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Category Archives: Literature
Posted in cultural history, Detective Fiction, First World War, Literature, Military History | Tagged bayonet, British Library Crime Classics, detective novels, disillusionment, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Rennie Airth, service revolver | Leave a comment
Enduring War: A review
Posted on July 2, 2014 by Jessica
So I am currently in London, part way through the first of a mad pair of weeks encompassing a meeting, two conferences, a couple of days in the archives and two days with the BBC at the Great Yorkshire Show. To ease myself in, I began Monday morning with a wander around the Enduring War exhibition at the British Library.
This is an ambitious exhibition, given the size of the space it occupies. Divided in to six sections, from the 'The Call to Arms' to 'Grief and Memory', the exhibition not only tries to tell a complete story of the war, but as a contributing partner in the Europeana 1914-1918 project, attempts to do it from an international perspective. Inevitably, some things are missed, while others are under-analysed. For instance, the caption to one photograph ends with the statement 'There was an increase in Protestant church attendance in Britain in the first weeks of the war but, for a number of reasons, this was not sustained.' There is no indication as to possible reasons why church attendance was not sustained, leaving this viewer with a sense of incompleteness.
In fact, the section on 'Faith Under Fire' is possibly the least satisfactory of the six. The claim about the prevalence of protective charms and rituals is never really demonstrated, in part because the use of the library's resources places limits on what is available for display. The original manuscript of Ruper Brooke's 'The Soldier' in the first section is extraordinarily moving, but there is no equivalent of, say, Adolphus, the mascot who has become the face of the Liddle Collection at the University of Leeds. Excellent use is made of posters, particularly in illustrating the Russian perspective, and the use of ANZAC trench journals makes a double point with an elegant lightness of touch. Nonetheless, the material on display does not consistently feel capable of carrying the full breadth of the story that the exhibition is attempting to tell. Indeed, so broad is the narrative that it isn't always evident what the curators understood by the exhibition's subtitle, 'Grief, Grit and Humour'. All three elements are addressed episodically but don't really feel as if they are the central thread of a coherent narrative.
Having entered the exhibition from the side, and followed the chronological path to the dead end around a corner in the separate space that houses the section on 'Grief and Morning', I ended my visit by deliberately walking back around to look at the audiovisual displays at the front entrance. And here the exhibition managed to produce what was for me its most powerful and moving display through its series of video booths of montages of postcards from the front, the accompanying audio just the messages scrawled on each one. Very simple, yet entirely mesmeric, the displays demonstrate the art of the everyday that, as much as the war poets, artists and musicians whose work is, once again, presented throughout the exhibition, defined the First World War as a profound cultural experience in Britain and across Europe.
Posted in Commemoration, First World War, Literature, Reviews | Tagged ANZAC, British Library, Europeana 1914-1918, Liddle Collection, religion and war, Rupert Brooke | Leave a comment
The Myth of War Literature
'veterans did not start to produce war novels until the later 1920s'
This quotation comes from Fiona Reid's Broken Men: Shell Shock, Treatment and Recovery in Britain 1914-1930 (2010), a book I am thoroughly enjoying (more on which later) but which has raised a couple of issues relating to the sort of assumptions we make about the war. Reid's book is about the myths that have grown up around shell shock as a symbolic image of the First World War in British culture, a condition that has moved from being historically specific to being cultural shorthand for what we think we know about the experience of war as a whole. Yet, despite much excellent work on examining myths related to shell shock and placing the condition in a clear historical and cultural context, she can still come out with this statement which, despite being widely repeated in both academic and popular histories of the war, simply is wrong.
Veterans of the First World War began publishing novels about the war and its aftermath as early as 1919. H.C. McNeil (better known as 'Sapper') published Mufti that year. It is not a good book, to be sure, nor did it sell particularly well (19,636 copies by 1939 compared with 162,432 for The Lieutenant and Others, his most popular collection of short stories and 396,302 for Bulldog Drummond, the novel which he remains best known for), but it is a novel about the war and its aftermath that found a publisher and an audience in the early 1920s.
And there were plenty of other, more popular novels, published in the early 1920s. Rosa Maria Bracco, in Merchants of Hope: British Middlebrow Writers and the First World War, 1919-1939 (1993), identifies three out-and-out bestsellers: The Way of Revelation (1921), Simon Called Peter (1921) and Tell England (1922). R.H. Mottram published the first volume of his Spanish Farm trilogy in 1924 and Warwick Deeping's best known novel, Sorrel and Son, was published in 1925. Bracco notes that 'After a spate of novels in 1919 there was a sharp decrease in numbers during the following years (from thirty-nine in 1919 to seven in 1925)' but this is a decrease, not a silence, as Reid's statement implies.
Reid is not alone in her assumption about publishing patterns of novels about the war. The general belief is that no one wrote or published 'war books' until the boom of 1929-30. Why? Partly, I suspect, because of a general oversimplification of an actual phenomena. There was a war books boom in those years, much of it literature of the 'disenchantment' variety, although Bracco argues persuasively that there was also a great deal of popular, middlebrow literature in circulation at the time which presented a view of war that can't be classified as disenchanted. It is easier to understand and explain this fairly dramatic cultural shift (and to underline its dramatic nature) by arguing that there was no significant literature being published beforehand.
'Significant' gives a hint as to the other part of the explanation, the extent to which our understanding of war literature (like our understanding of the war) is dominated by our interpretation of what is 'good' literature. All Quiet on The Western Front, Goodbye to All That, The Complete Memoirs of George Sherston, Parade's End (first published between 1924 and 1928) are all classed as literary classics. Tell England, Simon Called Peter and Sorrell and Son, are not, despite being bestsellers in their day. Many of the war novels published in the early 1920s are bad books, or, more properly 'good bad books', the classic definition of the middlebrow.
Should they still be read and studied today? Possibly not, although they can be great fun to read and the field of middlebrow studies is a growing one in its own right. But scholars of the cultural history of the First World War cannot simply write them out of existence because they do not fit comfortably with a narrative of post-war veteran silence that we have come to accept and aren't very good in literary terms. Veterans were not silent; whether the public wanted to hear what they were saying is another matter entirely. To ignore the existence of these novels and their popularity in the 1920s is the equivalent of ignoring the cultural impact of The Da Vinci Code or Fifty Shades of Gray in commentaries about Anglophone culture in the early 21st century. They may not have a great deal to say, they may not be very good books, but ignoring them entirely is intellectually dishonest.
So this is a plea that we finally start laying to rest the great myth of First World War literature. The books of the war books boom and the literature of disenchantment are hugely important parts of our understanding of the cultural legacy of the war in Britain, but they are by no means the whole story.
Posted in First World War, Historical Practice, Literature | Tagged All Quiet on the Western Front, Bulldog Drummond, disenchantment, Fiona Reid, Goodbye To All That, Memoirs of George Sherston, middlebrow literature, myth, Parade's End, Rosa Maria Bracco, Sapper, Simon Called Peter, Sorrell and Son, Spanish Farm Trilogy, Tell England, The Way of Revelation, war books boom | Leave a comment
A Final Parade
Yes, I know it is over a week since the final episode of Parade's End was broadcast. I won't go into the reasons why I haven't had a chance to see it before this weekend, except to say that infant sleep patterns were definitely involved. But I did, finally, watch it, so here are my concluding thoughts on programme.
Let me start by saying that I thought they did a pretty decent job of the trench scenes. The scene in the dugout with the C.O. was particularly brilliant, capturing the surreality of the war that I think has tended to get lost in more recent representations of the war. Since Blackadder Goes Forth the tendency has been to merge surreality and satire – the war is mad therefore we must mock it. This was just pure surreality, without point or purpose, and all the more moving for it.
There was one major source of irritation for me, however, and that was the depiction of the stretcher bearers who appeared twice, once with an empty stretcher, once with an injured man on board. In both instances the stretcher was carried by two men, one at each end, the typical image of stretcher bearers in the war, you might say. Except it must be born in mind that First World War stretchers were immensely heavy objects made of wood and canvass, not the lighter metal ones that were used in later conflicts. They were a struggle to carry empty; loaded with the dead weight of an injured man, usually wearing his heavy clothing and gear, they needed a minimum of four men (one at each corner) and in heavy going like Ypres in 1917 required six. In fact, as George Swindell, an R.A.M.C. stretcher bearer, noted on several occasions in his memoirs, untrained bearers (those not in the R.A.M.C.) almost always carried six to a stretcher because they didn't have the practice and training to do so more efficiently. In the front line, stretchers would be carried by regimental bearers, infantry men told off for stretcher duty from front line to Regimental Aid Post (RAP), rather than R.A.M.C. bearers who generally carried men from the RAP to the Casualty Clearing Station (CCS). So in Parade's End there should have been at least two and most probably four additional bearers for that loaded stretcher for authenticity. Now that directors seem to be more willing to show the trenches as angled rather than straight, I am starting a new campaign to get them to employ the appropriate number of bearers in their films!
