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LAST UPDATE 3/29/17
Control by David Mack, Pocket, 2017, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-5011-5170-5
This is a Star Trek Section 31 novel, which is an apparent attempt to get away from the usual formulas. In this case, the protagonist is Dr. Bashir from Deep Space Nine, so it's not a complete departure. Although Starfleet has a well established code of conduct, there is a minority within that organization that feels that the rules are too binding and that exceptions have to be made. Dr. Bashir knows of their existence and he also has uncovered a secret that may provide the leverage he needs to expose and destroy them. But they're aware of his interest and intentions, and they're willing to risk a lot of damage to ensure that he fails. A few other familiar names put in lesser appearances - Captain Picard is implicated as well! - but truth prevails, of course. I thought this was a bit too contrived at times, and the political situation seems over simplified, but it was not unpleasant to read. 3/29/17
Hartinger's Mouse by Philip McCutchan, Harrap, 1970
More bad science in this Commander Shaw adventure. It appears that samples from the moon included a new organism. It was tested on mice but one of the scientists smuggled out one of the test subjects and a colleague isolated the organism, then uses it to seed an irreversible plague across all of England. Shaw figures it all out, and then discovers that they only way to cure the disease is exposure to salt water. Since the body consists in large part of salt water, this doesn't make any sense at all. Fair adventure wrapped around the nonsense. 3/28/17
The Coming of the Terrans by Leigh Brackett, Ace, 1967
Leigh Brackett's best SF was generally set on Mars, a decaying ancient civilization with science so bizarre that it often seemed like magic, and in fact many of the stories feel more like fantasy than SF. I actually thought this collection of five stories was drawn mostly from her minor work. "The Last Days of Shandakor" starts well but has a disappointing ending. "Purple Priestess of the Mad Moon" is obvious and more of a joke than a story "The Road to Sinharat" is pretty good but the other two stories are minor. At moments, however, her prose is so good that even mediocre stories feel better than they are. 3/26/17
The All Purpose Bodies by Philip McCutchan, John Day, 1969
Commander Shaw battles another mad scientist. This time the villain has found a way to reshape human bodies so that he can create ideal thugs, servants, etc. The villain also has a remote viewer that requires no physical mechanism and his plot is to destroy Australia's nuclear arsenal, which contains half of the non-communist nuclear missiles at one single site, where security is laughably lax. Shaw stumbles his way through this one, winning through luck rather than skill, and keeping a straight face through some ludicrously stupid scientific revelations. 3/23/17
Warrior-Maid of Mars by Alfred Coppel, Armchair, 2017 (originally published in 1950)
There is a dying human civilization on Mars when humans arrive. The warrior cast decides to influence their government to exterminate the small party of scientists who have arrived, while the religious caste sees the newcomers as the only possible salvation for their world. The leader of the military faction is kidnapped by the latter group, during which period he meets an Earth woman and alters his views on the matter. Typical pulp adventure, though not badly written. 3/21/17
The Devil's Triangle by Catherine Coulter & J.T. Ellison, Gallery, 2017, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-5011-5032-6
I am always suspicious of collaborations like this because they are usually sharecropping in some form but this appears to be a genuine collaboration. The two protagonists, one British and one American, are head of a special FBI team charged with investigating unusual crimes. They get a tip that a recent natural disaster was not a freak of nature but actually the result of a sophisticated weather control process, one that could wreak havoc across the world. The investigation takes them to various locations around the world and it is more of an adventure story than a mystery. Technically it is science fiction because of the weather control machines, and there is a hint of fantasy as well. There were a couple of slow spots but for the most part this held my interest right through the end. 3/20/17
Revenger by Alastair Reynolds, Orbit, 2017, $14.99, ISBN 978-0-316-55556-2
Two sisters in a very distant future leave home against the wishes of their father to sign on as crew with a ship that retrieves artifacts of ancient and/or alien technology. They live in a system where there are literally thousands of worlds, not including the baubles – locked worldlets full of treasure. Aliens live among humanity but apparently there are no humans outside the system, although we are never entirely sure of that. Our protagonists are separated when their ship is attacked by a pirate so cruel and legendary that many refuse to believe she even exists. The sister who remains free vows vengeance and makes use of her talents to communicate with an alien skull to engineer a second meeting. High adventure, lots of interesting invented technology, and a likeable protagonist. There is no indication that this is the beginning of a series, but it ends with a minor cliffhanger and it seems likely that there is more to come. 3/19/17
Question and Answer by Poul Anderson, NESFA, 2017, $32, ISBN 978-1-51037-313-5
When I reread Poul Anderson a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that he was much more entertaining and talented than I had remembered, which has not proven to be true of a number of his contemporaries. His short fiction is at least as good as his novels, which is also unusual. NESFA has been publishing a series of omnibus volumes - this is the seventh in the series - and the quality is excellent. The title story was an Ace double as Planet of No Return and is one of those stories in which the destiny of humanity is the main issue. Should we expand to the stars or not? Anderson's answer will not surprise you. "A Message in Secret" was also an Ace double as Mayday Orbit. There are also stories here featuring Dominic Flandry, secret agent of the Terran Empire, and David Falkayn, trader to the stars, along with a bunch of standalones like "To Outlive Eternity" and "The Big Rain." Anderson was one of the most reliable writers the genre has ever seen. I cannot recall reading a really bad story by him. 3/18/17
Infinity Engine by Neal Asher, Night Shade, 2017, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-59780
Third and final volume in the Transformation trilogy. The protagonist's long search for an AI that may have turned against its creators finally comes to an end. There are other players in the game now, including a criminally inclined AI which has recently escaped confinement. The battle to control the War Factory is well under way, with humans and aliens pitted against one another, and robot drones pursuing their own agenda. Who is pulling the strings and what are they connected to? And what role will the last survivor of another alien race play as the struggles play out and the mysteries are unraveled? Quite good space opera with a complex though accessible plot. 3/14/17
War Factory by Neal Asher, Night Shade, 2016, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-59780-882-8
Middle volume in the Transformation trilogy. The quest to track down an apparently rogue AI has run into difficulties, but it seems that the trail might lead to the factory complex where it was originally constructed as a starship. The protagonist is no longer entirely convinced that his recollection of event is entirely accurate, but who has been interfering with his memories? Elsewhere one of the alien Prador is also having an identity crisis, because he (it?) is undergoing a transformation to something neither human nor Prador but perhaps a bit of both. These divergent story lines are about to collide and the consequences for both races might be catastrophic. First class space opera. 3/13/17
Dark Intelligence by Neal Asher, Night Shade, 2016, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-59780-824-8
First volume of the Transformation trilogy, which is set in the Polity Universe Asher has explored extensively n the past. The protagonist has just been revived a century after his death. During the war with the alien Prador, an AI mysteriously went rogue and turned on the humans it was supposed to protect. Our hero is determined to hunt down the AI, which is resident in a starship, and find out why. His efforts lead to an unpleasant quasi-alliance with a particularly hostile woman and various adventures in multiple locations. This reminded me of a blend of Starship Troopers with Iain Banks, with lots of imaginative twists and exciting turns. Volume two is next on my list. 3/12/17
The Bright Red Businessman by Philip McCutchan, John Day, 1969
Commander Shaw has to thwart a plan to explode nuclear weapons under Antarctica and raise the sea level by two hundred feet. The Chinese are behind the plot, and they plan to escape destruction thanks to a power that turns water into elasticized membranes so strong that once seeded along the coast, they will hold the regular water back. This makes no sense because the weight of the water would just push the altered water back over the landscape and drown everything anyway. The British plan to create elastic water bags around Antarctica to contain the new water until it refreezes, but this wouldn't work either, and for the same reason. As usual, Shaw finds this all out by being captured by villains who are all too willing to tell him their plans, but who don't kill him for long enough to allow him to escape. 3/11/17
Lost Among the Stars by Paul Di Filippo, Wordfire, 2017, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-61475-464-0
A collection of eleven stories from the fiendish mind of Paul Di Filippo. Although the author's style is generally quite distinctive, there is quite a variety of tales here, everything from steampunk to cyberpunk. There is alternate history, weird futures, and a decidedly different take on several familiar themes. Most are science fiction but there's a little fantasy as well to liven up the brew. "Desperados of the Badlands," "The Via Panisperna Boys in 'Operation Harmony'", and "Ghostless" were my favorites this time. One story is original to the collection but the rest are reprints, most from unusual sources. Lively and witty humor is pervasive even when the themes themselves are quite serious. 3/8/17
The Screaming Dead Balloons by Philip McCutchan, Berkley, 1968
