few simple rules—so goodbye "Intelligent Design."
Um . . . ? I don't know how an intelligently-designed system is proof against the idea of intelligent design; besides, Life isn't alive! Some aspects of the game mimic some aspects of the sort of thing that happens in petri dishes, but that is only a metaphor. The colored squares in Life are not alive, no matter what its proponents might seem to be saying—and this is the point where I lose my patience with the whole thing. But— if Life isn't alive is it at least something else? Is it art?
And that, readers, is the question that I will address in my next essay. Until next week, then! If the screenshots and gifs above struck you with inspiration, you can very easily dive in and start producing your own Life masterpieces. There is a freeware called Golly which can be used to create and run patterns in Life; it is the standard method of interacting with the game, and I highly recommend it if you want to explore Life further. Also, here is a very trippy video of Life patterns made of enormously large X and square shapes, and here is the result of trying to find Life patterns that will turn into semblances of famous artworks (spoiler: it's very tricky, and maybe impossible).
And . . . here, you can turn your Wordle score into a pattern in Life, because why not?!
Wait a minute, didn't we see these two modeling Star Wars fandom shirts a while back??
Comment via email
Swiped from the Wikipedia entry.
For reasons that will become apparent, I will be treating the names of these patterns as the titles of artworks, citing their creators, and referencing the date of their creation.
The article is behind a paywall, but you should still be able to see the video.
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© 2023 William Collen


Updated our endpoints to store, retrieve, and update data in MongoDB.
Used passportjs to add authentication to our endpoints.
In Part 4 of this tutorial series, we will start working on our client side code by adding a login page along with the code for our Phaser game.
If you didn't complete Part 3 and would like to continue from here, you can find the code for it here .
You can download all of the files associated with the source code for Part 4 here .
In the code above, we told express to use the express.static middleware to serve static files from the public folder. Then, we setup a new route for the root path, and for this route, we return an HTML page.
We created a new HTML page and we loaded in some additional libraries that will be used. These libraries include bootstrap and jquery.
In the body section, we created a new form with a username and password field. Also, in the form, we added a sign-in link that looks like a button. When that button is clicked, it will trigger a new function called signIn.
At the bottom of the form, we include a link to a signup page that we will create next.
Finally, we created the signIn function that will pull the username and password values from the form, and then send those values in a POST request to the login endpoint we created in the previous tutorials. If the request is successful, we redirect the user to the game page, and if the request was not successful we alert the user and reload the page.
With the CSS file created, you can now test the new login page. To do this, save your code changes and then start your server. Once the server is running, navigate to the following URL in your browser: http://localhost:3000/. You should see the login form, and if you log in with the user credentials you created earlier you should get redirected to the game.html page.
We added a new field for the user's name, and when the user clicks on the sign-up link the signUp function will be called.
In the signUp function, we pull the forms values and send them as a POST request to the signup endpoint we created in a previous tutorial.
If the request is successful, we let the user know and redirect them to the login page.
If the request is not successful, we let the user know and reload the sign-up page.
If you save your code changes and visit the following URL: http://localhost:3000/signup.html, you should see the new sign up page. If you fill out the form and submit it, you should get the success message and you should be able to log in as that user.
With the sign-up page working, the last page we need to work on is the game page. The game page will contain all of the logic for our Phaser game, and it will also contain the logic for refreshing the jwt token. The Phaser game instance will be a simple game that displays a leaderboard, and this leaderboard will display the names and scores that are pulled from our database.
In the code above, we created a simple HTML page and we include the phaser.min.js file from the cdn. We then included two js files which will be created next: refreshToken.js and game.js. refreshToken.js will include all of the logic for getting the refresh token from the cookie and sending the POST request to get the new token. game.js will include all of the logic for our Phaser game instance.
In the code above, we created a new function called getCookie that accepts the name of a cookie as a parameter, and it will return the value of that cookie if it is found. We then created a new interval for calling the token endpoint we created every ten seconds.
Now, we just need to add the logic for our Phaser game instance. For the purpose of this tutorial, we will just show a simple leaderboard in our Phaser game instance and there will be no actual gameplay. For the leaderboard, we will be modifying the example code that is provided in the Phaser Labs here: Retro Leaderboard Example. If you are not familiar with Phaser Labs, it is a fantastic site that contains a large number of Phaser 3 examples.
First, we created two new variables: game and scores. game will be set to the Phase Game instance that will be created. scores will be the array of score values that is returned from the /scores endpoint.
We then created a new class called Highscore that extends the Phaser.Scene class.
Next, in the preload method, we loaded in a new bitmap font, and then in the create method, we added new bitmap text to the scene. This bitmap text will serve has the header row of the leaderboard.
Then, we loop through the scores array and add a new bitmap text row to the leaderboard. This row includes the user's name and high score. If there are less than five scores in the database, then we add a placeholder row to the leaderboard.
Finally, we created the Phaser config object and then used ajax to send a GET request to the /scores endpoint. Once we get a success response from the endpoint, we then store the results into the score variable and create the Phaser Game instance.
Now, we just need to add in the assets for the bitmap font, and then we can test the new game page. You can find the assets for the bitmap font here . Once you have downloaded the zip folder, unzip the folder and place the two files in the public/assets folder.
If you save your code changes and visit the following URL in your browser: http://localhost:3000/game.html, you should see an empty page and after a few seconds, you should get a message about you not being authorized.
If you click the ok button, you will be taken back to the login page. If you enter your credentials and click the sign in button, you should be taken to the game page and you should see the new leaderboard.
Now, if you create a few more users, use the /submit-score endpoint to update the score of a user, or use the MongoDB Atlas UI to modify the user data, you can refresh the game page and you should see those changes reflected in the leaderboard.
The last thing we need to do with the game page is we need to add the authentication middleware to this route on our server. Even though when the user is not authenticated, and they visit the game page they are being redirected, we should also add protection to this route on our server.
Now, if you save your code changes, restart your server, and visit the game page you should get an Unauthorized message and the client side HTML page is never rendered.
With the leaderboard now functional, that brings Part 4 of this tutorial series to an end. In the fifth and final part, we will wrap things up by adding in the logic for allowing a user to reset their password.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and found it helpful. If you have any questions, or suggestions on what we should cover next, please let us know in the comments below.