Despite the bearer problem there were brilliant moments in this episode. The scene describing Tietjens, McKechnie and Perowne going up to the line was a masterclass in succinct and spot-on dramatic adaptation, and Roger Allam's face at the very end, when Sylvia propositions General Campion was perfection. Allam has been a revelation throughout, and this moment was beautifully done.
I did, however, have some broader reservations. I'm not sure the final scene worked. It was too slow and the music too sentimental to capture the sheer joy and relief that book evokes. There is a tendency to forget that, behind the lines, the reactions of many, particularly the young, to the Armistice were euphoric, even bacchanalian in some instances. (Dan Todman has an excellent discussion of this, and its cultural impact, in The Great War: Myth and Memory (Hambledon & London: 2005)). Ford captures the immense sense of release beautifully in the final pages of A Man Could Stand Up -. Stoppard and White, I think, lost some of that by sexing the scene up and slowing it down.
I am also in two minds over the wisdom of the decision of simply eliminating The Last Post from the adaptation. Given Ford's own later reservations about the novel, and the immense difficulties that I imagine would be involved in adapting the most difficult of the four novels, it probably does make sense. But I was genuinely sad to say goodbye to Christopher and Valentine at this point in their story. It did feel a little incomplete.
So, in the end, an excellent adaptation beautifully acted but with some problems inherent to any dramatic adaptation of a superb set of novels. Now I just have to make the time to reread the books…
Posted in First World War, Literature, RAMC, Reviews, Stretcher Bearers, Television | Tagged adaptation, BBC, Dan Todman, First World War, Parade's End, Roger Allam, stretcher bearers, surreality, television drama | 2 Comments
Parade's End Again
Posted on September 17, 2012 by Jessica
Well, Downton Abbey is back on our screens. No, I haven't watched the opening episode yet. My daughter has taken to waking up at 5:45 in the morning so I am currently retiring no later than 10 pm in self-defence. (You will probably start to notice a pattern in the interface between my home life and work revolving around the theme of sleep. Ah, the joys of motherhood!) Anyway, a review of the new season will have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest. In the meantime, I thought I would write a bit more about why I think Parade's End is such a superb representation of the First World War.
After a great deal of thought, my primary conclusion is that the drama has had the good sense to stay out of the trenches for so long. Other than the glimpse at the end of the second episode (and arguably the brief scene in the slightly too quiet Casualty Clearing Station), all the action has been set firmly behind the lines, whether in England or Rouen. This is not to say that the war hasn't been evident, but it has been beautifully subtle – the presence of a lorry of soldiers in the background, uniforms mingling with civilian dress, the female railway porter. Yes, the clichés are there – the clueless civilians for whom horses matter more than the lives of men, the general in his chateau behind the lines (although all the men are behind the lines as well at this point), the dangers of bombardment (with air raids substituting for artillery) – but shown in such a way as to demonstrate why they have become clichés. The myth of the war has its basis in reality. By allowing the mythic elements of the war narrative to emerge organically as the background to the story, rather than bludgeoning us over the head with them, this dramatization of a work of fiction demonstrates the complexity of the historical truth that First World War historians have been uncovering for a while now. Yes, there is a strong sense of disenchantment with the pettifogging rules and obsessions of the military with cleanliness (a theme that is very familiar from the numerous letters and memoirs that have formed the bulk of my research to date). And there is horror and pity and fear, particularly in evidence in the death of Oh Nine Morgan, but such emotions are only part of Christopher's story. There is no disillusionment, at least not disillusionment with why he is fighting. Groby and Michael and above all Valentine, even the formal propriety of his marriage are still implicitly worth fighting for. And if they are not it is because they have already been undermined by social hypocrisy that predates the war, not simply because of his experience of warfare.
Much of this, of course, is inherent to the narrative. In my Everyman copy of the tetralogy the entire time in the trenches takes up 110 pages out of a total of 906. The focus of the novels is on the sense of continuity that Christopher embodies and the stresses that modern life place on his seventeenth-century rectitude. It is in choosing to remain loyal to this theme rather than attempting to shoe-horn the books into a more familiar understanding of what makes a First World War novel that this production is such a triumph.
All of which made me think of the BBC's other big First World War adaptation this year. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulk's 1993 novel about the war, was adapted by Abi Morgan and broadcast in January to a good deal of acclaim. As with any television adaptation, some aspects of the book had to be sacrificed to the time scale, here two hour-and-a-half long episodes. Morgan removed an entire subplot concerning a young woman researching her family history, an editorial decision that worked well in creating narrative coherence. However, she also chose to seriously underplay another subplot concerning the relationship between the sapper Jack Firebrace and his son, John, who dies of diphtheria during the course of the novel. It does get a brief mention but has nowhere near the emotional impact that it has in the novel where it beautifully illustrates the continuing relationship between home and fighting fronts that was so powerful a motivation for men to fight and continue fighting. Instead, the television play's narrative chooses to focus on the disjunction between a golden idyll of passion in prewar France and the mud, blood and horror of the trenches in the same geographic area six years later. The war is a space solely of horror and disillusion and the only motive for fighting is the sense that the protagonist has nothing left to live for. This is the more traditional view of the war dramatized by many modern war novels, yet as a narrative it is much less powerful than that of Parade's End. So while I enjoyed Birdsong (and thought that Joseph Mawle was excellent as Firebrace), it had nothing like the effect on me that Parade's End is having. Whether that will continue to be true next week, when Tietjens actually enters the trenches, remains to be seen.
(I do realise that I got a little ahead of myself in my last post in saying that this past week's episode dramatises A Man Could Stand Up -. It was, of course the second half of No More Parades, which means we are going to get very little, or a highly truncated version, of Last Post, which is a pity. As I say, there are always sacrifices to be made in adapting for television.)
Posted in First World War, Literature, Television | Tagged adaptation, BBC, Birdsong, disillusionment, Parade's End, television drama, trenches | 2 Comments
Parade's End
OK, hands up, who is loving Parade's End on the BBC? Yes, that would be me, and not only because of the presence of not just the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch but, for two glorious episodes, Rufus Sewell as well. All the acting is excellent, especially Cumberbatch (as I knew he would be from the moment the casting was announced) and the luminous Adelaide Clemens as Valentine. The visuals are also superb, especially the use of Vorticist fracturing and mirroring to portray movement and multiple perspectives. But what I am really loving is how brilliantly the production is evoking all the emotions I felt when reading the books – fury at the hypocrisy of society, the humour of the golf course scene, the huge affection that Tietjens and Valentine engender, despite him being, on the surface, an extremely irritating individual, the pity and horror of Tietjen's father's suicide. I haven't read the books in years, not since I wrote my undergraduate thesis on them, but it is testament to the power of both the original source and the adaptation that I am feeling such vivid sensations of recognition with every episode.
At the moment, my only quibble, and it has the potential to be quite a serious one, is with the characterization of Rebecca Hall's Sylvia Tietjens. I initially thought that it didn't work because of the need to focus so much on Sylvia's back story in the first half hour of the first episode, a section not lifted directly from the book's fractured narrative. To me this was the weakest part of the production so far, although the introduction of Tietjen's love for Michael was beautifully done. Reading an interview with the director, Susanna White, however, I have discovered that she has chosen deliberately to portray Sylvia as more vulnerable and sympathetic than in the book, a decision that I am not sure works. In the books, Sylvia is a first class bitch with no redeeming features and is recognized as such. Any inconsistencies in attitudes and behaviours can be attributed to her personality. By making her more sympathetic, White and Hall have also made Sylvia harder to understand and have undermined her ability to power the narrative. When set alongside the fabulously hypocritical and vicious Edith Duchemin (now MacMasters), she fades as a character, which makes it that much harder to understand the hold she has over both Tietjens and the rest of her male attendants. Next week, however, we have A Man Could Stand Up – where her relationship with Tietjens takes precedence over his with Valentine, so maybe my doubts will be laid to rest. I do hope so, because there are so many reasons why this is the best dramatization of British society in the First World I have ever seen, which I will be discussing in a future post.
