Saturday afternoon, a light mist on Bank Street in downtown New London was just persistent enough to present a mosquito-like annoyance factor. The brightly lit Hygienic Art Galleries, though, offered the promise of shelter - along with a welcome and day-glo plethora of pieces from the new "Whalers & Lancers" exhibition.
The seventh annual show features works in a variety of mediums from art students at both Waterford and New London High Schools.
The opening reception took place Friday evening, and A. Vincent Scarano, the president of Hygienic Art, estimated about 500 students, parents and assorted art-enthusiasts attended.
"It was a very diverse and enthusiastic crowd," Scarano said. "You could tell the kids were proud and excited. They should be. There's some wonderful stuff here, and this gives them an actual gallery exhibition experience."
Both of the ground-level rooms in the gallery were full of pieces roughly arranged into sections featuring pottery and sculpture, photographs, and drawings and paintings.
The subject matter varied expansively. There are plenty of land- and seascapes, portraiture, and expressions ranging from abstract to realism. Various pieces seem to reflect themes of autumn - possibly because much of the student work was done in the fall semester.
There are also indications of the influence of popular culture with respective allusions to music such as Deadmau5 and Skillet as well as the television series "Pretty Little Liars."
For most of Saturday, attendance at the show was scarce and void of student artists - which was perhaps not surprising given the large turnout at the reception.
But those who did wander through were impressed by variety of disciplines and the skill level.
Jack Shackles, a pastor at Taftville Congregational Church, was walking in downtown New London and, seeing some of the art through the window, came in to see the exhibition.
"It's always encouraging to see students express themselves, and some of these pieces show a lot of talent," he said. "The technique and perspective, the humor and movement ... it's good stuff. It also helps show you the world through (the students') eyes. I also think it's really nice of the gallery to encourage them and give them space."
Scarano said that's the whole idea. "This is a professional art gallery as opposed to a classroom wall," he said. "Being an artist is like being in a band. You can rehearse in the garage all you want - and you should - but eventually you've got to play that first gig. This show is a gig experience for the students. It gives them that sense of pride, and it gives their families a sense of pride."
There is also the aspect that much of the work on display is for sale. Visitor Bud Bray, a resident of New London who studied the exhibition in leisurely but comprehensive fashion, said he was drawn immediately to an untitled crayon piece by New London High School student Austin Clay - and was dismayed to learn it had already been sold.
"If you want to be a professional artist, you've got to realize that there is a business side of art as well as the creative side," he said. "That's another great thing about not just this show but how the art departments at these schools operate today. The kids learn about the process of the business and how to price art work even as they learn technique."
A "Celebration of Life" for Armond "Army" Kirschbaum will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Blue-Hollomon Gallery, 3555 Arctic Blvd. We previously noted his passing, at age 89, on Dec. 4, 2012, but this seems a good time to revisit some of his accomplishments, with information supplied by his family and friends.
Born in San Francisco March 25, 1923, he spent summers in Nome with his mother and stepfather who ran a trading post. He enlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served as a Seabee. After the war, he attended the San Francisco Art Institute on the GI bill, studying what was then called commercial art and is now known as graphic design.
He came to Anchorage in 1948, according to a Daily News interview in 1981. He told the reporter that he found five little theater groups and a symphony orchestra, but "there was nothing, nothing going on" in the visual arts.
He opened an advertising business with a strong commercial art component and sold art supplies to people who would become the core of the town's visual art community, like William Kimura and Alex Combs, well before they were actually making money from their art. He expanded his business to include a gallery and showed the work of Rie Munoz, Keith Appel, Bill Sabo and Pat Austin. He was instrumental in forming the Alaska Artists Guild.
He served on the Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum Commission, on the boards of the Alaska Watercolor Society and was a founding member of the Anchorage Lions Club.
As an artist, Kirschbaum produced paintings and murals, including some of the prominent pieces at the Hotel Captain Cook. When the city of Anchorage merged with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough, he created the seal for the new municipality.
Some said they had known him and the picture included with the article was not of him; others who knew him said it certainly was.
It didn't take long for folks with connections to the old homesteading community at the head of Kachemak Bay to get word to his grandson, Ron Wieber, and we connected by phone early last week. Wieber told me that the "old man's" name was properly spelled Alvia Mattox and that he was best known as "Matt." He was born in 1879 in Buffalo, Wyo., and was working at the Turkey Track Cattle Company there at the turn of the century.
It was a wild and woolly place, Wieber said. "He told me how he encountered a sheep herder one time and they shot it out. He wound up with a bullet in his back that he carried to his grave."
He came to Alaska to work in the gold fields in Nome, Wieber said, and accumulated enough of a stake to fund his ranching efforts in the Homer area. That would not have been during the first Nome gold rush, however, since the 1910 census shows him still living in Wyoming and the 1930 census has him living in Unalaska -- herding sheep. Wieber thought Mattox's Nome years were in the '30s.
2013年1月13日星期日
2013年1月10日星期四
Mong Ha contract dispute renews doubts on quality of public housing
Twenty people from the construction material suppliers and the sub-contractor that built part of the facilities of Phase 2 of the affordable housing estate of Mong Ha staged another demonstration outside the construction site yesterday, delivering a petition demanding the outstanding payment of MOP40m that the contractor allegedly owes them. But the contractor denied the allegation, prompting new doubts on the quality of public housing estates after Phase 1 of Mong Ha was found to have massive peeling of its tile covering earlier this month.
The group of suppliers and the sub-contractor staged a rally outside Mong Ha’s construction site on the road of Rua de Francisco Xavier Pereira in the northern district, requesting an intervention by the government to help them claim back the MOP40m. Police was standing by at the scene.
But the contractor told the broadcaster they terminated the contract with the sub-contractor due to the sub-contractor’s low construction and management skills. The contractor also filed a lawsuit against the subcontractor for document forgery, and denied owing the sub-contractor any outstanding remuneration after an earlier payment of MOP62m had settled all due charges. The company was quoted as saying that the dispute would not affect the quality of the Mong Ha public housing estate. Mong Ha’s Mong Sin Building was found to have tiles falling from walls on several floors into public areas, prompting debate on whether construction quality was sacrificed for a timely completion of the public housing units the government promised.
Regarding the Sin Fong Garden building that was evacuated last October due to structural problems, the Government is calling for cooperation by Sin Fong shop owners, and posted notices outside shops on the ground floor of the building. The notice says shop owners have a legal obligation to allow government workers inside their premises to carry out reinforcement works intended to prop-up the demised structure, which was found to be suffering from large cracks in the walls, as well as distorted main pillars, prompting fears of a building collapse.
According to TDM’s report, the owners refused entry of workers after the government granted urgent housing allowances for residents in the building, before the authority claim back the money from the party/parties responsible for the problem. An investigation report initiated by the government is entering its final stage, and will likely pave the way to compensation claims against the party/parties responsible for the exodus affecting hundreds of residents.
But the shop owners on the ground floor were not given the same subsidy, expressing fears that they might not be able to independently claim their losses against the responsible party/parties. The owners have sent petition letters to the Chief Executive requesting assistance. The government also published a press release on Wednesday calling for cooperation among shop owners, as the reinforcement works on the ground floor are crucial in ensuring the building is protected from possible collapse.
In 2001, Tod and I lived above Carnegie Hall. Most New Yorkers at the time didn't know there were residential studios in a tower on top of the building. Our rent was too good to be true, and soon we heard rumors that the hall was going to evict tenants to convert the studios into rehearsal space. The buzz motivated us to buy a safety apartment—just in case.
Our architectural practice was taking off, and we wanted to live on top of a building—for the sunlight and view. We looked at penthouses and fell in love with an awful one on Central Park South—just blocks from our office. The building's owner had mounted it on the roof in the '60s, and the interior was a wreck—shag carpeting and gold-veined smoked mirror tiles on the walls and ceiling. But being able to see the park from the 22nd floor and the silence won us over.
When we closed on the space in 2001, Tod and I thought we were buying an apartment—but we wound up with a construction site. We tore down the structure and put up a 16-by-30-foot glass box. Now when you walk in the front door, you enter another world. There are 9-foot floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, a wood-paneled kitchen, a tiny bedroom just big enough for a bed, and a bathroom with a tub that looks out to the view. The penthouse became our glamour pad—like a quiet place in the country.
In 2008, we received a formal eviction letter from Carnegie Hall. That's when Tod and I realized our glass penthouse wasn't going to work as a primary residence. We couldn't move our art collection and books there. The space was too small, and the walls were all glass. We talked briefly about selling, but we loved the penthouse too much. Instead, we decided to look for a second apartment—a simple place for our life stuff.
We had always been fond of an unusual 10-story building on the Upper West Side. It was built in 1915 as a cooperative—housing residences and artists' lofts on opposite sides of the same floors. In some ways the layout had the same spirit as the Carnegie Hall studios. Apartments with double-height living spaces were all taken, but we found a duplex that was 15 feet wide by 28 feet long on the first level and a little larger on the second.
