Having some button problems? This part can solve all your problems, well most of them!
Replace the D-Pad flex cable assembly for your Wii U GamePad if you've lost functionality in the directional buttons and/or ZR & ZL buttons.


text:
Shurmur: Eli 'very likely' to start with Jones hurt
50dJordan Raanan
Giants coach Pat Shurmur says Eli Manning 'very likely' to start vs. Eagles
Orlovsky: Eagles should be nervous to see Eli (0:57)
Dan Orlovsky explains why the Eagles would be better off facing Daniel Jones on Monday Night Football over Eli Manning. (0:57)
Jordan RaananESPN Staff Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Eli Manning's career with the New York Giants isn't going to end with him sitting on the bench for the final 14 games of the season.
The two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback is "very likely" to start Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles with rookie Daniel Jones dealing with a "moderate high ankle sprain," coach Pat Shurmur said Wednesday.
"Obviously we'll see what happens Monday," Manning said after taking the first-team snaps at practice. "But business as usual in a sense get the game plan, start prepping for Philly. Going against a good defense, but also a defense we faced a number of years. Know 'em well. Just get back into the mix with the offensive line and receivers. Make sure the timing is where it needs to be."
Rating the job security of every NFL head coach: Who's on the hot seat?
Making the case for Pat Shurmur after latest Giants loss
Jones, who played through the injury during Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers, was in a boot and didn't practice Wednesday.
Jones injured the ankle during a quarterback sneak on fourth down during the second quarter. He was seen wincing on the ground after a Packers player fell on his leg. He had the ankle checked and taped on the sideline before returning to the game, and he claimed to be "fine" on Monday before being sent for an MRI as the discomfort persisted.
Shurmur compared Jones' injury to the high ankle sprain that sidelined Saquon Barkley for three games over four weeks, though less severe.
The Giants (2-10) have four games remaining, and Jones, who played through a high ankle sprain last season at Duke, likes his chances to return.
"I think they're good," Jones said. "Every day since, I've been feeling better. I think it should heal up pretty quickly."
The rookie said he thought he would be practicing as soon as Wednesday.
"It was pretty disappointing, especially after thinking I was going to be able to play," Jones said. "You know, I understand it and hopefully it would heal up pretty quick."
Jones, who supplanted Manning as the Giants' starter after two games, has thrown 18 touchdown passes with 11 interceptions and 10 lost fumbles this season. This could've been the week that the first-round pick finally had all his top weapons available, as there is a realistic chance that tight end Evan Engram (foot) and Golden Tate (concussion) will return on Monday night.
Case of the Big Blues
Eli Manning, who "very likely" will start vs. the Eagles on Monday Night Football, has not fared well in his last 10 starts vs. Philadelphia.
vs. Eagles
W-L 1-9<<
TD-Int 16-13
Total QBR 42.5
>> Lost last 5 starts
-- ESPN Stats & Information
Manning returns to the lineup with the Giants on an eight-game losing streak. It will be his first start since mid-September after being the team's starter for the better part of 15 seasons.
Manning, whose last victory as a starter came exactly one year to the date of Monday's game, completed 63% of his passes this season with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
After spending the past 12 weeks in an unfamiliar position as the backup, Manning said the hardest part for him was simply not playing in games.
"Missed being part of the action and practicing and all that," said Manning, who worked almost primarily as the scout team quarterback. "But felt good to be out there today and throw it around and compete a little bit."
Manning, 38, is in the final year of his contract. His future with the Giants and the NFL is up in the air for the first time since being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2004 draft. But he wasn't ready to say whether he intends for these final four games to be the last of his career or if he wants to play elsewhere if his time with the Giants is indeed over.
"Just take it one week at a time. You never want to make decisions about the future while you're living in the present and don't know the circumstance of what can happen," Manning said. "Just have to go out there and try to get a win for the Giants if I'm asked to do that. I'll analyze everything else after the season."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


When the Patina Fades... The Rise and Fall of Goldman Sachs???
10 Ways to say "No, the Banks Have Not Paid Back Their Bailout from the Taxpayer!"
Doesn't Morgan Stanley Read My Blog?
A Must Read:An Independent Look into JP Morgan.This contains the "public preview" document ( JPM Public Excerpt of Forensic Analysis Subscription2009-09-18 00:56:22488.64 Kb), which is free to download.
After re-reading my post to you yesterday, I see where it could've come off a bit preachy. While I did rant, maybe I did not put enough emphasis on the fact that I've liked your work in the past, I like the work you've continued to do, and I will continue to read things that you write. You do GOOD WORK! Very good work. …and I doubt your seeking my approval. …but I'm giving it anyway.
My reasoning for even going down this path is because I have had threaded discussions with you that go back a few years. You can argue till your blue in the face, that you may have been the first to make some of your claims, while I would say that those threads from a couple of years ago, were the information superhighway for new and creative thoughts. Unbeknownst to many other bloggers on that superhighway, was that there were some pretty high end economists and financial engineers lurking. Many of those bloggers fed off of each other, and that's where 99.9% of the construction took place.
It was that collective that shone a light on this whole charade. It wasn't me. It wasn't you. It wasn't Roubini. (well some was Roubini). …but rather it was the collective. …and I remember quite specifically the way you or I or many others would write something…. …and then it would go through the grinder of that blogging network. …and after about 2 days, and 2,000 eyes and opinions… new dots were connected. You were in that community, and part of that collective. …and I don't think that I or you deserve any credit for that genius that was displayed. …but rather the collective that deserves the credit.
@ Macfly, as you can read, I kinda stepped back from the game. I still create my models, and play with analysis, but I no longer like to put too much effort into it. To me, it's like trying to have a serious discussion about who's a better wrestler: Hulk Hogan or Rick Flair. You can come up with a thousand arguments for one or the other… and then you remember… It's all FAKE. Yes, the blood is real, and bones do break, but the outcome is predetermined. I'll probably rejoin the community and share my analysis when I believe the venue has cleaned up its act.


We compost food prep waste, wet food leftovers, and paper products from the dining hall. Students, faculty, and staff get involved through "Scrape Your Plate" education and initiatives. Composting and recycling now represent the majority of the school's total waste stream. Aramark also partners with environmentally conscious suppliers who are committed to reducing source packaging, and recycles cardboard, glass, newspapers, magazines, plastic, cans and junk mail from all dining locations across campus.
Taft and Aramark consciously work to reduce water and energy consumption, and advocate for renewable energy sources and water recapture to reduce our overall environmental footprint. Aramark trains and updates their employees on common energy and water conservation practices every sememster.
Tafties are encouraged to carry reusable water bottles. Our refilling stations across campus track and measure by-bottle output: In a six month period, more than 15,000 bottles were filled in our athletic center, alone. Thanks to calculations by Science Department Chair Jim Lehner and his students, we know that it would have taken four barrels of crude oil—that's 168 gallons—to produce 15,000 plastic water bottles.
Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day—the equivalent of 146 billion cups per year. If you drink just one cup of coffee or tea in a disposable cup every day, you will create about 23 pounds of trash in a year. In 2016 we removed disposable cups from our servery.
Trayless dining has been a way of life here since 2010. It minimizes food waste, conserves energy and water, and reduces the amount of cleaning chemicals entering the waste stream.
We recycle 100% of our used fryer oil for bio fuel.
In their senior year at Taft, Belle McDougald and Emily Weaver produced an original film, offering simple ideas for reducing food waste.


text:
Q: Condição IF dentro de um SELECT Oracle Há outras perguntas neste contexto, porém sou leigo no assunto e não entendo.
Com isto, preciso de ajuda.
Tenho um SELECT para busca de dados em um banco de dados ORACLE, porém preciso fazer uma condição IF dentro deste SELECT.
Exemplo:
Tenho o seguinte SELECT:
SELECT
CAMPO1, CAMPO2, CAMPO3, CAMPO4, CAMPO5
FROM
TABELA1
WHERE
CAMPO1 = dado1 AND CAMPO2 = dado2

A condição seria assim:
IF CAMPO1 IS NULL, CAMPO1 = CAMPO3

Existe a possibilidade de fazer essa condição dentro deste SELECT?
Ja pesquisei isto, achei alguns exemplos, porém não consegui entender.
Se alguém puder me ajudar.