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Lady Thunder Excited To Release 2021-22 Basketball Schedule
The 2021-22 Women's Basketball schedule it all set and under second year head coach Mindy Eckert, the Lady Thunder are excited to get back on the court. Unlike last year, Manhattan Christian will be able start the season during the first semester with an exhibition game against Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas on October 30.
November will see a month of NAIA and Division II teams which will increase the level of competition to better prepare MCC. After a trip to play the University of Saint Mary on November 3, the Lady Thunder will open up at home November 5 & 6 in the first MCC Women's Basketball Classic. They will host Stephens College, Crowley's Ridge and NCCAA Regional team Randall University. The ladies will have four more contest before heading into Thanksgiving break; those consist of a trip to play Southwestern College on November 8, back-to-back home games on November 13 & 15 with Great Lakes Christian and Union College. They will then be ending with an exhibition game at Northwestern Oklahoma State University on the November 20.
Returning from Thanksgiving, MCC will play just three games before heading into a two-week break for Christmas. Once returned, Manhattan will play in a New Year Eve afternoon game against Baker University followed by a travel to Ottawa University on January 3, before diving deep into the Midwest Christian College Conference.
January 7 & 8 will be the MCCC Classic in Belton, MO where Emmaus Bible College and Faith Baptist await the Lady Thunder. A road game to Haviland, KS for a contest against Regular Season Conference Champs Barclay College will end a 5-game road trip before returning home January 15 to take on Central Christian College of the Bible. MCC will travel back to Belton, MO on the 18 but this time to play Calvary University. The Lady Thunder will then have 6 more home games, with one away game thrown in there, before ending the regular season at the house of the 2020-21 MCCC Tournament Champions, Ozark Christian College February 12.
The 2021-22 MCCC Tournament will take place at Moberly, MO February 17-19. If Manhattan Christian is to qualify for the NCCAA Southwest Region Tournament February 24-26, it will take place in Overland Park, KS.
For the full list of games click here


