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White Castle Stuffing
By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents
I'm going to start by giving credit where credit is due, this recipe comes straight from the White Castle website. My mom made it for us for Thanksgiving this year, and it was quite the hit. Growing up in St. Louis, White Castle was a part of my childhood. We'd get "belly bombers" quite often, and I wish there was one near where I live now in Illinois.
Anyway, back to the recipe. People who didn't come to our dinner actually asked to try the stuffing, and after posting a pic on Facebook and Instagram, I got several requests, so here it is. This recipe is more than 20 years old, having won a White Castle recipe contest in 1991.
10 White Castle burgers (buns, onions, and pickles)
1 1/2 cup diced celery
1 1/4 tsp. thyme
1 1/2 tsp. sage
In a large mixing bowl, tear the burgers into pieces and add diced celery and seasonings. Toss and add chicken broth. Toss well. Stuff cavity of turkey just before roasting. Makes about 9 cups (enough for a 10- to 12-pound turkey). Note: Allow 1 hamburger for each pound of turkey, which will be the equivalent of 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound.
My mom increased the ingredients by one half. She also opted to not cook the stuffing inside the turkey, that's just a personal preference for us.
Posted by Kevin Hunsperger at 10:17 AM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Stuffing, Thanksgiving, White Castle
Way Back WhensDay: The Thanksgiving Song
Adam Sandler on SNL, 1992
Courtesy: NBC/SNL
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Through the years there have been more Christmas carols produced and recorded than you can ever imagine. There are even Halloween themed songs and we all play some patriotic tunes on the 4th of July. Even Easter has the Peter Cottontail song. But there are very few that pay tribute to Thanksgiving.
That's where comedian and Saturday Night Live star Adam Sandler righted the wrong. In November 1992, he performed the wildly popular and now (dare I say cult hit), The Thanksgiving Song on SNL. It became a popular tune among the college crowd. I can say that because I was in college at the time.
The next year when Sandler released the album "They're All Going to Laugh at You", The Thanksgiving Song was a part of it. I'd play it all the time, especially when the holiday got closer. Who couldn't help but to laugh at lines like "my brother likes to masturbate with baby oil" and "Jimmie Walker, used to say Dyn-o-mite, that's right!" Neither line has anything to do with Thanksgiving, but if you've heard a Sandler song, you understand why the lines are there.
The radio plays The Thanksgiving Song on Turkey Day. Of course, the masturbation line has been rubbed out (yes, I went there) to make it safe for young ears listening. Sandler released another song a short time later paying homage to Hanukkah. While funny, I still laugh out loud hearing the Thanksgiving Song. And since Hanukkah kicks off on Thanksgiving this year, let's pay tribute to both holidays. Mazel tov! Then last year Nicole Westbrook released "It's Thanksgiving!" It comes from the people behind Rebecca Black's Friday, so be warned... Also, here's a list of other Thanksgiving related songs. I was surprised by the ones on here.
Posted by Kevin Hunsperger at 12:52 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Adam Sandler, Hanukkah, Hanukkah Song, Nicole Westbrook, Rebecca Black, Thanksgiving, The Thanksgiving Song
Thanksgiving is NOT Dead
Norman Rockwell's "Freedom from Want"
Since I'm a journalist, I typically do not voice my opinion on things happening the news. I avoid topics like politics, religion, and anything else that might be considered controversial. Of the now 1,031 posts on this blog, about 90% of them are about wrestling. But after weeks of letting this fester, I think now is the time to share with the world.
I saw a post on Facebook recently that became the straw that broke the camel's back. In short, it suggested that because Black Friday shopping has seeped into Thanksgiving, that the holiday is dead or at least dying. I disagree for a number of reasons, and if you're in the retail business and reading this, I apologize if my words offend you.
I have worked every Thanksgiving since 2003. Thursday will mark my 11th consecutive Thanksgiving at work. I'm not saying that to complain, but rather to let you know where I'm coming from as I write this post. While I'm at it, I have worked more Christmases than I've been off in my years in TV news too. It's something that comes with the territory.
Black Friday madness
Other comments I've seen on social media suggests that we shouldn't shop on Thanksgiving. If you truly want to buck this trend of stores being open on Thanksgiving, that's a good course of action. Let's face it, if business is bad, I'd have to believe stores would reexamine the idea of expanding their hours. However, I think if people are willing to trample one another for a deeply discounted flat screen TV or the latest X-Box, they're not going to mind cutting their visit with Grandma short. As of Monday (days before the sales start) people are already lined up outside of some Best Buy stores.
If you do plan to boycott the malls and stores on Thanksgiving, are you going to also not watch the news? What about the football games that will be on TV all day or the holiday tradition of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? It's not just the people you see on the screen working, but also the hundreds of behind the scenes folks running cameras, directing the show, and producing things. They're all working too. Skip the movies that night, as the men and women at the theater are also spending their holiday away from home, and don't turn on the radio either.
Firefighters:
One of the many who work on Thanksgiving
That's just the entertainment side of things. There are countless other professions who clock in every day, no matter what the calendar says. Doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, emergency personnel, hospital support staff, troops serving overseas, restaurant workers, nursing home workers, gas station attendants, cab drivers, pilots, flight attendants, TSA screeners, train conductors, and bus drivers will all be working on Thanksgiving. I know I'm leaving professions out, and for that I apologize, but you get the point.
I know this comes as no comfort to the men and women in retail who will spend their first Thanksgiving at work. That's where new traditions can be born. You may not be able to eat turkey and the trimmings on Thursday, perhaps a weekend celebration will work out for you.
A couple of other points. Not everyone in this country celebrates Thanksgiving or Christmas. Some people who work in retail may need the extra money that comes along with spending a holiday on the clock. Of course, I'm assuming that people who work Thanksgiving will be compensated for it. If that's not the case, I apologize for this. Plus, no one is forcing shoppers to head out. It's a choice. If someone would rather spend their time looking for cheap gadgets for Christmas instead of hearing Uncle Phil yammer on about his bunions after eating pumpkin pie on Thursday afternoon, so be it. It's part of being an American and having that option.
In closing, I don't think stores being open will kill the concept of Thanksgiving. When I was a kid, stores were closed on Sundays. Target, Walmart, Venture, even the malls were closed. Maybe this was just a thing in Missouri, but when stores did open on Sundays, death did not come to that day. It's changed sure, but we've all adapted to those changes.
Hunsperger Thanksgiving
After work of course
I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing that stores are staying open on Thanksgiving, but what I am saying is, in this day and age when businesses are struggling to stay alive, they have to do what works for them. If everyone who I've seen on Facebook and Twitter are true to their word, they're actions of staying home on Thursday may interrupt this new concept. So, what are you doing on Turkey Day?
Posted by Kevin Hunsperger at 12:11 PM 6 comments: Links to this post
Labels: Black Friday, Shopping, Thanksgiving
Fantasy Friday: Sting
Sting is one of the few wrestling stars of the modern era to not compete in the WWE. Through the years, he always stayed loyal to WCW. Today, I take a closer look at three guys I wish Sting would have had the opportunity to wrestle. Not everyone on my list is from the WWE. And for the record, I prefer the "beach bum" version of Sting over "Crow" or "Joker" Sting.
Photo courtesy: WWE
1. Shawn Michaels: Sting came from a history of tag team wrestling, being paired early in his career with the Ultimate Warrior as the Blade Runners, and then with Rick Steiner in the UWF. He and Chris Adams also teamed briefly after Sting's face turn and of course he and Lex Luger and Nikita Koloff were paired up in WCW. My point is, like Shawn Michaels, Sting comes from a tag team past. But then both men excelled and achieved singles success. Sting and the Heartbreak Kid are among the greatest wrestlers of all time. They've both had great matches with Ric Flair.
I think that Sting rose quicker to super stardom and maintained that spot much longer. Michaels of course was sidelined for years with that back injury, but returned to the ring despite the odds. Of the three dream opponents I'm going to write about in this post, this has been the hardest one for me to pick a clear cut winner. It would be an evenly contested match in my opinion, but I am going to give the edge to Sting, but just barely. I think had this match happened around 1994, it would have been one we'd still be talking about today.
2. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat: I don't think Ricky Steamboat could have a bad match against anyone. The Dragon is one of those guys I look back on and remember as a hard worker and great technician. His matches with Flair from the 70's and 80's, along with the "Macho Man" Randy Savage feud in 86-87 made him the legend he is today. Despite all that though, I do think that Sting would have the advantage in this face vs. face contest. The two wrestled for years under the WCW banner at the same time, but I'm pretty sure they never had a match against each other. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me.
Magnum T.A.
3. Magnum T.A.: Magnum T.A.'s career was cut way too short after his car crash in 1986. Luckily, T.A. survived the ordeal, but he was never able to get back in the ring. For younger readers, you may not have heard of Magnum T.A. or had the chance to see him wrestle, but he was a fast rising star in the mid 80's. Magnum had already held the United States and NWA TV championships prior to his crash. He had classic matches with the likes of Flair, Tully Blanchard, and Nikita Koloff. Had it not been for that accident, I'd like to believe he was on track to defeat Flair for the NWA World's Heavyweight Title. Unfortunately, we don't know if he would have fulfilled that destiny. T.A. and Sting are the same age, but because of the things Sting went on to accomplish, I'd give the former TNA and WCW champion the win in this contest too. I feel had Magnum stayed healthy, this match may have actually happened at some point.
Ultimate Warrior & Sting
Who else would you like to have seen Sting wrestle? I purposely left the Undertaker off the list because so many people think that's the ultimate dream match. Speaking of ultimate, I had also consider adding Warrior to the list, as I think the two would have a decent match, with Sting (much like Randy Savage did at Wrestlemania VII) pulling the best out of the Warrior. Another potential dream opponent for Sting would have been The Rock.
Posted by Kevin Hunsperger at 4:37 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Magnum TA, NWA, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Shawn Michaels, Sting, Ultimate Warrior, Undertaker, WCW, WWE
Way Back WhensDay: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Good grief, he can cook
I blog a lot about Halloween and Christmas, but not really about Thanksgiving. So I decided to change that with the next couple of Way Back WhensDay blogs. The first goes back to the year I was born (1973) and the first airing of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
When I was a kid, we would always go to my grandparents' house for Thanksgiving. Cousins, aunts, uncles, and great-grandparents would gather around large tables in the basement and share a home cooked meal. It was tradition. But as we all got older, and the kids went off to college, got engaged, and eventually married, tradition started changing. Now, family members are scattered around the country, and some years we improvise the celebration.
But there has been a constant in my 40 years on this planet, and that's the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special. I've watched the 30 minute classic every year for as long as I can remember. As an adult, it takes me back to my childhood, being carefree and knowing that we'd have a couple of days off from school. Back then, that was a big deal. Everything seemed so right with the world.
Dinner is served...
I still get a kick out of how bossy Peppermint Patty is and how much of a pushover Charlie Brown is when it comes to dealing with her and Lucy. Charlie Brown becomes the reluctant host of a Thanksgiving meal, that only a boy and his pet beagle could come up with. If you recall, the menu for the day included toast, pretzel sticks, popcorn, and jellybeans. The gang dines on a ping pong table with mismatched chairs. It's not exactly what the Indians shared with the Pilgrims, but the point is that Charlie Brown opened his home and his heart to his friends when they needed somewhere to go. Eventually, the Peanuts gang heads over to Charlie Brown's grandmother's house (or condo) for a more traditional dinner.