A: No select você pode usar CASE Ex:
SELECT
     CASE WHEN CAMPO1 IS NULL THEN 'CAMPO1 NULL'
       ELSE CAMPO1 END AS CAMPO1,
     CAMPO2,
     CAMPO3,
     CAMPO4,
     CAMPO5
FROM TABELA1
WHERE CAMPO1 = dado1 AND CAMPO2 = dado2

Se bem entendi a pergunta, acho que é mais ou menos isso que quer.
Referência: CASE ORACLE
E tem também COALESCE, este retornará o primeiro dado não nulo do conjunto passado como parâmetro Ex:
SELECT
     COALESCE(CAMPO1,'CAMPO1 NULL') AS CAMPO1,
     CAMPO2,
     CAMPO3,
     CAMPO4,
     CAMPO5
 FROM TABELA1
 WHERE CAMPO1 = dado1 AND CAMPO2 = dado2

Referência COALESCE ORACLE

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
What Vladimir Putin Is Up To in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the head of Russian Federal Taxation Service Daniil Yegorov during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021.
Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik-AP)
By Ian Bremmer
Bremmer is a foreign affairs columnist and editor-at-large at TIME. He is the president of Eurasia Group, a political-risk consultancy, and GZERO Media, a company dedicated to providing intelligent and engaging coverage of international affairs. He teaches applied geopolitics at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and his most recent book is Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism.
In recent weeks, Russia has advanced more than 100,000 soldiers to its border with Ukraine. The Ukrainian government, fearing an attack, has called on Europe and the U.S. for help. A Kremlin spokesperson says Russia poses no threat to anyone, but its 2014 invasion of Crimea and its ongoing material support for separatist rebels in Ukraine's Donbas region (along with related denials of the same) have European and U.S. officials on alert.
E.U. chief Ursula von der Leyen insists the E.U. and U.S. "fully support the territorial integrity of Ukraine," and together they're publicly discussing retaliatory steps, mainly sanctions, if Russia crosses the border. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that a Russian incursion would be a "serious mistake," and the U.S. has reportedly shipped some 80 tons of ammunition to Ukraine to support Kyiv.
What's Vladimir Putin up to? In recent years, the Russian President has fully embraced Cold War–style, anti-Western words and actions, at least in part as a means of boosting his sagging approval ratings. A poll published in October by Moscow's Levada Center found that Russian trust in Putin had fallen to 53%, its lowest level since 2012. History shows that picking fights with Ukraine can help with that.
Russian troops, Putin claims, are responding to Western provocations in the Black Sea, where NATO has recently staged unannounced military exercises. Why should Russia, he asks, ignore the hostile presence of U.S. and European warships and fighter planes so near Russia's coastline? It's also possible that Putin is signaling to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky not to try to boost his own slumping ratings by becoming more militarily aggressive with the Donbas rebels in coming months.
Despite all this, a Russian invasion of Ukraine remains unlikely. Seven years ago, when Putin grabbed Crimea in retaliation for the political upheaval in Kyiv that forced Ukraine's pro-Russia President to flee the country, his troops were entering the only part of Ukraine where a majority of citizens were ethnic Russians. That guaranteed a mostly friendly reception. At the time, the Kremlin also had the element of surprise. The subsequent Russian backing for Ukraine's Donbas separatists likewise took place on mostly friendly territory. Today, Putin's aggressions have permanently poisoned the attitudes of tens of millions of Ukrainians toward Moscow.
More from TIME
That's why any Russian advance into new Ukrainian territory would prove extremely costly for Russia. Ukraine can't defeat Russia on the ground, and NATO wouldn't join the fighting, but heavy Russian casualties and the financial costs of holding hostile territory are too politically expensive for a Russian President who isn't as popular as he used to be. In fact, another Levada poll has found that though Russians tend to blame the West for trouble in Ukraine, they don't think a "full-scale war" with Ukraine would go well for Putin's domestic standing. All that said, Ukraine is in no position to ignore the sudden expanded presence of Russian troops along its border, and U.S. and European officials know that any less than forceful statement of their support can make hostile Russian action more likely. The risk of war remains low, but no one will relax until those Russian soldiers step back.
TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.
U.S. and Allies Weigh Reprisals If Russia Invades Ukraine


text:
Problems plague BP's oil spill compensation fund
BP oil spill fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg is interviewed in his office, Monday, Sept. 27, 2010, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
By BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press Writer
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. —
In the rush to get compensation from BP after its massive oil spill, the $20 billion fund that the company created has been inundated with questionable documentation, inflated claims and in some cases, outright fraud - all slowing down the process for legitimate claims, the administrator of the program says.
Claims have been bogged down by the sheer volume of requests for money - nearly 98,000 - as livelihoods have crumbled since the April 20 rig explosion that killed 11 workers and spewed more than 200 million gallons of oil. Confusion and frustration have become the only constants for desperate fishermen and business owners.
Sales manager Jeff Silvers was shocked to learn that his building supplies shop just a half mile from the Alabama coast was not considered to be affected by the oil that sullied beaches and marshes, sent tourists packing and kept fishing boats idle at harbors.
Swift Supply, he said, lost a huge chunk of revenue because customers canceled plans to build docks, do home improvements and complete construction on new houses with the uncertainty that followed the explosion and oil gusher.
He applied for compensation from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which is doling out BP's money to oil spill victims, but initially got nothing.
"We were told we weren't in the geographic area of the spill," Silvers said.
Just last week, however, he got a check for everything he asked for.
It came as attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who is administering the fund, decided that proximity to affected areas will no longer play a role in compensation approval.
It's the latest in a string of changes to the shifting process that has dragged on for weeks, with promises of generosity and fairness, but delivery of little more than apologies to many.
"I'm very happy, but there's still a lot of businesses that haven't been paid," Silver said.
Just as hope was fading that the troubled program could be fixed, Feinberg appears to be putting it into overdrive, re-evaluating previously denied claims and reaching out to some people who believe they were shortchanged.
In just the last week, denied claims dropped from 528 to 116, as checks were cut and mailed to businesses that were initially told they would get no help.
In an interview last week, Feinberg promised that kinks would be worked out and more generous payments would come.
In addition to those still waiting for money, The Associated Press interviewed dozens of people who say they have received small fractions of the compensation they requested. Beach wedding planner Sheryl Lindsay said she filed a claim for about $240,000 for lost revenue from July through December because of cancellations. She got a check from the BP claims center for $7,700.
Lindsay closed her coastal Alabama office and will soon file for bankruptcy.
"We don't have any business left," Lindsay said.
A final settlement will be offered to Gulf residents in the coming months which they can accept or deny and instead choose to sue BP, but Lindsay says she needs money now.
She recently got word from the facility that her claim would be reviewed for possible additional payments.
To date, the fund has paid out nearly $1 billion to about 50,000 claimants. However, claims officials would not provide AP with the total amount actually requested by those claimants. A Feinberg spokeswoman said the number is "irrelevant," given the volume of claims filed with no proof of losses, inflated requests and fraudulent ones.
Feinberg notes that complaints about small payouts have "not fallen on deaf ears," but that the amount of money being sought has no correlation to the size of the check cut.
"People can put down on a claims form all sorts of numbers," he said.
He referred to a fisherman's claim for $10 million in lost revenues "on what was obviously a legitimate claim of a few thousand dollars."
"We have thousands of claims where there is no documentation, none," Feinberg said.
Of the nearly 98,000 claims filed as of Oct. 2, about 35,000 require additional documentation and remain on hold.
Even the Justice Department weighed in, with a Sept. 17 letter to Feinberg expressing concern over the slow pace of payments.
"The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill has disrupted the lives of thousands upon thousands of individuals, often cutting off the income on which they depend," the letter read. "Many of these individuals and businesses simply do not have the resources to get by while they await processing."
But even as some are getting a second look and possibly additional checks, others simply stew.
Fishing guide Mike Garey got just $21,000 in response to his request for $70,000 in losses.
"And we have no recourse whatsoever," Garey said.
He is also concerned about accepting any final settlement and giving up his right to sue BP.
"The phones aren't ringing. The e-mails aren't coming in," he said. "Where will we be in a year from now? Nobody knows the answer to that so how can we accept a final payment?"
Feinberg, who previously oversaw claims for 9/11 victims, promises things will get better, but says the entire process will take time to get right. He said potentially fraudulent claims are holding up the process, and are under review before being forwarded to the Justice Department for criminal investigation.
"We have scores of applications for financial aid that appear to be fraudulent," Feinberg said. "Our resources are diverted, and we become skeptical and concerned.
"At the beginning, it's always rough," he added. "Hopefully, by the end of this program, people will feel that the fund treated them fairly."
Feinberg declined to say how much he is being paid by BP, only that it is a flat fee "totally unrelated" to the size of the fund and amounts paid.


I've finally gotten some time to finish up embedding a GMap in my sidebar showing the locations of my posts. Not very interesting at the moment, but I'm about to embark on a trip, so wanted to get it setup for that.
It's using the Geo Plugin by Owen Winkler, lots of info from Rancid Bacon's GMaps Standalone, and the example of photo map using bbc backstage.
I'm trying to clean it up to make the bubble smaller. It's rather overwhelming in such a small window. For this reason I removed displaying the description and any icons.
While I would like to roll this into the Geo Plugin, I'm not sure when that will get done, so feel free to try out the files above. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.


text:
Q: Correct the value on datetimepicker when user selects a date When a user selects a value in my TDateTimePicker I want to override the to-be-set value to the start of the week that goes with the selected value.
I tried setting it in the OnChange event, but then the originally selected value will be set right after I finished the event.
How would I go about this?

A: Use the onUserInput event!

A: use the "ONCloseUp" event - this sample works for me (Delphi 7, WinXP)
unit Unit1;

interface

uses
  Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Variants, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms,
  Dialogs, ComCtrls, DateUtils, StdCtrls;

type
  TForm1 = class(TForm)
    dtp1: TDateTimePicker;
    btn1: TButton;
    edt1: TEdit;
    procedure btn1Click(Sender: TObject);
    procedure dtp1CloseUp(Sender: TObject);
  private
    { Private declarations }
    procedure SetDayToMonday();
  public
    { Public declarations }
  end;

var
  Form1: TForm1;

implementation

{$R *.dfm}

procedure TForm1.SetDayToMonday;
begin
   dtp1.DateTime := dtp1.DateTime - DayOfTheWeek(dtp1.DateTime) + 1;
end;

procedure TForm1.dtp1CloseUp(Sender: TObject);
begin
   SetDayToMonday;
end;

end.