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Instagram via @isaacwrightjr
Convict Frees Himself From Prison and Reveals a Sinister Corruption Plot
By Ray Zhang
Isaac Wright Jr. moved closer to New York City to pursue his music career. But when the aspiring musician accidentally got wrapped up in a corruption scheme, things quickly took a tragic turn. This is his story.
Meet Isaac Wright Jr.
Meet Isaac Wright Jr., the attorney also known as the Giant Slayer. But the journey that led Isaac to a career in law was far from simple, so let's rewind to where it all began, on August 17, 1961, in the Sunshine State.
Isaac was born in Orlando, Florida to dad Isaac Wright Sr. and mom Sandra B. Wright. The young boy had quite a few siblings, which was probably comforting as the family moved around from city to city. Wright Sr. was a career military man and so the whole fam moved often.
A Star on the Rise
Isaac and his parents and siblings lived in many cities in the U.S., and even some international locations. But the fam came back to the U.S. for Wright Jr.'s high school years, and he went to Berkeley High School in South Carolina. Not too long after, he met one of the loves of his life.
Isaac and his beau tied the knot and welcomed a baby girl. And as the couple focused on raising their daughter, they also pursued their music dreams. Both Wright and his wifey wanted a career in the music industry, and it seemed that they were on the path to success. Until tragedy struck.
Making Money Moves
"Everything was going really, really, really good," Wright later recalled. "And sometime after it started going well for us, we decided to move to New Jersey." Both his and his wife's careers were doing well: she was part of a band called the Cover Girls and he landed a gig on the reality television show Star Search.
John Nacion/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
With the couple's careers taking off, they decided to up and move closer to New York City, where there were more opportunities. So the family of three settled in New Jersey and continued working hard, with Isaac ultimately opening his own record label called X-Press Records. But the good times didn't last long.
Reuniting With Old Friends
Like many people with hope of making it in the music world, Isaac thought that moving closer to the Big Apple would make his dreams a reality. And for some time, it seemed to prove true. But Wright was about to get wrapped up in some seriously sketchy business. It began when he reunited with some old NYC friends.
"A lot of them were not on the up and up," he said. Little did Isaac know that the police were investigating a crime and zooming in on his pals. "A group of police officers took down certain license plate numbers, and they started investigating those individuals," Wright recalled.
He Became a Target
Unfortunately, one of those license plate numbers belonged to Isaac. "So that's actually how I came to be on [the police's] radar and initially got targeted," he explained. According to him, the prosecutor's office in NYC at the time was focused on wealthier people and Wright's rising success in music caught their attention.
YouTube via Deb Kersey
"Tie that in with this scheme, and then eventually, I was arrested,"' he detailed. In 1989, Isaac was charged for being part of a trafficking ring. Not only that but he was named the kingpin of the operation. And under New Jersey's Drug Kingpin Law at the time, that meant he could potentially spend his entire life in prison.
Searching for a Lawyer
Isaac suddenly found himself off of the streets of New York, out of the studio, and in a jail cell. He couldn't believe the turn his life suddenly took. Yet no matter how much Wright insisted he was innocent, the police didn't budge. It became clear that Isaac would not be getting out of this easily.
YouTube via History vs. Hollywood
So the young dad searched for a lawyer to prove his innocence. "I interviewed some attorneys and they said the best I could do was twenty years," he recalled. "'You plead guilty and you get 20 years, you plead guilty and you get 15 years.' That's the lowest time I heard.'"
He Represented Himself
Isaac couldn't believe what he was hearing. The musician knew he was innocent, yet attorney after attorney told him the same thing: over a decade of prison time was coming his way, regardless of what happened in court. But Wright wasn't ready to give in to the system so easily.
"I decided at that moment that if I was going to prison, I wasn't going to pay someone to send me to prison," he said. "I decided to put the gloves on, string up the boots, and get into the fight myself." What exactly did Isaac mean by that? Despite having no experience in the field, he would be representing himself in the court of law.
Two Long Years
It was a wild decision, but Wright felt it was his only choice. "I knew early on that I was going to prison for the rest of my life and there was nothing that no one was going to be able to do to help me," he explained. So why put his fate in someone else's hand if no one believed his innocence?
So Isaac hit the books. And Wright had plenty of time on his hands as he spent two years detained before getting his date in court. But the truth was, he could use every minute of those two years because he spent it learning law in order to represent himself in the upcoming trial.
The Big Day Finally Arrived
Finally, two years after Isaac's world was completely turned upside down, his court date arrived. After endless hours spent teaching himself the law, it was time to put his new skills and knowledge to the test. But this was no practice run - Wright's destiny was at stake. Would he spend the rest of his life in prison?
Buyenlarge / Contributor via Getty Images
It seemed the odds were not in his favor. "Everyone on the witness stand at trial, there were people up there and I had no clue who they were. I had never seen them a day in my life, and they were pointing the finger at me saying that I was their boss," Wright recalled.
A Guilty Verdict
The musician-turned-detainee was desperate to prove his innocence. But as one stranger after another took to the stand and claimed he was the mastermind behind the crime, his shot at freedom seemed further and further out of reach. Isaac wouldn't believe what was happening.
Walter G Allgower/Imagebroker/Shutterstock
After a difficult trial, Wright received heart-wrenching news: the court declared him guilty. The worst-case scenario happened as he was sentenced to life in prison, with eligibility for parole after a whopping thirty years. The man who moved to the city that never sleeps to pursue his music dreams wouldn't see beyond a prison yard.
Time on His Hands
Despite his innocence and not recognizing a single witness who took the stand, Isaac suddenly found himself in a maximum-security prison. But he wasn't about to give up: Wright continued studying the law with plans to eventually appeal his case and hopefully regain freedom.
And he didn't keep the knowledge to himself - Isaac became a prison paralegal and helped other wrongfully convicted peers. "The act of representing other prisoners who were also wronged was a part of me fighting them back and getting them back for what they had done to me," Wright said.
Wright's Prosecutor Faced Charges
Wright was devastated over the loss of his life as he knew it, but the wrongful conviction also fueled a fire inside of him. The man wanted justice, for himself and for others. As Isaac studied the law and helped other inmates, chaos was brewing outside the prison...
Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock
The New Jersey prosecutor involved in Isaac's case, Nicholas Bissell, suddenly faced legal charges, too. The attorney was accused of abuse of power, mail fraud, and tax evasion. By September 1995, Bissell was facing a whopping thirty federal charges. And then things got even more complicated.
A Man on the Run
The state of New Jersey was looking at one of its biggest corruption cases ever. After many years in power, the truth was revealed about prosecutor Nicholas Bissell and the news took the Garden State by storm. Roughly a year after the story broke, the court came to a decision.
Facebook via Somerset New Jersey Prosecutor Nicholas Bissell and his Reign of Terror
Nicholas was found guilty of all thirty charges and would have to serve six to ten years in prison. But, unlike Isaac, the former prosecutor awaited the court's verdict at home, under the supervision of a tracking electronic bracelet. And this proved to be a fatal mistake...
Bissell's Standoff
Nicholas removed the electronic bracelet on November 18, 1996. Of course, the authorities were immediately notified, but it was too late - he was officially on the run. It wasn't long before the authorities and anyone following the news was on the lookout for the corrupt attorney.
Facebook via Matthew McKenna
Police ultimately found Bissell in a hotel far from New Jersey, in Nevada. The events that followed proved deadly: as the police negotiated with Nicholas and asked him to safely and peacefully come outside, Bissell took his own life. And things only got more twisted from there.
They Offered Him a Deal
As New Jersey faced its biggest corruption scandal yet, Isaac focused on his own situation and how to get out of it. And an earlier case he fought for one of his fellow inmates proved useful to his conviction. In the 1993 case of State v. Alexander, Wright created a new legal theory that attacked the New Jersey Kingpin Law.
The argument was successful in the 1993 trial and ultimately became law. The result? Isaac's own kingpin conviction was overturned and his life sentence was removed. But he still faced various other convictions and up to seventy years in prison. And then they offered him a life-changing deal...
Wright got his kingpin conviction overturned over technicalities, but he still faced other charges that pretty much guaranteed spending almost his whole life in prison. And then prosecutors came to him with an offer: Isaac could go home in two years if he admitted to certain things.
But he said no - Isaac was not admitting to crimes he didn't commit. "I was not about to give them a single second of my life," Wright said. "I'd rather spend the rest of my life in prison trying to get out even though I could be home in two years than to give them another second of my life. So I rolled the dice."
Representing Himself, Again
Isaac rejected the prosecutor's deal and went right back to his routine of studying the law and preparing to appeal his case. With the kingpin conviction out of the picture, he focused his energies on getting rid of all the other charges that stacked up to seventy years in prison.
YouTube via CBS Local News
The self-taught lawyer motioned the court for Post Conviction Relief, stating that there was police and prosecutorial misconduct in his original case. It was during the trial for these claims that things finally started to look up. But it took a shocking turn of events to get there.
A Shocking Confession
Never in a million years could Isaac have predicted what happened when veteran police detective James Dugan took the stand at his Post Conviction Relief hearing. As Wright cross-examined the Dugan, the latter suddenly began to cry. What he then said changed everything.
James confessed to what seemed like endless police corruption. The late prosecutor Nicholas Bissell had made secret pacts with defense attorneys who encouraged their clients to testify against Isaac - despite never having met him before - in exchange for shorter sentences. And that wasn't all.
A Second Chance... Kind Of
James also admitted that the evidence allegedly found in Wright's possession, which led to his convictions, was planted by the police, along with secret listening devices. It was all a part of the late Bissell's plan to become a prosecutor with a tough and fearful reputation.
It seemed that finally, after almost a decade in prison, the truth was coming to light. Isaac knew the entire time that he was innocent but the truth about the corruption involved was still shocking. People had knowingly and intentionally put an innocent man in prison. Wright was granted a new trial - or so he thought.
Tasting Freedom
The court granted him a new trial but, thanks to the bureaucracy and complications of the legal system, that it was postponed indefinitely. But after the shocking confessions of deep corruption, the judge in charge didn't believe Isaac deserved to see more time in a prison cell and let him out on bail.
The bail cost $250,000 but Wright's loved ones, who followed his entire journey and believed in his innocence, soon raised enough moolah. More than seven years after first stepping foot into prison, the innocent man was let out on bail. It seemed that the end was finally near. But this end would prove to be another beginning.
He Continued His Studies
Once Wright was out on bail, an investigation proved the corruption claims were true and, in turn, Isaac's innocence. He was truly free after almost a decade of battling the false verdicts. But his time in the courtroom was far from over - Wright had developed a deep passion for justice.
But while he had plenty of knowledge on the law, Isaac was not recognized as a lawyer by the state. The high school graduate needed to go back to school and take the traditional path into the legal field. And that's exactly what Wright did: he got a Bachelor's from Thomas Edison State University and then went to law school at St. Thomas University.
A Nine-Year Ordeal
"It was an incredible feeling and a sickening feeling," Isaac said of his time in law school. "I went through that system, but I'm a better part of that system." Despite his conflicting feelings, Wright completed law school and later took the New Jersey Bar Exam in order to practice law in the state.
Isaac passed the tough exam in 2008 and officially had everything he needed to be a lawyer. Or so he thought. The American Bar Association saw his stellar grades and passing Bar score, but they also saw something else: a criminal history. Year after year, Wright waited for an answer.
It Was Official
Even after an investigation proved Isaac was the innocent victim of a deep corruption scheme, the American Bar Association hesitated to let him practice the law. Finally, after a grueling nine years and endless attempts to convince them, Wright got approved as a lawyer.
The musician turned lawyer was sworn in in 2017, nearly thirty years after his arrest on false charges. Isaac soon had a position at Hunt, Hamlin and Ridley, a New Jersey law office. "I became the system in a way that was triumphant," he said. But a chance encounter would soon take him beyond the courtroom and into Hollywood.
A Case Like No Other
For the most part, Isaac focused his energies on helping people with similar cases to his, as in others who were charged with false accusations. But when an old friend came by seeking legal guidance for totally different reasons, Wright became intrigued.
Isaac's old pal had a fight club in New York that was currently run illegally. He was looking to legalize the business for many reasons, one of them being that 50 Cent said he would perform at the venue only if it became legal. And so Wright did what previous lawyers had been unable to do and he got the proper licenses. And met 50 Cent.
A Celeb Friendship
Much to the fight club owner's relief, Curtis Jackson kept his promise and blessed the venue with a legendary performance. And, naturally, the man who made it all possible got to meet the famous rapper. Isaac came to see the show and got to chatting with 50 Cent.
Manny Carabel / Stringer via Getty Images
And things got deep pretty quickly as Wright told 50 all about his journey in the legal system and the unbelievable corruption that landed him a life sentence. "It's like a unicorn," the artist said of Isaac's experience. "It's not like one in a million - it's like there is only one." And Jackson didn't wanna keep this unicorn to himself...
Hitting the Small Screen
Wright's story touched 50 Cent and got a permanent place in his mind. The rapper couldn't stop thinking about Isaac's perseverance and the injustices that forced him to be so strong - and all of the other people who faced and continued facing the same exact thing.
So Curtis had a brilliant idea: take Wright's story to the small screen. A television series that would entertain and educate viewers on the system's injustices. And with a stellar reputation as an artist, it didn't take long for a television network to grab onto 50 Cent's project.
An Executive Producer
ABC Network agreed to portray Wright's story in a series. And the man himself would take an active role in telling his truth; Isaac joined 50 Cent and others as Executive Producers of the show, titled For Life. But taking such an active role in the creation process proved difficult for him.
Cindy Ord / Staff via Getty Images
"Through this process, I've never really had the chance to reflect on my own pain," Wright explained. "I spent so much time fighting that I didn't take the time to reflect on what I was actually going through. [The show] brought back experiences that were very emotional for me." Despite the pain, or maybe because of it, Isaac felt more motivated than ever.
The man who moved to New Jersey to fulfill his musical dreams was far from where he started. The tragic events that landed him in jail led him away from music and into law, where Wright felt he could really make a difference. And Isaac took his talents and knowledge way beyond the courtroom and the film studio.
Noam Galai / Contributor via Getty Images
In addition to his positions with For Life and Hunt, Hamlin and Ridley, Wright did work beyond the borders of the United States. He raised millions of dollars in investment money for infrastructure and energy projects internationally, from Mexico to Nigeria. And he wasn't done there.
Running for Mayor
By the end of 2020, Isaac was ready to take his experiences, knowledge, and passion one step further and get involved in politics. He announced in December his run for mayor of New York City and focused his campaign on things like school desegregation and homelessness.
"This campaign is motivated by the voices of the citizens of New York City," he said at the time. "We aim to give voters a greater choice, a stronger voice, increase representation, and more opportunities for a sustainable way of life." Unfortunately, Wright didn't win. But we have a feeling he's just getting started.
"All Answers Are Within You"
Wright has lived a life like no other: he went from being an aspiring musician to a falsely charged convict, to a lawyer, executive producer, and mayoral candidate. And while For Life was canceled after two seasons, the series spread much awareness and Isaac continues to do the same.
Marcus Ingram / Contributor via Getty Images
Wright wants people to know his story and learn from it. According to him, his life journey is about "hope and inspiration." At the same time, it's also about "the understanding that all the answers to all your questions and your challenges are within you. All you have to do is dig deep."