That leaves Snoopy and Woodstock alone and of course ready to cook their own meal. The duo comes up with a feast worthy of the first Thanksgiving, including turkey, the trimmings, and some pumpkin pie. So time and distance may get in the way of celebrating with everyone in the family each year, but this special cartoon is a Thanksgiving tradition in our house. They just don't make cartoons like that anymore.
Labels: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Snoopy, Thanksgiving, turkey
Confession time: I'm a big chicken when it comes to crawling under my house. Why would I ever have to do that? Well, I was cleaning our master bathroom to surprise my wife, when I picked up her wedding ring (Why wasn't she wearing it? Good question...) it slipped out of my hands and bounced on the floor and right down a small hole where our bathtub sits.
The hole of course was big enough for the ring to drop through, but I couldn't reach it (refrain from the jokes). That left one solution, enter the crawl space and military crawl across the length of the house. Those who live in southern Illinois know we have had quite a bit of rain in the last few days, which left a muddy mess underneath the tarps left by the builders. As my body pressed down the plastic, muddy water oozed out and drenched me. By the time I made it to the end of the house, I was frustrated to find that the opening to the bathroom wasn't big enough for me to fit through, until I saw the actual opening. Wheeew....
I made my way through that space, dodging the hanging PVC pipes and various wires, praying that I wasn't going to get zapped in the process. I worried if I did that my kids would come home to find me dead under the house. After a few minutes of searching, I spotted the ring, snatched it up and made my exit ala Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, just in crawling mode.
My other big fear besides electrocution was finding some kind of critter under the house. We've had cats under there before, but luckily this time around no sign of skunks, mice, or raccoons. As you can see in the picture, I was a muddy mess at the end, but I knew I had to get that ring. Happy wife, happy life.
Labels: crawl space, Mud, Wedding ring
The Bad Habit Destroyer
Goodfinancialcents.com
My friend Jeff Rose writes a very successful blog on finances. He's been featured on national (and local) television and has recently written and published a book called "Soldier of Finance." Last year, he started a grassroots movement to make people more aware of the importance of life insurance. It was a project I had a little fun with while helping get the word out. Now Jeff is helping people break their bad habits or at least create some good ones. I read his post and watched his video on the Bad Habit Destroyer and thought this is something I needed to be a part of too.
Over the course of 21 days, I plan to develop better habits. Call it an early look into my New Year's Resolutions. If you haven't already clicked the link to Jeff's site that I posted in the opening paragraph, do that now. You'll find a downloadable chart to keep track of your progress for the next three weeks.
An apple a day....
I have plenty of bad habits that I'd like to break, but there are also things I think I can do in my life to implement positive change. So instead of saying I'm going to cut out sweets cold turkey, instead one of my goals over the next 21 days is to reintroduce more fresh produce into my diet. I used to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables throughout the course of a day. Lately, I've stopped. October through the end of December is a bad time for me in terms of letting my sweet tooth take over my life. I go from eating Halloween candy to the pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving (along with all the other delicious foods) to Christmas cookies throughout the month of December.
So the first goal in my 21 Days is going to be to get at least the five daily recommended servings of produce every day, including the weekends. Right now, you should be getting between 5 and 13 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. In addition to eating all that extra produce, I want to be more consistent with my exercise schedule. I do 60 push ups each weekday morning before going to work. I'm going to bump that up to 75, and carry it over into the weekends too.
Doing some DDP Yoga
I recently accomplished my goal of running 500 miles in 2013. My new goal for running is completing a half marathon, which is happening in February. I've got some work to do to train for that, but in addition to the running, I am going to focus more on doing DDP Yoga as well. I've started it twice now, but as they say the third time is the charm.
I hope by getting this habit destroying program in place now, I'll be better adjusted for the changes I typically try to make in the New Year. What habits do you want to change? Let's work together and share our progress in three weeks. Don't forget to download the score card on the Good Financial Cents website. Good luck!
Labels: Blogging, DDP Yoga, Diet, Exercise, Good Financial Cents, Habits, Improvements, Jeff Rose
Fantasy Friday: Andre the Giant
I'm starting a new feature here on the blog. Each Friday, I'll look at a wrestler from the past and talk about three opponents I wish that star would have had in their career. I'm kicking things off with the late, great Andre the Giant. He faced many legends in his career including Hall of Famers like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Jerry "The King" Lawler. Even though he only had a reign as WWF tag team champion, Andre is among the best in the history of wrestling.
1. The Undertaker: The Phenom and Andre probably crossed paths a time or two in the locker room of the WWF. Both appeared on the Wrestlemania VII card as the Undertaker beat "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka and Andre was in the corner of the Big Bossman in his quest for the Intercontinental title against Mr. Perfect. Taker's arrival in the WWF came as Andre was winding down, in fact, he had already retired from in ring action by that time.
Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez
Undertaker proved early on he could handle giant challenges, including his feud with the Giant Gonzalez in 1993. He took it to The Big Show, Yokozuna, and Vader through the years too. But in his prime, Andre was a nearly unstoppable star. It wasn't until 1987 that Andre was pinned for the first time in his match against Hulk Hogan. The Ultimate Warrior is the only other superstar to hold that distinction. I think in their primes, these two would have put on a helluva match, and the Deadman could have taken Andre to the limit. Would Undertaker have enough to put Andre down for the three count? Of the men I'm looking at today, he has the best chance of achieving that nearly impossible task.
2. Yokozuna: Arguably, Yokozuna and Andre are two of the WWE's greatest big men of all time. Yoko could do things no other 600 pounder I'd ever seen do in the ring. If ever there would have been an irresistible force meeting the immovable object it would have been in an encounter between Andre and Yokozuna. Despite his record with wins over Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, and The Undertaker, I think Andre would have reigned supreme in this contest. The ring would have to be reinforced for this showdown too.
Big Show vs. Andre (2K14)
3. The Big Show: This match has actually been down on the WWE 2K14 video game. How cool would this match have been as WCW was promoting The Giant (Big Show's gimmick back then) as the son of Andre the Giant. A classic father vs. son feud, right? Andre was Big Show's current age 41, when he wrestled Hogan at Wrestlemania III. Obviously, Andre was nearing the end of his career (and life) at that time. Big Show is clearly more mobile and appears to be in better shape than Andre was back then. But if we're going for a match while Andre was in his prime, I'd give the edge to him, beating the man who once claimed to be his son.
Labels: Andre the Giant, Big Show, Giant Gonzalez, Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, Undertaker, WWE, Yokozuna
Way Back WhensDay: Cabbage Patch Kid Koosas
Koosas
It's hard to believe that 2013 marks the 30 year anniversary of the Cabbage Patch Kids. I never owned one of the human versions of the doll, but I did have one of their pets, known as Koosas. Yes, I'm actually admitting to that. I'm going to probably embarrass my brother with this story too, but here goes.
Growing up, I loved stuffed animals. It only seemed natural that I would add one of the popular Koosas to my collection. Our dad won a cat Koosa in some kind of drawing at the bank we used. For whatever reason, my brother and I both wanted it, but somehow he ended up getting it. So I asked for one for Christmas. That year, I opened up my very own dog version of the Cabbage Patch Kid pet. Since it was the holiday, I opted to name him Starr (yes with two R's).
Not the real Starr, but it's his twin.
Starr had short brown hair on the top of his head with brown skin. He had big blue eyes and came with a pair of red overalls. Like I mentioned, I was already into stuffed animals, so he just joined the dozens of other ones in my collection. I can remember attaching a dog leash to his collar and dragging him around the house.
These animals looked just like their Cabbage Patch Kid counterparts, but somehow it seemed more masculine to have a dog or cat instead of the baby doll. I don't know what, but there was something alluring about the Koosas. I don't remember them ever having their own cartoon or cereal like their counterparts, but they were a fun part of my childhood.
Cats to go
I kept Starr for years, stowed away with my other stuffed animals. A few years ago, in a purge, I put him in a garage sale. I had checked out eBay to see if the Koosas were selling, but they really weren't, plus it had years of wear and tear from the many adventures we'd gone on. (Did I just say that outloud?) None-the-less, I'm confident Starr found a good home with another kid in my community who may someday grow up to write about his fondness for this blast from the past.
Labels: Cabbage Patch Kids, Christmas, Koosas, Toys
RIP Survivor Series
Survivor Series 1987
In 1987, I was a freshman in high school. In the fall of that year, the announcers on WWF Superstars started hyping a new pay-per-view called The Survivor Series. It would air on Thanksgiving night (against the NWA's Starrcade event) and feature teams of five taking on each other in elimination style matches. Heavyweight champion Hulk Hogan would captain a team against his Wrestlemania III challenger Andre the Giant in the main event. It was a concept I was in love with before ever seeing the show.
Because it was the 80's and there was no Internet and I didn't have the ability to watch the show live, I waited patiently until Monday afternoon at lunch after the long holiday break to find out what had happened. I had a friend named Bobby who watched the event and described how Hogan's team lost. I was shocked by this to the point that I didn't believe it. It wasn't until that following Sunday when the results were announced on Superstars again. I couldn't wait for the WWF to release the show on Coliseum Home Video, which was how I watched most big events back then.
Tag team elimination
I was captivated by the action. The fact that there were 10 tag teams to participate in the tag team elimination match is something that blows my mind considering today's environment. There were 10 women wrestlers competing in their own match. The Intercontinental champ The Honky Tonk Man led a team into battle against the "Macho Man" Randy Savage. I loved EVERYTHING about the show (except Hogan's team losing, but I was a mark back then).
Each Thanksgiving the WWF would serve up another exciting Survivor Series pay per view. The card remained stacked with elimination matches. Yes, some of them started to feature guys who you wouldn't normally see on PPV, but I still loved the concept. The team sizes dropped to four, but there were more matches added to the card. Then in 1991, the company added its first singles match to the show. Hulk Hogan lost the WWF title to the Undertaker. Again, another shocking evening, but I think that match set a new precedence for the Survivor Series pay-per-view. One that I do not like.
In 1992, not only did the WWF move the PPV to the night BEFORE Thanksgiving (which I don't begrudge them as I would imagine the wrestlers, announcers, referees, managers, and crew members would rather have the holiday at home), but the company dropped the elimination match concept. The main event featured Bret Hart defending the WWF title against IC champ Shawn Michaels. Razor Ramon and Ric Flair teamed up against Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect. There was just one elimination match, which was incredibly lame as The Natural Disasters and the Nasty Boys beat Money Inc. and the Beverly Brothers.
The "Doinks"
I rejoiced in '93 as the team concept returned (even with the "Doinks" on the show). There were no singles matches, just one traditional tag team match that featured the Rock 'n Roll Express against the Heavenly Bodies. Up until 1998, the Survivor Series featured a couple of non-elimination matches, but for the most part, the event lived up to my expectations. It was 1998 where there were NO elimination matches. The concept was replaced with the Deadly Game tournament to crown a new WWF champion, which ended up being the Rock.
