text:
Felix sit annus novus
2010 looks set to be interesting! Happy new year peeps!
St Mary Magdalen Soup Run Blog
I've set up a blog for the St Mary Magdalen Soup Run to try and raise awareness of the soup run and see if it can generate some new volunteers. Only one post so far, but over time I hope to be able to interview volunteers and men and women who rely on the soup run as I would imagine they have some interesting life stories. Click here to see the progress.
Crisp or Tatchell? I know who I'd rather have round for tea!
Tim Walker of The Telegraph writes in his column of Peter Tatchell's anger that Quentin Crisp's personality has been "sanitised" for ITV in a new film of his life. I guess that means there aren't enough gay sex scenes and that Crisp didn't ever publicly give a ringing endorsement to homosexuality, so therefore he should be castigated. While he never denied his sexual orientation and played to the gallery with his flamboyance and eccentricity, he was never on the 'liberation' bandwagon and for Peter Tatchell, that just isn't good enough. Walker writes...
The homosexual rights campaigner tells me that the film – a sequel to The Naked Civil Servant, dealing with Crisp's later years as a "resident alien" in America – "sanitised" him, which he considered "ill-advised" as the man himself encouraged hatred of homosexuals.
"Although astonishingly brave and defiant as an 'out' gay man in the 1930s and 40s, he wa…
"Dear Mr Dawkins, I thank God for you everyday..."
H/T Valle Adurni
Richard Dawkins.net is a 'clear thinking oasis' or perhaps rather more of a mirage of cool fresh water in the spiritual desert that is the poor British Isles. Bathed in celestial hues of blue and white, the official Dawkins webpage is a 'site' to behold. A seemingly new addition to the website has been explored by Valle Adurni who senses a spirit of the evangelical 'testimony' about the site, where born-again non-believers stand up and proclaim their new found faith to all and sundry, while the online congregation claps and says, "Amen, brother! There ain't no Creator! Praise Dawkins!"
Strikingly anti-Catholic, rather than being merely anti-religion, the 'Converts' Corner' has stories of former Christians, who it appears are ignorant of their own Faith, who have finally allowed the pure bright light of reason to dawn upon them like a shaft of sunshine streaming into a gothic Cathedral...The experience of the discovery of…
BBC 'Ethical Man' Muses on Population and Climate Change
"Who will deliver babies if all the storks die due to global warming?"
Check out the BBC's 'having children is bad for the environment' column! Blasted BBC! Shamelessly promoting the Optimum Population Trust and their brand of neo-Nazism! I hope people can see through this garbage. The BBC's 'Ethical Man' is Justin Rowlatt...
'Normally the birth of a child is a moment of pure celebration. Not for me. When my lovely daughter Elsa was born (our third child) I had to justify her very existence. Her birth came half-way through my year of carbon cutting as the BBC's Ethical Man so my family life was under intense scrutiny.
I discovered that lots of people (who I am sure are very pleasant in their everyday lives) believe very strongly that the world is already full, and new Elsas are simply not welcome. So is the burgeoning human population really the cause of our climate crisis?(...)The distinctly lacklustre deal at Copenhagen suggests that the world …
Brighton Pavillion
Royal Pavillion, Brighton by 'Mister P', my friend. Very atmospheric!
Silent Night, with Susan Boyle
I'm a bit late on the Susan Boyle phenomenom...
Happy St Stephen's Day!
Peter's Fence
Thanks be to God, the Holy Father emerged unscathed and unharmed.
The 82-year-old pontiff was knocked to the floor as he proceeded down the main aisle for the Christmas Eve Mass. Although shaken, the Pope got to his feet and continued with the late night service. French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, 87, fractured his hip as he tried to stop the woman reaching the Pope.
So say a prayer for him and for the Holy Father! There are growing concerns that the female attacker, described as an 'unbalanced individual' tried the same stunt last Midnight Mass. Looks like a case of forgiving seven times seventy-seven times. Still, while those of us who love the Holy Father might wish security could be better, in as much as it was the same lady as last time, there is quite some merit in that! Who knows!? Maybe they'll let her into Midnight Mass next year and it'll be third time lucky and she won't lunge at His Holiness! The Holy Father lives to fight another day and we pray, year…
"Happy Holidays" from Google!
Christmas is snowmen, CND-style-lefty-peace, space exploration, fireworks and a happy holiday. Funny that, I could have sworn it was commemorating the birth of Our Lord...Must have missed something there!
There...that's more like it.
Happy Christmas...Deo Gratias!
No more blogging for a couple of days...Happy Christmas, all!
Marriage Becoming Preserve of Middle Class, Says Tory
I'm not in the habit of quoting Tories but this Guardian article is quite interesting...
Marriage in Britain is in danger of becoming an exclusive middle-class institution unless action is taken to bolster it, David Willetts, the shadow cabinet member responsible for the family, says today.
Speaking to the Guardian, Willetts said it would be "extremely dangerous if marriage became something only for the affluent elite" and that the rate of family break-ups was a disaster for children.
The Conservatives are due to publish their ideas on the family in a discussion paper arguing the state and the voluntary sector can do more to help fathers in relationships, especially at the birth of the first child, frequently a point where couples drift apart and separate.
The party will also back recognition of marriage in the tax system, as well as providing relationship advice at civil marriage ceremonies.
The green paper will propose changes in the law to make it easier for grandparents a…
The Nativity: Would It Be Any Different Today?
Giotto's The Flight Into Egypt
This is going to sound a little heretical so gird your loins. I was wondering the other evening whether a modern Nativity scene would be much different to the Gospel and came to the conclusion that, although the West believes itself to have moved out of 'biblical times', the 'dark ages' and into a bright post-enlightenment modernity, the same conditions of the Nativity story apply, even in the UK. You don't have to go to Africa to witness extreme poverty, misery, hunger, destitution and refugees.
In the Gospel we are told that the Holy Family, our Blessed Lord having just been born, were in the gravest danger. We are told that they experience at first hand, poverty and hardship. The Christ Child is under threat from Herod who orders the massacre of the Holy Innocents. The Holy Family become refugees, seeking asylum. When they return to Bethlehem, the Blessed Virgin and St Joseph become as beggars looking for somewhere, anywhere for …
Our Heavenly Mother and Queen, the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Mother of the Earth, the Mother of God, the Mother of all Christians is cloaked in blue and white just like the Earth. She is patroness and protectress of all who dwell here. It is she who is the great source of grace to the Church and the Faithful. Through her, the World is redeemed by Her Divine Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. By merit of her holy and Immaculate Conception, having been spared from the stain of the sin of our first parents, she inherits the World and all of its children who now belong to her. She intercedes for us, for the World and draws us to her Son. If World leaders truly want to 'save the planet' then they should turn to her.
Obligatory Christmas songs...Go on, Georgie-baby!
Was Shakespeare a Secret Catholic?
In Shakespeares's time you had to be a 'closet' Catholic, otherwise you 'd get your head lopped off...
The Telegraph reports that...
The Venerable English College has claimed that England's leading playwright was a secret Catholic who spent "lost years" in Rome.
Father Andrew Headon, the vice-rector of the college, said that college records correspond with a previously undocumented period in Shakespeare's life after he left Stratford in 1585 and before he emerged as a playwright in London in 1592. "There are several years which are unaccounted for in Shakespeare's life," said Father Headon.
A leather parchment kept by the college is signed by "Arthurus Stratfordus Wigomniensis" in 1585, "Shfordus Cestriensis" in 1587 and "Gulielmus Clerkue Stratfordiensis" in 1589.
The college believes these signatures are: "(King) Arthur's (compatriot) from Stratford (in the diocese) of Worcester," "Sh(akespe…
Pope Says Nope to Flagrant Use of Image for Brands
Buy Daz 'Divine' Washing Powder...It gets your vestments holy and white...everytime!
Courtesy of The Telegraph
The Holy See has declared that anyone wishing to use the face or name of the Holy Father must gain approval from the Vatican. In recent years, several attempts have been made to use the Pope's name on products and include it in the name of buildings or universities. To try and prevent this, the Vatican said: "Recent years have witnessed a great increase of affection and esteem for the person of the Holy Father.
"There has also been a desire to use the Pope's name in the title of universities, schools or cultural institutions, as well as associations, foundations and other groups.
"In light of this fact, the Holy See hereby declares that it alone has the right to ensure the respect due to the Successors of Peter, and, therefore, to protect the figure and personal identify of the Pope from the unauthorised use of his name and/or the papal coat of arms for ends and act…
More Monumental Marxist Miliband Madness...
More Stone Roses...'How Do You Sleep?'
Ed Miliband, Climate Change Secretary, is brother of David Miliband, Foreign Secretary, another Labour apparatchick intent on dissolving UK sovereignty like crumbly disprin in a glass of water. So, Ed, Sudan rejected it and compared the deal to the Holocaust! Oh well! Carry on regardless, eh?! What do they know?! A Telegraph blogger says Ed Miliband didn't sleep well at all at the Copenhagen Summit...With an attitute like that to the concerns of Sudan, I'm not surprised!
The UK's climate change secretary has said the UN Copenhagen summit was the "most chaotic show on earth" and arguments "strangled" negotiations [or is that impositions]. Ed Miliband said he was disappointed China and India did not want legally binding targets, and Sudan and Venezuela almost overturned the accord. Delegates largely backed a US-led climate deal which included limiting temperature rises to less than 2C. But the 193-nation summit…
Holy Elephants Stampede Upon Orisson Persecutors!
You can't say they didn't have it coming...Go on Holy Elephants and smite them! That'll learn 'em! I mean, let us pray for the victims of the elephant stampede in Orissa...
I'm Dreaming of...
...an Anthropogenic Global Warming Sceptics' Christmas? 15 inches of snow in NYC!
Thalidomide and the Abortion Act (1967)
The thalidomide scandal rocked the UK and bolstered the pro-abortion arguments in the abortion debate in the 1960s. Was it really an 'accident'?
The Telegraph today reports that...