This is a pretty outlandish spy novel. An evil biochemist has discovered an alien fungus in Brazil which he can breed and control. The fungus becomes an army of ambulatory blob creatures which kill everyone they encounter but which respond to his radio transmitter. He plans to invade London, which is evacuated, and after various adventures Commander Shaw figures out how to seize control and drive the creatures into the ocean. Salt water is poison to them. A little too far over the top. 3/7/17
The Reavers of Skaith by Leigh Brackett, Del Rey, 1976
This was the third and last book in the new Eric John Stark series, and also the last novel Brackett wrote. It continues the story of Stark's adventures on Skaith, with a slight jump as his good fortune at the end of the second has now been reversed. The offworld merchant he trusted has betrayed him and he has to escape another deathtrap and pursue another perilous journey across the dying planet. Some of those they meet are hostile some friendly, and many just curious. But the Lords Protector are determined to restore Skaith's isolation and their own power base. Episodic in structure and fantasy in tone, this is very similar to the first two books except that it ties up the various story lines at the end.
The Long Mirage by David R. George III, Pocket, 2017, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-5011-3297-1
A Star Trek Deep Space Nine novel. The prose universe has proceeded far beyond the original series. The original DS9 has been destroyed and a new one installed in its place. The new commander is Ro Laren. Quark is on a mission of his own, to track down an old friend who has gone missing, as also has the investigator Quark hired to find her. Kira returns from having been lost in the collapse of a wormhole to find politics back home have taken another turn. There is also another escaped hologram character to confuse things. This was a fairly routine novel in the series, with a few good twists but perhaps a few too many story lines. The author usually has a tighter focus in his novels. 2/27/17
Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb, St Martins, 2017, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-250-12311-4
Once again, SF by courtesy only. There are robots, prisons are off world, etc. The story is otherwise a tense police procedural. After finding a naked woman wandering in a daze, Eve Dallas has to track down a rapist burglar who has apparently turned to murder. Much painstaking detection follows. This series is pure formula, but it's like visiting old friends every few months. There is a minor contradiction. Dallas has a brief diatribe in which she criticizes efforts to reform professional criminals. Either she, or the author, have forgotten that she is married to a reformed professional criminal. A couple of the intuitive leaps seem like magic. Solid, but not the top of her form. 2/26/17
Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer, Tor, 2017, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-7653-7802-6
On a far future Earth, war has been effectively abolished and the wonders of technology have created a truly global community. The very concept of nations has altered dramatically and there are effectively no borders, although there are still distinct power centers. In order to maintain this stability, a secretive group at the top makes use of selective assassination and other methods to prevent any one side from achieving dominance or upsetting the equilibrium. But the system is human made and therefore imperfect and on the danger of collapsing entirely, even as it appears that psychic powers might be appearing at last. I have ambivalent feelings about this. Parts of the story were fascinating and even gripping. Other parts tended to lose my attention, in part because the author occasional uses a mildly artificial prose style that I found distracting. It's certainly an interesting and promising novel - as was the first in the series, Too Like the Lightning, but it might take a bit of effort to get into the story early on, and it probably will make more sense if you've read the first. 2/24/17
Baker Street Irregulars edited by Michael A. Ventrella & Jonathan Maberry, Diversion, 2017, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-62681-840-8 v209
This is a collection of alternate Sherlock Holmes stories, and almost half of them are science fiction or fantasy so I'm posting the review here rather than in mysteries to hopefully attract a different group of readers.. Mike Strauss casts him as host of a reality television show that decides to improve its ratings with an actual murder. Keith R.A. DeCandido presents Shirley Jones, a medical student who solves problems for friends. Jody Lynn Nye's Holmes is a non-humanoid alien who investigates crimes and other things. The story is clever but it doesn't feel much like Holmes. Ryk E. Spoor has a nice story in which Sherlock must accept the possibility of ghosts. Hildy Silverman's Sherlock is a vampire. David Gerrold has a very clever story about a kind of AI Sherlock who investigates assaults on sexbots. Jim Avelli has Holmes arrested by Moriarty for the murder of Irene Adler. Heidi McLaughlin also makes Sherlock female. He's a musician who prevents the murder of Beethoven in Austin Farmer's contribution and he's transgendered, but still a detective, in the tale by Gail Z. Martin. Martin Rose casts him as a robot. Jonathan Maberry puts him in a fantasy world, and Beth Patterson rather cleverly turns him into a parrot. Some of the stories are quite good, a couple are just okay, and the majority are certainly enjoyable. 2/21/17
The Hounds of Skaith by Leigh Brackett, Del Rey, 1974
Volume II of the Book of Skaith. Eric John Stark has rescued Simon Ashton and overthrow the rulers of Skaith, but now he had to fight his way back to the spaceport among various warring factions, genetically altered humans, telepathic dogs, sandstorms, cannibals, and other dangers. Colorful scenery, large battles, conflicting loyalties, and smooth prose in this other worlds adventure that feels even more like fantasy than the first in the series. 2/20/17
The Iron Tactician by Alastair Reynolds, NewCon, 2016, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-910935-30-9
This is a novella featuring the recurring character Merlin, who is seeking a weapon with which to defend human worlds from the alien Huskers. This episode involves his attempt to bargain for a new interstellar drive unit to replace his own, which is failing. The quest takes him to a system which has been locked in an interplanetary war for more than a thousand years. He is offered a trade. He must reacquire an artificial intelligence stolen by unaligned marauders. Merlin has no compunctions about doing this but the issue becomes more complicated as time passes. Pretty good space adventure although it relies an awful lot on some extraordinary coincidences. 2/19/17
The Ginger Star by Leigh Brackett, Del Rey, 1974
First volume of the Book of Skaith. Brackett reimagines Eric John Stark in a galactic civilization. His mentor has disappeared on a newly discovered but dying world and he is determined on either rescue or revenge. In a series of adventures that feel more like fantasy, he travels around the planet, fulfilling the role of the Dark One, mentioned in a prophecy. He deals with telepathic wolves, an evil aristocracy, and various physical dangers. He rescues his friend at the end of this one, but the story has just begun. Nicely told adventure story, but there is a succession of distinct adventures rather than one 2/14/17
Alpha Centauri or Die! by Leigh Brackett, Ace, 1963
This is a very minor novella by Brackett in which a group of people build an illegal starship in defiance of a government that has restricted space travel to robots. They are pursued by a killer robot ship, which they disable, then find themselves menaced briefly by an unknown force on the planet where they land. A weak ending and slow pacing spoil this one, and the plot was overly familiar even back during the 1960s. 2/12/17
People of the Talisman by Leigh Brackett, Ace, 1964
Eric John Stark is trying to fulfill a dead friend's dying wish when he is captured by a barbarian hoard planning to attack a nearby city. He escapes and carries a warning to the city, but they are not able to hold off the onslaught. Stark and some others find their way to an alien city built by a race that preceded the current Martian species, but they have all gone mad and what was hoped to be rescue is instead an even greater cause of danger. Excellent story. 2/9/17
The Secret of Sinharat by Leigh Brackett, Ace, 1964
Eric John Stark becomes a government agent briefly when a charismatic leader threatens to plunge all of Mars into war. He infiltrates the group and discovers they are being manipulated by a pair of ancient Martians who are effectively immortal because they can jump from one body to another. Great stuff, and I had forgotten that Stark was a black man, possibly the first significant black hero in SF. 2/9/17
They Rise by Hunter Shea, Severed, 2015
This is a rather typical killer fish novel in which a prehistoric fish reappears with violent consequences for anyone who comes within their reach. They begin attacking vessels in the area of the Bermuda Triangle and a marine biologist and others have to help the US Navy to destroy them before they can spread to the rest of the ocean. Adequately written but about as predictable as the average Sci-Fi Channel movie. 2/8/17
The Nemesis from Terra by Leigh Brackett, Ace, 1961
Brackett returns to her romanticized Mars for this story of a man whom a clairvoyant Martian recognizes as someone destined to rule the planet. To do so, he has to escape from the clutches of a rapacious mining company from Earth, then from various Martians who don't want an Earthman to take over. Eventually he unites a rabble of Earthmen with the Martian rebels and almost singlehandedly breaks the company's power. Efforts to send him back to Earth fail and he seems poised to cause more turmoil, but at the last minute he decides to ride off into the sunset with the woman he loves. Quite good, although the switch in characters in the last few pages does not ring true. 2/6/17
The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett, Ace, 1955
Following a nuclear war, primitive religious groups dominate North America, determined to prevent cities from ever rising again. The protagonist is a young boy who chafes at the restrictions upon what he is allowed to learn and fascinated by legends of a legendary town that keeps the old knowledge alive. After various adventures he finds his way there, and it is not at all what he expected. It is a small, ingrown community that hides its secrets in an underground installation, and even they have doubts about how knowledge should be disseminated and what society should do about dangerous technology. It was Brackett's best novel and it reads as well today as it did nearly seventy years ago. 2/5/17
The Big Jump by Leigh Brackett, Ace, 1955