The elimination matches returned a year later in 1999, and that concept stuck around, but the singles and traditional tag team matches outweighed the usual Survivor Series matches for many years. In 2008 and 09, there was an even number of elimination matches and traditional matches, but things shifted again in 2010 in favor of just one or two elimination matches.
The King's Court
Another change I didn't care for was the changing of team names. The cool team names from the early days like The Dream Team (captained by Dusty Rhodes), the Visionaries (captained by Rick Martel), and the Enforcers (captained by The Big Boss Man) simply became Team Triple H, Team Randy Orton, and Team Umaga. Boring...
As I write this on November 12, there have been no announcements of elimination matches for the 2013 Survivor Series. John Cena is defending the World Heavyweight Championship, Randy Orton is defending the WWE Title, and a few minutes ago I got a WWE text message saying the Wyatt Family would be taking on CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. I'm going to remain positive and tell myself that there will be at least ONE traditional Survivor Series style match at the pay-per-view with the same name.
I understand wanting to have title defenses and other matches on the show. But in my opinion, the Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble were those two pay per views every year where the unpredictable could happen because you never knew for sure who was going to end up in the ring together. I think the WWE could keep the current storylines in play and just have the element of the elimination match thrown into the mix, so Survivor Series isn't just like every other pay-per-view or episode of Raw or SmackDown!
Posted by Kevin Hunsperger at 12:54 PM 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: Andre the Giant, Bret Hart, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Elimination matches, Honky Tonk Man, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Randy Orton, Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, Survivor Series, Triple H
Way Back WhensDay: Q*bert
I've used my Way Back WhensDay blogs to talk about some of my favorite things from my childhood. My favorite videos games growing up included Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and today's submission: Q*bert. There was something captivating about that little orange creature with a giant nose and no arms.
The point of Q*bert was to get him to hop around a cubed pyramid, changing the colors of each block before advancing to the next stage. To add to the challenge, different monsters would appear and try to thwart the effort. Q*Bert never talked, but muttered inexplicable phrases as he went on a mission. Different symbols appeared in a speech bubble over Q*bert's head. I always imagined he was cussing over the nerves involved in all the hopping and the frustration of the evil doers like Colly, Ugg, Wrong-Way, Sam, and Slick. Those guys would try to force Q*bert (who the player controls) over the edge of the pyramid.
Q*bert arcade game
Q*bert is another one of those video games we'd play at the skating rink or local pizza restaurant. Eventually, it was released for the Atari. I still remember playing it at one point on a little black and white TV at my grandma's house, which made it next to impossible to do, since the goal of the game is to change the blocks into different colors.
In 2012, Q*bert caught my attention during the movie "Wreck it Ralph." His appearance in the film was brief, but brought back fond memories of playing the game in the early 80's. Hopefully he's appearance sparked the interest in the next generation of gamers.
I think it's safe to safe that Q*bert will go down in history with my other favorites Pac-Man and Donkey Kong as one of the all-time great classic games.
Labels: Arcade, Atari, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Q*bert, The 80's, Video games
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text:
.Background: Long a province of China, Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A communist regime was installed in 1924. During the early 1990s, the ex-communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) gradually yielded its monopoly on power. In 1996, the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) defeated the MPRP in a national election and has attempted to establish a number of reforms to modernize the economy. However, many former communists retain key posts and implementation has been difficult.
Location: Northern Asia, between China and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references: Asia
total: 1.565 million sq km
land: 1.565 million sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska
border countries: China 4,673 km, Russia 3,441 km
Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)
Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains; mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in southeast
lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m
highest point: Tavan Bogd Uul 4,374 m
Natural resources: oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold
Natural hazards: dust storms can occur in the spring; grassland fires
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; policies of the former communist regime promoting rapid urbanization and industrial growth have raised concerns about their negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws have severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, the converting of virgin land to agricultural production have increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities have also had a deleterious effect on the environment
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia
15-64 years: 62% (male 816,851; female 816,651)
65 years and over: 4% (male 46,682; female 61,623) (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
noun: Mongolian(s)
adjective: Mongolian
Ethnic groups: Mongol 90%, Kazakh 4%, other 6%
Religions: predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim 4%
note: previously limited religious activity because of communist regime
Languages: Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian
conventional short form: Mongolia
local short form: Mongol Uls
former: Outer Mongolia
Data code: MG
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 3 municipalities* (hotuud, singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan*, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Erdenet*, Govi-Altay, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs
Independence: 13 March 1921 (from China)
National holiday: National Day, 11 July (1921)
Constitution: 12 February 1992
Legal system: blend of Russian, Chinese, Turkish, and Western systems of law that combines aspects of a parliamentary and presidential system; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
chief of state: President Natsagiyn BAGABANDI (since 20 June 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Rinchinnyamin AMARJARGAL (since 30 August 1999)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the State Great Hural in consultation with the president
elections: president nominated by parties in the State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 18 May 1997 (next to be held summer 2001); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the State Great Hural; election last held 30 August 1999 (next to be held NA)
election results: Natsagiyn BAGABANDI elected president; percent of vote - Natsagiyn BAGABANDI (MPRP) 60.8%, Punsalmaagiyn OCHIRBAT (MNDP and MSDP) 29.8%, Jambyn GOMBOJAV 6.6%; Rinchinnyamin AMARJARGAL elected prime minister by a vote in the State Great Hural of 50 to 2
Legislative branch: unicameral State Great Hural (76 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 June 1996 (next to be held NA June 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party - DUC 66%, MPRP 33%, MCP 1%; seats by party - DUC 50 (MNDP 34, MSDP 13, independents 3), MPRP 25, MCP 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts, but to date rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts, judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts for approval by the State Great Hural
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Union Coalition or DUC (includes the MNDP and the MSDP); Independence Party [leader NA]; Mongolian Conservative Party or MCP [JARGALSAIHAN]; Mongolian Democratic New Socialist Party or MDNSP [B. ERDENEBAT, chairman]; Mongolian Democratic Renaissance Party or MDRP [BYAMBASUREN, chairman]; Mongolian National Democratic Party or MNDP [R. AMARJARGAL, chairman; B. DELGERMAA, general secretary]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [N. ENKHBAYAR, chairman; L. ENEBISH, general secretary]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [B. JARGALSAIHAN]; Mongolian Social Democratic Party or MSDP [Radnaasumbereliyn GONCHIGDORJ, chairman; N. ALTANKHUYAG, general secretary]; Mongolian United Heritage Party or UHP [B. JAMTSAI] (includes the United Party of Herdsman and Farmers, Independence Party, Traditional United Conservative Party, and Mongolian United Private Property Owners Party); Mongolian United Private Property Owners Party [leader NA]); United Party of Herdsman and Farmers [leader NA]; Traditional United Conservative Party [leader NA]; Workers' Party [leader NA]
International organization participation: AsDB, ASEAN (observer), CCC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
chief of mission: Ambassador Jalbuugiyn CHOINHOR
chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Alphonse F. LA PORTA
embassy: inner north side of the Big Ring, just west of the Selbe Gol, Ulaanbaatar
mailing address: c/o American Embassy Beijing, Micro Region 11, Big Ring Road, C. P. O. 1021, Ulaanbaatar 13; PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002
telephone: [976] (1) 329095
FAX: [976] (1) 320776
Flag description: three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol)
Economy - overview: Economic activity traditionally has been based on agriculture and breeding of livestock. Mongolia also has extensive mineral deposits: copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990-91, at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. Mongolia was driven into deep recession, which was prolonged by the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party's (MPRP) reluctance to undertake serious economic reform. The Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) government has embraced free-market economics, easing price controls, liberalizing domestic and international trade, and attempting to restructure the banking system and the energy sector. Major domestic privatization programs have been undertaken, as well as fostering of foreign investment through international tender of the oil distribution company, a leading cashmere company, and banks. Reform has been held back by the ex-communist MPRP opposition and by the political instability brought about through four successive governments under the DUC. Economic growth picked up in 1997-99 after stalling in 1996 due to a series of natural disasters and declines in world prices of copper and cashmere. Public revenues and exports collapsed in 1998 and 1999 due to the repercussions of the Asian financial crisis. In August and September 1999, the economy suffered from a temporary Russian ban on exports of oil and oil products. Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO) in 1997. The international donor community pledged over $300 million per year at the last Consultative Group Meeting, held in Ulaanbaatar in June 1999.
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.5% (1998)
Labor force: 1.256 million (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: primarily herding/agricultural
Unemployment rate: 4.5% (1998)
expenditures: $366 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
Industries: construction materials, mining (particularly coal and copper); food and beverages, processing of animal products
Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (1998)
Electricity - production: 2.66 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, potatoes, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses
Exports: $316.8 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: copper, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals
Exports - partners: China 30.1%, Switzerland 21.5%, Russia 12.1%, South Korea 9.7%, US 8.1% (1998)
Imports: $472.4 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea
Imports - partners: Russia 30.6%, China 13.3%, Japan 11.7%, South Korea 7.5%, US 6.9% (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $250 million (1998 est.)
Currency: 1 tughrik (Tug) = 100 mongos
Exchange rates: tughriks (Tug) per US$1 - 1,070.39 (December 1999), 1,072.37 (1999), 840.83 (1998), 789.99 (1997), 548.40 (1996), 448.61 (1995)
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 2, shortwave 13 (1998)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 18 provincial repeaters) (1997)
broad gauge: 1,928 km 1.524-m gauge (1994)
unpaved: 47,576 km (1998 est.)
note: much of the unpaved rural road system consists of rough cross-country tracks
Waterways: 400 km of principal routes (1999)
Ports and harbors: none
Military branches: Mongolian People's Army (includes Internal Security Forces and Border Guards), Air Force, Civil Defense troops

