text:
Lineup Prep: Week 1
Wed Sep 4 9:34am ET
By JEFF PAUR
Sr Fantasy Writer
Winston setup for big Week 1
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I think I say something similar every season but it really rings true for me. There is no better time for a fantasy owner than Week 1 of the season. We all have hope for winning that championship. All our hard work is now going to be put to the test, showing that our draft decisions were shrewd and on the mark. It is a great time, filled with hope and happiness for the start of another football and fantasy football season. Here is to hoping you have a great Week 1!
Before I get to my random thoughts for the week, I wanted to give you a quick rundown of our content plan for this year at RealTime Fantasy Sports. We will have more original content than ever this year. I will be providing four columns a week: Studs and Duds, Waivering, Lineup Prep and Injury Status. I also will post a weekly mailbag, weekly rankings and a podcast. We will have two additional writers, Mike Barner and Charlie Wiegert, providing content. Barner is going to do a weekly DFS column, and Wiegert will provide his fantasy thoughts for the week, talking about waiver-wire pickups, games to target and other fantasy info. We are thrilled to have so much original content for you this season and hope you have a great fantasy season.
Now for my random thoughts. . . . .
First off, if I'm a Damien Williams owner, I'm worried about the team signing LeSean McCoy. I don't think McCoy has much left in the tank but I also don't think the Chiefs sign him if they don't have some concerns about Williams as their starter. I think Williams is going to have to start fast to erase any doubts Andy Reid might have using him as their starter. If Williams has any hiccups the first few weeks, I would be worried about McCoy really cutting into his playing time going forward. This is not a good situation for fantasy teams.
The other late move before the start of the season was the Texans acquiring Carlos Hyde. Hyde is another player I'm not super high on based on his last few seasons, but he is the clear best lead back for the Texans right now. He should get the chance to start once he learns the offense. Duke Johnson still has more fantasy value in my view because he is going to serve as the third-down back. I like his reception potential in this offense. Hyde might be worth the occasional flex play but I don't see him producing big - even in a starting role.
Here are a few things I'm excited about for Week 1. First off, I'm anxious to see Kyler Murray in action. I know he had some struggles during the preseason but that was the preseason. This is for real now, having a chance to run the entire offense and getting his full compliment of weapons. I think Murray can be a fantasy star.
I'm interested to see how the Colts offense operates with Jacoby Brissett the full-time starter now. I know he has started in the past but this is different. He is the official man now and gets to run the show. So how big of a dropoff will the offense see with Brissett starting? We won't get the complete picture after just a week but a tough road game against a good defense will be a good test for Brissett.
I am also excited about the prospects of the Bucs offense. Will Jameis Winston finally take that big step forward and be a superstar? This offense has a chance to be special if Winston plays more consistent football and gets all his talent involved. I have invested a lot in Bucs during fantasy drafts, so I'm hoping things start off well for the Bucs in Week 1.
I know the team is a train wreck but I'm kind of interested to see the Dolphins offense. Ryan Fitzpatrick has posted some big numbers, so don't discount this unit to still help fantasy teams even if they don't win games. There needs to be some receivers that will step up to catch passes - like an Albert Wilson. And Kenyan Drake might not be starting, but he is another Dolphin I'm keeping an eye on. He is a dual threat that was 14th overall in fantasy running back scoring last year. He could end up being a steal for all the fantasy teams that took him in the mid to late round of drafts.
Lastly, I'm interested to see how Cam Newton looks. We have seen little from him throwing the ball all camp and preseason, so it will be good to see him throw the ball in a game. How strong will his arm be after another surgery this offseason? Newton has a favorable fantasy schedule and a lot of weapons to work with, so if he is healthy and on his game, Newton can be an elite fantasy quarterback once again.
As always, don't forget to check out our weekly rankings: Week 1 Rankings.
News and Notes: The Cowboys signed running back Ezekiel Elliott to a six-year contract extension Wednesday. He will report to practice and is expected to play this week. . . . .The Rams signed quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year contract extension Tuesday. . . . . .The 49ers' unofficial depth chart lists running back Matt Breida as the team's No. 1 back over Tevin Coleman.This guys are likely to split work but this is something to take note. Breida is playing his way into a big role this season.
HOT PLAYS
Jameis Winston, QB, Bucs. Winston had an erratic season last year, losing out on playing time to veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. Winston is the man this year, though, and has the confidence of new head coach Bruce Arians. He also is playing in a pass-first offense that has produced big numbers for past fantasy quarterbacks. Winston plays the 49ers to open the year, a team that struggles defensively. San Francisco allowed the seventh most fantasy points to quarterbacks last year and didn't do much to shore up the secondary during the offseason.
Will Fuller, WR, Texans. Fuller had 100-yard games three of the seven games he played last year. He also scored four touchdowns in those seven games. Needless to say, he made plays when on the field. The issue for Fuller has been staying healthy. He is ready to go this year, though, and should be a big factor in this pass-first offense. Fuller has a matchup to start his season off well, playing the Saints. New Orleans allowed the most fantasy points to receivers last year and were just 25th against the pass in the preseason.
Kerryon Johnson, RB, Lions. Johnson is healthy and ready to go for the '19 season. He showed flashes of great things last year but didn't make it through the year healthy, impacting his numbers. Another positive for him this year is Theo Riddick gone. This could open the door for even more chances for him offensively, getting utilized in the passing game more. Johnson has a good matchup to start his season off well, playing the Cardinals. Arizona was a mess defensively in the preseason, allowing the most rushing yards of any team. And this is a team that allowed the second most fantasy points to running backs last year.
Tevin Coleman, RB, 49ers. Coleman might not start but he is going to play a lot in this offense. He is very familiar with this system and has excelled in past years. This is a positive for Coleman to get back his mojo after struggling some last season. Coleman plays a bad Bucs defense to start his season. Tampa allowed the third most fantasy points to running backs last year. Coleman scored touchdowns in both games he played Tampa last season.
Adam Thielen, WR, Vikings. Thielen was arguably the best fantasy receiver in football the first half of last season. He was pretty mediocre the second half of the year, though, causing his fantasy stock to drop. We aren't quite as down on him as others. Even though his numbers were down late last year, he was still getting his catches. He had five or more receptions five of his last seven games. He can still be a huge fantasy factor, especially in this offense. Thielen plays the Falcons in Week 1, a team that allowed the fifth most fantasy points to defenses. This game is setup to be a shootout with a lot of fantasy points to be had on both sides.
COLD PLAYS
Derek Carr, QB, Raiders. Carr is looking much better this year, having Antonio Brown to work with as his No. 1 receiver and some other additions on the offensive side of the ball. He is going to have some big games this year. But for this week, we might avoid Carr. He has a tough matchup to start his season, playing the Broncos. Carr had one touchdown in two games against the Broncos last season. Denver allowed the ninth fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks last year and were fifth against the pass during the preseason.
Kalen Ballage, RB, Dolphins. Ballage has emerged as the starter for the Dolphins this year but that doesn't mean he will be a great weekly fantasy play. He had some struggles during the preseason and just lost his starting left tackle to a trade. This doesn't bode well for Ballage going forward. Plus, Kenyan Drake is lurking over him to steal carries. Bale starts his season against the Ravens, a team that was first against the rush during the preseason and allowed the second fewest fantasy points to running backs last year.
Sammy Watkins, WR, Chiefs. Watkins is always capable of the big game in this explosive offense, but he is more of a matchup play at this point. He was not targeted double-digit times in any game last season. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill are the top options in this offense on a weekly basis. Watkins will produce some big games but you can't trust him as a weekly play, especially this week against the Jaguars. Jacksonville allowed the third fewest fantasy points to receivers last year and was ninth overall against the pass during the preseason.
Aaron Jones, RB, Packers. Jones gets a chance to start from day one this year in a new offense with a new coach calling plays. This bodes well for Jones to finally have that breakout season. Jones could disappear some weeks in an offense that could be pass heavy, though. And he isn't matchup proof just yet. Green Bay plays a very good Bears defense this week. Chicago allowed the fewest fantasy points to running backs last season.
Sterling Shepard, WR, Giants. Shepard is the No. 1 receiver for the Giants now with Odell Beckham gone. This should mean a lot of weekly targets for him. The issue is he has a shaky quarterback throwing him passes and could be double teamed many weeks with few other options in the passing game for the Giants. Shepard is still setup for his best season to date but he could have some hiccups along the way. He has a tough game to open his season, getting the Cowboys. In two games against Dallas last year, Shepard had seven receptions for 91 yards. If you have better options, go with them.
Josh Allen, QB, Bills. Allen had 21 or more points four of his last five games to end last year. He finished on a high note and hopes to carry that over to this year. He has a great matchup to start his year, facing the Jets. He scored 24.4 points against the Jets last year in Week 14. New York was dead last against the pass during the preseason and allowed the sixth most fantasy points to quarterbacks last season. Allen is a sneaky play in Week 1.
Duke Johnson, RB, Texans. Johnson might not be starting for the Texans with Carlos Hyde now on board, but he still figures to be on the field plenty. He is the pass-catching back for a team that is going to throw a lot. Johnson is going to be a productive fantasy player, producing consistent fantasy numbers because of his reception totals. Johnson could get a workout in the passing game this week, playing the Saints. This is setup to be a high-scoring game. Both teams have high-powered offenses and some question marks on the defensive side of the ball. Johnson is a good flex play in this one.
