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Surprised McLaughlin voted by peers as Supercars' drivers' driver
McLaughlin took home nearly every accolade possible in 2019. Picture: Daniel KaliszSource: Getty Images
Scott McLaughlin took home almost everything Supercars had to offer in 2019, but there was one accolade that left the runaway champion surprised to receive – the drivers' driver award.
McLaughlin accepted the honour at Monday night's Supercars Gala Awards in Sydney alongside his drivers' title, pole award and Bathurst win, adding to the fan-voted most popular driver award.
The 26-year-old was voted by his peers as the 2019 Drivers' Driver – a significant honour for McLaughlin considering the animosity of the season following a fierce parity debate, dual Bathurst scandals over his team, and a litany of personal run-ins across the season finale weekend in Newcastle.
With all drivers voting with a 3-2-1 system, McLaughlin came out on top, with the award recognising a driver who has executed "outstanding conduct during the course of the season".
Relive the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship on KAYO SPORTS. Every practice, qualifying & race live & anytime in HD. Get your 14 day free trial >
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McLaughlin's dominant run to the 2019 title featured a record 18 race wins and a maiden Bathurst win – but the drivers' driver award left the Kiwi in a state of shock.
"Thank you to all the drivers, I really appreciate it. I've got more friends than I thought I had, so thank you" said McLaughlin, who will travel to the United States next month to marry his fiance Karly.
"It's been an unreal year, competitive, we've raced hard all year and I've really enjoyed it.
"I'm really proud of this, and I'll treasure it."
Having already admitted the final few weeks of the season were the "toughest" of his career, McLaughlin took to the stage earlier to accept the championship trophy with a pre-prepared speech.
In the speech, he reiterated his point that drivers must act as "role models" as they demonstrate their roles as ambassadors for the sport.
LISTEN TO THE LATEST PODCAST: Ryan Story l 2019 Season Wrap l The McLaughlin Factor l Mostert's Move
With that in mind, McLaughlin challenged his rivals to "look out for each other", with Barry Sheene Medal winner Shane van Gisbergen also urging drivers to "start from zero and have some fun" in 2020.
"It was tough and emotionally draining to navigate the commentary, the judgement and the assumptions that come when you're at the top of any sport," McLaughlin explained.
"As professional drivers, we will all at some point be subject to questioning and criticism, and I just want to thank those in my corner, you know who you are, who kept my focus in the car and kept reminding me of why I'm here and what I want to achieve and what legacy I want to leave on the sport.
Great night out batting above my average. Karly looked amazing and I was super proud to pick up the Drivers Driver Award voted by all drivers. Season 2019 done. #VASC pic.twitter.com/qqvOdrmbId
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) November 25, 2019
"We should never forget we get the opportunity to leave a legacy on the sport, we all get to have an impact on the fans and the public perception of Supercars.
"We all get to work together, the drivers, the drivers' partners, pit crew, owners, sponsors, officials, volunteers and the media to make this sport great, to take it to another level, to look after each other and be ambassadors to the Supercars brand.
"Yes we banter and yes we're competitive, it's also fair to say we all get a bit hot under the collar, but at the end of the day we all love the sport and we all love racing hard."
McLaughlin celebrates his title win with his team. Picture: Daniel KaliszSource: Getty Images


MONEY EARNINGs and WEALTH – a vedic view point !
Om namo Narayanaya!! Jai hanuman!
numbers : 1800, 7 Time now: 18:51 hrs IST, present place : hyderabad, AP. 5 beetle leaves, Want to give the astrologer : cashewnuts, badam. fruits: banana, papaya.
how many times should this stotra be recited for the effect of it to be significant specific to my case.. I am having great results with this stotra…touchwood.. but nevertheless i want to know the number of times minimum to be recited..
oh.. sorry .. forgot to give sprishtanga: both hands at the back of my head..
Indeed it is a mistake. Thanks for the correction.
The same applies to the kannada version also.
Is this stotra the same as "Varaha Panchakam". I got this stotra from dvaita.org..Although now its not available over there.
Starting from 3nd phalang of middle finger–>3rd phalang of ring finger –>3rd phalang of little finger –> 2nd phalang of little finger –>1st phalang of little finger–>1st phalang of ring finger –>1st phalang of middle finger –>1st phalang of index finger–> 2nd phalang of index finger–>3rd phalang of index finger… .This way one can count upto 10 in number….
Regarding counting. What you have mentioned is the way to do done for all mantras/ stotras or some specific stotras like tis one?
Sir when we count more than 10 should we start 11th time from 2nd phalange first finger OR Restart as per procedure you have given ?