The first starship has returned but only one of its crew members is aboard. The protagonist wants to know what happened to the man who once saved his life and he forces himself into the business of a powerful family, eventually becoming a crew member on the follow up trip. They find an appalling secret when they arrive, but it's rather low key and routine. Not one of Brackett's better efforts. 2/3/17
The Sword of Rhiannon by Leigh Brackett, Ace, 1953
Although this short novel has a plot that sounds like Edgar Rice Burroughs, its prose is so gorgeous that it another animal entirely. The hero is propelled back through time to a fertile Mars with the mind of an ancient Martian superhuman hidden inside his own brain. He is enslaved, sparks a rebellion, is condemned as a demon, and eventually destroys an evil empire and restores peace between two others. The story is fast moving and old fashioned and feels more like fantasy than SF, but it's also excellent. 2/1/17
The Starmen of Llyrdis by Leigh Brackett, Ballantine, 1976 (formerly Galactic Breed, 1952)
This was Brackett's first novel, also known as The Galactic Breed. Only one race – all the intelligent aliens in the galaxy are human – can stand the rigors of ftl travel. The protagonist is a half breed who convinces a crew to take him with them. He gets involved with the politics of the empire and is a major player in a plan to spread the secret of space travel to all the other worlds. A little clumsiness in the plot, but the prose is superb and a harbinger of more to come. 1/28/17
NYPD 2025 by Hal Stryker, Pinnacle, 1985
George H. Smith's final novel, written under a pseudonym, is so bad I am amazed that it was published at all. The new President is a televangelist who opens all the borders, disarms the police, dissolves most of the military, and allows public torture and other horrendous acts. A renegade judge organizes a militarized police force to combat the disorder and eventually restore the original constitution. Incredibly bad right wing clichés, poor writing, cartoon characters, and a self contradictory and legally nonsensical plot. It's not surprising that Smith sold no further fiction in the last ten years of his life. 1/27/18
Edge by Koji Suzuki, Vertical, 2012
Although the author is best known for his horror fiction, this is science fiction, or perhaps fantasy. Scientists discover one day that the value of pi has changed. This coincides with a flurry of mysterious disappearances. A journalist and a television producer investigate the disappearances and uncover the truth, that reality itself has undergone a significant though not obvious alteration. Interesting speculation but the story itself is quite slow to develop. 1/25/17
Boy by Dan Smith, Chicken House, 2017, $16.99, ISBN 978-1338065640
Velocity by Chris Wooding, Scholastic, 2017, $18.99, ISBN 978-0545944946
Two more YA SF novels. The first involves a boy who is kidnapped to a remote island where he has to survive against the odds not only external but internal, because he has been given an injection whose purpose he does not know. If he's going to live, he may need to progress to being something more than human. I don't want to reveal too much about the plot, but this is actually very exciting and well written and adults should find it quite enjoyable. The second is set in a post collapse world where the two main protagonists are rival drivers in a series of races that are a major form of entertainment for the recovering society. Wooding has been consistently entertaining and this is one of his better novels. 1/24/17
The Island Snatchers by George H. Smith, DAW, 1978
The final Annwn novel is more funny than serious and less interesting than its predecessors. Dylan MacBride and his telepathic wife are en route to Hibernia/Ireland for a wedding when they discover that the entire island is moving away from them. It turns out that the island is hollow and that the legendary non-human Formorians and others have conspired to sale it away from the empire that rules it. MacBride eventually foils their plans after being their captive, fighting in an arena, etc. Readable but uninspiring. 1/23/17
The Second War of the Worlds by George H. Smith, DAW, 1976
An Annwn novel. The Martians who failed to invade the England of H.G. Wells decide to target the alternate world featured in Kar Kaballa. Dylan MacBride returns and once more tries to alert an unresponsive government to the threat. His efforts are complicated by a secret cabal of humans who believe the Martians are superior beings who should be welcomed. The actual invasion doesn't take place until quite late in the novel, and is defeated with relative ease despite some initial setbacks. Entertaining. 1/22/17
Headlong Flight by Dayton Ward, Pocket, 2017, $7.99, ISBN 978-1-5011-1131-0
A Star Trek Next Generation novel. Captain Picard and company are charting an unexplored region of space when they happen upon a very unusual planet. The planet is inhabited and the residents warn them off cryptically but Picard decides to investigate further and sends a party to look things over. That's when the planet winks out of existence. Worf is head of the away party, which discovers that the planet has an unstable relationship with reality and keeps moving from one dimension to another. Other ships are drawn to the phenomenon which turns out to be even more dangerous than initially believed, precipitating a crisis. Naturally everyone is going to get back to their own world at the end, but it's a bumpy road. This was about average for the series. 1/21/17
Kar Kaballa by George H. Smith, Ace, 1969
Set in the same parallel world as Witch Queen of Lochlann and first in a trilogy, this was a surprisingly good novel by Smith. The protagonist is trying to waken a decadent empire to the imminent threat of invasion by a horde of cannibalistic barbarians, but no one will listen. With the aid of a man from our world who has brought a Gatling gun with him, he sets out to save the empire and drive the invaders back. The dialogue is witty and the writing is crisp and clear. There is still a tendency to hurry the ending, but it is not as pronounced as in his earlier novels. This was his best piece of fiction. 1/20/17
The Lady of Light by Jack Williamson, Armchair, 2016 (originally published in 1932)
Although Jack Williamson wrote some interesting work later in his career, his very early stories are pretty bad. This is one of them. A race of pretty much human creatures reforms part of the asteroid belt into a new planet on which to live - becoming superhuman themselves somewhere along the way – following the destruction of their original planet. They have since become moribund except for a few, like a beautiful woman whose encounter with two doomed human explorers will change the future for both races. Trite, implausible, and boring. 1/20/17
The Pharaoh's Secret by Clive Cussler & Graham Brown, Putnam, 2015 u1074
I find Cussler's prose unreadable but I've liked a couple of things by Brown, who probably wrote this from an outline. It's a routine thriller in which frustrated rich men from North Africa plan to recover control of that area by draining all of the water out of the region – a system I didn't find particularly plausible. They will divert outside interference through means of a particularly deadly gas that can be used in terrorist attacks. Our heroes stumbled into the early stages of the plot and kick and shoot their way to the ending. As I expected, the prose is much better and parts of the stories work very well, although I found the general situation hard to swallow. In fact, I took a break three quarters of the way through and didn't actually finish the last few chapters until I realized I hadn't finished it last night, so it was not a spellbinder. 1/18/17
Druids' World by George H. Smith, Avalon, 1967
Smith began mixing SF and fantasy with this book, following it with the three volume Annwn trilogy that has a very similar atmosphere. An empire is threatened by rebellion within the aristocracy and the infiltration by intelligent parasites that can seize control of their human hosts. The hero is an admiral who hoped to retire but who ends up becoming virtual dictator in order to deal with the crisis. Lots of battle scenes but not a whole lot of plot. 1/18/17
The Great Mirror by Arthur J. Burks, Armchair, 2016 (originally published in 1942)
This is another novel I'd heard about for years but never actually read. It starts as a fairly good adventure story in Tibet, but alas goes downhill rapidly. The Tibetans have secretly sent rockets to Mars, each carrying one end of a teleportation device. This allows them to travel back and forth between the planets. The Martians own the mirror of the title, which is a device that allows one to see whatever one wants, anywhere in space and time, simply by thinking about it. The Tibetans steal it and bring it back to Earth. The Martians cannot physically follow, so they mentally possess Tibetans, sometimes transforming their bodies in the process, as they seek to get back their property. The hero sides with the Tibetans, which is puzzling since they are clearly in the wrong. Forgettable. 1/17/17
The Swordsman of Pira by Charles Recour, Armchair, 2016 (originally published in 1949)
I recently reread Otis Adelbert Kline, so I've overdosed on Edgar Rice Burroughs style adventure stories. This is another one, and not even a fairly good attempt. The hero is almost magically transported into another world, with barbarians who are basically subhuman although there is a beautiful and perfectly normal looking princess for him to fall for and rescue from various perils. Tedious. 1/17/17
Empire Games by Charles Stross, Tor, 2916, $25.99, ISBN 978-0-7653-3756-6
When the Merchant Princes series opened I thought it was more fantasy than SF, but with this latest installment it seems firmly in the latter genre. Trade between parallel universes is flourishing but some warn that there is also the possibility of encountering a reality with aggressive inhabitants and advanced weapons. America and France are engaged in a major war to determine the fate of the world, but they both be destroyed by an as yet unknown third force. Although the main plot involves espionage and information gathering as well as brinkmanship, Stross takes time to develop some real characters with complex interpersonal problems of their own. The author includes some closing notes that will be particularly useful if you have not read the previous books in the series. 1/16/17
Terror from the Abyss by John Fletcher, Armchair, 2016 (originally published in 1952)
This is a very badly written novelette about a planet that is originally thought to be ideal for human visitors, but which turns out to harbor a being that wants to prey on humans for sustenance. It's not even really a monster story because the villain is so awkward and silly that it almost reads like a satire. Fletcher only produced four short stories, and if this is typical, I can understand why there were not any more. 1/15/17