Under a deal to be announced soon, the Department of Health will pay a grant of £20 million over three years to the Thalidomide Trust, which dispenses aid to people disabled by the drug. The deal follows a campaign backed by the Sunday Times to secure financial support for the UK's 463 surviving "thalidomiders", many of whom are unable to work and require adapted homes and cars.
Pregnant women were prescribed thalidomide in the 1950s and 1960s to treat morning sickness or insomnia, but it was withdrawn from sale in 1961 after babies were born with limb deformities and other damage.
The drug's UK manufacturer, Distillers Biochemicals, paid around £28 million compensation in the 1970s following a legal battle by the families of those affected. Under the new settlement, the grant will be …
UK Christmas Number 1 Outrage
Come back, Cliff! All is forgiven! If you don't like swearing, don't listen. What's happened to this country?! Tenuously, it could be a pro-life song, or an anti-government song, or both, but it doesn't exactly say, 'Merry Christmas one un' all'. Neither does this, but it should have got to number 1 at some stage. I don't know! Where is the justice!?
Drive-Thru Sainthoods
To those who are concerned that the road to Sainthood appears to fast-track some men and women who only relatively recently passed from this life to the next, it is worthwhile remembering that both St Francis and St Anthony were canonised thefollowingyear after their holy deaths had ended their holy lives! May God be praised for all of His Saints! Even St John of the Cross, one of thirty-three Doctors of the Church had to wait a full 135 years. Ironic, really, because 33 is a perfect number of Doctors, since this was the age at which our Blessed Lord died. To have any more Doctors would be a bit rubbish now since the number of them is perfect, so if any more come along, they should be ignored. If they are genuinely interested in the good of Holy Mother Church, they will understand and keep schtum, so if there are any Doctors out there, shhhh...
To which warmongering former British Prime Minister turned pathologically power-crazed millionaire philanthropist is the following quote attributable?
"I'm a social engineer now. I can engineer social change on my own terms, outside of a big government buraucracy."
Answers in the comments box...I know it is the season of goodwill and all, but...Anyway, since when did 'social engineering' become acceptable again?
Politicians Christmas Cards...Where is Christmas?
Gordon and Sarah Brown's Number 10 Downing Street Card...So surreal that only gnostics understand the hidden meaning. Maybe Gordon's saying, '...and narrow is the door to Number 10 and few be those who find it. But broad is the road out of Number 10 and and the majority of people hope I find it soon...'
Boris Johnson's mayoral card...dangerously Christmassy, depicting a star and 'wise men'.
Liberal Democrat Cleggy Christmas card...cute and festive if more than a little cheesy, having shamelessly exploited their own child to design it.
Tony and Cherie Blair's card...So scandalously narcisstic, they can't even bring themselves to say 'Merry Christmas' nor bear for their divine image not to be replaced, just for one day, by that of the Holy Family. Worthy only of burning. The only Christmas card that makes you want to punch strangers while saying, "Someone will answer for this atrocity!".
Speaker John Bercow card...Festive family based ja…
Rome is Where the Heart Is
The Catholic should, while remaining conscious of his own unworthiness, stand in opposition to the moral vicissitudes of his time. He should be a sign of contradiction to the World. He should astonish unbelievers not in the performance of great works but by his simplicity of heart. He should delight in the truth. His life should bear witness to truths Eternal, Timeless and Divine. He should expose the errors of the World cheerfully and with charity, knowing that in Christ alone is true joy, that man's vocation without Him is bereft of true meaning and that without Him the foundations on which stand even the loftiest of human principles will whither, decay and fall, built as they have been, upon falsehood.
Conscious of his weakness and his dependence on God alone, he should take comfort in the knowledge that nothing is impossible for God. In discovering that God is Truth and Love, he should proclaim it in word and deed and lead others to know that only in the fiery abyss of love, dw…
Huge-Hearted Holy Popes Declared Venerable
As if Christmas were not enough, more news of great joy for the People of God...
Courtesy of Asia News
Pius XII, the pope who led the Church during the Second World War, and John Paul II, who died in 2005, are now "Venerable" because Benedict XVI signed the decree by which he acknowledges their "heroic virtues".
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints today published a series of decrees in which the pontiff recognizes 5 miracles attributed to several people (including the venerable Mary McKillop, Australia) and also recognizes the "heroic virtues" of a further 10 people between among them the two popes.
These decrees pave the way for their beatification, as soon as there is the recognition of a miracle attributed to them. Another decree recognizes the martyrdom of the Polish priest, Fr Jerzy Popieluszko, killed by the communist police in 1984.
Also today, Benedict XVI met with all the members of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints for celebration mark…
Science Corner: Whats missing from this picture?
Apparently its sun spots. We're not getting any. I don't like science much. Its a bit dull and it makes me fall asleep.
An international panel of solar scientists now predicts that the next solar storm season, which should peak in 4 years, will be the weakest since 1928. The most common measure of a solar cycle's intensity is the number of sunspots, the more spots, the more solar storms. Earlier predictions allowed for a higher number of sunspots.
The panel predicts that the upcoming solar cycle 24 (which keeps getting delayed) will peak in May of 2013, with a maximum of 90 sun spots per day on average.
If this new prediction is correct, it would make solar cycle 24 the weakest since 1928, when it peaked out with 78 sunspots. Solar cycle 24 would also be the 9th weakest season since the 1750's, when numbered cycles began.
Also, solar cycle 23, which is ending, could end up being the longest cycle since 1823.
An unusually long, deep lull in sunspots led the panel to revise i…
Another Christian Pays the Price of Faith
Ah the English...full of festive spirit and cheer...Just don't mention God, okay!
The Daily Mail reports that...
A devout Christian teacher has lost her job after discussing her faith with a mother and her sick child and offering to pray for them.
Olive Jones, a 54-year-old mother of two, who taught maths to children too ill to attend school, was dismissed following a complaint from the girl's mother. She was visiting the home of the child when she spoke about her belief in miracles and asked whether she could say a prayer, but when the mother indicated they were not believers she did not go ahead.
Mrs Jones was then called in by her managers who, she says, told her that sharing her faith with a child could be deemed to be bullying and informed her that her services were no longer required...[Full article here.]
'Mother Earth' In 11th Hour Copenbargain Plea
Mother Earth has made an 11th hour attempt to persuade the leaders of the World to rethink on climate change and push for a better agreement...with her! But, the UN claim that she will only do it for a fee. This fax (pictured above) has been sent anonymously to the UN, and it is being claimed by the UN that it was from Mother Earth. Sir James Lovelock, the 'Healing Gaia, human-population-is-a-cancer crackpot' said, "This is wonderful news! I know that Mother Earth will not let us down. She says she wants money to stop the global warming. I trust her, let's do it!"
Johnathan Porrit too confirmed the news with excitement. "This is the first time Mother Earth has actually spoken to us and she is our friend! I say, even though it looks like, once we give her £500,000,000,000,000 , she will be kind to us and sort out the climate, we should still get people to have one child families at the max so that we never get ourselves into this mess again. Actually, if we c…
Tut...Wimmin'!
She's a lady and she wants to be a Priest. If you don't let her be a Priest she'll be very angry!Seems friendly enough, mind, bless her.
I'm snowed in, iced in, even. I had wanted to go up to London in the car today but I can't get my car out of its space. I fell flat on my behind on the way to the car and fell over twice on the way to the Latin Mass last night. Clearly the icy pavements had put off quite a few Latin Mass devotees as I was one of two parishioners who made it to Mass. Anyone else who tried to make it but didn't show, I can only assume, is in intensive care with broken hip bones and wrists. How humbling are snow and icy pavements! Mortal men suddenly have to watch their step and delicately negotiate each layer and bump of ice, no longer relying on their own efforts but resigning themselves to their utter dependence on their Maker! They fall down and are ashamed at their humiliation! They dust themselves down and acknowledge their frailty and weakn…
Can I Get a Witness?
I hope so!
Blessed Virgin Mary Appearing to Strengthen Coptics, Egypt?
Some background information...
Egypt's Copts are an endangered minority. Exposed to continuous and subtle pressures, their numbers are dwindling. Thousands have emigrated; no official figures are available as to their numbers in the diaspora today, but reliable sources count two million living in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and other countries of Europe. Thousands of those who are left behind convert to Islam every year to escape persecution; for example, between 1988 and 1990, 50,000 Coptic university graduates did so. Those who stay faithful to their religion in Egypt find themselves increasingly marginalized and alienated in their own country.
The Copts are so noisy! I mean, if they had just kept quiet for a moment maybe Our Lady might have said something!
Snowy Brighton!
Boozy, Greedy, Generous Santa Risk to Public Health!
Dr Nathan Grills from Monash University in Australia said the idea of a fat Father Christmas gorging on brandy and mince pies as he drove his sleigh around the world delivering presents was not the best way to promote a healthy and safe lifestyle among the young. Writing on bmj.com, Dr Grills said: "Santa only needs to affect health by 0.1 per cent to damage millions of lives."
That is hilarious...But Dr Grills...How much more dangerous is Christ Himself? I mean, you don't have to look too far back in history, nor look around other parts of the World to see that to follow Him could see you end up with your head chopped off, imprisonment or the kind of 'sack' you think should be given to Santa who apparently also promotes, wait for it...'drink-driving'!
Semi-Nude Mary and Joseph Sparks Catholic Outrage
The awful billboard image will not grace my blog...
Courtesy of The Guardian
A New Zealand church has sparked outrage by erecting a billboard depicting Mary and Joseph lying semi-nude beneath the sheets. In an unorthodox take on the Christmas tale, the billboard depicts a forlorn Joseph and Mary looking to the sky with a caption which reads: "Poor Joseph. God is a hard act to follow."
The St Matthew-in-the-City church said it wanted to inspire people to talk about the Christmas story. But within five hours of the billboard going up in downtown Auckland a man was standing on his car roof painting over the raunchy image.
Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the church meant to challenge a fundamentalist interpretation of Christ's birth. "What we're trying to do is to get people to think more about what Christmas is all about. Is it about a spiritual male God sending down sperm so a child would be born, or is it about the power of love in our midst as seen in Jesus?" (Err,…
BBC's Bizarre 'Have Your Say' on Ugandan Gay Law
The BBC today asked users of its news website "Should homosexuals face execution?" on a talkboard discussion for a World Service programme for African listeners. Posted on a BBC News premoderated talkboard, the thread was designed to provoke discussion ahead of the latest edition of interactive World Service programme 'Africa Have Your Say'. The headline now reads, 'Should Uganda debate gay execution?'
I listened to the said World Service programme last night and I felt awful for the Ugandan man who they interviewed, who basically said that it was a terrifying country to live in as a man with the homosexual condition. He thought he was the only man in the World with this condition and lived in fear for his life, because of the police and the fact that neighbour turns on neighbour. I'm surprised he hadn't topped himself years ago. Poor lamb. We Catholics believe the act of homosexuality is a very serious, mortal sin. However, we …
Professor Steve Jones: Has the Galton Institute Changed?
Richard Dawkins reviewed Professor Steve Jone's 'The Language of the Genes' as follows...
"I've enjoyed Steve Jones' recent book The Language of the Genes. He's a little bit too eager to bend over backwards to be politically respectable, because of the unsavory history of genetics, and he rather goes out of his way to disown those aspects of genetics that are politically disrespectable. I feel that that's over and done with now, and we can forget about it and get on, and I feel he's still a little bit unnecessarily eager to distance himself from the bad aspects of the history of genetics. But I have a lot of time for him; I greatly respect him."
These two supporters of the British Humanist Assoication are mutual friends and admirers. Yet the President of the Galton Institute has, in the charity - that's right, its a registered charity - much of which to be ashamed in Galton's notorious membership. Yet, as one might suspect, the Galton Institute is…
The Eugenics Society & the Abortion Society
Click here for a new movie, Maafa 21, which is hopefully taking grassroots USA by storm. Clearly, even a black President thinks eugenics against blacks is good, otherwise he'd have stood up to the World's largest abortion provider. The founding of Birmingham's 'The Cathorpe Clinic' and Planned Parenthood International is not as far removed as one would have thought. At the heart of abortion, is eugenics.
If you have a relatively strong constitution, I would recommend a browse through the membership of the Eugenics Society, now known as The Galton Institute. As well as more infamous members such as Margaret Sanger and lefties we thought were nice like John Maynard Keynes, it gives surprising detail on the employment trends of some of its less notorious members. Pro-life campaigners who have been in the thick of the pro-life movement for years will be familiar with the name of one Dr Martin John Cole. In fact, a friend of mine who grew up in Birmingham knew the name w…
Abortion: Women's 'Health and Rights?'
Courtesy of The Times Women-Relationships Section. A harrowing real life story in the 'Dear Tanya' problem page. This must constitute a very common reason for abortions in the UK. Many women feel bullied into abortion by men. The ease with which it is procurable only makes the problem worse. There are so many facets to this letter with regard to sex, relationships, marriage, commitment, love and all of this without considering the unheard voice of the baby, that I thought it worth posting. The real life stories of abortion are most certainly not what the abortion industry wants people to know about. They would rather it be sanitised and cleansed from pain or guilt. Meanwhile, women have to pick up the pieces and carry that pain.
Dear Tanya
I've been feeling really messed up recently. I can't put my finger on any one cause but I had an abortion earlier this year, on the same day that my sister gave birth to her second child. This was my second abortion, but unlike the first one,…
Prince Charles Touches Down at Global Warming Summit
"B*gger me, its freezing! I can't wait to get into the warm!"
Speaking at the Copenhagen summit on climate change HRH the Prince of Wales said...
"I know that so very many of you here today have been negotiating the unbelievably complex details of a potential agreement for a very, very long time, and you must be profoundly weary," he said. "But this is an historic moment. I can only appeal to you to listen to the cries of those who are already suffering from the impact of climate change. Just as mankind had the power to push the world to the brink so, too, do we have the power to bring it back into balance. You have been called to positions of responsibility at this critical time. The eyes of the world are upon you and it is no understatement to say that, with your signatures, you can write our future."Indeed. That's...
'I...................................(Western Leader signature here), promise to shaft you................................(African leader signature …
The Equality & Human Rights Commission Hotline
The Equality and Human Rights Commission begins working in earnest, stamping upon inequality, unfairness and discrimination like a deranged elephant playing Twister. Wherever it puts its foot, someone's going to get hurt and opening moves suggest that someone will be the Church.
Conversation #147
[Ring, ring...ring, ring]
Operator: "Hello, 'Equality Commission', Gordon speaking, how can I help?"
Member of public: "Oh yes, hello. Is that the 'National Hotline for the Persecution of Christians'?"
Operator: "No, this is the 'Department for Equality' but I am sure we can help. What seems to be the matter?"
Member of public: "Oh, good. Well, I thought I'd best call. I was just on my to picking up some fish and chips for myself and the family when I was deeply offended. The chip shop owners had a Crucifix on the wall and and an image of the Infant of Prague. I'm an atheist and this has offended me deeply because it has upset my narrow world-view."
Operator: "I see. Well, let us know the addres…
Crisp or Tatchell? I know who I'd rather have roun...
"Dear Mr Dawkins, I thank God for you everyday..."...
BBC 'Ethical Man' Muses on Population and Climate ...
Marriage Becoming Preserve of Middle Class, Says T...
Our Heavenly Mother and Queen, the Blessed Virgin ...
Pope Says Nope to Flagrant Use of Image for Brands...
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Boozy, Greedy, Generous Santa Risk to Public Healt...
Professor Steve Jones: Has the Galton Institute Ch...
Prince Charles Touches Down at Global Warming Summ...
New Climate Change Ad to Roll Out Next Week...
Exclusive! Obama's Copenhagen Summit Speech!
Global Warming and the 'New Religion'
"Professor Dawkins, What if You're Wrong?"
Blair: "In 45 Minutes We Die, if No Copenhagen Dea...
The Terrible Error of Eugenicists
Who is the President of The Galton Institute?
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945)
Embryonic Research Approved by the HFEA...
The Corbett Report on the History of Eugenics
The British Eugenics Society Hall of Fame
Blair Admits: "I Would Have Done It Anyway"
The Scandalous Fetal Tissue Bank
Eugenics Library
The World According to Monsanto: Part 1
Everytime you Fly, God Kills a Polar Bear...
Milkgate!
Codex Alimentarius: When Latin Turns Ugly?
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The Bishop Who Could Make Grown Men Weep
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Spot the Difference...
Silent Monks Sing Hallelujah Chorus
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Venice in Flood Shock!
The Times Goes 'Overboard' on Climate


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Photo - Mike Schumann - The Daily Hoosier
Indiana Basketball: Juwan Morgan Sees a Sophomore Jump For Damezi Anderson
June 7, 2019 Mike Schumann IUBB 4
Juwan Morgan knows about significant year-over-year improvement.
Playing in his third year in the Indiana program and his first season under new head coach Archie Miller, Morgan's game transformed and his stat line exploded.
The Waynesville, Missouri native averaged 8.8 more points, 1.8 more rebounds and .5 more blocks per game for his junior season compared to his sophomore campaign.
So when Morgan said this in reference to Damezi Anderson on 1070 The Fan this week, it caught our attention.
"That's my dark horse for most improved player."
Clearly Morgan saw something behind the scenes that suggests there is much more to Anderson than what he displayed as a freshman.
Let's face it. The South Bend product struggled. Perhaps it isn't fair to call any first year player's season a disappointment, but the word at least comes to mind.
But as Morgan clearly knows, "disappointment" only comes to mind because Anderson is much better than what we have seen thus far.
The 6-foot-7 Anderson appeared in 21 games and averaged 9.6 minutes per contest. He made 27.9% of his shots from the field including 23.3% (7-for-30) from three-point range.
Anderson averaged 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds per game for the season. He contributed 8 assists while committing 11 turnovers.
Certainly nothing eye-catching in any of those numbers. Not on the plus side anyway.
Of course there could be some strategic thinking in Morgan's sentiment. Anderson really has nowhere to go but up — and despite the frustrating year one — his ceiling is still quite high. That's a healthy recipe for most improved player.
But in reality Morgan seemingly already knows what we thought we knew about Damezi Anderson the recruit.
Known as a high level perimeter shooter, Anderson became the all-time leading scorer in the history of South Bend.
He made 53-of-134 (39.6%) tries from behind the arc during his final AAU season, and then improved upon that rate during his senior year of high school.
While it didn't translate to the floor in year one, Morgan saw enough to know that Anderson is no bust.
And now he has to prove that Morgan is right.
Credit – IU Athletics
How is he going to do that? Miller spoke about it.
"Damezi getting a year older….he is a good perimeter shooter that's young and has to develop," Miller said.
It isn't uncommon for guys that come in with a reputation as perimeter shooters to struggle in their first year at the college level.
The game is moving faster, and the defense is bigger, longer and stronger. Space is hard to find, and weaknesses are quickly exposed. Not good off the dribble? Don't expect an inch to get shots off.
Of course like any freshman, there are other developmental needs in Anderson's game, like creating off the bounce and defense. But the quickest path for Anderson to see a much bigger role in 2019-20 seems to be by knocking down shots.
So how does a player like Anderson, a shooter, develop year-over-year?
"I think the biggest thing is repetition," Miller said. "Guys gotta get in the gym, they gotta do it every day. You gotta shoot the shots that you shoot in the game. We've had some guys really progress to different percentages in our first two years and it's going to have to keep going."
Miller is right about guys progressing in his system as shooters.
Al Durham went from 28.6% to 34.8% from three-point range in his first two seasons. He was hovering near 40% in December before a wrist injury slowed his pace.
Devonte Green went from 33.7% to 41.3%, finishing eighth in the Big Ten in three-point field goal percentage.
And of course Miller knows a little something about shooting.
As a 5-foot-10 guard in the ACC, space was especially hard to find for him at North Carolina State from 1997 to 2002. But Miller still managed to shoot 42.8% from long range over the course of his career there.
