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STEVE PREST: 1966-2009
Steve Prest, a former professional and coach, has died suddenly at the age of 43.
Prest coached Shaun Murphy to victory at the 2005 World Championship and was in Neil Robertson and Ronnie O'Sullivan's corner at the Crucible this year.
He worked with youngsters in his native Yorkshire and was an accredited World Snooker coach.
He was found dead at his home on Friday.
Steve was an affable bloke and well regarded as a coach. His death at such a young age has come as a terrible shock to his many friends in the snooker world.
We here at Snooker Scene send our sympathies to his family.
ASK CLIVE!
Snooker Scene's editor Clive Everton will be answering questions in the next Snooker Scene podcast.
If you have a question for him about players, snooker history or the game in general, email it to snookersceneblog@aol.com rather than posting it below.
We will be recording it next Tuesday so obviously need your questions by then.
NO PLACE LIKE ROME
Good luck to Ken Doherty who was on Sky News live from Rome this afternoon where he will tonight be watching his beloved Manchester United take on Barcelona in the Champions League final (or the European Cup in old money).
Here are clubs supported by some other players:
Ronnie O'Sullivan - Arsenal
Neil Robertson - Chelsea
Ding Junhui - Liverpool
Mark Selby - Leicester City
John Higgins - Celtic
Graeme Dott - Rangers
Joe Perry - Arsenal
Stephen Hendry - Hearts
John Parrott - Everton
Mark Williams - Manchester United
Dave Harold - Stoke City
Michael Holt - Nottingham Forest
Paul Davies - Ipswich Town
Nigel Bond - Manchester City
Ian McCulloch - Preston North End
THE HUNT FOR SPONSORS
It's easy to say 'there should be more sponsors' but not quite so easy to attain any, particularly in the current economic climate.
Last weekend's Independent on Sunday points out how all sports are struggling at the moment.
Snooker has enjoyed some recent success. Betfred.com has signed a four year deal to sponsor the World Championship while Sportingbet.com will back the World Series for the next three years.
But the golden days of snooker sponsorship are over. In the 1980s, companies were queueing up to have their brands associated with the sport. Not any more.
Snooker is no longer considered fashionable and has to fight its corner against sports where major firms believe they will get a better return: football, rugby union, tennis, golf, cricket.
Darts, perhaps snooker's closest competitor, has also been successful in attracting sponsorship because it has reinvented its image without changing the sport.
This is presumably why World Snooker has engaged Tim Darby, formerly Barry Hearn's right hand man at the PDC, to look at ways of changing the perception of snooker.
I wish him well. The sport can't afford to stand still and the complacent attitude that nothing can ever change has to end.
As we saw at the World Championship, professional snooker is still a first rate product and the game includes a fascinating cast of characters, including those younger players emerging into the limelight.
The challenge now is to harness the interest that is there and persuade potential sponsors that snooker is a sport worth supporting.
Not an easy task but not an impossible one either.
A few updates...
Jimmy Robertson has won the English Amateur Championship, snooker's oldest title, with a 9-8 defeat of David Craggs in Sheffield.
Robertson, 24, is thus eligible to return to the main tour next season having played on the pro circuit during the 2002/03 season.
The amateur title was first contested in 1916. It was won in 1987 by Mark Rowing who last weekend defeated Colin Norton 6-4 to win the English seniors title.
The Irish national title has been won by Martin McCrudden, who beat David Hogan 8-6. However, Brendan O'Donoghue finished top of the RIBSA rankings and will therefore be nominated for a place on the ranking event circuit.
Mark Boyle (no relation, as far as I'm aware, to Susan) is also heading for the pro tour after winning the Scottish title with a 7-0 defeat of Ross Vallance.
Michael White is the new Welsh champion, Warren Horsley has retained his South African national title and Robin Hull, whose professional career ended because of illness, has won the Finnish Championship.
Meanwhile Ronnie O'Sullivan, for whom running has become an obsession, was in Derby today launching a new charity challenge.
Has this video been speeded up or is Ronnie the new Usain Bolt?
PAST MASTERS#2
Continuing our series on ex-professionals...
Alain Robidoux followed in the footsteps of those great Canadian snooker players of the 1980s – Cliff Thorburn, Kirk Stevens and Bill Werbeniuk – and was his country's no.1 player for a decade.
Robidoux was a French Canadian with an accent likened by one snooker journalist to Inspector Clouseau.
He was a friendly, laidback sort who reached ninth in the world rankings until his cue was broken beyond repair, which heralded a shockingly sudden decline and, ultimately, the end of his professional career.
Bizarrely, Robidoux joined the pro tour without winning a match. In the late 1980s, the WPBSA had a number of 'non tournament' professionals. They were on the ranking list but couldn't play in most of the ranking events.
Robidoux could enter the 1988 World Championship but his first two opponents failed to show up and he amassed enough points to finish in the top 128 and thus join the tour full time.
He made an immediate impact by reaching the televised phase of his first tournament, the Fidelity International, and taking Steve Davis to a decider.
A month later, he reached the semi-finals of the Grand Prix, losing 9-7 to Alex Higgins and it was clear he would soon pose a threat to the game's elite.
In September 1988, he became only the sixth player ever to record an officially ratified 147 maximum break in the qualifiers for the European Open.
It took only two full seasons for him to be promoted to the top 16 and in 1990 joined Thorburn and Bob Chaperon in winning the World Team Cup for Canada.
Like many players, Robidoux's form came and went in spells but by 1996 he was on an upward curve once again.
He qualified for the Crucible and drew Ronnie O'Sullivan in a match that ended in bitterness and controversy. Well ahead, O'Sullivan played left-handed for the first time in a major tournament. Robidoux believed he was making fun of him and, at 9-3 and with many, many snookers required on the pink, played on to make his point.
O'Sullivan elected not to pot the pink and so viewers watching live on the BBC were treated to ten minutes of nonsense.
Neither player covered themselves in glory with some ill judged post-match comments but they had patched things up by the German Open the following season, where they fought out a high quality final which O'Sullivan won 9-7.
In 1997, Robidoux enjoyed a run to the semi-finals of the World Championship, where his bid to emulate Thorburn as champion was ended in a 17-7 defeat to Ken Doherty.
It saw Robidoux rise to ninth in the world and poised to enjoy perhaps the best spell of his career.
But it wasn't to be. Robidoux needed repairs done to his cue and sent it back to the man who had originally made it.
However, the cue maker was, it would be fair to say, something of a traditionalist and objected to Robidoux having fixed a sponsor's logo to the butt end.
He objected so much that he smashed the cue up into several pieces.
It could not be repaired and Robidoux was forced to start the following season with a new model. But it didn't feel the same and he failed to win a single match the whole campaign.
"It was like losing my right arm," he said.
His form gone, he plummeted down the rankings and considered quitting altogether after suffering from bouts of depression.
Several years later I asked him his views on the cue maker, thinking the passage of time may have eased his anger.
"I want to kill him," was his heartfelt response.
Robidoux never recovered from the incident and eventually slipped off the tour.
He still plays in Canada and also commentates on pool in French for Canadian television.
HENDRY SET FOR JIANGSU CLASSIC
Stephen Hendry is among the field for the second staging of the Jiangsu Classic, which takes place in Wuxi City from June 3-7.
The seven times world champion joins the 12 man field for the invitation tournament won last year by local hero Ding Junhui, who beat Mark Selby 6-5 in the final.
Ding and Selby return alonsgide Hendry, Ali Carter, Mark Allen, Marco Fu, Shaun Murphy, Joe Perry, Peter Ebdon, Ryan Day and local wildcards Li Hang and Jin Long.
WHO WILL BE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE?
Note that the above question asks who will be in not who should be.
There is no should be when it comes to the Premier League. It's Barry Hearn's event and he can invite whoever he likes. He shouldn't have to adhere to any criteria other than what is best for Matchroom.
(I point this out only because it's amazing how many people in snooker get caught up in the phoney concept of 'fairness.' A governing body has to be fair; an independent promoter does not.)
We know Ronnie O'Sullivan, as defending champion, and Judd Trump, winner of the qualifying tournament, the Championship League, will be among the seven man field.
Hearn knows that having the world champion in the event will give it credibility, so John Higgins will also take part.
To facilitate TV sales to Asia, one of Ding Junhui, Marco Fu and Liang Wenbo can expect a call up.
Ding has taken part the last few years but has not too well of late and Fu is now Asia's top ranked player, which may enhance his chances.
Fu also has an excellent record against the likes of O'Sullivan and Higgins and is a former champion.
Liang would bring his entertaining brand of snooker to the Premier League and would not struggle with the 25-second shot clock.
So that's four spots taken care of, what of the other three?
Steve Davis has already been told he won't be in the field for the first time since the Premier League began – as the Matchroom League – in 1987.
However, I'd expect Hearn to invite Stephen Hendry once again as his presence adds prestige to the tournament.
I expect the remaining two spots to be filled by two of the following: Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Ali Carter and Mark Allen.
Robertson's great plus is that he is Australian and so may bring in extra TV revenue down under.
Selby was runner-up to O'Sullivan last season and has become one of the modern game's most popular players.
Murphy is UK champion and was World Championship runner-up and so would bring an extra edge of credibility to the event.
Carter had an excellent year, finishing runner-up to O'Sullivan at the Crucible in 2008 and winning his first ranking title, the Welsh Open, last February.
Allen brought his bustling, exciting, pumped up form of snooker to the World Championship and reached the semi-finals.
So some excellent candidates but only seven places.
One thing the Premier League could do is have two groups of five with the top two from each going through to the semi-finals, which would actually mean one less match.
This is unlikely to happen and I understand the final seven will be announced within the next few weeks for the competition which starts in September.
But to return to the first point I made: whatever Hearn decides, nobody can complain.
It's his event and he can pick whoever he likes.
Each week I will be looking back at the career of a former professional, starting with a player who is now involved in running the professional circuit...
Martin Clark was a great talent who rose to no.12 in the world rankings but whose career was ended by illness.
From Sedgley in the West Midlands in England, a long time hotbed for snooker, Clark was a talented junior who came to the fore in the region's highly competitive local league.