Posted in First World War, Literature, Television | Tagged BBC, Parade's End | Leave a comment


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Open Letter To The Indian Govt From A Concerned Internet User
By Mohul Ghosh Last updated Jan 2, 2015
Dear Government of India,
I am a distressed and concerned Digital Marketer from India, who is very much afraid and in speculation regarding the future of the Digital India in 2015. And via this letter, I am trying to share my concerns in a logical way.
To start with, I must admit that you have tried your best to ruin this New Year with your ridiculous decision of banning 32 websites, citing terror threat. Although some good sense prevailed and you decided to unblock 4 websites, but the damage has already been done.
Freedom of Speech has been threatened and the whole concept of Democracy is in ruins.
Let me share a tweet which our beloved PM Shri Narendra Modi shared in 2012, when the first strike against our fundamental rights was done by the Congress Government:
Several websites (around 300, if I correctly remember) were blocked during that time, citing hate messages erupting after communal riots in Assam. Yes, Shri Narendra Modi had turned into an activist during that time, helped us to get our rights back.
And we trusted him, and decided to vote for him as we needed a personality who understands what freedom is, and who can help us with growth and development on the foundation of equality.
It seems that the trust, the belief that we have voted a person who can revolutionize India is now shaken, to be very honest.
Yes, I do understand that you have optimally used the Section 69A of the IT Act to block the flow of information via any computer or electronic device, but I am afraid, there is no applause this time.
What you are actually receiving is contempt and shame from our own countrymen.
If you can study a bit about Internet, and understand how it can bring in a social/political revolution, you will be surprised to know that by blocking 30 odd websites, you can never, I repeat never be able to crush the power of knowledge.
Infact, this brutal act of yours will ignite, give fire to the movement in an unprecedented way. When protestors in Hong Kong found Internet to be banned, they used a new application which allowed them to pass messages without using Internet. Protestors in Egypt used Twitter to bring in a Government change, and when they banned it, they shouted and distributed papers with their messages.
Will you ban the process of writing and thinking as well?
Internet is like a deep, black jungle, and if some trees have caught fire, you can't blow the wind to put off the fire; it will only spread far and wide, making your decision look ridiculous.
As I have come to know, the person who decided to block these 32 websites (and later unblocked 4 of them), made his decision on the fact that the captured ISIS member from Bangalore used these websites to propagate his hate fuelled messages to other ISIS sympathizers and supporters.
But, do you really believe that by banning these 28 websites, you can stop the flow of information?
When a forest catches fire, experts douse the flames by using water, which soothes the heat.
Instead of banning and blocking the websites as a reaction, why don't you spend some time on the issue, and try to understand what exact is the problem? Why our nation's youth will ever dream of joining an extremist organization and indulge in mindless jehad?
Trust me, even if you block all the websites ever created on this Earth, people will find a way to bypass it, and use it anyhow. In this age of connected economy fuelled by Internet, you can't ban a thing. It sounds so childish and like a page out of an 18th century manual for enforcing discipline.
Sir, banning websites is a symbol which denotes emergency, a wicked, evil reaction to a problem which is so huge that you can't even find a solution except banning the medium?
I am a regular Internet user, who uses these websites to share my knowledge and expertise with the world. Like me, there are hundreds and thousands of users who use these websites to share their side of story, their programming codes, their words and emotions with their well-wishers.
And basically, the whole Internet works the same way.
If the Digital India dream which you have shown us is just a dream, and not a reality, then I am very sorry to interrupt, but you have failed. Failed miserably in your mission to join and develop India using the Digital Medium, and to provide Information as a Fundamental Right, just like access to fresh water and Dignity of Choice.
As a common man, I am shocked and hurt by your decision to ban websites, and I hope that my Open Letter introduces some sanity in your decisions, which has the potential to impact 120 crore people of this country.
I look forward to 2015 with a new hope and with a new beginning. Please help me in that endeavor.
A Concerned Indian Internet User
[Note to Readers: if you agree to this, do share it, let the message reach the concerned authorities]
Open LetterWebsite Ban
Mohul Ghosh 5094 posts 3 comments
Mohul keenly observes the nuances of Indian startup world; and tries to demystify the secrets behind Technology, Marketing, Mobile and Internet. He is a Writer by passion, Marketer by choice and Entrepreneur by compulsion. Follow him on Twitter here: @_mohul
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vinodh says 8 years ago
ok. its customary on the part of governments to block websites and social media properties to avoid "communal riots". but i still believe we are a free country compared to several other nations. see the government bashing and ridiculing governments by media on its policies and actions. but banning a code repository like github is meaningless.
Pasha says 8 years ago
Hey, please understand that "freedom of speech" and writing something hateful to instigate violence are two different things. Government is NOT banning freedom of expression in any way. Everyday we read harsh criticism on politics, policies and almost every government matter. It is not like China or N. Korea where people are subject to a government propaganda.
The ban, as I understand, is to curb malicious spread of hate and communal violence. History will show that it is really easy to do so in India. That's why we need controls. Unless the websites have an efficient review mechanism in place, it's best to ban them. Otherwise they are facilitating a crime.
Imran Soudagar says 8 years ago
Hi Mohul,
I think sometimes it is important to ban some websites as it can compromise the National Security. I agree they should have first contacted the owners of the websites before banning but then this is not a permanent ban, they are going to lift the ban soon.
This case of websites being banned is not a violation of Freedom of Speech, but it is infact for our safety. Your comparison of the ban of 300+ websites by the then Congress Govt and the current ban is irrelevant. That ban was to stop rumors from spreading and this ban is to stop the communication channel.
Jagannath Nayak says 8 years ago
Very rightly said Mohul. We'll get an alternative way to overtake this issue. But my hope is ending day by day with the act of Mr. Narendra Modi, though I was a great fan of him.
Weekly Wrap-Up: Airtel VOIP Charges, Major 2014 News Recap & More… 8 years ago
[…] is heart-felt open letter to Narendra Modi and Indian Government from a concerned Indian Internet User. By Banning 32 websites, you have shaken our trust in regarding the future of the Digital India in […]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Australia / Players / Michael Taylor
All matches in Australia
Domestic results
Domestic Season
JLT One-Day Cup
Domestic One-Day Records
Domestic T20 Records
Marnus Labuschagne
Travis Head
Josh Philippe
Tim Paine
James Pattinson
Full name Michael David Taylor
Born June 9, 1955, Chelsea, Victoria
Major teams Tasmania, Victoria
Batting style Right-hand bat
First-class 75 123 15 5005 234* 46.34 13 25 40 0
List A 32 31 6 644 64* 25.76 0 2 11 0
First-class 75 59 45 0 - - - 4.57 - 0 0 0
List A 32 - - - - - - - - - - -
First-class span 1977/78 - 1988/89
List A span 1981/82 - 1988/89
The 16 Aussies who went to South Africa (May 31, 2013)
Victoria 1977/78 - 1984/85
Australian Rebels in South Africa, 1985/86
Tasmania 1987/88 - 1989/90


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Amer. Sep. No. 41 Partie Des Etats Unis....
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Amer. Sep. No. 41 Partie Des Etats Unis. [Wisconsin, Minnesota, Upper Peninsula and Iowa]
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Finely colored example of the third state of Vandermaelen's highly detailed map of the Upper Mississippi and Upper Missouri River areas, from Vandermaelen's Atlas Universel, the first atlas to systematically map the world in uniform scale.
The provides a remarkably detailed early look at the Upper Mississippi and Upper Missouri during a period where the region is mostly being explored by fur traders. The map is a testament to the phenomenal effort Vandermaelen undertook to compile contemporary and highly detailed the most detailed regional maps of the regions to appear in an atlas. Cartographically, the atlas is a magnificent highly detailed work, pulling together the best information for indigenous sources. This first large format map ever produced for this region. Includes extensive notes throughout the map. Extends south to Dubuque, west to the Gr. Sioux & Yellowood Rivers & east to Lake Winnebago.
This would seem to be the third of three states of the map, with this edition having substantially more topographical detail than the first edition and a number of additional annotations. This third state also includes extensive topographical modifications and additions.