So when the now Hoosier head coach talks about shooting, it bears repeating. And he repeated himself when he further elaborated on how players like Anderson can make strides similar to Durham and Green.
"It's repetiton," Miller said. "Putting them in situations where they're repping it at game speed and game time, and hopefully over the course of time, any time I've been around it, the more you do it the better off you get."
As both a player and a coach, Miller has been around it for a while. He knows that adapting to the "game speed" of college can be difficult for new guys like Anderson. It's about much more than just "getting shots up," as the expression goes.
It's about getting the right shots up, in the right spots, at the right speed.
But Miller also knows that if Anderson gets it all right, he can become a major asset going forward.
As Miller put it, a 6-foot-7 guy with some perimeter skills "gives you that flexibility with a bigger guard with size that can shoot."
Now it is up to Anderson — to put in the work and see it through to the floor.
To get there it sounds like job number one is to tirelessly get in the repetitions. And not just any repetitions — the right repetitions.
There is a long way to go in the Damezi Anderson story at Indiana. He's still just 19 years old. His teammates see the potential and he has coaches that can develop him. Thoughts of "disappointment" can quickly change to "most improved."
And all of that also bears repeating.
damezi anderson

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Assisting the set-up of the expatriation program to ensure a fast adjustment.
The adjustment is a critical factor for expatriates and their families. The faster they adapt to the new situation the more satisfied will they be and the less is the risk of premature return to the home country.
Increase success rate of expatriation through expectation management.
Not every detail can be defined in a written contract. Important elements are construed in psychological contracts or expectation. The clearer defined the expectations are, the less likely they are overlooked and involuntarily disappointed.
Increase retention through strategic development planning.
International assignments are often important career steps which provide the individual with a broader perspective and cultural learning opportunity. To retain these valuable skills within the organization it is important to implement this developmental measure within the individual development plan which looks beyond the assignment.


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A journal of ideas, culture, and design
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Jan-March 2020
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Test. Learn. Adjust.
The pop-up approach allows for continuous adaptation
by Mare Weiss and Rachel Zsembery AIA
The revolving door of pop-ups shape and alter consumer experiences around town.
Photos from Unspalsh by (top row left to right) James Sutton, Alexandre Godreau, Mike Petrucci (bottom row left to right) Tim Mossholder, Leyre Labarga, Alvaro Serrano
In the realm of retail, the term pop-up brings to mind short-term stores. Developed to serve many different needs—from bringing buzz back to an underused downtown, allowing a start-up to test the market, or launching a new brand impression—pop-up shops have helped redefine retail-store design. What makes them vital today is how they are influencing design thinking overall. For almost 20 years, they have altered our expectations of the consumer experience, just as Uber has altered the transportation experience and Amazon, the home-delivery experience.
Twenty-first-century lives are filled with rapid-fire multitasking. Consumers expect that merchandise, brands, services, and spaces should address multiple needs, rather than providing single-need solutions. Car-service driver: Please make sure you have a charger for my phone, a bottle of spring water, and some mints. Local bank: Please have a designated area where I can make a conference call or meet with a client, and yes, a latte would be nice. Employer: I need varying change of scenery for inspiration—please have spaces that are light and dark, big and small, high and low; spaces that fuel productivity and spaces that offer respite.
As a result, pop-up-driven customer-experience elements—engaging, flexible, and multifunctional—are weaving their way into all market sectors and public institutions. Companies are also using the ethos of the test-and-learn model to create a framework to continually adapt their spaces to allow for rapid response to user needs and feedback.
Companies like WeWork are redefining the use of office space.
Photo by Charles Koh on Unsplash
In the past few years, compelling shifts in office space design have been occurring. Forward-thinking companies are recognizing that, like a pop-up, an office space has the potential to provide a setting for customers to interact with their brands. So how should that be spatially allocated and curated? Recognizing the opportunity for office space to evolve, an apparel client recently asked if we could provide ongoing design assistance. The brand relies on customers buying into its technology, and the client recognized the value of engaging customers in its research and creative process. But how do we bring that to fruition? Fortunately, the company's office space includes street frontage in Boston, which lends itself to becoming a space where the client could invite the community in to engage with the client as much as possible.
Our approach: Think of this office as a box cut into three zones. The front zone, or zone one, is an always-evolving pop-up space, allowing the company to engage with the community at street level to test new products and marketing campaigns. The middle zone (zone two) is the semiprivate office space, letting the sound of daily work filter into zone one, and the excitement and allure of the creative process to infuse the public arena. This creates transparency and a semblance of connectivity, while also allowing for a bit of intrigue. The third zone is the private space, which is necessary in every office environment for confidential conversations or related business.
By providing customers with a glimpse into the creative process and asking them to engage with new products and provide feedback—all within a highly curated, branded, and ever-changing environment—the company is able to build long-lasting customer relationships and provide an experience that those customers are eager to share broadly as brand advocates. The evolving nature of the pop-up environment provides a reason to return again and again, and the company has effectively created a test-and-learn focus group within its own office environment.
Parklet on Newbury Street, Boston.
Photo by Ed Lyons on Flickr
City streets;
How many times have you read about or participated in one of the city's pop-up transportation alterations? Boston and its surrounding cities have been using the method to test planning ideas from bus lanes to parklets.
In 2016, the City of Boston launched a pop-up park on Franklin Street as the first step in a community-engagement process to identify opportunities for activating underused spaces in the city and to experiment with placemaking through small shifts in the urban environment. Fast-forward to the summer of 2018, when Tontine Crescent Plaza was unveiled in front of The Merchant Kitchen & Drinks restaurant as a semipermanent installation, jump-started by the original experiment. With a few tweaks here and there based on use patterns and user feedback, this former pass-through space has become a constantly evolving destination enjoyed by many different user groups. Throughout the city, tactical temporary or semipermanent urban interventions such as street murals and parklets have the opportunity to become permanent. As an interesting complement, a pop-up travel-themed bar called the Foreign Correspondents Club opened in the Merchant's basement this month.
Food trucks in The Greenway, Boston.
Photo commissioned by The Greenway Conservancy.
Small spaces,
big impact
Urban streetscapes have regularly been dotted with pop-up experiences, whether in the activation of empty storefronts, through the proliferation of food trucks, or with regularly scheduled temporary markets and beer gardens. Each is established as a way to put unexpected and distinctive products in front of a consumer without the investment required by the build-out of a permanent long-term real estate lease. Spaces in the city are being established to foster these types of temporal activations through the creation of small-scale environments specifically geared to experimental brands.
The Current, a pop-up village created and curated by WS Development in the Seaport District, is billed as "the next wave" of retail. A series of independent structures that provide homes to a rotating series of curated brands, The Current is designed so customers can create new relationships with emerging entrepreneurs. The small scale of the spaces reinforces intimacy, and the frequency of turnover encourages repeat visits to allow for new discoveries. For many small brands that inhabit these spaces, exposure to the crowds of residents, business employees, and tourists who frequent the Seaport is invaluable.
This village-style approach is popping up in several formats, including a brand-focused department store concept called Neighborhood Goods that opened its first location in Plano, Texas. By taking the approach of collecting and curating pop-up activations together, developers and entrepreneurs are banking on the buzz and excitement that surround temporary retail experiences.
Roots Legends Pop-up, Boston.
Bergmeyer Associates, Inc.
The allure of pop-ups—urgent, surprising, delightful, engaging—has permeated well beyond the retail world into everything from workplace and urban design to transportation planning. Their flexible nature fosters experimentation, creates an opportunity to conduct market research, and activates underused spaces in the built environment. The lower capital investment required allows emerging companies to attract new customers through a physical presence—a must for innately digital companies, as the cost of both advertising and acquiring customers online soars—and permits established companies to test new marketing initiatives, product lines, or geographic locations. The ephemeral approach can sometimes pave the way for smart, long-lasting solutions.
Mare Weiss is a principal at Bergmeyer Associates, Inc.
Rachel Zsembery AIA is vice president at Bergmeyer Associates, Inc.
On the face of it
The term "facial recognition" has a new modern connotation around privacy and technology—issues we would never have imagined in our long-lost analog world.


Whether it's a bespoke portrait of your CEO for the press, an engaging pic for LinkedIn, or full staff portraits to showcase the faces of your brand – Anna Berry specialises in business portrait photography and creating just the right corporate images for you!
I understand that you need imagery that shows you at your best, captures your personality, but which also encapsulates your professionalism, your brand, and your position. It is my absolute mission to craft pictures that leave you feeling confident and comfortable with the image of your professional self you project into the world.
There is no other photographer I trust more than Anna. She has taken our company's corporate headshots for over 4 years and always makes people look relaxed and approachable yet professional.
Anna has done our team photographs for some years. They are always extremely good – she is reliable and professional and people like their photos . I'd recommend her to anyone.
Are you happy with your business portrait photography?
Need to update your company's headshots but have no idea who to turn to? Does your CFO need a portrait with gravitas for the media?
What you need is imagery that shows you at your best and captures your personality, but which also encapsulates your professionalism, your company brand, and your position.
I specialise in business portrait photography for professionals. From bespoke portrait sessions with CEOs to headshots for an entire body of staff, it is my mission to create pictures that leave you feeling confident and comfortable with the professional image you project into the world.
At Anna Berry business portrait photography, every portrait is crafted using specialist lighting and posing techniques designed to present you in your most flattering light. Plus no image leaves my studio without being hand-retouched by me to ensure you look your absolute best. In fact I encourage detailed discussion about what you like and dislike in images of yourself, which I can reflect by selecting a bespoke post-production process. In other words you can be as natural as you are comfortable with – but if you just hate that freckle, then it's gone!
Remember: good imagery raises profiles! I can't wait to show you how good you and your company can look! Contact me today for more information on my business portrait photography service, or visit my Facebook page.


Bulbrite brand MR16 halogen flood with medium base. 75 Watts and 120 volts for moderate power and light. MR16 size and shape fits into track lighting commonly used in homes and businesses.