A limited edition double blind box set of Skybound Minis, featuring Rick from The Walking Dead and Invincible from the self titled series. The minis were designed by Scott Tolleson and will be limited to 5000 sets. With six possible colors for each figure, each box is a mystery.


You can register to vote by completing an online application, printing and mailing it to the Voter Registrar of your county. The Voter Registrar's address will appear at the top of the online application after submitting your information from the fill-in-the blanks screen. The Voter Registrar will process your application and, if approved, your registration will be effective 30 days after submission.
Alternatively, you may register in person at the county Voter Registrar's office.


When disability hits a family, everyone is affected. Taking care of a family member with disability can take a toll on the person's assigned caregiver. Before my mom underwent coronary artery bypass graft last June 2010, she was having frequent tachycardia and chest pains. Her cardiologist told us she was already a dead (wo)man walking because she could suffer a heart attack anytime; her heart arteries were 80 to 90 percent blocked, and we still had to raise the money needed for her surgery.
My dad, who was her sole caregiver then, could not leave her side out of fear that something might happen to my mom. At that time, you can consider my mom a disabled person because she could no longer care for herself, having suffered a minor stroke, too, in 2007, which weakened the right side of her body. Transporting her to and from the hospital was difficult. We had to make sure she was comfortable where she was seated because we didn't want her to suffer anymore than she already was.
Families out there who are experiencing the same problem we did would be glad to know that there is help available for them and for their disabled loved ones. NMEDA is a non-profit association of mobility dealers, manufacturers and rehabilitation professionals that helps in providing safe driving and equipment for disabled persons.
NMEDA does not sell anything, but they have dealers (members) who sell handicap vans and vehicle modifications for people with disability. Their dealers (members) strictly follow the safety standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NMEDA has dealers and Quality Assurance Program (QAP) dealers. The Quality Assurance Program (QAP) is the only accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry that is nationally recognized. QAP dealers are required to follow strict guidelines that promote optimum safety and performance.
With NMEDA, your disabled loved ones can travel on their own without you fearing for their safety and security. If you're looking for a qualified NMEDA dealer near your place, just go to their website and type in your zip code or postal code, or if you want, you can search by state or province. It's that easy! Then, you can comment on this post to let me know your closest qualified dealer.
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TV Networks Struggle With Increasing Ad Complexity: Furious' Swartz
VIEQUES, PR — TV companies are trying to adapt to a world in which the sale of their advertising is being up-ended by new possibilities – but doing so involves challenges as incumbent workflows are not up to the job.
That is according to one ad exec turned software founder, hoping to help solve some of those problems.
"We're all looking for ways, across the entirety of the television ecosystem, to better productize premium products, to continue to grow and to create more revenue," says Furious Corp CEO Ashley J. Swartz in this video interview with Beet.TV.
But Swartz also sees a problem. "As you add more products and audience segments and that gets increasingly more difficult, the reality is Excel can't be the tool that powers that business," she says.
So Swartz's Furious – headquartered in Israel and operational in the US – developed Prophet, a software-as-a-service platform aiming to help customers see inventory, sales and audience data from multiple channels, all in one place.
Earlier in March, Fox, Viacom and Turner teamed to form OpenAP, a system in which they will allow ad buyers to define audience segments that are targetable across the networks, not just individually, whilst NBC plans to sell $1bn of its upfront inventory through its own Audience Targeting Platform.
That is part of the revolution Swartz is talking about. "The productization, pricing and management of inventory – all those really difficult business operational workflows – is exactly what we built Prophet to address," Swartz says.
"There's a huge opportunity for us to step in and do what we've seen a lot of other industries, (introducing) systems that connect enterprise and automate workflow, use data, math and data science to ensure that, at all times, you are maximising the yield of all your portfolio of advertising products across all your channels, markets and customers."
This video is part of a series produced at the Beet.TV Executive Retreat in Vieques. The event and series is presented by Videology and 605. For more videos from the series, please visit this page.
By Robert Andrews on March 29, 2017 @robertandrews
Beet Retreat '17 Vieques, presented by Videology with 605, Uncategorized
Share: TV Networks Struggle With Increasing Ad Complexity: Furious' Swartz


Mad Billy is a one-finger-tap jump&run designed in HTML5. Use the touchscreen of your mobile device or the keyboard to navigate Mad Billy through a temple filled with traps. Collect gold and artifacts and try to stay alive.
Navigate Mad Billy through a temple filled with traps and monsters. Collect as many treasures as possible.