We gutted both levels and painted the entire interior white—including the wood floors—to brighten the space and make it feel larger. We created three different zones on the first level—a galley kitchen, a dining area and living space—by designing a continuous series of elevated platforms. We unified all three with a 13-foot-long white marble countertop.
When you enter the duplex, you are immediately in the kitchen galley. Next you step up to a platform where you can sit on stools and dine at the counter. Then you walk up two steps to sit in the living area. That final elevation allowed the back of our long sofa to meet the base of the apartment's original 20-foot-high studio window, which continues up to the second level.
Upstairs, you arrive at a living area with a flat-screen TV and sofas. We wanted a quiet wall for the hall connecting the living area to our bedroom, so we created floor-to-ceiling panels of etched Bendheim glass with mirrors behind them. The mirrors reflect light into the etched glass, producing a greenish, satiny wall surface.
Tod and I have been married since 1983 and we're together all the time—at work and at our two apartments. I suppose we've never had a big enough fight for us to spend time separately in the two homes. When we're at the duplex, Tod prefers to be upstairs watching sports. I like being downstairs—near the bookcases and the food.
We also spend a lot of time looking at our art, which includes photography by Rachel Perry Welty, a small sculpture by Mark di Suvero and mixed media by El Anatsui. Art isn't fraught, and we'd rather be indirectly inspired by our collection than directly stimulated by other works of architecture in books.
The group of suppliers and the sub-contractor staged a rally outside Mong Ha’s construction site on the road of Rua de Francisco Xavier Pereira in the northern district, requesting an intervention by the government to help them claim back the MOP40m. Police was standing by at the scene.
But the contractor told the broadcaster they terminated the contract with the sub-contractor due to the sub-contractor’s low construction and management skills. The contractor also filed a lawsuit against the subcontractor for document forgery, and denied owing the sub-contractor any outstanding remuneration after an earlier payment of MOP62m had settled all due charges. The company was quoted as saying that the dispute would not affect the quality of the Mong Ha public housing estate. Mong Ha’s Mong Sin Building was found to have tiles falling from walls on several floors into public areas, prompting debate on whether construction quality was sacrificed for a timely completion of the public housing units the government promised.
Regarding the Sin Fong Garden building that was evacuated last October due to structural problems, the Government is calling for cooperation by Sin Fong shop owners, and posted notices outside shops on the ground floor of the building. The notice says shop owners have a legal obligation to allow government workers inside their premises to carry out reinforcement works intended to prop-up the demised structure, which was found to be suffering from large cracks in the walls, as well as distorted main pillars, prompting fears of a building collapse.
According to TDM’s report, the owners refused entry of workers after the government granted urgent housing allowances for residents in the building, before the authority claim back the money from the party/parties responsible for the problem. An investigation report initiated by the government is entering its final stage, and will likely pave the way to compensation claims against the party/parties responsible for the exodus affecting hundreds of residents.
But the shop owners on the ground floor were not given the same subsidy, expressing fears that they might not be able to independently claim their losses against the responsible party/parties. The owners have sent petition letters to the Chief Executive requesting assistance. The government also published a press release on Wednesday calling for cooperation among shop owners, as the reinforcement works on the ground floor are crucial in ensuring the building is protected from possible collapse.
In 2001, Tod and I lived above Carnegie Hall. Most New Yorkers at the time didn't know there were residential studios in a tower on top of the building. Our rent was too good to be true, and soon we heard rumors that the hall was going to evict tenants to convert the studios into rehearsal space. The buzz motivated us to buy a safety apartment—just in case.
Our architectural practice was taking off, and we wanted to live on top of a building—for the sunlight and view. We looked at penthouses and fell in love with an awful one on Central Park South—just blocks from our office. The building's owner had mounted it on the roof in the '60s, and the interior was a wreck—shag carpeting and gold-veined smoked mirror tiles on the walls and ceiling. But being able to see the park from the 22nd floor and the silence won us over.
When we closed on the space in 2001, Tod and I thought we were buying an apartment—but we wound up with a construction site. We tore down the structure and put up a 16-by-30-foot glass box. Now when you walk in the front door, you enter another world. There are 9-foot floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides, a wood-paneled kitchen, a tiny bedroom just big enough for a bed, and a bathroom with a tub that looks out to the view. The penthouse became our glamour pad—like a quiet place in the country.
In 2008, we received a formal eviction letter from Carnegie Hall. That's when Tod and I realized our glass penthouse wasn't going to work as a primary residence. We couldn't move our art collection and books there. The space was too small, and the walls were all glass. We talked briefly about selling, but we loved the penthouse too much. Instead, we decided to look for a second apartment—a simple place for our life stuff.
We had always been fond of an unusual 10-story building on the Upper West Side. It was built in 1915 as a cooperative—housing residences and artists' lofts on opposite sides of the same floors. In some ways the layout had the same spirit as the Carnegie Hall studios. Apartments with double-height living spaces were all taken, but we found a duplex that was 15 feet wide by 28 feet long on the first level and a little larger on the second.
We gutted both levels and painted the entire interior white—including the wood floors—to brighten the space and make it feel larger. We created three different zones on the first level—a galley kitchen, a dining area and living space—by designing a continuous series of elevated platforms. We unified all three with a 13-foot-long white marble countertop.
When you enter the duplex, you are immediately in the kitchen galley. Next you step up to a platform where you can sit on stools and dine at the counter. Then you walk up two steps to sit in the living area. That final elevation allowed the back of our long sofa to meet the base of the apartment's original 20-foot-high studio window, which continues up to the second level.
Upstairs, you arrive at a living area with a flat-screen TV and sofas. We wanted a quiet wall for the hall connecting the living area to our bedroom, so we created floor-to-ceiling panels of etched Bendheim glass with mirrors behind them. The mirrors reflect light into the etched glass, producing a greenish, satiny wall surface.
Tod and I have been married since 1983 and we're together all the time—at work and at our two apartments. I suppose we've never had a big enough fight for us to spend time separately in the two homes. When we're at the duplex, Tod prefers to be upstairs watching sports. I like being downstairs—near the bookcases and the food.
We also spend a lot of time looking at our art, which includes photography by Rachel Perry Welty, a small sculpture by Mark di Suvero and mixed media by El Anatsui. Art isn't fraught, and we'd rather be indirectly inspired by our collection than directly stimulated by other works of architecture in books.
Texas artist due in court for defacing Picasso painting
Uriel Landeros is expected to face two felony charges of criminal mischief and felony graffiti. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Landeros, 22, a University of Houston student originally from South Texas, fled last summer after he was caught on a cellphone video by a fellow museum patron spray-painting a stencil of a bullfighter killing a bull and the word "conquista" -- Spanish for "conquered" -- on Picasso's "Woman in a Red Armchair" at Houston’s Menil Collection on June 13.
Landeros crossed back into the U.S. on Tuesday via a border bridge in the city of McAllen and surrendered to a U.S. marshal, according to Sara Marie Kinney, a spokeswoman for the Harris County district attorney's office. His case was still being processed Thursday, and he wasn't expected in Harris County court until next week, according to his attorney, Emily Detoto.
Detoto said she planned to waive extradition, speeding Landeros' return to Houston. Once he's back, Detoto said she plans to seek his release on bond, because he no longer poses a flight risk.
“He turned himself in. How clandestine of a fugitive was he if he was giving news interviews and posting on Facebook?” she said.
It’s not clear how Landeros plans to respond to the charges, especially because he left a trail of evidence on social media, including incriminating images and a video statement posted on YouTube in August.
"I did this to turn heads, to raise awareness to the world," he said in the video, appearing shirtless and in sunglasses in front of a white backdrop. "My intention was never to destroy Pablo's painting, or to insult the Menil."
His attorney said Landeros made many of the statements before his family hired her.
“Had he known he had a lawyer, I would have discouraged him from speaking to the media. He’s a young kid and I don’t think he realized anything he said could be used against him,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “It doesn’t make the case impossible -- it just makes it more difficult.”
The museum's director, Josef Helfenstein, released a statement to The Times on Thursday condemning the graffiti.
"An act of vandalism against one museum is an attack on all museums and violates the trust that we hold with the public," he said. "We are pleased that the legal authorities are able to move forward in prosecuting this serious crime."
The 1929 masterpiece, oil on canvas, has since been restored at a conservation lab on site and will be displayed again soon, according to Vance Muse, a spokesman for the Menil, who called the painting priceless.
"It is in very good shape -- the prognosis is excellent," Muse told The Times.
Landeros posted photos of the defaced Picasso on his Facebook page, “I have Picasso's soul in my hand,” tweeted the graffiti phrase “la bestia se conquista” and “The revolutionary artist does not create art that can easily become a commodity; his [sic] transgresses the boundaries of political mediocrity.”