The Coming of the Rats by George H. Smith, Digit, 1964
The protagonist this time is a survivalist who has a stockpile of supplies hidden in a cave. When a nuclear war breaks out, he brings the scatterbrained woman he has been courting, along with the hot blooded seductress who has her sights set on him. There are the usual plot developments – looting, rape, and murder – before their cave is besieged by a horde of rats. They survive, but it's clear this was just the opening skirmish. Neither that nor the sexual triangle among the three main characters are resolved. Minor even for a minor novel. 1/14/17
The Four Day Weekend by George H. Smith, Belmont, 1966
Smith tried satire for this novel, and it doesn't work very well. The basic plot is that automobiles are fitted with electronic brains and one day they all decide to kill off humans, running them down, causing accidents, or pumping carbon monoxide into buildings. The protagonist is a henpecked non driver who finds new courage after the vehicles murder his wife, and leads a group of survivors to an island where they find refuge from the machine revolt. More silly than anything else, and not remotely entertaining. 1/14/17
Scratch One Asteroid by Willard Hawkins, Armchair, 2016 (originally published in 1952)
Although not the smoothest prose I've ever read, this is a reasonable adventure about a convict who wants to escape from the prison ship taking him to be incarcerated on Ceres. His efforts cross the paths of various others including a rich woman who never experienced much of life, a female space pilot with hidden qualities, and an obnoxious space pirate. Short and trivial but lightly entertaining. 1/13/17
Planet of the Knob-Heads by Stanton Coblentz, Armchair, 2016 (originally published in 1939)
Stanton Coblentz was in the running for worst SF writer of all time, but he was extraordinarily prolific and a lot of it was published in hardcover. This short novel never even made it to paperback before, and with good reason. A married couple find themselves kidnapped to the planet of the title where they are meant to be museum exhibits. We are told a lot about the completely implausible culture on that planet, but not much of anything else happens and the story is a real yawner. 1/13/17
The Unending Night by George H. Smith, Monarch, 1964
An experimental reactor on Mars explodes and drives the planet out of orbit. It causes disasters all over Earth and diverts it so that it will go out beyond Pluto. This last can be averted if another reactor can be used to somehow harness Jupiter's energy and swing Earth back into its original orbit. None of this makes any sense and on top of that, it almost all happens off stage, with the final half of the story compressed into three pages. Very talky. It is amusing to see the evil character who is transparently based on Ayn Rand. 1/12/17
The Forgotten Planet by George H. Smith, Avalon, 1965
The Terran Empire has collapsed and the planet Nestrond has fallen back to a feudal society. A race of alien traders has provided gunpowder, which has ramped up warfare, but they provide little else of use. The protagonist is the exiled ruler of one of the kingdoms who finds himself being manipulated by an unknown force in an attempt to regain the throne, but it is transparently the aliens who are behind everything. This was the best of Smith's novels, which admittedly is not saying much. 1/12/17
Fragment by Craig Russell, Thistledown, 2016, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-77187-111-2
News the past few years have mentioned the potential shattering of the ice sheet in Antarctica - and coincidentally there was a major news story the day I read this book. The premise is just that, a massive split has put the staff of a polar research facility at risk and an American submarine must brave the unsettled waters to effect their rescue. But there is more to the story than that, as we discover that there may be even vaster repercussions that would change the balance of world power and endanger large numbers of people who aren't aware that they are in danger. There is also a subplot about a school of whales trying to survive the turmoil. This was quite well written, although the dialogue is a bit awkward at times. Despite the scope of the story, the tone is relatively low key adventure. 1/10/17
The Secret History of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost, Flatiron Books, 2016, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-250-07558-1
This is labeled a novel but it's more of a novelty. It's a fairly hefty imaginary history of the town of Twin Peaks cast in the form of a secret FBI report. As such, it is epistolary, consisting of journals, reports, newspaper and magazine articles – reproduced to look authentic, and other documents, with marginal notations and photographs. It's actually quite impressive and parts of it are fascinating. It's also science fiction, or maybe fantasy, since it involves alien visitors, giant owls, and other arcane phenomena seen or hinted at in the television show and movie. Since there is going to be a new television program, this is sort of an advance tie in. My only real complaint is that Frost wrote one of my all time favorite novels, The List of Seven, and I was hoping for something more in that line. 1/9/17
1976: Year of Terror by George H. Smith, Epic, 1961
The Libertarians have taken over the country and the head of their secret police has assassinated the President. The Vice-President has been kidnapped by his minions and the protagonist has to rescue him so he can broadcast an alert and save the country. This is a completely implausible story whose plot is essentially crammed into the final twenty pages. The rest of it is endless talking mixed with some soft core pornography. 1/8/17
Like a Boss by Adam Rakunas, Angry Robot, 2016, $7.99, ISBN 978-0-85766-481-5
Sequel to Windswept, which I mostly liked. The protagonist is a former labor organizer who previously outwitted an evil minded opponent. But years have passed, our hero is retired, and the villain has been released from prison, and he has managed to found a new religion to provide himself with a new organization. As such, he begins to interfere with the orderly flow of work on their colony world, even though the union leadership is opposed to his interference. So guess who gets called out of retirement to deal with the issue? Stronger on characterization than you might expect from the plot, and the story doesn't rely as much on melodrama as you might expect either. I found this a bit slow, just like the first one, but ultimately rewarding. 1/7/17
Japan Sinks by Sakyo Komatsu, Dover, 2016 (from the 1973 Japanese)
An island off the coast of Japan disappears overnight. Scientists use submersibles to investigate and discover significant volcanic activity. As earthquakes and eruptions grow more frequent, it becomes obvious that a major seismic shift is underway. Casualties mount before they realize that the entire archipelago is about to disappear under the waves. Frantic plans are put in motion to evacuate the populace to China, Australia, and Namibia. The author has done his homework and there are detailed scientific explanations of what is happening, interspersed with vivid action scenes. 1/6/17
Vassals of the Lodestar by Gardner F. Fox, Armchair, 2016 (originally published in 1947)
Humans are kidnapped and taken to a barbarian planet for a series of adventures. Fox wrote some fair historical adventures but his SF was almost always awful. This was not one of the exceptions. The hero is a lumberjack who bulls his way through a series of encounters with evil aliens and rescues the beautiful princess. Almost fell asleep reading this one. 1/6/17
New Pompeii by Daniel Godfrey, Titan, 2016, $14.95, ISBN 978-1783298112
Although I generally don't care for time travel novels, this one caught my interest very early and I ended up reading it through in a single sitting. The protagonist is hired by a controversial company which has found a way to bring objects, and persons, forward through time, although travel in the opposite direction is impossible. They supposedly concentrate on people who were going to die anyway, to avoid altering the time line, but some suspect that they are disappearing people from the past who offended them in alternate versions of the present. They have built a replica of Pompeii and retrieved most of the citizens of that doomed country, but they underestimate the situation and a crisis is looming. Very well done. A sequel has been announced, but I can't imagine how the story could be continued. 1/5/17
The Everlasting Exiles by Wallace West, Avalon, 1967
This is actually the fourth and last novel in a very loose series in which humans interact with a dying Martian culture. Some Martian spies are mentally projected into human bodies to evaluate the race on the verge of its conquest of the moon. The simultaneous arrival of American and Russian ships has precipitated a crisis, since both claim ownership of the moon, and a trail at the World Court does not seem likely to avert a confrontation. The plot is slightly more complex than most of West's other novels, but once again it meanders about and takes a naïve approach to the questions it raises. 1/4/17
Divided We Fall by Raymond F. Jones, Armchair, 2016 (originally published in 1950) u997
Jones' novel Syn is an expanded version of this novella. Almost half the population of Earth consists of synthetically created humans, and eventually the normal humans begin a program of extermination. A returned spaceman doesn't understand what the problem is, and since he has fallen in love with a female syn, his stance is hardly unprejudiced. So he becomes a vigilante to protect the downtrodden. Not memorable. The cover art is from an Ace Philip K. Dick book. 1/4/17
River of Time by Wallace West, Avalon, 1963
The world is on the brink of nuclear war so a bunch of college students go back in time to try to prevent the civil war that erupted following Caesar's assassination in Rome. Somehow they think this will lead to a peaceful world. After various interactions with historical characters, they return to the present and find that they were successful. War has been outlawed and the world is united under a single government. Tolerable, but illogical and frequently dull.
The Time Lockers by Wallace West, Avalon, 1964
This is an excruciating slow book in which nothing really happens. Earth is in communication with a parallel world where it is possible to bank boring time and experience it later doing something more interesting. But criminals have set up a scam and are stealing other people's time. This causes a diplomatic crisis which everyone talks about for 150 pages but no one ever really does anything about it and the story sort of peters out when the author got as tired of it as his readers inevitably did. 1/2/17