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
NCAA Tournament: Maryland vs. Belmont TV, Game time, Odds, Streaming, Announcers
Two days after Belmont won its first NCAA Tournament game, it focuses on six-seeded Maryland.
NCAA Tournament: Maryland vs. Belmont TV, Game time, Odds, Streaming, Announcers Two days after Belmont won its first NCAA Tournament game, it focuses on six-seeded Maryland. Check out this story on Tennessean.com: https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/2019/03/19/ncaa-tournament-maryland-belmont-tv-game-time-odds-streaming-2019-trutv/3215763002/
Nick Gray, Nashville Tennessean Published 11:10 p.m. CT March 19, 2019 | Updated 11:04 a.m. CT March 21, 2019
2019 NCAA Tournament First Four: Belmont Bruins vs. Temple Owls
Belmont center Seth Adelsperger (50) celebrates after the team's 81-70 win over Temple in its NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd smiles as he heads off the court after beating Temple in the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont center Nick Muszynski (33) reacts as he leaves the court after beating Temple in the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Kevin McClain (11) greets fans after the win over Temple in the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Grayson Murphy (2) celebrates after the team's 81-70 win over Temple in its NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont players react to a three-pointer during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Temple guard Nate Pierre-Louis (15) reacts after he was called for a fould during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Belmont at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont center Nick Muszynski (33) moves the ball defended by Temple center Ernest Aflakpui (24) during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Adam Kunkel (5) shoots over Temple forward Justyn Hamilton (21) during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio., Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Nick Hopkins (14) reacts after his three-point basket during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont fans cheer during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temmple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd instructs his team during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Adam Kunkel (5) is fouled by Temple forward Justyn Hamilton (21) during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont reacts to a three-point basket during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard/forward Dylan Windler (3) moves the ball during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Kevin McClain (11) moves the ball defended by Temple guard Alani Moore II (0) during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard/forward Dylan Windler (3) shoots defended by Temple center Ernest Aflakpui (24) during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont reacts to a basket during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Nick Hopkins (14) moves the ball defended by Temple guard Alani Moore II (0) during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Kevin McClain (11) drives oin Temple center Ernest Aflakpui (24) during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Kevin McClain (11) moves the ball defended by Temple guard Quinton Rose (1) during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont center Nick Muszynski (33) scores two points over Temple center Ernest Aflakpui (24) during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd yells to his team during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont center Nick Muszynski (33) and Temple center Ernest Aflakpui (24) battle for the ball during the second half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd reacts during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard/forward Dylan Windler (3) and Temple guard Nate Pierre-Louis (15) battle for a ball during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard/forward Dylan Windler (3) and Temple guard Quinton Rose (1) hit the floor during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Temple guard Nate Pierre-Louis (15) gains control of the ball defended by Belmont guard Adam Kunkel (5) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Adam Kunkel (5) moves the ball defended by Temple guard Shizz Alston Jr. (10) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont center Seth Adelsperger (50) shoots past Temple forward Justyn Hamilton (21) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio., Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard/forward Dylan Windler (3) gets the ball from Temple center Damion Moore (23) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Grayson Murphy (2) shoots past Temple forward J.P. Moorman II (4) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio., Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont cheerleaders lead the fans during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Temple guard Nate Pierre-Louis (15) looks to pass surrounded by Belmont guard Kevin McClain (11), guard/forward Dylan Windler (3) and center Nick Muszynski (33) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard/forward Dylan Windler (3) moves the ball as Temple guard Nate Pierre-Louis (15) tries to keep up during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Kevin McClain (11) shoots against Temple guard Quinton Rose (1) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Grayson Murphy (2) shoots against Temple forward Justyn Hamilton (21) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Temple guard Quinton Rose (1) scores over Belmont center Nick Muszynski (33) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont center Nick Muszynski (33) shoots over Temple forward J.P. Moorman II (4) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio., Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Temple forward J.P. Moorman II (4) reacts to his three-pointer during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Belmont at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont center Nick Muszynski (33) shoots against Temple forward Justyn Hamilton (21) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd reacts to a foul on his team during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
A Belmont fan cheers during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard/forward Dylan Windler (3) moves the ball defended by Temple guard Nate Pierre-Louis (15) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Grayson Murphy (2) moves the ball defended by Temple guard Quinton Rose (1) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Temple forward J.P. Moorman II (4) moves the ball defended by Belmont guard Grayson Murphy (2) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd watches the action during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont center Nick Muszynski (33) shoots over Temple center Ernest Aflakpui (24) during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont guard Kevin McClain (11) drives on Temple center Ernest Aflakpui (24)during the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont players huddle before the start of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against San Diego at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont head coach Rick Byrd watches warmups before the start of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont players warm up before the start of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont fans watch warmups before the start of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
The Belmont band performs before the start of the NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont band sets up before the start of NCAA college basketball tournament First Four game against Temple at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Andrew Nelles / Tennessean.com
Belmont earned its first NCAA Tournament victory in a First Four win over Temple. Now, it focuses on No. 6 seed Maryland, who awaits in the first full round of the tournament on Thursday.
Time: 30 minutes after LSU-Yale Thursday (approximately 2:10 p.m. CT)
Place: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.
TV: truTv (Ch. 246 on DirecTV; Ch. 148/242 on Dish Network; Ch. 53 on Xfinity in Nashville; Ch. 161/1164 on AT&T U-Verse in Nashville)
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel, Jamie Erdahl
Streaming: March Madness Live and the March Madness Live app
Odds: According to Pregame.com, Maryland is a 3 1/2-point favorite over Belmont.
THE DAY'S LAYOUT: Thursday's NCAA Tournament game schedule, announcers, TV
JOE REXRODE: Belmont earns its first NCAA Tournament win in program history and can be much better
Want to stay informed on the latest Belmont basketball news? A Tennessean subscription gets you unlimited access to the best inside information and updates on the Bruins.
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\section{Introduction}