“My intention is to give a voice to all those who go unheard of, all those people who get pushed around by their goverment [sic], all those people of the OCCUPY MOVEMENT who protest the streets and the goverment ignores,” Landeros wrote on Facebook. “REMEMBER, when the people fear their goverment that is tyranny, when the goverment fears the people that is freedom. We are legion, We do not forgive, We do not forget, expect us.”
Electrolux, with more than 3,300 workers and the county’s largest employer, completed a significant expansion in 2012 which added 20,000 square feet of research and development space and testing labs to support the company’s new operation in Memphis.
Macy’s Logistics, Martinrea Fabco and Tate Ornamental have also seen physical and employment expansions, says Margot Fosnes, president and chief economic development officer for the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce.
Two new industries relocated to Robertson County in the past 18 months along the I-65 corridor between Portland and Orlinda. Kyowa America, a plastic injection molding supplier for Toyota, relocated from Pennsylvania. FWE Corp., a maker of food-warming equipment for the restaurant industry, moved from Chicago. Together, they will bring nearly 300 jobs to the area, she says.
“Our population grew more than 20 percent in the last decade, among the top 10 counties in the state, and we believe that the combination of lower costs, convenience to Nashville and the appeal of our ‘small-town’ communities will attract a larger share of the region’s growth in the next decade,” Fosnes says.
“On the business side, as our population grows to hit market targets, more retailers will be looking to locate in either the Springfield-Greenbrier corridor or the White House area,” she says.
Springfield and White House have attracted new retail and restaurant business, mostly through remodeling of existing space. Jet’s Pizza, Zaxby’s, Berry D-Lite, Waffle House, Burkes Outlet, and several medical clinics have located in the Springfield and White House areas. The Springfield Kroger is looking at an expansion. Three of the county’s four car dealerships underwent significant remodeling and upgrading of showroom space in 2012, she says.
Highland Crest College Campus, a collaborative project involving the city of Springfield, Robertson County, NorthCrest Medical Center and private donors, which opened in the fall of 2011, continues to exceed enrollment expectations.
Classes from Volunteer State Community College and Austin Peay State University are being offered, bringing a college education within reach for Robertson County residents who might be unable to afford the time or cost of attending another school, Fosnes says.
Landeros, 22, a University of Houston student originally from South Texas, fled last summer after he was caught on a cellphone video by a fellow museum patron spray-painting a stencil of a bullfighter killing a bull and the word "conquista" -- Spanish for "conquered" -- on Picasso's "Woman in a Red Armchair" at Houston’s Menil Collection on June 13.
Landeros crossed back into the U.S. on Tuesday via a border bridge in the city of McAllen and surrendered to a U.S. marshal, according to Sara Marie Kinney, a spokeswoman for the Harris County district attorney's office. His case was still being processed Thursday, and he wasn't expected in Harris County court until next week, according to his attorney, Emily Detoto.
Detoto said she planned to waive extradition, speeding Landeros' return to Houston. Once he's back, Detoto said she plans to seek his release on bond, because he no longer poses a flight risk.
“He turned himself in. How clandestine of a fugitive was he if he was giving news interviews and posting on Facebook?” she said.
It’s not clear how Landeros plans to respond to the charges, especially because he left a trail of evidence on social media, including incriminating images and a video statement posted on YouTube in August.
"I did this to turn heads, to raise awareness to the world," he said in the video, appearing shirtless and in sunglasses in front of a white backdrop. "My intention was never to destroy Pablo's painting, or to insult the Menil."
His attorney said Landeros made many of the statements before his family hired her.
“Had he known he had a lawyer, I would have discouraged him from speaking to the media. He’s a young kid and I don’t think he realized anything he said could be used against him,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “It doesn’t make the case impossible -- it just makes it more difficult.”
The museum's director, Josef Helfenstein, released a statement to The Times on Thursday condemning the graffiti.
"An act of vandalism against one museum is an attack on all museums and violates the trust that we hold with the public," he said. "We are pleased that the legal authorities are able to move forward in prosecuting this serious crime."
The 1929 masterpiece, oil on canvas, has since been restored at a conservation lab on site and will be displayed again soon, according to Vance Muse, a spokesman for the Menil, who called the painting priceless.
"It is in very good shape -- the prognosis is excellent," Muse told The Times.
Landeros posted photos of the defaced Picasso on his Facebook page, “I have Picasso's soul in my hand,” tweeted the graffiti phrase “la bestia se conquista” and “The revolutionary artist does not create art that can easily become a commodity; his [sic] transgresses the boundaries of political mediocrity.”
“My intention is to give a voice to all those who go unheard of, all those people who get pushed around by their goverment [sic], all those people of the OCCUPY MOVEMENT who protest the streets and the goverment ignores,” Landeros wrote on Facebook. “REMEMBER, when the people fear their goverment that is tyranny, when the goverment fears the people that is freedom. We are legion, We do not forgive, We do not forget, expect us.”
Electrolux, with more than 3,300 workers and the county’s largest employer, completed a significant expansion in 2012 which added 20,000 square feet of research and development space and testing labs to support the company’s new operation in Memphis.
Macy’s Logistics, Martinrea Fabco and Tate Ornamental have also seen physical and employment expansions, says Margot Fosnes, president and chief economic development officer for the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce.
Two new industries relocated to Robertson County in the past 18 months along the I-65 corridor between Portland and Orlinda. Kyowa America, a plastic injection molding supplier for Toyota, relocated from Pennsylvania. FWE Corp., a maker of food-warming equipment for the restaurant industry, moved from Chicago. Together, they will bring nearly 300 jobs to the area, she says.
“Our population grew more than 20 percent in the last decade, among the top 10 counties in the state, and we believe that the combination of lower costs, convenience to Nashville and the appeal of our ‘small-town’ communities will attract a larger share of the region’s growth in the next decade,” Fosnes says.
“On the business side, as our population grows to hit market targets, more retailers will be looking to locate in either the Springfield-Greenbrier corridor or the White House area,” she says.
Springfield and White House have attracted new retail and restaurant business, mostly through remodeling of existing space. Jet’s Pizza, Zaxby’s, Berry D-Lite, Waffle House, Burkes Outlet, and several medical clinics have located in the Springfield and White House areas. The Springfield Kroger is looking at an expansion. Three of the county’s four car dealerships underwent significant remodeling and upgrading of showroom space in 2012, she says.
Highland Crest College Campus, a collaborative project involving the city of Springfield, Robertson County, NorthCrest Medical Center and private donors, which opened in the fall of 2011, continues to exceed enrollment expectations.
Classes from Volunteer State Community College and Austin Peay State University are being offered, bringing a college education within reach for Robertson County residents who might be unable to afford the time or cost of attending another school, Fosnes says.
2013年1月8日星期二
Free Agent Options at Wide Receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers appear to have holes all over the defensive side of the ball. Safety, corner, pass rusher, depth at tackle, and depth at linebacker are certainly areas that will need addressed. But don’t let a record setting offense in 2012 fool you, the Buccaneers will need to add some key players on offense for next season, as well. A main target will be a starting tight end, as Dallas Clark is unlikely to return, and even if he does he is not the future of the position for Tampa Bay. Once tight end is taken care of, the Buccaneers will need to ensure every position has proper depth, and wide receiver will be a position that will need additional talent to fill a 53 man roster this fall. Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson are extremely talented, and probably the best duo of receivers in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history. But the Buccaneers are an injury or suspension away from the reality of Tiquan Underwood and Chris Owusu seeing numerous snaps on offense. Furthermore, while Underwood is a respectable player, he’s not the best option for a slot receiver/third receiver. His route running isn’t amazing, nor is his chemistry with Josh Freeman. So today, we’ll take a look at some of the wideouts that will be available this offseason for the Buccaneers to bolster the receiving corps.
We’ll start with a much less likely candidate, but one that fits exactly what the Buccaneers need. The diminutive Welker has been a fixture in the potent New England offense for what seems like forever, but it wasn’t long ago that he was fighting for playing time as a special teams player in Miami. The former Texas Tech Red Raider is an elite route runner, very quick and agile, and shows consistent effort, whether blocking, running, or catching. He’s also extremely capable as a punt returner, which is something the Buccaneers will need to consider when pursuing players this offseason. The price is likely far too high for Welker, if he even hits the open market. However, the Buccaneers would easily have the best group of receivers and running backs in the NFL were Welker to come to Tampa Bay.
Edelman is the more likely Patriot wideout to come to Tampa. The former quarterback at Kent State has converted into a reliable target in the Patriots’ passing game, and he has also proven to be a very hard worker on special teams, making impact plays in that phase of the game. He is a good route runner, can make plays once he receives the ball, and has solid athleticism. Edelman caught 21 passes for the Patriots this season, but there is certainly the potential that he is a Wes Welker clone waiting for the right opportunity.