Exact fit and replacement of bulb for my Bonaire Fan.


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Watch Google Play Movies and TV On iOS and Stream to Chromecast
By Brian Burgess
Apple users are typically immersed in the company's ecosystem and use iTunes for their entertainment needs. But for those of you who venture out to other services like Google, there's good news. Google Play Movies & TV is an app that allows you to stream movies and television shows purchased from Google Play on your iPhone or iPad.
Google Play Movies & TV for iOS
It's also worth noting that the app comes with Chromecast support out of the box. However, there isn't AirPlay support within the app, but you can always use the AirPlay mirroring feature and send it to your Apple TV.
For the app to work, you'll need to be on a WiFi connection – it doesn't support streaming over a data connection yet. After logging in to your Google account you'll see a list of the media you've purchased or rented.
Here's a look at the Chromecast feature that's built-in. It's interesting to think you can use your iOS device to stream Google media to another Google device.
The glaring drawbacks are no in-app AirPlay support and you cannot buy or rent videos from within the app – just like the Amazon Instant Video app on iOS. Apple wants you to purchase your content from the iTunes store. You'll need to go to Play.Google.com to buy or rent content, and after that, you can stream it on your iOS device.
This is the first version and improvements are sure to come in future updates. But if you're an iOS user with the video content in Google, this app provides a good solution for playing it on the HDTV via Chromecast or while laying in bed with your device.
Grab the Google Play Movies & TV
Related Items:apple, Cord Cutting, google
BitTorrent Sync Provides Fast File Sync Without the Cloud
Turn YouTube Into Your Personal Music Library in Chrome


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Bill Hamid returns to DC United on loan
By Kyle BonnAug 8, 2018, 5:35 PM EDT
Denmark hasn't really worked out for Bill Hamid. Thankfully, he has old friends to fall back on.
The U.S. international has returned to Major League Soccer after just six months away, signing with old club D.C. United on loan from Danish club FC Midtjylland, the team and league both announced.
The 27-year-old signed with Midtjylland on a free transfer in January after the expiry of his MLS contract following last season, but has made just five appearances for them across all competitions. Since United extended him a contract offer which he turned down, the club retained his league rights, and thus gets his services upon his return.
Reunited and it feels so good.
Read | https://t.co/dwyGvQ1Q9O#TCHUB | #DCU pic.twitter.com/9NZd98ApJf
— D.C. United (@dcunited) August 8, 2018
Hamid's contract with Midtjylland runs through 2022, but with Danish veteran Jesper Hanses firmly entrenched as the #1, they decided to let Hamid find playing time with his old club. Hamid is no shoo-in to play immediately at D.C. United, but will compete with Dave Ousted and Steve Clark for time. Ousted has held the #1 spot since the beginning of the year, but has yet to keep a clean sheet with D.C. sitting bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The 27-year-old has struggled to reach expectations placed upon him a few seasons ago, when he was believed to be the heir apparent to Tim Howard's USMNT spot. He has hoped to reach that peak, but instead struggled in his final year with D.C. and has been on the outside of the USMNT picture looking in, playing poorly in a 2-1 loss to Ireland back in May. Still, playing in front of his home nation's fans could give him the boost he needs back into the national team picture with the direction of the squad facing towards youth and new blood.
Tags: BIll Hamid, DC United, FC Midtjylland, Tim Howard


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2015 Hockey East Recruiting Rankings by Class
By Jeff Cox@JeffCoxSports Sep 15, 2015, 2:00pm PDT
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Incoming Boston College freshman Jeremy Bracco will be one of the more exciting rookies to watch in Hockey East this season.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
There is no Jack Eichel or Noah Hanifin in this year's crop of Hockey East freshmen, but there are some impact players who could change the landscape at the top of the league standings.
There's little doubt that Boston College has the top class in the league as Jerry York and his staff have stockpiled several blue chippers among the newest members of the Eagles.
Boston University isn't far behind, but the Terriers' were dealt a crushing blow when Maxim Letunov opted for UConn late in the summer.
Speaking of the Huskies, Mike Cavanaugh and his staff have done a great job elevating the talent level in Storrs, but this is by far the best class for that staff as it enters year three. UConn benefited from two players defecting from other Hockey East programs.
1. Boston College
This is a star-studded class headlined by three potentially huge impact players up front in Jeremy Bracco, Colin White and Miles Wood. Goaltender Chris Birdsall likely won't see much time between the pipes, barring an injury to starter Thatcher Demko, but he will be a key piece of the future.
York has typically shied away from older freshmen, but big '95 defenseman Josh Couturier, a former Northeastern commit, was added to the class this past December. The other defensive recruit is a familiar name to BC and hockey fans. Casey Fitzgerald, a USNTDP product and former Malden Catholic Lancer, is the brother of BC junior Ryan and son of New Jersey Devils Assistant GM Tom.
Also joining the Eagles are three forwards who are more energy, third-fourth line types in JD Dudek, Chris Brown and Chris Shero.
Impact Player: While White and Wood might have more pro upside, look for Jeremy Bracco to make the biggest contribution out of this year's rookies. The second round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs is small, but his stick skills and offensive creativity are off the charts. His speed isn't overwhelming, but he's magical with the puck and can make some slick passes even in traffic.
Sleeper: Dudek, a sixth round selection of the New Jersey Devils in 2014, comes to BC from the USHL. The Kimball Union alum isn't likely to make a big difference on the offensive side of the ice, but he's a good skater with high hockey IQ. He could be a real solid third or fourth liner that could occasionally chip into the offense. His father Joe finished ninth in the 1985 Heisman Trophy voting as a Division III player at Plymouth State, the highest ever for a non-Division I player.
2. Boston University
The Terriers were dealt a blow late in the offseason when Maxim Letunov de-committed in favor of UConn after an issue with his academics arose at BU. Still, David Quinn's staff brought in a solid group of players.
The absence of Letunov to the rookie class was particularly jarring because his presence would have helped address the team's biggest glaring need -- offensive production.
No one player can make up for the loss of Jack Eichel and the rest of the goal scoring output that left, but BU is bringing in four forwards that the coaching staff hopes can contribute offensively. The top incoming forward is Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, a Swedish native who comes to the Terriers from the Omaha Lancers. Joining him up front will be Jordan Greenway, Bobo Carpenter and Ryan Cloonan.
BU didn't lose any defensemen from last year's top six so the two newcomers on the blue line will have a chance to ease their way into college hockey. USNTDP product Charlie McAvoy is considered one of the top American defensemen for the 2016 NHL Draft. He will play in next week's CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo.
Max Prawdzik, a prep school champion with Brooks School, will vie for time in goal with the two returnees.
Impact Player: Forsbacka Karlson is a gifted play maker who will dish the puck out well. He's not the fastest of skaters, but his hockey sense offsets that. He is the player most likely to make an offensive impact right away.
Sleeper: Cloonan was originally slated to arrive in 2016, but was pushed up to this fall when J.J. Piccinich left for the OHL and Letunov fell through the admissions process. The Boston Junior Bruins prospect has blazing speed and can find open teammates. A former Maine commit who fielded offers from BC, UVM and Colorado College, he's gritty and plays hard. He should be a fan favorite.
Mike Cavanaugh's team is still probably a year or two away from making serious noise in Hockey East, but the Huskies are continuing to narrow the talent gap between themselves and the rest of the league.
Highlighting the incoming class are a pair of prominent NHL prospects up front. The aforementioned Letunov, a second round NHL Draft pick of St. Louis whose rights are now owned by Arizona, is a slick center who will likely light up the score sheet. Tage Thompson, the son of Bridgeport Sound Tigers head coach Brent Thompson, is a big, physical forward with high end skill.
Austrian-born Marco Richter, Montreal native Karl El-Mir and Max Kalter are the other three additions up front.
The Huskies brought in two blue liners, Ottawa Senators pick Miles Gendron and USNTDP product Joseph Masonius, a late de-commit from UNH. Gendron is a converted forward who will really help out in transition while Masonius is a solid presence in all three zones.
Impact Player: Out of the four big name members of the freshman class, Letunov stands out. He has a chance to be a game changer and provide serious offensive punch, something that Cavanaugh's team clearly needed at times last year.
Sleeper: Out o the three less marquee additions, Kalter has a chance to be a spark plug, provide energy and occasionally help out offensively.
4. Providence
The defending national champions continue to roll on the recruiting trail. This class is a good one, but the next few classes look even better. The top recruit in this class is Erik Foley, a third round pick of the Winnipeg Jets, who could make an immediate impact.
The two rookie defensemen will provide physicality to the blue line, and will be more stay-at-home defenders than most of the returning players. Stephen Ruggiero, a Penn State de-commit, comes to the Friars from the NTDP while Vincent Desharnais played last season in the BCHL.
With the departure of Frozen Four MOP Jon Gillies, the Friars needed to fill that void. They did so with the addition of Hayden Hawkey out of Omaha in the USHL. The Colorado native suffered a season-ending lower body injury last season, but the Montreal Canadiens prospect is highly regarded.
Impact Player: Foley is a clone of a player that Nate Leaman looks for on the recruiting trail. A former prep player at Tabor, he learned under the tutelage of Mark Carlson in Cedar Rapids last year. He's not the biggest of players, but he's strong and knows how to work down low, especially on the forecheck. He's a good skater whose skill is adequate enough that he could be a big force this season. He's not going to be making any fancy, highlight reel plays, but he can finish and dish the puck out.
Sleeper: Lemos, an East Providence, RI native who comes to the Friars from the USHL, could be a terrific four year player. He's a hard worker who does a nice job digging pucks out from behind the goal line and in corners to find teammates out front. Lemos has sometimes been critiqued for not having the prettiest of strides, but his footwork and skating ability are plenty good enough for the college game.
The Catamounts' class is underrated with some good mid-level prospects. None of the new freshmen entering Burlington were as sought after as the players in the top four classes, but there are some good college players in the mix.