The Chaplygin gas model represents the best known proposal of a unification of DM and DE into a single fluid \cite{moschella}. In its generalized form \cite{berto}, the Chaplygin
gas is a fluid with an equation of state $p_{c} = - A/\rho_{c}^{\alpha}$, where $p_{c}$ is the pressure and $\rho_{c}$ is the energy density. Solving the
conservation equation
$\dot\rho_{c} + 3 \dot{a}/a \left(\rho_{c} + p_{c}\right) = 0$,
where $a$ is the scale factor of the spatially flat Robertson-Walker metric, the result for the energy density is
\begin{equation}
\rho_{c} = \left[A + B a^{-3(1 + \alpha}\right]^{1/\left(1+\alpha\right)}\ .
\label{rho}
\end{equation}
The present value of the scale factor is normalized to $a_{0} =1$. Combined with Friedmann's equation and assuming $\alpha > -1$, the solution (\ref{rho}) interpolates between a matter
phase for $a \ll 1$  and a de Sitter phase for $a \gg 1$.
In this sense, the GCG can play the roles
of dark matter in the past and of dark energy at present and future times, thus unifying the two components of the dark sector of the cosmic substratum into a single component. The original Chaplygin gas corresponds to $\alpha = 1$. It can be traced back to the Nambu-Goto action in the light cone parametrization \cite{jackiw}, that is, it can be seen as rooted in a string theoretical context. The generalization to $\alpha \neq 1$ is phenomenological \cite{berto}. However, the GCG  model has the advantage of providing an interpolation between the $\Lambda$CDM model, represented by $B=0$ and $\alpha = 0$, and other models, like, e.g., viscous models \cite{Szydlowski,BVM,avelino}. Similar approaches are the
so-called Cardassian models \cite{freese,feng}. Thus, the GCG model covers a large variety of dark energy models.
\par
A great deal of effort has been made in order to constrain the different parameters of the GCG model, mainly the parameter $\alpha$.
This includes data from supernova type Ia \cite{colistete}, the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background \cite{amendola}, baryonic acoustic oscillations \cite{Wu}, the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect \cite{tommaso} and the matter power spectrum (see \cite{neo} and references therein).
Constraints from combined data sources have been
obtained in \cite{campo} and \cite{park}.