My personal favorite from this list, Amendola is probably more well known for his injury history and accidental assault of an usher than for his ability as a football player, but he’s a hard worker who fits the same mold as Welker. However, Amendola is younger, and has a bit more pure speed which allows him to run more vertical routes, which is valuable considering he usually draws a more favorable defensive matchup. Like the others, Amendola is a punt returner, and while he’d likely not feature there regularly due to his injury prone nature, he could provide a spark when needed. Amendola is also unlikely to hit the open market, but if he does, he would be my choice to join the Buccaneers.
If you like the thought of Avery, you’ll love the thought of Cribbs. Cribbs is an ultra-dynamic athlete who has the speed, agility, and vision in the open field of a Madden player with boosted stats. His route running is superior to Avery, and his special teams impact is elite, rivaling Devin Hester and Leon Washington in terms of return ability. Cribbs is also an option as a wildcat quarterback, which could be an interesting wrinkle for the Buccaneers offense with Doug Martin alongside Cribbs. I would be a huge fan of Cribbs in Tampa, the issues will be his price and availability.
Yes, Cook is technically a tight end. And the Buccaneers could sign him to be a tight end. But his incredible athleticism for the tight end position would make him a viable option to line up as a third receiver option. Cook is tall, athletic, and capable of making the big play. He’s not the most technical player at the moment, but with some work, he could develop into a franchise tight end.
The Chicago Bulls put on perhaps the best interior passing display you'll see by any team all season long. It felt like half the Bulls shot attempts were dunks and layups after four quick passes and poor rotations by the Cavaliers.
The Cavs started off strong, building a 10 point lead through the first quarter largely off the back of C.J. Miles three point shooting. The Bulls looked like they were playing better than the results though as they were flubbing easy opportunities and Cleveland made some tough shots.
After the first quarter, the Bulls generated even easier looks and Cleveland stopped seeing their shots drop, and what started as a big Cleveland lead turned into a near even game at the half and a complete blow out by the end.
Not a bad run for Carlos Boozer who may even be converting a few haters into neutrals. As the crispness of the Bulls passing increases, the value of Carlos Boozer on offense increases. When Boozer is on the move and playing with a little bit of room he can show off his excellent finishing with both hands and variety of moves to score.
When Carlos Boozer gets the ball in isolation and is forced to create space for himself, frequently against more athletic and lengthier defenders, he struggles mightily. Chicago has given Carlos enough room to work with that we see the quick dives through the paint giving him easy shots at the rim, and he's knocking down the open jumper when given space out at the free throw line.
I don't see Carlos Boozer continuing to average 20/10+ for the season, but if the Bulls can keep their ball movement up then we will see a much more dangerous and effective Carlos Boozer.
Taj Gibson also looked strong in the post scoring most of his shots of dunks and layups. He had at least three baskets where he established deep post position and displayed excellent footwork to fight up a shot through the defense and score as well as several straight up open dunks/putbacks.
The Milwaukee Bucks are sitting at .500, and looking at their talent, I'm impressed they've done so well. That said Scott Skiles has apparently reached his shelf life with the team and quit/was fired last night. Jim Boylan will take over as interim coach.
We can now forget about the Bucks making a run at the division.
I'm sure there are a bunch of Bucks fans out there happy that Skiles is gone, and let me say this, it probably was time for Skiles to leave. Once he hit the point where they mutually agreed it was time, then it's probably time. However, your odds of getting a better coach are awfully small, and your interim coach is a train wreck waiting to happen.
Bulls fans around the world feel for you, but we'll likely enjoy playing the Boylan led Bucks on Wednesday.
I don't know how long it will be before Skiles recharges his batteries and looks for another gig, but I hope he doesn't land in Charlotte where he'll find some way to take their players and mold them into at least a .500 team and ruin our slim odds of top draft pick in 2016.
I've long advocated doing whatever it would have taken to get Dwight Howard last season even without a commitment. Well, Howard's out indefinitely with a shoulder injury after playing fairly beneath his standards for most of the year while recovering from a back injury.
Any thoughts of getting much out of Howard this year seem fairly hopeful, and if he left the Bulls after one injury plagued season then they sure would have come out on the losing end of that deal. Of course if he would have stayed, then I'd still take him and hope for the best with the injuries going forward.
Either way, tough break for the Lakers who also lost Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill to injuries. All three players will be out indefinitely, and it looks like the Lakers may have a rough time even making the playoffs. Interesting twist of fate for a team many thought was title worth this season.
We’ll start with a much less likely candidate, but one that fits exactly what the Buccaneers need. The diminutive Welker has been a fixture in the potent New England offense for what seems like forever, but it wasn’t long ago that he was fighting for playing time as a special teams player in Miami. The former Texas Tech Red Raider is an elite route runner, very quick and agile, and shows consistent effort, whether blocking, running, or catching. He’s also extremely capable as a punt returner, which is something the Buccaneers will need to consider when pursuing players this offseason. The price is likely far too high for Welker, if he even hits the open market. However, the Buccaneers would easily have the best group of receivers and running backs in the NFL were Welker to come to Tampa Bay.
Edelman is the more likely Patriot wideout to come to Tampa. The former quarterback at Kent State has converted into a reliable target in the Patriots’ passing game, and he has also proven to be a very hard worker on special teams, making impact plays in that phase of the game. He is a good route runner, can make plays once he receives the ball, and has solid athleticism. Edelman caught 21 passes for the Patriots this season, but there is certainly the potential that he is a Wes Welker clone waiting for the right opportunity.
My personal favorite from this list, Amendola is probably more well known for his injury history and accidental assault of an usher than for his ability as a football player, but he’s a hard worker who fits the same mold as Welker. However, Amendola is younger, and has a bit more pure speed which allows him to run more vertical routes, which is valuable considering he usually draws a more favorable defensive matchup. Like the others, Amendola is a punt returner, and while he’d likely not feature there regularly due to his injury prone nature, he could provide a spark when needed. Amendola is also unlikely to hit the open market, but if he does, he would be my choice to join the Buccaneers.
If you like the thought of Avery, you’ll love the thought of Cribbs. Cribbs is an ultra-dynamic athlete who has the speed, agility, and vision in the open field of a Madden player with boosted stats. His route running is superior to Avery, and his special teams impact is elite, rivaling Devin Hester and Leon Washington in terms of return ability. Cribbs is also an option as a wildcat quarterback, which could be an interesting wrinkle for the Buccaneers offense with Doug Martin alongside Cribbs. I would be a huge fan of Cribbs in Tampa, the issues will be his price and availability.
Yes, Cook is technically a tight end. And the Buccaneers could sign him to be a tight end. But his incredible athleticism for the tight end position would make him a viable option to line up as a third receiver option. Cook is tall, athletic, and capable of making the big play. He’s not the most technical player at the moment, but with some work, he could develop into a franchise tight end.
The Chicago Bulls put on perhaps the best interior passing display you'll see by any team all season long. It felt like half the Bulls shot attempts were dunks and layups after four quick passes and poor rotations by the Cavaliers.
The Cavs started off strong, building a 10 point lead through the first quarter largely off the back of C.J. Miles three point shooting. The Bulls looked like they were playing better than the results though as they were flubbing easy opportunities and Cleveland made some tough shots.
After the first quarter, the Bulls generated even easier looks and Cleveland stopped seeing their shots drop, and what started as a big Cleveland lead turned into a near even game at the half and a complete blow out by the end.
Not a bad run for Carlos Boozer who may even be converting a few haters into neutrals. As the crispness of the Bulls passing increases, the value of Carlos Boozer on offense increases. When Boozer is on the move and playing with a little bit of room he can show off his excellent finishing with both hands and variety of moves to score.
When Carlos Boozer gets the ball in isolation and is forced to create space for himself, frequently against more athletic and lengthier defenders, he struggles mightily. Chicago has given Carlos enough room to work with that we see the quick dives through the paint giving him easy shots at the rim, and he's knocking down the open jumper when given space out at the free throw line.
I don't see Carlos Boozer continuing to average 20/10+ for the season, but if the Bulls can keep their ball movement up then we will see a much more dangerous and effective Carlos Boozer.
Taj Gibson also looked strong in the post scoring most of his shots of dunks and layups. He had at least three baskets where he established deep post position and displayed excellent footwork to fight up a shot through the defense and score as well as several straight up open dunks/putbacks.
The Milwaukee Bucks are sitting at .500, and looking at their talent, I'm impressed they've done so well. That said Scott Skiles has apparently reached his shelf life with the team and quit/was fired last night. Jim Boylan will take over as interim coach.
We can now forget about the Bucks making a run at the division.
I'm sure there are a bunch of Bucks fans out there happy that Skiles is gone, and let me say this, it probably was time for Skiles to leave. Once he hit the point where they mutually agreed it was time, then it's probably time. However, your odds of getting a better coach are awfully small, and your interim coach is a train wreck waiting to happen.
Bulls fans around the world feel for you, but we'll likely enjoy playing the Boylan led Bucks on Wednesday.
I don't know how long it will be before Skiles recharges his batteries and looks for another gig, but I hope he doesn't land in Charlotte where he'll find some way to take their players and mold them into at least a .500 team and ruin our slim odds of top draft pick in 2016.