John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston may have kept quiet about their relationship while they were in it – but the singer is certainly opening up now it's over.
Mayer had nothing but praise for his ex when OK! magazine caught up with him as he left a gym in New York's SoHo neighbourhood.
'There's no lying, there's no cheating, there's no nothing,' he said, adding: 'Jennifer Aniston is the smartest, most sophisticated person I think I have ever met.
The pair's whirlwind romance began in April and they split earlier this week. Since the break-up, they have settled into their separate lives on different sides of the country.


Even though the majority of sustainability professionals design systems to elevate people, planet and prosperity, most of society thinks they want to sacrifice prosperity for environmental protection.
and fosters a stalemate that delays progress.
That's why Vermillion believes it's critical to bring this idea of 'people, planet, prosperity' into the mainstream—and why we developed a campaign to advance this theme with accurate, high-impact messages, in order to garner public and business support for sustainability. If you see any fits between your objectives and ours, contact us to learn how to help spread the word.
Vermillion industry forums engage with experts to identify what's working.
Multi-stakeholder roundtables then work to find fits that elevate everyone.


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Unseen Morrissey photos taken in a photo booth up for sale on ebay
With the Viva Hate reissue less than a week away (out on 2 April in the UK) one opportunistic ebay seller is offering three original photos of Morrissey from the late '70s "when he was involved in the running of the UK New York Dolls fan club".
As can be seen from the pictures, the quiff and the 'look' were all present and correct at this early stage.
Should you be interested in purchasing just one of these original photos, there is a 'buy-it-now' price on the auction of £475. About the same price as it would cost you to pick up The Smiths Complete Super Deluxe Edition.
Later this week look out for our interview with Stephen Street where he discusses the Viva Hate album in detail.
Story source: morrissey-solo.com
T'Pau
Essential 3CD
3CD set • UK
Morrissey / I Am Not A Dog On A Chain
Morrissey will release a new album, I Am Not A Dog On A Chain, in…
This Is Morrissey / new compilation
Parlophone will issue This Is Morrissey, a new single-disc Morrissey compilation in July.
Saturday Deluxe / 23 September 2017
Albert Hammond (not the one in The Strokes) wows London audience Well, it's been…
Morrissey's new album on green vinyl
HMV and indie retailers offering exclusive green vinyl If the vaguely ludicrous number…


Sometimes you just get lucky. A friend had shown me this location in the Texas Hill Country, but we'd waited to visit until the flow of water was just right. After heavy rains from weeks prior, the river had risen, then dropped. On this night, all elements of the image came together - water, color, wind, and sky. With turquoise falls below me and an amazing sunset peeking through the trees and spreading light rays into the fading thunderheads, I knew this landscape of the Texas landscape of cascading water would be special.
This image is available in sizes larger than 36x24. Please contact me for more information.


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Hollywood Attractions, LA Restaurants, LA Tourist Attractions
Eat the Fettuccine Alfredo Pickford and Fairbanks Brought to America
September 2, 2018 / No Comments
One of the coolest places to visit if you are on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is the one no one told you about.
I'm betting not one Visit LA, or Things to Do in Hollywood website or brochure told you to make it a point to eat in the restaurant where silent film stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford brought the recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo to America.
It's called the Musso & Frank Grill and it's on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6667 Hollywood Blvd, just east of Las Palmas Ave. The Musso & Frank Grill's was opened in 1919 by entrepreneur Frank Toulet, restaurateur Joseph Musso and the French chef Jean Rue. Its history is as rich and colorful as Hollywood itself.
Fairbanks and Pickford weren't the only stars that hung out there. Charlie Chaplin, whose studio was just down the road, ate there so much he had his own booth. Other celebrities that hung out there include Greta Garbo, Rudolph Valentino, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, Jimmy Stewart, and Marilyn Monroe, and the list goes on.
The restaurant's back room hosted the glitziest private parties in Hollywood. It was also a second home to some of the greatest writers in American history. Regulars included influential writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Raymond Chandler, John O'Hara, T.S. Elliot, and Dorothy Parker.
How Fettuccine Alfredo Came to America
Fettuccine Alfredo was actually invented by Chef Alfredo di Lelio in 1914 for his pregnant wife who had terrible morning sickness. It was about the only thing she could eat. It was so delicious he added it to the menu of his small restaurant on the Via della Scrofa in Rome.
In 1920, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford went to Rome on their honeymoon and ate at Alfredo's cafe. The stars tried the dish, which was then called pasta al burro, and loved it so much they asked for the recipe.
The newlywed silent film stars brought the recipe to the he Musso and Frank Grill. Then the Hollywood restaurant of the stars. Fairbanks and Pickford sent Alfredo and his wife a gold fork and spoon, engraved with the words "To Alfredo, the King of the Noodles." Hollywood papers reported on the gift, which also included a photo of the two stars in the restaurant, and pretty soon, Alfredo's restaurant in Rome became a tourist destination, which you can still visit today.
The publicity resulted in Angelenos flocking to the Musso & Frank Grill to try the hot new Italian dish and Fettuccine Alfredo was soon an American favorite.
The Musso & Frank Grill website tells the story slightly differently:
Silent film stars Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were frequent guests at Musso's. While on their honeymoon in Rome, they dined at Alfredo's restaurant and after tasting the Fettucine Alfredo, they begged Alfredo for the recipe. He declined them. The next night the newlyweds again dined at Alfredo's and presented a golden fork and spoon to Alfredo. This time they got the recipe and brought it back to Hollywood. They asked Musso's chef, Jean Rue, to make the dish. He often prepared it specially for the famous couple, but the dish was never added to the menu. We now proudly serve the ORIGINAL Fettucine Alfredo as prepared for Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.
So there you have it. Obviously you will want to add the Musso & Frank Grill to your Things to do in Hollywood bucket list so you can taste the ORIGINAL Fettuccine Alfredo that Pickford and Fairbanks loved so much!
This site does contain some affiliate ad links from various companies including Amazon and I do earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. I try to only recommend products and services I believe are of good value.
Douglas FairbanksFettuccine AlfredoHollywood RestaurantHollywood tourist attractionshollywood walk of famela landmarksla restaurantsLos Angeles LandmarksMary PickfordMusso & Frank Grillthings to do in Hollywoodthings to do in LA
By MarkLA
LA Attractions: Santa Monica Chess Park
The Historic Orpheum Theatre in DTLA
Biden Says California is His Inspiration for Running the Nation – That Should Terrify You!