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UdaipurBlog Community Create a post
Health & Fashion
About Udaipur
Places to Visit at Jaisamand
by Fouzia Mirza
अच्छी खबर : उदयपुर-मैसूर के बीच अब 'हमसफ़र'
by Shubham Ameta
State Budget 2018: Reactions of the People!
by Ashok Mathur 1 year ago 1 year ago
Considered generally a magic wand which fulfills all expectations in one stroke, the annual budget of the state is one of the most eagerly awaited events by the public. As soon as it is presented in the assembly, one group has nothing but praise for it while another one finds nothing beneficial for anyone in it. In between are a small number of persons who impartially analyze its positive and negative features that impact different sections of the society like the housewife, the poor, the rich and the middle-class people, the businessmen and the like.
In the healthcare sector, the budget provides more ventilators, for ICU Swine flu ward to which 50 more beds were added recently and the nephrology depts. Get four more dialysis machines at the cost of 1.10 Crore. This would benefit the fast-increasing number of swine flu patients that come to M.B Hospital. In September – October last year about 34 persons died of this disease. The facility of dialysis machines would lessen the present waiting period of kidney patients.
Education Sector in Udaipur
The education sector in Udaipur district is to get more facilities. Half out of 544 govt. Adarsh schools at the Gram Panchayat Headquarters do not have enough classrooms in keeping with the number of enrolled students. The provision of building about 3400 additional classrooms in 1163 Adarsh schools in the state would also benefit Udaipur schools. Over 3 lac school students in the district are to get milk three times in a week as part of Poshahar scheme. The district has 653 secondary and about 3500 primary schools that are run by the govt. Recruitment of over 77,000 school teachers would improve quality of teaching in govt. Madanmohan Malviya Ayurved College, Udaipur. At present, there are P.G courses in 5 subjects. Now provision has been made for P. G diploma courses in Sharsutra (30 seats) B.Sc Nursing course (20 seats) one-year course P.G diploma course in Panch Karma technical assistant (30 seats) and diagnosis and maternity course. This would raise the quality of medical services.
Mavli is to get a government college. To solve the problem of inadequacy of teaching faculty, the services of retired faculty can be taken on pay minor pension basis. Students of M.G College, Udaipur would benefit from the decision to include in state financing 64 subjects of three facilities of U.G and P.G courses that are being run for five years under the self-financing scheme. All the govt. colleges in the state would get wi-fi facilities.
So far as the judiciary is concerned, one more NI cases court is to be added to the five existing ones. There are over 17,500 pending cases of bounced cheques in Udaipur that were filed 10 to 15 years ago. Now cases would be decided more expeditiously.
All the five Janjati Khel Chatrawas in all the districts of Udaipur Division would be upgraded to sports academies. The three hostels in Udaipur in Madhuban, Sardarpura, and Khelgaon would become academies of games. It would soon, be decided which one would have archery, hockey, football, volleyball, kabaddi, and swimming. This would result in the availability of high quality, coaching, better diet etc.
A provision of 3000 crores has been made for taking water from Banswara Mahi to Jakham and from there to Rajsamand. The sanction of phases three and four of Dewas project would help in the permanent solution of water problem of Rajsamand, Amet, Kelwa, Railmagra, Sardargarh, Deogarh etc. In Udaipur district, there are to be three more ancient at Dholigar, Chuli ka Naka and Akolanaka.
Agriculture, Tourism, and others
Van Upaj Mandi Yards is to be opened in Kotda, Salumber and Gogunda. So, farmers would not here to come to big cities to sell their products. To promote tourism, a concession of 50% on stamp duty has been given to those who purchase or take on lease 10 floors in multi-story buildings.
Maharana Khumbha panorama is to be developed at Malyawas (Madaria).
Kanode has been made tehsil and Arthuna would become a sub-tehsil. Developers have welcomed the budget as DLC rate has been reduced by 10% and it would not be raised till March 2019 stamp duty on EWS and Low-Income Group Housing has been reduced from 75% to 50%. The decision to issue small 'pattas' for 'bajari' would solve a big problem. The withdrawal of royalty on waste marble blocks that are used in construction is also a welcome move.
Some other decisions that would benefit Udaipur Division include the provision to give seed mini kits free of charge to BPL and Antodaya SC and non-SC farmers of Udaipur Dungarpur, Banswara and Pratapgarh districts. In every Vidhan Sabha area, 15-km long new roads are to be built and 100 hand-pumps are to be set up. ITI's at district headquarters is to have a smart classroom. Out of 12 ancients to be constructed in the Division Udaipur is to have four, Dungarpur, four (Mandwa, Kharpada, Panchkhundi and Japhra) Banswara five (Kundla, Mahundiwada, Sarwatwala Nala, Umriwala Nala and Chirowali) and Pratapgarh one (Mota Dhamania).
Udaipurites would also have the benefit of several other declarations concerning different classes of citizens.
Not setting up of a high court bench in Udaipur that would have benefited a large number of people, especially the tribal poor ones, is a big disappointment. It has been a long-standing demand of the region. Another expectation of Udaipurities to make the city a film city has also been ignored. Maybe these demands are fulfilled during the debate and the Chief Minister reply.
What is your take on the state budget, do tell us in the comment section below.
city of lakes, expectations, news, rajastha, reactions of people, reality, state budget, top, udaipur
Posted by Ashok Mathur
Freelance Journalist. Writes regularly for English daily newspapers. Is an English Language Teaching Specialist.
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UdaipurBlog

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Chop drum sticks into 1.5 inch sized pieces as shown in the picture below. Sprinkle little amount of salt, turmeric powder, mix them well and keep them aside for about 30 mins.
Keep oil in a thick bottomed vessel and heat. Take each drumstick piece, dip it in batter and put it into the oil. Deep fry them in oil.
Serve hot. It goes well with Rice and Rasam/Tove or any Rice items.
Wash the amaranth leaves and chop them into small pieces as shown in the picture below.
Put chopped amaranth leaves in a vessel. Add turmeric powder, jaggary, salt, chilly powder, water and cook them well.
Add oil and mustard seeds in a pan. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and add it to sasive. Mix well before serving. It goes well along with rice.


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Le stade Lat-Dior est un stade de sport polyvalent sénégalais, situé à Thiès. Il porte le nom de Lat Dior, ancien damel et grande figure de la résistance contre la pénétration coloniale française.

Le , il accueille pour la première fois un match de l'équipe nationale du Sénégal de football, contre Madagascar en match de qualification pour la Coupe d'Afrique des nations de football 2019.

Le stade a également accueilli des matchs des équipes nationales locales et des sections jeunes. En , le stade accueille pour la première fois une compétition sous-régionale, en l'occurrence la coupe de l'UFOA.

Le Stade Lat Dior est l'un des rares stades sénégalais doté d'une pelouse naturelle, les autres régionaux étant équipés de gazon synthétique.

Ses  font de lui en 2019 le troisième stade du Sénégal en termes de capacité, derrière le stade Léopold-Sédar-Senghor et le stade Demba-Diop.

Histoire
Devant la défection du stade Léopold Sédar Senghor de Dakar, des travaux de mise aux normes avaient été envisagés pour permettre au stade Lat Dior d'accueillir en  la rencontre entre le Sénégal et l'Angola pour le compte des éliminatoires de la Coupe du monde de football de 2014. Mais pour le moment, le stade Lat Dior – comme le stade Maniang Soumaré – ne semble pas remplir les conditions pour accueillir des compétitions de très haut niveau. Le match a finalement eu lieu à Conakry (Guinée).

Il est en phase de reconstruction, c'est déjà gazonné et les tribunes ont déjà la couleur traditionnelle du Sénégal, c'est-à-dire le vert, jaune  et le rouge. Il est reconstruit grâce à la réfection du stade Léopold-Sédar-Senghor.

Notes et références

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Sport au Sénégal
 Lutte sénégalaise

Liens externes

Équipement sportif achevé en 2009
Stade multifonction au Sénégal
Stade de football au Sénégal
Stade d'athlétisme au Sénégal
Stade portant le nom d'une personnalité politique
Thiès

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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© 2020 The Stanford Review
oreid in ASSU 9 years ago
Exec Fellows Program Renewed
The website for the Executive Fellows program has been launched, with blurbs up for most of the Cabinet members already. The program is under the title of "Leadership Development" and aims to:
…offer students the opportunity to engage with diverse University needs while employing and developing critical thinking, leadership, and teamwork skills. Fellows will work directly with a cabinet member and his or her team, as well as with other fellows and cabinet members in an effort to preserve a unified effort within the cabinet.
In addition, there will be an emphasis on linking the Senate and the Executive more closely, so the Executive Fellows Program will have "a focus on fostering Fellows' understanding of the ASSU as an organization which joins and involves both the Senate and the Executive." In any case, the applications will go live in September when freshmen arrive on campus, so they should keep their eyes out for this opportunity. I remember not hearing about either this program or the Senate Fellows program until well into the year; hopefully, this year the outreach will reach everyone (and given the goal of the Chair of Outreach, Elise Geithner, to reach out to freshmen, hopefully that will work out).
[![](http://blog.stanfordreview.org/content/images/2010/08/Screen-shot-2010-08-05-at-9.53.42-AM.png)](http://blog.stanfordreview.org/content/images/2010/08/Screen-shot-2010-08-05-at-9.53.42-AM.png)
Stanford has a few generous souls, it seems.
Random sidebar: the Partners in Health Haiti donation thermometer says that 64 people have donated $23,241 through it. That's an average gift of over $360; very impressive, Stanford. (I'd guess that there are probably a bunch of $50 or less ones in there too, so someone gave big.)
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text:
70s Pop Reviews!
Year-by-year reviews: 1970 - 1971 - 1972 - 1973 - 1974 - 1975 - 1976 - 1977 - 1978 - 1979
For those of us who lived through the 70s, and those who just wish they did, here are our reviews of the artists who either emerged or continued to be successful through that decade.
The Allman Brothers
Ashford & Simpson
B.T. Express
Beatles solo albums
The Commodores
Alec R. Costandinos
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and solo work
Larry Graham
High Inergy
Instant Funk
The Jackson 5 (and solo work)
France Joli
Evelyn "Champagne" King
Boris Midney
The Ohio Players
Prince/AFKAP
The Ritchie Family
Rose Royce
Rufus and/or Chaka Khan
Todd Rundgren and Utopia
The Salsoul Orchestra
Rod Stewart and The Faces
Richard Thompson and Fairport Convention
Trouble Funk
The Who and Pete Townshend solo records
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Artists we're not as thoroughly familiar with are covered on our 70s odds and ends page as follows:
Meg Christian
Disco Spectacular Inspired By The Film "Hair"
The Dynamic Superiors
Faze-O
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
The Abdul Hassan Orchestra
Richard Hell & The Voidoids
Holland-Dozier-Holland
KC And The Sunshine Band
The Last Poets
MFSB
Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes
Eddie Minnis
The New York Dolls
The S.O.S. Band
Telly Savalas
Thank God It's Friday
Tonto's Expanding Head Band