I've long advocated doing whatever it would have taken to get Dwight Howard last season even without a commitment. Well, Howard's out indefinitely with a shoulder injury after playing fairly beneath his standards for most of the year while recovering from a back injury.
Any thoughts of getting much out of Howard this year seem fairly hopeful, and if he left the Bulls after one injury plagued season then they sure would have come out on the losing end of that deal. Of course if he would have stayed, then I'd still take him and hope for the best with the injuries going forward.
Either way, tough break for the Lakers who also lost Pau Gasol and Jordan Hill to injuries. All three players will be out indefinitely, and it looks like the Lakers may have a rough time even making the playoffs. Interesting twist of fate for a team many thought was title worth this season.
ndia's Muslims are finally breaking free of the mold
IThank God 2012 is finally behind us and we have seemingly survived all those Mayan prophesies and Hollywood scare flicks about the end of the world. It’s a new dawn and that time of the year when everyone is in an expansive mood. There’s something magical in the air. I love the pleasant nip in the air. Even in the dry Middle East, this is a great time to be around.
Oddly, occasions like these leave me depressed. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that another year from one’s life is gone without accomplishing anything worthwhile. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that I spent the New Year night alone before the television while Dubai celebrated as if there’s no tomorrow.
The iconic Burj Khalifa ushered in 2013 with a bang, setting skies ablaze with another spectacular fireworks display, synchronized and choreographed to a live performance by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
A window table at Atmosphere, a restaurant on the 122nd floor of the 2,716-foot tall tower, went for a mere Dh16000 ($4,300). More than 2 billion people around the world tuned in to watch “the biggest fireworks display on the planet,” claim the organizers. Superlative is the norm here. What’s with our obsession with the tallest and biggest? Freud may have an explanation.
Be that as it may, I was one of those few who had other things to watch on the tube like the back-to-back reruns of Seinfeld, the addictive American sitcom to which I have been hooked for years.
During my endless channel surfing I stumbled across a rather interesting roundtable discussion on CNN-IBN. As part of his ‘2012 Bollywood Roundtable,’ Rajeev Masand hosted what he described as four of India’s finest actors – Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. All four of them have not just excelled during the year with some groundbreaking work, they have carved themselves a niche of their own.
The day before, the network had brought together four young writers and filmmakers—Zoya Akhtar, Juhi Chaturvedi, Habib Faisal and Neelesh Mishra—in another program. Again, Masand described four of them as the most influential writers of their generation.
While both programs were a delight to watch, what struck me was their heavy Muslim representation. If superstar Aamir Khan has been the epitome of excellence and perfection for his generation, Irrfan Khan has distinguished himself as an actors’ actor with his stellar performances not just in India but in Hollywood. This despite being born without typical matinee idol looks. Siddiqui, relatively a newcomer, seems to be walking in Irrfan’s footsteps. With his commonplace looks and build, Siddiqui would be instantly lost in Mumbai’s milling crowds if it wasn’t for his extraordinary portrayals.
Similarly, Zoya Akhtar stands out amongst the new age filmmakers and storytellers despite her young years and sparse body of work that includes the refreshing Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and more recent Talaash. Zoya comes from an illustrious family of gifted writers and poets.
If her brother Farhan Akhtar is credited with cult movies like Dil Chahta Hai, her father Javed Akhtar co-scripted some of the greatest films India has produced before turning to poetry. Habib Faisal is another young filmmaker/storyteller who is being keenly watched. With movies like Ishaqzaade and Band Baaja Baaraat, Faisal brings a raw freshness and new grammar of filmmaking to the industry.
Of course, there’s nothing new here. Muslims have always done well in the dream factory that produces the largest number of movies in the world. It’s not just the famous Khans, the reigning superstars in the 100-crore (100 million) club; Muslims have excelled in all areas of the fiercely competitive industry that commands a global market. Indeed, nothing celebrates the diversity of the melting-pot nation as the Mumbai industry does.
The essentially secular nature of the tinsel town, equal opportunities and fair competition--whatever the explanation but Bollywood has been a big success story for Muslims (just as Hollywood has been for the Jews). Not much different from some of those rags-to-riches tales it has portrayed over the years.
And slowly and ever so slightly Muslims are beginning to replicate this success and culture of excellence in other walks of life. If Irrfan Khan was chosen this week for CNN-IBN’s Indian of the Year Award in entertainment category, Dr Yusuf Khwaja Hamied of Cipla, the pharmaceutical giant, picked up the honor in business category.
With an annual turnover of over Rs 6000-crores ($1.27billion) Cipla has been repeatedly in the news for defying Western pharma giants like Bayer AG by selling vital, life-saving drugs at throwaway prices in Africa and elsewhere. Last year, Cipla slashed the price of its complex cancer drug as much as 75pc. But it is its war on HIV/Aids that has earned the company global laurels and gratitude of tens of millions in the developing world.
Dr Hamied may have saved thousands of lives in Africa and elsewhere by making the once forbiddingly exorbitant HIV/Aids cure accessible to the less fortunate--from under 10,000 people in 2001 in the continent to over 8 million today. Today, Cipla is the largest manufacturer of critical antiretroviral drugs.
Another big success story on this front is Himalaya Herbals, founded by M. Manal in 1934. The Bangalore-headquartered company is now a global market leader in herbal medicines and healthcare products. Once known for its liver medicine, Liv52, Himalaya’s growth has been phenomenal even as its owner Meraj Manal staves off investment offers and takeover bids by Western multinationals. The Ayurveda major’s growth is expected to jump fourfold in the next five years.
Staying with Bangalore, the city is also home to Azim Premji’s IT giant Wipro. According to Forbes, Premji is the third richest Indian with an individual net worth of $17 billion. The magazine hails Premji as “Asia’s most generous person” for his $2 billion donation to the foundation he runs for philanthropic causes. Employing more than 140,000 people in 57 countries, Wipro recorded $7.37 billion in revenue last year, much less than what it used to be before the global downturn.
These are but some shining stories of hope for a community that has for long been down in the dumps, especially since the Partition. There are more such extraordinary examples of sheer hard work, brilliance and persistence in all walks of life--from missile scientist and ex-president APJ Abdulkalam to Supreme Court Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and new Intelligence Bureau chief Syed Asif Ibrahim, not to mention the popular names in sports and arts.
As we begin a new year, I would like to believe there is hope for India’s Muslims. Doubtless, the challenges we face on all fronts are daunting. As recent government studies have established, Muslims lag behind in all areas--even behind the Dalit and tribal communities. In the North, once the center of Muslim power, the situation remains depressing.
However, there are definite signs that things are slowly and perceptibly changing. More and more Muslims are growing up with a resolve to break free and do better than their parents’ generation. Down South, you see a revolution in the making with Muslims defying great odds to venture into fields once considered inaccessible—from engineering and medicine to IT and even media.
Oddly, occasions like these leave me depressed. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that another year from one’s life is gone without accomplishing anything worthwhile. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that I spent the New Year night alone before the television while Dubai celebrated as if there’s no tomorrow.
The iconic Burj Khalifa ushered in 2013 with a bang, setting skies ablaze with another spectacular fireworks display, synchronized and choreographed to a live performance by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
A window table at Atmosphere, a restaurant on the 122nd floor of the 2,716-foot tall tower, went for a mere Dh16000 ($4,300). More than 2 billion people around the world tuned in to watch “the biggest fireworks display on the planet,” claim the organizers. Superlative is the norm here. What’s with our obsession with the tallest and biggest? Freud may have an explanation.
Be that as it may, I was one of those few who had other things to watch on the tube like the back-to-back reruns of Seinfeld, the addictive American sitcom to which I have been hooked for years.
During my endless channel surfing I stumbled across a rather interesting roundtable discussion on CNN-IBN. As part of his ‘2012 Bollywood Roundtable,’ Rajeev Masand hosted what he described as four of India’s finest actors – Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. All four of them have not just excelled during the year with some groundbreaking work, they have carved themselves a niche of their own.
The day before, the network had brought together four young writers and filmmakers—Zoya Akhtar, Juhi Chaturvedi, Habib Faisal and Neelesh Mishra—in another program. Again, Masand described four of them as the most influential writers of their generation.
While both programs were a delight to watch, what struck me was their heavy Muslim representation. If superstar Aamir Khan has been the epitome of excellence and perfection for his generation, Irrfan Khan has distinguished himself as an actors’ actor with his stellar performances not just in India but in Hollywood. This despite being born without typical matinee idol looks. Siddiqui, relatively a newcomer, seems to be walking in Irrfan’s footsteps. With his commonplace looks and build, Siddiqui would be instantly lost in Mumbai’s milling crowds if it wasn’t for his extraordinary portrayals.
Similarly, Zoya Akhtar stands out amongst the new age filmmakers and storytellers despite her young years and sparse body of work that includes the refreshing Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and more recent Talaash. Zoya comes from an illustrious family of gifted writers and poets.