First State: /gallery/detail/21661
Second State: /gallery/detail/45855
Third State: /gallery/detail/36478
One of the most detailed and also least studied maps of this region from the period.
Philippe Marie Vandermaelen Biography
Philippe Marie Vandermaelen (1795-1869) was a Belgian cartographer and geographer known for his pioneering use of technology and his leadership in establishing the important Establissement geographique de Bruxelles. Born in Brussels, Philippe was obsessed with maps from a young age. He taught himself mathematics, astronomy, and mapmaking and plotted the battles of the Napoleonic wars avidly. He took over his father's soapmaking business briefly in 1816, but then turned it over to his brother in favor of cartography.
From 1825 to 1827, he released his first atlas, the Atlas universal, which was well received. It was sold in forty installments of ten maps each, with 810 subscribers listed. The atlas contained 387 maps in six volumes at a uniform scale of 1:1.6 million. The maps were intended to be joined and together would create a globe 7.755 meters wide. It was the first atlas to show the entire world on a large uniform scale and was the first atlas produced using lithography. This project served as Vandermaelen's gateway into intellectual life, gaining him membership in the Royal Academy of Sciences and Belles-Lettres of Brussels (1829).
In 1830, Vandermaelen inherited a laundry from his parents which he converted into the Establissement geographique de Bruxelles, or the Brussels Geographical Establishment. His brother, Jean-Francois, also established a botanical garden on the site. The Establishment had its own lithographic press, one of the first to use the technology for cartography and the first in Belgium. They produced textbooks, surveys, and especially maps of Brussels to be used for urban planning. The complex also housed schools, an ethnographic museum, and a library open to the public. Vandermaelen was passionate about geographic education and saw the Establishment as an open place where people could learn about the world.
In 1836, he was knighted for his services to geography and the intellectual community of Belgium. He died at age 73 in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, near the Geographical Establishment that he founded. After Vandermaelen's death, the Geographical Establishment declined, closing its doors in 1880. The extraordinary collection they had amassed passed to several institutions, most importantly the Royal Library of Belgium.
Antique Maps / United States / Midwest / Midwest
Antique Maps / United States / Plains / Plains
Southern Provinces of the United States
Nice example of Thomson's map of the Southeastern United States, published in Edinburgh.
Colton's Map of the Southern States. . .1875
Detailed map of the Southern United States, colored by counties.
The Upper Territories of the United States
An Early American Map of the Old Northwest.
Carte de La Louisiane cours du Mississipi et Pais Voisins Dediee a M. le Comte de Maurepas . . . 1744
Overview Map of Pierre François-Xavier de Charlevoix's Seminal Explorations in North America
Map Showing The Pacific Railways and Their Branches. Prepared for the United States Pacific Railway Commission.
Mapping the Railroads of the Transmississippi West.
Regni Mexicani seu Novae Hispaniae Ludovicianae N. Angliae, Carolinae, Virginia, et Pennsylvaniae . . .
Decorative map based upon De L'Isle's landmark map of Mexico and Florida, first issued in 1703.


Iran's women handball players emerged at the top in the Second West Asian Women Handball Championship in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday and won the first medal of the sport for the country.
Shahid Chamran Larestan club represented Iran in the event. The Iranian team started the campaign with a 43-8 win over Iraq on Feb. 15 and defeated Lebanon 29-19 in the second match on the following day, according to Asianhandball.org.
Qatar was the next rival for the women on Feb. 18 and the Iranians gained their third victory by scoring 38 goals and receiving 16.


Application Development Manager (Multiple Positions) (Accenture LLP; Philadelphia, PA): Manage project execution to ensure adherence to budget, schedule, and scope. Develop or update project plans for information technology projects, including project objectives, technologies, systems, information specifications, schedules, funding, and staffing. Develop, design, and maintain software products or systems to enable client strategies. Analyze, design, build, and test new components or enhancements to existing modules. Develop system specifications and interfaces for complex components. Create operational documentation for applications. Maintain applications according to SLAs. Work across the Service Delivery Lifecycle on engineering solutions for new system roll-outs, major/minor enhancements, and/or ongoing maintenance of existing applications. Identify and assess complex problems and create solutions that require in-depth evaluation of variable factors that are implemented by the team. Work with the client to gather requirements and develop proofs of concept for new technologies/solutions, and suggest business process improvisation to reduce complexity in custom application(s). Supervise a team to gather and interpret user/system requirements into design specifications. Monitor the performance of project team members, and provide and document performance feedback. Conduct project and issue management (status reporting, issue reporting, ETC/budget reporting) for assigned scope of work, and make decisions that impact the team through regular consultation with senior management. Adhere to strategic direction set by senior management.
•	Of the required experience, 5 years of experience must be in each of the following: Using Veeva Administration, Configuration, and Customization; using Salesforce Administration, Configuration, and Customization; using Salesforce1 Mobile Administration, Configuration, and Customization; using Veeva Medical CRM Administration, Configuration, and Customization; using Salesforce Lightning, Apex, and Data Loader technologies; Pharma commercial sales and marketing application development and maintenance; and using BioPharma and Medical processes and modules.


text:
Read Jeff's work in...
Jeff's Personal Top 5
1) THE NEW YORKER: Bob Dylan's First Day with "Tangled Up in Blue"
2) ESQUIRE: Tom Petty Was Always One of Us
3) WALL STREET JOURNAL: 20 Odd Questions With Ringo Starr
4) ESQUIRE: The Music in Ken Burns' The Vietnam War Is Remarkable. Here's How It Was Chosen.
5) ESQUIRE: When Bob Dylan Saw God
Additional Recommended Reading
WALL STREET JOURNAL: How Deepak Chopra Is Getting Through Quarantine
NBC News THINK: Little Richard dead at 87: The rock and roll king who scared — and changed — America
THE DAILY BEAST: Bob Geldof: America Is 'Screwed'
THE DAILY BEAST: John Cleese and Eric Idle on the Trump and Brexit 'Sh*tshow'
NBC News THINK: Netflix and Martin Scorsese's 'Rolling Thunder Revue' is peak Bob Dylan
THE DAILY BEAST: A Beatles Masterpiece Just Got Even Better
QUARTZ: Led Zeppelin's discography is immortal, thanks to Jimmy Page
QUARTZ: Prince made weird sexy, and kept sexy weird
ESQUIRE: The Best Rock Album You've Never Heard
QUARTZ: David Bowie's bandmates explain just how he got them to sound like that
ESQUIRE: Monty Python Finally Says Goodbye
NBC News THINK: Passing Michael Jackson, the Eagles now have the best-selling album of all time. And they're still terrible.
ESQUIRE: Wu-Tang Clan Opens Up About Reuniting and the New Album
ESQUIRE: When David Bowie Invented The Future
WALL STREET JOURNAL: Will the Smartphone Ever Truly Replace Your Beloved Wallet?
ESQUIRE: Willie Nelson Wants You to Buy His Music–And His Weed
ESQUIRE: The Making of David Bowie's Lost Soul Album
ROCK CELLAR MAGAZINE: The Beastie Boys Origin Story: Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz on Their Roller-Coaster Career
ROLLING STONE: 10 Things We Learned From Elvis Costello's Brilliant New Memoir
ESQUIRE: John Cleese Picks the Most Gut-Busting Monty Python Sketches
THE DAILY BEAST: Ringo Starr's Post-Beatles Bliss
ESQUIRE: David Crosby Does Not Give a Single F*ck
ROCK CELLAR MAGAZINE: Behind the Curtain: On Tour with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
ESQUIRE: Roger Waters Won't Hide His Disdain for Donald Trump
ESQUIRE: Gregg Allman Always Walked Through the Fire
ESQUIRE: 73 Reasons to Love Bob Marley on His 73rd Birthday
QUARTZ: "Pink Floyd is dead. I'm ready to move on."
THE DAILY BEAST: Goddamn, Dylan's Sinatra Album Is Great
QUARTZ: Hey haters: rock stars like Miley are supposed to be rebels, and a little crazy
More from Jeff...
Jeff's TapeOp Interviews and Reviews
Jeff Slate & Friends: David Bowie 76th Birthday Bash
Hill Country Live! NYC, 30 West 26th Street, New York, NY
Beloved classics, deep cuts and lost gems from Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Young Americans, "Heroes", Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), Let's Dance, Blackstar and more in an evening celebrating David Bowie's 76th birthday!