Malik Turner, WR, Seahawks. Turner has a chance to open this season as the starter opposite Tyler Lockett because of an injuries to rookie D.K. Metcalf and David Moore. Turner is no sure thing by any means but getting a chance to start in a good offense against a below average defense (Bengals) makes Turner someone to put on your radar. He is a good route runner with pretty good speed for the position. He is capable of the big play with the ball in his hands.
Hunter Henry, TE, Chargers. Henry might be a forgotten man because he missed all of last season because of a torn ACL, suffered before the season. But don't forget about him. He is the top tight end on a team that uses the tight end often. Antonio Gates produced some huge numbers in this offense. Henry is capable of matchup the production of Gates from past seasons. He is a legit No. 1 tight end. Henry has a chance to start off the season fast, playing the Colts. Indy really struggled to stop the tight end last year, allowing the second most fantasy points to tight ends.
Justice Hill, RB, Ravens. Hill might not be starting but he is going to play a weekly role in this offense. The Ravens are going to run, run and run the ball some more. This means there will be plenty of weekly carries to go around, including Hill. Baltimore has a great matchup for their rushing offense this week, playing the Dolphins. Miami just traded off half their team and are going to be in rebuild mode all season. The Dolphins allowed the seventh most fantasy points to running backs last year.
High/Low Scoring Games
Each week we will take a look at some of the high and low scoring games for the coming week. In high scoring affairs, get your marginal players on those teams in your lineup to take advantage of the possible points barrage. And in the low scoring games, keep those marginal players on the bench and make sure to have your defenses involved in those contests.
High Scoring Games: Falcons/Vikings, Rams/Panthers, 49ers/Bucs, Steelers/Patriots, Texans/Saints.
Low Scoring Games: Ravens/Dolphins.
Jeff Paur is a two-time finalist for FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year and won the FSWA award for Best Fantasy Football Article on the Web in 2011. He also was the most accurate expert in 2012, winning the FSTA Fantasy Football Accuracy Award. If you have any questions for Jeff, email him at jeff@rtsports.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffpaur.
Bears name Lazor OC, DeFilippo QBs coach
Moore to keep calling plays for Cowboys
McCaffrey out of Pro Bowl, Kamara in
Mahomes starring as big payday looms
49ers GM Lynch named PFWA Exec of Year
Warrant issued to Browns WR Beckham
Browns to talk to Pats' Ossenfort for GM
Panthers bank on Brady igniting offense
Ex-player Gleason honored by Congress
Veteran ref Vinovich to head SB LIV crew
Chiefs' Mathieu, Clark prove their worth
Cards WR Fitzgerald returning for 2020
Tagliabue makes Hall in fifth attempt
Broncos name ex-Giants coach Shurmur OC
Panthers LB Kuechly retiring at 28
Panthers hire LSU's Brady to run offense
Seahawks face key free agency period
Bears to stay home for training camp
Chargers TE Gates announces retirement
Murray, Bosa make PFWA All-Rookie Team
The Paur Report
Injury Status: Championship Round
Lineup Prep: Championship Round
Studs and Duds: Divisional Round
Injury Status: Divisional Round
Lineup Prep: Divisional Round
Studs and Duds: Wild Card Weekend
Injury Status: Wild Card Weekend
Lineup Prep: Wild Card Weekend
Danny Amendola Jan 17 1:13am ET
Detroit Lions WR Danny Amendola is set to become an unrestricted free agent, but he's a 'prime candidate' to be re-signed, in the opinion of The Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett.
From TheHuddle
Antonio Callaway Jan 16 6:33pm ET
Free-agent WR Antonio Callaway (Browns) signed with the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL Thursday, Jan. 16.
LeSean McCoy Jan 16 5:43pm ET
Kansas City Chiefs RB LeSean McCoy (illness) remained out of practice Thursday, Jan. 16.
Fantasy Spin: McCoy played just one offensive snap in last week's Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans. He's clearly behind RB Damien Williams and is no longer worth starting.
Morris Claiborne Jan 16 5:43pm ET
Kansas City Chiefs QB Matt Moore (illness) and DT Chris Jones (calf) didn't participate in practice Thursday, Jan. 16. DT Khalen Saunders (knee), CB Morris Claiborne (shoulder), CB Kendall Fuller (knee), DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (neck), C Austin Reiter (wrist) and G Andrew Wylie (ankle) practiced in full.
Marcedes Lewis Jan 16 5:33pm ET
Green Bay Packers DL Kenny Clark (back), TE Marcedes Lewis (non-injury), LB Preston Smith (ankle), FB Danny Vitale (knee) and CB Tramon Williams (non-injury) were limited participants in practice Thursday, Jan. 16. S Adrian Amos (chest), OT Bryan Bulaga (non-injury), WR Ryan Grant (non-injury), LB Blake Martinez (hand) and OL Billy Turner (ankle) practiced in full.
Travis Kelce Jan 16 5:33pm ET
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (knee) remained limited at practice Thursday, Jan. 16.
Fantasy Spin: Kelce earned a light practice week while catching 10 of 12 targets for 134 yards and three touchdowns against the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round. He's the week's top tight end option once against this week so long as he takes the field.
Logan Ryan Jan 16 5:33pm ET
Tennessee Titans LB Jayon Brown (shoulder), LB Rashaan Evans (foot), WR Adam Humphries (ankle), CB Adoree' Jackson (foot), WR Cody Hollister (ankle) and OT Jack Conklin (shoulder) were limited in practice Thursday, Jan. 16. CB Logan Ryan (illness) and LB David Long Jr. (knee) participated in full.
Geronimo Allison Jan 16 5:23pm ET
Green Bay Packers WR Geronimo Allison (illness) was limited in practice Thursday, Jan. 16.
Fantasy Spin: It's an upgrade for Allison after he missed Wednesday's practice. He's likely to be limited for much of the week but should ultimately suit up for Sunday, Jan. 19's NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers. He made just one catch for 11 yards last week against the Seattle Seahawks and isn't worth much more than a desperation flier.
Jimmy Graham Jan 16 5:23pm ET
Green Bay Packers TE Jimmy Graham (non-injury) was a limited participant in practice Thursday, Jan. 16.
Fantasy Spin: Graham has caught seven of 11 total targets across his last two games, recording 49 receiving yards in each game. He hasn't found the end zone since Week 7 and doesn't possess much touchdown upside, but the Packers have few better options in the passing game outside of WR Davante Adams. He could be a sneaky play at a thin position.
Tevin Coleman Jan 16 5:13pm ET
San Francisco 49ers RB Tevin Coleman (elbow) practiced in full Thursday, Jan. 16.
Fantasy Spin: It's Coleman's second straight full practice, and he should be good to go for the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Jan. 19. He's coming off one of his best games of the season, and he'll be worth starting once again in all formats.
Raheem Mostert Jan 16 5:13pm ET
San Francisco 49ers RB Raheem Mostert (calf) was a full participant in practice Thursday, Jan. 16.
Fantasy Spin: Mostert's on track to play in the NFC Championship Sunday, Jan. 19. He took a back seat to RB Tevin Coleman in the Divisional Round game against the Minnesota Vikings, but he was still able to rack up 58 yards and 12 carries. He's worth starting, but Coleman should be viewed as the better option.
Dee Ford Jan 16 5:13pm ET
San Francisco 49ers LB Kwon Alexander (pectoral) and DL Dee Ford (quadriceps, hamstring) were limited in practice Thursday, Jan. 16.
Antonio Brown Jan 16 2:43pm ET
Free-agent WR Antonio Brown (Patriots) had his relationship with agent Drew Rosenhaus conditionally terminated Thursday, Jan. 16, until the wide receiver seeks counseling, per a source.
Fantasy Spin: While the talent remains alluring, it's become clear Brown is going to have to make some personal changes before he gets a chance to play again the league.
George Kittle Jan 16 2:33pm ET
San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle (ankle) was a full participant in practice Thursday, Jan. 16, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Fantasy Spin: Great news for Kittle after he sat out Wednesday's workouts with the nagging ankle injury. Unless we hear of any kind of setback later this week, count on him being good to go for Sunday afternoon's NFC title tilt.
Larry Fitzgerald Jan 16 1:03pm ET
Updating previous reports, Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald's one-year contract for 2020 will include a base salary of $11 million and will have $500,000 in roster bonuses and $250,000 in incentives.
Odell Beckham Jr. Jan 16 12:53pm ET
Cleveland Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. is the subject of a simple battery arrest warrant issued by the New Orleans Police Department after Beckham appeared to slap a police officer's buttocks in the LSU locker room Monday, Jan. 13 following the College Football Playoff championship game.
Fantasy Spin: While this isn't the most serious of incidents, OBJ continues to make more headlines off the field than on it following his disappointing 2019 debut with the Browns (74 catches-1,035 yards-4 TDs). And if the trend continues, will the new Browns regime say enough is enough for a player brought in by the previous administration?
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been accused of simple battery after an incident in the locker room following LSU's national championship win over Clemson on Monday night. Beckham was caught on video spanking a police officer on the backside during the post-game locker room celebration. New Orleans police have issued a warrant for Beckham's arrest following the incident. The Browns have since released a statement that they are aware of the issue and that they have been in contact with Beckham and his representatives. This is the second issue to stem from Beckham's attendance at the game on Monday night as he was also caught on camera apparently handing money to LSU players on the field after the win. Neither situation is likely to impact Beckham from a fantasy perspective but it's just another issue for the Browns organization to contend with this offseason.
From RotoBaller
Logan Ryan Jan 16 12:33pm ET
Tennessee Titans CB Logan Ryan (illness) is expected to return to practice Thursday, Jan. 16, after sitting out the previous day with an illness.
Derrick Henry Jan 16 11:23am ET
Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry rushed 23 times for 188 yards and two scores in Week 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Titans will take on the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game Sunday, Jan. 19.
Fantasy Spin: The Titans won that game 35-32 in Patrick Mahomes' first game back from his knee injury. The Chiefs could neutralize him by scoring early and often, but Mahomes threw for 446 yards and three scores, and the Titans remained in it. Henry is arguably the best running back in fantasy remaining in the playoffs.
George Kittle Jan 16 11:00am ET
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (ankle) missed practice on Wednesday ahead of the NFC Championship showdown against the Green Bay Packers. The All-Pro chipped a bone in his left ankle earlier this season and aggravated it during the third quarter of the Divisional Round. A proven warrior, head coach Kyle Shanahan remains optimistic, but Kittles practice regimen the rest of the week should be telling. Used as a blocker last Sunday, Kittle amassed only three touches for 16 yards. Its improbable the injury will sideline him for the biggest game of his career, but wideouts Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders would see a bump in targets if Kittle cant go.


text:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.IO;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using NetFwTypeLib;
using NSubstitute;
using Xunit;

namespace IronFrame.Utilities
{
    public class FirewallManagerTests : IDisposable
    {
        readonly FirewallManager manager = new FirewallManager();
        readonly INetFwPolicy2 firewallPolicy = (INetFwPolicy2)Activator.CreateInstance(Type.GetTypeFromProgID("HNetCfg.FwPolicy2"));

        private string Username;
        private LocalPrincipalManager userManager;

        public FirewallManagerTests()
        {
            var permissionManager = Substitute.For<IDesktopPermissionManager>();
            userManager = new LocalPrincipalManager(permissionManager, null);

            var helper = new ContainerHandleHelper();
            var guid = System.Guid.NewGuid().ToString("N");
            Username = "if" + helper.GenerateId(guid);
            userManager.CreateUser(Username);
        }

        public void Dispose()
        {
            userManager.DeleteUser(Username);
            manager.RemoveAllFirewallRules(Username);
        }

        public void CheckCommonRuleProperties(INetFwRule3 rule)
        {
            Assert.NotNull(rule);
            Assert.Equal(NET_FW_ACTION_.NET_FW_ACTION_ALLOW, rule.Action);
            Assert.Equal(NET_FW_RULE_DIRECTION_.NET_FW_RULE_DIR_OUT, rule.Direction);
            Assert.Equal(true, rule.Enabled);
            Assert.Equal(FirewallManager.GetFormattedLocalUserSid(Username), rule.LocalUserAuthorizedList);
        }

        public class TcpTest : FirewallManagerTests
        {
            [FactAdminRequired]
            public void CreateFirewallRuleWithEmptySpec()
            {
                manager.CreateOutboundFirewallRule(Username, new FirewallRuleSpec
                {
                    Protocol = Protocol.Tcp,
                });
                var rule = (INetFwRule3)firewallPolicy.Rules.Item(Username);
                CheckCommonRuleProperties(rule);
                Assert.Equal(rule.Protocol, (int)NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_.NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_TCP);
                Assert.Equal("*", rule.RemoteAddresses);
                Assert.Equal("*", rule.RemotePorts);
            }

            [FactAdminRequired]
            public void CreateFirewallRuleWithNetworks()
            {
                var firewallRuleSpec = new FirewallRuleSpec
                {
                    Protocol = Protocol.Tcp,
                    Networks = new List<IPRange>
                        {
                            new IPRange {Start = "10.1.1.1", End = "10.1.10.10"}
                        }
                };
                manager.CreateOutboundFirewallRule(Username, firewallRuleSpec);
                var rule = (INetFwRule3)firewallPolicy.Rules.Item(Username);
                CheckCommonRuleProperties(rule);
                Assert.Equal((int)NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_.NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_TCP, rule.Protocol);
                Assert.Equal("10.1.1.1-10.1.10.10", rule.RemoteAddresses);
                Assert.Equal("*", rule.RemotePorts);
            }

            [FactAdminRequired]
            public void CreateFirewallRuleWithPorts()
            {
                var firewallSpec = new FirewallRuleSpec
                {
                    Protocol = Protocol.Tcp,
                    Ports = new List<PortRange>
                    {
                        new PortRange {Start = 8080, End = 8090},
                    }
                };
                manager.CreateOutboundFirewallRule(Username, firewallSpec);
                var rule = (INetFwRule3)firewallPolicy.Rules.Item(Username);
                CheckCommonRuleProperties(rule);
                Assert.Equal((int)NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_.NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_TCP, rule.Protocol);
                Assert.Equal("*", rule.RemoteAddresses);
                Assert.Equal("8080-8090", rule.RemotePorts);
            }

            [FactAdminRequired]
            public void CreateFirewallRuleWithNetworksAndPorts()
            {
                var firewallSpec = new FirewallRuleSpec
                {
                    Protocol = Protocol.Tcp,
                    Ports = new List<PortRange>
                        {
                            new PortRange {Start = 8080, End = 8090},
                        },
                    Networks = new List<IPRange>
                        {
                            new IPRange() {Start = "10.1.1.1", End = "10.1.1.100"},
                        }

                };
                manager.CreateOutboundFirewallRule(Username, firewallSpec);
                var rule = (INetFwRule3)firewallPolicy.Rules.Item(Username);
                CheckCommonRuleProperties(rule);
                Assert.Equal((int)NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_.NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_TCP, rule.Protocol);
                Assert.Equal("10.1.1.1-10.1.1.100", rule.RemoteAddresses);
                Assert.Equal("8080-8090", rule.RemotePorts);
            }
        }

        public class AllProtocolsTest : FirewallManagerTests
        {
            [FactAdminRequired]
            public void TestAllProtocolsFirewallRule()
            {
                var firewallSpec = new FirewallRuleSpec
                {
                    Protocol = Protocol.All,
                    Ports = new List<PortRange>
                        {
                            new PortRange {Start = 8080, End = 8090},
                        },
                };
                manager.CreateOutboundFirewallRule(Username, firewallSpec);

                // On windows we have to create two rules one for tcp and another for udp
                var rule = (INetFwRule3)firewallPolicy.Rules.Item(Username);
                CheckCommonRuleProperties(rule);
                Assert.Equal((int)NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_.NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_TCP, rule.Protocol);
                Assert.Equal("*", rule.RemoteAddresses);
                Assert.Equal("8080-8090", rule.RemotePorts);
                firewallPolicy.Rules.Remove(Username);

                rule = (INetFwRule3)firewallPolicy.Rules.Item(Username);
                CheckCommonRuleProperties(rule);
                Assert.Equal((int)NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_.NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_UDP, rule.Protocol);
                Assert.Equal("*", rule.RemoteAddresses);
                Assert.Equal("8080-8090", rule.RemotePorts);
            }
        };

        public class UdpTest : FirewallManagerTests
        {
            [FactAdminRequired]
            public void TestUdpProtocol()
            {
                var firewallSpec = new FirewallRuleSpec
                {
                    Protocol = Protocol.Udp,
                    Ports = new List<PortRange>
                        {
                            new PortRange {Start = 8080, End = 8090},
                        },
                    Networks = new List<IPRange>
                        {
                            new IPRange() {Start = "10.1.1.1", End = "10.1.1.100"},
                        }

                };
                manager.CreateOutboundFirewallRule(Username, firewallSpec);
                var rule = (INetFwRule3)firewallPolicy.Rules.Item(Username);
                CheckCommonRuleProperties(rule);
                Assert.Equal((int)NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_.NET_FW_IP_PROTOCOL_UDP, rule.Protocol);
                Assert.Equal("10.1.1.1-10.1.1.100", rule.RemoteAddresses);
                Assert.Equal("8080-8090", rule.RemotePorts);
            }
        };

        public class IcmpTest : FirewallManagerTests
        {
            [FactAdminRequired]
            public void TestIcmpProtocolIgnored()
            {
                var firewallSpec = new FirewallRuleSpec
                {
                    Protocol = Protocol.Icmp,
                    Networks = new List<IPRange>
                    {
                        new IPRange() {Start = "0.0.0.0", End = "0.0.0.0"},
                    }

                };
                var rulesBefore = firewallPolicy.Rules;
                manager.CreateOutboundFirewallRule(Username, firewallSpec);
                var rulesAfter = firewallPolicy.Rules;
                Assert.Equal(rulesAfter.Count, rulesBefore.Count);
            }
        };

        public class RemoveFirewallRulesTest : FirewallManagerTests
        {
            [FactAdminRequired]
            public void RemoveFirewallRules()
            {
                manager.CreateOutboundFirewallRule(Username, new FirewallRuleSpec());
                manager.RemoveAllFirewallRules(Username);
                Assert.Throws<FileNotFoundException>(() => firewallPolicy.Rules.Item(Username));
            }
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Since 1990, The Skate Canada Hall of Fame has been paying tribute to athletes, coaches, builders and officials who have made a significant impact on Canadian figure skating. Each year, nominations are reviewed by the Hall of Fame Committee and a maximum of ten inductees are honoured in each Olympic quadrennial. Often, the induction ceremonies are held in conjunction with the national championships but can also occur at other competitions and Skate Canada Meetings. While there is no permanent home for the Hall of Fame, the archives of the Skate Canada national office houses the many different historical and archival artifacts.
The Skate Canada Archives were created to collect, preserve, study and interpret artifacts and archival materials which are historically significant to figure skating in Canada. More than 2500 photographs, 500 videotapes, as well as trophies, plaques, textual materials, medals, pins, and skates comprise the current collection. The collections are available for consultation by appointment with the archivist.