If her brother Farhan Akhtar is credited with cult movies like Dil Chahta Hai, her father Javed Akhtar co-scripted some of the greatest films India has produced before turning to poetry. Habib Faisal is another young filmmaker/storyteller who is being keenly watched. With movies like Ishaqzaade and Band Baaja Baaraat, Faisal brings a raw freshness and new grammar of filmmaking to the industry.
Of course, there’s nothing new here. Muslims have always done well in the dream factory that produces the largest number of movies in the world. It’s not just the famous Khans, the reigning superstars in the 100-crore (100 million) club; Muslims have excelled in all areas of the fiercely competitive industry that commands a global market. Indeed, nothing celebrates the diversity of the melting-pot nation as the Mumbai industry does.
The essentially secular nature of the tinsel town, equal opportunities and fair competition--whatever the explanation but Bollywood has been a big success story for Muslims (just as Hollywood has been for the Jews). Not much different from some of those rags-to-riches tales it has portrayed over the years.
And slowly and ever so slightly Muslims are beginning to replicate this success and culture of excellence in other walks of life. If Irrfan Khan was chosen this week for CNN-IBN’s Indian of the Year Award in entertainment category, Dr Yusuf Khwaja Hamied of Cipla, the pharmaceutical giant, picked up the honor in business category.
With an annual turnover of over Rs 6000-crores ($1.27billion) Cipla has been repeatedly in the news for defying Western pharma giants like Bayer AG by selling vital, life-saving drugs at throwaway prices in Africa and elsewhere. Last year, Cipla slashed the price of its complex cancer drug as much as 75pc. But it is its war on HIV/Aids that has earned the company global laurels and gratitude of tens of millions in the developing world.
Dr Hamied may have saved thousands of lives in Africa and elsewhere by making the once forbiddingly exorbitant HIV/Aids cure accessible to the less fortunate--from under 10,000 people in 2001 in the continent to over 8 million today. Today, Cipla is the largest manufacturer of critical antiretroviral drugs.
Another big success story on this front is Himalaya Herbals, founded by M. Manal in 1934. The Bangalore-headquartered company is now a global market leader in herbal medicines and healthcare products. Once known for its liver medicine, Liv52, Himalaya’s growth has been phenomenal even as its owner Meraj Manal staves off investment offers and takeover bids by Western multinationals. The Ayurveda major’s growth is expected to jump fourfold in the next five years.
Staying with Bangalore, the city is also home to Azim Premji’s IT giant Wipro. According to Forbes, Premji is the third richest Indian with an individual net worth of $17 billion. The magazine hails Premji as “Asia’s most generous person” for his $2 billion donation to the foundation he runs for philanthropic causes. Employing more than 140,000 people in 57 countries, Wipro recorded $7.37 billion in revenue last year, much less than what it used to be before the global downturn.
These are but some shining stories of hope for a community that has for long been down in the dumps, especially since the Partition. There are more such extraordinary examples of sheer hard work, brilliance and persistence in all walks of life--from missile scientist and ex-president APJ Abdulkalam to Supreme Court Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and new Intelligence Bureau chief Syed Asif Ibrahim, not to mention the popular names in sports and arts.
As we begin a new year, I would like to believe there is hope for India’s Muslims. Doubtless, the challenges we face on all fronts are daunting. As recent government studies have established, Muslims lag behind in all areas--even behind the Dalit and tribal communities. In the North, once the center of Muslim power, the situation remains depressing.
However, there are definite signs that things are slowly and perceptibly changing. More and more Muslims are growing up with a resolve to break free and do better than their parents’ generation. Down South, you see a revolution in the making with Muslims defying great odds to venture into fields once considered inaccessible—from engineering and medicine to IT and even media.
2013年1月6日星期日
Archer facing big decision after KSU bowl
After spending 2011 on the sidelines, the dynamic but diminutive Archer earned first-team All-American honors as a kick returner despite the fact that no opponent has actually kicked to him since early to mid-October. He's been very good as a running back, slot guy and even a decoy, too, scoring 22 touchdowns for the season, at least one in 11 of Kent State's 13 games.
The NFL's underclass deadline for the 2013 draft is January 15, and Archer is going to be tempted by the chance to declare and get paid to play football from here on out.
When NFL teams brought in their scouts for December player evaluation meetings, Archer was discussed. By rule, teams are supposed to scout seniors only during the season. But anybody who turned on the Flashes' tape noticed Archer, and it's no secret that he'd be a prospect worth further study if he declares.
What they'll find -- and have to sort through -- is this: Archer is FAST. He's shifty, and he explodes out of his cuts. He can catch the ball, too, and the return game is something he's used to. The first test is always the eyeball test, and Archer might be generously listed at 5'8, 175.
That's too small for any NFL mold, and fair or not it probably excludes Archer from having any chance at being selected on the draft's first two days. Archer has shown the ability to break molds -- and ankles -- and the eyes of the NFL will have to evaluate both how and how soon he can contribute at the NFL level.
The questions they'll ask, either this winter or next, are along these lines: Can he take the type of pounding he'll take in the NFL? Can he protect the passer if he's a third-down back? What kind of system fits him best, from the aspect of learning the system to beating out who's currently on the roster to contributing on multiple special teams? NFL teams don't just want guys with special talents. They want guys who can make their teams better.
A role player in his first two years -- and a player who had just one Div. I scholarship offer coming out of high school -- he probably wasn't on any scout's radar until last October. He sat out last season due to an academic/administrative issues, and NFL teams will certainly look into that if he declares.
What they'll find is that Kent State had 48 players bring home a 3.0 grade-point average or better for the fall semester. Archer was one of them; he was one of 50 who did it last spring, too.
The bottom line on his impending NFL decision is that Archer isn't getting any bigger, and if he's a fourth to sixth-round pick in 2013 he'd probably be the same in 2014, too. The average NFL career isn't very long, and it can be shorter for smaller players whose success is based on speed and avoiding those big hits. Archer's eye-popping season has opened the door to an NFL career, and though his offensive coordinator is expected to be back at Kent State next year, his head coach is gone and most of his offensive line is going, too.
There are no guarantees in football on any level. Toledo's Eric Page -- a different player than Archer but a somewhat fair comparison based on his size and college accomplishments -- decided to go to the NFL last year, didn't get drafted, then got hurt after signing with the Broncos, then was released. He spent the fall going to school and rehabbing -- but not making NFL checks.
Governor Deval Patrick wasn’t the only one shaken by former Representative Barney Frank’s very public declaration on Friday that he’d like to serve as interim senator if John F. Kerry resigns to serve as secretary of state.
A former colleague, Representative Edward J. Markey, was rankled by the prospect, friends say, in part because of the inevitable poll that would gauge Frank’s popularity as senator. A high approval rating for Frank could overshadow Markey’s candidacy in the special election campaign that would be needed to fill the seat permanently.
In a statement today, Markey disputed feeling any discomfort over a Frank appointment, labeling the suggestion “completely false.”
Spokeswoman Giselle Barry said: “Representative Markey has full confidence that Governor Patrick will appoint the best person to represent Massachusetts before the Senate seat can be permanently filled.”
Frank and Markey share a history, as they say in life and politics, and it’s not just related to the fact that they started together the same day in 1973 in the Massachusetts Legislature, or then shared 27 years in the US House.
Frank, a Newton Democrat, declared again Friday that he would “absolutely not” be a candidate in the special election, even if Patrick awarded him the job on an interim basis. But he also was similarly Shermanesque about his desire to leave Congress, an opinion he has since changed.
Patrick’s preference Patrick has already said it is his preference to not appoint an interim senator who would also be a special election candidate, believing the same person can’t effectively serve in Congress while also running a statewide political campaign.
It’s one of the reasons the governor is unlikely to give the interim appointment to a sitting congressman, which many state Democrats think would actually give the party a running start in their effort to retain the seat in the special election.
So even as the Democratic Party has coalesced around Markey, Patrick has notably withheld his endorsement. The congressman has already lined up support from Kerry; Vicki Kennedy, the widow of Senator Edward M. Kennedy; and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the group charged with raising money for Democrats running for the Senate.
Yet by not appointing Markey, Patrick may actually be doing him a favor: leaving him free to run without having to give up his seat — or responsibilities — in Congress.
The NFL's underclass deadline for the 2013 draft is January 15, and Archer is going to be tempted by the chance to declare and get paid to play football from here on out.
When NFL teams brought in their scouts for December player evaluation meetings, Archer was discussed. By rule, teams are supposed to scout seniors only during the season. But anybody who turned on the Flashes' tape noticed Archer, and it's no secret that he'd be a prospect worth further study if he declares.
What they'll find -- and have to sort through -- is this: Archer is FAST. He's shifty, and he explodes out of his cuts. He can catch the ball, too, and the return game is something he's used to. The first test is always the eyeball test, and Archer might be generously listed at 5'8, 175.