The supernova type Ia data were shown to be well described by the GCG gas, which seems to be favorable for the unified model. But the situation changes if the model is confronted with matter power spectrum data.
In this brief communication we generalize our previous Newtonian analysis \cite{neo} of the 2dFGRS program \cite{2d} to the fully relativistic case. We consider three configurations of a Chaplygin-gas cosmology.

\noindent (i) At first we assume the material content of the Universe to consist of a GCG, radiation and a pressureless baryon component with a fraction of $\Omega_{m0} = \Omega_{b0} = 0.043$, as suggested by the five-year WMAP data. In other words, we prescribe a unified model of the dark sector. The result is that, together with very small values of $\alpha$, for which the GCG behavior is close to that of a cosmological constant, also values $\alpha >2$ have a high probability. This confirms both an earlier qualitative but gauge invariant analysis of matter power spectrum data \cite{starobinsky} and our previous simplified Newtonian analysis \cite{neo}. Still more surprising is that very large values, i.e. values of several hundreds for $\alpha$, are preferred by the data.  This confirms an independent investigation of the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect with preferred values up to $\alpha \approx 350$ \cite{piattella}.

\noindent (ii) At second we consider the original Chaplygin gas, i.e., the case $\alpha = 1$, but we leave the matter fraction free, thus admitting that the matter component is not just made up by the baryons. This is equivalent to allow for a separate DM component in addition to the GCG.
For this reason we write the fractional density parameter for the pressureless matter today as $\Omega_{m0}=0.043+\Omega_{dm0}$. This additional freedom is used to test the unified model of the dark sector. The unified model can be regarded as favored by the data if the probability distribution function (PDF) for the matter fraction is large around the value that characterizes the baryon fraction. If, on the other hand, the PDF is largest at a substantially higher value, the unified model has to be regarded as disfavored. Our fully relativistic study confirms the results of a previous Newtonian analysis according to which the matter fraction does not only not peak around the value for baryons, but it is maximal at values of $\Omega_{m0}$ close to $\Omega_{m0} = 1$. In other words, the data seem to prefer a model which is close to the Einstein-de Sitter universe. This contradicts the results from the SN Ia data according to which the unification scenario, i.e, a universe filled almost exclusively by the Chaplygin gas component, is favored \cite{colistete}.

\noindent (iii) At third we extend the analysis of (ii) to $\alpha\neq 1$. As far as the value of $\Omega_{m0}$ is concerned, we recover the result of (ii). The behavior of $\alpha$ is similar to that described under (i), although here it is less important since the GCG is subdominant.

Strictly speaking, models with $\alpha > 1$ seem to be un-physical since they correspond to a superluminal sound speed. However, with certain modification causality can be preserved \cite{starobinsky}.
To see the influence of a large $\alpha$ on the background dynamics of a GCG cosmology, we consider the EoS parameter
\begin{equation}
\frac{p_{c}}{\rho_{c}} = - \frac{\bar{A}}{\bar{A} + \left(1 - \bar{A}\right)a^{-3\left(1+\alpha\right)}} \qquad \mathrm{with} \qquad
\bar{A} = \frac{A}{\rho_{c,0}^{\alpha + 1}}\ .
\label{eos}
\end{equation}
The parameter $\alpha$ influences the value of $a$ at which the transition from decelerated to accelerated expansion occurs.
Assuming a unified model and denoting the transition value of the scale factor by $a_{q}$, one has
\begin{equation}
\frac{p_{c}}{\rho_{c}}|_{q} = - \frac{1}{3 }= - \frac{\bar{A}}{\bar{A} + \left(1 - \bar{A}\right)a_{q}^{-3\left(1+\alpha\right)}}\ .
\label{aqdef}
\end{equation}
Solving for $a_{q}$ yields
\begin{equation}
a_{q} = \left(\frac{1 - \bar{A}}{2\bar{A}}\right)^{\frac{1}{3(1+\alpha)}}\ .
\label{aqsol}
\end{equation}
Since $\frac{1 - \bar{A}}{2\bar{A}} < 1$ this means, that for growing values of $\alpha$ the transition
period $a_{q}$ approaches $a=1$, i.e., the present epoch. For very large $\alpha$, the matter period is longer and the transition to accelerated expansion occurs suddenly and more recently than in the $\Lambda$CDM model. This property has also been discussed in \cite{piattella}.