--reinhard :-)

A: I would post a message to the form, define a message (WM_USER+1000+X),  post it, and handle it. If you don't "pend" it like this, you could also do a PendingDateTimeTimer:TTimer that does validation slightly later (say 10msec) after the OnChange event sets  PendingDateTimeTimer.Enabled := true.


January 16, 2006 edited April 22, 2011 in Location, Location, Location!
Here are the Dgrin Meetups Threads!
You might want to subscribe to the thread of choice in your region, then you'll get up dates when someone posts to it!
Most major cities in the US have at least one photography meetup club. I just joined and can't wait to go shooting.
Is there nobody in Texas?
I just checked into these links, and have yet to find anyone close by. I'm just outside of Austin, TX. Anyone out there?
Canon Digital Rebel XTI, 430ex, sigma 24-70 f2.8 macro, a crummy kit lens, 4gb cf, and tons of batteries.
Thanks a tons for the link, never heard of this site before.
Apparently there are quite few meetup for Philly area, I just register and join for my first ever meetup next Sunday.
Where does Alaska fall in all of this? Especially the northernmost SMUG group?


Yellow Rush after Resurgence nerfs + new support cards. I have around 5 Yellow Rush decks and this one is one of my favorites so far. Mulligan for Shaytan Demon, Khalim's Prayer, and Oradrim Sagittarius usually. You want to be able to drop easy low cost threats like Shaytan Demon and Shaytan Scavenger early that put the opponent behind when trying to fight them efficiently early, but also have Sagi in the backline on any turn where you plan to go face, and if you don't have at least 1 Prayer it will be very hard to win vs many decks.
As player 1, go Desert in front of orb first, then Double Neutral forward second almost always, most other land placement will put you very far behind. As player 2, you sometimes have to play Desert then Explore Desert forward turn 1-2 depending on opponent board, especially if it can set up Sagi/Flash Salmon/Shaytan Scavenger vs an opponent that will not be able to respond to it efficiently, but otherwise you will just go Double Neutral forward as well. Having the initial Desert down is very important for Sagi position.
I'm not using larger minions like Deranged Monkey as much since Shaytan Scavenger is cheaper and often works just as well as Monkey vs the swarm heavy decks people are running, combined with the fact that you can't spam Neutrals as hard due to Khalim's Prayer nerf limiting Monkey's positional benefits, combined with the nerfs to Firestorm that have many players staying away from playing Red control decks that commonly have Flame Burst, but at the end of the day Deranged Monkey is still a good card if you want to run it instead. Deranged Monkey also often becomes a 2/2 when hit by the new Humbling Vision, as opposed to Shaytan Scavenger which goes to 2/1, which is very important for trading well early when considering their costs.
3 Soul Drains are definitely required for current meta, and depending on opponent you may want more or less Choking Sands and potentially less Last Nightmares. Zealous Crusader as always is your endgame, but you often may have to play him at as low as 5/5, you just have to practice the deck to know when you need to use him as a smaller Tempo drop to close out the game fast. Barrensky Vermin is very valuable for attacking face anywhere even through Taunts, and he s a useful blocker not just to protect your Crusaders and Shaytan Demons, but also as a blocker that can still go face in Rush mirrors.


by this act today, I pass on the message of Divine Mercy to the new millennium. I pass it on because I want people to know the better face of God, and that of his Divine Mercy, and through it, the better face of their brethren. The light of the message of Divine Mercy which the Lord wished to renew in the world, will be as much a beacon of hope for the third millennium, as the apostles were in the first.
Blessed Coming Easter to All!
Thank you for sharing this source of grace for all to benefit!


text:
daa Records €284m Loss Due To Impact Of COVID-19 On Travel
EconomicPartnerTourismMemberStakeholder
daa, which operates Dublin and Cork airports and has businesses in 15 overseas markets, recorded a loss of €284 million last year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Passenger numbers at its two Irish airports fell by 78% to just 7.9 million in 2020, compared to 35.5 million in 2019. Almost all of the airport retail outlets that daa operates in Ireland and overseas were closed for extended periods during the year.
Turnover declined by 69% from €935 million in 2019 to €291 million last year, as the reduction in passengers across all daa's markets led to a €644 million fall in business activity.
"Our Irish airports have been one of the businesses that have been most negatively affected by the impact of COVID-19 over the past 13 months," said daa Chief Executive Dalton Philips. "Dublin and Cork airports lost 27.6 million passengers last year, which is more than 5.5 times the population of the State. The last time that Dublin and Cork airports had fewer than 8 million passengers in a calendar year was in 1994."
The pandemic continues to have a crippling effect on the Irish aviation and tourism sectors. In the first three months of this year, passenger numbers at Dublin and Cork airports have fallen by 92% compared to 2020, as the State's two largest airports lost a further 5.1 million passengers.
"As vaccination levels increase, both at home and in many of our key overseas travel markets, Ireland must develop a roadmap for exiting mandatory hotel quarantine and for easing the blanket restrictions on overseas travel," Mr Philips said.
"The aviation industry in Ireland has recently submitted a comprehensive plan to enable the restart of international air travel to and from Ireland in a manner that continues to protect public health. Having outlined our recommendations, the industry needs substantive Government engagement on this vital issue. Ireland must start planning now for putting in place a system that will allow for international travel again."
The current position for daa businesses is very challenging, and at this point, it is difficult to make any meaningful forecasts about the outlook for the rest of this year, according to Mr Philips. "There is clearly huge pent up demand for travel, particularly to visit family and friends, but as yet, we have no clear path as to how and when Ireland will exit the current restrictions. We also need clarity on the EU Digital Green Certificate and when it will be adopted in Ireland."
Due to the significant impact of the pandemic on its business globally, daa moved quickly to reduce its costs last year. Operating costs were reduced by 42% to €260 million during 2020; with costs cut by 58% between June and December last year. Significant reductions were made to planned operational and capital spending. daa also reviewed its medium-term capital programmes and amended the delivery dates of certain projects.
Key construction projects such as the North Runway at Dublin Airport and new security screening systems for aircraft hold baggage at Dublin and Cork airports progressed during the year when permitted under health restrictions. Plans for the reconstruction of Cork Airport's runway were significantly advanced during 2020 and into this year and daa will appoint a contractor shortly for this vital project.
A pay and hiring freeze was instituted, contracts were not renewed and the payment of profit share, gainshare and performance-related pay for 2020 was cancelled. These and other measures, which were required due to the grave situation facing the company, meant that people took a pay cut of between 20% and 45%.
Given the unprecedented traffic decline and the likelihood of a slow recovery in passenger levels, daa had no option but to right-size its business to reflect the dramatically changed circumstances. Almost 1,000 Irish-based staff have left the business, which is equivalent to almost one-third of the group's overall workforce in Ireland. About 1,000 people have also exited the overseas retail businesses operated by the group.
"We had to take some very difficult decisions over the past 13 months, and we had to move quickly given the severity of the crisis," Mr Philips said. "Our focus was on doing what was right for the long-term health of the business and as far as possible we worked in partnership with our people both at home and abroad."
During the year, daa agreed major changes in the way it operates its business in Ireland with trade union and staff representatives. More than 93% of employees who voted in a series of ballots on these new work practice proposals agreed to accept these changes, which were needed to enable the company to operate more efficiently and effectively, and to protect the long-term sustainability of the business.
The Group took action on €1 billion of liquidity measures during the year and extended the average maturity of its borrowings. An existing revolving credit facility was increased from €300 million to €450 million and its maturity was extended from November 2022 until March 2026. A committed European Investment Bank loan of €350 million, which has a fixed interest rate of less than 1% and is repayable over 20 years, was drawn down in the second quarter of last year. In October, daa raised €500 million from a bond issue with the funds, which have a fixed annual rate of just over 1.6%, repayable in November 2032.
"Given the profound impact that COVID-19 had on our business, we acted quickly and took a number of decisive steps during the year to strengthen our liquidity," according to Mr Philips. Net debt increased by €353 million to €783 million at the end of December.
Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport declined by 78% to almost 7.4 million last year – the first fall in traffic in a decade. The last time that Dublin Airport had fewer than 8 million passengers in a calendar year was in 1994. More than half of the 7.4 million people who travelled though the airport during 2020 did so in January and February of last year. Just over 400,000 passengers used Dublin as a hub in 2020, which meant that just less than 7 million people either began or ended their journey at Dublin Airport during the year.
At Cork Airport, passenger numbers declined for the first time in six years. Traffic at Cork - which had enjoyed a 25% increase in passenger numbers in the five years to 2019 and had been the fastest-growing airport in the State in recent years - declined by 80% last year to just 530,000. Cork passenger numbers were back at 1988 levels last year. Almost 60% of people who used Cork Airport last year travelled in either January or February.
In line with Irish Government policy, Dublin and Cork airports have remained open throughout the pandemic. The key role that Dublin Airport plays in Ireland's global supply chain was brought into sharp focus last year, as more than 6.2 million kilogrammes of essential PPE and medical equipment were imported through the airport on 356 flights operated by 16 different airlines. Dublin Airport was also a key hub for vital exports during the year, as Ireland is a major producer of medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
"We followed Government health advice in all markets and introduced comprehensive new health, safety and cleaning protocols to reflect the new operating environment and to protect our customers and our people," Mr Philips said. "Since the beginning of the pandemic, our key focus has been on the health and safety of our people and our customers."
Mr Philips praised the efforts of daa's people during the pandemic. "Across the 16 countries in which we operate our people dealt with adversity on a daily basis through much of 2020 and their efforts are massively appreciated."
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He can repair your muffler, then serve you a fresh bowl of pho
Brian Lockhart Nov. 29, 2020 Updated: Nov. 29, 2020 9:13 a.m.
Peter VanDo poses in the empty dining from of VanDo Pho, his new restaurant in Bridgeport, Conn. Nov. 5, 2020. VanDo is seen here with two of his employees, Thienquy Nguyen, left, and Danny Nguyen.
Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
BRIDGEPORT — For years, Peter VanDo has boasted in local television commercials that his Yankee Discount Muffler and Brakes shop is "the best in town."
Now he would be happy if his newly built Vietnamese eatery next door could eventually claim a similar reputation for its cuisine.
"So far we lose money. But I say, 'OK. No problem," said VanDo, 74, about his late-in-life career shift from car maintenance and repair specialist to chef and restaurateur.
After three decades in the former business, he said he is financially secure and only launched VanDo Pho — pho is a type of soup — at 1304 Boston Ave. to provide some friends work and the public "good food."
Peter VanDo poses in the empty dining room of VanDo Pho, his new restaurant in Bridgeport, Conn. Nov. 5, 2020.
Opening Nov. 4 in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and under the required health and safety restrictions — including severely reduced indoor seating — was hardly ideal.
"I delayed and delayed and delayed. ... I worry about the COVID and the people not come and go out," VanDo recalled. "I said, 'We cannot delay more. We have to open and see what's going on.'"
But VanDo, at least during this interview, seemed as genuinely cheerful and enthusiastic about the situation as he has in all of those commercials where he, sometimes accompanied by his grandchildren, urges anyone with motor vehicle trouble to visit "Yankee Discount Muffler and Brakes. We're the best in town!"
"At the last minute I say that," VanDo laughed of the catchphrase.
Fred Cunningham said he has great faith in VanDo's ability to achieve whatever he puts his mind to. Cunninghams' family — more specifically his brother, Richard — sponsored VanDo and his own young family when they fled Vietnam in 1975 as refugees following the end of the Vietnam War. VanDo had run a pharmacy in his native country.
VanDo then worked for years at Cunningham Industries in Stamford, which produces non-circular gears.
"He's very entrepreneurial, which you probably figured out talking to him," said Cunningham. "He started in this country from absolute zero. He's done very well."
VanDo earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Bridgeport and attended the Porter and Chester technical institute to learn about automobiles. Both he and Cunningham recalled the latter helped inspire VanDo's interest in car repair.
"He needed a car and I had a business partner that had a '55 Mustang to get rid of for $300," Cunningham said. "And it needed brakes — brake pads. So I showed him how you buy the things and do a brake job on a car."
And, VanDo said, he also learned good customer service and business practices from Cunningham Industries.
"I learn every day, day by day," VanDo said.
Cunningham said VanDo talked about opening a restaurant "for years" and, pre-pandemic, they would often dine together at other Vietnamese spots: "He's more interested in doing the restaurant whether he makes money or not."
By Amanda Cuda
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Louis Nguyen, a chef at VanDo Pho, also has a long personal history with his boss. They met in the mid-1980s when Nguyen was attending the University of Bridgeport and VanDo would visit his Alma matter to help the new Vietnamese students.
VanDo hired Nguyen at his muffler shop. Eventually Nguyen, who had restaurant experience, began urging VanDo to get more serious about his dreams of a dining establishment.
"The cars so good now. High technology. Long ago we had about seven workers for Yankee Discount. Right now only two because the cars so good right now," Nguyen said. "That's why we come up with the restaurant. ... If this comes good, we open more locations and hire more people."
VanDo emphasized that he is not just the owner of his eponymous pho establishment but also a cook — yet another skill he has added to his list of accomplishments.
"Three years I learned to cook," VanDo said. "I very good cook, too. Finally, I am the good cook."
Brian Lockhart
Follow Brian on:
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Brian Lockhart covers politics and policy for the Connecticut Post. He also has covered politics for the Stamford Advocate and the city of Norwalk for The Hour.
Bridgeport needs to hire a director of health. And personnel. And police. And public facilities.
Retaliation or reform? Bridgeport Council members weigh in on cop transfers