Sporting one of snooker's best ever perms, he turned professional in 1987 and enjoyed a sensational television debut, beating Dennis Taylor – world champion in 1985 and at the time one of snooker's best and most recognisable players – 5-0 in the Fidelity International at Stoke.
At the 1989 Mercantile Classic, Clark reached his first ranking event quarter-final and appeared in two more that season.
He was certainly good enough to win a title but never made it to a ranking semi-final. His defeat in ten quarter-finals remains a record.
Clark was a semi-finalist in the 1992 World Matchplay – a major invitation tournament – and recorded plenty of encouraging results against top players but never quite broke through into the upper echelons of the rankings.
Given his talent, he seemed to be heading for the top eight but was in fact relegated from the top 16 after four seasons inside.
His career declined through no fault of his own. Clark suffered from worn vertebrae in his neck. He had to wear a brace and his form inevitably dipped to the extent that he decided to retire.
It was a difficult, dispiriting decision to make but he did so without any complaint.
Clark is still very much involved in snooker as one of the WPBSA's tournament directors and he is a credit to the governing body. He works hard, he's very helpful and he has the respect of the players because he was one himself and he understands tournament life from their point of view.
He is a passionate Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter and so has, for once, had a good year at the Molineux.
THE OFF SEASON
So the 2008/09 campaign recedes into memory but there is still plenty to talk about in the coming months and I will, of course, be keeping this blog going.
After all, who wants to be lying on a beach in some far off sundrenched paradise now that the season is over?
Me, obviously, but them's the breaks as Joe Davis may have put it.
The Jiangsu Classic takes place from June 3-7, the PIOS tour starts at the end of June, there is a big six reds event in Thailand in July and the World Series is likely to return the same month.
Away from all of that, each week I shall be posting a piece on a player now retired. This is not some nostalgic whimsy but an attempt to honour some of those who have played their parts in the snooker story, which will hopefully prove interesting to those new to the sport.
If anyone has any other ideas for posts, please feel free to suggest them.
MURPHY'S NOT BITTER
Shaun Murphy tries the same in every frame of every match of every tournament.
His professionalism has seen him bounce back from his Crucible final defeat to John Higgins two weeks ago to win two titles in the Sportingbet.com World Series.
Last week it was the grand finals of year one. Last night he beat Jimmy White 5-1 in Killarney to win the first event of year two.
Of course, Murphy would swap them both for the World Championship trophy but he genuinely enjoys playing and these tournaments did him a favour: he could have been sat at home mulling over why he didn't perform in the Sheffield final but instead got back to the table with a fresh challenge.
The weekend was fun as snooker always is in Ireland. The crowds were large and a good time was had by all.
The World Series has quietly become a success. It doesn't have the profile of the ranking event circuit but, so far, it has made good impressions in each of the cities it has visited.
Its strength is that the events only last a couple of days and so don't outstay their welcome.
This can only be good for snooker. The sport needs as many televised tournaments as possible to keep it in the public mind.
It used to be that when the World Championship ended, snooker disappeared from our screens for five or six months.
It can only be good that those days are over.
PODCAST#9...PAT MOONEY
The latest Snooker Scene podcast features me talking to Pat Mooney, promoter of the World Series.
Click here to listen to him talking about the concept of the World Series, snooker's current fortunes and why he doesn't want to take over the game.
KILLARNEY NOTES
Day one of the Sportingbet.com World Series of Snooker in Killarney saw progress for each of the established names, although a couple were given scares by the invited Irish teenagers.
While Shaun Murphy (a 5-0 winner over Greg Casey) and John Higgins (who beat Andrew Gray 5-1) advanced with ease, Ken Doherty and Jimmy White were made to fight.
Indeed, Doherty, who trailed Tony Moore 4-2, could count himself fortunate after missing the pink in the decider and fluking a snooker.
Moore made contact but left the pink on and a relieved Doherty slotted it home for victory.
White was all at sea when he trailed Jason Delaney 3-0. He was guilty of some sloppy shot selections but won a tight fourth frame and the match turned round.
White made a century – not straightforward with only ten reds – and pounced when Delaney missed the black for 4-3, the Whirlwind going on to win 5-3.
So the semi-finals will pit Higgins v Murphy (again!) and Doherty v White.
Bad luck to the youngsters. At times, they each showed signs of great potential but it's such a huge step up from the junior ranks to playing live on TV in front of a big audience against one of snooker's best known names. If they felt nervous it was understandable.
The atmosphere backstage here is very relaxed and it was good to see such a sizeable crowd in as pro snooker returns to Ireland, always a stronghold for the game.
And hats off to Shaun for his interview skills. He has an ease in front of the camera that seems innate.
Higgins has his wife and three children here and Ken also has his wife and young son with him.
As it usually is in Ireland, this is a chance for a break as well as an opportunity to win a title.
The last Irish Masters was four years ago and many on the circuit still miss it.
Hopefully, this event can grow into a genuine replacement.
HERE'S (GOOD LUCK) TO YOU, MRS ROBINSON
Alex Higgins has recorded an edition of the BBC quiz show The Weakest Link.
I think this may be the only time I've ever felt any sympathy for Anne Robinson.
ALL SET FOR KILLARNEY
There is more snooker on the TV this weekend with the next stage of the Sportingbet.com World Series in Killarney, Ireland.
John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Ken Doherty and Jimmy White will be joined by four Irish juniors.
There's live coverage on Eurosport from 8pm on Saturday and Sunday.
BACK TO BAHRAIN?
Unlikely as it may seem, the Bahrain Championship could return to the calendar next season.
The event was not regarded as a success. The crowds were tiny, a scheduling clash with the Premier League kept some top stars away and it cost World Snooker a fortune.
However, Shaikh Abdulla bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Billiards and Snooker Association, has revealed he is putting together a bid to get the tournament on again in February of next year.
"We are currently working on getting our spot on the calendar and I'm very positive we can come to an agreement soon," he told the Gulf Daily News.
"We want to be a part of the World Snooker season and they want us to be there as well.
"Snooker is a very popular game around the world, especially here in the Middle East.
"Hopefully, we can get our deal done in the coming weeks and be included on next season's calendar, and hopefully we can begin our planning for a bigger and better tournament this time."
If Shaikh Abdulla can come up with the money to stage the event and it therefore doesn't cost World Snooker anything then the governing body should agree. The more tournaments the better.
However, I understand certain assurances were made last year that apparently failed to materialise.
If I were a betting man I'd say Neil Robertson will be holding on to his trophy for many years to come.
I congratulate Daniel Wells and Li Hang for keeping their places on the professional circuit for another year having made their debuts last season.
This is a much better achievement than it sounds. The rankings are worked out using two season's points.
Wells and Li had only one year's points, plus the starter points they were awarded at the beginning of the campaign.
These points are the number earned by the lowest ranked player on the list, so they change in amount from year to year.
Actually, both Wells and Li stayed on through the WPBSA's sensible decision to allow eight places for players who have earned the most points in a single season that are not already in the top 64 on the two-year list.
Even this is much harder than many people realise.
New on the scene, players start in the very first round of qualifying for ranking events and the qualifiers are as competitive as they have ever been.
There are some tough match-players at Prestatyn who will never win major titles but are adept at halting the progress of rising stars.
Daniel kept his place as a result of winning three deciders in the Betfred.com World Championship before losing a fourth to Barry Hawkins to be denied a trip to the Crucible.
By doing so, he has something to work on next season rather than being relegated and spending another year on the PIOS.
Not everyone's heart will bleed at such a plight. Sport is, after all, the survival of the fittest but I do think new players are unreasonably disadvantaged because starter points vary from year to year and, however you look it, they are still starting right at the bottom.
Here's an idea: why not just say to the new players that however many points they earn in their first season will be doubled?
This would have seen Wells finish 60th and not 70th while Li would have been placed 64th not 71st.
Would anyone begrudge them this?
Yes, almost certainly, because people begrudge one another all manner of things.
But doubling up would at least reward success to some degree and give the new faces more of a chance.
It will be even harder for those promoted for the 2009/10 season.
Only six ranking tournaments have been announced. If the individual points tariffs are not amended then I expect almost all of them to be relegated.
Two stalwarts of the snooker scene died recently.
Mario Berni was a leading Welsh amateur who won the country's national title in 1964 and also played snooker on black and white TV in the 1960s before the boom heralded by the introduction of colour television.
Billy Telford was a long time administrator of Northern Irish amateur snooker and also former treasurer of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation, one of many positions he held in the amateur game.
They were linked by a deep love of snooker and the desire to be involved in it.
We here at Snooker Scene send our sympathies to their respective families.
THAT WAS THE SEASON THAT WAS
And so it is time to unveil the winners of my coveted awards, which have a rich history running back a whole two years.
This is a kind of six reds version of the Oscars. There is no ceremony or long speeches. Indeed, there are no actual awards.
However, the following can bask in the glow of a season that has brought success...
PLAYER OF THE SEASON – John Higgins
Higgins was the only player to win two ranking titles and, of course, one of them was the World Championship. He also earned more ranking points than anyone else despite not receiving any for the Bahrain Championship, having been forced out by a scheduling clash.
Nobody dominates snooker like the days of Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry but Higgins's consistency has been solid and he raised his game when it really mattered at the Crucible.
BREAKTHROUGH OF THE SEASON – Ricky Walden
Walden has long been regarded as a genuine talent but ultimately you have to prove yourself by actually doing it. And he did in some style by winning the Shanghai Masters.
He beat Neil Robertson, Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis, Mark Selby and Ronnie O'Sullivan – proof that reputations don't concern him.
MATCH OF THE SEASON – John Higgins 13, Mark Selby 12 (World Championship quarter-finals)
Selby constructed five centuries and still lost which was an indicator of how high the standard was for this Crucible classic.