All of UVM's forward recruits are '94s and '95s with plenty of junior hockey experience. Edmonton Oilers pick Liam Coughlin, who had previously committed to BU and UMass, is the most well known, but Brian Bowen and Conor O'Neil could surprise some people. Craig Puffer, Drew Best and Tyler Gernhofer are the other incoming forwards.
Former Gunnery star Mike Lee is a much-needed addition to the blue line. He played a year of junior in the BCHL last winter and his puck-moving ability will help offset the loss of Mike Paliotta to graduation. Packy Munson has been brought in to challenge junior Mike Santaguida between the pipes.
Associate head coach Kyle Wallack has done a nice job on the recruiting trail, finding some hidden gems who might have taken longer to develop.
Impact Player: Bowen is an intriguing prospect who had a nice year in the USHL with Green Bay and Dubuque last year after playing for the Junior Bruins previously. He's a goal scorer who knows where to go to find the puck. He could be another go-to goal scorer alongside former Hockey East Rookie of the Year Mario Puskarich.
Sleeper: O'Neil is a '94 who played for the Jersey Hitmen in the USPHL. Admittedly, the league is watered down, but he had a terrific final campaign for Toby Harris' team. He has a quick, heavy release and is around the puck a lot. He could be a real nice late find for the Catamounts.
6. Northeastern
The Huskies have two of the better talent evaluators in Hockey East in head coach Jim Madigan and associate head coach Jerry Keefe. This year's rookie class has a nice mix of elite skill players and junior hockey veterans who have potentially developed later.
A pair of former Thayer teammates, Adam Gaudette and Lincoln Griffin, should bring some spark to the offense. Gaudette is a two-way player who skates well and has a good release. Griffin is a little quicker and more slippery, but isn't as complete of a player.
Jason Cotton and Patrick Schule are a pair of junior hockey veterans that could see some ice time up front. Also new to the Huskies' roster is another transfer from BU, Sam Kurker who spent last season in the USHL with Sioux City.
Another Thayer alum, Jon Barry, joins Eric Williams as newcomers to the blue line. Barry, a once a highly sought after lacrosse recruit, is an athletic defender who should be solid. Williams, an Ontario native, was an effective offensive defenseman in the OJHL.
Ryan Ruck is a '94 goaltender from California who played the last two seasons with Des Moines in the USHL. He has good size and put up decent numbers for the Buccaneers. The coaching staff hopes he can challenge Derrick Roy for time in net.
Impact Player: Gaudette was a player that impressed at the prep level, but he elevated his game to a whole new level in the USHL. He's a complete player who Cedar Rapids used in all situations last year, an impressive feat for a rookie in the top junior league in North America.
Sleeper: Schule, a high-scoring threat as an overager with the Jersey Hitmen in the USPHL last season, is a player that compares favorably to former Huskie Torin Snydeman. He has good puck pursuit, is quick and can chip in a little offensively from the third or fourth liners.
The Minutemen were another beneficiary of some other schools' de-commits, including forwards Austin Plevy (Merrimack), Ryan Badger (Maine) and Joe Widmar (Maine). John Micheletto and his staff are bringing in a total of nine freshmen to bolster the UMass roster.
Swedish defenseman William Lagesson highlights the group of newcomers. The fourth round selection of the Edmonton Oilers will help offset the loss of Brandon Montour, who spent just a semester in Amherst. Buffalo Sabres seventh round pick Ivan Chukarov, Ontario-born Callum Fryer and Carmine Buono are also nice additions to the blue line.
The group of incoming forwards are an older, experienced group of '95s and '94s. Plevy, a former Merrimack commit, is a quick, slippery center. Widmar is a late developer who struggled in his first go-around in the USHL. After some seasoning in the EHL, he had a nice year in Des Moines which led to his de-commitment from Maine. Badger is more of a strong fourth line type who can grind it out. Kurt Keats amassed a ton of points over several years in the MJHL and BCHL.
Impact Player: The Minutemen haven't had a team save percentage above .900 since the 2010-11 season. The UMass staff is hoping freshman Nic Renyard can change that. The Victoria, British Columbia native was the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) MVP, the CJHL Junior A MVP Top Goaltender.
Sleeper: Fryer doesn't come with the fanfare of the two drafted defensemen, but he's a solid prospect who could be a sought after college free agent down the road. He was selected to the CJHL Top Prospects Game in 2015 and participated in this summer's Toronto Maple Leafs Development Camp.
8. UMass Lowell
Under Norm Bazin, the River Hawks haven't been known for tearing it up on the recruiting trail, but one can't really find fault with the results. This year's class is no different in that there aren't any household names, but there are some promising collegiate prospects.
Connor Wilson is a solid playmaker out of the AJHL while Nick Master, another '95, put up decent numbers with Tri-City in the USHL last season. Ryan Dmowski, a former prep star at Gunnery, breaks the mold of older freshmen arriving in Lowell. A '97, he's a legit goal scorer that put up 23 goals in his rookie season in the USHL last year with Des Moines.
UML is hoping to hit gold with another Folin. Niklas, the younger brother of former star college free agent Christian, comes to Lowell from Omaha in the USHL. Avni Berisha and Jacob Townsend are two more '94s who should bring experience to a blue line that relies on executing the system as much as any team in Hockey East.
Lowell's goaltending took a hit last season with the departure of Connor Hellebuyck. Bazin and his staff are bringing in '95 Christoffer Hernberg from Finland and '94 Sean Cleary to push senior Kevin Boyle for time in the crease.
Impact Player: Dmowski had a nice rookie season in the USHL. He's a goal scorer who can impact the game with his strength and skating ability. He could have a similar impact on the score sheet to that of C.J. Smith last season.
Sleepers: The staff is hoping Hernberg or Cleary can push for ice time in goal and help the River Hawks in the save percentage department. Cleary has been successful in summer showcases and committed to UML right after the Chowder Cup Pre-Draft. Hernberg is more of an unknown, but there have been some positive comments about the Finnish-born netminder.
9. Notre Dame
The Irish, victims to several high profile de-commits in recent years, were burnt again in August with the announcement that Christian Fischer would play major junior over NCAA. It put a damper on Jeff Jackson's incoming class, but there are still some solid prospects in the wings in South Bend.
Defensively the Irish bring in two solid prospects from the USHL. Dennis Gilbert is a Buffalo native who is more of a stay-at-home defender while Bobby Nardella, an offensive defenseman, is a Chicago Mission product who starred with Tri-City last year.
Dylan Malmquist is the most well regarded skill player out of the forwards. The Edina, Minn. native put up 26 goals and 40 assists in 25 Minnesota high school games with perennial power Edina last year. Jack Jenkins and Andrew Oglevie had fairly productive USHL careers while Joe Wegwerth is a very solid defensive forward out of the USNTDP.
Impact Player: Nardella is a smaller defenseman, but his skating ability and stick skills should allow him to make an immediate impact for the Irish power play unit as well as the transition game. He's the type of possession defender that ND will need to replace the departed Robbie Russo.
Sleeper: Oglevie put up a point per game in the USHL last season. The '95 doesn't come to South Bend with a lot of fanfare, but he's a former Hlinka player for the U.S. and was a one-time first round draft pick in the USHL. He's a playmaker that could get the puck to Mario Lucia if given up the opportunity.
10. Merrimack
Mark Dennehy and his staff did a nice job finding some players that should fit well into the system in North Andover. The group is highlighted by forward Mathieu Foget, defenseman Ethan Spaxman and goaltender Drew Vogler.
In addition to Foget up front, Michael Babcock joins the Warriors from the Fargo Force. He is the son of former Detroit Red Wings and current Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock. Ludvig Larsson will make it a pair of Swedish brothers on the team, joining elder sibling Alfred. The younger Larsson has a little more offensive upside.
Alex Carle, the brother of Denver alum and NHLer Matt, will join Spaxman as rookie defensemen. Carle has battled injuries, but the staff has hopes he can be a steady defender if healthy. Spaxman is a big, mobile defender that was thought to have a chance to be selected in this past June's draft.
Vogler, a '96 was considered at one time to be a potential NHL Draft pick, but his stock slipped and he lost his starting position to North Dakota freshman Matej Tomek. The raw ability is still there and he should challenge Collin Delia for playing time in the Warrior crease.
Impact Player: Foget spent the past two seasons playing for the Gloucester Rangers in the CCHL, the second best Junior A league in Ontario. He's a speedy playmaker that compares favorably to Merrimack sophomore and New Jersey Devils prospect Brett Seney.
Sleeper: Larsson is a player that put up just over a point per game in the NAHL. He's not as big as his brother, but the offensive instincts are a little more pronounced. He's the type of player that can win battles for loose pucks and find open teammates. He should help Merrimack's third line in all three zones.
11. New Hampshire
The Wildcats have a couple of promising prospects, but the lack of an impact defenseman is concerning considering Dick Umile's squad lost Brett Pesce to the Carolina Hurricanes a year after losing Trevor van Riemsdyk, Eric Knodel and Justin Agosta.
San Jose Sharks pick Marcus Vela highlights the group of incoming forwards while former high school star Ara Nazarian is likely coming to Durham a year too soon, but time will tell. The staff is hoping '95s Frankie Cefalu, Jason Kalinowski and Chris Miller can bring some offense as older freshmen.
'96 defenseman Matt Dawson is a British Columbia native who played last season with Green Bay in the USHL.
Impact Player: Vela, a seventh round pick of the Sharks, comes to Durham from the Langley Rivermen in the BCHL. He's an elite offensive talent that should be a great collegiate forward. As skilled as he is, he brings a lunch pail attitude to the ice and has strong hockey sense.
Sleeper: Nazarian is a proven winner who helped Malden Catholic to three straight Massachusetts Super 8 titles. He didn't put up the numbers he's accustomed to in his first USHL season, but he's a skill player that could thrive on the big ice surface of the Whittemore Center.
12. Maine
Red Gendron and his staff have made a concerted effort to improve the blue line and add size across the board. Ben Guite has done a nice job adding some more high-end players for future classes, but this class is more of the lunch pail variety.