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Tags: boro, EFL, watford, xisco
1- I'm a grumpy bastard.
Ask anyone. Type I Diabetes doesn't always help in this regard… hypoglycaemia, low blood sugar, is effectively an excess of hormone and has the impact you'd expect on the mood at moderate levels… weepiness and particularly, yes, snappiness. My lifetime memories are peppered with Incidents when Stuff Happened that shouldn't have done… sometimes seems a wonder that I've retained any friends or family members willing to pass the time of day at all really.
But I'm a grumpy bastard anyway. Hypoglycaemia-induced grumpiness tends to disappear with the help of some quickly absorbed sugar but I can do and – here's where the dedicated training and stamina come in – sustain grumpy without any physiological support. And as with the rest of the footballing world – and isn't it nice to see everyone coming together on a topic for once – I'm grumpy about the Super (and Tottenham) League. The hows and whys don't need repeating… you know it, you'll have seen it lucidly argued amidst the rare consensus and in any case it looks like it might be unwinding as I type. If it isn't, we'll moan about that another day…
But back to early evening, and I'm still grumpy. What I really need is a football match to shout at. Not just a match on a screen but a match to inhale. In the stadium. Noises and smells and adrenaline. Watching outside. But that's not where we are. So instead I eat up the time before Hornet Hive starts its pre-match show by stomping forcefully around the fields out back with grumpy-appropriate noise in my ears. Jane's Addiction. Sonic Youth. Nine Inch Nails. Get back, brace myself, grab a drink, check phone on the way upstairs, turns out kick-off is 6pm, not 7pm (as it was in my head). I make it with minutes to spare.
Grumpy.
2- It's been an edgy few days. You don't need telling that. The possibility, however remote, of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory has been in our heads… not "in your face, I'm coming for you" in our heads, but certainly "raising a hand from the back of the room and tentatively waving – yoohoo!" in our heads. "I'm still here". As an aside, such an eventuality wouldn't be typical Watford as some have suggested. Typical Watford would be typical Gillingham, typical Liverpool, typical Rushden and Diamonds if we supported them. No reflection on the club, it's an anxious reaction to the threat of failure, it's a comfort blanket and unless you support Spurs, its nonsense.
But we needed something here. Something to calm the nerves after Saturday's unpleasantness. Something to make the rest of the week tolerable. Something to reassure us that it was all going to be OK.
Boy did we get it. We deserve promotion this season. We haven't gotten away with anything, if and when it's confirmed we'll have earned it (hellooooo again Spurs). At the start of the season we were solid… less than the sum of our parts, perhaps, frustrating at times but often effective despite that, and effective enough to hang around at the top of the table. To be in position to capitalise if and when we found some form. When we did find that form we looked occasionally flamboyant, often cruelly, mercilessly irresistible – twenty clean sheets before today.
But we've never been more impressive than here at Carrow Road. Given the context – easier to be the chaser than the chased, the Luton defeat, players suspended, players injured, quality of opponent – the mental strength of the side was extraordinary, the ability of the head coach to craft solutions and get players' heads in the right place phenomenal. And on the pitch we looked every inch a top flight side.
3- The solution on the pitch, it transpired, involved Craig Cathcart at right back. A shame that Jeremy Ngakia, forced into a supporting role by the remarkable form of Kiko Femenía, has a knock just when he's needed, but if we don't have a reliable right back available we have a very reliable defender. There's nobody you'd trust more to make a decent fist of an unfamiliar role and the Ulsterman, never quite appreciated enough to my mind, will have a stunning evening. The solution also involves Adam Masina making a welcome return at left back, and an in-your-face midfield trio of Hughes, Gosling, Cleverley. That's not a midfield that asks permission. That's not a polite midfield.
After a brief period of early sparring, the Hornets controlled the first quarter of the game. If there's a word that defines the performance as a whole it's discipline, so vital against this opponent with their ability to escape through careless gaps and skip unforgivingly over misjudged tackles. This was a disciplined, controlled effort, and if we were fortunate to visit Carrow Road three days after the ten-man Canaries had chased Bournemouth around before celebrating their promotion we took a crowbar to that opportunity and prized it open.
Much of the threat came down the right despite the loss of the overlapping Kiko, a role which Cathcart was never going to replicate. Slightly mystifyingly, Ismaïla Sarr was often given the freedom of the flank in the first half by second choice City left back Xavi Quintillà who, despite having not started since October, seemed to receive precious little support from his teammates. Cathcart's more restrained support to Sarr nonetheless reminded us – as if this should have been necessary six years to the week since his acrobatic winner against Birmingham put us top of the Championship table – that he's anything but a clogger. A particularly fine deep cross provided the first of a number of chances in this period, Dan Gosling seemingly surprised that it reached him and heading wastefully over. It wasn't the last time that a move ended with an unsuccessful Gosling effort, but as Robbo pointed out at the break none of these missed half-chances dissuaded Gosling from being on the end of the next one when it came along. Those words were to prove prophetic.
Two deflected shots in two minutes by Todd Cantwell and Kieran Dowell announced Norwich's arrival as an attacking threat, and a magnificent game of football broke out abetted by referee Tim Robinson's willingness, seven yellow cards notwithstanding, to let the game run rather than blowing up for every challenge. Norwich moved the ball mischievously and confidently, Watford's human blanket smothered City attacks and clubbed them to within an inch of their lives. Norwich broke down the centre through Buendía, Hughes and Sema were bypassed but resisted the temptation to foul, the ball reached Quintillà and then Cantwell before being smothered by Cleverley and out. Often stretched – twice free kicks were surrendered on the edge of the box, the second repelled by Tom Cleverley's draught excluder – but rarely exposed it was a defensive masterclass as the home side asked questions.
We swung back into control. Sarr left the formidable Hanley on his ample backside with a sharp turn and drove at Tim Krul's near post when a square ball might have been more effective. Five minutes later Sarr moved the ball across to Gosling who fed Sema and the Swede – in his most pugnacious outing for a while – drove fiercely at the keeper. Krul parried, Sarr followed up with a fine drive from a narrow angle, Krul equal to it again. Sema sent in a cross from the left, João Pedro's acrobatic volley was blocked, we failed to make anything from yet another corner. The half ended, but the voice in your head whispering "we should have scored by now" was calmed by our bloody relentlessness. We might not have scored, but we weren't about to falter.
4- Lucky half time "chocolate" turned out to be my dinner. Ethiopian injera with spinach, garlic, split peas and a beef stew. Success level high, but with this best will in the world this is not a tradition that can be expected to continue once we're back at the Vic. It's messy enough with a plate and a healthy supply of kitchen roll in your own home.
This development rather hampered the note-taking at the start of the second half, which by memory was more of the same but more so. Even more focused control, another Todd Cantwell chance despite this, but overall a crushing intensity to our play. Having finished my meal and dashed to the bathroom to wash my hands I returned to the study to rearrange tray, notepad, keyboard appropriately. As so often my finger strayed to the screenlock key as I moved the keyboard, causing a frantic typing of password in time to see João Pedro slip an artful ball to a galloping Gosling who flicked a shot past Krul. Watford supporters everywhere made undignified, very loud noises. How inspiring that Gos got the goal having spurned so many chances in the first half. Those misses, ultimately, mattered little. Being there yet again to tuck it away at the fifth time of asking was everything.
Norwich lost their composure, if only briefly. Teemu Pukki was demonstrably frustrated by the way the evening was going, Skipp was booked for an untidy foul on Hughes. You awaited an onslaught, the onslaught tried to get itself going but we had a bunch of tough, savvy bastards blocking the way… Clevs, Gos, Hughes, Masina, Sierralta, WTE and Craig Cathcart, who stomped on the danger when a slack Bachmann clearance dropped to Buendía.
Had you been in the stadium, had a crowd been in the stadium, it would have been one of those insanely tense ones where your fingers were embedded in your scalp. It was edgy enough as it was… but these things feed themselves with a crowd in attendance. Who knows what difference collective anxiety, urgency would have made. As it was we were gloriously assertive for much of the half. Sarr, slightly less prominent after the break, drilled a ball towards João Pedro… the Brazilian suggested limited threat on goal, but did a great line in holding the ball up and floating off with it, retaining possession under unlikely pressure. Here Grant Hanley ("a head on a stick" – Tommy Mooney) blocked crucially. From the corner Will Hughes came close to emulating his goal against Fulham two years ago, crashing a goalbound volley from the edge of the area that someone got in the way of.