Jeff Slate & Friends lead a celebration of David Bowie's birthday at Hill Country Live! NY on Friday, January 13th.
Jeff and his all-star band – and some very special guests – will treat you to an evening of stellar rock and roll as they dig deep into David Bowie's venerable songbook, playing hits from his greatest albums alongside some of the songs that inspired him.
Tickets are $18 in advance, inclusive of taxes and fees.
$18 (incl.fees)
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Munting Buhangin Beach Camp is created for the great outdoors – an idyllic setting big enough for families, clubs and companies. The whole area can easily suit 2,000 people and you have a choice of semi-exclusive or exclusive for accommodations.
hello we're planning to go there this coming sat..can u send me the rates for overnight stay for family..20 pax kme..mageentrance pba kmi kung dun kmi magsstay ng overnight.thanks!
pede ba dito ganapin ang beach wedding?
send me naman about the rates.
allowed ba to bring food?
how much is the table beach?
We're planning an outing this coming May 15-16, for 13 pax..
1. how much is the cottage rate and capacity per room?
3. entrance fee? how much?
3. is there any reservation before going there or is it ok to just go there on the same day?
thank you , please reply ASAP .
1. how much cottage? room?
3. entrance fee? how much?adult/children.
i want to ask the price of the entrance fee and the cottages for an overnight stay.
please send me a quote for 20 to 25 persons. Do you have one big room that can accomodate us all? we are planning to go there on june 19 and 20. your response will be greatly appreciated.
-overnight fee or whole day fee ?
thank you , please reply ASAP . .
hi! magkano po rate nung nipa hunt and ung tree house!? ilang capacity per unit!? pano mag pareserve!? cno pwede contakin!? plan nmin pumunta ng family ko mga 3th week ng may.2010! please send me the info…. thank you so much!!!!
id like 2 ask how much the cotage and enrntce fee..??..cn u give me the complete info..
hope to receive your response. thanks!
can i have the rates?
i'm planning for an overnight stay at the resort, i would like to ask for the..
2. rooms fee (for two)?
3. do i need to reserve?
5. entrance fee, kung meron..
.. please email the details and the quotation.. thanks a lot.
were planning to celebrate my mom's bday there this May 5.. can i have more info on the ff.?
3. entrance fee, if there is..
4. do i need to reserve?
and all the amenities you have..
pls email all the details as soon as possible..
Please email all the details..
3.overnight fee or whole day fee ?
4.what are the amenities ?
hi! ask ko po how much ang rates ng cottages, any suggestions for group cottages?kung my entrance pa per head?ok lng b mgluto don? plan nmin kc mg-outing ng may1-2. estimated adult & kids 40 or more… tnx!
hi….ask ko ln how much un room rate nyo para sa overnight stay….en rate ng entrance 4 head…. en possible expences ko sa 19 adults en 8 kids…..un kasama n lahat un room en entrance en kun allow to bring our own foods….en how much an additional rate nyo sa rice cooker en blender to be bring or if allow b? en how much sa tree house…?
hi we are planning our outing on April 17, 201. please give me the quotation for the accomodations.
hi! plan naming mag family outing this coming April 11, inquire ko lang po magkano ang cottage at per head. can you please send me a quatation for 15 persons. tnx.
please send me the qoutations for 15 pax…how much is the entrance fee…for adult and children…are bringing of food allowed…and the prices for your cottages…thanks..!!!
hi! ask ko lng ung mga room rates.. my available p b this april 2-4?
Just wanna ask about the entrance fees & cottages.
We're planning for Family Outing this coming April 1-2. our plans is to go in the afternoon of March 31.
Can you please provide me quotation for 2 days and 2 nights and for 13 adults and 9 kids?
ask ko lng poh how much ung room nyo for 6 person..pnu poh mg p reserve??kc poh my outing kme ng april 1..how much pg 2days kme dyan??
planning to have a family outing.More or less 40persons to stay overnight.
Please quote me how much it would cost us.
Our office/dept will have its outing on April9/10..and we saw your ad last sat over phil.star..your website does not include the rates for entrance fee and rooms..We are 30 pax..can we bring our food ans drinks?will there any charges? we're going to stay overnight..so can u please provide me a quotation for a/c rooms and non-a/c rooms..is there available kitchen utensils for cooking or we still have to bring our own wares..hoping for your reply asap. thank you..
Hi! I wanna know if you have a website where we can see full details of the view and amenities of your place? Further, may i know the rate for a standard airconditioned room good for 2? Do you still accept reservation for the month of April? Thanks!
go kami sa munting buhangin this saturday night (27 Feb) , is it ok kahit wlang reservation?
planning to have a company outing on April 8, 2010.
More or less 50 employees to stay overnight.
ask lang ako kung pwede mag dala ng food, magkano ang mga cottage and magkano per head? kailangan pa ba ng reservation?
inquire ko lang po kung how much ang room rates nyo at kung may group package kayo?


The conversation from part 5 continues. More on Caesarian Section plus: should we implement Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) training into undergraduate and post-graduate training? Is ERAS similar to perioperative surgical home (PSH)? As new data emerges about ERAS how often will pathways and protocols be changed? What is the future for ERAS?
PreviousPrevious post:ASA 2018 San Francisco | Smith's Medical Symposium on Enhanced Recovery – Part 5NextNext post:Promo – Joff Lacey's Xtreme Everest Extra, out every Sunday!


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Facing The Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti
The Strength-Giver
Facing The Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti is the most beautiful Christian tale about love and loss and hope.
Cynthia Ruchti writes with care and compassion as the reader immerses themselves in her beautiful words. Facing The Dawn is like a hug from Jesus in a book.
The reader will not be able to read this book and remain unchanged. We 'see' and 'feel' the hope and love of Jesus. A character asks 'what is the antidote to fear?' The answer is 'love'. Jesus is love.
The grief is raw and palpable. "I'm doing all I can to squeeze out 'Jesus, help!' from time to time. No offense, but I can't read your Word right now." We witness a character drowning in grief. Sometimes all we can do is cling on to Jesus and rest in His presence. He understands our pain. He understands our needs. "You do understand if I don't have it in me to sit beside people who all want to put their arms around me." Sometimes we just need to be alone. To deal with others is just too hard. Jesus understands. The reader 'feels' the desperate sadness of the character.
Cynthia Ruchti is masterful with her pen as she paints the raw emotions. "Hope… stripped away by the ravenous ravens of grief." We can empathise with the character.
A grief journey is different for everyone. "Grief is just love with no place to go." There is no right or wrong way to grieve. There is no time limit. Grief takes as long as it takes and it meanders at will.
Within the novel we witness a beautiful friendship. It is a friendship that says I am here for you. If you push me away I will return. I will be here for you when you want me. This can be seen as a motif for God who will never leave us. "God, you're here aren't you? The awfulest of all the awful days." God walks beside us whatever we face. He is waiting for us to lean on Him. "You'll get through the hard bits if you're leaning on the Strength-Giver."
Sometimes we need to be like Jacob and wrestle with Jesus in our grief. In the end we will receive blessing.
There is also guilt. "I'm sorry I laughed this afternoon. It wasn't because I'd forgotten you." We can 'feel' the pain and sense the emotions held in tension. We must not feel guilty when we begin to live and love and laugh again.
Cynthia Ruchti always writes powerful works of great beauty. Facing The Dawn is incredibly powerful. The loss and pain, the hope and love are all palpable.
Although the tale is about a journey through grief, it is not a gloomy read. It is a hope-filled read. It is a love-filled read. It is a beautiful read. It is this hope and love and great beauty that remain with the reader long after the last page is read.
Book: Facing the Dawn
Author: Cynthia Ruchti
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction
Mara Jacobs has been struggling. While her humanitarian husband is digging wells in Africa and caring for widows and orphans, Mara has been battling the home front—working a demanding yet unrewarding job, trying to manage three detention-prone kids, and suffering from exhaustion and depression. Even her own marriage is deteriorating after a three-year separation.
Then Liam's absence turns into something more, changing everything and plunging her into a sunless grief. As Mara leans on those around her to find her way to healing and renewed faith, she discovers that even when hope is tenuous and the future is unknown, we can be sure we are not forgotten . . . or unloved.
Facing the Dawn is an emotionally evocative novel that will resonate with readers' lives and their life challenges. Hemmed in hope, this tender story will be one readers will not soon forget.