That's too small for any NFL mold, and fair or not it probably excludes Archer from having any chance at being selected on the draft's first two days. Archer has shown the ability to break molds -- and ankles -- and the eyes of the NFL will have to evaluate both how and how soon he can contribute at the NFL level.
The questions they'll ask, either this winter or next, are along these lines: Can he take the type of pounding he'll take in the NFL? Can he protect the passer if he's a third-down back? What kind of system fits him best, from the aspect of learning the system to beating out who's currently on the roster to contributing on multiple special teams? NFL teams don't just want guys with special talents. They want guys who can make their teams better.
A role player in his first two years -- and a player who had just one Div. I scholarship offer coming out of high school -- he probably wasn't on any scout's radar until last October. He sat out last season due to an academic/administrative issues, and NFL teams will certainly look into that if he declares.
What they'll find is that Kent State had 48 players bring home a 3.0 grade-point average or better for the fall semester. Archer was one of them; he was one of 50 who did it last spring, too.
The bottom line on his impending NFL decision is that Archer isn't getting any bigger, and if he's a fourth to sixth-round pick in 2013 he'd probably be the same in 2014, too. The average NFL career isn't very long, and it can be shorter for smaller players whose success is based on speed and avoiding those big hits. Archer's eye-popping season has opened the door to an NFL career, and though his offensive coordinator is expected to be back at Kent State next year, his head coach is gone and most of his offensive line is going, too.
There are no guarantees in football on any level. Toledo's Eric Page -- a different player than Archer but a somewhat fair comparison based on his size and college accomplishments -- decided to go to the NFL last year, didn't get drafted, then got hurt after signing with the Broncos, then was released. He spent the fall going to school and rehabbing -- but not making NFL checks.
Governor Deval Patrick wasn’t the only one shaken by former Representative Barney Frank’s very public declaration on Friday that he’d like to serve as interim senator if John F. Kerry resigns to serve as secretary of state.
A former colleague, Representative Edward J. Markey, was rankled by the prospect, friends say, in part because of the inevitable poll that would gauge Frank’s popularity as senator. A high approval rating for Frank could overshadow Markey’s candidacy in the special election campaign that would be needed to fill the seat permanently.
In a statement today, Markey disputed feeling any discomfort over a Frank appointment, labeling the suggestion “completely false.”
Spokeswoman Giselle Barry said: “Representative Markey has full confidence that Governor Patrick will appoint the best person to represent Massachusetts before the Senate seat can be permanently filled.”
Frank and Markey share a history, as they say in life and politics, and it’s not just related to the fact that they started together the same day in 1973 in the Massachusetts Legislature, or then shared 27 years in the US House.
Frank, a Newton Democrat, declared again Friday that he would “absolutely not” be a candidate in the special election, even if Patrick awarded him the job on an interim basis. But he also was similarly Shermanesque about his desire to leave Congress, an opinion he has since changed.
Patrick’s preference Patrick has already said it is his preference to not appoint an interim senator who would also be a special election candidate, believing the same person can’t effectively serve in Congress while also running a statewide political campaign.
It’s one of the reasons the governor is unlikely to give the interim appointment to a sitting congressman, which many state Democrats think would actually give the party a running start in their effort to retain the seat in the special election.
So even as the Democratic Party has coalesced around Markey, Patrick has notably withheld his endorsement. The congressman has already lined up support from Kerry; Vicki Kennedy, the widow of Senator Edward M. Kennedy; and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the group charged with raising money for Democrats running for the Senate.
Yet by not appointing Markey, Patrick may actually be doing him a favor: leaving him free to run without having to give up his seat — or responsibilities — in Congress.
Exercise and the Ever-Smarter Human Brain
Anyone whose resolve to exercise in 2013 is a bit shaky might want to consider an emerging scientific view of human evolution. It suggests that we are clever today in part because a million years ago, we could outrun and outwalk most other mammals over long distances. Our brains were shaped and sharpened by movement, the idea goes, and we continue to require regular physical activity in order for our brains to function optimally.
The role of physical endurance in shaping humankind has intrigued anthropologists and gripped the popular imagination for some time. In 2004, the evolutionary biologists Daniel E. Lieberman of Harvard and Dennis M. Bramble of the University of Utah published a seminal article in the journal Nature titled “Endurance Running and the Evolution of Homo,” in which they posited that our bipedal ancestors survived by becoming endurance athletes, able to bring down swifter prey through sheer doggedness, jogging and plodding along behind them until the animals dropped.
Endurance produced meals, which provided energy for mating, which meant that adept early joggers passed along their genes. In this way, natural selection drove early humans to become even more athletic, Dr. Lieberman and other scientists have written, their bodies developing longer legs, shorter toes, less hair and complicated inner-ear mechanisms to maintain balance and stability during upright ambulation. Movement shaped the human body.
But simultaneously, in a development that until recently many scientists viewed as unrelated, humans were becoming smarter. Their brains were increasing rapidly in size.
Today, humans have a brain that is about three times the size that would be expected, anthropologists say, given our species’ body size in comparison with that of other mammals.
To explain those outsized brains, evolutionary scientists have pointed to such occurrences as meat eating and, perhaps most determinatively, our early ancestors’ need for social interaction. Early humans had to plan and execute hunts as a group, which required complicated thinking patterns and, it’s been thought, rewarded the social and brainy with evolutionary success. According to that hypothesis, the evolution of the brain was driven by the need to think.
But now some scientists are suggesting that physical activity also played a critical role in making our brains larger.
To reach that conclusion, anthropologists began by looking at existing data about brain size and endurance capacity in a variety of mammals, including dogs, guinea pigs, foxes, mice, wolves, rats, civet cats, antelope, mongooses, goats, sheep and elands. They found a notable pattern. Species like dogs and rats that had a high innate endurance capacity, which presumably had evolved over millenniums, also had large brain volumes relative to their body size.
The researchers also looked at recent experiments in which mice and rats were systematically bred to be marathon runners. Lab animals that willingly put in the most miles on running wheels were interbred, resulting in the creation of a line of lab animals that excelled at running.
Interestingly, after multiple generations, these animals began to develop innately high levels of substances that promote tissue growth and health, including a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. These substances are important for endurance performance. They also are known to drive brain growth.
What all of this means, says David A. Raichlen, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona and an author of a new article about the evolution of human brains appearing in the January issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is that physical activity may have helped to make early humans smarter.
“We think that what happened” in our early hunter-gatherer ancestors, he says, is that the more athletic and active survived and, as with the lab mice, passed along physiological characteristics that improved their endurance, including elevated levels of BDNF. Eventually, these early athletes had enough BDNF coursing through their bodies that some could migrate from the muscles to the brain, where it nudged the growth of brain tissue.
Those particular early humans then applied their growing ability to think and reason toward better tracking prey, becoming the best-fed and most successful from an evolutionary standpoint. Being in motion made them smarter, and being smarter now allowed them to move more efficiently.
And out of all of this came, eventually, an ability to understand higher math and invent iPads. But that was some time later.
The broad point of this new notion is that if physical activity helped to mold the structure of our brains, then it most likely remains essential to brain health today, says John D. Polk, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and co-author, with Dr. Raichlen, of the new article.
And there is scientific support for that idea. Recent studies have shown, he says, that “regular exercise, even walking,” leads to more robust mental abilities, “beginning in childhood and continuing into old age.”
Of course, the hypothesis that jogging after prey helped to drive human brain evolution is just a hypothesis, Dr. Raichlen says, and almost unprovable.
But it is compelling, says Harvard’s Dr. Lieberman, who has worked with the authors of the new article. “I fundamentally agree that there is a deep evolutionary basis for the relationship between a healthy body and a healthy mind,” he says, a relationship that makes the term “jogging your memory” more literal than most of us might have expected and provides a powerful incentive to be active in 2013.
Harold Gage slowly backs his semitrailer up next to the fence at his Rozet home. His friend Tyler Hippen trails behind, making fresh footprints in the snow. As the sun sinks, the temperature falls steadily toward zero. Gage's girlfriend Lisa Winjum runs inside the house to put on warmer clothes, but she's right back outside as soon as her coveralls are buckled.
Gage steps down from the cab, and he, Winjum, Hippen and two others get to work loosening the tight straps that hold 13 round bails of hay to the trailer. One by one, they pull the straps off and stow them under the cab.
Gage and Hippen then hoist the skinnier of the other two men up onto the truck. He leans back on one of the round bales and gets ready to push with his legs. Winjum calls her dogs away from the truck, and on the count of three the men kick and push the first hay bale off the rig. Once one falls off, the rest is easy.
They all jump up on the trailer, and after a few minutes of grunting and shoving, the remainder of the load is off. The round bales weigh between 1,700 and 1,800 pounds. They fall to the ground with a thud, and they don't bounce. These bales are solid, fresh hay wrapped up tight, with no mold in the middle.
With such a bad drought this season, seeing more than a few bales of hay spread out on one property is uncommon in Campbell County. Hay is so tough to come by that many ranchers have had to downsize their cattle herds, selling cows and giving away horses that they cannot afford to feed.