Norwich threw on as many forwards as they could find. The Hornets introduced Andre Gray, who's ratty persistence might have made rather more of the chances we'd had in the first half, and Nathaniel Chalobah whose glorious, eyecatching cameo underlined that he's finally become the player that he always promised to be. He slipped Andre Gray through with elegant precision only for Hanley to intervene with a monstrous block.
Max Aarons sounded a clarion call breaking down the right, but we held the home side off with breathtaking composure. City managed two shots on target all evening… their best chances came when Buendía, Vrančić or Hernández danced across the sentinels inside the area daring a challenge, inviting a foul. Those invitations weren't accepted. "Sorry lads, washing our hair. Do one". Otherwise the greatest threat came to personal safety, from the violent and gormless interventions of sub Jordan Hugill.
Eight minutes of added time were brought to a close with Sema robbing Vrančić and bellowing in triumph. The whistle went. We made further undignified noises.
5- It's not done yet. Probably and definitely aren't the same thing. However, very probably is definitely getting there. The three sides mathematically capable of catching us will be down to two at most by Saturday afternoon with Brentford and Bournemouth facing off at lunch time. A win against Millwall would seal the deal, with Norwich travelling to form side QPR the same afternoon.
It doesn't matter what they do. It's all about us. We're going to get promoted because we're bloody brillliant, and better than everyone else. And didn't we show it this evening.
Not grumpy any more.
Bachmann 5, Cathcart 5, Troost-Ekong 5, Sierralta 5, Masina 5, Hughes 5, Gosling 5, *Cleverley 5*, Sarr 5, João Pedro 5, Sema 5
Subs: Gray (for João Pedro, 70) 5, Chalobah (for Gosling, 70) 5, Zinckernagel (for Cleverley, 82) 5, Kabasele (for Cathcart, 82) 5, Lazaar, Sánchez, Hungbo, Success, Elliot
Luton Town 1 Watford 0 (17/04/2021) 18/04/2021
1- When this is all over, whenever everything is finally back to whatever normal means now, you'd like to think that there will be things that we won't take quite as much for granted. Health and freedom and that, obviously… but more mundane things too. Going to the cinema, I really miss that. Going to the pub. Going to restaurants, sitting indoors rather than shivering defiantly in the drizzle over a pathetic pizza. Nipping down to the co-op for some milk and not having to queue up outside. Going to work. Heavens. By which I mean actually being at work with real people rather than isolated in my little bubble with two dimensional colleagues. All of these things I hope I'll appreciate so much more, as and when. All of them I miss.
What I haven't been missing is games against Luton.
2- There's a digression here about what local rivalry is all about. I was always brought up to treat Luton as a swear word and so forth, but I'm not sure I buy the bit about you have to hate Luton if you're a Watford fan any longer. It's more nurture than nature for me… I'm sure my tone would change very quickly if these fixtures become a more regular feature of our fixture list than they have been, contempt breeds contempt. I'd probably not be writing this paragraph if we'd had the misfortune to be at today's game, so to speak, the deed would have been done, I'd be exposed to all the things I hated about it before. For the moment, I find Bournemouth and even Palace a bigger deal.
That aside. There's been some understandable reminiscing about one particular derby game in the build up to this one…. but the reality is that that day was remarkable because it was anomalous. That's not what derby games are like in anything other than exceptional circumstances. This game, today's game, was much more like it… not the result particularly, but the frantic ugly dreary annoyingness of the whole thing. In between Luton's 4-2 win at the Vic in September 1994, their last League victory in the fixture before today, and the 4-0 three years later there were six draws. I was probably at all of them, but don't ask me to distinguish one from the other. They were all the same, and they were all shit.
The other thing about derby games is that they matter so much more when your team is terrible. In the past Watford and Luton's fortunes often rose and fell together and at times it very much felt as if all there was to play for was avoiding relegation and this. This Luton incarnation isn't terrible – they're in pretty much exactly the League position you'd have predicted based on their solid but limited showing at the Vic at the start of the season. Nonetheless, the Hornets have rather more to play for as it stands; Luton's survival was confirmed mathematically by this win, but effectively a done deal some time ago. Knocking us off our perch a very much more tantalising objective for them than not being knocked off would be for us..
3- And having implied that we were lucky, or that I was grateful not to have been at this particular game, if only half-meaning it, the reality is that the game would have been quite different if supporters had been there. We wouldn't have been at this particular game at all.
I suspect that the game that we ended up with wouldn't have been a whole lot of fun either. The home side started looking precisely like a side managed by someone who was pissed that their first attempt at a local derby was so vanilla back in September; the same approach backed by a crowd would have generated its own momentum. They rattled at us from the off and we looked rattled in return; Troost-Ekong gave away a cheap corner in the first minute, Sonny Bradley flicked over. Within five minutes Carlos Sánchez – one of two enforced changes to last week's line-up – went to ground to win possession in the box. Being Sánchez, the tackle was well-judged and precise but it didn't settle the nerves. Ten minutes in and it was all hands on deck; a set piece threat was already evident but fortunately one man well suited to this sort of maelstrom was Francisco Sierralta, long since established as a fearless booterer in the finest of traditions. He got his head to pretty much everything.
And whilst we rode our luck at times, the positive to be taken from the first half – as from the entirety of the game against Reading last week – was that we held out. That's not all luck, much as Bradley and Dewsbury-Hall both sent efforts wide but alarmingly close to not wide. When things are going against us we're very good at being bloody awkward anyway, at closing out space, at digging in and not giving an inch.
If we had managed to get any kind of attacking foothold the flow of the game might have changed much earlier. There was an awful lot of space behind Luton's press, but we couldn't retain controlled possession far enough up the pitch to exploit it – the ball wasn't sticking anywhere. Only once or twice did Sarr get to stretch his legs, drawing a yellow from Bradley ("not the sharpest tool in the drawer" – T.Mooney) but too often such possession as we had was surrendered cheaply, and often by Philip Zinckernagel. That thing, that "he's getting better with every game" thing is dead in the water… he's demonstrated beyond reasonable debate that there's a valuable player in there, but there are still giveaway signs that he's been playing at a very different level and they all came out today. Almost every touch killed a fledgling attack stone dead, most startlingly when Luton abandoned him in a mile of space as Will Hughes lined up a free kick and he proceeded to validate their recklessness by rolling Hughes' disguised pass feebly, inexplicably to Sluga.
Nonetheless we ended the half level, with Tommy Mooney confidently asserting that Luton's ferocious chasing was always going to abate. Nil nil at half time was an achievement.
4- You learn a lot about a manager when things turn against him, as they always will sooner or later. When we went up in 2015 Norwich followed us up crowing about the record of Alex Neil, appointed during the season to great success. Once promoted, once the losses started coming, they didn't stop.
Xisco hasn't had a clear run at Vicarage Road, but his early defeats can justifiably be filed under "teething troubles". We'll see how he gets on now, but the signs here were fairly positive. Good decisions don't guarantee good outcomes and his bold decisions here deserved better reward. Both sides were hamstrung by an awful bobbly pitch, but the Hornets were to a greater extent needing a foothold, so having a target to hit long – João Pedro is still game, but not combative in the way he was a couple of months ago – made a lot of sense. Isaac started assertively, his foul on Pearson was provocative but not a major problem if it indicated a bit of bite to channel positively. Within five minutes João Pedro had picked up the ball deep and fed Success. Success released Sema whose vicious cross was headed clear. The ball found its way back to Ken, who did his "bundle down the touchline" thing. It came to nothing, but it was a bit of welly for the first time. It was encouraging.
And that was that really, at least as far as Isaac was concerned. It was an unforgivably passive performance from the Nigerian, lacking in aggression or mobility. Out for a year or otherwise, we needed much more.
Ten minutes later the ever-willing Hughes surged onto a João Pedro flick, but with Success, Sema and Sarr spinning away from him he was uncharacteristically indecisive and sent a wasteful ball under Success' feet. We were no longer under the same pressure as in the first half, but not turning any kind of screw either. Gradually the home side began to craft some more chances – Dewsbury-Hall sent a good ball into the box, criminally shovelled over. LuaLua won a cheap free kick off Femeníá, who picked up a harsh and consequential yellow card; Bachmann was attentive in tipping the subsequent shot over.