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Макапа ()  —  крупная городская агломерация в Бразилии. Центр — город Макапа в штате Амапа.

Население
Численность населения агломерации составляет 436 251 человек на 2007 год и 557 322 человек на 2014 год. Занимает площадь 7.984,640 км². Плотность населения — 69,8 чел./км².

Состав агломерации
В агломерацию входят следующие муниципалитеты:
 Сантана (110.565 человек, 2014 год)
 Макапа (446.757 чел., 2014 год)

Статистика
 Валовой внутренний продукт на 2005 составляет 3.325.638.155 реалов (данные: Бразильский институт географии и статистики).
 Валовой внутренний продукт на душу населения на 2005 составляет 7.325,07  реалов (данные: Бразильский институт географии и статистики).

Примечания

Амапа
Городские агломерации Бразилии

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
BLM successfully defends work equipment regulations appeal
In this case, the claimant sustained a serious head injury as a result of falling from a ladder. The claimant was a self-employed electrician who had been working on a sub-contract basis for the defendant, a local electrical contractor.
At the time of the accident, the claimant was carrying out electrical circuitry installation during a hospital refurbishment. He was working from an aluminium "A" frame ladder that had been supplied by the defendant and stated that he was using it normally when it collapsed due to the rear left support stile unexpectedly failing.
The claimant alleged that the defendant was in breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 1998) and in particular had breached regulation 5 of the work equipment regulations by failing to ensure that the ladder was maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. He also claimed that the defendant should have provided him with a proper working platform as this would have avoided the need for him to use the ladder.
The defendant denied liability arguing that the ladder was well maintained and in proper working order. It was denied that any failure to the rear left support stile was due to any patent or latent defect or disrepair in the ladder and it was likely that the claimant had been overreaching or shuffling the ladder. The ladder was perfectly suitable for intermittent and light electrical work.
At first instance
The judge found that the failure of the ladder stile was due to the claimant either attempting to shuffle the ladder sideways or unnecessarily overreaching, probably the latter, which resulted in overbalancing and additional weight being placed on the rear left stile causing it to fail. The judge rejected the claimant's account of the accident on the basis his memory was unreliable in light of his head injury.
It was held that the failure of the stile was not as a result of any pre-existing defect. Despite the defendant being in breach of statutory duty for not producing a formal risk assessment or method statement, this was not causative of the failure of the left rear stile.
The judge concluded that the ladder complied with BSI and HSE guidance and was safe for the claimant to use. The judge preferred the defendant's expert evidence in respect of it being more likely that the rear left stile failed due to overreaching or the ladder being shuffled sideways.
The claim was dismissed.
Decision on appeal
The appeal was heard by Morris J in the High Court under the modified routes to appeal brought about by the changes to CPR 52 introduced on 3rd October 2016. Prior to this date the Court of Appeal would have heard the appeal.
The claimant appealed the decision on the basis that the judge had been wrong to conclude that the claimant had misused the ladder by overreaching or shuffling it sideways. It was specifically submitted that no satisfactory engineering evidence had been given to allow the judge to reach this conclusion because the defendant's expert opinion was conjecture and could only ever be a possible not probable explanation.
The claimant submitted that the judge had failed to properly direct himself about the 92 kg of lateral force required to cause the stile to bend and there was an "appropriate assumption" that their accident was caused by a defect, although hidden, in the left rear stile.
The High Court noted the following issues for consideration:
1. Whether the burden of proof was on the claimant to adduce evidence that there was a pre-existing defect in the left stile or whether the burden of proof was on the defendant to show that the failure of the stile was caused by the claimant's misuse of the ladder.
2. If the claimant was under a burden to prove that there was a pre-existing defect, whether the claimant discharged this duty.
3. If the burden of proof was on the defendant to prove that the failure of the stile was caused by the claimant's conduct - whether it was right for the judge to conclude on the facts that the claimant had caused the failure due to overreaching or shuffling and whether he was entitled to reach this decision on the available evidence.
In respect of the first issue, Morris J acknowledged that there is an obligation under regulation 5 to maintain equipment in an efficient state and there exists no burden on an employee to show negligence on the part of the employer, as per the cases of Galashiels Gas Co-Limited v Millar [1949] and Stark v Post Office [2000], relied upon by the claimant.
However, Morris J noted that in these cases there was evidence of a hidden defect but no suggestion of misuse by the employee. Citing the Court of Appeal decision in Jakto Transport Limited v Hall [2005], where misuse was alleged, Morris J concluded that that where there lies a choice between an existing defect in equipment and 'operator error', there is a legal and evidential burden upon the employee to produce evidence to show the existence of a defect; in this case the claimant had a burden to evidence a defect in the left stile of the ladder. It was specifically stated that this was "… not a case of "res-ipsa loquitur" and the claimant could not rely on an assumption that there was such a defect."
In relation to the second issue, it was noted that the trial judge had considered all of the facts and was entitled to prefer the evidence of the defendant's expert. Morris J noted that the trial judge had remarked upon the fact that the claimant's expert "… did not repeat, or expressly maintain his earlier opinion … that there was a pre-existing weakness". Furthermore, there was no direct evidence as to the claimant's use of the ladder as the trial judge had concluded that he was unable to accept the claimant's account. This had the knock-on effect of undermining the claimant's expert evidence, which was based primarily on the claimant's account of the accident. As a result, the trial judge was entitled to conclude that the claimant had not proved that there was an existing defect that caused the failure of the left rear stile.
In respect of the third issue, the trial judge was right to find that the claimant's conduct, more likely in overreaching rather than shuffling on the ladder, had caused the failure of the stile. It was held that the trial judge had given cogent reasons as to why he reached this conclusion and did not simply adopt the evidence of the defendant's expert: As demonstrated in Jakto, the function of the Court may include preferring on a balance of probabilities, one of two possibilities, both of which are very unlikely.
Morris J stated that the judge's findings were "logical and well reasoned". He was entitled to reject that the stile simply failed in the course of normal working and he was not wrong to dismiss the claim.
The claimant's appeal was dismissed.
This case shows that claimants have a legal and evidential burden to prove their case where a hidden defect is alleged to exist in a piece of work equipment. In particular, where there are allegations of defective work equipment in circumstances where the reasonableness of the claimant's use of the equipment is under scrutiny, claimants are required to prove that there was a defect with the equipment and that this defect was the cause of their accident. It will not be assumed that the work equipment was defective just because an accident had occurred if there is another explanation which appears prima facie equally cogent.
It should be noted that this claim was pursued prior to the coming into force of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (ERRA 2013) so the claimant pursued the defendant for breach of statutory duty under the PUWER 1998. It should be noted that a breach of the regulations post 1 October 2013 does not impose civil liability on a party who is in breach. However, a breach of the regulations can be used as evidence of negligence at common law.
On the present law, absent PUWER, this case would still be decided with the same result because the trial judge preferred the defendant's expert. Furthermore, Morris J confirmed that in this type of 'hidden defect' case the claimant still retained in the legal and evidential burden of proof.
The defendant was successful in a similar claim argued on negligence alone in the case of Roberts v Dib Stores Discount Warehouse [1998] CA in which the Court of Appeal upheld the trial judge's decision that the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur did not apply where the ladder was under the control of the claimant at the time of his injury.
Also, the following points should be considered in similar cases:
Whether there is physical evidence and expert evidence to discount the presence of a defect in the work equipment. Here, the claimant's expert evidence fell short of showing that there was a defect with the ladder prior to the accident. In comparison, the defendant's expert evidence supported that the likely cause of the stile failing was due to the claimant's misuse of the ladder (likely to be as a result of overreaching).
Whether, if appropriate, there are maintenance and repair records for the work equipment. In the present case inspection records for the ladder in question showed the condition of the ladder to be satisfactory.
Whether there was a suitable risk assessment in respect of the use of the work equipment. There may be different ways of completing the same job and the court will expect the employer to find the safest way, sometimes this will involve the use of a mobile platform as was unsuccessfully alleged by the claimant. It should be noted that a lack of risk assessment can be used as evidence to infer negligence but liability will not attach if this was not causative of the accident.
Whether suitable training, to include refresher training, had been provided in respect of the use of work equipment.
Whether there have been any previous accidents and/or complaints in respect of the work equipment in question.
Whether the work equipment complied with HSE and BSI guidance. In this case, the ladder complied with HSE and BSI guidance and was safe to use.
Our previous newsflash in respect of the first instance decision can be accessed here.
Property and Construction & Engineering
Partner,

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


More than 100 high schoolgirls concluded a two-week long Women in Science (WiSci) Girls in Science, Technology, and Engineering, Arts/Design and Mathematics (STEAM) camp at NUST.
Due to the underrepresentation of women in the science fields globally, the WiSci camp was introduced with the aim to bridge this gap by giving girls access to education, mentorship opportunities and leadership training in a cross-cultural learning environment.
During the camp, the participants were educated about the various career possibilities in the STEAM fields, further gaining practical knowledge from experts from companies and organisations which include GirlUp, Google, Intel, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and NUST academics.
The girls also acquired skills in leadership, mobile applications development, coding, robotics, emergency medical care, media and engineering amongst others. Overall, the WiSci camp goals are aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals to achieve gender equality and empower all girls and women.
The camp was funded by the U.S. State Department, while the U.S. Embassy acts as local liaison for the event. The learners came from the Kingdom of eSwatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, the United States of America (USA), as well as Namibia which had 36 girls from 11 different regions.