Du Pont de Nemours was interested in everything from the natural sciences to literature. He was a member of the Physiocratic school in the 1760s, working with Turgot when he was a provincial intendants and later minister. He was elected a deputy to the Third Estate in the French Revolution, but fled to America to escape persecution, where he met Jefferson. He returned to France and was well-known for his opposition to Napoleon's regime.


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Capital Region High School Sports Awards: 12 honorees for boys cross country
The State Journal-Register will host the Capital Region High School Sports Awards at the end of this school year on July 8.
It will recognize student-athletes from the SJ-R area and this year's program will broadcast online featuring the biggest names in professional sports.
Honorees for state sanctioned sports will be announced throughout the year. More information about the event may be found on the Capital Region High School Sports Awards website.
Here are this year's 12 male honorees for boys cross country, with six spots designated for both Large School and Small School.
Players of the Year will be announced during the awards show.
LARGE SCHOOL HONOREES
CHRIS CHERRY, Taylorville (Sr.)
The State Journal-Register's reigning Large School Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year made a strong case for a second such award. He won nine of 10 races, including the Class 2A Taylorville Regional with his season-best time of 15:35.5. The next week, he finished second in the Olney Richland County Sectional at 15:44.8. He also won the Apollo Conference championship in 15:39.7.
SAMSON DESSALINES, Chatham Glenwood (Jr.)
Aided the Titans' second-place showing in the Class 2A Olney Richland County Sectional with a 21st-place finish in 16:39.42. He was fourth in the 2.9-mile Jacksonville Regional at 15:24.75.
THOMAS HERBST, Chatham Glenwood (Sr.)
Followed up a second-place finish — 15:23.4 — in the 2.9-mile 2A Jacksonville Regional with a 14th-place showing in the Olney Richland County Sectional in 16:26.7.
MATT HERREN, Rochester (Sr.)
Ran a 15:24.8 in the 2.9-mile 2A Jacksonville Regional where he finished third — and Rochester placed second in the team standings — then backed that up with a fourth-place finish in the Olney Richland County Sectional with a time of 15:52.3.
AIDAN PETERSON, Chatham Glenwood (Sr.)
Led the Titans to a Class 2A Jacksonville Regional title by winning the individual championship in 15:21.99, at 2.9 miles. In the Olney Richland County Sectional, he finished 10th in 16:17.76.
CAMERON SMITH, Chatham Glenwood (Sr.)
After he placed sixth in the 2.9-mile 2A Jacksonville Regional at 15:50.2, he was 15th in the Olney Richland County Sectional with a time of 16:26.75.
SMALL SCHOOL HONOREES
TYLER BICKERMAN, Rushville-Industry (Soph.)
Ran his personal best in the Class 1A Liberty Regional where his time of 16:42.1 gave him a sixth-place finish. He ran an almost identical time — 16:42.5 — in the Elmwood Sectional for a 23rd-place finish. He had one second-place showing and two thirds during the regular season and was sixth at the West Central Conference Meet.
ADAM BOHM, Havana (Sr.)
In nine races, his lowest showing was a fifth-place finish at the Class 1A Elmwood Sectional with a time of 15:57.9. He finished first six times and second two other times, including a runner-up place in the Liberty Regional at 16:07.2.
WILL CARLILE, Litchfield (Sr.)
Followed up his fifth-place performance in the Class 1A Carlinville Regional — 16:45.1 — with a 29th-place finish in the St. Teresa Sectional at 17:12.0. In the South Central Conference Meet, Carlile placed eighth in 18:09.
ISAAC CRUMRINE, Riverton (Fr.)
The Sangamo Conference's individual champion, this freshman won seven of the eight Sangamo triangular meets. He finished eighth overall (15:50.8) on the 2.9-mile Class 1A Petersburg PORTA Regional course and was 48th in the Elmwood Sectional (17:18).
ZACH FALES, Lutheran (Sr.)
In the 2.9-mile Class 1A Petersburg PORTA Regional, he ran 15:17.9 for a third-place finish. The following week in the Elmwood Sectional, he finished 15th overall in 16:27.9.
JAKE GUTZMAN, South County (Jr.)
He saved his best race of the season for the last, with a 16:44.1 in the Class 1A Elmwood Sectional where he finished 26th. The week prior, he placed seventh in the Liberty Regional with a time of 16:46.9.


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Romain Humeau (born 10 April 1971) is a French musician best known for being the lead singer of the French band Eiffel.

Biography
Romain was born on 10 April 1971 in Aix-en-Provence, France. He spent his early childhood in Nérac before leaving in 1978. His father was a harpsichord maker and his mother was a flutist. He started learning the violin at the age of 5.

 He studied music at the Conservatoire de Toulouse from 1989 to 1994. He is married to Eiffel band mate Estelle Humeau.

Career

Eiffel
Humeau was a member of the band Oobik and the Pucks, that formed in 1995. It was after serious differences with their record label that the band reformed to become Eiffel in 1998. Eiffel saw success in France with their 2006 album Tandoori which peaked at 36 in the France Albums Top 150, spending 5 weeks on the charts. In 2009 Eiffel released À tout moment. They recorded the song Le Temps des cerises in collaboration with Serge Teyssot-Gay and Bertrand Cantat, from the group Noir Désir to promote the album's release. The album peaked at 16 on the France Albums Top 150. The group launched itself on a tour, starting 29 October 2009 in Saint-Étienne. Their most successful album Foule Monstre (2012) peaked at number 9 on the France Albums Top 150 and reached 78 on Swiss Albums Top 100. The Foule Monstre tour saw the band tour in France, Belgium and Switzerland.

Solo career
Humeau released his debut solo album in 2005. Titled L'eternité De L'instant, it peaked at 96 in the France Top 150 Albums Following the album's release he toured France. He took a 10-year break from his solo career following L'eternité De L'instant. He returned with Vendredi ou les limbes du Pacifique in 2015. It was a commercial flop, failing to feature on the charts. The only album of his solo career to not feature on the France Top 150 Albums Chart. He followed up with Mousquetaire #1, a far more successful album reaching 67 on the France Top 150 Albums Chart. This to date is his most successful solo album. He released his fourth solo album Mousquetaire #2 in 2018, which performed worse than his previous album, charting at 145 in the France Top 150 Albums Chart. He toured France and Belgium shortly after the release of Mousquetaire #2. In September 2020, Humeau released his fifth solo, studio album Echos.