Eventually we allowed Luton to roll the dice once too often. Achraf Lazaar had recovered from a pretty miserable first half as a late replacement for the unwell Masina to reclaim some brownie points at the start of the second, but there was no forgiving his complacent, underhit hospital ball towards Bachmann. For his part, the keeper had been largely faultless to this point but betrayed a lack of composure and judgement here. On the evidence to that point had Bachmann stayed on his line and allowed Adebayo to retrieve the ball the big striker might well have tripped over his own feet in any case but the Austrian never gave him the chance, clearing him out with an uncharacteristically excitable challenge. He looked shaken by the whole thing and seemed to be expecting a red card rather than yellow though this was never likely. The red card came later for a second cheap yellow picked up by a bedraggled Kiko Femenía; by then Luton had afforded spot kicking duties to James Collins straight off the bench, a gamble that paid off. That was all it took.
5- The thing is, the positive thing is that we so nearly got away with it in a number of respects. Indeed, you could argue that we've been getting away with less convincing performances since the international break, four games have yielded seven points and could conceivably have yielded considerably more despite their limitations. Here, Luton's best efforts hadn't yielded anything in the end, we gave them the goal. Even then we might have nicked a point back when Andre Gray threw himself at what looked rather like a header from a Luton defender from a marginally offside position. It would have been robbery, but it would have been funny and it would have been a valuable, buoyant point.
We regard the season as having pivoted in February, when we started looking like the sum of our parts, started winning games convincingly, started being fun. If and when we do get promoted this season it will be due in just as great a part to the fact that we hung around to make such a turnaround possible when our attacking play was so staccato in the first half of the season. Being bloody good at defending isn't luck and it's not something to dismiss or be bashful about.
It wasn't quite enough here, but as was pointed out at full time, an ostensibly likelier outcome of the traditional draw at Kenilworth Road along with home wins for Brentford and Swansea would have been more expensive for our promotion hopes than how it turned out. We're still looking good, and we're still better than everyone else. We could do with remembering this before Tuesday.
Bachmann 3, Femenía 2, Troost-Ekong 3, *Sierralta 4*, Lazaar 1, Sánchez 3, Hughes 3, Zinckernagel 1, Sarr 2, João Pedro 2, Sema 2
Subs: Success (for Zinckernagel, 45) 1, Cleverley (for Sánchez, 61) 3, Hungbo (for Sema, 79) NA, Gray (for Lazaar, 82) NA, Cathcart, Kabasele, Gosling, Navarro, Foster
Middlesbrough 1 Watford 1 (05/04/2021) 06/04/2021
1- Daughter 1 has become a vegetarian.
This is of course not only her prerogative but also kind of par for the course with a teenage daughter. She has also discovered Nirvana and socialism in recent months.
But Nirvana and socialism require less effort from me. It's always been true, of course, that as soon as you get used to whatever stage children are at everything changes; whilst the early years were exciting I'm not sure I could have coped with that rate of exciting new discovery and challenge indefinitely. So the shifts are fewer and further between… but providing food for the girls has never been terribly challenging until now. Now I need to stop and think about it. I'm not a great cook… my wife can open a fridge and improvise with whatever's inside; I need a recipe. And now I need new recipes.
2- Very difficult not to get carried away, what with ten wins in eleven, Swansea capsizing, Brentford dropping points and so on. Plus, as discussed, we're brilliant and nobody else is. Nonetheless, Michael Kurn, Tommy Mooney and Allan Smart talking promotion campaigns in Hornet Hive's well intended but rather billy-no-mates pre-match-without-a-match show felt a little premature.
Amongst the squad there's been no evidence of any such presumptuousness. Xisco has spoken guardedly about securing a play-off place before we worry about anything else. William Troost-Ekong's stock rose still further with his weekend Extra Time interview over the weekend. Troy Deeney has made the journey to Middlesbrough to sit in an empty stadium in the cold (and, you know, in Middlesbrough) to "ensure that standards don't drop". As the teams come out and Francisco Sierralta's approach to the freezing sunshine that is cold enough to put condensation on your breath whilst watching in the warmth of your own home is to douse himself in water; you kind of feel that there's not much wrong in terms of attitude.
3- But "in football, everything is complicated by the presence of an opponent". In this case Neil Warnock, who Sky informs us has faced the Hornets more than he has any other side. Complicated also, in this case, by the absence of supporters. Questionable whether Boro would have gotten away with what Warnock freely admits was an away game strategy had there been edgy supporters in the stadium.
So Boro are sturdy and disciplined, if relatively unambitious for a home side. They hold their defensive shape, and whilst Djed Spence in particular makes occasional sorties down the flanks it's a defiant strategy unashamedly prioritising containment with a view to breaking on us if and when we start to overcommit.
It works fairly well until it doesn't. Not very much happens for long periods; Sarr and Hughes both start slowly, a couple of slack moments from each. Occasionally we burst into life… a move wanders across the box until it finds Zinckernagel, whose shot is deflected over. Sarr and Kiko swap passes (no, really) allowing Kiko to pass to Ken whose shot might have been deflected wide but isn't credited as such.
It's laborious though. Boro's diligence and physical superiority mean that we can't build pressure; a successful attack would require a precision rapier thrust. We're more than capable of it, but it's difficult and those rapier thrusts aren't going to come very frequently, they ask a lot. In an attempt to up the urgency of the game, captain Chalobah courts disaster with a thunderous challenge on the unfortunate Sam Morsy. The tackle goes across the Boro midfielder rather than into him but the ferocious lack of control earns Nate an eleventh yellow of the season and the pressure of the contact through the ball does Morsy's medial ligaments.
So when the goal comes, it's slightly perverse that it owes a lot to defensive slackness on Boro's part; Sema's shot is deflected, it drops for Zinckernagel, his shot clatters in off Sarr with Boro's defence appealing for offside and/or handball. Never offside since two Boro players had been criminally lazy pushing out, the handball a coulda rather than a shoulda. Would have been harsh. The goal stands, and maybe we've done the hard bit.
4- I'd have had Isaac on much earlier. With the clarity of hindsight, given low impact performances from both Ken Sema and João Pedro, I'd have started with him. Certainly, anyone doubtful at the wisdom of the latest last chance offered to the Nigerian in recent weeks should be clearer after his cameo seven minutes plus injury time from the end. Within a minute he'd achieved something that we'd struggled to do in attacking positions throughout; held off a challenge that bounced off him, two in fact, before contemptuously stepping past the debris and moving the play on. Before the end he'd play the pass of the game, an arcing ball with the outside of his left foot to find Chalobah galloping down the left flank. He's something different, a different sort of weapon offering something of Troy's physicality with an awful lot more mobility than he's been capable of recently. We could have done with more of that here.
As it was the first half concluded in much the same vein as it had progressed prior to our goal, save for a brief flurry of bad tempered challenges late in the half. We defended well ourselves (95 shots on target against us before today, another Sky stat, some way clear of second place Swansea on 115), ushering Boro attacks into less threatening wide positions, no target to hit themselves. Going forward we were still asking a lot of ourselves but came close to delivering it once or twice… Chalobah pirouetted into space to find Zinckernagel, his pass into João Pedro well cut out. The second half proceeded in the same way… João Pedro shot over after a neat move down the left, Sarr wriggled down the goal line and laid back to the Brazilian who shot wide.
We asked questions, Boro answered them when they needed to, just about. Meanwhile… if they were being kept at arms length more or less, Friday's narrative was being repeated. A single goal lead felt kinda comfortable, but it would only take a goal. A moment. This time, that moment came… Sema gave away a cheap free kick, McNair's delivery was tremendous and Bolasie scored an annoying header to match his effort in the 2016 Cup Semi.
5- In any context other than the back of a stupid run of wins this was a decent point. Actually it's a decent point in these circumstances as well even if it doesn't feel it, a tough away game against a wily opponent three days after the last match and the weekend after several international trips. It's certainly not anything to get stressed about, irrespective of Swansea and Brentford's fortunes or lack of them (it doesn't matter what they do).
But it will be interested to see how we proceed, how Xisco responds. This is all about us. If we keep our heads together and go again we'll be ok, but Xisco might find more opponents doing what Boro did. He doesn't need to rip it all up, but he might need a few new recipes to add to his repertoire. He's not really had a setback until now, not since the bedding in period (and not here either, not really). If we go up and he ends up managing us in the Premier League setbacks are likely to happen more often, he'll need to be able to respond as positively as he has to victories.
I calmed myself down after this one by cooking an aubergine curry. Ending the winning run is a shame, but four points from the Easter weekend is probably fair enough. We're still in poll position.
Bachmann 3, Femenía 4, Troost-Ekong 4, Sierralta 3, Masina 3, Hughes 4, *Chalobah 4*, Zinckernagel 3, Sarr 3, João Pedro 2, Sema 2
Subs: Gosling (for Zinckernagel, 77) NA, Success (for Sema, 83) NA, Ngakia, Lazaar, Cathcart, Kabasele, Sánchez, Gray Foster