text:
Home › News › General news › Citation for Prof. Mahesh R. Desai, MB, BS, MS, FRCSEd, FRCSEng
News > General news > Citation for Prof. Mahesh R. Desai, MB, BS, MS, FRCSEd, FRCSEng
Citation for Prof. Mahesh R. Desai, MB, BS, MS, FRCSEd, FRCSEng
By Glenn M. Preminger, MD
PUBLISHED November 1, 2015 • Print-Friendly
Prof. Desai
President Warshaw, it is my distinct privilege to present to you and this assembly Prof. Mahesh R. Desai, managing trustee of the Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital (MPUH), Nadiad, India, for Honorary Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons.
After completing his surgical training in Pune, India, and urology training in the U.K., Professor Desai returned home in 1976 and helped to establish the MPUH in Nadiad, in the state of Gujarat in northwestern India. What started in 1978 as a small, 25-bed hospital has grown into a 170-bed urology and nephrology specialty center and teaching institution. The mission of MPUH remains the same: to provide the most modern treatment for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
As per Professor Desai's vision, MPUH was the first dedicated institute for kidney disease in western India, performing their first renal transplant in 1980. Surgeons there now have performed more than 2,800 laparoscopic, robotic, and single port transplants. In addition, Dr. Desai was among the first in India to adopt the most modern techniques for stone disease, performing more than 26,000 procedures including lithotripsy, ureteroscopy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy. He was one of the first to use ultrasound in urology especially for surgical stone access and ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. Dr. Desai continues to be an international innovator in both stone surgery and renal transplantation, bringing new techniques to centers across the globe.
To train future generations of urologists, Professor Desai established the Jayaramdas Patel Academic Center at MPUH, which has state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and training, including an interactive auditorium, dry and wet laboratories, a library, and technology for live transmission of surgeries, including 3-D projection and webcasting. The motto of this facility remains: Enter to Learn—Exit to Serve.
President Warshaw, Professor Mahesh Desai is a compassionate clinician, innovative researcher, and consummate teacher. I am honored to present him for Honorary Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons.
Tagged as: ACS Honorary Fellowship


LAS VEGAS (AP) Just before the most improbable of Stanley Cup Final in the most improbable hockey city around Sidney Crosby Jersey , Gary Bettman and Bill Daly put on a little show of their own.As lounge acts go, it probably wouldn't play on the Las Vegas Strip. Then again, no one ever thought the Vegas Golden Knights would be playing on the Las Vegas Strip – and certainly not as late as Memorial Day.But play they did, in a wild 6-4 win over the Washington Capitals that officially ended with Elvis singing "Viva Las Vegas" and the Golden Knights taking a 1-0 lead in the series.The greatest expansion team ever against a classic underachiever was already a story that has played well even among those who wouldn't think of watching anything but playoff basketball this time of the year.But a thrilling Game 1 couldn't have been scripted any better even if Bettman and Daly had spent their pre-game writing it instead of sitting in front of the media, sharing laughs and a few inside jokes. They completed each other's sentences, and seemed to be having so much fun that they didn't want to leave.And why not? They could have taken a victory lap outside the T-Mobile Arena and no one would have seemed to mind.They are the architects of NHL expansion, the gatekeepers who decide which cities are in the league and which cities must watch from the sidelines. They came up with the plan – hatched privately a decade ago – for billionaire Bill Foley to pay $500 million to put a team among the gamblers, degenerates and, yes, upstanding citizens of the city where fun never stops.They then made sure it would work, despite all the naysayers who said hockey would never catch on in the desert and certainly not in a city where there are a lot of other things to do than watch hockey players race up and down the ice.But even the top league execs didn't expect this."No one saw this coming," Bettman said.They didn't in New York Dougie Hamilton Jersey Womens , and they didn't in Las Vegas. A generous expansion draft helped set the Knights up to be competitive, but competitive doesn't mean scoring 109 points in the regular season and then going 13-3 in the playoffs.Competitive doesn't mean taking the ice on Memorial Day with nearly 19,000 crazed Knights fans cheering them on inside the arena on the Strip and thousands more partying as the game unfolded on big-screen TVs outside.It was, as Bettman pointed out, 342 days since the expansion draft in the same arena. And what a 342 days it has been for not only the new franchise but a league that took a chance on Sin City when no other league would.Bettman and Daly rolled the dice that Las Vegas would raise the league's profile and not just because it isn't, well, Columbus or Ottawa."We thought being in Las Vegas would give hockey a greater presence and make the game stronger," Bettman said.The results, at least so far, show that bet paying off. Las Vegas has gone mad over the Golden Knights, and hockey is thriving in a town where most ice is made for drinks, not rinks.And the NHL is on a bit of a roll itself. The controversial decision not to halt play during the middle of the season for the Olympics paid off in increased attention for professional hockey and television ratings for the playoffs http://www.officialsharks.com/authen...t-burns-jersey , while not nearly up to NBA levels, are up across the board.And so far no one has said a word about the evils of sports betting and how a major sports franchise can't exist in a city that allows it."This commissioner wasn't scared by the things other sports leagues may have been scared about," Daly said.No one, of course, could have expected a hockey team to help heal a city in the wake of the Oct. 1 massacre that killed 58 people just down the street from the hockey arena. But the Knights helped that cause, too, adopting the Vegas Strong name and honoring victims not only at the opener nine days after the shooting but at games since.The players – who call themselves the Golden Misfits – have also done their part, both on and off the ice."They seem to be playing with the emotion of a higher purpose," Bettman said.That's one reason why the bookies had them favored to beat the Caps and win the iconic trophy before the first puck dropped in Game 1. So far they've not only run through every obstacle in their way, but smashed through them.Good times in Las Vegas, and good times for the NHL.Little wonder that Bettman and Daly couldn't stop smiling.—-Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Anton Khudobin is making himself at home in Nashville.Khudobin made 37 saves Julien Gauthier Jersey Womens , Blake Comeau and Mattias Janmark scored late in the third period and the Dallas Stars beat the Predators 3-1 on Saturday night.After making 49 saves in a Dec. 27 shutout in Nashville, Khudobin was again excellent, setting up Comeau's and Janmark's decisive goals."As the game goes on, we kept the intensity better and better and better," Khudobin said. "I think we had more legs in the third period and got the result."Tyler Seguin also scored for Dallas, which has won four straight. Radek Faksa and Esa Lindell each had two assists."I thought we got better as the game progressed," Dallas coach Jim Montgomery said. "Nashville came at us in the first and I thought we weathered it really well. I just love how our group has matured with handling of moments of when the other team has momentum. We bend but we don't break."Calle Jarnkrok scored for Nashville, which had its three-game winning streak snapped.With time winding down, Comeau beat Pekka Rinne low to the stick side at 15:47. Nashville challenged the goal for goaltender interference, but after a brief review, it was allowed to stand."I dumped it in and Faksa did a great job of winning the race to the puck," Comeau said. "Came around the net and he gave it to (Janmark) and I just tried to go to the net. I actually thought (Janmark) was going to shoot and he made a great pass."Janmark collected the rebound of Faksa's shot and put it behind Rinne 43 seconds later."When the game was on the line Womens Evander Kane Jersey , 1-1 game … personally for me, somehow I've got to be better," Rinne said. "It's been up and down the last little while here."Jarnkrok scored the game's first goal at 9:35 of the opening period. Inside the Dallas blue line, Ryan Hartman sent a pass to Jarnkrok in the high slot. He moved to the right circle and fired off of a wrist shot that hit off of the left post and in behind Khudobin.Seguin tied it 1:36 later. Lindell fired the puck into the Nashville zone on the left boards. It reached former Predator Alexander Radulov on the right boards, where he turned and passed to Seguin above the right circle. He beat Rinne low to the glove side.Rinne made 23 saves.After scoring twice in Friday's home victory over Minnesota, Seguin has four goals in his last four games.Seguin's goal was one of just four shots the Stars got on goal in the first.The Predators were 0 for 4 on the power play. They have failed to score a man-advantage goal in their last nine games, going 0 for 31."I thought in Vegas (two games earlier), we were doing some good things," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. "We had lots of looks. We hit the post a few times. It wasn't as clear tonight."Notes: Prior to the game, the Predators honored former forward Jordin Tootoo, who retired from hockey earlier in the season. … Jarnkrok has four points in his last five games against Dallas. … The Stars are 7-13-2 when their opponent scores first this season. … Dallas has won both matchups between the two teams in Nashville this season and the teams play again in Music City Thursday.UP NEXT:Stars: Host Arizona Coyotes Monday.Predators: Host Arizona Coyotes Tuesday.
Часовой пояс GMT +10, время: 13:14.