He did little wrong but Higgins, already buoyed by a final frame escape in the previous round against Jamie Cope, produced a fine finish to win one of the best matches ever played at the home of snooker.
BREAK OF THE SEASON – Ronnie O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan's 76 in the seventh frame of his Northern Ireland Trophy final against Dave Harold had to be seen to be believed.
With balls on cushions and awkwardly placed he artfully set about a clearance that was as sheer a demonstration as pure skill as witnessed all season.
SHOT OF THE SEASON – Mark Selby
Frame five of his Masters final against Ronnie O'Sullivan and Selby was faced with a choice: play safe on the brown or attempt a very difficult long pot, cushion first.
After giving it due consideration he powered it in and went on to take the frame. A pressure ball if ever there was one and perfectly executed.
ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SEASON – Judd Trump
For Trump to win the Championship League was a great achievement for the lowest ranked and youngest player in that competition.
He demonstrated his prodigious skill at Crondon Park and earned the right to do so again on a much bigger stage in next season's Premier League.
FINAL OF THE SEASON – The Masters
The Ronnie O'Sullivan v Mark Selby battle at Wembley Arena was gripping stuff as big breaks shared centre stage with hard matchplay snooker.
O'Sullivan's patience and ability to handle the pressure was key to his 10-8 victory, which he unsurprisingly regards as one of his greatest ever.
AMATEUR OF THE SEASON – Luca Brecel
Brecel is a bona fide boy wonder. At 14, he became the youngest ever winner of the European Under 19 Championship and defeated Jimmy White and Ken Doherty at the World Series grand finals in Portugal.
A great future beckons if he can handle the pressure of expectation that will inevitably be placed on his shoulders.
QUOTE OF THE SEASON – Ronnie O'Sullivan
"The people who are running snooker seem to be going backwards. Nothing seems to be happening and it just feels boring and the sport is dying" – rarely has a single quote from a snooker player sparked such a debate as O'Sullivan's heartfelt rant about the state of the game during the Masters.
World Snooker immediately went on the defensive by denying it all but have since accepted O'Sullivan had a point and engaged Tim Darby – Barry Hearn's former right hand man at the PDC darts – to look at ways of injecting life and enthusiasm into the sport.
WATTANA'S RETURN
Congratulations to James Wattana, the former world no.3 from Thailand, who has won the Asian Championship and will thus be returning to the professional circuit as from next season.
Wattana is now 39 and had pretty much retired after being relegated last year.
Good luck to him as he obviously still enjoys competing, although he will find it hard coming into the qualifiers from the very first round.
He was a very good player in his day and his influence in popularising snooker in Thailand and Asia in general can't be underestimated.
He'll be back in action for the qualifying rounds of the Shanghai Masters, which start on August 3.
MURPHY WINS WORLD SERIES
Shaun Murphy compiled two centuries in defeating John Higgins 6-2 to win the inaugural Sportingbet.com World Series grand finals at the Portimao Arena in Portugal tonight.
Murphy, beaten 18-9 by Higgins in the world final six days ago, appeared sharper from the off and highlighted his victory with runs of 122 and 100.
He receives a cheque for 50,000 euros for winning the grand finals following World Series events in Jersey, Berlin, Warsaw and Moscow.
"It's always nice to win. I was disappointed to lose last week but the only tournament on my mind coming here was this one," Murphy said.
"I've been playing well for weeks and weeks. If my safety game had been better I'd have competed more in last week's final and I made an effort tonight not to try and go head to head with John in the safety department but to go for my shots and it worked."
Higgins is co-promoter of the World Series. The first year has not been without its problems and mistakes but it has been effective in exploiting the growing European market and seven events are planned for 2009, the first of which takes place next weekend in Killarney, Ireland.
"It's been great," he said. "Hopefully this is just the start and we can look forward to taking snooker to more countries where it's new."
The first match in Portugal attracted around five spectators. The final had close to 350, many of whom queued up for autographs at the end, and their appreciation for the sport is a sign that something has been started here that can lead to expansion in the years to come.
IN THE SWIM
The Portugese tourist board are apparently pleased with how the tournament has gone so far and things are therefore looking good for a return next year.
Certainly everyone has enjoyed the sunshine break after the long days at the World Championship.
Every credit to Ken Doherty who did two full lengths of the hotel swimming pool this morning, which is about as active as it gets backstage at a snooker tournament.
After the six and ten reds snooker, which received a mixed response from the players - some favourable, some not - we're back up to 15 reds for the semis and final.
YOUNG GUNS GO FOR IT
"If he steers clear of girls and beer he'll be a great player" was Graeme Dott's assessment of Luca Brecel, the talented 14 year-old Belgian who beat Jimmy White and Ken Doherty at the World Series grand finals in Portugal.
Brecel's run ended in a 5-4 defeat to Dott at the quarter-final stage. He acquitted himself very well but Dott made a break of 100 in the eighth frame and dominated the decider.
The crowds still aren't great but snooker in Portugal is in its infancy.
I did meet two young lads who have travelled many hours and miles between them to get here. Luis Alves and Joao E. Silva run The Snooker Planet, a Portugese snooker blog.
Luis is a big John Higgins fan while Joao's favourite is Stephen Hendry.
They are both fascinated by the game but it is hard to play with so few tables in the country - yesterday's estimation of three proved to be a little on the low side. The precise figure is believed to be seven.
Brecel - and the two young fans - represent the future of snooker, which belongs outside British shores.
There's a lot of negativity around this sport but the enthusiasm of youngsters is a wake up call to everyone that snooker is a game many dream of playing and watching and that they will often make a big effort to do so.
SHAUN OF THE REDS
Shaun Murphy can reasonably lay claim to having compiled the first ever century in Portugal (unless anyone knows different).
Shaun made a 105 to win the decider against Mark Selby and reach the semi-finals of the World Series grand finals.
This was not straight forward as the match was played using only ten reds, so the highest possible break is only 107.
SINGING THE BLUES
Steve Davis has generally had the upper hand over Jimmy White and when I heard they were 4-4 in their match at the World Series grand finals this morning I said that he'd probably fluke the black to win.
Well, I wasn't far off as it was the blue.
(Incidentally, I wasn't slacking off. I was interviewing John and Denise Higgins for Eurosport's Hall of Frame magazine programme).
Meanwhile, Luca Brecel has beaten Ken Doherty 5-3 and so faces Graeme Dott in the quarter-finals.
Doherty was impressed. "He looks to be a very good player and very focused," he said.
MURPHY AND MAGUIRE ADVANCE
Shaun Murphy and Stephen Maguire are the first men through to the quarter-finals of the World Series grand finals.
Murphy beat Ryan Day 5-1 while Maguire got past Gary Britton 5-2.
"Normally I'd be away on holiday the day after losing in the World Championship," Maguire said.
"It feels odd to be playing straight away but the boys have been crying out for more tournaments so you can't have it both ways."
The draw for the quarter-finals is:
Graeme Dott v Ken Doherty/Luca Brecel
Mark Selby v Shaun Murphy
John Higgins v Steve Davis/Jimmy White
Stephen Maguire v Ding Junhui
Posted by Dave H at 10:51 pm 8 comments:
HIS NAME IS LUCA
Luca Brecel defeated Jimmy White 4-3 in the grand finals of the World Series of Snooker tonight, the latest success for this rising star.
Earlier this year, Brecel became the youngest ever winner of the European Under 19 Championship at the age of 14.
His match against White was played under the six reds version of the game and Jimmy was clearly tired after doing an exhibition in the UK last night and having flown to Portugal early this morning.
Even so, Brecel seems remarkably composed around the table.
White was saying the youngster has been over to his house in Surrey to practice.
He certainly seems like one to watch.
WORLD SERIES LATEST
A few things of interest from Portugal...
A sponsor has been announced in a new three-year deal. The World Series will be backed by Sportingbet.com.
The press turnout is encouraging. There are more journalists and photographers here than at some ranking tournaments this season.
One of them has come all the way from Belgium to report on Luca Brecel, whose popularity will help increase that of the game in that part of the world.
The crowds have been small so far although they are starting to slowly increase.
It's worth remembering that snooker is not a sport well known in Portugal. In fact, it's reckoned there are only three tables in the whole country.
But Eurosport's coverage can help it grow and, of course, having several of the world's best players here must be a plus.
Out on one of the main roads there is a huge billboard advertising the tournament with a picture of John Higgins - who'd have thought we'd ever see that in the Algarve?
One of the Portugese journalists told me Higgins is the third best known Scot in Portugal "after William Wallace and Sir Alex Ferguson."
As always he has been generous with his time, doing interviews and posing for pictures.
One Portugese newspaper has a two-page spread about the event in today's edition and, cleverly, printed the rules of the game for those new to it.
So there is a fair buzz around the place which organisers are hoping will translate into ticket sales, if not this year then next.
One slight change of plan: because the matches have been longer than anticipated, the games featuring Steve Davis and Ken Doherty will now take place tomorrow morning.
REVEALED: WPBSA DISCIPLINARY RESULTS
The WPBSA has revealed the results of its disciplinary hearings for the 2008/09 season.
These had previously been kept secret but will now be announced as in other sports after a meeting between WPBSA representatives and members of the Snooker Writers Association.
The results were as follows:
Frame concessions (2nd incident)
Dave Harold - fine £150
Mark Williams - fine £150
Ronnie O'Sullivan - fine £150
Lee Spick - £150 suspended for 12 months; £1,000 costs
Stephen Maguire - fine £150
Robert Milkins - fine £150
David Roe - fine £150
Jin Long - fine £150
Frame concessions (3rd incident)
Jin Long - no finding of breach
Other matters:
Declan Hughes - conduct at Prestatyn - fine of £500; £250 suspended for 12 months against future good conduct; £1,000 costs
Jimmy Michie - You Tube video - fine of £1,000; £1,000 costs
Two players that qualified for the 2008/2009 Tour had outstanding disciplinary matters dating back to 2005. These matters were revisited and the outcome of each hearing was as follows:
Declan Hughes - unacceptable behaviour - no penalty ordered on this occasion - reminder given as to future conduct
Kuldesh Johal - non attendance - no penalty ordered on this occasion - reminder given as to future conduct
The frame concessions are usually for when a player gives up when there is more than enough left on to win. I'm not sure why Lee Spick's fine was suspended or how he could run up £1,000 in costs.
Jimmy Michie appeared in a Youtube video in which he was seen snorting a white powder. His punishment comes under the catch-all 'bringing the game into disrepute' category.