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Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Child, David Lee
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Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography
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Edition of 1900. See also David Lee Child and Lydia Maria Child on Wikipedia, and our Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography disclaimer.
566588Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography — Child, David Lee
CHILD, David Lee, journalist, b. in West Boylston, Mass., 8 July, 1794; d. in Wayland, Mass., 18 Sept., 1874. He was graduated at Harvard in 1817, and was for some time sub-master of the Boston Latin-school. He was secretary of legation in Lisbon about 1820, and subsequently fought in Spain, "defending what he considered the cause of freedom against her French invaders." Returning to this country in 1824, he began in 1825 to study law with his uncle, Tyler Bigelow, in Watertown, Mass., and was admitted to the bar. He went to Belgium in 1836 to study the beet-sugar industry, and afterward received a silver medal for the first manufacture of the sugar in this country. He edited the "Massachusetts Journal," about 1830, and while a member of the legislature denounced the annexation of Texas, afterward publishing a pamphlet on the subject, entitled "Naboth's Vineyard." He was an early member of the anti-slavery society, and in 1832 addressed a series of letters on slavery and the slave-trade to Edward S. Abdy, an English philanthropist. He also published ten articles on the same subject (Philadelphia, 1836). During a visit to Paris in 1837 he addressed an elaborate memoir to the Société pour l'abolition d'esclavage, and sent a paper on the same subject to the editor of the "Eclectic Review" in London. John Quincy Adams was much indebted to Mr. Child's facts and arguments in the speeches that he delivered in congress on the Texan question. With his wife he edited the "Anti-Slavery Standard" in New York in 1843-'4. He was distinguished for the independence of his character, and the boldness with which he denounced social wrongs and abuses. —
His wife, Lydia Maria, author, b. in Medford, Mass., 11 Feb., 1802; d. in Wayland, Mass., 20 Oct., 1880, was descended from Richard Francis, who came from England and settled in Cambridge in 1636. Miss Francis attended the common schools, and studied with her brother, Rev. Convers Francis, D. D., afterward professor in the divinity-school at Cambridge. When seventeen years of age she chanced to read an article in the "North American Review" discussing the field offered to the novelist by early New England history. Although she had never thought of becoming an author, she immediately wrote the first chapter of a novel entitled "Hobomok," and, encouraged by her brother's commendation, finished it in six weeks, and published it (Cambridge, 1821). From this time until her death she wrote continually. She had taught for one year in a seminary in Medford, Mass., and kept a private school in Watertown, Mass., from 1824 till 1828, when she was married. She began, in 1826, the publication of the "Juvenile Miscellany," the first monthly periodical for children issued in the United States, and supervised it for eight years. In 1831 both Mr. and Mrs. Child became deeply interested in the subject of slavery, through the writings and the personal influence of William Lloyd Garrison. Mrs. Child's "Appeal for that Class of Americans called African" (Boston, 1833) was the first anti-slavery work printed in America in book-form, and was followed by several smaller works on the same subject. The "Appeal" attracted much attention, and Dr. Channing, who attributed to it part of his interest in the slavery question, walked from Boston to Roxbury to thank Mrs. Child for the book. She had to endure social ostracism, but from this time was a conspicuous champion of anti-slavery. On the establishment by the American anti-slavery society of the "National Anti-Slavery Standard" in New York city, in 1840, she became its editor, and conducted it till 1843, when her husband took the place of editor-in-chief, and she acted as his assistant till May, 1844. During her stay in New York, Mrs. Child was an inmate of the family of Isaac T. Hopper, the Quaker philanthropist. After leaving New York, Mr. and Mrs. Child settled in Wayland, Mass., where they spent the rest of their life. In 1859 Mrs. Child wrote a letter of sympathy to John Brown, then a prisoner at Harper's Ferry, offering her services as a nurse, and enclosing the letter in one to Gov. Wise. Brown replied, declining her offer, but asking her to aid his family, which she did. She also received a letter of courteous rebuke from Gov. Wise, and a singular epistle from the wife of Senator Mason, author of the fugitive slave law, threatening her with future damnation. She replied to both in her best vein, and the whole series of letters was published in pamphlet-form (Boston, 1860), and had a circulation of 300,000. Mrs. Child's anti-slavery writings contributed in no slight degree to the formation of public sentiment on the subject. During her later years she contributed freely to aid the national soldiers in the civil war, and afterward to help the freedmen. Wendell Phillips, in his address at Mrs. Child's funeral, thus delineated her character: "She was the kind of woman one would choose to represent woman's entrance into broader life. Modest, womanly, sincere, solid, real, loyal, to be trusted, equal to affairs, and yet above them; a companion with the password of every science and all literature." Mrs. Child's numerous books, published during a period of half a century, include, besides the works already mentioned, "The Rebels, or Boston before the Revolution," a novel containing an imaginary speech of James Otis, and a sermon by Whitefield, both of which were received by many people as genuine (Boston, 1822); "The First Settlers of New England" (1829); "The American Frugal Housewife," a book of kitchen, economy and directions (1829; 33d ed., 1855); "The Mother's Book," "The Girl's Own Book," and the "Coronal," a collection of verses (1831); "The Ladies' Family Library," a series of biographies (5 vols., 1832-'5); "Philothea," a romance of Greece in the days of Pericles (1835); "Letters from New York," written to the Boston "Courier" (2 vols., 1843-'5); "Flowers for Children" (3 vols., 1844-'6); "Fact and Fiction" (1846); "The Power of Kindness" (Philadelphia, 1851); "Isaac T. Hopper, a True Life" (1853); "The Progress of Religious Ideas through Successive Ages," an ambitious work, showing great diligence, but containing much that is inaccurate (3 vols., New York, 1855); "Autumnal Leaves" (1856); "Looking Toward Sunset" (1864); the "Freedman's Book" (1865); "Miria, a Romance of the Republic" (1867); and "Aspirations of the World" (1878). A volume of Mrs. Child's letters, with an introduction by John G. Whittier and an appendix by Wendell Phillips, was published after her death (Boston, 1882).
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Navy sees recruiting challenges on the horizon
Mark D. Faram
Surveys conducted by the Department of Defense show young people's interest in the military is nearing historic lows. (Jillian Angeline/Military Times)
A new era is dawning in great power competition, with the Navy preparing to fight a large-scale war at sea. But to win a great sea battle, the Navy's leaders first must win the homefront battle for the best recruits.
"We are clearly in a war for talent," Vice Adm. Robert Burke, the Navy's top personnel official, told Congress earlier this year. "Current forecasts based on leading economic indicators suggest difficult times ahead."
A dynamic economy not only deters some teenagers from enlisting in the Navy but it attracts sailors away from the fleet and into the civilian workforce. Although Burke said the Navy's enlistment efforts are shipshape for now, his service is taking steps to expand the potential pool of recruits.
Burke is revamping the service's recruiting policies, ramping up the numbers or recruiters in the field and expanding heavily into cyber-recruiting young digital natives online.
Navy leaders have hiked enlistment bonuses and continue to scrub medical requirements to scrap outdated policies that might block otherwise good recruits from enlisting.
Navy officials say that retention is a key part of their manpower strategy, too. And for those who do leave, the Navy is looking for ways to entice them back into uniform.
Those challenges are compounded by the Navy's drive to build a 355-ship fleet, a nearly 25 percent jump over today's warship roster.
Burke estimates up to 35,000 more sailors will be needed to operate, support and sustain the new ships.
Vice Adm. Robert Burke, chief of naval personnel, testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee's personnel subcommittee on Feb. 15. (Department of Defense)
During an interview with Navy Times, Burke was proud that his service reached its goal of recruiting all 39,000 of its recruits by May — only eight months into Fiscal Year 2018.
But he warned the Navy continues to monitor critical specialties such as the nuclear fields, special operations, advanced electronics, aviation and cyber warfare.
"So I challenged Recruiting Command to keep going because I have to get 7,500 more in end strength in [FY19], so everything I can make in FY18 takes down that ramp for '19 and makes their mission lower," Burke said. "So they've made even another 1,000 toward the already steep goal that I got for them."
Burke's head start means that the Navy will edge close to being 2,000 recruits over the end strength authorized by Congress.
But that's allowed by law and the surplus helps to prime the service for reaching its goal of enlisting 44,000 new sailors in Fiscal Year 2019.
A recruit posts as a road guard to stop traffic for his division as they march in formation at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, on Oct. 29. More than 30,000 recruits graduate annually from the Navy's only boot camp. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Spencer Fling/Navy)
Rear Adm. Brendan R. McLane, who took the helm of Navy Recruiting Command in July, is waging his own war against teenage America's disinterest in military service.
"One of the top challenges Navy Recruiting encounters now is a declining propensity to serve among our young people," McLane told Navy Times. "We expect this trend to continue into the future unless we take action now."
The former commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer Carney when it won both the Battle E and the prestigious Battenberg Cup, McLane pointed to Pentagon surveys of the 21 million young adults between the ages of 17 and 21. Only about 20 percent of them — roughly 4.5 million people — are qualified to serve, he said.