Cynthia Ruchti is the award-winning author of more than 30 books, including the novels Afraid of the Light, Miles from Where We Started, As Waters Gone By, Song of Silence, A Fragile Hope, and They Almost Always Come Home. Her books have been honored with more than 40 readers', reviewers', and retailers' awards, including Romantic Times's Inspirational Novel of the Year, four Selah Awards, and five Christian Retailing's BEST Awards, and has been a finalist for many others, including the Carol and the Christy. Former president of and current professional relations liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Cynthia lives in Wisconsin and can be found online at www.cynthiaruchti.com.
More from Cynthia
When I sit down to write a novel, I sometimes have little more than a title or a single scene in my head. For Facing the Dawn, I had a mental picture of a woman who felt like circumstances had drained all the "color" out of her life, as if she were a piece of fabric that had been left out in the sun too long. Faded. Threadbare. Bleached out.
Where was I supposed to go from there? What would have made her feel like that? (Oh, I could imagine, but I needed to know THIS character's story.) I visualized her called in the principal's office at her kids' school, not knowing which of the three was in trouble this time. But it was her. The ridiculousness of it all was almost enough to push her over the edge. Ever been there?
For Mara in the story, a long string of disappointments clogged her life like a backed-up sink (which she also had). Then true tragedy struck. And again. But I couldn't leave her in that place.
When I wrote the last few words of the story, my heart was full. Tears fell on the pages—or the keyboard. And I reflected back on all the symbolism in the story that actually revealed bits of hope embedded in its fabric.
I'm excited to see how readers respond when they discover those little bits—a cardinal in a stand of birch trees, an oil painting with unusual brushstrokes, a papered wall, a cup of soup, a long-forgotten song, an envelope of ashes…
A story comes to life when readers dive in. I'm looking forward to hearing what they find when they do.
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 4
lakesidelivingsite, March 4
Through the Fire Blogs, March 4
Rebecca Tews, March 5
Debbie's Dusty Deliberations , March 5
Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 6 (Author Interview)
Ashley's Clean Book Reviews, March 6
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 6
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 7
Reviewingbooksplusmore, March 7
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 8
Kathleen's Blog, March 8
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, March 8
Texas Book-aholic, March 9
Cats in the Cradle Blog, March 9
Locks, Hooks and Books, March 10
Simple Harvest Reads, March 10 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Mypreciousbitsandmusings, March 10
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 11
Artistic Nobody, March 11 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Older & Smarter?, March 12
deb's Book Review, March 12
The Christian Fiction Girl, March 13
Inklings and notions, March 13
Pause for Tales, March 13
For Him and My Family, March 14
Mary Hake, March 14
By The Book, March 15
Christian Bookaholic, March 15
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 16
Spoken from the Heart, March 16
Southern Gal Loves to Read, March 16
A Baker's Perspective, March 17
Writing from the Heart Land, March 17
To celebrate her tour, Cynthia is giving away the grand prize package of a DrinkCo Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated BPA-free beverage container (keeps drinks cold for up to 24 hours/hot up to 12 hours), two Sunprint Notecards (Cynanotype art by Anna Atkins), an autographed copy of the novel Facing the Dawn, two Hemmed in Hope magnets/notecard inserts to encourage you or a friend, a Hemmed in Hope flash drive, and Facing the Dawn bookmarks (not shown in picture above)!!
https://promosimple.com/ps/108ce/facing-the-dawn-celebration-tour-giveaway
This entry was posted on 15th March 2021, in Christian Fiction and tagged Baker Publishing, book review, Celebrate Lit, Cynthia Ruchti, Facing The Dawn, Revell Books. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment
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One thought on "Facing The Dawn by Cynthia Ruchti"
Cynthia Ruchti says:
Thank you so much for this insightful review!


text:
Home Press Releases FG Tasks Agencies On Women Inclusion In Management Positions.
FG Tasks Agencies On Women Inclusion In Management Positions.
The Federal Government has called on the four Agencies under the Ministry of interior to appoint women into various management positions with a view to avoiding gender discrimination, more so to promote gender equality in the public service.
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola stated this during the official unavailing and launch of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Gender Policy Document in Abuja.
Aregbesola, in his keynote address, titled: "No woman should be left behind," noted that there should be no discrimination in gender, as he called for the promotion of equal advancement of women and men in all sectors.
The Minister charged the Commandant-General of NSCDC, Dr.Ahmed Abubakar Audi, to promote gender inclusiveness within the corps and ensure that women are given equal opportunity to enable them prove their pontentiality in the service.
"Our nation has faced security challenges in recent times, there has been a long – standing insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and North Central, farmers- herders clashes all over, kidnapping for ransom in our schools, this called for more security architectures in the schools which resorted in the establishment of the Female Squad by the Corps.
The Minister who attributed the current security challenges to the emergence of the novel covid-19 pandemic stated further that the Nigerian security agencies have risen strongly to face these challenges.
"Female Squadrons are ready to face these security challenges," Aregbesola emphasized.
Earlier, in his remarks, the Commandant-General of the corps, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, noted that the formulation of the NSCDC Gender Policy was anchored on the outcome of a gender assessment exercise conducted in three formal security institutions in 2019 which included NSCDC,.
Audi commended the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for giving him a matching order on assumption of duty early this year that;
"I should Introduce a robust policy initiatives for the establishment of Female Squad in the NSCDC to curtail the security challenges in our schools across the nation."
Similarly, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Talen, commended the gender sensitive policies of the Minister and that of the Commandant-General, their commitment to the plight of women, which according to her will surely address incisant gender based violence against women .
The Women Affairs Minister also used the occasion to confer an Award, titled; "He for She" on the Commandant-General of NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi, for his devotion and commitment to the promotion of women in top management positions of the service.
Mohamed Ali
For: Director Press
Interior Ministry
NSCDC
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Join us for our App product webinar on 21st May at 11am. Our New Business Manager Richard Ridley will be talking you through the gift card market and how you can unloack a proven source of additional revenue. Plus, our Head of Product Rich Millington will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about our products.
Eagle Eye is excited to announce the launch of a new book, Omnichannel Retail: How to Build Winning Stores in a Digital World, by our CEO, Tim Mason, to help deliver profitable, bricks and mortar retail in the digital age. To mark today's publication, this first blog in a weekly series of 12, serialises the book chapter by chapter, and includes exclusive excerpts as a preview of its key themes and recommendations.


As the regular season winds down, it's clear that Pablo Sandoval is the best young hitter the Giants have had since Will Clark came up in 1986. However, the thing that will really determine just how good Sandoval can become is whether he can learn to be a more patient hitter who swings mainly at strikes.
One good sign is that Sandoval has drawn 48 walks this year after 556 ABs. While this is not an impressive walks total, it's a huge improvement over what Sandoval has done previously in his professional career. His best previous seasons in this regard are 2005, when he drew 21 walks in 294 ABs in the short-season, Class A- Northwest League, and last year when he drew 35 walks in 593 minor and major league ABs.
It remains to be seen whether this year's improvement in his walks total is really a sign that he is learning to be more patient or selective at the plate, or whether it is just a one-year aberration. However, given his age, he's still young enough to improve dramatically in this regard over the next few years.
By way of comparison, when Vladimir Guerrero was roughly the same age in 1998 (actually, Vlad was six months older then than Pablo was this year) and was having his first big season, Guerrero walked only 42 times in 623.
Vlad has never been an incredibly patient hitter, but over time he improved to the point where he was patient enough to force pitchers to throw him strikes. Vlad walked 84 times in 2002 (614 ABs) and 71 times in 2007 (574 ABs); and since 1999 he has walked between 50 and 63 times every other year, until this year when his walks total has dropped substantially (19 times in 372 ABs).
Sandoval, like Guerrero, is a tremendous bad-ball hitter. Nevertheless, even a player with the raw hitting ability of a Pablo Sandoval or a Vladimir Guerrero needs to be at least as disciplined at the plate as Bad Vlad has been to become a superstar. It's hard for a player who is unable to draw even 50 walks in a season to be a consistently great hitter, because he's going to see a lot fewer hitters' pitches than a hitter who will take a walk if the pitcher won't put the ball in the strikezone.