What's apparent is that snooker does not have a big problem when it comes to the behaviour of the players, which makes the decision in recent years to keep all disciplinary findings covered up all the more absurd.
It is however good news that matters will be conducted in a more open fashion from now on.
WORLD SERIES RESULTS
These are the results so far:
Group 1: Ryan Day beat Gary Britton 4-0; Day beat Michal Zielinski 4-1; Lasse Munstermann beat Zielinski 4-1; Britton beat Munstermann 4-2; Day beat Munstermann 4-1; Britton beat Zielinksi 4-3
Qualifiers: Ryan Day and Gary Britton
DIVING INTO POOL
If pool is your thing, you can watch an event live online this weekend.
For more details, click here.
PUT DOWN IN WORDS
The World Series grand finals opened last night with a well attended press conference in which representatives of the Portugese tourist board spoke along with John Higgins, Shaun Murphy and Steve Davis.
Players are practising on a table at the hotel that was originally donated by King Edward VII in 1903.
After an informal reception, it was off into town to relax before the start of the tournament.
This included a visit to a karaoke bar and special mentions must go to Higgins (Handbags and Gladrags) and Mark Selby (Your Song) for getting into the spirit of things.
I'm looking forward to seeing Jimmy White take on Luca Brecel - a legend of snooker's past against a star of the future.
Crowds are not expected to be great. There is no real history of snooker in Portugal but the idea is to try it out and hopefully build up interest.
POSTCARD FROM PORTUGAL
Well we're here and it's hot.
No, really. I fear John Higgins may be mistaken for a lobster when he gets off the golf course.
I saw Luca Brecel studiously practising earlier. The boy seems to already have a very solid technique and a certain steely presence that suggests good things for the future.
I will be providing updates on the matches and from backstage over the next few days when time permits.
Look out for a few interviews I've recorded for Eurosport as well.
HIGGINS HEADS WORLD SERIES FIELD
Snooker returns to our TV screens this weekend for the grand finals of the World Series, which are being played in the picturesque climes of the Algarve in Portugal.
It's a great field, including world champion John Higgins, his Crucible final victim Shaun Murphy as well as Stephen Maguire, Ding Junhui, Mark Selby, Steve Davis, Ryan Day, Graeme Dott, Ken Doherty and Jimmy White.
Also in action is Luca Brecel, the talented 14 year-old winner of the recent EBSA European under 19 title.
Here's what Higgins told the press this week about the World Series:
"We're doing something totally different, trying to take tournaments to countries that are crying out for snooker.
"I've been to Copenhagen, Israel, Prague, so many places where I didn't think snooker would have existed.
"These countries are buzzing for it. Portugal has not got any great history with snooker, but the Algarve Tourist Board came to our organisation and said, 'We would love to host the final'.
"It was meant to be held in Moscow but obviously things happened with the economy.
"We were going to play in the Kremlin which would have been an unbelievable experience, but we did go over to Moscow and experienced a crowd of 1,000 people there to watch me and Ding Junhui play.
"It would mean everything if one of these countries could produce a champion in the future. We've got a young Belgian boy Luca Brecel, we've put him in the series.
"He's just won the European Under-19s so we gave him a wildcard into it, so it's all going to be about giving the cream of the talent wildcards into it.
"It would be as satisfying seeing one of them win something as it would me winning it. I was over in Israel playing a young chap, Shachar Ruberg, who's 14.
"For him to get the chance to play me, he had a whole apartment renovated, in match conditions, for me to go over there and play him for a few days."
"We're not about creating a different world champion like in boxing. We spoke to World Snooker about that.
"World Snooker is like a big ship that can't turn around as quickly as a smaller organisation.
"They'll maybe take a wee while to turn the ship around whereas we're like in a dinghy bouncing from one wave to the other.
"But the countries are really loving it and if at the end of the day it makes snooker more popular in these countries, everybody wins."
In my opinion, any attempt to increase interest in snooker outside the UK – particularly on mainland Europe where it is booming – should be applauded.
Here are the Eurosport transmission times:
(all times UK)
Friday, May 8: 6.45-10.15pm
Saturday, May 9: 8.45pm-12am
Sunday, May 10: 8.30pm-12am
There's more information here.
THREE MILLION SEE CRUCIBLE FINALE
And the last last word on the final: the last session attracted an average viewing audience of 3m, which is impressive considering the match was all but over.
This was the number of people watching on BBC2 so does not include online, digital interactive or Eurosport viewers.
Last year's final, which was also over quickly, drew an average of 3.4m for its final session so it isn't unreasonable to assume the figure would have grown had either match been closer.
This is one of the quandries for BBC schedulers. They expect their best audience post 10pm so start the finals at 8pm hoping it will finish after around two hours.
But, of course, close finals can go on so long that they finish after midnight and millions turn off.
The press coverage this morning was healthy, which is a consequence of the early finish.
THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF THE CRUCIBLE 2009
And so the Betfred.com World Championship recedes into memory but not before a little look back at the best and worst moments...
John Higgins v Mark Selby was a bona fide Crucible classic. It featured snooker of the highest quality. Selby made five centuries and still lost.
WORST MATCH
I don't think many people will be ordering DVDs of the Mark King v Rory McLeod slog-a-thon.
The two that really stood out for me were a shot of Ricky Walden's where he had to come off three cushions to roll up to a red and did so expertly and the screw back by Mark Allen on a long red in the semis.
WORST SHOT
Bearing in mind all the brouhaha that ensued as a result, it must be Graeme Dott's in-off stopped with his fist.
PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT
This is an easy one. John Higgins.
STAR OF THE TOURNAMENT
Mark Allen proved he is a big occasion player and also that his passionate style of snooker is a great favourite with fans.
FALLEN STAR OF THE TOURNAMENT
Peter Ebdon's first round defeat to Nigel Bond was a big surprise given his form in winning the China Open.
BREAK OF THE TOURNAMENT
Stephen Hendry's second Crucible 147 – 14 years after his first – was marvellous to witness. Get that statue up now!
Betfred were enthusiastic sponsors who did much to build excitement backstage without disrespecting the championship – it's good to have them on board.
The table fitters took stick over the pockets but they were the same size as before. The reason balls were sliding in was because the cushion cloths were changed more regularly. This made conditions better overall.
Jack Lisowski was remarkably self assured for a young lad thrust into the spotlight as recipient of the Paul Hunter Scholarship. Good luck to him for the next year.
Strictly speaking a heroine, but Michaela Tabb handled the final with great authority despite all the attention surrounding her.
The WPBSA ran the event efficiently without any kind of problems as far as I can tell.
Simon Hattenstone and the many other sneering newspaper columnists who seem to make it an annual mission to do the sport down. Stick to football if you don't like it.
DAMP SQUIB
The much-hyped Super 6 event didn't exactly get the juices flowing, did it?
SNOOKER'S MOMENT IN THE SUN
And so the Betfred.com World Championship is over and snooker can look back with pride over a very entertaining 17 days.
We have a top drawer world champion in John Higgins, someone who commands universal respect from his fellow players.
It is interesting that the last two world crowns of the decade were won by players who came to the fore in the 1990s. It seems unlikely that Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan will still be competing for titles in ten years time but they have shown their class to keep the new generation at bay.
And there is a new breed of player coming through: Mark Allen, Jamie Cope, Judd Trump et al. They are fierce potters and talented break builders but they could do with Higgins's superior tactical game, something they will undoubtedly learn in the years to come.
It's been a great championship and it's something of an irony that it started to get really interesting when O'Sullivan went out.
If you believe some of the newspaper pundits, the whole sport rests on O'Sullivan's shoulders. I'm sure Ronnie will be relieved to know that it doesn't.
What we saw in the second week was a slew of players emerging from his shadow to stake their places in the limelight.
Snooker suffers from an overly nostalgic tendency to look back at the 1980s and think that nothing will ever be the same again, or that it was all so rosy it could never be topped.
This is counter-productive and unfair on the current players.
Alex Higgins once entered the Crucible arena wearing a hat. He doffed it to rapturous applause. Imagine if Shaun Murphy had done the same this year: it would have been presented as proof that he is somehow arrogant or above his station.
Similarly, Bill Werbeniuk was a big guy who guzzled lager to prodigious amounts. He was feted for it. Today, Stephen Lee is roundly abused for occupying the same sort of frame.
Eddie Charlton was a grinder who got involved in many seemingly endless wars of attrition but is fondly remembered. Peter Ebdon is nowhere near as slow but criticised nonetheless.
And can anyone explain to me how Cliff Thorburn – to use an example – was more of a 'character' than Neil Robertson?
The past is another country. In the present, we have a bunch of players as fascinating as have ever occupied the upper echelons of the rankings.
The challenge now will be to build on the momentum created by the World Championship.
This won't be easy as there will be only six ranking tournaments next season. This means huge gaps between televised events.
It's a shame that snooker's period in the spotlight tends to be limited to 17 days per year.
But what a 17 days it has been: drama, excitement and high quality snooker by the bucketload.
I'm already looking forward to next year's Crucible extravaganza.
JOHN HIGGINS: WORLD CHAMPION
Before marriage, before fatherhood, before the stresses of everyday adult life became a reality, John Higgins was world champion.
He won the title for the first time on May 4, 1998, 11 years ago to this night.
It took him nine years to win it for a second time but only two more to win it for a third.
He could have lost in the second round when he trailed Jamie Cope 12-10, but brought his exceptional poise under pressure to the fore to fight through in a decider.
He could have lost in the quarter-finals but again survived a deciding frame finish to see off Mark Selby.
He played superbly in pulling away early against Mark Allen and demonstrated his superior all round game in exposing Murphy's weaknesses in the final.
Higgins joins Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan in capturing at least three Crucible crowns. In the modern era, only Ray Reardon and John Spencer have also accomplished this feat.
On any roll of honour bearing the names of snooker's all time greats, he would have earned a place before today.
But, were there any doubt, John Higgins tonight joined the pantheon of green baize legends.
HIGGINS GETS CLOSER
John Higgins didn't just outplay Shaun Murphy at the Crucible tonight, he also out-thought him.