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Are There Alternatives to PayPal?
How Does PayPal Work for Sellers?
Payment Gateways That Work Like PayPal
by Christine Kim
Alternative for PayPal
Why Does It Take So Long to Process PayPal Payments?
How to Block PayPal Debits
Can I Use a PayPal Logo on My Website?
In terms of online payment services, PayPal is by far the most popular platform. When it comes to submitting online payments, however, it is number 10 on the list in terms of speedy transactions via the Web. Users have also encountered pay "freeze" problems, which can result in transfer delays. Alternative payment gateways work exactly like PayPal but can be more efficient for your customers.
Venmo, now a subsidiary of Braintree, is similar to PayPal in that users carry a balance created by the monetary transactions related to a specific account. Users can add more funds through a credit or debit card, or from a bank account. Use of Venmo is limited to the United States, but your customers can make purchases and transfers through apps on iPhones, Androids or BlackBerrys. Venmo utilizes bank-grade security systems and proprietary algorithms to protect personal identity and prevent against unauthorized transactions.
In 2008, Amazon released its own gateway payment service. Although Amazon Payments was originally designed for use by merchants, it can now be used by consumers to send and receive money online or via cell phones. You don't have to sell through Amazon to use the Checkout by Amazon service for your business. As a convenience, however, your customers access their address and payment information from their Amazon accounts to order, pay and ship through your website.
Skrill Moneybookers.com
Skrill Moneybookers can be used internationally and provides a wide variety of payment options and risk management tools. Its security is built upon high encryption standards, and its systems are regularly updated to prevent emerging threats from hackers. In addition to accepting payments, Skrill processes paychecks and other payments for employees, subcontractors and vendors. Skrill offers customizable payment solutions for your unique digital business needs.
Google Wallet (formerly Google Checkout) was created specifically to serve merchants. It has contracted with hundreds of businesses and acts as a checkout service, allowing buyers to conveniently make purchases. Merchants can create an online store, or shoppers can shop on the merchant's website and be directed to checkout via Google Wallet. A $0.30 fee applies to every transaction, plus a percentage fee based on the amount is added on. For transactions under $3,000, the fee is 2.9 percent; for $3,000 to $9,999.99, the fee is 2.5 percent; for $10,000 up to $99,999.99, the fee is 2.2 percent; and for transactions of $100,000 or more, a 1.9 percent fee applies.
The Online Seller: PayPal Most Popular for Online Payments
Venmo Inc.: Fees & FAQ
Venmo Inc.: Security
Google Wallet: About Google Checkout
Venmo Inc.: Homepage
Google Wallet: Homepage
Christine Kim has been a writer and editor since 2002, working with Columbia University, Harvard Business School and University of Alabama Press. She holds a Master of Arts in interdisciplinary studies and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing.
Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
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Whoa! Rawk! From the Norwegian west coast comes a single from a bunch called Årabrot, named after the local garbage dump place. Presenting two songs of tough, raw sounding, primal rock. They kick and punch, with an incredible energy and heartfelt aggresion. 100 %.
The foursome call themselves Nibby Needle (guitar), Sofus K (bass, backing), Marakel (drums) and Deadly Nightshade (guitar, keyboards), and together they pull the strings for the up-tempo A side song "Marionettes" with perfect precision and attitude. Wire meet Pere Ubu meet Dead Kennedys meet the Fall. A steamingly angry piece of music, a fiery two-and-a-half minute buzz feast. "Bogus Boogie" is a bit slower but not less energetic. Swamp rock for full moons. Excellent. Rumble on!
You may also want to check out our Årabrot articles/reviews: For Lack of Discipline You Will Die, Proposing a pact with Jesus, The Gospel.


As technology and consumer expectations evolve at dizzying rates, now is the time to reboot (or at least re-think) the way you approach your marketing. The email marketing software that may have once worked for you has become yesterday's legacy tool for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Today's SMBs can no longer effectively and efficiently grow the way they once did.
Cheap and easy. That's how email marketing tools promote their value. Dig deeper though, and you'll quickly find that what you don't get from them is costing you far more than the monthly subscription fee.
The return on investment for email marketing seems compelling. The relatively low cost is why email blasting software like Constant Contact, MailChimp or DemandForce is often the first—and easiest—choice for customer marketing. These tools are familiar, seemingly simple to use, and they appear to deliver results. But what they're missing is what's hurting you.
That's because the average email open rate across all industries in the US is about 20 percent. So while your email message may reach up to 20 percent of your contacts, you're missing a whopping 80 percent.
And not reaching that many people is costing you. Every contact missed is a lost revenue opportunity and a missed chance to nurture a profitable relationship.
Today's consumers demand choice; They want to communicate with businesses and brands through their preferred channels and on their terms, which often is not email. To drive action (and ultimately conversion), a marketing campaign, regardless of channel, must resonate with recipients and meet their needs.
Without the ability to easily segment your contacts and target relevant messages on topics of interest to them, which basic email software doesn't do, you're sending messages that don't work and wasting valuable resources. It's eating into your bottom line.
Reaching the most people possible and connecting with them in meaningful and relevant ways is the difference between wasting your time and turning relationships into revenue. Marketing success (more leads and more conversions) takes an integrated, multi-channel digital marketing strategy that resonates. Customer marketing done right is not done through one, limited email marketing software program.
To execute effective marketing campaigns across multiple channels, you'll need tools to not only craft email campaigns, but to: create, buy and manage targeted advertising on social media; build landing pages; send SMS texts; cleanse and manage lists; and generate data analytics that optimize results—all of which come at a hefty investment.
Not only is it cost-prohibitive for most SMBs to purchase all the necessary tools for integrated, multi-channel digital marketing, but effectively managing multiple tools is a time-consuming internal resource drain. Getting the most out of comprehensive marketing automation is a full-time job, and very few small businesses have the necessary time to do things like segmenting lists and crafting and testing copy. Plus, each marketing software platform has varying degrees of power and complexity for email triggers, forms, advanced segmentation and reporting, making them complex to use and fully leverage.
Another hidden cost of marketing automation is the technical expertise and time needed to implement the software. Most SMBs don't have the required technical resources to make it all happen. Implementation involves integrating the marketing software with other systems and technical development for things like installing tracking codes on web pages, all of which takes time and know-how. A capable expert is key.
Because of the significant resource costs associated with running the tools to execute effective campaigns, the questions become: Where do you want to invest your internal resources, and what are the opportunity costs of doing so?
The answers are a matter of cost-effectiveness and efficiency. You want experts doing what they do best because not everyone can be a marketer. Ultimately, you must ask: What are the opportunity costs of internal staff experimenting with marketing, through trial and error, instead of directly serving customers?
You'll have to determine what you can accomplish with internal resources, then where you will have to outsource to capable experts.
Even an experienced consultant who understands the value of a multi-channel marketing approach won't have access to integrated dashboards and technology that allows for time-efficient execution and analysis of campaigns across multiple channels. The kind of technical integration necessary to do this is simply not accessible to an individual marketing expert or small consultancy. The result is slow results, if any at all.
Some SMBs have had success with a new category of solution called a marketing automation service, which marries marketing experts and technology to do the work for you.
Do your homework to determine what's right for you and your growth goals. Understanding why what you're doing now may be falling short is the best place to start.