\section{Basic set of equations}

Our starting point are Einstein's equations coupled to a pressureless fluid, radiation and to the GCG. They read,
\begin{eqnarray}
R_{\mu\nu} &=& 8\pi G\biggr\{T^m_{\mu\nu} - \frac{1}{2}g_{\mu\nu}T^m\biggl\} + 8\pi G\biggr\{T^r_{\mu\nu} - \frac{1}{2}g_{\mu\nu}T^r\biggl\} + 8\pi G\biggr\{T^c_{\mu\nu} - \frac{1}{2}g_{\mu\nu}T^c\biggl\},\nonumber\\
{T_m^{\mu\nu}}_{;\mu} &=& 0 \quad , \quad {T_c^{\mu\nu}}_{;\mu} = 0 \quad , \quad {T_r^{\mu\nu}}_{;\mu} = 0 \nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
The superscripts (subscripts) $m$, $r$ and $c$ stand for "matter", "radiation" and "Chaplygin". We assume a perfect fluid structure for the cosmic medium as a whole and also for each of the components,
\begin{equation}
T^{\mu\nu} = \rho u^{\mu}u^{\nu} + p \left(g^{\mu\nu} - u^{\mu}u^{\nu}\right)\ ,
 \qquad T_{A}^{\mu\nu} = \rho_{A} u_A^{\mu} u^{\nu}_{A} + p_{A} \left(g^{\mu\nu} - u_{A}^{\mu}u_{A}^{\nu}\right) \
,\qquad A = m, c, r\ .
\label{T}
\end{equation}
Using now the flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker metric
\begin{eqnarray}
ds^2 = dt^2 - a(t)^2[dx^2 + dy^2 + dz^2]\ ,\nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
and identifying all the background $4$-velocities,
Einstein's equations reduce to
\begin{eqnarray}
\biggr(\frac{\dot a}{a}\biggl)^2 &=& \frac{8\pi G}{3}\rho_m + \frac{8\pi G}{3}\rho_r + \frac{8\pi G}{3}\rho_c,\\
2\frac{\ddot a}{a} + \biggr(\frac{\dot a}{a}\biggl)^2 &=& - 8\pi Gp_c,\\
\dot\rho_m + 3\frac{\dot a}\rho_m = 0 \quad &\Rightarrow& \quad \rho_m = \rho_{m0}a^{-3},\\
\dot\rho_r + 4\frac{\dot a}\rho_r = 0 \quad &\Rightarrow& \quad \rho_r = \rho_{r0}a^{-4},\\
\dot\rho_c + 3\frac{\dot a}{a}(\rho_c + p_c) = 0 \quad (p_c = - A/\rho_c^\alpha) \quad &\Rightarrow& \quad \rho_c = \biggr\{A + \frac{B}{a^{3(1 + \alpha)}}\biggl\}^{1/(1 + \alpha)} .
\end{eqnarray}
\par
The perturbed equations in the synchronous gauge take the form,
\begin{eqnarray}
\frac{\ddot{h}}{2}+\frac{\dot{a}}{a}\dot{h}-4\pi G\left(\delta \rho+3\delta \,p\right) &=& 0\\
\dot{\delta \rho}+\frac{3\dot{a}}{a}\left(\delta\rho+\delta\,p\right)+\left(\rho+p\right)\left(\theta-\frac{\dot{h}}{2}\right) &=& 0,\\
\left(p+\rho\right)\dot{\theta}+\left[\left(\dot{\rho}+\dot{p}\right)+\frac{5\dot{a}}{a}\left(\rho+p\right)\right]\theta+\frac{\nabla^{2}\delta\,p}{a^{2}} &=& 0,
\end{eqnarray}
where $\rho$ and $p$ stand for the total matter and pressure, respectively, and $\theta = \delta u^{i}_{,i}$.
\par
In terms of the components, we end up with the following equations:
\begin{eqnarray}
\frac{\ddot{h}}{2}+\frac{\dot{a}}{a}\dot{h}-4\pi G\left[\delta \rho_{m}+\delta \rho_{c}+\delta \rho_{r}+3 (\delta \,p_{m}+\delta p_{c}+\delta \,p_{r})\right] &=& 0,\\
\dot{\delta \rho_{m}}+\frac{3\dot{a}}{a}\left(\delta\rho_{m}+\delta\,p_{m}\right)+\left(\rho_{m}+p_{m}\right)\left(\theta_{m}-\frac{\dot{h}}{2}\right) &=& 0,\\
\left(\rho_{m}+p_{m}\right)\dot{\theta_{m}}+\left[\left(\dot{\rho_{m}}+\dot{p_{m}}\right)+\frac{5\dot{a}}{a}\left(\rho_{m}+p_{m}\right)\right]\theta_{m}+\frac{\nabla^{2}\delta\,p_{m}}{a^{2}} &=& 0,\\
\dot{\delta \rho_{c}}+\frac{3\dot{a}}{a}\left(\delta\rho_{c}+\delta\,p_{c}\right)+\left(\rho_{c}+p_{c}\right)\left(\theta_{c}-\frac{\dot{h}}{2}\right) &=& 0,\\
\left(\rho_{c}+p_{c}\right)\dot{\theta_{c}}+\left[\left(\dot{\rho_{c}}+\dot{p_{c}}\right)+\frac{5\dot{a}}{a}\left(\rho_{c}+p_{c}\right)\right]\theta_{c}+\frac{\nabla^{2}\delta\,p_{c}}{a^{2}} &=& 0,\\
\dot{\delta \rho_{r}}+\frac{3\dot{a}}{a}\left(\delta\rho_{r}+\delta\,p_{r}\right)+\left(\rho_{r}+p_{r}\right)\left(\theta_{r}-\frac{\dot{h}}{2}\right) &=& 0,\\
\left(\rho_{r}+p_{r}\right)\dot{\theta_{r}}+\left[\left(\dot{\rho_{r}}+\dot{p_{r}}\right)+\frac{5\dot{a}}{a}\left(\rho_{r}+p_{r}\right)\right]\theta_{r}+\frac{\nabla^{2}\delta\,p_{r}}{a^{2}} &=& 0 \ ,
\end{eqnarray}
with $\theta_{m} = \delta u_{m,i}^{i}$, $\theta_{c} = \delta u_{c,i}^{i}$ and $\theta_{r} = \delta u_{r,i}^{i}$.
\par
With the definitions
\begin{eqnarray}
h(a) &=& \left(\bar{A}+\frac{1-\bar{A}}{a^{3\left(1+\alpha\right)}}\right)^{\frac{1}{1+\alpha}},\\
\Omega_{c}(a) &=& \Omega_{c0}h(a),\\
w(a)&=& -\frac{\bar{A}}{\left[h\left(a\right)\right]^{1+\alpha}},\\
v^{2}_{s}(a) &=& -\alpha w(a),\\
g(a)= \ddot a &=& -\frac{\Omega_{m0}}{2a^{2}}-\frac{\Omega_{c}\left(a\right)\left[1+3w\left(a\right)\right]}{2}-\frac{\Omega_{r0}}{a^{3}},\\
f(a)= \dot a^2 &=& -\frac{\Omega_{m0}}{a}-\Omega_{c}\left(a\right)+\frac{\Omega_{r0}}{a^{2}},
\end{eqnarray}
the set of first-order equations becomes
\begin{eqnarray}
\delta^{\prime\prime}+\left(\frac{g(a)}{f(a)}+\frac{2}{a}\right)\delta^{\prime}
-\frac{3\Omega_{m0}}{2a^{3}f(a)}\delta = \frac{3\Omega_{c}(a)}{2f(a)}\lambda\left[1+3v_{s}^{2}(a)\right]&+&\frac{3\Omega_{r0}}{a^{4}f(a)}\delta_{r}(a);
\\
\lambda^{\prime}+\frac{3}{a}\left[v_{s}\left(a\right)-w\left(a\right)\right]\lambda(a)+
\left(1+w(a)\right)\left[\frac{\theta_{c}(a)}{\sqrt{f(a)}}-\delta^{\prime}\right] &=& 0;\\
(1+w(a))\left[\theta_{c}^{\prime}+\frac{\left[2-3v_{s}^{2}(a)\right]}{a}\theta_{c}\right] &=&v^{2}_{s}(a)\left(\frac{k}{k_{0}}\right)^{2}\frac{\lambda}{\sqrt{f(a)}a^{2}};\\
\delta_{r}^{\prime}+\frac{4}{3}\left(\frac{\theta_{r}}{\sqrt{f}}-\delta^{\prime}\right) &=& 0;\\
\theta_{r}^{\prime}+\frac{\theta_r}{a} &=& \left(\frac{k}{k_{0}}\right)^{2}\frac{\delta_{r}}{4f(a)a^{2}}\ ,
\end{eqnarray}
where
\begin{equation}
\delta \equiv \frac{\delta\rho_{m}}{\rho_{m}}\ , \quad \lambda \equiv \frac{\delta\rho_{c}}{\rho_{c}}\ ,\quad\delta_{r} \equiv \frac{\delta\rho_{r}}{\rho_{r}}
\
\label{}
\end{equation}
and $k_{0}^{-1}=3000\,h\,Mpc$.

\section{Bayesian analysis}

The matter power spectrum is defined by
\begin{equation}
{\cal P} = \delta_k^2 \quad ,
\end{equation}
where $\delta_k$ is the Fourier transform of the dimensionless density
contrast $\delta$. We will constrain the free parameters using the quantity
\begin{equation}
\chi^2 = \sum_i\biggr(\frac{{\cal P}_i^o - {\cal P}_i^t}{\sigma_i}\biggl)^2
\quad ,
\label{chi}
\end{equation}
where ${\cal P}_i^o$ is the observational value for the power
spectrum, ${\cal P}_i^t$ is the corresponding theoretical result and
$\sigma_i$ denotes the error bar. The index $i$ refers to a measurement
corresponding to given wavenumber. The quantity (\ref{chi}) qualifies
the fitting of the observational data for a given theoretical
model with specific values of the free parameters.
Hence, $\chi^2$ is a function of the free parameters
of the model. The probability distribution function is then
defined as
\begin{equation}
F(x_n) = F_0\,e^{-\chi^2(x_n)/2} \quad ,
\end{equation}
where the $x_n$ denote the ensemble of free parameters and $F_0$
is a normalization constant.
In order to obtain an estimation for a given parameter one has to
integrate (marginalize) over all the other ones. For a more
detailed description of this statistical analysis see Ref.
\cite{colistete}.
In the evaluation of the probability distribution, we will use the total $\chi^2$.
With the prior of a spatially flat universe, the analysis has to take into account three free parameters: $\alpha$, $\Omega_{m0}$ and $\bar A$
(or equivalently $\Omega_{dm0}$) and $\bar{A}$).
As already mentioned, we will consider three cases. For case (i), the unified model, the fraction $\Omega_{m0}$ is fixed to $\Omega_{m0} = \Omega_{b0} = 0.043$ and there are only two free parameters, $\alpha$ and $\bar A$. The PDFs are
visualized in figure \ref{unific}. The upper left and central panels show the two-dimensional PDF for $\bar A$ and $\alpha$ for different ranges of $\alpha$. The lighter the color the higher the probability. In the upper right panel the one-dimensional PDF for $\bar{A}$ is depicted. It has maxima close to zero and close to unity. Recall that $\bar A = 0$ means a pressureless medium while $\bar A = 1$ corresponds to a cosmological constant for any value of $\alpha$. Both lower panels show the one-dimensional PDFs for different ranges of $\alpha$. There is a maximum at $\alpha = 0$ which, in the background, corresponds to the $\Lambda$CDM model. Also values $\alpha > 2$ have a high probability. This feature is both in agreement with a previous gauge-invariant perturbation analysis \cite{starobinsky} and with our simplified Newtonian model \cite{neo}.
The more surprising result, however, is the existence of a maximum at very large values of $\alpha$, as can be seen in the lower right panel of figure \ref{unific}. This backs up an independent study of the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect \cite{piattella} with values of $\alpha$ up to $350$. Here, we obtain a maximum for $\alpha = 240$.