His superior safety play came to the fore and forced the mistakes from Murphy.
So Higgins leads 11-5.
But the final isn't over yet. After all, he led Mark Selby 12-4 in the final two years ago and saw this reduced to 14-13.
His 14-4 lead over Mark Allen in this year's semi-finals was also clawed back, although he of course came through in the end,
I expect Higgins to win but feel it may go a little closer before he gets his hands on the trophy for a third time.
SIX APPEAL?
It was hard to discern much about the potential of the 'Super Sixes' version of snooker by watching the Crucible final between veteran Tony Knowles and young Ross Muir but still possible to make a few general points.
The first would be that six reds snooker is invariably a faster form of the game but not necessarily that much faster. For instance, Stephen Maguire and Mark King spent something like 25 minutes on the green in their second round match last week. There's no reason why this couldn't happen in the six reds version.
Six reds snooker levels the playing field a little, but why is this a good thing? Top level sport is the survival of the fittest.
Six reds snooker may encourage attacking play but this negates much of the skill of the game, namely the tactical duels.
Of course, many people find these dull and it's certainly true that snooker can't stand still.
But I would argue that its chief problem is not a stuffy game or lack of 'characters' but more a lack of tournaments and the way the sport's media profile has declined, at least in the UK, so that TV viewers find it harder to relate to the players in the way they once did.
As I wrote last month, six reds may be the way to go for seniors tournaments as the old boys obviously aren't as good as they were but plenty of people would still like to see them play.
Maybe it would also be a good way of getting kids into the sport.
But snooker, and in particular the World Championship, is popular largely because of the slow burning drama it provides.
Perhaps not everyone has the attention span for this but that doesn't automatically mean that if you take away nine reds they will suddenly flock to the sport.
That said, there's nothing wrong with trying something different. But why not be bolder?
If you really want to speed up snooker, you will have to change the rules.
You will have to introduce a shot clock or, as Steve Davis suggested on the BBC, introduce the rule used in 9-ball pool where players have ball in hand after every foul.
I think six reds snooker is fine if it remains in the background as a novelty variant of the established game.
But of all the things wrong with snooker, the game itself is not one of them.
THE FINAL: HIGGINS V MURPHY
John Higgins has trod a precarious path to his fourth world final but has the class to finish the job and land a third Crucible title on Monday night.
The Scot looked down and out when he trailed rising star Jamie Cope 12-10 in the second round but raised his game when it mattered to come through a 13-12 winner. His quarter-final against Mark Selby was, in terms of quality and drama, the match of the tournament and he prevailed by winning the decider in one visit.
And Higgins played sensationally well to lead Mark Allen 13-3 after two sessions of their semi-final, even if he let things slip before scrambling over the line 17-13. "I went out leading 13-3 with no nerves on me but you need nerves to play well here," he said afterwards.
Nerves are guaranteed for the final and Higgins has responded when put under pressure so many times that he must be backed to keep the butterflies at bay sufficiently to produce his best during the best of 35 frames showpiece finale.
Now 33, he has long been regarded as one of the greatest all round players snooker has ever seen. He mixes deadly safety with accurate long potting and heavy scoring. At times this makes him unplayable.
It could all have been different had his father, John senior, not taken him to a snooker club at the age of nine. Higgins took to the game immediately and by 15 was one of the leading juniors in the country. His first breakthrough was winning the under 16 title at the 1991 World Masters in Birmingham, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams en route.
The three all turned professional the following year and it was Higgins who first got his hands on the famous World Championship trophy. The manner of his 1998 triumph suggested he could bestride the sport in the all conquering way Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry previously had but, with O'Sullivan and Williams having emerged as regular title winners, the era had become so competitive that no one player dominated.
In 2001, Higgins became a father for the first time (he now has three children) and found family life more enjoyable than relentless practice. Therefore, it took him until 2007 to win a second Crucible crown but is looking sharp enough to capture another over the course of the next two days. He would be the oldest winner since Dennis Taylor, at 36, sank that black to beat Steve Davis in 1985.
Standing in his way is Shaun Murphy, seven years his junior and a player who possesses a formidable technique and, just as crucially, a rock solid temperament, even if he let slip a seven frame lead over Neil Robertson in their semi-final. Murphy has the self belief to beat anyone from any position. On his way to landing the 2005 world title he beat Higgins 13-8 in the second round and seemed immune to the unique pressure the intimate Crucible arena generates.
Publicity surrounding the break-up of his marriage does not seem to have affected him and even the boos of some spectators have not prevented him from sticking to his task. Not everyone warms to his persona but surely no true snooker fan can deny his talent.
He led Robertson 14-7 before the pressure told as the Aussie started to find form. Caught at 14-14, many players would have capitulated but Murphy immediately stroked in a century then breaks of 81 and 94 to clinch victory. This was an awesome response when put under the cosh.
Murphy has had a strange season. He lost his opening match in the first four ranking events before winning the fifth, the UK Championship. A couple of quarter-finals since suggested his consistency had returned and he has improved dramatically since falling over the line 10-8 against Andrew Higginson in the first round, hammering Marco Fu 13-3 and fighting past maximum man Hendry 13-11.
Both Higgins and Murphy are capable of keeping cool in the heat of the Crucible cauldron. They have played five times before with Higgins holding a 4-1 advantage. Significantly, though, Murphy's sole win was that success at the Crucible four years ago.
There will only be one man left standing on bank holiday Monday and my feeling is for Higgins. He has had such an eventful championship that he almost seems destined to win it, probably in very dramatic circumstances.
If he does, as if there was any lingering doubt, he will enter the pantheon of the greats. Only Davis, Hendry and O'Sullivan have won three or more Crucible titles.
Perhaps he should have done so earlier in his career but that is only a reflection of how good a player he was and, indeed, still is.
Mark Allen will not be the winner of this year's Betfred.com World Championship but he has been the tournament's star.
His fast, bustling style has been a breath of fresh air and the Crucible crowd has warmed to him.
My word, he gave John Higgins a scare this afternoon.
He decided to have a go from the off and looked like he might pull back to just 15-13 in arrears before missing a red early in frame 28, from which Higgins made a classy 116 break.
It could have been 16-14 but Allen missed the blue from the last red.
Nevertheless, he has proved he is a big occasion player and I'm sure will feature in plenty of big occasions in years to come.
ROBERTSON IN A JAM
Well done to Neil Robertson for digging in after a nightmare start to the third session of his semi-final against Shaun Murphy today.
Robertson won the last three frames to trail 14-10 when at one point it looked as if he might suffer defeat with a session to spare.
He should have won the 19th frame. Murphy went in-off the green but Robertson grossly misjudged position from brown to blue and ended up missing a long blue, from which Murphy potted three great balls for a 12-7 lead.
Robertson's normally rock solid confidence appeared to be destroyed by this and at 14-7 he was all at sea.
Perhaps by this point he felt he couldn't win the match and so started throwing his cue at the balls.
He ended up making a century in the last frame and although Murphy is still a heavy favourite, the Aussie has thrown himself a lifeline.
He will, however, need to make a good start when they return tonight to stand any chance of winning the match.
WORLD SERIES COMPETITION
The Eurosport website is running a competition to win a VIP trip to the World Series event in Killarney featuring Ken Doherty, Jimmy White, John Higgins and Shaun Murphy.
You can enter here.
HIGGINS ON THE BRINK
John Higgins seemed a little edgy at the Crucible tonight, possibly because he was keen to kill off his semi-final with Mark Allen in three sessions.
He failed to do so but let's keep a sense of perspective. If you'd have offered John a 15-9 lead after three sessions before the match began he'd have taken it.
I expect him to complete victory pretty quickly on Saturday.
I also expect Shaun Murphy to ultimately prevail against Neil Robertson, although he had a chance to take control at 9-5 and lost two frames to leave the semi-final poised at 9-7 and very much up for grabs.
Neil's mother, Alison, has been watching on an internet stream at horrible times of the day and night.
In Australia, they only get TV highlights several weeks after the event.
Neil will be hoping to provide those highlights programmes with more Aussie success but he will have to tighten up to reach the final.
HIGGINS COMING GOOD
I regard John Higgins as a class act.
The way he played to win his first world title in 1998 is as good as anyone has ever played. I thought then that he would dominate the game in the same way Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry did.
It didn't quite work out that way but there's no doubt that, as an all round player, he can claim to be as good as anyone who has ever picked up a cue.
John has perhaps struggled when it comes to applying himself. He's a family man and has enjoyed fatherhood. There was a telling quote from him in a recent interview: "When I'm on my deathbed I don't think I'll look back and wish I'd spent more time on a snooker table."
Even so, a third world title is honing into view and it will take some performance to deny him.
You could argue he should have won three, four or maybe even five world titles by now. This isn't a criticism of him, more an acknowledgment of how good a player he is.
He leads Mark Allen 6-2 overnight and I would expect him to come through.
Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson are tough opponents but Higgins seems to be getting better with every frame.
This makes him hard to beat as the Crucible marathon enters its final strait.
THE FORGOTTEN CHAMPION: UPDATED
Further to my Horace Lindrum story a couple of days ago, Clive Everton and Phil Yates have more information in The Guardian and The Times respectively.
Posted by Dave H at 9:06 am No comments:
Shaun Murphy hardly endeared himself to the neutrals by refusing to allow Neil Robertson leave to get his extension from his dressing room during frame five tonight.
It was hard to hear in commentary, but I'm told by someone who was in the arena that when the referee, Eirian Williams, asked Murphy if he minded if Robertson went to retrieve the equipment, the 2005 world champion replied with a fair amount of sarcasm: "Why don't we go out for a cup of tea as well?" [note: this is second hand, I didn't hear him say it myself]
That said, it was Neil's own fault for not bringing it back into the arena after the interval.