In July 2010 Angus Kennedy's contract to assist West Middlesbrough NDC as a Local Improvement Adviser came to an end. The contract was to support the NDC in its succession planning. In the monitoring form completed by the NDC at the end of the contract, Angus was given the maximum score of 5 (Excellent) in answer to all questions.


For that hemoglobin-lusting filmgoer forever seeking out the bloodiest images ever printed on a piece of celluloid, this will provide a sort of encyclopedic overview of the gooey genre. The premise here is that this country loves its gore and its gangster, and while the philosophy may be difficult to swallow, it's really not too difficult to accept.
The book begins circa 1915 with the much-heralded if terribly biased Civil War epic "The Birth Of A Nation" that not only presented blacks in a terribly unfavorable and untrue light but made heroes of the Ku Klux Klan. McCarty moves on to the Western, where good guys never wore black, Prohibition-era Chicago and Cagney and Bogart were applauded for portraying their on-screen sociopath-meets-homicidal maniac characters, and ultimately to Pacino and DeNiro and all those other pre-Gandolfinis. And the proliferation of 'gangsta and barrio-oriented films, where violence simply becomes the simplest theme upon which one might write a script. Most of these types of movies are based on revenge or ego, and the filmgoer knows the ending by the first scene.
Again, most of what the author says is true - we love our shootouts. But this seasoned writer, with well over a dozen titles under his belt, tends to exaggeration. Yes, in 1984, as stated in his Appendix I: The Oscars section, "Beverly Hills Cop" won the coveted award for Best Screenplay. Eddie Murphy unholsters that gun of his in just about every scene, but is the film a true gangster, bullet-ridden extravaganza? Hardly. More a vehicle for an undercover black policeman to invade the uber-white 'burb of Beverly Hills, California.
The panoramic view, here, is more related to the violent aspect of film than simply a mean character or a cocked shotgun. Even in Disney films, a fish gets caught on a hook - should that be mentioned here?
"The Godfather," "Goodfellas," and "Pulp Fiction" represent the purest forms of these violent presentations, where the shootings and muggings and ear amputations are integral plot points. But in "Jaws", where that not-so-great white shark takes his final sleep with the fish, is this a truly "violent" film? We know the shark is not going to be captured and put in an aquarium at Sea World. He's going to be blown into steak. And yet our author logs it; graphic, yes, but only if you're another shark.
We watch what we watch because the pictures and story and characters fill an emotion inside of us; if watching Pacino acting as a one-man shooting brigade in "Scarface" is your caliber of film, by all means watch it. And if you like reading about Al and his escapades, then this may be the book for which you've looking.
© 2004 by Steven Rosen for curledup.com.


text:
Q: SQL Trigger after insert update What is wrong with this code.
If i type like this
Declare tmp as CURSOR FOR
Select i.ID from Inserted
OPEN tmp

Or if i type
Declare tmp as CURSOR FOR
Select i.ID from Deleted
OPEN tmp

Works like a charm but
Is there any way i can write something like this
if @operation <> 3

set @tmp = 'SELECT i.id FROM inserted i '

 else

 set @tmp =' SELECT i.id FROM deleted i '

 DECLARE tmpUpit CURSOR FOR
@tmp
 OPEN tmpUpit

Edit :
 CREATE TRIGGER [dbo].[ax_Triger] ON [dbo].[extraTable]
 FOR INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE AS

    SET NOCOUNT ON;
 --Capture the Operation (Inserted, Deleted Or Updated)

    DECLARE @operation int
    DECLARE @Count AS INT

    SET @operation = 1

    SELECT @Count = COUNT(*)
    FROM   DELETED

    IF @Count > 0
      BEGIN
          SET @operation = 3

          SELECT @Count = COUNT(*)
          FROM   INSERTED

          IF @Count > 0
            SET @operation = 2
      END
DECLARE tmpUpit CURSOR FOR
SELECT i.id FROM inserted i
OPEN tmpUpit
FETCH NEXT FROM tmpUpit
into @ID WHILE @@fetch_status = 0

begin  If Not exists
 (SELECT * FROM mytable
 where (Operation=3 OR (Operation=1 AND ID=@ID)) AND Status = 0 AND Tablename ='extraTable')

 begin  INSERT INTO
 mytable  ([Field1], [Field2],
 [ID], [Tablename], [Operation], [Time12], [Status])
 VALUES (@Field1, @Field2, @ID, 'extraTable',  @operation,GETDATE(),0)

 DELETE FROM mytable
 WHERE [Field1]=@Field1 And [Field2]=@Field2 And [ID]=@ID And [Tablename]='extraTable'
 AND [Operation] = 4 AND [Status] = 0
 End
 FETCH NEXT FROM tmpUpit into @ID
 End CLOSE tmpUpit DEALLOCATE tmpUpit end

i need to insert the value from one table to another depending about the status Inserted/updated/deleted

A: This is completely untested since the table structures posted did not match the posted trigger code. This should at least demonstrate how you can rethink about this as set based logic instead of row by agonizing row.
CREATE TRIGGER [dbo].[Trigger212] ON [dbo].[Towns]
FOR INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE AS
BEGIN
    SET NOCOUNT ON;

    DECLARE @operation int
    DECLARE @Variable1 nvarchar(8) = 'Woof'
    DECLARE @Variable2 nvarchar(4) = 'Foof'

    --Capture the Operation (Inserted, Deleted Or Updated)
    IF EXISTS(SELECT * FROM inserted) AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM deleted)
        SET @operation = 1 --Insert
    ELSE
        IF EXISTS(SELECT * FROM inserted) AND EXISTS (SELECT * FROM deleted)
            SET @operation = 2 --update
        ELSE
            SET @operation = 3 -- DELETE

    INSERT Requests
    (
        Field1
        , Field2
        , ID
        , TableName
        , Operation
        , TimeU
        , Status
    )
    SELECT 'Woof'
        , 'Foof'
        , i.ID
        , 'Towns'
        , @operation
        , GETDATE()
        , 0
    FROM inserted i
    LEFT JOIN Requests r on r.ID = i.ID
        AND r.Operation = 3
            OR (r.Operation = 1 and r.ID = i.ID)
        AND r.Status = 0
        AND r.TableName = 'Towns'
    WHERE r.ID IS NULL

    DELETE r
    FROM Requests r
    JOIN inserted i on i.Field1 = r.Field1
        AND i.Field2 = r.Field2
        AND i.ID = r.ID
        AND i.Operation <> @operation
    WHERE r.TableName = 'Towns'
        AND r.Status = 0
END

In general I think triggers should be avoided but they have their place. When triggers are appropriate I am generally not a big fan of doing all three operations. Over time it gets really messy because invariably you need to do different logic for the different operations. Splitting them into three triggers makes this eventuality a lot less painful for maintenance.

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text:
Kent: 01634 294 994
Commercial Property Specialists
Money Laundering Regulations
物业管理 (Property Management)
Valuations &
LPA Receiverships
Burden of Legislation in Property Management
Home News Burden of Legislation in Property Management
by Pam
There are 28 pieces of legislation listed in the RICS Commercial Property Management guidance note which we have to be aware of.
Let us carry that burden for you.
Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007
Occupiers Liability Act 1957
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
The Defective Premises Act 1972
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006
Pressure Systems and Safety Regulations 2000
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
The Landlord and Tenant Act 1988
Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995
The Regulatory Reform (Business Tenancies) (England and Wales) Order 2003
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) Order 2001
The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme
Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007
Private Security Industry Act 2001
Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005
RICS Client Money Protection Scheme
Commercial Property for Sale and to Rent
Valuations & Leases
Properties Feed
Tweets by @mpsl
Copyright © 2015 | Michael Parkes Surveyors Limited | All Rights Reserved | Site Design