Discography

With Eiffel

Albums
Studio
 2001: Abricotine (EMI 850696)
 2002: Le Quart d'heure des ahuris (EMI/Virgin 8132452)
 2007: Tandoori (EMI 384801)
 2009: À tout moment (PIAS RECORDINGS 894769)
 2012: Foule monstre
 2019: Stupor machine
Live
 2004: Les Yeux fermés (double album) (Labels 576607)

EPs
 1999: L'Affaire (EP)
 2000: Abricotine & Quality Street (EP)
 2006: Ma Part D'Ombre (EP)

DVDs
 2004: Live aux Eurockéennes de Belfort 2003

Solo work
Studio albums
 2005: L'Éternité De L'Instant
 2015: Vendredi Ou Les Limbes Du Pacifique
 2016: Mousquetaire #1
 2018: Mousquetaire#2
 2020: Echos

References

1971 births
Living people
French male singers
French rock singers


Posted: 2017-01-16 07:21:00	by Metro Networks, Inc.
(Portland, OR) -- Triple-A is reporting slightly gasoline prices in the Portland area. The average for a gallon of regular is two-57, a penny above the average of a week ago. The national average for regular is two-34 a gallon.


Here you will find discussion papers that explain various data sets and also examples of published papers that use RDC data.
Although the US Census has not cataloged RDC papers by topic or data set, these Research Bulletins summarize each RDC project that was accepted in a given year.
Each RDC project must contribute to the CES Working Paper series. These papers show the range of possibilities offered by RDC data.


Riding high as renowned champion for years, Cars 3 finds racing legend Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris) being pushed out of the limelight by a new generation of hotshot racers. Recognizing times are a-changin', McQueen teams with an enthusiastic trainer, Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo, Cristela), to prove he still has what it takes to go the distance.
Reverting back to the bluegrass roots of its originator, Cars 3 comes full circle as Lightning McQueen, the once arrogant rookie turned lovable champ, becomes the aging pro to face his biggest and most emotional challenge yet. Continuing to enjoy a successful winning streak and unanimous respect amongst his peers, McQueen and others of his breed are quickly sideswiped by a new crop of determined and technologically superior vehicles with their eyes on racing glory. Rattled by the speed and cockiness of his new foe, Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer, The Lone Ranger), and the retirements of longtime pals, McQueen begins to feel his time may also be up after suffering a near fatal wreck. Recovering in Radiator Springs and longing for guidance from his late mentor Doc Hudson, McQueen's spirits are lifted by his Route 66 family and his determination renewed by new Rust-eze owner, Sterling (Nathan Fillion, Castle). Teamed with spunky motivational trainer Cruz Ramirez, McQueen, through soul-searching and additional support from Doc Hudson's mentor Smokey (Chris Cooper, The Muppets), navigates his way through the evolving world of racing while learning to see a future beyond just his own career.
Ditching the sillier espionage hijinks of its predecessor, Cars 3 is a leaps and bounds improvement, reverting the spotlight back onto Lightning McQueen in a tale that resonates with an aging audience who have grown much since happening upon Radiator Springs a decade ago. While humor is in noticeably shorter supply with franchise mainstays such as, McQueen bestie Mater (Larry the Cable Guy, Jingle All the Way 2) surprisingly regulated to background decoration, the third installment recaptures the small-town charms and big city dreams that was sorely lacking in its internationally sprawling and mindlessly mundane sequel. Taking over directorial duties from John Lasseter, longtime Pixar storyboard artist Brian Fee (Cars, WALL-E) paints a picturesque installment with photorealistic animation including, the most devastatingly heart wrenching sequence of the series and a tender core that reaffirms audiences deep-rooted love for these chatty cars. Incorporating flashback sequences and previously recorded dialogue from Paul Newman as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, Cars 3 is a lightning fast return to form for the series that, in its presumable last lap, whizzes past the finishing line as the best effort since its 2006 debut.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment presents Cars 3 with a pristine 1080p transfer, fitted in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Sparkling from start to finish, the wide spectrum of unique car colors burst off the screen while finer details appearing in rust and asphalt boast equal levels of crisp quality. Matching its glorious high-definition picture, the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 excels during high-speed races and heart-pounding wrecks with dialogue exchanges rightly prioritized for ideal listening. Sprawled across two discs, special features on Disc 1 include, an in-depth Audio Commentary with Director Brian Fee, Co-Producer Andrea Warren and Creative Director Jay Ward, Lou (6:43), Pixar's latest short film about a schoolyard's magical lost-and-found bin and Miss Fritter's Racing Sckoool (5:40), an exclusive new mini-movie/commercial attracting cars on how to get their mojo back. Furthermore, Ready for the Race (5:40) sits down with actual race car driver William Byron on his passion for the sport and Cruz Ramirez: The Yellow Car That Could (7:46) takes a deeper look into the evolution and vocal talent attached to Lightning McQueen's new coach. Lastly, Sneak Peeks at Disney Movie Rewards (0:20), Descendants 2 (0:32), Dolphins (1:16), Coco (1:37), Olaf's Frozen Adventure (1:34) and The Walt Disney Signature Collection (1:33) are also provided.
Meanwhile, Disc 2 kicks off with an extensive five-part Behind the Scenes featurette including, Generations: The Story of Cars 3 (11:20), Let's. Get. Crazy (7:41), Cars to Die(cast) For (5:21), Legendary (11:22) and World's Fastest Billboard (5:30) that explores the film's tricky development, new and returning characters, the making of the toys based on the film and the many logos and faux brands implemented in the sequel. Furthermore, Fly Throughs puts viewers in the driver seat for some of the film's digital environments including, Thomasville (1:10), Florida International Speedway (0:37) and Rust-Eze Racing Center (0:56). My First Car finds cast and crew participants discussing their very own first ride in A Green Car on the Red Carpet with Kerry Washington (1:53), Old Blue (1:21) and Still in the Family (2:16). Also included, Deleted Scenes (26:17) with optional director introduction, Trailers featuring Crash - North American Teaser (0:56), Icon - North American Trailer (2:33), Theatrical Payoff - Japan Trailer (2:02), All New - International Teaser (0:31) and Rivalry - Global Trailer (2:10). Finally, Promos for Cars D'Oeuvres (4:27) and Cars Reveals spotlighting the characters of Lightning McQueen (0:39), Cruz Ramirez (0:41) and Jackson Storm (0:39) close out the on-disc supplemental content while a DVD edition and Digital HD Code are also included.
Speeding onto home video as Pixar's next anticipated effort lights up theaters, Cars 3 is a true return to form for the franchise once thought to be left in the dust. An endearing tale about the trials of aging gracefully, Lightning McQueen's last lap is one that sends viewers off into the sunset with warm memories of the residents of Radiator Springs. Unsurprisingly, Disney has once again ensured an extravagant audio and visual presentation while its bonus content covers considerable ground for fans of behind the scenes happenings.
Available November 7th from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Cars 3 can be purchased via Amazon.com and other fine retailers.