text:
// //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// sha1.h
// Copyright (c) 2014,2015 Stephan Brumme. All rights reserved.
// see http://create.stephan-brumme.com/disclaimer.html
//

#pragma once

#include "hash.h"
#include <string>

// define fixed size integer types
#ifdef _MSC_VER
// Windows
typedef unsigned __int8  uint8_t;
typedef unsigned __int32 uint32_t;
typedef unsigned __int64 uint64_t;
#else
// GCC
#include <stdint.h>
#endif

/// compute SHA1 hash
/** Usage:
    SHA1 sha1;
    std::string myHash  = sha1("Hello World");     // std::string
    std::string myHash2 = sha1("How are you", 11); // arbitrary data, 11 bytes

    // or in a streaming fashion:

    SHA1 sha1;
    while (more data available)
      sha1.add(pointer to fresh data, number of new bytes);
    std::string myHash3 = sha1.getHash();
  */
class SHA1 //: public Hash
{
public:
  /// split into 64 byte blocks (=> 512 bits), hash is 20 bytes long
  enum { BlockSize = 512 / 8, HashBytes = 20 };

  /// same as reset()
  SHA1();

  /// compute SHA1 of a memory block
  std::string operator()(const void* data, size_t numBytes);
  /// compute SHA1 of a string, excluding final zero
  std::string operator()(const std::string& text);

  /// add arbitrary number of bytes
  void add(const void* data, size_t numBytes);

  /// return latest hash as 40 hex characters
  std::string getHash();
  /// return latest hash as bytes
  void        getHash(unsigned char buffer[HashBytes]);

  /// restart
  void reset();

private:
  /// process 64 bytes
  void processBlock(const void* data);
  /// process everything left in the internal buffer
  void processBuffer();

  /// size of processed data in bytes
  uint64_t m_numBytes;
  /// valid bytes in m_buffer
  size_t   m_bufferSize;
  /// bytes not processed yet
  uint8_t  m_buffer[BlockSize];

  enum { HashValues = HashBytes / 4 };
  /// hash, stored as integers
  uint32_t m_hash[HashValues];
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Posted by Neal on February 27, 2014 at 5:12pm in Imagine No Religion, Please!
Catholic League President Bill Donohue got a course on modern marriage from CNN host Chris Cuomo on Thursday after he claimed that Christians should be allowed to discriminate against LGBT people because love was never meant to be part of marriage.
In an interview on CNN, Cuomo pressed Donohue on why laws like Arizona's recently-vetoed SB 1062 were necessary if no business in the state had ever been forced to serve a gay or lesbian person.
When the CNN host asked how wedding photographers being required to treat LGBT people equally was a "substantial burden to your Catholic faith," Donohue came back to the issue of marriage.
The Hart couple and the cliff crash was on the cutting edge of biracial familialism, and media pirhanas and lynch mobs jumped in to devour without even asking if young Devonte may have had a tapeworm (or five other different parasites that cause hunger). See the CDC report for U.S. parasites. Where are the autopsy reports? What religious denomination(s) was/were represented by the person(s) who knocked on their door just before the family left town?


Last night, BCCJ members and guests attended an evening focused on Tokyo 2020 and Rugby World Cup 2019 related opportunities, at Compass Offices's Meguro Habitat.
Graham Davis, who leads the BCCJ's Global Sporting Events Taskforce, explained the work the Chamber has done so far, and outlined future events and opportunities over the coming months.
"It's the Chamber's view that with these global sporting events coming up, there will be many business, community and volunteering opportuities for us. We are also working closely with UKTI. Most importantly, we want to reach into the Japanese community and TOCOG (the Tokyo Games organising committee), the Japanese government and the Cabinet Office. We want to know what we can do to work with them and open doors for members, and thinking and advice.
"The Chamber has historically had links with Japanese business but this serves as an opportunity for a lot of people to develop much deeper relationships with Japanese business. It's also a good opportunity, through the Rugby World Cup in particular, to bring in regions of Japan.
"I see 2015 as being a really important year for the Games, the procurement and other processes have to start this year."
He explained guest speakers who were heavily involved with the London 2012 volunteer programme will present at a Chamber event in September.
Brian Christian, Principal at The British School in Tokyo, explained the school's approach to the upcoming sporting events and how the Games can be used to build a volunteer community.
"One of the ideas David Cameron had when he was elected was the Big Society. And of course the Big Society was "rubbish" but then two years later we saw the Big Society in action. Those volunteers really did an important job."
He added that the two sporting events were a chance to engage young people, although he admitted that to a student "five years feels a lifetime away" meaning the excitment would come much closer to the time.
Brian explained how the school is closely following developments with the Rugby World Cup 2019 and Tokyo 2020 - and has launched a dedicated Twitter account - BST Tokyo 19:20 - to keep track of developments and share its initiatives. The school intends to have the content curated by student volunteers, and is developing sporting themed teaching resources, based on both the events and Japan, to share with schools around the world.
The school's decision to use the upcoming sporting events as an opportunity to reach out internationally is similar to the goals behind the Japanese government's Sport for Tomorrow initiative. It's mission reads: "The Japanese government is committed to creating our future through the power of sport with more than 10 million people of over 100 countries from now until 2020. With the Sport for Tomorrow programme, Japan aims to be involved in the promotion of sport and the Olympic and Paralympic movement, including assistance to developing countries; train future sport leaders at the new international sport academy; and further protect and promote the values of sport by extending anti-doping initiatives globally." Chuo Rugby Football Union's Executive Director, Hiroyuki Koyama, revealed exciting plans for a street rugby event in Nihonbashi's Sakura Street in July have now been approved by Tokyo police. The green light means 3,500 people will visit the area and have the chance to play and watch rugby as well as buy food from around the world, including Britain.
Koyama san said: "We want to popularize rugby before the Rugby World Cup. There will be 50 short games and many people will be able to visit."
He added there would also be sponsorship opportunities for the events and that it was hoped to roll the format out across other Tokyo sites, and around the country, ahead of 2019.
BCCJ members also had the chance to ask questions and explain their plans and ideas for 2019-20.
Members said they wanted to see the Games used to improve diversity and inclusion and it was also suggested that Chambers work to bring athletes from the 1964 Games back to Tokyo.
Steve Crane, CEO of Business Link Japan, which is also one of the joint operators of the Export to Japan website, explained that the Olympics was generating a lot of buzz among UK based firms. "From a business view, we are seeing a lot of interest already. Over the last four weeks the 2020 section of the Export to Japan site has been the second most popular part, with 6,500 hits. It gives us the idea that the traffic and momentum is beginning to build."
Business opportunities were also discussed, with security and cyber security, energy - and the potential for a hydrogen-powered games, and branding and communication, being seen as key areas for the UK companies to explore, alongside the cultural legacy of the Games.
Thank you to Compass Offices for kindly hosting this event.


In this suite Bob & Roberta Smith presents a very personal idiosyncratic top ten list of inspirational women including Rosa Luxembourg, Andrea Dworkin, Suzanne Moore, Julie Burchill, Hannah Arendt, Billie Holiday, Maya Angelou, Bessie Smith, Bidisha, Naomi Wolf.
For Bob & Roberta "The Feminist writers, journalists and musicians in Feminist Icons simply talk good sense. Like all really radical thinkers, what they say and sing is obvious, honest and truthful. Society, which itself is distorted, marginalises the opinions of those who do not maintain its distortions."
The Icons of Feminism suite was inspired after Bob & Roberta spent two years researching the archives of Jacob Epstein at the New Art Gallery in Walsall. Within the archive are many letters and photos from Epteins later life, when he became a considerable celebrity in the art world. Bob & Roberta began admiring Epstein for his battle with a rather philistine, and at times, anti Semitic art world, however in his dealings with the women in his life and as a family man he was distant, egotistical and rather misogynistic. Bob & Roberta formulated the view that it was people like Epstein that 1970's Feminism was designed to combat.
In 2011 Bob & Roberta invited an audience at the ICA, London, to sign up to Esther's Law: a new law based on a sculpture by Jacob Epstein of his teenage daughter, which seems to challenge the male hegemony of art and suggests society should create a truly representative political system in parliament, including 50% of women.
Rosa Luxembourg was murdered for her socialist views in 1919, by a growing authoritarian Fascistic German state.
Suzanne Moore, a journalist who writes for the Guardian. A powerful and human radical voice.
Julie Burchill, a fantastic, harsh and acerbic satirist and political commentator. Brilliantly undermining of men.
Hannah Arendt, says freedom is public, performative and associative and smokes a lot.
Billie Holiday popularised the powerful anti lynching song 'strange fruit'. Holiday's voice rips your heart out.
Maya Angelou, chronicles with humanism the story of the continuing emancipation of Black America. Bessie Smith, one of the first icons of the Blues, her songs frequently portray the cruelties of life from a black woman's perspective.
Bidisha, a powerful writer, broadcaster and journalist whose blog 'one year on' exposed the fickle nature of men in the art world who everyone covers up for in order to maintain their charming 'new man', 'nice guy' image.
Naomi Wolf, an inspiring intellectual voice of American feminism.


Structuralism was the first school of psychology and focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components.
Titchener was student of Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) at the University of Leipzig and his ideas on the working o mind were heavily influenced by Wundt's theory of voluntarism and his ideas of association and apperception (the passive and active combinations of elements of consciousness respectively). Titchener attempted to classify the structures of the mind, like chemists classify the elements of nature into the periodic table.
The mental elements structure themselves in such a way to allow conscious experience. Structuralists used techniques such as introspection to analyze the inner processes of the human mind.
The state of consciousness which is to be the matter of psychology … can become an object of immediate knowledge only by way of introspection or self-awareness.
…within the sphere of psychology, introspection is the final and only court of appeal, that psychological evidence cannot be other than introspective evidence.