This year will be tough sledding for the Black Bears, but the team should be better defensively. Maine is bringing in four rookie blue liners who average 6'2.5". Rob Michel and Sam Becker are '94s with plenty of experience while Keith Muehlbauer is straight out of Minnesota high school. Stephen Cochrane comes to Orono from Bay State in the USPHL after prep hockey with Thayer.
Dan Perez, Justin Rai, Dane Gibson and Brendan Robbins are '95s and '94s that the staff are hoping can develop late and have a positive impact. Gibson was named a First Team All-Star in the BCHL last season.
Impact Player: Cochrane is a big-bodied blue liner who is working on improving his footwork, which has admittedly gotten better. He'll never be known for being smooth of foot, but he should bring some much needed physicality and toughness to the Maine defense. The Black Bears have had some good offensive defensemen the past few years, but have been missing an intimidating presence.
Sleeper: Goaltender Rob McGovern also comes to Orono from Bay State in the USPHL after a stellar career at Thayer. He was once considered a prospect to get drafted, but he had his ups and downs and went undrafted. He's big and covers a lot of net. If he plays to the level some thought he could a few years ago, he could make a world of difference.
Jeff Cox covers college, junior, high school and prep hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on Twitter @JeffCoxSports.


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FDA launches program to develop new AEDs
The Food and Drug Administration wants to strengthen automated external defibrillators, or AEDs. They are the lifesaving devices used to treat sudden cardiac arrest. The FDA plan, dubbed the "External Defibrillator Improvement Initiative", aims to improve the safety and effectiveness of AEDs currently available and to work with manufacturers to create newer models that are more effective.
"There have been more than 28,000 adverse event reports [associated with AEDs]," says Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, Director of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. There also have been more than 700 deaths, although Shuren cautions that it's difficult to link cause of death to external defibrillators because the patients being treated with them are already extremely ill.
Post by: Caitlin Hagan - CNN Medical Producer
Filed under: Food and Drug Administration • Health and tech • Heart
Even short-term poverty can hurt kids' health
Being poor for even a short period of time can have lasting health implications for children, according to a new report by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 15.5 million children are living in poverty in the United States, that's one in five children according to the Census Bureau.
Researchers looked at data surrounding four topics: Health, food security, housing stability and maltreatment. They examined each in relation to past and present recessions. During childhood, the body is growing quickly and researchers say even a brief period of poor nutrition could lead to lifelong issues.
Post by: Trisha Henry - CNN Medical Producer
Filed under: Children's Health
AEDs don't extend life in hospitals
With heart disease remaining the leading killer in the United States, scientists are looking at ways to improve heart health. Researchers presenting at this week's American Heart Association meeting found that defibrillators in hospitals are not effective, a common heart imaging technique may expose patients to radiation and that an experimental pump can help heart patients who are waiting for transplants.
AEDs in hospitals not very effective
Automated external defibrillators help people when they're outside the hospital – but don't seem to help survival for people who are already hospitalized.
A study that will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week found that using the AED lowered survival overall in the hospital. This could be because only one in five hospitalized patients has the type of cardiac arrest that responds to defibrillation. FULL POST
Filed under: Heart
Teen brain more prone to drug, alcohol damage
Teens may act invincible, but when it comes to drugs and alcohol, they're actually more vulnerable than adults to harmful effects on the brain, researchers said at Neuroscience 2010, the Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego, California, on Monday.
"Brain development is actively transpiring even in the teen brain, and [if] you throw in a drug on top of that, you could change the trajectory of brain development." said Dr. Frances Jensen of Children's Hospital Boston.
Filed under: Addiction • Brain
Allergic to kissing? Cell phones? Bed Bugs?
People can have allergic reactions in bizarre ways: kissing, using a cell phone, and getting bitten by bed bugs. There are just a few things being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
Love vs. allergies
Most people with severe food allergies, which are on the rise, know to warn their partners about smooching after eating offending foods such as peanuts. But apparently if your honey brushes his teeth or waits several hours, that may not be good enough, researchers say. Even hours after the problem food has been absorbed by his body, his saliva may still excrete it, and cause problems such as itching and swelling, says Dr. Sami Bahna, president of ACAAI. This can also happen with medications to which people are allergic.
Filed under: Allergies
Get some sleep: Light – or lack of it – is key
By the time Nancy arrived at the sleep center, she had been struggling for years to get a good night's sleep. Her problems began when she was laid off work, but even when she was back on a regular work schedule, she could not keep a normal sleep/wake rhythm. It turns out that because she had trouble getting to sleep, she got in the habit of getting some work done on her laptop in bed and then she usually watches television or reads until it gets so late that she turns off the lights and tries to force herself to get to sleep. Often she gets so frustrated she just gets up and makes herself a snack or does the laundry.
So what is typical in this story? I think that many aspects of Nancy's story will ring true for anyone who has suffered from insomnia. One key feature stands out: You cannot make yourself sleep and you should not try. The harder you "work" at trying to sleep, the more elusive those sweet dreams become. What you can do is try to relax.
Now, everyone knows that sleep specialists recommend removing the TV and computer from the bedroom because these things stimulate the mind and keep people from sleeping. But we give this advice not only because it will help relax their minds but because it will also help relax their brains. When you are watching TV at night or using the computer or walking around your house with all the lights on, you are stimulating that part of the brain that controls your sleep/wake cycle.
Why do kids always get fevers on Sunday nights?
Every weekday, a CNNHealth expert doctor answers a viewer question. On Monday, it's Dr. Jennifer Shu, a pediatrician.
Question asked by Jo of Kennesaw, Georgia
Why do my kids always seem to get sick on Sunday nights? They love school; it's not that they're trying to stay home. But they get random fevers - as high as 102 - out of the blue, and it seems to happen a lot on Sunday nights. Have you seen this in other patients?
Heart drugs and supplements a risky mix
Herbal and dietary supplements are found in the aisles of supermarkets and health-food stores rather than behind a pharmacy counter, and they can be dangerous when mixed with the wrong drug.
A new survey suggests that a majority of heart patients taking the popular blood-thinning drug warfarin are risking potentially dangerous complications by combining it with supplements such as fish oil, glucosamine and chondroitin, coenzyme Q10, and multivitamins.
Post by: Lynne Peeples - Health.com
Filed under: Health.com • Heart • Vitamins and supplements


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The British Army in Normandy: Winning the War the Wrong Way
Tags:ActionFirst World WarSecond World War
Reading Time:13 minutes
Map of landing zones on D-Day, 6 June 1944
Finest Hour 181, Summer 2018
By Edward E. Gordon and David Ramsay
Edward E. Gordon and David Ramsay are co-authors of Divided on D-Day: How Conflicts and Rivalries Jeopardized the Allied Victory at Normandy (Prometheus Books, 2017).
The commander sighed. "Well, there it is: it won't work but you must bloody well make it."1 With these words Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, chief of the Imperial General Staff, instructed Lieutenant General Sir Frederick E. Morgan in 1943 to begin preparing a cross-channel invasion plan. From the first day of the war, America's leaders were determined to confront and defeat the German army speedily by invading northwestern Europe. But because the British had recently been decisively defeated by German forces at Dunkirk as well as in Norway and Greece, Churchill and the British armed forces chiefs of staff were much more cautious. They still remembered the slaughter of an entire generation on the Western Front during the First World War.
Britain's war leaders also harbored grave doubts about the battle readiness of US soldiers, believed that American generals lacked combat experience, and were skeptical about America's ability to increase the production of war materials rapidly.
From December 1941 to June 1944 this British foreboding cast a pall over the very idea of mounting a successful cross-channel invasion. "Why are we trying to do this?" Prime Minister Winston Churchill was shouting even as late as February 1944. Almost up to the day of the actual Normandy landings, Churchill continually bombarded the Americans and his own generals with alternatives such as invading Norway, Portugal, or the Balkans. This continued insistence on these diversionary maneuvers weakened his relationships with the American commanders.
Operation RANKIN was the British chiefs of staff alternative plan to implement this peripheral strategy with attacks in the Mediterranean Region, the Balkans, Norway and elsewhere. These thrusts would help to wear down the Nazi empire in Europe until it collapsed. Perhaps it was all wishful thinking on their part, but as late as November 1943 the British Chiefs still considered the possibility of implementing RANKIN as an alternative to a major landing in Normandy.
Here two fundamentally opposing conceptions of war—the indirect versus direct approach—collided. For the British, an invasion of northwestern Europe would come only as a final knock-out blow. First the German Wehrmacht had to be worn out by fighting on many fronts. The Americans contended that the Allies should be using the Clausewitzian principle of concentration of their forces at the decisive point. Their dispute was never resolved and repeatedly hampered the successful course of the Normandy campaign.
Overall Brooke did not believe that the Wehrmacht would be sufficiently weakened before 1944. Furthermore he doubted that US war production would be able to turn out the huge quantity of goods required for an invasion or that America could train an adequate number of troops before this date.
Above all Brooke believed that the way to victory was to conduct a war of attrition. This strategy had been the linchpin for the Allied victory in the First World War. He continued to preach this attritional doctrine throughout the Second, much to the annoyance of Churchill and US war leaders. This perspective had a clear impact on the final British army ground campaign in Normandy.2
Montgomery's "Plan"
General Montgomery
On 15 May 1944, a dazzling array of commanders and leaders gathered at St. Paul's School in West London for the final full-scale briefing. Because General Dwight D. Eisenhower had appointed General Sir Bernard Montgomery the temporary ground commander for the initial phase of the OVERLORD operation, he was designated to do the main briefing. In this presentation and in his 8 May planning document, Montgomery emphasized that the Allies must quickly move forward and keep the initiative.
He stressed that the main D-Day objective of the Second British Army was to take Caen. "Once we can get control of the main enemy lateral [corridor], Granville-Vire-Argentan-Falaise-Caen, and the area enclosed in it is firmly in our possession, then we will have the lodgement area we want and can begin to expand," he assured his audience.3
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The army that quickly gained control of this Caen-Falaise corridor would control the battle. This was borne out by subsequent events. A slow, safe advance would give Rommel the time he needed to reinforce and shift his troops across the battlefront to keep the Allies contained inside their bridgehead.