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text:
Apple patents hints at ad-supported budget iPhone
Ed Sutherland on June 6, 2013
An intriguing Apple patent application was discovered Thursday, hinting at a solution to how smartphones could be owned in developing nations, such as India. The patent filing describes a way a handset owner could defray the cost of a smartphone's data plan by viewing advertising.
The patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is entitled 'Method and system for managing credits via a mobile device.'
In the same way Apple's Passbook feature stores coupons and such, this proposed technology would expand the concept of digital wallets…
Credits could be delivered to handsets, either on a post-paid or pre-paid schedule. Post-paid users could have the electronic cash automatically debited from their digital wallet to pay for their service, for instance.
In one option outlined by Apple, smartphone owners could receive "tokens" from advertisers that could then be used to reduce the cost of the telephone service.
Other companies could issue vouchers or coupons that are delivered to the consumer's smartphone. Along with reducing the price of a data plan, the vouchers could also purchase "real world" items at a store's POS.
AppleInsider explains that such a solution could benefit cellular carriers in developing nations, "where subscribers are keen to buy smartphones like Apple's iPhone, but may not be able to afford the device or necessary data service".
It could also tie nicely with a rumored less-pricey iPhone that's allegedly targeted at price-minded shoppers in emerging markets like Brazil, India and China, where Android cheapos have hurt Apple's standing.
In India, Apple is experimenting with a number of ways to discount the price of an iPhone, including offering a year to pay for the handset. In such countries, carriers do not offer handsets at subsidized prices, causing consumers to pause at the idea of buying a full-priced iPhone.
Apple also sees such a digital wallet as a way to encourage smartphone ownership via subsidized or free phone service.
The company writes in the patent application:
Other techniques to provide subsidized or free telephone services to the users are also envisioned.
For subsidized telephone services, the users may be responsible for a portion of their usage and thus they would be interested in eliminating unnecessary use of such telephone services.
The paper trail of the patent application also reveals Apple's interesting relationship with a Finnish company, CVON Innovations.
The patent application was first filed in 2008 in Great Britain, then transferred to Apple. A previous CVON patent for mobile advertising was also transferred to Apple, according to AppleInsider.
While Apple is content with charging its ad-free experiences at a premium, in the case of iRadio the firm is taking a different approach. An AdAge story asserted yesterday that iRadio tap Apple's own advertising platform to inject both in-app iAds and audio advertising into iRadio streams.
Also interesting: whereas Google's All Access services is provided as a $9.99 per month subscription, iRadio is understood be free to consumers.
iPhone Mini
Check out what the new Apple Fitness+ service offers in Apple's promo video
Apple's new iPhone ad reinforces privacy-first message
Apple releases a longer version of the inaugural iPhone SE ad "The Opening"


text:
US military trained MEK members? (Archives)
'US operated deep in Iran, trained assassins'
Officials tell Washington Post surveillance drones penetrated more than 600 miles inside Iran, making hundreds of passes over suspicious facilities. New Yorker: US trained members of Iranian dissident group behind assassination of nuclear scientists
Yitzhak Benhorin|Published: 04.08.12 , 10:19
WASHINGTON – While US President Barack Obama is offering a compromise offer that would allow Iran to pursue a civilian nuclear program, more and more reports are being published regarding covert American activity in strategic sites throughout the Islamic Republic.
The Washington Post reported Sunday that over the past three years the CIA has been dispatching stealth surveillance drones that have penetrated more than 600 miles inside Iran. According to the report, CIA stealth drones scoured dozens of sites throughout Iran, making hundreds of passes over suspicious facilities, before a version of the RQ-170 drone crashed inside the Islamic Republic's borders in December.
NBC report: Israel trained, financed Iran assassins
US, Europe to 'demand' Iran close nuclear facility
CIA report says Iran expanded atom work in 2011
"The surveillance has been part of what current and former US officials describe as an intelligence surge that is aimed at Iran's nuclear program and that has been gaining momentum since the final years of George W. Bush's administration," the newspaper said.
Current and former US intelligence officials told the Washington Post that the expanded intelligence gathering has reinforced the view within the White House that it will have early warning of any move by Iran to assemble a nuclear bomb.
"There is confidence that we would see activity indicating that a decision had been made," a senior US official involved in high-level discussions about Iran policy told the daily. "Across the board, our access has been significantly improved."
According to the report, White House officials contend that Iran's leaders have not decided to build a nuclear weapon, and they say it would take Iran at least a year to do so if it were to launch a crash program now.
Site of hit on Iranian nuclear scientist
"Even in the absolute worst case — six months — there is time for the president to have options," the senior US official said.
Obama administration officials further claim that the improved intelligence also strengthens Washington's bargaining position ahead of nuclear negotiations with Iran, which are scheduled to begin Friday.
Meanwhile, the New Yorker reported over the weekend that the US trained members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq. According to previous reports, Israel has been cooperating with the group, which allegedly carried out hits on Iranian nuclear scientists.
Iranian nuclear facility
Sources quoted by the New Yorker said members of the organization, also known as the MEK, or the People's Mujahedin of Iran, were taught how to intercept telephone conversations and text messages inside Iran, which were then translated and shared with American intelligence officials.
Other sources confirmed a previous report in March by NBC News, which claimed that Israel's Mossad intelligence agency was also involved in financing and training MEK units, with the purpose of targeting Iranian nuclear enrichment sites and power plants.
There are growing calls within the US Congress to remove MEK from the State Department's list of terror organizations.
Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported that the US military trained members of an Iranian group in Nevada beginning in 2005, adding that American intelligence continues to be transferred to the MEK for use in operations that include the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists.
According to Hersh, the training was conducted at a site located some 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. He said the site was once used for nuclear testing and now includes a counterintelligence training facility and a private airport capable of handling Boeing 737 aircraft.
The MEK had its beginnings as a Marxist-Islamist student-led group and, in the nineteen-seventies, it was linked to the assassination of six American citizens. It was initially part of the broad-based revolution that led to the 1979 overthrow of the Shah of Iran. But, within a few years, the group was waging a bloody internal war with the ruling clerics, and, in 1997, it was listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department.
Hersh said that in 2002, the MEK earned some international credibility by publicly revealing—accurately—that Iran had begun enriching uranium at a secret underground location. The reporter quoted American military and intelligence officials as saying that the MEK's ties with Western intelligence deepened after the fall of the Iraqi regime in 2003, and the Joint Special Operations Command began operating inside Iran in an effort to substantiate the Bush Administration's fears that Iran was building the bomb at one or more secret underground locations.
The training of MEK members ended before Obama took office, they said.
According to the officials, funds were covertly passed to a number of dissident organizations, for intelligence collection and, ultimately, for anti-regime terrorist activities. Directly, or indirectly, the MEK ended up with resources like arms and intelligence. Some American-supported covert operations continue in Iran today, they told Hersh.
In his report, Hersh admitted he could not verify whether MEK members who took part in the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists were among those who were trained in Nevada.
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JOUR/NÉ's design aesthetic is informed by timeless wardrobe staples and the need for functional yet contemporary separates. These classically tailored pants are crafted from textured lurex and feature a tonal waistband with belt loops. The straight-leg silhouette is furthered enhanced by functional slip pockets. A crisp white shirt and point-toe pumps are the perfect companions.
With a trio of young creative directors and designers at the helm, Jour/né's collections are beautiful and practical carefully contemplated, with multiple pockets, invisible zips, and magnetic clasps. The Dolce Vita top, Hawai shirt, and printed denim are few of their signature bestsellers.


Security, Macs, iOS, OSX, and great tips across the board.
Microsoft Word zero day exploit discovered. How to protect your system.
As many of you may already be aware, there is a new malware campaign called Gooligan. This is a rootkit identified by the security researchers at Check Point that in part steals authentication tokens that can be used to access data from Google Play, Gmail, Google Photos, Google Docs, G Suite and Google Drive. Moreover Gooligan can be even more frightening. This involves its ability to install other applications even ones from the Google Play store, serve up additional adware and provide 5 star ratings to applications that bought in.


text:
Cuhra je české příjmení. Mezi jeho nositele patří:
 Jaroslav Cuhra (1904–1974), český architekt, politik a politický vězeň
 Jaroslav Cuhra mladší (* 1936), český politik a disident
 Jana Hajšlová (roz. Cuhrová; * 1952), česká vysokoškolská pedagožka a chemička

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ONCHAN, Isle of Man – February 26, 2016 – Three European Poker Tour (EPT) packages and tens of thousands of dollars in cash are up for grabs in the latest Team Pro Online Week, which takes place from Monday, February 29 to Sunday, March 6 at PokerStars, an Amaya Inc. (Nasdaq: AYA; TSX: AYA) brand.
The week-long promotion will give PokerStars players the chance to take on Team Pro Online members and win big prizes in a special Heads-Up Challenge, $20,000 Bounty Freeroll, and special micro-stakes Zoom pools, among other activities. Click here for full details: http://psta.rs/20V9rxq.
The focal point of the week is a 'Beat Them' or 'Back Them' Heads-Up Challenge, which will take place on March 5-6 from 14.00 ET. The 'Beat Them' promotion will see 32 players, comprising Team Pro Online members and online qualifiers, battling it out to become the Heads-Up Challenge champion. The highest-placed online qualifier in the Heads-Up Challenge tournament will win $5,000; if one goes on to win it they will receive a $10,000 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final package (the Team Pros can't win anything more than bragging rights). The qualifying tournament will run on Tuesday, March 1 at 14.00 ET, with a buy-in of $11.
For those who don't manage to qualify, there is still the chance to back the winners ('Back Them') by predicting the winner of the Heads-Up Challenge and winning one of two $10,000 EPT Grand Final packages. Every player who takes part in the $11 Heads-Up Challenge qualifier on March 1 will receive a 'backing ticket', which they can use to register for one of 32 freeroll tournaments – one for each of the participants in the Heads-Up Challenge. The freeroll named after the eventual Heads-Up Challenge winner will take place on Monday, March 7 at 14.00 ET with a $5,000 prize pool and EPT Grand Final packages for the top two players; the other freerolls will be cancelled.
In the run-up to the tournament, Team Pro Online members will announce on Twitter how players can get their hands on more than one backing ticket and increase the chances of being a part of the winning freeroll. Players should follow https://twitter.com/psteamonline and Team Pro Online members for the key information.
The Heads-Up Challenge finals will be streamed live on the PokerStars Twitch channel – http://www.twitch.tv/pokerstars – on March 6 from 14.00 ET (19.00 GMT / 20.00 CET).
In addition to the Heads-Up Challenge, there will be a $20,000 guaranteed Bounty Freeroll on March 6 at 15.00 ET. A host of Team Online Pros will take part and there is a $50 bounty on each of their heads. To claim a ticket to the freeroll, players must deposit $10 or more using bonus code 'ONLINE2016' by 15.00 ET on March 6.
Throughout the week, members of Team Pro Online will also take part in dedicated micro-stakes Zoom pools, and will announce on their Twitter channels when they will be playing one hour before they start. Any player who finishes in profit against a Team Pro Online member within the hour of play will have their winnings multiplied by seven (players can find more information in the 'Terms and Conditions' section of the promotion). To find which pros are online, players can simply log into the PokerStars software and select 'Tools' > 'Find' > 'A Team PokerStars Pro'.
Players can show their support for a pro by using that pro's avatar at the tables for the duration of the week. To change the avatar, players can simply open the PokerStars desktop client, click on 'Account' > 'Select Image', then choose from the Team Pro Online avatars listed under the 'PokerStars' category.
PokerStars is also currently accepting applications to join Team Pro Online from Supernova VIP level players. Supernova players will have received an email for details of how to apply.