I love Holidays.. it means my man is home with me, no school for the children, and we can all kick back and hang and do our own thing. We have no plans other than watching a movie or two, and me getting my scrap on... plus reading with Samantha. She LOVES that she can read now, and so do I. It's fun helping/watching her sound out new words in a book.
I uploaded the Tallyscrapper September kit video reveal yesterday, you can see it below.
And I can't wait to show you the canvas I created with the kit. As soon as I saw the Cherries Ripe paper with the music notes and fruit, I knew I wanted to turn it into a canvas for my kitchen. This is photo heavy, and you can view these images larger just by clicking on the image, it will open a new window showing you the photo at my flickr account.
I started this canvas off by loosely cutting out the cherry graphic from the JB paper. Then I cut out various sizes of pattern paper and added some course gel paste to a few of the pattern paper blocks. Once dried, it gives the paper a sandy finish, and adds so much texture, it's awesome. I inked the edges of my pp blocks, then mod podged them down to the canvas. Then it was a matter of adding more color and layers by stamping, doodling, and painting.. adding rub ons and more stamping.
Couldn't have done it without the gorgeous September Tally kit. Oh, and the Chili Powder red paint dabber.. the paint comes out wonderfully from the tip.. you can get heavy or light applications depending on if you squeeze the bottle lightly or harder. <3 it. the color is amazing.
The two cherries beneath the quote, were made by just making a large paint dot with the JB Dabber.. then I outlined it and gave it pen stems.
Quote by Mother Theresa reads, "Love is a Fruit in season at all times, and within the reach of every hand."


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/ Development Services (BDS)
/ Tree Code Amendments (Summer and Fall 2020)
Tree Code Amendments (Summer and Fall 2020) News Menu
Portland City Council adopts updates to city's tree code, strengthening tree preservation
A new ordinance updates the city's tree policies to promote greater preservation of trees when development occurs in certain types of commercial zones and to promote the preservation of larger trees in other development situations.
Updated January 7, 2021 11:45 am News article
Public testimony invited for Portland City Council consideration of tree code updates Oct. 29
The public is invited to review and provide testimony before the City Council on a package of updates to Portland's tree code relating to the removal of exemptions from requirements to preserve and plant trees in certain development situations.
Updated October 23, 2020 2:40 pm News article
Seeking public input on a proposal to enhance tree preservation requirements
You are invited to review and comment on a revised proposal to update and improve tree preservation requirements in Portland.
Updated September 1, 2020 11:48 am News article
Share your Views on a Draft Proposal for Updates to Portland's Tree Code
Updated July 28, 2020 1:35 pm News article
Online Survey Available to Share Your Views on Updates to Portland's Tree Code
Read more about potential tree code amendments in the City of Portland.
Updated June 8, 2020 7:56 am News article
Share Your Views on Portland's Tree Code
Plans Examiner Newsletter
April 21, 2020 7:24 am Newsletter
City Council Adopts Resolution Directing Future Projects on Title 11, Trees
On Wednesday, January 8, City Council passed a resolution directing BDS, together with Portland Parks & Recreation and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, to complete projects relating to Title 11, Trees.
Updated January 10, 2020 7:59 am Public notice
City Council is Seeking Input on a Draft Resolution for Future Projects on Title 11, Trees, regarding Trees in Development Situations
Earlier this year, Development Services proposed an amendment to Title 11, Trees, to extend the sunset date of certain regulations passed in 2016 that strengthened tree preservation requirements (especially preservation of large sized trees) in development situations on private property.
Updated January 6, 2020 2:10 pm Public notice
Updated: City Council is Considering Extension of the Sunset Date for Certain Regulations for Tree Preservation of Private Trees in Development Situations
On Thursday, December 5, 2019 Mayor Wheeler proposed an amendment to the recommendation to revise the sunset date of the regulations adopted in 2016 to December 31, 2024.
Updated December 10, 2019 11:51 am Public notice
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Basic Audio Series | Vol. 6 From Fall to Restoration (MP3)
Category: Sunrise Ranch
Lecture by Martin Exeter, May 24, 1970 . . .
Synopsis: To a consciousness separated from relatedness to the universe, such questions as "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?" asked of man in the 38th chapter of Job, appear to be meaningless. But we are starting to sense the actuality of influences being brought to bear, a whole network of influences of which the mind knows virtually nothing. Our solar system is now emerging out of a vibrational cloud which made the fall possible in the first place, and the fallen state cannot continue to exist. It is no longer possible to continue in a three-dimensional world. With the intensification occurring in the earth today, we must come out into a seven-dimensional world, and this requires absolute honesty.
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The Third Sacred School | Vol. 15
Basic Audio Series | Vol. 11 Coming Home


No matter if you are a fan of incredible running games or just want a fresh perspective on the genre, Jetpack Water Jump will engage you into the ultimate run and dash experience through amazing journeys.
In the beginning falling into the water can make it hard to come back, but as you get more experienced, you will need to get in to rack up higher scores and combos. Masterize your jumps to gather coins to unlock bonuses and new characters. Each new challenge will bring in a massive rush, but complete it and you will be well rewarded.
This is a great game for people who wants a relaxing and fun way to test and improve their reaction time and skills.
With great graphics, multiplayer as well as amazing gameplay mechanics, Jetpack Water Jump is the ultimate way to spend your time within the family. Just try out Jetpack Water Jump right now and you will love it !


ALL OF THIS PAPERWORK NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED by February 12th.
3) Click the pencil next to the student information row and carefully fill out the requested information. Click UPDATE. Do this for you and your partner if you have one.
4) DO NOT CHECK any of the boxes. They do not apply to your projects. If you think I am in error with that, let me know!
5) Give your project a title – make it simple and descriptive – it does NOT need to be the same title as you put on your board, although it can be.
7) Abstract – A) What do you hope to accomplish? B) How will you do this? C) What have you learned thus far D) What do you have left to do? Wherever you are in the process, fill this out as well as you can. Don't be wordy but be sure to answer the questions.
The abstract is an outline of the project for the judges. You do not require many details. Appearance always matters, so make sure you have someone proof read it for spelling and clarity and grammar.
8) Click NO on the electricity requested box.
9) If you think your project will involve a lot of numbers and statistics, ask Mr. Jamsa if you should nominate yourself for a statistics award.
10) UPDATE. Print form. Use Internet Explorer. You need to turn OFF the POPUP Blocker to be able to print. Click on the wheel in the upper right corner. Select INTERNET OPTIONS. Select PRIVACY TAB. UNCHECK the Turn on Popup Blocker option.
11) Obtain signatures of parents and guardians. The date on the form when students signed the form is January 14th. The date on the form when parents signed the form is January 15th, 2019. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT – please just write those dates in.
Besides the form above, it is also required that you print out a copy of your procedures and submit them with this.