Case (ii) is the original Chaplygin gas with $\alpha = 1$ and we have two free parameters as well, $\Omega_{m0}$ and $\bar A$. The results of the statistical analysis are visualized in figure \ref{2pmChap}. In the left panel the two-dimensional PDF for $\Omega_{m0}$ and $\bar A$ and $\alpha$ is seen. The lighter the color the higher the probability. The center panel shows the one-dimensional PDF for $\bar A$. It is maximal near $\bar A = 1$. The right panel depicts the one-dimensional PDF for $\Omega_{m0}$. It is maximal around $\Omega_{m0} \sim 0.95$, a value close to unity, i.e., much larger than the baryon fraction.
According to our criterion, the unified model is clearly disfavored, since the GCG fraction is of the order of $5\%$.

In case (iii) all the three parameters $\alpha$, $\Omega_{m0}$ and $\bar A$ are left free. The two-dimensional PDFs for all binary combinations are shown in figure \ref{PDF2}, the one-dimensional PDFs in figure \ref{PDF1}.
Again, the maximum value of $\Omega_{m0}$ is close to unity, confirming the result of case (ii) according to which the contribution of the GCG component is almost negligible.
The behavior of $\alpha$ is similar to that of the unified model of case (i), although this result is less important here since the GCG is subdominant.
\par
We remark that a more detailed, quantitative estimation for the parameters of the model is doubtful due to the existence of different regions
of high probability implying that the one-dimensional PDF is not gaussian.

\section{Conclusions}

Our fully relativistic analysis corroborates the results that were previously obtained within a simplified Newtonian analysis \cite{neo}. As in the Newtonian case, the PDF of $\bar A$ is sensitive to the number of free parameters considered.
For $\alpha$ there are two regions of high probability: one region near zero and a second one for $\alpha \approx 240$. Although the existence of this second region comes as a surprise and represents a new result compared with \cite{neo}, it confirms an entirely independent investigation, using the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect \cite{piattella}.
The probability distribution for $\Omega_{m0}$ is essentially the same as in the Newtonian case: a universe with negligible
Chaplygin gas component is favored. In fact, our analysis of the large-scale structure data from the 2dFGRS,  taken separately, does not favor an accelerating universe. This is in striking contrast to the results for the homogeneous and isotropic background on the basis of the supernova data \cite{colistete}.
This may imply that the Chaplygin gas model should be discarded. But on the other hand it is well known (see also \cite{neo}), that the matter power spectrum generally does not sufficiently constrain the dark energy component. Further studies, in particular the crossing with other, independent tests are desirable to assess the status of Chaplygin-gas cosmologies.

\begin{center}
\begin{figure}[!t]
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{2pmUni1}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{2pmUni2}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{2pmUniA}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{2pmUnialpha0}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{2pmUnialpha240}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\caption{{\protect\footnotesize PDFs for the unification scenario ($\Omega_{m0} = \Omega_{b0} =0.043$).
}}
\label{unific}
\end{figure}
\end{center}

\begin{center}
\begin{figure}[!t]
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{OrigChaplygin2D}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{OrigChaplyginA}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.3\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{OrigChaplyginOmega}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\caption{{\protect\footnotesize PDFs for the original Chaplygin gas case $\alpha=1$). The point in the figure in the left indicates
the maximum in the two-dimensional distribution.
}}
\label{2pmChap}
\end{figure}
\end{center}

\begin{center}
\begin{figure}[!t]
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.32\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{3pmOmegaversusalpha.eps}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.32\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{3pmAversusalpha.eps}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.32\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{3pmOmegaversusA.eps}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\caption{{\protect\footnotesize Two-dimensional probability distribution for the different combinations of
the parameters $\alpha$, $\Omega_{dm0}$ and $\bar A$.
}}
\label{PDF2}
\end{figure}
\end{center}

\begin{center}
\begin{figure}[!t]
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.38\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{3pmalpha.eps}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.4\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{3pmalpha230.eps}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.38\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{3pmA.eps}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\begin{minipage}[t]{0.38\linewidth}
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{3pmOmega.eps}
\end{minipage} \hfill
\caption{{\protect\footnotesize One-dimensional probability distribution for $\alpha$, $\Omega_{dm0}$ and $\bar A$.}}
\label{PDF1}
\end{figure}
\end{center}

\par
\noindent
{\bf Acknoweledgments}: We thank CNPq (Brazil) and FAPES (Brazil) for partial financial support. H.E.S.V. thanks for the kind
hospitality of the theoretical physics group at the Universit\"at Bielefeld, Germany, during the elaboration of
this work, and the DAAD (Germany) for financial support.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
January 28, 2014 February 24, 2014 Amy
How does one describe Pete Seeger?
I met Pete once, in 2008. I was working hospitality for a show in New Hampshire in which he played with Guy Davis and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger. My interaction with Pete was limited, but entirely memorable. He was in constant storyteller/historian mode. I met him in the wings of the stage, just after sound check. He walked over, we shook hands and I introduced myself, trying to keep cool. I mean, PETE SEEGER. I needn't have worried as he was engaging and friendly without hesitation. I think he might have actually even introduced himself to me in case, you know, I didn't know who he was. He then noticed the wall behind me, which was covered in writing, little anecdotes and notes and thoughts left behind by previous performers. Pete went right into a story about the oral history nature of these sorts of walls and places. Later on in the green room, I listened in for a few moments as he recounted more stories, more history to Guy Davis. In his late 80s then, Pete was very much sharp as a tack, and the treasure trove of information collected in his mind was clearly unparalleled. (some photos from this show are over on my photomonk.com site)
Pete will always be about as much of a musical treasure as anyone could be. His songs are so ubiquitous, so woven into the aural landscape, that they are almost anonymously indelible. Dar Williams recounts in concert about talking to Pete about "If I Had a Hammer", and he would readily and easily credit Peter, Paul, and Mary for taking the song to the next level, almost as if he had no hand in it at all. Pete was the channel, and he celebrated the many varied lives that his songs and arrangements would take on as they moved through the world. There may be no one else who could claim a span of generations and a musical journey that saw so much, played for the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama (among SO many others), and inspired so many people around the world.
My own favorite Pete Seeger song is probably "The Song of the World's Last Whale," being that I am a big fan of whales. Written in 1970, it was only recorded by Pete relatively recently, on At 89. It's a more obscure song in his catalog, as a result of its newness.
He had at least a hand in so many of the great songs we still sing, and will sing for generations to come. He may have considered himself merely an outlet for them, releasing them into the world to grow, change, be shared, to be sung and re-sung over and over again, but without him, the world would have had a little less justice, and a little less voice. Much will be written about Pete, and you can get a good sense of his history from this article in the New York Times: Pete Seeger, Songwriter and Champion of Folk Music, Dies at 94. Another good read is Pete Seeger: This Man Surrounded Hate and Forced It to Surrender from The Nation. I think it is worth picking up any of his CDs, but I also recommend some of those where others sing his songs: Where Have All the Flowers Gone, The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol 1; If I Had A Song: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol 2; Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol 3; and of course, Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.
This long and lanky guy who most often played a long and lanky 5 string banjo is irreplaceable, but the inspiration he leaves to generations of listeners and musicians alike to change the world one note, one word, one song, one action at a time will ensure the immortality of this gentle giant. "I think the world is going to be saved by millions of small things." – PS.
RIP, Pete, 1919-2014. I hope you and your beloved wife, Toshi, have reunited somewhere out there to keep the love going strong. Thanks for all of the stories and the songs. May we all now find our own voices and machines to lift up, to surround hate, and to force it to surrender. The best way we can honor Pete is to keep working to change the world into the place of peace and justice that he always knew it could be.
This entry was posted in general musings and tagged Dar Williams, Guy Davis, Pete Seeger, Peter Paul and Mary, Tao Rodrriguez-Seeger. Bookmark the permalink.
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2 thoughts on "Remembering Pete Seeger"
Jon on January 31, 2014
Great tribute! Thank you for writing such a wonderful piece.
Amy on January 31, 2014


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