But Gage and Winjum have worked out a system. Three or four times a week, the couple or a hired driver travel 430 miles up to Wildrose, N.D., to pick up 26 bales of hay, a full truckload on Gage's semi. Once they get the hay loaded and securely strapped down — at least a two-hour process — the pair turn around and drive the 430 miles back.
While the two own 26 horses, they don't need that much hay for themselves. They know the livestock community is hurting, so they sell what they can at a fair price — $165 per bale, to be exact.
Winjum said some hay in the area is going for $250 to $300 per ton, up from the typical price of around $100 per ton last year. She said they'd sell their bales for less, but they need to take transportation costs into consideration.
"We figured out how much it would cost to get Harold's semi up and running again, and licensing, permits in each state, insurance, tires, fuel, truck driver pay and maintenance," Winjum said.
As soon as she posted an ad on Craigslist around Thanksgiving, they started getting calls. The couple deliver to a few regular customers, but they hear from someone new almost every day.
"It seems like most of the people are new people," Gage said. "They're just in dire need of hay, and they need it now."
Janet and Bill Woodworth are regular customers who heard about Gage and Winjum through word of mouth. Janet Woodworth has been raising cows all her life.
"We've always had hay, and we've always been able to have some carry-over hay," Woodworth said. "There was only one year we had to buy a little bit, and that was probably 15 years ago."
Not only has Woodworth had to buy numerous bales of hay this year, she has already had to sell six cows to be able to afford to feed the rest.
"It's a sad year," Woodworth said. "All this beautiful weather this fall and winter is not good for us. It's getting scary for next year."
This is the first year Gage and Winjum have done something so drastic to be able to feed their animals, but they may have to keep it up if Wyoming doesn't get more precipitation.
The couple aren't making much money delivering the hay. In fact, they're barely breaking even. But the animal lovers are in it for the livestock and for the families whose livelihoods depend on them.
The role of physical endurance in shaping humankind has intrigued anthropologists and gripped the popular imagination for some time. In 2004, the evolutionary biologists Daniel E. Lieberman of Harvard and Dennis M. Bramble of the University of Utah published a seminal article in the journal Nature titled “Endurance Running and the Evolution of Homo,” in which they posited that our bipedal ancestors survived by becoming endurance athletes, able to bring down swifter prey through sheer doggedness, jogging and plodding along behind them until the animals dropped.
Endurance produced meals, which provided energy for mating, which meant that adept early joggers passed along their genes. In this way, natural selection drove early humans to become even more athletic, Dr. Lieberman and other scientists have written, their bodies developing longer legs, shorter toes, less hair and complicated inner-ear mechanisms to maintain balance and stability during upright ambulation. Movement shaped the human body.
But simultaneously, in a development that until recently many scientists viewed as unrelated, humans were becoming smarter. Their brains were increasing rapidly in size.
Today, humans have a brain that is about three times the size that would be expected, anthropologists say, given our species’ body size in comparison with that of other mammals.
To explain those outsized brains, evolutionary scientists have pointed to such occurrences as meat eating and, perhaps most determinatively, our early ancestors’ need for social interaction. Early humans had to plan and execute hunts as a group, which required complicated thinking patterns and, it’s been thought, rewarded the social and brainy with evolutionary success. According to that hypothesis, the evolution of the brain was driven by the need to think.
But now some scientists are suggesting that physical activity also played a critical role in making our brains larger.
To reach that conclusion, anthropologists began by looking at existing data about brain size and endurance capacity in a variety of mammals, including dogs, guinea pigs, foxes, mice, wolves, rats, civet cats, antelope, mongooses, goats, sheep and elands. They found a notable pattern. Species like dogs and rats that had a high innate endurance capacity, which presumably had evolved over millenniums, also had large brain volumes relative to their body size.
The researchers also looked at recent experiments in which mice and rats were systematically bred to be marathon runners. Lab animals that willingly put in the most miles on running wheels were interbred, resulting in the creation of a line of lab animals that excelled at running.
Interestingly, after multiple generations, these animals began to develop innately high levels of substances that promote tissue growth and health, including a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. These substances are important for endurance performance. They also are known to drive brain growth.
What all of this means, says David A. Raichlen, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona and an author of a new article about the evolution of human brains appearing in the January issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is that physical activity may have helped to make early humans smarter.
“We think that what happened” in our early hunter-gatherer ancestors, he says, is that the more athletic and active survived and, as with the lab mice, passed along physiological characteristics that improved their endurance, including elevated levels of BDNF. Eventually, these early athletes had enough BDNF coursing through their bodies that some could migrate from the muscles to the brain, where it nudged the growth of brain tissue.
Those particular early humans then applied their growing ability to think and reason toward better tracking prey, becoming the best-fed and most successful from an evolutionary standpoint. Being in motion made them smarter, and being smarter now allowed them to move more efficiently.
And out of all of this came, eventually, an ability to understand higher math and invent iPads. But that was some time later.
The broad point of this new notion is that if physical activity helped to mold the structure of our brains, then it most likely remains essential to brain health today, says John D. Polk, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and co-author, with Dr. Raichlen, of the new article.
And there is scientific support for that idea. Recent studies have shown, he says, that “regular exercise, even walking,” leads to more robust mental abilities, “beginning in childhood and continuing into old age.”
Of course, the hypothesis that jogging after prey helped to drive human brain evolution is just a hypothesis, Dr. Raichlen says, and almost unprovable.
But it is compelling, says Harvard’s Dr. Lieberman, who has worked with the authors of the new article. “I fundamentally agree that there is a deep evolutionary basis for the relationship between a healthy body and a healthy mind,” he says, a relationship that makes the term “jogging your memory” more literal than most of us might have expected and provides a powerful incentive to be active in 2013.
Harold Gage slowly backs his semitrailer up next to the fence at his Rozet home. His friend Tyler Hippen trails behind, making fresh footprints in the snow. As the sun sinks, the temperature falls steadily toward zero. Gage's girlfriend Lisa Winjum runs inside the house to put on warmer clothes, but she's right back outside as soon as her coveralls are buckled.
Gage steps down from the cab, and he, Winjum, Hippen and two others get to work loosening the tight straps that hold 13 round bails of hay to the trailer. One by one, they pull the straps off and stow them under the cab.
Gage and Hippen then hoist the skinnier of the other two men up onto the truck. He leans back on one of the round bales and gets ready to push with his legs. Winjum calls her dogs away from the truck, and on the count of three the men kick and push the first hay bale off the rig. Once one falls off, the rest is easy.
They all jump up on the trailer, and after a few minutes of grunting and shoving, the remainder of the load is off. The round bales weigh between 1,700 and 1,800 pounds. They fall to the ground with a thud, and they don't bounce. These bales are solid, fresh hay wrapped up tight, with no mold in the middle.
With such a bad drought this season, seeing more than a few bales of hay spread out on one property is uncommon in Campbell County. Hay is so tough to come by that many ranchers have had to downsize their cattle herds, selling cows and giving away horses that they cannot afford to feed.
But Gage and Winjum have worked out a system. Three or four times a week, the couple or a hired driver travel 430 miles up to Wildrose, N.D., to pick up 26 bales of hay, a full truckload on Gage's semi. Once they get the hay loaded and securely strapped down — at least a two-hour process — the pair turn around and drive the 430 miles back.
While the two own 26 horses, they don't need that much hay for themselves. They know the livestock community is hurting, so they sell what they can at a fair price — $165 per bale, to be exact.
Winjum said some hay in the area is going for $250 to $300 per ton, up from the typical price of around $100 per ton last year. She said they'd sell their bales for less, but they need to take transportation costs into consideration.
"We figured out how much it would cost to get Harold's semi up and running again, and licensing, permits in each state, insurance, tires, fuel, truck driver pay and maintenance," Winjum said.
As soon as she posted an ad on Craigslist around Thanksgiving, they started getting calls. The couple deliver to a few regular customers, but they hear from someone new almost every day.
"It seems like most of the people are new people," Gage said. "They're just in dire need of hay, and they need it now."
Janet and Bill Woodworth are regular customers who heard about Gage and Winjum through word of mouth. Janet Woodworth has been raising cows all her life.
"We've always had hay, and we've always been able to have some carry-over hay," Woodworth said. "There was only one year we had to buy a little bit, and that was probably 15 years ago."
Not only has Woodworth had to buy numerous bales of hay this year, she has already had to sell six cows to be able to afford to feed the rest.
"It's a sad year," Woodworth said. "All this beautiful weather this fall and winter is not good for us. It's getting scary for next year."
This is the first year Gage and Winjum have done something so drastic to be able to feed their animals, but they may have to keep it up if Wyoming doesn't get more precipitation.
The couple aren't making much money delivering the hay. In fact, they're barely breaking even. But the animal lovers are in it for the livestock and for the families whose livelihoods depend on them.
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