CANNES - The Doha Film Institute (DFI) started out as an unsophisticated newbie in the MENA region, struggling to find its identity and a distinctive place in the Arab film ecosystem. Nine years on, it has single-handedly transformed Qatar's film scene and the projects it supports have won some of the highest international accolades.
The DFI has become one of the most bona fide institutions in the region, not only providing funds for emerging and established filmmakers alike, but acting as a platform for linking together Arab filmmakers with some of the biggest players on the scene.
The DFI was born out of Qatar's first cinematic fair, the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF). Launched in 2009 through a partnership with American Tribeca Enterprises, DTFF made headlines for all of the wrong reasons: first-class flights transporting dozens of guests from across the world, lavish gifts received by the guests who had their schedules pre-programmed on an iPod Touch, and marquee stars such as Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Adel Imam gracing the festival's nascent red carpet.
Initially, Doha failed to be taken seriously by the global film industry. As Dubai positioned itself as the mecca for Arab film discoveries, Doha was seen as the rich, spoilt cousin: all blitz and no substance. When it came to its film selection, it had no curatorial vision and was merely a mixture of best-of-year movies.
Organisers took notice, and soon the glamour was scaled down and substituted with grants and networking initiatives for Arab filmmakers. DFI was founded in 2010 by Sheikha al-Mayassa al-Thani, sister to the current emir of Qatar. From the get-go, the choice of films DFI supported was adventurous, and unlike Dubai and Abu Dhabi, their grants did not include a clause forcing recipients to have their regional premiere at its festival. Several Doha-supported films premiered in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
In 2013, DTFF was cancelled and replaced by the Ajyal Youth Film Festival and the industry platform, the Qumra initiative, featuring master classes, public screenings and panel discussions. Qumra, in particular, was a great success, pairing projects with filmmakers from across the globe with international industry professionals such as programmers, distributors, and producers.
Master classes from some of the world's most acclaimed filmmakers were held in tandem featuring Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton, Cannes winning filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and Venice winning filmmaker Aleksandr Sokurov.
Widely seen as the architect behind DFI's evolution is iconic Palestinian filmmaker, Elia Suleiman, who has worked primarily as Qumra's artistic advisor since 2013.
"The transition was organic. Out of the festival, organisers saw a need for a body like the Doha Film Institute, which was founded in 2010. DFI was born out of the need to support Qatari and Arab talents to realise their visions. During the four years of DTFF, we recognised that youth, both audiences and filmmakers, are our primary target," DFI CEO Fatma al-Remaihi told Middle East Eye.
According to Remaihi, this shift in strategy is what spawned Ajyal and Qumra, along with grants for first and second-time filmmakers.
Grants aside, throughout the year DFI holds multiple training and developmental programmes for filmmakers across the region, including organising the Producers Lab, a six-day workshop mentoring rising talent in the region.
According to Hanaa Issa, DFI's director of strategy and development, alumni of these workshops are later supported with grants and invited to Qumra to meet up with distributors, producers, and programmers from around the globe. Additionally, they can exhibit their work in Ajyal.
Qatar is exposing Qatari filmmakers to schools of cinema they have never seen before.
"Our programmes helped filmmakers find their voices. They've become more confident with their crafts, with translating their ideas to screen," Remaihi said.
Yet things are not entirely spotless in Doha, as with the rest of the Arab world, censorship and socio-political taboos continue to govern aspects of the institute's work.
Even though its production arm is open to the rest of the world, DFI has never sponsored LGBT stories. Politically contentious projects, meanwhile, are approached with caution.
According to Lebanese filmmaker and Oscar nominee Ziad Doueiri (The Insult), DFI demanded its name be taken off the opening credits of his Israel-shot feature, The Attack, which is about a Palestinian doctor living in Israel in search of answers on why his wife carried out a suicide mission. DFI, as Doueiri explains, was one of the main funders of the film. DFI representatives said they do not need to include their credits on every project they back.
These misgivings aside, DFI's track record speaks for itself with its many successes: Jordanian Oscar nominee, Theeb (2014); Tunisian Berlin winner for best actor, Hedi (2016); Palestinian Locarno contender, Wajib (2017) and Lebanese Palme d'Or short winner, Waves 98 (2015).
This year in Cannes, DFI remarkably had six projects in different sections of the festival, including Lebanese Nadine Labaki's Jury Prize winner, Capharnaum; Chinese Bi Gan's Cannes Un Certain Regard sensation, Long Day's Journey Into Night; and The Wild Pear Tree by Turkish Palme d'Or winner, Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
DFI's latest expansion plans, announced last month, will include branching out into TV and web production, covering TV and web fiction and creative documentary. The expansion is an acknowledgement of the changing viewing habits in the region and a push for filmmakers to tell their stories in alternative media.
"TV content is more in demand than ever. Production values have radically improved. TV series are a very popular format in the region, a format that we can no longer neglect," Remaihi said.
Issa added that it also gives talents more platforms to channel their creations.
"TV is going to cinema now," said DFI's head of grants, Khalil Benkirane. "TV producers are looking more and more for independent filmmakers with some strong visions who can bring their film sensibilities to TV."
For grants, DFI has two sessions per year. In total, the institute receives more than 400 films annually. "Each project is evaluated by three instructors. It's a very democratic process because we assign these projects randomly," Benkirane said.
"We then take a month-and-a-half to examine these evaluations and narrow down the selection to 70 projects, which we assign to an international jury comprised of five members. They take a month-and-a-half or two to give their verdict, after which 30-34 projects are chosen for the grants," he added.
There are no specific criteria for the selection process, but Benkirane attests that the institute champions, first and foremost, projects that push the envelope in terms of form and content. Geography and relevancy also play an imperative role.
The expansions of DFI arrive at a perilous time for Arab cinema. In April, Dubai became the latest festival to get the axe, citing plans for a "new strategy" and stating that the event will be held every two years in a different format.
This occurred after Abu Dhabi decided to focus on other initiatives to support local filmmakers. Marrakech was also on pause, yet it was recently revived after a one-year hiatus, saying it wanted to allow the festival to be open to other cultures.
The discontinuation of these festivals and grants has left a wide gap in the region's cinema at a time when Arab films were garnering unprecedented international attention.
In June 2017, the growth of DFI hit a stumbling block after the blockade imposed on Qatar complicated pursuing funding opportunities in the region.
The blockade put filmmakers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and especially Egypt, in an uneasy position when dealing with or accepting funds from DFI. Making matters more challenging was a decision by some Egyptian banks to stop dealing with Qatari banks in light of the crisis.
Still, Ramaihi said the DFI has never changed their strategy in terms of funding or training, and it is still open to all filmmakers from across the region.
"It's unfortunate what's happening now, and we certainly cannot ignore the political situation because it is indeed affecting the film industry in many ways. A lot of filmmakers are now afraid to come to Doha, or even apply for funds from the institute," Remaihi said.
The emergence of the luxurious Gouna Film Festival in Egypt in 2017 and the abrupt rise of Saudi Arabia as the new cinema powerhouse in the region amid Mohammad bin Salman's reforms have placed DFI in the middle of a furtive cold war.
"It's saddening for all of us, every time a fund closes down. We believe that every component of the Arab film scene complements the other, even though it may appear that we're [in] competition with each other. You can never have too many funds. You can never have too many festivals. Even if we're indeed competing, it's all for the benefit of filmmakers," Remaihi said.
As for the future, Remaihi believes that anything can happen at this stage.


Service members and their families stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, one of the largest training bases for the U.S. Army, received a special visit this week from Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden and Astronaut Mark Kelly.
LeVar Burton and First Lady Michelle Obama during the Joining Forces Event at Thayer Elementary School at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.
Credit/Copyright: Jane Wolfe, RRKidz, Inc.
They were joined by lifelong literacy advocate LeVar Burton, the host of Reading Rainbow, for a story time event for students on-base at Thayer Elementary School. The event was part of the White House's Joining Forces initiative. Celebrating its 5th anniversary, the initiative works to ensure that service members, veterans, and their families have the tools they need to succeed throughout their lives.
Obama, Biden, Kelly and Burton read two books to the audience of students, teachers, and administrators: Burton's own The Rhino Who Swallowed A Storm and Kelly's Mousetronaut. After the event concluded, Burton's RRKIDZ, home of the beloved children's brand, Reading Rainbow, also donated a Skybrary School subscription for the entire Thayer Elementary School, as well as copies of all the books read that day for the Thayer library. RRKIDZ has already donated Skybrary School to more than 6000 classrooms in need and has plans to donate thousands more. Additionally, RRKIDZ will be working with Joining Forces to find additional avenues to support military families nationwide.
Skybrary School offers a rich multimedia resource filled with close to 1,000 fiction and non-fiction books, newly produced video field trips hosted by LeVar Burton, and standards aligned themed lesson plans developed by educational specialists.
For additional information on Skybrary School and Reading Rainbow, please visit www.ReadingRainbow.com.
And, to learn more about Joining Forces please visit www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces.


Lauren Conrad is gearing up for her second run at L.A. fashion week with her self-titled clothing line, and the reality starlet is opening up about a fire scare, friendships in the media, Whitney's spin-off show "The City" -- and why she may be ready to say adieu to "The Hills!"
"It's coming to a point where I love this show so much, but I'm ready to kind of walk away," Lauren admits of her hit MTV show. "I've been doing it for five years now. Five years on TV is a really, really long time."
The fashion designer recently had a scare in the wake of the wildfires burning their way through Southern California. "Where I have my production offices -- there were fires all around them and there was no electricity. My entire collection was there and they couldn't get to them." L.C. said. "They actually just got into the factory and were evacuated again but they luckily had all of the samples with them."
The former "Laguna Beach" girl also dished on how the media attention has affected relationships with her gal pals, saying, "It makes it more difficult. It's more difficult when not only everyone knows about your problems, but they make them worse because things escalate and things get twisted. It's hard to have an actual friendship be torn apart in the media."
Most recently, Lauren has been dealing with media flack after rumors swirled that she hooked up with BFF Audrina's ex-beau, Justin Bobby. While L.C. and Audrina haven't gone into details about the rift, Patridge recently revealed to "Extra" that she was done with the motorcycle-riding bad boy, stating, "We aren't together anymore."
Lauren's former friends are the least of her worries on the eve of her second fashion week runway show. "I'll be stressed up until it's done," Conrad admits. The fashionista picked the final hair and makeup looks at Warren-Tricomi Salon in Los Angeles for tonight's show. "The whole show I wanted to do really girly -- I wanted to have fun with it."
Conrad also dished about fellow designer and friend Whitney Port, saying, "Whitney and I have opposite styles. They're different styles, different lines, and different price points." As for Port's upcoming reality show, "The City," Conrad commented, "I'm so proud of her for this next show. I think that in 'The Hills,' she never really let them film her personal life... She hasn't really experienced the whole 'put your personal life on TV' thing."
So will Conrad make a cameo on "The City?" The starlet responded, "Not that I know of. That's Whitney's deal. I'll be watching."


Endemol Shine is to ramp up its production of non-English language drama across Europe with The Bridge producer Lars Blomgren stepping into a new role to oversee this push.
Blomgren, who was most recently Managing Director of Endemol Shine's Swedish producer Filmlance International, where he produced the Scandinavian crime drama, will become Head of Scripted, Europe, Middle East and Africa. He will work closely with Endemol Shine's producer in non-English language markets, which between them produced 41 scripted shows in 2017.
In the new role, he will work with Nordic labels including Filmlance and Rubicon, German producer Wiedemann and Berg, NL Flms in the Netherlands, ES Fiction in France, Diagonol in Spain and Endemol Shine Studios Israel. Each will continue to run as currently, with an additional reporting line to Blomgren.
It hopes to bolster its business and build on shows such as Netflix's Dark, TNT Serie's 4 Blocks, Antena 3's Matadero and Reshet's Harem as well as TF1 France's forthcoming Insoupçonnable and TV2 Norway's The Councilman.
Anders Landström will replace Blomgren as MD of Filmlance International; he has been with the producer since 2000 and worked on The Bridge as well as TV4's The Sandhamm Murders. Both begin their new roles in September.


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Remember: Either your light is THE Light, or it's not. There is no in-between, only one or the other. If your light is THE Light, then everyone's light is THE Light. The Light of Love neither discriminates nor withholds Itself. The Light of Love is equal within All and infinite. And: Your light is THE Light. There is no choice. You are the Love of God. Any doubt, any vacillation, any "in-between" simply shows you where your Light needs to shine.


PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader in Health Sciences, today announced that it has successfully completed its acquisition of the newborn metabolic screening business of Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc. The completion of this transaction expands PerkinElmer's capabilities in the neonatal health field.
PerkinElmer has added Pediatrix's screening reference laboratory and its StepOne(R) newborn screening product, which is capable of analyzing more than 50 inherited disorders in newborns, to its genetic screening product offerings. The laboratory provides neonatal screening and consultative services to five states and the District of Columbia, as well as to hospitals and medical groups.
"Our strategy is for PerkinElmer to enhance its capability to deliver a growing portfolio of world-class neonatal and prenatal/maternal health solutions to consumers through their healthcare professionals," said Robert F. Friel, Chief Executive Officer and President of PerkinElmer. "With the completion of this acquisition, we now can provide state laboratories with the most comprehensive array of newborn screening solutions available and strengthen our leadership in this growing market."