And only about 375,000 even want to do so.
Interest in joining the military is waning. Conducted in late 2017, the most recent internal Defense Department research reveals that only 11 percent of young adults say they are likely to join the military, the lowest rate in nearly a decade.
When asked about their interest in specific services, only 7 percent of young Americans indicate a likelihood of enlisting in the Navy, a rate similar to those eyeing the Army and Air Force.
"The Navy competes with the other services as well as colleges, universities, and private sector employers for the top talent among this group," McLane said. "The bottom line: There's a lot of stiff competition out there for a very limited pool of candidates."
But he sees some bright spots gleaming in the darkening data. For example, many young people who are qualified are not opposed to military service; they just lack the awareness, motivation or encouragement to join, he said.
"I call these 1.7 million qualified men and women the 'fence-sitters,' and we are increasing our recruiting efforts to reach them," McLane said. "Our marketing strategies are increasingly tailored towards providing these individuals with the right data points to make an informed decision on how the benefits of the Navy can bring them closer to their goals and aspirations."
The bulk of the eligible population are the generation nicknamed the "Centennials," those born around or after the turn of the century.
They've never known life without the internet or hand-held technology. As a result, they're most comfortable, and tend to get their information from digital and social media.
"Centennials live in the digital domain more than any prior generation, and we've recalibrated which mediums to meet them in," he said. "We have now 70 percent of our marketing aimed at digital platforms, which are more familiar to today's young people … where they are most comfortable, so we can increase their propensity to serve."
Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, the commander of Navy Recruiting Command, chats with the staff of Navy Recruiting District New York's division, during an Oct.2 visit inside the iconic Times Square Armed Forces Recruiting Station. (Chief Mass Communication Specialist Travis Simmons/Navy)
To meet future recruiting mission numbers, Burke said they're expanding the recruiting force, including hiking the numbers of recruit division commanders whose job it is to turn raw recruits into sailors at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois.
In 2009, during the most recent economic recession, the Navy began trimming its force of 4,200-strong active-duty recruiters. The ranks dwindled to 2,900 in 2016 and began to inch up. There are 3,100 recruiters now.
"Navy Recruiting is expecting a ramp-up of 200 recruiters per year for the next two years," said Lt. Cmdr. Jessica L. McNulty, spokeswoman for Navy Recruiting Command. "Once the 400 plus-up is complete, the total active-duty production recruiters will be 3,364 in FY 2019, which is still 836 less than FY 2009. We are projected to be at 3,550 in FY 2020."
The Navy has sweetened the pot for those opting for recruiting duty. They're raising Special Duty Assignment pay, allowing sailors to collect between $300 and $525 extra per month, depending on the recruiter's skill level.
They also offer many other perks such as quarterly meritorious advancements and extra uniform allowances.
And then there are the "cyberspace recruiters," sailors who are physically located at Navy Recruiting Command headquarters in Millington, Tennessee, but who ply their persuasive trade online, where the Centennials spend much of their free time.
"Through the website, prospective applicants are able to chat directly with a cyberspace recruiter," McLane said. "The Centennial generation are digital natives and expect to communicate with others in this medium versus talking on the phone."
These chat sessions are considered to be an initial basic interview —called a "blueprint" — to ensure that the applicant meets the Navy's basic eligibility requirements.
If the applicants meet entry requirements — including education levels and height and weight standards — the cyber recruiter passes the information to field recruiters near where the young people live, McLane said.
Curtis Abbott and his mother, Melissa Ensey, get sworn into the Navy on Aug. 21 at MEPS in Kansas City, Missouri. (Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Zachary S. Eshleman/Navy)
In an effort to boost their available pool of potential recruits, Vice Adm. Burke ordered his staff take a hard look at all the Navy's recruiting policies. But he refused to budge on what he considers what's most important to the Navy — their armed services entry test scores.
"We're not going to sacrifice quality," Burke said. "What we've done, though, is taken a good hard look at self-imposed policies that limit the spectrum of candidates that we look at."
That included medical requirements that seemed to disqualify many otherwise good potential recruits.
"We're engaging with our medical experts to make sure that our medical standards — the Navy's side of the medical standards are up to date with societal norms, making sure that we're not negatively impacting fleet readiness," he said.
"For example, were doing creative things such as waivers where our medical policy was 'old school,' such as ADHD [attention-deficit-hyperactive disorder] when you were little or an asthma inhaler when you were 5 — outdated medical policy thinking that [the Navy's Bureau of Medicine] was really helpful as we thought these through."
Burke told lawmakers that Navy leaders continue to see how far they can stretch existing policy on age limits, working with Congress to allow the service to commission older officers with critical skills with critical skills, such as doctors.
Some jobs won't garner waivers, such as pilots and officers joining the nuclear programs.
"But, everywhere else, we've opened them up to the full latitude in enlisted programs, as well," Burke testified.
The Navy's pushing to modernize single-parent policies, too.
"Where you have an older single parent, where they've demonstrated they can responsibly care for those children and could translate that into military service," Burke told Congress. "So we've opened up our doors to those sorts of situations, as well.
Burke's plan of attack also includes increased enlistment bonuses.
The Navy's budget for extra recruiting enticements this fiscal year is nearly $82 million, up from about $26 million in Fiscal Year 2014. That's expected to jump next year to $92 million.
Some bonuses target recruits for specific occupations, including up to $30,000 for nuclear power specialties and $25,000 for SEALs, divers, explosive ordnance technicians and air rescue swimmers.
Recruits prepare to perform fire fighting and damage control techniques at the USS Chief on Sept. 18 at Great Lakes. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Spencer Fling/Navy)
Another area the Navy's has begun to mine is the ranks of veterans, those who separated from the service but might not realize that they can return to the fleet.
Navy recruiters have offered some enlisted sailors what they call a "Golden Ticket" that's good for expedited re-entry for a year after they separate, provided they remain affiliated with the reserves.
But Burke said there are more sailors out who simply wanted to reenter civilian life, only to grow to regret the decision a year or two after exiting the Navy.
"We work to keep track of many of these sailors and engage with them occasionally to let them know what the opportunities are that are open to them," Burke told Navy Times.
Recruiters also are hunting for veterans of the Navy and other services who earned college degrees or learned advanced skills while civilians.
Over the past five years, the service has wooed 314 Navy veterans — and 195 vets from the sister services — to join the fleet.
A newly-arrived recruit gets his hair cut on Sept. 19 at the Golden Thirteen Recruit In-Processing Center. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Spencer Fling/Navy
It's all part of a creative approach to filling out the all-volunteer force, and Burke wants to keep working with Congress to tweak existing laws and Navy policy to recruit an increasingly complex talent pool.
Take, for example, those Navy veterans who didn't get a "Golden Ticket," never stayed affiliated with the reserves, and later developed a medical problem that would not have affected reenlistment but which would disqualify a new recruit from joining.
Burke believes he can substitute the standard that works fine for new 18-year-old recruits and apply the Navy's retention standards better suited for veterans in their 30s and want to put the uniform back on again.
"To the maximum extent we are looking at them through the retention standards, rather than through the accession standards," Burke said. "We value those folks."
About Mark Faram
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
To draw more soldiers, the Army wants more recruiters, bigger budgets and a better slogan
It's getting harder to find new recruits, so the Army is rethinking how it competes to get today's young people.
Meghann Myers
The Navy hopes more recruiters, beefier enlistment bonuses and a wider social media outreach will help bring in the next generation of sailors.
Air Force aims to modernize recruiting amid growing challenges
Air Force recruiters are targeting more mature, athletic recruits for hard-to-fill battlefield airmen jobs.
Stephen Losey
Active-duty retention success hurts Reserve and Guard recruiting
Retention is also up in the reserve forces but recruiting is down and active recruiting may not meet increased needs, creating further manpower challenges.
Todd South
Inside the Pentagon's struggle to build a cyber force
Experts suggest the armed forces have structural problems that prevent it from becoming a digitally cohesive force.
Justin Lynch
Eczema and poor eyesight have previously kept people out of the Army, but the secretary is giving them a second look
The Army is looking at whether some treatable medical issues should disqualify Americans from service.
A person born on Sept. 11, 2001, can now enlist to fight in the war that day spawned
Military policy requires an individual to be at least 17 years old — with parental consent — to enlist in any branch of the armed forces.
All in the Navy family — mother and son enlist together
She intended to drive her son to visit a recruiter — she left having signed a contract.


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Specify a different file to read fingerprints from.