Here's the best work we've seen, heard and written about over the past twelve months. Because of our interest in historical as well as current productions and performances, many decades can be included.
Please select the type of review from the drop-down list, then click on the title or poster image to surf to the article.


Description The election campaign headquarters of Prentice Cooper for Governor, located in Shelbyville, Tennessee, August 2, 1938. This is the year that Cooper ran for his party's nomination for governor and later won the general election to become Tennessee's 39th Governor, serving in office from January 16, 1939 - January 16, 1945. William Prentice Cooper was a native of Bedford County and graduate of Webb School, Princeton and Harvard Law School, he was Attorney General of the 8th Judicial Circuit, a member of the 63rd and 70th General Assemblies, U.S. Ambassador to Peru 1946-1948. President of the 1953 Tennessee Constitutional Convention, Veteran of WW I and State Commander of the American Legion. He reactivated the Tennessee Historical Commission and was a member 1941-1969. Forms part of Record Group 412, Photographs Collection. 1 photograph negative : b & w ; 4 x 5 in.


I have some exciting news for Jenna & Channing fans that live in the United States. On Tuesday 30th January Fathom Events and YouTube Red are bringing Jenna & Channing's new series Step Up: High Water to select theaters across the country. This is a series premiere event which includes not only an exclusive first-look at Step Up: High Water but behind-the-scenes footage & the movie that started it all & brought together an amazing couple……the original 2006 Step Up movie.
To see where it is showing in your area you can go to the Fathom Events website & type in your area code to find times & theaters. You don't ant to miss this!!!!