In this post, I begin a series of networking tips evolved from coaching clients, and working directly in facilities – both retirement communities, fitness centers, and university settings – they're the secrets to successfully leveraging your skills, talents, and connections with others to help them. In turn, your business grows.
Often trainers spend time talking about how this is what they do… in the time that other trainers are doing it. The difference between successful networking and promoting yourself as a networker is … one is about you and one is about THEM.
When you're sincerely giving with the goal of developing others, supporting others, with nothing expected in return, you're on your way. The way of the future successful personal fitness trainer is in the relationships he or she cultivates. They don't come to us for exercise. They come to us for transformation. Exercise is the beginning of the conversation.
Rather than talk about new programs and continue to try to reinvent the wheel, look at your old programs. Bend them, change them, deliver them in a different way. Offer your most successful programs from three or five years ago… with new, fresh, content.
If you've seen a wildly popular program's popularity dwindle, couldn't it be that it got boring, stagnant and predictable?
I've watched loyal customers re-enroll in programs over and over again all year. They get there early and set up for the trainer! They know how they're going to start. They know already how to modify the exercises. I've seen this, perhaps you have too. That is a cause for a smile for a short time, right?
It should also be a red flag. The group together could obviously do the session without the trainer, too.
It may have been a program with "endless variety" and "accountability" but after a point the variety is the same variety put together in different order all year. The accountability of a group waiting for you at 5:30am is just as strong as accountability of a payment and a trainer.
That program still has potential. Did you look at what worked? Did you look at how you were different? If you come up short on that answer… it's OK. Be honest. Is that session so like the one happening around the corner or within 10 miles that convenience, a friend doing another program, or an itch to change…was too tempting?
How can you improve a current (or an old) program? If you're not constantly, frequently, reviewing what's working and what's going to be new and fresh tomorrow or next week or month, you're going to have the same scenario happen again and again in your career.
If you're selling last year's program this year you are falling behind even if you don't feel it yet.
If you're selling a program from three years ago, you will have a challenging time catching up. It's not impossible but as you begin to fall behind and failed to notice, you made the road for new programs much easier. Now you have to compete.
Your current clients will evolve. A beginner doesn't stay a beginner. Yet your programs need to always have a beginner option. They are our largest target market. So one improvement for a program might be to offer a same-time program (when you know your group likes it and can attend) that is more advanced.
Are you doing intervals for example? A beginner needs more rest. Work intervals are shorter than recovery. There are fewer sets repeated in a group. From one day to the next day there might be two days instead of one. It serves slow recoverers best. Older adults fall into this category, beginners fall into this category.
People are overwhelmed with life. How can you make it possible to have a physical touch fewer times a week and provide them with at-home sequences they can do between?
This is where your creative juices are best squeezed.
Have you written handouts you use? An ebook? Have you done videos you have for resources?
Think of those as Version 1.
They weren't perfect then but done is better than perfect.
This is the time for Version 2. Take my own example, for instance. I've been coaching fitness professionals on marketing, business, and how to develop programming since the mid 90's. My first "versions" were based on 10+ years of experience from behind the desk (program director), across the desk (personal trainer), and in front of the chalkboard (University Lecturer). But it was still Version 1. I offered value. Had I continued to offer the same kind of programs and coaching though I'd soon have my clients outgrow me or be obsolete. Why would I ever tell you how to run programming in 2015 the same way it would have been done in 1995? Or even 2005, for that matter.
You have developed new programs. But you can also find some gold in those current and tired programs.
The way of starting a program because a trainer, perhaps you, wants to do a program or use a prop, or took a session and wants to deliver it, is a road to failure.
The only successful route to long-term business success is thinking about the customer now. Deliver programs and services that solve their problems. Then think about what that customer will need next. Build it before they ask and before they leave and find it somewhere else.


text:
[AP/Evan Vucci]
NRA Boss Wayne LaPierre Rebuffs Call to Resign in Dramatic Letter to Board
An internal power struggle has spilled into the open at the NRA's annual convention, with LaPierre accusing board President Oliver North of "extortion."
by Miles Kohrman and Tom Kutsch
·April 26, 2019
Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association's longtime leader, is resisting calls for his resignation.
In a fiery letter to the organization's board sent Thursday afternoon, and obtained first by the Wall Street Journal, LaPierre said NRA President Oliver North had pressured him the previous day to step down. LaPierre refused.
LaPierre says North threatened the release of a letter with damaging information about the NRA.
"The exhortation was simple: resign or there will be destructive allegations made against me and the NRA," states LaPierre's letter.
"I believe the purpose of the letter was to humiliate me, discredit me, discredit our Association, and raise appearances of impropriety that hurt our members and the Second Amendment. The letter would contain a devastating account of our financial status, sexual harassment charges against a staff member, accusations of wardrobe expenses and excessive staff travel expenses."
The internal turmoil comes on the heels of an investigation by The Trace and The New Yorker that exposed years of self-dealing and financial impropriety at the NRA's highest levels. Staff Writer Mike Spies' reporting showed that NRA leadership and preferred vendors had extracted hundreds of millions of dollars from the nonprofit's budget.
According to The New York Times, North sent his own letter to the board saying that he had created a committee to examine accusations of financial wrongdoing at the organization. "I did this because I am deeply concerned that these allegations of financial improprieties could threaten our nonprofit status," the letter read.
Many of those allegations center around Ackerman McQueen, the Oklahoma-based public relations firm central to the NRA's messaging. Ackerman's influence over the NRA has grown significantly over their three-decades-long relationship. Tax filing show the NRA paid the firm more than $40 million in 2017.
LaPierre has longstanding ties with Ackerman, and long fought for the firm's involvement in the NRA's business. One internal memos obtained by The Trace states that roughly a quarter of the NRA's staff is "now managed by former employees" of the firm.
In a surprise move, the NRA filed suit against Ackerman earlier this month, alleging that the firm has denied the gun group access to basic business records.
"As most of you know, I've been a proponent of AM [Ackerman McQueen] in the past — because they are capable of doing high quality work. But as I've discovered, AM is capable of something much different," LePierre writes in the letter.
The suit also disclosed that North's $1 million annual contract is paid by Ackerman, not the NRA.
In his letter, LaPierre made it clear that he believed North was acting on behalf of Ackerman's interests. "All of this is painful for me. I will not judge Col. North, but must report what many of you already know: he has contractual and financial loyalties to AM," he wrote.
The power struggle comes amid the NRA's annual meetings in Indianapolis. Hours before the letters surfaced on Friday afternoon, LaPierre and North shared a stage at the Lucas Oil Stadium. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were also featured speakers.
On Monday, the NRA's full, 76-member board of directors will convene for its annual meeting, where the conflicts between LaPierre and his detractors may culminate.
Read LePierre's letter in full here:
Miles Kohrman
Miles Kohrman is The Trace's special projects editor.
Tom Kutsch
Related Articles in Bang for the Buck
The NRA Shielded a Top Executive Accused of Sexual Harassment
Marketing firm Ackerman McQueen said it would "not tolerate" further contact between NRA Chief of Staff Josh Powell and its employees — and that the gun group's reaction drove their professional split.
by Mike Spies
NRA Funded LaPierre's Search for $6 Million Mansion, Document Shows
The gun group's lawyer said "not a cent" of the nonprofit's money was spent on helping executive Wayne LaPierre's house hunt. But accountants flagged a $70,000 payment for doing just that.
Former NRA Executive Says Top NRA Lawyer Stymied Internal Financial Probes While Racking Up Fees
In a newly obtained document, the accountant raised ethical and billing concerns about the law firm of William A. Brewer III, whose fees totaled $24 million in a year.
The NRA's Longtime CFO Embezzled From His Previous Company, Former Colleagues Say
Using fraudulent invoices, Woody Phillips diverted more than $1 million from a consulting firm to his personal account.