For the Allies the very boldness of Montgomery's plan to take and hold Caen on D-Day ensured its failure. Max Hastings termed it "a substantial strategic misfortune."4 The overall failure of British senior commanders to warn their assaulting forces of the presence of the German Twenty-First Panzers was inexcusable. Could they have reinforced the British Third Armoured Division and better orchestrated the landings by delivering a stronger combined armor-infantry Caen assault on D-Day? The fact that these alternatives were not even considered is evident by examining Montgomery's diary and papers from early June 1944.5
After 6 June, Montgomery makes no mention of his initial failure to take the city. As historian Carlo D'Este states, "To have taken, [Caen] according to plan…would have needed…some sort of miracle."6 Monty's failed plan to capture Caen on D-Day stalled the entire Normandy campaign.
Montgomery's Mind Games
On 11 June, Montgomery made his first attempt to disguise a change in his own plan when he informed General Alan Brooke that "my general policy is to pull the enemy on to Second Army [British and Canadian] so as to make it easier for First Army [American] to expand and extend the quicker."7
Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower thought that Monty's 11 June message was an admission that his original plan had been nullified by the Caen failure. Ike interpreted this British switch to the defensive as Montgomery's reversion to his previous battlefield behavior of over-caution and reluctance to risk heavy casualties. At that time whatever Monty's intention, it was not clear to the other Allied commanders.
Until Montgomery's 11 June invention of his new strategy, he had always made it perfectly clear that D-Day required an initial aggressive thrust that gained more ground and broke through the German defenses to take Caen. British and Canadian armored forces would rapidly move onto the Falaise plain, then toward the Seine and Paris. This was Montgomery's original planned "feint" at Caen that would draw the German panzers into a battle highly favorable to the Allies. Overwhelming British and American air superiority and the mobility of their much larger armored forces would destroy any German counteroffensive. This "feint" in turn would assist a faster American breakthrough in support of the British. The Americans would largely bypass the bocage country and help flank the German positions along the coast, forcing their general retreat to the Seine.
It was only after D-Day that this new 11 June strategy became his plan. None of Montgomery's pre-invasion planning, reports, or presentations ever suggested that the British would stop short of attacking and quickly taking Caen. Thus Montgomery opened the door to what became a long battle of attrition in Normandy.8
It took the British and Canadian forces six battles over forty-two days—from 6 June to 18 July —to capture all of Caen. What was behind Montgomery's thinking that might help explain his slowness in taking the city? Why had he suddenly shifted the "plan" from a British- and Canadian-led offensive breakout strategy to one of attrition warfare?
The United Kingdom was reaching the end of its manpower reserves. Churchill feared that the manpower situation would diminish his influence with Roosevelt and his status in the "Big Three Conferences" with Roosevelt and Stalin then deciding the postwar future of Europe.
Montgomery believed that a major sustained British offensive to take Caen would lead to heavy casualties. Instead, throughout June, July, and early August, he mounted a whole series of limited attacks. In the long run, Monty's attrition strategy failed. The failure to take Caen quickly stalled the entire Allied offensive and resulted in heavy British infantry casualties. Montgomery became an "attrition general" who paradoxically could not afford to fight attrition battles. In the long run, his strategy failed.
By 17 July, British and Canadian losses were 37,563. Though actual D-Day casualties had been fewer than expected, the situation went rapidly downhill afterwards. British infantry casualties were eighty percent higher than estimated, with fewer and fewer available replacements.
The set-piece battle was the forte of Montgomery and many other British and American commanders. At Caen and afterward to the end of the war, Monty's limitation was his lack of quick exploitation to follow up rapidly on battlefield success.
Montgomery's operational approach was a holdover from his First World War experience on the Western Front—use a "colossal crack" to hit the enemy with devastating modern firepower. This strategy proved to be very misleading for his Allied partners. Time and time again at Caen, for closing the Falaise gap, in the planning and execution of the MARKET GARDEN campaign, and in opening the port of Antwerp, Montgomery seemed to promise the desired breakthroughs but delivered much less.9
Soldier Morale, Training, and Performance
Montgomery's set-piece battles around Caen and elsewhere usually resulted in some penetration by forces under his command, but they were repeatedly held back from gaining a breakthrough. This was attritional warfare at its worst that began to break down the fighting spirit of the troops.10
Both the United Kingdom and Canada began the Second World War with small professional armies. Their career officer corps was still much weakened by the devastating losses of the First World War. Huge numbers of citizen soldiers had to be conscripted and trained. The OVERLORD operation was their first combat experience. Their training, however, failed to prepare them for combat in Normandy's difficult bocage terrain and against a determined and more experienced German army. Although many individual soldiers showed outstanding bravery and self-sacrifice in combat, their attacks have been frequently characterized as sluggish.
Casualties among infantry officers were very high. One new officer who was among a group being sent as replacements to a unit that had just been involved in heavy combat reported that a British major announced, "Gentlemen, your life expectancy from the day you join your battalion will be precisely three weeks."11
Combat fatigue was a significant problem in veteran British army units. This was true even among Montgomery's "Desert Rats": the Fifty-first Highland Division, Fiftieth Northumbrian, and Seventh Armoured. They were frequently overcautious and lacked the elan of fresh troops. Many began to feel they had done their fair share of the fighting, and it was for someone else to do the job left. Brigadier James Hargest, a New Zealand observer attached to the 50th Division, offered this evaluation: "The morale of…officer and soldier is not high….[This] applies to new…troops and veterans….Even senior officers grumble about being too long in the line….they are being 'used.'"12
While the Canadian troops suffered from inadequate training, their overall enthusiasm, higher morale, and quickness to learn battlefield lessons were impressive. Poor leadership by officers, however, led to heavy casualties and frequent tactical battlefield failure.13 General Charles Foulkes, commander of the Second Canadian Infantry Division, freely admitted that his officers and men were ill-prepared in Normandy: "At Falaise and Caen… when we bumped into battle-experienced German troops, we were no match for them."14
Fitness to Lead and to Fight
By the beginning of July, the Allied invasion had deteriorated into a stalemate. Allied casualties began to resemble the trench warfare losses of the First World War. By 30 June the British Second Army had suffered 24,698 casualties, and this rose to more than 46,000 (excluding combat-fatigue cases) by 25 July.15
Chief of the Imperial General Staff Sir Alan Brooke
Montgomery's generalship was in great measure to blame. His boss and mentor Brooke also condemned the alarming weakness in the British officer corps: "Half of our Corps and Divisional Commanders are totally unfit for their appointments, and yet if I were to sack them I could find no better. They lack character, imagination, drive and power of leadership."16 The rapid expansion from a small peacetime army had stretched the quality of the British officer corps to its breaking-point.
General Sir Miles Dempsey Commander, British Second Army
Montgomery had limited confidence in his Second Army commander Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey and practically none in First Canadian Army commander General Henry Crerar, whose leadership he dismissed as inadequate. As a result, Monty intervened in their field operations, thus undermining their performance and self-confidence. Precious time was wasted. Battlefield opportunities slipped by unexploited. The Germans were given breathing space to regroup.
Leadership Failures Prolong the War
The failure of Montgomery's uncharacteristically aggressive plan to take Caen on D-Day unleashed a cascade of problems for a breakthrough from the Normandy beachhead. Reversion to a war of attrition led to higher casualties and weakened morale. In many cases, inexperienced Allied forces faced battle-hardened German troops. Brooke's and Montgomery's lack of confidence in the British and Canadian officer corps meant that decisions had to be referred to Montgomery, which denied forces the ability to take advantage of opportunities in fluid combat situations. The Normandy campaign was a tough proving ground for the Allies. While many lessons were learned, this did not extend to the top leadership. Everyone makes mistakes; the key is to learn from them. Unfortunately, Montgomery did not, and he was allowed to keep his position as temporary ground commander far too long. Monty continued to exhibit a lack of aggression in key tactical situations, and his egotism continually led him to cover up the failure of his strategic plans. He and the other Allied leaders could and should have done better.
The Normandy campaign led to the Allied victory in Europe in 1945. Historian Martin Blumenson related what General George Patton said afterwards: "Patton believed his superiors had won the war the wrong way. They had been much too slow."17
1. Carlo D'Este, Decision in Normandy (Old Saybrook, CT: Konecky & Konecky, 1994), p. 32.
2. Edward E. Gordon and David Ramsay, Divided on D-Day: How Conflicts and Rivalries Jeopardized the Allied Victory at Normandy (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2017), pp. 21–26.
3. William Weidner, Eisenhower and Montgomery at the Falaise Gap (New York: Xlibris, 2010), p. 262.
4. Max Hastings, Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984), p. 121.
5. D'Este, p. 149; Bernard Law Montgomery, Normandy to the Baltic (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1948), pp. 116–34.
6. D'Este, p. 144.
7. Stephen Brooks, ed., Montgomery and the Battle of Normandy (Stroud: History Press, 2008), p. 129.
8. Gordon and Ramsay, pp. 171–72.
9. Ibid., pp. 201–08.
10. C. J. Dick, From Victory to Stalemate: The Western Front, Summer 1944 (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2016), p. 37 and p. 62.
11. Antony Beevor, D-Day: The Battle for Normandy (New York: Penguin Books, 2009), p. 281.
12. D'Este, p. 282.
13. Dick, p. 63 and p. 66.
14. Charles Perry Stacey, The Victory Campaign: The Operations in Northwest Europe 1944–1945 (Ottawa: Queen's Printer, 1960), p. 276.
15. Beevor, p. 263; Dick, p. 62.
16. Alex Danchev and Daniel Todman, eds., War Diaries, 1939–1945: Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke (London: Phoenix Press, 2001), p. 243.
17. Martin Blumenson, The Battle of the Generals (New York: William Morrow, 1993), p. 272.
Churchill on the polo field
Mounted British troops and wagons
Churchill in the uniform of the South African Light Horse unit, 1900