Working at the intersection of marine conservation and social, economic, and environmental justice.
By Brett Tolley, NAMA's Community Organizer.
My trip to California took an unexpected turn on day-three of the Community Food Security Conference when I got robbed at gunpoint. It was a normal quiet Monday night. I was leaving the subway around 10pm when a young man in a mask rode by on his bike, stopped in my path, and stuck a gun to my chest. And since my background is in community organizing/fishing and not street combat I didn't put up a fight. Like my mom says, "we're fishers, not fighters". Of course it was no laughing matter. He took everything I had. But he also taught me a few things.
The first thing he taught me was not to walk alone at night down dark unknown streets. The other lesson relates to a bigger picture of our food justice work at NAMA. But at the risk of jumping ahead too fast, let me start by explaining why I was in California in the first place.
I was in Oakland to participate in the US Food Sovereignty Alliance's inaugural Assembly and take part in the Community Food Security Coalition's annual conference. As in the past few years, National Family Farm Coalition worked with us to put a panel together discussing a topic that is relevant to both fishermen and farmers. This year we discussed the role of co-operatives.
Mike Hudson (left) and farmer Joel Greeno shake hands in solidarity.
The Assembly was inspiring. Along with other food advocates, farmers, and community activists from around the world, we identified some common ground in our collective work on food sovereignty. It was no surprise to hear from farmers in places like Brazil, Mexico, and Iowa that they share many of the same struggles as New England fishermen. Issues including the corporate concentration of wealth and power, the degradation of our natural resources, and the exploitation of workers. Check out more on Food Sovereignty by reading our guest blogger piece titled "Fish Sovereignty" by Tristen Quinn-Thibodeau of WhyHunger.
I couldn't help but make the connection between my masked teacher - the gunman - and the conditions that led him to rob me that night.
There seems to be a connection between our food system, poverty, and violence. In fact, I would suggest poverty is itself a form of violence, especially when it can be prevented. In its mission statement the US Food Sovereignty Alliance specifically includes "working to end poverty". At first glance this may seem like a large departure away from food justice, but it's not.
The right to healthy food and a just food system is about much more than just our food. It involves complex uses of the land, sea, and natural resources. It involves the people who harvest, raise, catch, and even eat our food. It involves the communities who help move the food to our stores, into our kitchens, and onto our plates. And it involves the health of every single person along that food chain because we depend on food for nutrition. Issues such as poverty and social injustice undermine this entire system.
That is why at NAMA we believe that connecting our local fishermen to the larger picture of food justice is critically important. Food overlaps so many of our social, economic, and environmental struggles and without paying attention to each piece we risk jeopardizing them all. For example, we can't displace our small-scale family fishermen only to be replaced by the larger-scale industrial model in the name of marine conservation. Click here to watch a fisherman's video testimony. We know all too well that doing so will not save the ocean, as getting rid of family farmers didn't save our land based environment. In fact, it increased ecological problems on land.
Since that night in Oakland I've had endless questions and imaginary scenarios run through my head. Ultimately I will never know what led that man to rob me. But what I do know is that a broken food system is directly linked to poverty, which is directly linked to desperation and crime. Even if the young man is caught the conditions that foster violence still exist both on our land and on our seas. So until we address the underlying conditions then we can't expect this type of violelnce to stop.
Buy seafood that is as local to you as possible.
Join the Fish Locally Collaborative.
George and Meri - I really appreciate your comments. Our collective work on 'big picture' issues can at times seem like a long uphill battle. Your feedback is a little wind at my back. Thank you.
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FocusPolicy
Network News: Powering Clinical Research
Joseph V. Selby1,
Harlan M. Krumholz2,3,
Richard E. Kuntz3,4 and
Francis S. Collins3,5,*
↵*Corresponding author. E-mail: francis.collins{at}nih.gov
1Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Washington, DC 20036, USA.
2Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
3Board of Governors, PCORI
4Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN 55432, USA
5National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Science Translational Medicine 24 Apr 2013:
Vol. 5, Issue 182, pp. 182fs13
Joseph V. Selby
Harlan M. Krumholz
Richard E. Kuntz
Francis S. Collins
For correspondence: francis.collins@nih.gov
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute announces bold plans to build a National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network that will unite millions of patients through a coordinated collaboration with researchers and health care delivery organizations.
If each patient were an active and informed participant in clinical research as part of their regular health care, a visit to a doctor's office would have the potential to transform the health of millions of individuals. Indeed, this scenario is within reach: Stakeholders from all sectors are coalescing around the importance of conducting patient-centered research in the real world, health systems are rapidly adopting electronic health records (EHRs), and pilot efforts are demonstrating the feasibility of large-scale research within health care delivery systems (1–3). This week, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) announced plans for a National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network that will unite patient groups, researchers, and health care systems and will ultimately support rapid and cost-effective observational and interventional clinical research studies with active participation from a broad patient population.
The long and successful tradition in the United States of investing in clinical research is in jeopardy. As overall levels of support for biomedical research decline, clinical trials have become increasingly complicated, time-consuming, and expensive. Combined with these pernicious trends is the increasing realization of critical evidence gaps in the practice of medicine. Many of our most pressing questions could be answered by large randomized trials or analyses of clinical data from routine-care settings; enormous amounts of data already reside in EHRs but are not being used in a systematic way.
Successes in clinical research generally require large numbers of diverse participants and the ability to follow their medical experiences over time. But the United States has few preexisting patient cohorts of substantial size and even fewer that encompass diverse populations. Most clinical studies start from scratch and require years to achieve full enrollment (many never do). This "one-off" approach requires repeated construction and deconstruction of the clinical research infrastructure.
Furthermore, as new data reveal increasing levels of disease complexity, conditions we categorize as breast cancer, asthma, or diabetes can now be divided into distinct subtypes with different prognoses and treatment plans. Realizing a future of personalized medicine will require large studies and longitudinal follow-up. If our nation is to continue to support such a research agenda in a time of serious fiscal restraint, we need a new strategy.
THE TIME IS RIGHT
The call for a prospective cohort for the conduct of large-scale U.S. clinical research is not new (4). However, the creation of PCORI and alignment of several developments in science and policy have placed this vision within our grasp.
Committed patients. Thanks in large part to social media and data-sharing initiatives, patients today are more connected and more knowledgeable about biomedical research than ever before. Patient advocacy organizations and online networks have empowered patients to more readily become clinical research participants.
Electronic health record expansion. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), 72% of office-based physicians were using some kind of EHR in 2012, up from 42% in 2008 (5). While major challenges of interoperability and privacy remain, EHR systems have the potential to provide a communication platform across institutions, connecting millions of individuals. ONC efforts to establish EHR meaningful-use criteria should align well with the new Network (6), which can provide a learning environment in which to test the use of these criteria for research in a real-world setting.
Big data and public access. To decipher how patient subgroups respond to selected medical products and interventions, researchers must be able to collect and analyze increasingly large amounts of medical information and transform it into meaningful discoveries. Researchers are generating larger data sets than ever before, from basic science to clinical research; funding agencies, researchers, and the public are pushing for strong public access policies (7) and are eager for a clinical research network that not only encourages data sharing, but relies on it.
Reforming human-subject oversight. There is an ongoing government-wide effort to reform the Common Rule—regulations that govern the protection of human subjects in research—with the goal of increasing protections and decreasing unnecessary hurdles to research. The new Network will support these real-world efforts to align oversight more closely with patient needs. The Network will explore models such as broad consent for research using clinical data and biospecimens and the use of a single institutional review board.
Need for efficiency. With the unsustainable combination of unprecedented fiscal restraints and a continued escalation of traditional clinical research costs, researchers have both an opportunity and a responsibility to be even more creative and efficient in how we conduct biomedical science. The Network is an opportunity to align the right vision with the right people to get more research productivity from every dollar.