WCF Ltd, Crawhall, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 1TN (trading as The Classic Boutique) ("We", "the Company", "The Classic Boutique") are committed to protecting and respecting the confidentiality, integrity and security of the personal information we hold about each past or present customer, enquirer or visitor to our website ("you", "your").
fulfilling our legal and fiduciary responsibilities.
Where you have given your consent for the processing of your personal data.
Where we rely on consent to send marketing communications, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting our customer services department or updating your marketing preferences online.
We may disclose personal data to third parties who are providing services to us, in particular to the IT companies that support our order processing and ecommerce systems, to the mailing houses and postal services that distribute our catalogues and products and to payment processors for the purposes of order payments and refunds. We also regularly de-dupe our customer databases against the Mail Preference Service and register of deceased and gone aways to ensure that our database is as accurate as it can be and that we are not mailing those customers who do not wish to be contacted.
We have no desire to contact those customers or enquirers who do not wish to receive marketing correspondence from ourselves or carefully selected third parties. We rely on freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous statements from our customers which signifies your agreement to the processing of your personal data for marketing purposes.
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We utilise data profiling to evaluate customer data to enable us to make predictions about an individual and group and target or personalise our postal marketing communications accordingly. Our communications are designed to tell you about the benefits we can offer so that you have exclusive access to the best deals. We use the information we hold about you to tailor the content and try to ensure that the offers are as relevant to you as possible.
Data profiling is not used for email marketing. Your personal data is only profiled if you have consented directly to receive carefully selected postal mailings from third parties, have not subsequently opted out of direct marketing and have not opted out of direct mail via the Mail Preference Service. If you do not wish to have your data profiled in this way and you have not previously opted out of receiving selected communications from third parties, then please update your marketing preferences using one of the ways outlined above in this Policy.
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We share, swap, sell and purchase data with non-competitive trusted third-party retailers by using data co-operatives. This allows us to target our marketing to those customers who are likely to be the most responsive. Before sharing any customer data or before using any customer data acquired via a data co-operative, we would ensure that the data co-operative has undertaken appropriate due diligence to ensure that any data we sent or received for the purposes of marketing is compliant under the data protection laws.
We also share data with a small number of registered UK charities for a small fee.
Your data is only shared if you have not opted out of receiving carefully selected postal mailings from third parties and you have not opted out of direct mail via the Mail Preference Service. If you do not wish to receive postal communications from carefully selected third parties, you should update your marketing preferences using one of the ways outlined above in this Policy.
Where we purchase customer data from other trusted third-party retailers for the purposes of one-off mailings, the data is deleted once the mailing has been completed unless the individual places an order and becomes a WCF customer.
We try to ensure that the information we hold about you is accurate and kept up-to-date and may ask you to re-confirm certain information when you place an order. However, if at any time you believe that any information we are holding about you is inaccurate, out-of-date or incomplete, please notify us in writing via Customer Services, The Classic Boutique, WCF Home Shopping, at Crawhall, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 1TN, by calling 0330 024 1945 or via email at info@theclassicboutique.com as soon as possible. We will promptly correct or delete any information found to be incorrect.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — Jeurys Familia may not know how enemy ballparks will greet him this year after being charged with domestic violence, but the closer walked into the Mets clubhouse Tuesday morning and was warmly embraced by his teammates and manager.
There are a lot of unknowns hanging over Familia, one being how he'll bounce back from giving up a crushing home run in the Mets' one-game playoff loss to the Giants, another being how fans will treat him at Citi Field and on the road, but more importantly is how he's going to be treated by major league baseball. After months of speculation about his Oct. 31 domestic violence arrest after and incident involving his wife, Familia did not provide any answers Tuesday. Facing a likely suspension from MLB even though charges were dropped, Familia, flanked by Mets public relations officials, said he was advised by his lawyers not to talk about the matter.
"First of all, getting together here today, I'd really like to focus on baseball-related questions," Familia announced in Spanish to reporters. "My lawyers' advice is to really not talk about my case."
Familia's case in the New Jersey courts was dropped at the behest of the victim, Familia's wife, who had called 911 that night alleging that Familia was intoxicated and acting crazy. Under MLB's domestic violence policy, instituted during the 2015 season, commissioner Rob Manfred can still issue a punishment for the altercation. Jose Reyes, who had charges for a similar incident also dropped the year before, was suspended 50 games.
An MLB source said Tuesday that Manfred's decision was not imminent.
While Familia has to be unsure of how he will now be received around baseball — Reyes received some jeering and pointed comments last summer after he returned from his suspension — he had a very warm welcome back into the Mets clubhouse Tuesday.
The 27-year-old arrived from his native Dominican Republic Tuesday, a day after pitchers and catchers were required to report because of an issue with his visa, according to the team. Wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans, the always affable Familia walked in just after 8:30 a.m. greeted teammates and a few reporters as he walked to his new locker, inherited from Bartolo Colon, in the far corner of the clubhouse.
David Wright walked across the clubhouse to welcome the closer back. The Mets captain said he hopes that Familia can eventually provide some more answers for his teammates about the incident eventually.
"That's a mistake that should not be made," Wright said, "and at the same time, it seems like the guys continue to make that mistake. There is nothing he can do to reverse whatever happened, and again I am not 100% sure on the details, but hopefully everybody in the clubhouse, everybody in baseball and everybody in life in general can see that and hopefully learn from that.
"It shouldn't happen, it shouldn't to baseball players, it shouldn't happen with anybody," Wright continued. "Hopefully if there is anything good that can come out of this is we can spread some awareness to not do that type of thing, and not get ourselves into that type of problem."
Terry Collins said that Familia was "remorseful," when they met Tuesday morning. Collins' long history with Familia, dating back to when Collins ran the Mets minor league system, made this tough for him.
"I support him, because this kid deep inside and whatever he was accused of is a bad thing and he knows it," Collins said. "But I also know there is a huge heart in there. I used to drive this kid to the bank to help send money home (back in his minor league days). So I just told him this morning, I just hope you're OK because psychologically this is a tough thing to get through and physically he's got to get ready, so those two things combined can be difficult.
"We're going to try to support him as best we can and hopefully show the people he's sorry and fix it," Collins said. "It's hard."
Familia has put the Mets bullpen in a hard position to start the season.
"I told Addison Reed ... 'We're going to go into this spring as if you're the closer.' There will be a lot of times those guys will probably pitch on separate days in the spring because we got to get them both ready," Collins said. "I don't think there's any other way to go about it because we don't know what's going to happen so for us not to prepare him properly is only going to hurt us in the long run."
The Mets will have limited time to get Familia, who is expected to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, ready. He is leaving camp March 6, as long as he has not been suspended.