BoringOldFan's Summer 2006 Transfer Rumours!
Welcome to the Summer 2006 Transfer Rumours List. Stories are gathered from the printed media and web sites, with the occasional TV/radio report thrown in.
The number of new stories added by month is February (15), March (29), April (38) and May (36). We are supposedly selling 19 players plus our head coach, while bringing in 98 replacements. And journalists wonder why we don't treat them seriously.
Last updated 31 May 2006. Additions since last issue: 83 to 118.
Spurs are braced for a £17m bid from Chelsea for skipper Ledley King. (Star 19 February). See also 30 below.
Spurs are chasing Livorno striker Cristiano Lucarelli. (Daily Star Sunday 12 February).
Liverpool want more strikers - Michael Owen, Dirk Kuyt, Jermain Defoe and Andy Johnson are all possibles. (Express 6 February).
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe could be on his way to Liverpool in the summer for £10m (Express March 19).
Jermain Defoe insists he is happy to stay at Tottenham despite reported interest from Liverpool. (Mirror April 5).
Tottenham have opened the door for Jermain Defoe to go to Liverpool as they eye Chelsea pair Shaun Wright-Phillips and Carlton Cole. (Daily Express May 18). See also 95.
[Portsmouth manager] Harry Redknapp is set to make a summer move for Tottenham's unsettled striker Jermain Defoe, who is said to be unhappy at Spurs (eatlseepsport.com May 11).
Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder says he is keen to be reunited with Jermain Defoe (Sun May 19).
Iain Dowie will be Charlton's new manager, and his first signing will be Spurs winger Wayne Routledge. (Sunday Mirror May 28).
Manchester United will offer Mikael Silvestre to Tottenham as part of a bid to land highly-rated teenage winger Aaron Lennon. (People 19 February).
Tottenham's homesick winger Aaron Lennon is set for a shock £5m summer switch to Manchester United. (Sun 22 February).
Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson has reportedly set aside £5 million to capture Spurs winger, Aaron Lennon (all3points.co.uk March 16).
Spurs have contacted Roma to agree a nominal fee for Egypt striker Mido. (Sun, Mirror 22 February).
Mido now looks to be on his way out of White Hart Lane (Sun May 18).
North-London outfit Tottenham Hotspur are currently following one of the most promising Dutch youngsters, Peter Rampetamper (sportnetwork.net 22 February). This turned out to be a hoax!
Middlesbrough striker Yakubu could leave the club after interest from the big clubs. Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are keeping a close eye on the striker. (talksoccer.net 23 February).
Micky Adams has hinted that he would be interested in taking keeper Marton Fulop on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur (coventrycity-mad.co.uk 24 February).
Spurs keeper Marton Fulop could quit the club to get first-team action. (The Daily Telegraph 8 March).
Spurs keeper Marton Fulop wants to quit at the end of the season. (Daily Star March 10).
Wigan will bid £1 million for Martin Fulop (The People May 7).
Spurs chances of securing football Galactico, Ronaldo have been thrown a curve ball with the news that AC Milan have shown an interest in taking the player back to Italy. (all3points.co.uk 24 February).
Liverpool will bid £6.5 million for Michael Dawson in the Summer (Evening Standard 27 February).
Real Madrid are interested in Tottenham defender Michael Dawson, despite his having recently signed a new contract (Daily Star April 6).
Alan Sugar thinks Drogba would be good at WHL. The former Spurs chairman still enjoys following fortunes at White Hart Lane and has revealed he would love the Ivory Coast striker to pull on the north London club's famous lillywhite shirt. (Nuts 27 February).
Celtic are reported to be interested in signing Spurs defender Calum Davenport (News Of The World April 9).
Tottenham have decided to sell central defender Calum Davenport - a move that will alert Canaries boss Nigel Worthington (pinkun.com May 31).
Having beaten Arsene Wenger to Hossam Ghaly, Martin Jol is set to capture Ajax full-back Hatem Trabelsi (Mail On Sunday 5 March).
Chateauroux's highly-rated Razak Boukari has claimed Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are keen on a signing him with the Reds reportedly ready to bid £1.5million for the player (ClubCall 6 March).
Manchester United are keen on Michael Carrick (teamtalk March 9).
Manchester United will tempt Spurs with a £10m bid for Michael Carrick to anchor their midfield. (The Sun May 4).
Martin Jol has warned Manchester United that any plans to sign Michael Carrick will fail (Independent May 6).
Arsenal are trying to prize away holding midfielder Michael Carrick (Sunday Star April 2).
Bayern Munich will flog Roy Makaay to Boro, Spurs, Villareal or Schalke 04 (Guardian March 10).
Tottenham boss Martin Jol is reportedly lining up a summer bid for Hamburg playmaker Rafael van der Vaart (eatsleepfootball.com March 13).
Spurs have conjured up a secret deal with premiership rivals Chelsea allowing them "first dibs" on Wayne Bridge and Glenn Johnson. (Daily Express March 13).
The White Hart Lane club will also make a £6m double bid for Chelsea defenders Wayne Bridge and Glen Johnson. (Sunday People April 2).
Yet another player has been linked to a move to White Hart Lane. This time Craig Bryson a promising 19-year-old midfielder from Scottish Bells Division One club Clyde. (vitalfootball.co.uk March 13).
Former Tottenham defender Gudni Bergsson believes Tottenham to be the perfect club for Eidur Gudjohnsen (Dagbladid in Iceland March 13).
Talksport presenter Adrian Durham says that he's heard Spurs' Ledley King could be heading to Chelsea in exchange for Eidur Gudjohnsen and Glen Johnson (Talksport March 15).
Spurs are set to launch an all out £7million bid to lure Chelsea star Eidur Gudjohnsen across the capital this summer (eatsleepsport.com May 4).
Tottenham are ready to bid £3m for 19-year-old Marseille midfielder Samir Nasri (The Sun March 15).
Juventus are almost certain to offload French right-back Jonathan Zebina in the summer with Tottenham favourites to land the 27-year-old (sportinglife.com March 15).
Sheffield Wednesday have handed a trial to Tottenham youngster Nathan Peprah Annan (Sky Sports March 15).
Tottenham manager Martin Jol is ready to bring Arjen Robben to White Hart Lane should the Dutch winger feel threatened by Michael Ballack's imminent arrival at Chelsea (David Hytner Daily Express March 16).
Fernando Torres is set to snub Spurs in order to sign for Arsenal. (The Sun April 13).
Tottenham have agreed a deal to sign highly-rated teenage striker Tomas Pekhart from Slavia Prague (BBC web site March 16).
Spurs have tabled a €3.5 million bid for Mallorca star Juan Arango. [The translated report says that] they will not negotiate until the side are safe from relegation (as.com March 16).
Tottenham and Reading are tracking 17-year-old Margate striker Osman Sesay (Mirror March 19).
Tottenham boss Martin Jol has admitted he faces a fight to keep Stephen Kelly at the club (Sky Sports March 27).
Out-of-favour defenders Stephen Kelly and Goran Bunjevcevic will go along with Morocco international Noureddine Naybet and reserve-team skipper Johnnie Jackson (Evening Standard April 13).
According to a report by Colin Tattum in the Birmingham Mail, Blues will renew their interest in Spurs defender Stephen Kelly (vitalfootball May 25).
The Club has exercised its option to extend the contract of defender Stephen Kelly by a further year (May 26).
Jerome Rothen has admitted he could leave Paris Saint Germain after a difficult season in the French capital. The talented midfielder has been linked in the press with Tottenham (Sky Sports March 28).
Sochaux centre back Souleymane Diawara is once again being linked with a move to England. The Senegal international has now alerted Tottenham with his form, according to reports in France, but he has also been linked with Everton and Rangers (Sky Sports March 28).
Spurs are being linked with a move for French full-back Lucien Aubey. 21 year old, Aubey currently plays for Toulouse and has already attracted the attention of Manchester United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson (all3points.co.uk April 3).
Tottenham are to make a bid of over £10m for Bayer Leverkusen striker Dimitar Berbatov in the summer. (Independent April 5).
Bayer Leverkusen striker Dimitar Berbatov is being tracked by Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs. (The People April 16).
Signing officially announced May 17.
Tottenham's Anthony Gardner [and Fulham's Zat Knight] have again been linked with a move to The Valley as Charlton look to strengthen their defence this summer (clubcall April 5).
Tottenham will pull out all the stops to win the chase for Christian Wilhelmsson if Anderlecht agree to sell the Swedish wing wizard (itv-football April 5).
With Spurs in the hunt for new full back, Barry could emerge as a potential target as he fits the club's policy of buying young British talent (all3points.co.uk April 4).
Midfielder Edgar Davids is torn between staying another season at Tottenham or returning home to Ajax. (Mail April 7).
Edgar Davids is ready to quit Spurs - even if they end the season in fourth place and win the final place in the Champions League. (News of the World May 7).
Dutchman Edgar Davids is set to quit Tottenham and return to former club Ajax. (Daily Mirror May 10).
Tottenham are reportedly on the verge of launching a bid for Manchester United and Liverpool target, Aldo Duscher (all3points.co.uk April 7).
Should Spurs fail to make the top 4, then an audacious attempt to woo Martin Jol to Tyneside is not out of the question. (Evening Standard April 6).
Goran Bunjevcevic is said to be heading for the exit with the 33-year-old linked with a summer move to French club Lille on a free transfer (News Of The World April 9).
We also say farewell to Goran Bunjevcevic and Noureddine Naybet (May 26).
Spurs boss, Martin Jol had added Norway striker Jon Carew to his list of potential targets this summer (all3points.co.uk April 10).
If Spurs fail to sign [Darren] Bent, they will redirect their attention to Johnson (Daily Mail April 11).
Spurs are instead turning their attentions Real Madrid's Javier Portillo (all3points.co.uk April 12).
SPURS boss Martin Jol will send a scout to Celtic Park on Sunday as he continues to weigh up a move for Hibs star Kevin Thomson (Daily Record April 13).
Tottenham are still reportedly pursuing Hibs youngsters Kevin Thompson and Scott Brown, despite the duo recently penning contract extensions (Sky Sports April 13).
Tottenham are ready to undertake a summer clearout to pave the way for coach Martin Jol to strengthen his squad for Europe. Out-of-favour defenders Stephen Kelly and Goran Bunjevcevic will go along with Morocco international Noureddine Naybet and reserve-team skipper Johnnie Jackson (Evening Standard April 13).
As above: Out-of-favour defender reserve-team skipper Johnnie Jackson (Evening Standard April 13).
Tottenham are believed to have joined the hunt for St Etienne midfielder Didier Zokora (Sky Sports May 20).
Spurs are showing an interest in Hanover 96 full-back Steve Cherundolo (all3points.co.uk April 19).
Aston Villa, Liverpool, Everton and Spurs are looking at Wolves defender Joleon Lescott (worldcupengland2018.com April 20).
Juventus intend to ward off interest from Tottenham and Arsenal by persuading Allesandro del Piero to sign a new contract (worldfootballers.com April 21).
Tottenham Hotspur are the latest Premier League club to be linked with a summer swoop for Blackburn Rovers' leading scorer Craig Bellamy (Lancashire Evening Telegraph April 24).
Unconfirmed speculation is linking Tottenham Hotspur with a move for Lyon's Hatem Ben Arfa (Spursweb April 27).
Spurs have been alerted to the availability of Sporting Lisbon's Cameroon international winger, Rudolph Douala (all3points.co.uk April 28).
West Brom have confirmed that they have rejected a £3.5million bid from Tottenham for highly-rated defender Curtis Davies (Sky Sports May 24).
Tottenham boss Martin Jol is ready to make a £4m bid for Wigan defender Pascal Chimbonda. (Daily Mirror May 2).
United, Liverpool and Spurs are all interested in Wigan full-back Pascal Chimbonda and may get their man for around £4 million. (Daily Express May 7).
France defender Pascal Chimbonda is confident he will move to Tottenham from Wigan by the end of next week (BBC web site May 26).
Borussia Dortmund defender Philipp Degen has confirmed reports that Tottenham have been scouting his progress in Germany (Nachrichten May 2, Daily Telegraph May 3).
Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Middlesbrough are all being linked with a summer move for Udinese goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis (clubcall.com May 4).
Spurs are reportedly tracking Belgian full-back Anthony Vanden Borre who currently plays for Anderlecht (all3points.co.uk May 5).
Liverpool and Tottenham are fighting for the signature of 16-year-old Gareth Bale of Southampton (Daily Mirror May 10).
Spurs have been alerted to the availability of Fulham star Steed Malbranque after the club put him on the transfer list (all3points.co.uk May 14).
Tottenham are interested in a Brazilian leftwinger called Leonardo. He plays for NAC Breda (www.feyenoord.network.to May 16).
Tottenham are eyeing West Brom striker Nwankwo Kanu (soccerforum.net May 17).
Tottenham have opened the door for Jermain Defoe to go to Liverpool as they eye Chelsea pair Shaun Wright-Phillips and Carlton Cole. (Daily Express May 18).
Spurs are chasing Paul Konchesky after failing with bids to sign Wayne Bridge and Sorin (Daily Mail May 18).
Tottenham are reportedly considering swapping Jermain Defoe for Liverpool's Harry Kewell (sportinglife.com May 18).
Ronnie Moore, manager of Oldham Athletic has revealed that Tottenham tried a last minute move to try and steal Scott Spencer from under the nose of Everton (gwladysstreet.com May 18).
Tottenham are poised to sign Jay-Jay Okocha on a free transfer this summer following his release from Bolton (eatsleepsport.com May 19).
Zoltan Gera is set to prompt a transfer scramble between Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham by asking to leave West Brom this summer (TeamTalk.com May 19).
Tottenham have put in a bid for Blackburn midfielder Stephen Reid (Sky Sports May 19).
Wigan Athletic are understood to be interested in signing Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy (Manchester Evening News May 20).
Tottenham are planning a triple raid on Blackburn with Morten Gamst Pedersen, Steven Reid (99) and Lucas Neill (75) said to be the targets (eatsleepfootball.com May 21).
Tottenham boss Martin Jol failed to land defender Juan Pablo Sorin from Villarreal (itv-football.co.uk May 22).
Tottenham are reportedly set to offer goalkeeper Radek Cerny as bait in their attempt to lure Pascal Chimbonda away from Wigan (Sky Sports May 24).
Tottenham are keeping tabs on William Gallas (Sun May 24).
Bordeaux chairman Jean-Louis Triaud has revealed that both Tottenham Hotspur and Celtic are in talks to sign Brazilian star Denilson (Sky Sports May 24).
Orient's young Congolese central defender, Gaby Zakuani, is [also] the focus of attention from Wigan, Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur (vitalfootball.co.uk May 24).
Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are chasing midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk after FC Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmeto put him up for sale (footballissue.com May 24).
Luke Young could be about to make a shock return to White Hart Lane following the news that contract talks with Charlton are not progressing well (all3points.co.uk May 25).
Tottenham may be willing to let Davids move in exchange for the Dutch club's left-sided forward Ryan Babel (sportinglife.com May 26).
Belgian starlet Sven Verdonck is on his way to Tottenham from Genk (Sky Sports May 27).
27-year-old Barcelona defender Gabri is thought to be a target of Tottenham but looks like he could take a move to Ajax after admitting it would be a challenge that motivates him (talkingsoccer.blogspot.com May 30).
Tottenham have targeted Damien Duff as the solution to their left-sided problems (Raoul Simons Evening Standard 30 May).
© Andrew Winton May 2006.