text:
Melania Trump calls for end to cyberbullying as president launches latest Twitter tirade
By Brianna Provenzano
First lady Melania Trump invoked the compassionate nature of her "Be Best" campaign during a summit on Monday, calling for an end to cyberbullying just moments before her husband unleashed his latest Twitter tirade.
"Let's face it, most children are more aware of the benefits and pitfalls of social media than some adults," Melania Trump said during her remarks, which were delivered as part of a Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention session held at the Health Resources and Services Administration. "It can be used in many positive ways, but can also be destructive and harmful when used incorrectly."
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump was back home in the White House railing against "disgraced and discredited" special counsel Robert Mueller and his "group of Angry Democrat Thugs" in the wake of news that the team of investigators charged with digging into potential Russian collusion in the 2016 election had spent some 30 hours interviewing White House counsel Don McGahn.
"Where's the Collusion?" Trump tweeted Monday morning. "They made up a phony crime called collusion, and when there was no Collusion they said there was obstruction (of a phone crime that never existed)."
Hours later, he followed up with more, referring to former CIA Director John Brennan as the "worst CIA Director in our country's history" after Brennan's security clearance was revoked last week and calling the Department of Justice a "total joke!"
"I hope John Brennan, the worst CIA Director in our country's history, brings a lawsuit," Trump wrote. "It will then be very easy to get all of his records, texts, emails and documents to show not only the poor job he did, but how he was involved with the Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt. He won't sue!"
Trump's morning Twitter tirades have become a signature element of his presidency. The frequent targeting of his colleagues, celebrities and everyday Americans has encouraged many to point out the irony of his wife's anti-bullying crusade.
Melania Trump herself appeared to acknowledge the tension between her platform encouraging cyber-compassion and her husband's proclivity toward rabble-rousing during a separate panel she participated in March.
"I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic," she said at the time. "I have been criticized for my commitment to tackling this issue, and I know that will continue. But it will not stop me from doing what I know is right. I am here with one goal: helping children and our next generation."


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Letters, calls and emails: Supermarket jabs causing me pain
Dear Editor
One of my patients recently bought his influenza vaccine in a local supermarket.
He did not fit the criteria for NHS provision and the LMC has advised us that we are prohibited from providing this service privately.
He was left with no choice but to pay for an 'off the shelf' service, situated somewhere between the meat counter and the alcoholic drinks department. Apparently this provision of primary care is a favoured model with the present government.
Unfortunately, three days later he had a possible adverse effect from his treatment. Did he return to the supermarket for advice? Of course not. He booked a 'same-day' appointment with me and asked for my expert opinion. He did the same last year, when he became ill after eating an under-cooked meat pie - possibly from the same supermarket.
I half-considered sending him back to the supermarket to exercise his consumer rights, but I apologised for the fact that the government had prevented me from providing him with a complete medical service.
Things are only going to get worse if Lord Darzi has his way. Of course he probably doesn't realise that I also have to cope with patients who have been let down by surgeons.
Dr Nick Brown, Chippenham, Wiltshire.
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A highly popular ornamental plant with an unusual bulbous base and strap shaped long leathery leaves.
Due to their common name, Ponytail Palm, many people are lead to believe these belong to the family Palmae ( the Palm tree family), but they do in fact belong in the family Asparagaceae.
They are not closely related to the Palm family at all, however they are a very popular as an ornamental plant worldwide & compliment palm tree and cycad plantings and design very well.
An excellent hardy coastal plant.
Highly adapted to require little water as it's bulbous base stores water during drought.
Slow growing, these enjoy most conditions outdoors and indoors, except for water prone areas during winter.


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Q: What is the best way to join multiple datasets on multiple columns in MS Access? I have multiple (8-10) different datasets, all of which have a primary key (Name), some common columns and then some individual columns each. For example, table 1 might consist of Name, Date, Age, Username, LoginTime; table 2 Name, Date, MothersName,LoginTime, Age; table3 Name, Username, School, University, Age and so on and so forth.
Ideally I would like this all merged into a single table with unique columns: Name, Date, Age, Username, LoginTime, MothersName, School, University.
I know Access doesn't allow the use of covalesce - how can I go about creating this master table? I know what order I would like SQL to look in i.e. if Age is not in table 3, only then look in table 2 (even if table 2 has a value), and only then look in table 1 for that given Name. However I cannot work out how best to do the join so I don't get table1.Age, table2.Age, and table3.Age across all of my common fields...


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The 7-inch tablet market just got more interesting, and more confusing. CNET breaks down the key differences between two $199 tablets: the Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the Google Nexus 7.. Which of these $199 tablets is right for you? It's a tough call, so let's weigh the pros and cons and check the specs.
Best iPhone 3D Games Reviewed. Top 20 Must have Action, RPG, Sports, Racing.
A quad-core processor is the best and the fastest processor currently available.


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http://appserver-329e629b/content/ag-committee-fails-reform-sugar
Ag Committee Fails to Reform Sugar
By Matt Kibbe
To: Members of the House Agriculture Committee
We, as representatives of consumer, taxpayer, public policy, and humanitarian groups, are writing to express our opposition to the Sugar Program in the 2007 Farm Bill – Chairman's Mark.
The current program under the 2002 Farm Bill already has significant negative effects: It increases consumers' food costs, adds to taxpayers' burden, leads to significant job losses, harms the environment, and restricts the ability of sugar producers in developing countries to compete.
The Chairman's Mark would worsen this situation in three primary areas:
1. Higher loan rates – estimated to cost consumers an additional $200 million per year
2. Further import constraints – that would eliminate the Secretary of Agriculture's discretionary ability to increase quarter-by-quarter import limits
3. Use of sugar for ethanol – would add an additional burden to taxpayers.
First, the mark would increase sugar price support loan rates from 18 cents to 18.5 cents per pound of raw cane sugar and from 22.9 cents to 23.5 cents per pound of refined beet sugar. According to the economics firm Promar International, that would cost an additional $200 million a year for consumers in higher prices. Poor American families would suffer the most since they spend a larger share of their earnings on food. Promar International also estimates that the higher loan rates would cost taxpayers an additional $100 million.
Furthermore, the increased support would encourage surplus production by domestic sugar producers, which would aggravate the Sugar Program's negative impact on the environment, especially in ecologically fragile areas. For example, the Everglades ecosystem in Florida is already polluted with phosphorous and other contaminants due to excess production in adjacent sugar plantations. The increased prices would also lead to significant job losses in industries in which large amounts of sugar are used for production.
Second, the proposed legislation would encourage sugar producers to increase their production of sugar for ethanol at the expense of sugar for food. That would decrease the food sugar supply, create an artificial increase in demand for sugar overall, and thus inflate prices for consumers even higher. Furthermore, ethanol production from U.S. sugar is very costly and inefficient, and would thus demand even more subsidies from taxpayers. The inflated prices created by the sugar-for-ethanol mandate would also lead to more job losses in sugar dependent industries.
Third, the proposal would impose further import constraints by mandating limits on how much sugar can be imported during specific periods. Until now, the Secretary of Agriculture has had a discretionary ability to allow for more imports when necessary. That ability would be suspended by the new provisions, which would result in further disruption of the supply of sugar on the U.S. market, and thus lead to even higher food prices for consumers and increase the number of lost jobs in sugar related industries.
The Sugar Program is already one of the most egregiously harmful government programs to the American people; by adopting the Chairman's Mark, Congress would further increase consumers' and taxpayers' burden. Thus, we urge you to oppose the changes in the program proposed in the Chairman's Mark for the 2007 Farm Bill under consideration by the Agricultural Committee and to undertake true reform of the Sugar Program.
Dennis Avery
Center for Global Food Issues
Frances B. Smith
Competitive Enterprise Institute
Tom Schatz
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste
Mark Silbergeld
Philip D. Harvey
DKT Liberty Project
Fred Oladeinde
Foundation for Democracy in Africa
Matt Kibbe
Freedom Works
John Berthoud
National Taxpayers Union
Tags coalition letter
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/coalition-letter-applauding-rscs-leadership-healthcare?social=facebook_share"
Coalition Letter Applauding the RSC's Leadership on Healthcare
On Wednesday, FreedomWorks sent a coalition letter to members of the House of Representatives applauding the leadership of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) on healthcare. The letter was released a day after the RSC released its healthcare reform plan, A Framework for Personalized, Affordable Care. Signers to the letter include Adam Brandon of FreedomWorks, Tim Chapman of Heritage Action for America, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, Brandon Arnold of the National Taxpayers Union, and Brett Gardner of Americans for Prosperity. The text of the letter is below and a PDF of the letter and the signers can be found here.
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/freedomworks-and-conservative-organizations-lead-coalition-letter-opposition-bipartisan?social=facebook_share"
FreedomWorks and Conservative Organizations Lead Coalition Letter in Opposition to "Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019," H.R. 3877
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- FreedomWorks and more than a dozen conservative organizations today have released a coalition letter in opposition to the "Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019," H.R. 3877. Jason Pye, FreedomWorks Vice President of Legislative Affairs, commented:
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/coalition-letter-dont-bust-spending-caps?social=facebook_share"
Coalition Letter: Don't Bust the Spending Caps
On Monday, FreedomWorks sent a coalition letter to Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) urging them not to agree to deal that would bust the discretionary spending caps. Signers to the letter include Adam Brandon of FreedomWorks, Jonathan Bydlak of the Coalition to Reduce Spending, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union, and David McIntosh of the Club for Growth. The text of the letter is below and a PDF of the letter and the signers can be found here.
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/coalition-letter-opposition-hr-1?social=facebook_share"
Coalition Letter in Opposition to H.R. 1
On Wednesday, FreedomWorks sent a coalition letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Senate Majority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) signed by representatives from more than 30 organizations against H.R. 1. This legislation would have the effect of nationalizing elections, make the Federal Elections Commission a partisan entity, and have a chilling effect on political speech. Signers to the letter include Adam Brandon of FreedomWorks, Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union, Tim Chapman of Heritage Action, and David McIntosh of the Club for Growth. The text of the letter is below and a PDF of the letter and the signers can be found here.
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/freedomworks-signs-coalition-letter-opposing-hhs-medicare-part-b-rule?social=facebook_share"
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FreedomWorks Signs Coalition Letter Opposing HHS Medicare Part B Rule
BY Daniel Savickas
FreedomWorks signed on to a coalition letter with 54 other conservative, free market advocacy groups to oppose the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) proposed international pricing index (IPI). If implemented, this rule would tie drug prices for Medicare Part B recipients to an international model based on the prices in over a dozen European countries.
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/freedomworks-signs-coalition-letter-against-tax-grab-wyoming?social=facebook_share"
FreedomWorks Signs Coalition Letter Against Tax Grab in Wyoming
FreedomWorks, along with several other free market-minded organizations, signed a letter in strong opposition to HB 19. The bill would require online retailers outside of the state to tax Wyoming customers.
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/freedomworks-joins-coalition-letter-opposing-repeal-deregulatory-measure?social=facebook_share"
FreedomWorks Joins Coalition Letter Opposing Repeal of Deregulatory Measure
FreedomWorks, along other like-minded organizations, signed a coalition letter to President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence opposing repeal of deregulatory measures that advance the message of less government and more freedom.
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/freedomworks-signs-coalition-letter-urging-congressional-action-overturn-fda-e-cigarette?social=facebook_share"
FreedomWorks Signs Coalition Letter Urging Congressional Action to Overturn FDA E-Cigarette Rules
Pro-free-market activist groups, including FreedomWorks, banned together in support of challenging the Food and Drug Administration's regulations against the e-cigarette industry. These regulations require all e-cigarette and vapor products that came to market after February 15, 2007, undergo a premarket application (PMTA).
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/freedomworks-signs-coalition-letter-support-scott-pruitts-confirmation-epa?social=facebook_share"
http://fw-d7-freedomworks-org.s3.amazonaws.com/styles/thumbnail/s3/field/image/unnamed_4.jpg?itok=qjxpFnT-
FreedomWorks Signs Coalition Letter in Support of Scott Pruitt's Confirmation to EPA
FreedomWorks is proudly supporting Scott Pruitt as the nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He has demonstrated his commitment to defending the separation of powers by fighting the EPA for constitutional overreach. He will hold the executive branch accountable when it comes to power and regulations, and will further his consistency in keeping federal intrusion out of the rights of both the states and individuals.
"http:\/\/www.freedomworks.org\/content\/coalition-letter-support-scalise-resolution-against-carbon-tax?social=facebook_share"
Coalition Letter: Support Scalise Resolution Against a Carbon Tax
FreedomWorks has signed onto the following coalition letter, led by the American Energy Alliance. This letter supports Rep. Steve Scalise's (R-LA-1) House Concurrent Resolution 89, which expresses the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be tremendously destructive to our nation's economy.