Two major PCORI funding announcements (http://www.pcori.org/funding-opportunities), with total available funds up to $68M over 18 months, describe the Network components: clinical data research networks (CDRNs) and patient-powered research networks (PPRNs). A solicitation will appear soon for a $4M coordinating center (CC), which will provide project-management support, technical resources, meeting support, and program evaluation (Fig. 1). The Network's governance structure will ensure that both patients and health systems realize the greatest value from their investments of time and data. A steering committee that comprises Network leaders, patient advocates, federal agency representatives, and PCORI staff will operationalize the entire enterprise. Network development and function will be guided by a scientific advisory board of research experts that will regularly evaluate the enterprise's progress and by a special expert group that will provide access to technical expertise in EHRs, advanced laboratory methods, and data management.
Fig. 1 Patient powered.
Shown is the proposed organization of the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. Supported by a Coordinating Center, CDRNs and PPRNs will create a sustainable network of health care centers with interoperable EHRs and active patient participation, all overseen by the PCORI staff, board of governors, and their advisors.
CREDIT: Y. HAMMOND/SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
Each CDRN will consist of at least two health care delivery organizations that together collect clinical information through EHRs on diverse patient populations of at least 1,000,000 people. To qualify for funding, a CDRN must show that it has the capacity to follow patients longitudinally across care settings and will be expected to support scalable data-access policies that promote broad research use; protect privacy and confidentiality; obtain informed consent; use central institutional review boards; and develop biobanks. Each potential CDRN will propose three pilot cohorts: one for a common disorder, one for a rare disorder, and one for patients with obesity/diabetes.
The PPRNs will be networks of patients, organized around a condition or set of conditions, who are motivated to participate actively in outcomes research. PPRNs will be the test-beds for development of best practices in patient governance, data collection, and use of aggregate data. The idea is to endow these groups with power to improve their care and outcomes, creating an opportunity for them to be partners in research, with jurisdiction and authority. Over time, PCORI will encourage PPRNs and CDRNs to work together to learn how to engage patients in the research process, define the most important patient-centered research questions, and prepare patients for broad participation in research.
In phase 1, PCORI will fund up to 8 CDRNs and 12 to 18 PPRNs. Within the first 18 months, the CDRNs and PPRNs will need to show that they are able to create interoperable databases and partner to initiate and conduct research by capitalizing on each other's strengths. In 2015, phase 2 support will be available to successful components to stabilize the network infrastructure so others can use it for a wide variety of clinical research studies funded by PCORI, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, philanthropy, or industry.
WHAT THE NETWORK WILL MEAN FOR RESEARCH
PCORI's charge to the Network components is to develop clinical research networks with new synergies and efficiencies that partners patients with researchers. The Network will allow researchers to design and implement observational studies as well as individual and cluster randomized trials more rapidly and affordably. Following are three examples that could tap into the Network's power almost immediately.
Atrial fibrillation. This common disorder of heart rhythm affects millions of Americans and predisposes them to stroke and premature death. Four major therapeutic options include traditional anticoagulants, newer anticoagulants, drugs that control abnormal heart rhythm, and invasive procedures and devices (8). Age, gender, underlying illnesses, and genetic factors may influence the effectiveness of different strategies. To understand the natural history of this disease and to identify what therapy works best for whom, we may need studies involving hundreds of thousands of patients—a feat that is impossible with our current clinical trials paradigm focused on singular hypotheses in relatively homogeneous populations. However, a controlled comparative-effectiveness trial of these four interventions could be rapidly designed and implemented within a network collectively caring for tens of millions of patients. Additional highly motivated patients could be recruited from the PPRNs. Such a project would provide an opportunity to tune EHRs for maximal utility and a natural pathway for broad and rapid implementation of the trial results.
mHealth. The Network could provide a vast real-world laboratory for assessing whether mobile health–based interventions that use cell-phone technology and Internet connectivity improve clinical outcomes. Such efforts might center on the assessment of preventive strategies, such as technologies to monitor weight loss or support tobacco cessation, or on chronic disease management, such as glucose monitoring for diabetes, real-time measurement of ambulatory blood pressure, and continuous EKG monitoring for arrhythmias. The network could provide assessments of tools that might improve the quality of clinical research itself. Finally, studies could help illuminate the best conditions for implementation of mHealth into clinical care.
Pharmacogenomics. The Network could facilitate large-scale trials to examine conflicting pharmacogenomic data. For example, some research has associated specific CYP2C19 genotypes with decreased responsiveness to clopidogrel (Plavix), a powerful anti-platelet drug used in patients at risk for myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke (9). On the basis of those findings, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added a black box warning to the drug (10). However, subsequent research has raised questions about the clinical importance of this genetic information. Within the Network, researchers could swiftly conduct a large randomized trial aimed at understanding the role of CYP2C19 genotyping in clopidogrel response.
WHAT THE NETWORK WILL MEAN FOR PATIENTS
Besides size and scalability, what distinguishes this effort is that patients are at its center. Indeed, patients within the Network will have access to cutting-edge research studies. But perhaps the greatest power of the Network will be the prominent voice it gives to patients. PPRNs and CDRNs will create pathways for motivated patients to act as respected partners who can influence decisions about research studies that could ultimately change the course of their own care.
WHAT THE NETWORK WILL MEAN FOR HEALTH SYSTEMS AND CLINICIANS
The network will place health care delivery organizations—and the caregivers they employ—in a highly active role in the conduct of clinical research. The Network will provide sufficient financial support for on-site research staff. And there will be other benefits: CDRNs will have the opportunity to quickly take advantage of research outcomes, market their role as health pioneers, have a voice in Network governance, and offer their providers an enriching professional experience through participation in meaningful cutting-edge research. In addition, Network research should provide vital information about health care delivery models that can be used to improve operations.
CHALLENGES AND RISKS
PCORI's creation of the Network is a bold step that will push the boundaries of U.S. ingenuity. But all bold initiatives have risks and challenges. One concern is that EHRs may never reach the level of accuracy or completeness needed for valid research. This underscores the importance of ONC's efforts to define "meaningful use" of EHRs to support data quality and completeness. Another is that patients might opt out because of privacy concerns or fears that stem from past incidents of unethical research. Business managers of health services organizations might perceive the research agenda as conflicting with their primary role—health care delivery. All of these potential challenges can be addressed, but that will require the utmost care in project design and oversight.
Success in transforming the clinical research enterprise hinges on the development of research teams, patient-engagement platforms, software, tools, and technologies that do not yet exist. However, these challenges should not deter a scientific and consumer community as strong as ours. Both for their own health and that of future generations, U.S. researchers and patients need a national research network. The climate is right for immediate action.
Health Care Systems Collaboratory
, http://commonfund.nih.gov/hcscollaboratory/.
Million Veteran Study. www.research.va.gov/mvp/.
eMERGE Network. www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/victr/dcc/projects/acc/index.php/Main_Page.
F. S. Collins
, The case for a US prospective cohort study of genes and environment. Nature 429, 475–477 (2004). doi:10.1038/nature02628 pmid:15164074
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Electronic Health Records Surveys, 2012, www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/onc-data-brief-7-december-2012.pdf.
, www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers-implementers/meaningful-use.
Petition to the White House, Free internet access to scientific journal articles arising from taxpayer-funded research. May 2013. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/require-free-access-over-internet-scientific-journal-articles-arising-taxpayer-funded-research/wDX82FLQ.
J. L. Anderson,
J. L. Halperin,
N. M. Albert,
B. Bozkurt,
R. G. Brindis,
L. H. Curtis,
D. Demets,
R. A. Guyton,
J. S. Hochman,
R. J. Kovacs,
E. M. Ohman,
S. J. Pressler,
F. W. Sellke,
W. K. Shen
, Management of patients with atrial fibrillation (Compilation of 2006 ACCF/AHA/ESC and 2011 ACCF/AHA/HRS Recommendations): A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on practice guidelines. Circulation (2013). 10.1161/CIR.0b013e318290826D pmid:23545139
M. V. Holmes,
P. Perel,
T. Shah,
A. D. Hingorani,
J. P. Casas
, CYP2C19 genotype, clopidogrel metabolism, platelet function, and cardiovascular events: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 306, 2704–2714 (2011). doi:10.1001/jama.2011.1880 pmid:22203539
FDA Drug Safety Communication, Reduced effectiveness of Plavix (clopidogrel) in patients who are poor metabolizers of the drug. www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm203888.htm.
Acknowledgments : The authors thank S. Devaney for assistance in preparation of the manuscript.
You are going to email the following Network News: Powering Clinical Research
By Joseph V. Selby, Harlan M. Krumholz, Richard E. Kuntz, Francis S. Collins
Science Translational Medicine 24 Apr 2013 : 182fs13
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute plans to build a large-scale network among patients, researchers, and health care delivery organizations.