The Twins ended up being the winners of the Miguel Angel Sano derby, signing the allegedly 16 year old Dominican shortstop for $3.15 million. This is reported to be more money than the Twins gave the seventy international prospects they signed between 2006 and 2008 combined and appears to reflect the fact that the Twins expect to increase their revenue streams considerably as they move into a new ballpark in 2010.
I say "allegedly" as to Sano's age, because there has been an on-going controversy regarding his age. MLB spent months investigating whether the 6'3″ and 190 lb Sano was really the age he's claiming and ultimately concluded that they couldn't confirm his age one way or the other. This led to a lot of teams that had big interest in Sano to lose interest in shelling out the money necessary to sign him.
Not the Twins, however. They are desperate for middle infield help, and he was the best Latin prospect out there. Of course, it will likely be at least four or five years before he's ready to play in the majors.
Former Twin and Yankee Chuck Knoblauch was just charged with battering his common-law wife. According to prosecutors, he was drinking heavily and taking Xanax on Friday night, when he lost his temper and hit her in the face and choked her during a fight over his car keys.
I was a fan of Knoblauch as a player when he was having those big years as a Twin in the mid-1990's, when he was just a tremendous offensive player for a middle infielder. However, a friend of mine who is a big Twins fan told me that Knoblauch was a total pill, and that he was glad when Knoblauch left the Twins.
In 1998 and 1999 as a Yankee, it seemed like Knoblauch tried to reinvent himself as a power hitter, instead of the Pete-Rose-with-more-walks kind of hitter he had been in Minnesota. His homerun totals went up a little and his batting average and on-base-percentages declined a lot.
Knoblauch ended up playing his way out of the majors at the tender age of 34, young for a player who had been as good as he was in his prime. We later found out that he was one of the many steroid abusers of the period, and this may have had something to do with the direction his career took. If nothing else, I suspect the 'roids did not help him on the personality front.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if any former ballplayer were reported today to have abused his common-law wife in a drunken dispute over car keys, Knoblauch would have to be near the top of any long-time fan's short list of likely suspects.
He's innocent until proven guilty, of course. However, it's not something totally out of the blue either.
You may have heard that the Cardinals recently voided the $3.1 million contract they gave to 16 year old Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo, when they conducted a physical exam and discovered that his eye sight is terrible. According to this article, Mateo's vision is 20-200, which can be improved with lenses to 20-30.
The Cardinals are taking some criticism for not having the physicals done before signing the contract, although I suspect that the contract is clear that passing a physical was part of the contract and that the Cardinals could void the deal if they found something they didn't like.
It's a tough break for Mateo ( and all his advisers who would have gotten a cut), but I can see the Cardinals' side of it. When you sign a 16 year old player, you are signing almost exclusively on the basis of physical abilities (arm strength, foot speed, bat speed).
The Cardinals have certainly watched Mateo play ball with his peer group, and I'm sure that Mateo can play. However, for $3.1 million, a team is going to want the full physical package, and poor eyesight raises real questions about how far the prospect can go before he can't see the ball well enough to continue hitting.
For what it's worth, there is no one-to-one correspondence between ability to hit major league pitching and good eyesight. Sure, Ted Williams had something like 20-10 vision, which allowed him to become a fighter pilot in both the Second World War and the Korean War, but as he himself said, it wasn't so much his ability to see the ball as it was his ability to lay off pitches out of the strike zone that made him a great hitter.
All considered, Hafey is one of the weakest members of the Hall of Fame. However, there is no doubt whatsoever that he could hit. If he could do it, then Mateo could do it. I also wonder whether Mateo would be a better LASIC (or other modern corrective vision procedure) in his early 20's when he has stopped growing.
Someone will sign Mateo to professional contract in the next year, but likely at far less than the $3.1 million the Cardinals were willing to give him before they found out about his vision. I don't feel too sorry for Mateo. Losing this contract simply means he will actually have to earn his riches as a professional ballplayer through his play on the field.
For those who didn't notice, former Giant Pat Misch threw a complete game shutout for the Mets today beating the Marlins 4-0. It was about as ugly a shutout as one can pitch. Misch gave up eight hits and walked three while striking out only two.
Still, a shutout is a shutout, and I'm sure Misch is excited about it. I suspect that this game will be the highlight of his major league career.
I've been a fan of Misch for some time, since the days when he put up good numbers for various Giants' farm clubs but didn't get much recognition for it, as other, more highly touted prospects were promoted ahead of him. At the end of the day, however, he just isn't a very good major league pitcher.
He's 27 this year (turned 28 on August 18), the age at which players as a group peak, and he's still a marginal major league pitcher, who needs great defense behind him to have any degree of success. He has a 4.71 ERA this year after today's shutout, but with 22 walks and 22 strikeouts in 57.1 IP, he's not fooling anyone.
Still, every dog has his day, and today is Misch's. I wish him the best, but I'm not going to get my hopes up regarding his future success either.
Has anyone besides me notices what a fine year Rajai Davis is having in Oakland? Giants fans will remember Davis as the player the Giants obtained from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2007 for Matt Morris.
This was really a great deal for the Giants because Morris had nothing left, and the Pirates not only agreed to assume all of the remaining $13 or so million left on Morris's contract through 2008, but also through in a useful major league player (Davis) into the pot to boot.
The Pirates made the deal because they wanted a good-in-the-clubhouse veteran to anchor their young starting rotation. This only really works, however, when the veteran is still a good starting pitcher in his own right.
Davis is no great player, but he makes a good back-up centerfielder and pinch runner (92 career steals in 118 attempts, a 78% success rate). This year, though, he's been a great player for the A's. He's currently hitting .309 in 366 ABs with a .364 OBP and 40 steals in 51 attempts. He's been just about the only pleasant surprise for the A's on offense this year, and FanGraphs rates his centerfield defense in the majors' top five at the position.
Davis is 28 this year (turns 29 on October 19), and I suspect that his 2009 offensive numbers are a fluke. However, given how well he runs, he has the opportunity, as does the Nationals' similarly-skilled Nyjer Morgan, to have a Dave Roberts-type career, if his batting skills really have improved. In fact, in both Davis' and Morgan's favor, they are both better defensive centerfielders (by a wide margin) than Roberts was.
He's another player I'll be rooting for in the future, if only because he was part of the deal where the Giants successfully dumped Matt Morris' bloated, free-agent salary.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that the Twins will try to sign catcher Joe Mauer to a seven year, $120 million extension during this offseason. This is obviously a no-brainer for the Twins: Mauer is the face of the Twins' franchise, and he's currently one of the best players in the game. The Twins need to lock him up for the long-term now as they prepare to move into their new ballpark.
This is the ideal time to try to resign Mauer. Aside from the good PR as they move into the new ballpark, the Twins made a few late-season trades this year, and remain in the pennant race, probably at least until they play the upcoming, huge four-game series in Detroit next week. Right now, Mauer's desire to remain in the Twin Cities is likely very high, since the Twins remain in contention and appear committed to winning.
Also, given Mauer's injury history, he has a strong incentive to take less money now from the Twins, than he would get after 2010, if he plays as well next year as he did this year, since the money would be guaranteed now even if he gets hurt next year.
In short, all the spheres seem to be aligned for a Mauer contract extention to get done sooner rather than later.
On the subject of Mauer's health, I think the Twins need to give serious consideration to trading Jason Kubel this offseason for a middle infielder or a starting pitcher. Kubel is only 27 this year and is having a career year, hitting an even .300 with a .900 OPS.
The Twins also locked Kubel into a suddenly bargain-priced three-year deal during the last off-season, which pays him $4.1 million in 2010 with a $5.25 million team option for 2011. That's a great price for the production Kubel contributed this year.
This contract is probably a reason why the Twins will not trade Kubel. However, it definitely adds to his trade value, particularly since he is primarily a DH, since there are always a glut of DH's on the market every off-season (although not of DHs with a .900 OPS).
While trading Kubel would definitely hurt the Twins' offense in 2010, the Twins really need to find a way to play Mauer fewer games at catcher while keeping his bat in the line-up. The Twins now appear to have a second catcher in Jose Morales, who can play more regularly than Mike Redmond without hurting the team offensively.
While Morales only has 99 career major league at-bats to date, he has a career .319 batting average and a .375 OBP in 784 ABs at AAA Rochester. Morales will be 27 in 2010, and he looks ready to be a major league catcher.