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Amygdala predicts spontaneous behavior: Study
A pianist is playing an unknown melody freely without reading from a musical score. How does the listener's brain recognise if this melody is improvised or if it is memorized? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig investigated jazz musicians to discover which brain areas are especially sensitive to features of improvised behaviour. Among these are the amygdala and a network of areas known to be involved in the mental simulation of behaviour. Furthermore, the ability to correctly recognise improvisations was not only related to the musical experience of a listener but also to his ability to take the perspective of someone else.
The ability to discriminate spontaneous from planned (rehearsed) behaviour is important when inferring others' intentions in everyday situations, for example, when judging whether someone's behaviour is calculated and intended to deceive. In order to examine such basic mechanisms of social abilities in controlled settings, Peter Keller, head of the research group "Music Cognition and Action" at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig and his research associate Annerose Engel investigate musical constellations ranging from solos and duos to large musical ensembles. In a recent study, they investigated the brain activity of jazz musicians while these musicians listened to short excerpts of improvised melodies or rehearsed versions of the same melodies. The listeners judged whether each heard melody was improvised.
"Musical improvisations are more variable in their loudness and timing, most likely due to irregularities in force control associated with fluctuations in certainty about upcoming actions-i.e., when spontaneously deciding what to play-during improvised musical performance", explains Peter Keller. The amygdala, part of the limbic system, was more active while listening to real improvisations and was sensitive to the fluctuations of loudness and timing in the melodies. Thus, the amygdala seems to be involved in the detection of spontaneous behaviour, which is consistent with studies showing an involvement of this structure when stimuli are difficult to predict, novel or ambiguous in their meaning.
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If a melody was judged as being improvised, regardless of whether this was in fact the case, stronger activity was found in a network which is known to be involved in the covert simulation of actions. This network comprised the frontal operculum, the pre-supplementary area and the anterior insula.
"We know today that during perception of actions, similar brain areas are active as during the execution of the same action", explains Annerose Engel. "This supports the evaluation of other people's behaviour in order to form expectations and predict future behaviour." If a melody is perceived as being more difficult to predict, for example, because of fluctuations in loudness and timing, stronger activity is most likely to be elicited in this specialised network.
A further observation the researchers made may be related to this: Not only musical experience but also the capacity to take someone else's perspective played an important role in judging spontaneity. Jazz musicians who had more musical expertise in playing the piano and playing with other musicians, as well as those who more often described themselves as trying to put themselves in someone else's shoes were best at recognizing whether a melody was improvised or not.
Tags: Amygdala, Brain, Limbic System, Psychology, Research
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Browse: Home / Selected Shorts: THE SNOWMAN
Selected Shorts: THE SNOWMAN
Posted By Sam "Burgundy Suit" Scott on February 21, 2022 in Features | Leave a response
Not every studio was as adept at melding cartoon silliness with sheer terror as Disney and the Fleischers. Terrytoons producer Paul Terry once said, "Disney is the Tiffany's of this business, and we're the Woolworth's," but he could just as easily have been talking about Van Buren Studios. While other, better producers at least made an effort to be something other than the poor man's Disney, Van Buren was shameless, producing a series of Mickey Mouse cartoons before introducing the slightly less legally actionable knockoff Cubby Bear.
No copyrighted characters appear in The Snowman, but the shoddiness is still impossible to ignore. I was going to say the short's turn to horror comes out of nowhere, but rewatching it, I couldn't help feeling a pervasive sense of unease even in the first few minutes of cute Arctic animals and a cute Arctic boy doing cute Arctic things. There's the unsettlingly haphazard editing. The little Inuit boy whose huge mouth and huger, unblinking eyes cross the line from cute into creepy and just keep going. There's the weird, supposedly funny scenes of a walrus grinning as other animals jump or play music on his belly that really just give the impression we're watching some strange, secret fetish. Worst of all, there's the ominous scene, pitch-dark except for the white outline of an alarm clock, of an eerie voice whispering, "tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…" Even the scene of the little boy and his animal friends dancing around the snowman just before the horror starts is more Midsommar than Merrie Melodies.
Eventually, the little Inuit boy wakes up from hibernation — there are a lot of racist stereotypes in these old cartoons, but that has to be the most obscure one — and he and all his animal friends get together to build a snowman. Cute, right? But then, with no explanation, the snowman not only comes to life but turns evil and starts chasing after everyone, and even successfully eats a little fish. The snowman's first moments are effectively terrifying, as his smiling face melts into a horrible malevolent glare in dead-on close-up. If this moment of horror had been better earned, I'd feel comfortable placing it among the best animation of the year.
The Snowman is like that — there's little bits of brilliance scattered throughout it, throwing the overall shittiness into sharp relief. Several of the watercolor backgrounds — the ice chapel, the weather station where the little Inuit boy turns on the Aurora Borealis to melt the snowman (???) — are gorgeous, even with the artists' inability to use the Technicolor process thanks to Disney's three-year exclusive contract.
But none of that's enough to swing the needle on this short from "bad" to "good." It fills up its runtime not so much with gags as gag-shaped objects. Besides whatever the fuck was going on with the walrus, we get the Snowman inexplicably transforming into Jimmy Durante as he hijacks the church organ, or the Inuit boy waking up from his nap to find his seal friend exiting its little igloo followed by a half-dozen baby seals who hadn't been there when winter started. What's the joke here? Did the seal give birth? Does that mean it gave birth to the pelican who files out of the igloo too?
And that's when The Snowman even tries to be funny or scary at all. About halfway through, it stops dead for a performance of "The Church in the Wildwood" led by a penguin with the most earsplitting voice you can imagine. I assumed there was at least a mercenary explanation for this — most of these cartoons existed to sell records and sheet music, after all. But I should have known better than to look for logic in The Snowman — "Wildwood" was almost a century old by the time the short premiered.
The Snowman ends by confirming that director Ted Eshbaugh has lost all control of the short's tricky tonal balance. The fish from earlier is swimming in the Snowman's puddle/corpse, alive and well. And then the short irises out as the fish lets out the Snowman's trademark baritone laugh. I think the intention was supposed to be the fish getting the last laugh and mocking his would-be killer. But all I can think when I hear that fish laughing is the Snowman's demonic spirit has somehow possessed it.
Fun for the whole family!
Posted in Features | Tagged 1933, animation, BurgundySuit, Horror, Short Film, year of the month
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