More than a year ago, in April 2012, CatTime reported on an animal shelter in Milwaukee, Wis., that was kept open thanks to a cat with 26 toes (cats typically have 18 toes).
Amy Rowell found Daniel at animal control when the feline touched her head with his seven-toed paw.
The Milwaukee Animal Rescue Center encouraged people to send donations of $26 – for each of the cat's toes. Although the ploy kept the shelter afloat for a while, they weren't enough to keep the facility's doors open for the long term.
According to the Associated Press, the Center's owner, Amy Rowell, adopted the polydactyl feline, Daniel, and has found another job. They will remain active in the animal welfare community, however.
Rowell hopes the remaining animals at the Center will be adopted by the end of the month, and as an incentive, has reduced the adoption fee to $50.


text:
WWW.THENEWS.MX
Sunday 17 of January 2021
Police, Fire Heroics Prompt Anti-Austerity Push in Britain
BY The News
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (centre) is mobbed by the crowd after addressing an anti-austerity rally in Parliament Square, London,photo: PA Wire/Yui Mok
In Britain, the emergency workers' own stories are being used to make the case for higher pay
Britain's police and firefighters, repeatedly hailed as heroes in recent months for facing down extremists and rushing into burning buildings, have become the symbol of a new anti-austerity drive in the country.
Their exploits are adding to the pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May to ease seven years of belt-tightening after a disastrous election that cost the government its majority in Parliament and led to calls for her to step down. Over the past few days, key ministers have broken with government policy on the issue amid a change in public mood.
Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn made emergency services the focus of a march on Parliament last weekend when demonstrators called for an end to the 1 percent cap on pay increases for public employees. With the inflation rate now at 2.9 percent, the cap means the spending power of government workers is shrinking.
Speaking before the march, the head of the national firefighters union said the government's spending policies and deregulation contributed to the June 14 inferno at Grenfell Tower in west London that killed at least 80 people. More than 11,000 firefighting jobs have been eliminated, and fire stations are being closed and fire engines taken out of service because of the budget cuts, said Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union.
"This was not an act of God," Wrack told Sky News, speaking of the Grenfell Tower disaster. "It was a horrific fire, but the failings that led to it happening on that scale are the result of political decisions, a series of decisions that were taken over many years. That includes the deregulation of building control within local authorities, privatization of building control, the destruction and decimation of fire and rescue service safety inspections, the complete obsession with deregulation."
Grenfell Tower is only the most recent tragedy to put Britain's emergency workers in the news.
On May 22, paramedics rushed to Manchester Arena when a suicide bomber blew himself up after a pop concert, killing 22 people and injuring 116 others. Doctors and nurses worked through the night to treat the wounded, and police launched an around-the-clock investigation to find any accomplices.
Less than two weeks later, three men crashed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge, then rampaged through nearby Borough Market slashing and stabbing revelers in bars and restaurants. Eight people died, but the death toll would have been higher if a police officer hadn't confronted the attackers with nothing but his baton, delaying them until armed officers shot them dead just eight minutes after the attack began.
Then there was Grenfell Tower, a 24-story public housing project that was engulfed in flames after a refrigerator fire quickly spread through the building. Police officers held their riot shields overhead to protect firefighters from falling debris as they rushed into the inferno to rescue trapped residents.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron imposed the cap as part of his plan to control spending after the deficit ballooned during the global financial crisis. His successor, May, has continued austerity, saying it will result in a stronger economy that creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty.
Treasury chief Philip Hammond is standing by the policy, saying Conservative-led governments have reduced the deficit by two-thirds while increasing employment and maintaining economic growth. But he said the cuts must continue because the government is still spending more than it takes in and the national debt stands at 1.7 trillion pounds ($2.2 trillion), or the equivalent of 62,000 pounds ($80,140) for every person in Britain.
"Our policy on public sector pay has always been designed to strike the right balance between being fair to our public servants, and fair to those who pay for them," he said Monday. "That approach has not changed; and we continually assess that."
The starting salary for a trainee firefighter is 22,017 pounds ($28,500), though higher rates apply for overtime.
If the U.S. is any guide, the Conservatives may have a hard time maintaining the cap. After the Sept. 11 attacks, police and firefighters were hailed as heroes risking their lives to protect Americans, and government officials found it difficult to reject demands for higher pay.
In Britain, the emergency workers' own stories are being used to make the case for higher pay.
Constable Wayne Marques conducted a series of interviews describing how he held off a "wolf pack" of attackers near London Bridge with his baton, even after he was stabbed in the head.
Outside Grenfell Tower, among the floral tributes, firefighters who battled the blaze left T-shirts bearing handwritten messages seeking forgiveness from those they were unable to save.
"We promise we gave our all, and we wish we had more to give," read the message on one shirt. "Sorry."
Emergency servicesfirefirefightersGrenfell TowerJeremy CorbynTheresa May
EU Moving ahead Faster on New Future than on Brexit Talks
Theresa May: UK Seeks Two-Year Transition Period after Brexit
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Aaron Judge (SI.com)
While the Yankees have stumbled into the All-Star break with a 45-41 record, they are still sitting in second place in the American League East. Their recent struggles have really taken away from their excellent start to the year, but they are certainly well represented in this year's All-Star game on July 11th. The Yankees who will be in attendance are outfielder Aaron Judge, catcher Gary Sanchez, second baseman Starlin Castro, starting pitcher Luis Severino, and reliever Dellin Betances. Judge and Sanchez also announced that they will both be taking part in the Home Run Derby on July 10th. There was also a possibility that the Yankees ended up with six All-Stars, but shortstop Didi Gregorious did not win the "Final Five" vote in the American League.
Judge was the only Yankee voted in by the fans as a starter, but that's not at all a surprise. The rookie phenomenon actually led the entire American League in votes. He's currently leading the AL home runs (30) and RBI's (66) and he's in the top three among qualifiers in batting average. If he ups his average a bit, he could be the first rookie to ever win a Triple-Crown and just the second player to win the Triple-Crown since 1967 (the other player was Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers in 2012). It's crazy to think that Judge was fighting for a starting spot in right field (and maybe even a roster spot) and now he's emerged as one of the best hitters in all of baseball.
One could argue that Gary Sanchez deserved to be the AL's starting catcher this year, but serving as the backup after missing a month of the season will have to do. Sanchez has tallied 13 homers, 40 RBI's, and 38 runs scored. The runs are the most for an AL catcher and the home runs and RBI's trail only All-Star starter Salvador Perez of the Royals. One could argue that Sanchez has played better than Perez this season. Sanchez edges Perez is several important categories like on-base percentage, OPS, and WAR. Sanchez also has the advantage in batting average, even if it is only by a single point. It would've been nice to see Sanchez get the starting nod, but the Yankees look like they have a fantastic pair of franchise cornerstones in Sanchez and Judge, as both reached the All-Star game in their first full seasons as starters.
Starlin Castro is another Yankee who may have deserved a spot in the starting lineup, although it's a tougher case to make. It's incredibly difficult to say that he should be starting over Jose Altuve, as the Astros' diminutive second baseman is one of the best hitters in all of baseball. However, Castro's season has been quite impressive. Castro is currently on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, but he's still managed 12 home runs, 45 RBI's, 52 runs scored, a slash line of .313/.348/.486, an .835 OPS, and a 1.6 WAR. His stat line is excellent, and while he doesn't lead in any category among AL second baseman (like he was a few weeks ago), there's no denying that he belongs on the All-Star team.
Luis Severino is one of nine American League starting pitchers on the roster, and there's no doubt he's earned it. While his last two starts against the Houston Astros and the Milwaukee Brewers weren't great, he has still had an incredible, bounce-back year. Last season, Sevy really struggled between starting and coming out of the bullpen, as his ERA at the end of the year was a terrible 5.83. He didn't look like the same pitcher that he was in his rookie season, when he posted a 2.89 ERA in 11 starts. This year, he's been excellent in his 17 starts, and he's starting to look like the "ace" of the rotation. While his ERA is 9th among AL starting pitchers, and he only has a 5-4 record, you could make the argument that he's been a top five or six pitcher in the AL this year. He also has a major-league leading six games that have be blown by the bullpen, which means that his record would currently be at 11-4 if the Yankees' relievers had held up in those games. Severino has been roughed up in a couple starts recently, but he's certainly having an excellent year.
The final Yankee All-Star is a guy who is rather familiar with the event, as Dellin Betances has now been selected to his fourth consecutive All-Star game. You might look at Betances' stats and see that his ERA is not great at 3.18, but that's not why he's still an All-Star this year. While his name certainly helps, most of the important pitching stats are in Betances' favor. Going into the Yankees' June 22nd contest with the Angels, Betances had an absolutely ridiculous 0.40 ERA. Since then, he's really struggled with his command, as he's been walking batters at an alarming rate and teams are also taking advantage of his slow delivery and running on him at will. There's no denying he's still an elite reliever. Seeing Betances in the All-Star game should surprise no one
Even though Gregorious did not get voted in, the Yankees are certainly well-represented. The fact that most of these guys are incredibly young also bodes well for the future of the team. With Judge (25), Sanchez (24), Severino (23), Castro (27) and Betances (29), the Yankees are clearly in good hands and have several guys who can be All-Stars for years to come.
TJ Gallo
TJ is a Staff Writer at DoubleGSports.com.
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text:
Вік Линн (, 26 січня 1925, Саскатун — 6 грудня 2010, Саскатун) — канадський хокеїст, що грав на позиції захисника, крайнього нападника.