I noticed that Mike Redmond would like to come back for the Twins in 2010, but at this point in his career, he's not even worth the $950,000 in salary he made this year. He'll turn 39 years old next May, and he hasn't been an adequate major league catcher with the bat since 2007. If the Twins need a third catcher and don't have anyone better in their system, I could see them bringing him back, but at a pay cut from his current salary.
Should the Giants Resign Freddie Sanchez?
Both the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News today claim that the Giants will likely try to sign 2Bman Freddie Sanchez to a multi-year contract this off-season.
I wish they wouldn't, because I don't think Sanchez can give the Giants enough of what they need on offense even if he performs close to his average over the last three seasons (2007-2009). In fact, since Sanchez will be 32 next year, I expect that his performance will drop off substantially over the next two seasons.
The thinking on the part of the sportswriters seems to be that the Giants may resign Sanchez in order to give him a chance to justify the trade which cost the Giants Tim Alderson. Making personnel decisions based on trying to justify past mistakes is not a good way to run a team.
Also, the Giants may be thinking that given his injuries this year and his failure to get enough plate appearances to vest his 2010 option for $8.1 million, they can sign him at a bargain price on a two or three year contract. As I said above, given his age, I expect a sharp drop-off in Sanchez's performance by 2011.
The player I'd like to see the Giants target at second is the Marlins' Dan Uggla. He's only hitting .240 this year, but he's hit 30 homeruns for the third season in a row, and his current .811 OPS is excellent for a middle infielder and well within his career norms.
Uggla will be 30 in 2010 and has two seasons left before he becomes a free agent.
More than anything else, what the Giants need is another hitter in their everyday lineup with pop. Uggla has that in spades. He's also a right-handed hitter; it's easier to hit with power from the right side at AT&T Park.
Of course, with Uggla, the question is what it would take in trade to get the Marlins to bite. Many commentators expect that the Marlins will look to trade Uggla this off-season, because of his escalating salary and proximity to free agency. With two years left before he becomes a free agent and being a proven but rapidly aging star, his trade value is probably at a peak this off-season, at least going forward.
There was also a locker room incident earlier this month between Uggla and Hanley Ramirez over Ramirez's alleged nonchalant attitude and unwillingness to play hurt. Since Ramirez is the franchise player, who also happens to be locked in by the Marlins to a very team-favorable long-term deal, this may mean the Marlins decide to move Uggla this off-season.
A deal I could live with would be Jonathan Sanchez, AAA 2Bman Matt Downs, and a young relief pitcher, like say, Osiris Matos, who had a good year at AAA and is only 24 years old, or Steve Edlefsen, who went rocketing through the Giants' system this year and is also currently 24. However, the Giants recently removed Matos from their 40-man roster to make room for one of their September call-ups, so they may loose him through the Rule 5 Draft.
More likely, the Marlins would ask for Sanchez, AA 2Bman Brock Bond, who is two years younger than Downs and led the Eastern League this year in batting average (.333) and OBP (.429), and left-handed reliever Dan Runzler, who's also 24 this year and has now pitched in 7 major league games without allowing a run. That deal would be a lot harder to swallow.
It's also assuming that the Giants would be willing to trade Jonathan Sanchez so soon after his no-hitter, now that he appears right on the verge of turning the corner and becoming a top National League starter. Of course, you'd have to give up at least one player with Sanchez's potential to get a player like Uggla.
In any case, the Giants should look to trade Matt Downs this off-season, when he still has some trade value. He had a fine year at AAA this year, hitting an even .300 and posting an .834 OPS, strong for a middle infielder. He'll be 26 next Spring, so this would be the time to move him if the Giants can get anything in return.
As I see it, Downs is still behind Emmanuel Burriss, who will return from his injury-plagued 2009 season, but has substantial major league experience and is a year younger than Downs; Kevin Frandsen, who at age 27 has less trade value than Downs but more practical value to the Giants as a player who can also play shortstop in a back-up capacity; and, of course, whoever the Giants sign to be their starter at second.
In the long term, after his fantastic year at AA Connecticut at age 23, Brock Bond has to be the player to keep between him and Downs (assuming, of course, that their defensive is roughly equal).
You are currently browsing the Burly's Baseball Musings weblog archives for September 2009.


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Seawave, the 31.78-meter sailing yacht, has been mentioned on the sale list. The owner, Will Bishop has listed it at Yachting Partners International for sailing it. It was the fourth yacht in the 102 series of the South African yard, Southern wind shipyard. It was delivered in the year 2015. Southern wind shipyard built the yacht in carbon composite. All the external and internal designing and styling was done by Nauta Yachts.
Farr Yacht design was responsible for its naval architecture. Some of the internal features that make it different and unique are the horizontal open grain linens made of teak and ivory. It can accommodate eight guests. It has four cabins including a master suite, two twins and a double. This yacht for sale also has shower facilities for each of the guest cabins.
The yacht Seawave has a panoramic deck saloon that features views of the outside without any kind of obstruction. It has a settee which is U in shape and the upholstery is cream in color. It has a coffee table attached to the starboard and a huge dining area where up to ten guests can have their dinner together as well. Overhead hatches and large windows provide plenty of light to come into the cabins of the yacht. The deck space is freed up because of the recessed twin helm positions. Sufficient seating areas are there inside Seawave for the guests to be comfortable. The cockpit area of the yacht for sale is also large so that the guests can enjoy a thrilling experience of sailing.
Seawave has the main-sail area of almost 292 square meters. It also has a carbon fiber boom and mast. It has a draught of 4 meters as well. The top speed that the yacht has is 11 knots. The prime reason that she can take up so much speed is its diesel engine.


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Tribute: Varsity Field Hockey Coach McLeod
Alex Condrin '18, Contributing Writer
As the school year is coming to an end the varsity field hockey team is losing a beloved member of our team, Coach. Coach. McLeod has been a crucial component to our team and we are going to miss her immensely. She has taught us what is means to be a team, how to support each other through difficult times, and how to push ourselves to become the players and teammates we can be. As the wise Kenny Chesney swiftly sums everything up, thank you coach "For all of your time and your heart and your soul. You deserve a lot more than a toast, but here's to you, and thanks again. We'll never forget you coach!" We are all so grateful to have has Mrs. McLeod as our coach, so we would like to honor her in a little tribute:
Keely Dumouchel '18 explained, "She was truly an amazing coach and teacher. I learned a lot from her when she was my coach for three years and teacher for two. I'm going to miss her so much and our field hockey team will never be the same."
Mary McManmon '20 enthusiastically exclaimed, "Coach really taught me to push myself those last minutes of practice or a game where you didn't think you could go any further. Her constant motivation and tips helped me to become a better player on and off the field."
Ellie Barry '19 said, "She taught me to motivate others even when you are hurting. She taught me to ignore everything telling me I couldn't and to push through it and prove then wrong. I will miss her constant belief in us that we can do whatever we set our mind to."
Emma Dunnington '20 remarked, "Coach really helped me be the best player I could my first season. my second game ever, she believed in me enough to put me in as center mid, and kept on pushing me to do better and better. She helped me grow quickly in my field hockey skills, and really helped me with growing as a player."
Coach McLeod has given me her final statements on how being the varsity field hockey coach has impacted her: "When I look back on my five years coaching field hockey here what stands out to me the most is how absolutely impressive and rather astounding it is that the program has accomplished so much – going from club to varsity – in such a short time amount of time, and that the players have tackled that goal with genuine enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and grace. I've coached a lot of teams and I've worked with a lot of players over the last 12 years, but this team has, without a doubt, been one of the most impactful experiences that I have had. I'll consider myself lucky if I ever get to coach another program that maintains such a great attitude while setting such high goals for themselves."
Coach McLeod has left a truly special impact on all of us, and we are going to miss seeing her around the halls of Montrose and on the field so much! We wish her the best of luck in all of the new and exciting journeys life brings her.
montrose sports
Injury and Identity: Who Are You Without Your Sport?
Gratitude for Coach Karen
Montrose Kicks off Fall Sports
Varsity Cross Country Wins 4th and JV 5th in NEPSTA Division III Championship
Spring Sports Banquet Honors 2017-18 Athletes while Planning for Montrose's First Homecoming this Fall
Eight Montrosians Compete at NEPSTA Championship
Softball: Young Team with Seasoned Spirit
Montrose Lacrosse Dominates League Rival Waring — In Contention for Shared IGC Championship
Montrose Mavericks Varsity Basketball Honored by NEPSAC Post-Season Opportunity


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