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i'm pretty sure i'm ovulating right now, but my cm is not stretchy like all the descriptions. is that ok?
You know after I went off the pill I started paying attention to that kind of thing so that I'd have a better idea of when to expect my period. I never had any though and actually thought that meant I wasn't ovulating, so imagine my surprise when I saw 2 lines on that pregnancy test! So I guess it goes to show that anything possible.
Mine doesn't go stretchy or "egg-whitey" either, Jen. I a__sumed it was because of (and I read this somewhere) the fact that I carry the gene for cystic fibrosis. Apparently that can effect your cervical mucous. I'm not saying that's you carry the gene, but if you did that could be a factor. I got pregnant, however, but (unrelatedly) miscarried - so I don't think it will affect your chances of getting pregnant.


Yesterday, in a filing with the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Texas Right to Life joined Texas Eagle Forum, our Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, forty-seven State Representatives, and eleven State Senators, including authors Representative Jodie Laubenberg and Senator Glenn Hegar, to file an amicus brief in support of Texas' legal defense of the newly enacted House Bill 2.
Pro-Life elected officials and leaders jointly filed the amicus brief substantiating the argument that House Bill 2 does not constitute an undue burden on women seeking an abortion — this is in spite of Planned Parenthood's various (and contradictory) attempts to argue so.
The brief challenges the notion that Planned Parenthood has the grounds to represent Texan women who may be their future clients.
From the day this lawsuit was filed, abortionists have attempted to campaign on the premise of caring about the medical needs of women. Yet, unyieldingly, these same abortionists have asserted strategies to protect their bottom line, not the health and safety of Texas women. Evidenced by the selective targeting of only specific portions of the bill, the protection of the abortionist's financial gains continues to garner more importance than the protections initiated in the implementation of HB2's prudent and rational medical standards.
In direct contrast to the predatory abortion industry's financial focus, the fifty-eight Pro-Life Legislators joined the Court filing to resound their support for HB's provisions to protect the lives and safety of Texas women.
If your legislator jointly filed the brief, please take a minute to thank him or her for taking the initiative to speak up in the courthouse, after having fought hard in the 83rd Legislative Session to pass this Pro-Life, pro-woman House bill.


text:
Snow Bowl: New Snowboarding Track Lands in Thredbo
September 10, 2019, 1:50 a.m.
Preparations for a fresh new way to snowboard got underway at Australia's Thredbo ski resort on September 10.
Holy Boly will be one of the biggest and coolest events to take place in the Southern Hemisphere.
The layout of the event is similar to a skate park, with bowls and an emphasis on riders being able to go their own way through the course instead of sticking to a set path.
The event is open for invited snowboarders from the 9th of September to the 15th of September, and is open to the public on the 14th and 15th. Credit: Thredbo via Storyful
Askar Mamin reappointed as Kazakh prime minister after election
NUR-SULTAN (Reuters) - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev nominated Askar Mamin as prime minister on Friday, and the newly elected lower house of parliament swiftly approved his appointment after ruling party leader Nursultan Nazarbayev asked his lawmakers to back Mamin. Mamin had stepped down after a Jan. 10 parliamentary election, as required by the constitution, after almost two years in office. Nazarbayev's Nur Otan party swept this month's vote to retain control over the lower house.


NJ.com recently highlighted the girls' and boys' soccer programs for their alumni playing at the Division I level.
The boys' program currently has three alumni playing at the top NCAA level: Stephen Bednarsky '17 (Lehigh University), Anes Mrkulic '17 (Monmouth University), and Max Aunger '17 (Boston University). Bednarsky and Mrkulic were instrumental players in Gill's state championship in 2016.
For the girls' squad, recent alumna Ava Diggins '18 plays for Michigan State University.