Ігрова кар'єра
Професійну хокейну кар'єру розпочав 1942 року зігравши один матч за «Нью-Йорк Рейнджерс».

У 1944 він перейшов до «Детройт Ред Вінгз» але не закріпився в «основі» та змушений продовжити виступи за «Індіанаполіс Кепіталс» (АХЛ).

Сезон 1945/46 Вік провів у клубі «Монреаль Канадієнс».

З 1946 по 1950 стали найуспішними роками кар'єри хокеїста в складі «Торонто Мейпл-Ліфс», де він разом з Гові Мікером та Тедом Кеннеді склали так звану ланку «The K-L-M Line» та тричі допомогли команді здобути Кубок Стенлі.

16 листопада 1950 Линн був проданий до «Бостон Брюїнс», а ще через два роки перебрався до «Чикаго Блекгокс». Таким чином Вік став єдиним гравцем Ліги який програв в усіх шести командах Оригінальної шістки.

Нагороди та досягнення
 Учасник матчу усіх зірок НХЛ — 1947, 1948, 1949.
 Володар Кубка Стенлі в складі «Торонто Мейпл-Ліфс» — 1947, 1948, 1949.

Тренерська кар'єра
З 1958 по 1963 роки очолював молодіжні команди СМХЛ.

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SINÉAD O'CONNOR – A CAPTIVATING CONTRADICTION
Legs McNeil June 12, 2017
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Most people remember Sinéad O'Connor for her shocking Saturday Night Live performance and her cover of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 You. In his revealing SPIN piece from 1990, Legs McNeil falls in love with Sinéad and shows a softer side of the shaved-headed songstress.
by Legs McNeil
Art by Claire Kimock
Originally published in Spin Magazine
For 21 years, she fought to do it her way. But when she won and her dream came true, the torment continued.
The phone would ring.
"You're a slag and a weasel."
"SINÉAD! You sex goddess, what's going on?"
"Where's my Elvis lamp?"
I had promised her this great Elvis lamp for her birthday… But when she didn't get it on her 23rd birthday last December, she was beginning to doubt the Elvis lamp's existence. It was taking on mythical proportions just like the King himself. But it did exist. It was the tackiest thing imaginable – a great grotesque bust of the king in all his sequined splendor, and right out of the top of his overgrown ducktail spurted a brass rod holding the most tasteful little suburban lamp. The only problem was that it was made out of Plaster of Paris and weighed a few hundred pounds. And I couldn't find any way to ship it to London.
"I got the lamp. I do! You're going to get it… I'm sending it over…"
"Yeah, sure, you lying slag. Well, you can bring it over when you come to interview me."
"Okay, okay, that's when I'll bring it."
But the thought of lugging Elvis through the airport sent shivers down my spine. Everyone standing around pointing and laughing. I hate to fly as it is, so I didn't need Elvis adding to the drama.
"On Friday. I'll be there on Friday." And, as I was running out the door to catch my flight Saturday morning, Sinéad caught me.
"What are you still doing there, Legs?"
"Ah…uh…ah…"
She had on her best nun's voice. A bald little nun, but a nun nonetheless.
"I'm leaving right now, I'm going. I'm outta here…"
"You were probably up all night shagging."
"Why do you always expect the worst from me?"
"Because you're a slag and a weasel…"
I wasn't the only one to fall in love with her. It seemed like everyone, all 500,000 who bought her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra were completely blown away by this mysterious Irish soul with a bald head, combat boots, brilliant piercing eyes and a voice that could trigger the most passionate, anguished emotions – and the most joyous. Sinéad was Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Joan of Arc, St. Bernadette, tortured pal to the Virgin Mary or anyone else we could imagine, because the persona she unleashed was a study in contradiction – the ultimate victim-savior, child-woman, Madonna and whore, rock star and school girl.
The trouble was that Sinéad was just a 21-year-old Irish Catholic kid from the suburbs of Dublin, and she was just making it up as she went along. But Sinéad did have a bit more experience to draw from. She was born December 8, 1966, to parents whose marriage was rocky at best, but because Ireland doesn't allow for divorce, Sinéad responded to her mother's misery by shoplifting and collecting money "for charity."
"I was trying to make my mother happy by getting money for her. Between the ages of 9 and 13 I must have been dragged to police stations about eight or nine times, but I never got charged with anything because I used to put on the waterworks and give them, like, 'Oh, my mother'll kill me'-all that stuff-which I used to believe myself. So I never actually got charged with anything.
"It was over a pair of shoes that finally put me away. I used to steal stupid things like toy makeup sets, just for the sake of doing it. I'd go into a shop and steal a magazine and sweets and things, and then I got into the habit of it. And then, because I was the best at it, I was the one who got sent to get serious things for other people. Like if my friends wanted to go out with their boyfriends and they wanted a pair of shoes, I was the one who went and got the shoes. Which is how I got caught, stealing a pair of gold shoes for my friend Theona.
"Then I began to steal money off my parents – which everybody did – but they couldn't really handle it."
After bailing her out of Theona's gold shoes fiasco, Sinéad's future step-mom sat her down and asked, "How would you like to go to a new school, with lots of new friends?" It wasn't long before Sinéad, at 14, found herself in an Irish snakepit of rehabilitation. Its official title was that of a residential center for girls with behavioral problems, but that didn't make it any less of a hell-hole.
"I will never experience such panic and terror and agony over anything like I did at that place. It wasn't a government-run institution – it was a Catholic one, which is worse, believe me. If you were bad, they sent you upstairs to sleep in the old folks' home. You're in there in the pitch black, you can smell the shit and the puke and everything, and these old women are moaning in their sleep."
The room upstairs was actually a hospice for the dying. That's where they sent bad little 14-year-old girls – to sleep surrounded by all that death. For 18 months, Sinéad endured the horror of the "home," but in the process developed a hysterical fear of dying and more fuel for an already fantastic fantasy life.
"I was one of the lucky ones; I was allowed to go outside to school, which the others weren't. I started reading things like Wuthering Heights and stuff like that, which I really, really loved. I loved all that really, really romantic stuff, like WB Yeats. I was WB Yeats as far as I was concerned and I was Tess."
It was a teacher at the school for wayward girls who provided Sinéad with her first big break by asking the 14-year-old to sing at a wedding. It was there that the teacher's brother, a drummer for the Irish rock group In Tua Nua, heard Sinéad and asked her to write some lyrics for some music he had written. The result was "Take My Hand," which was recorded by In Tua Nua and soared up the Irish charts.
"That was my first ever experience, and I loved it. It really got me going. Reverb. I discovered reverb, and that was it."
When she was released from the school for wayward girls, Sinéad was sent to boarding school in Waterford, 150 miles south of Dublin.
She tried to get thrown out of school, and when she couldn't even do that right, Sinéad packed up and ran away to Dublin. There she worked as a Kiss-o-gram girl in a French maid's outfit and playing her guitar in the pubs at night.
"I'm a very impulsive person. I just get this feeling in my stomach, and I know I've got to do it. I don't think about it; I just do it. I have always been like that, and when I left school it was like that: I will be a singer, I will succeed, because…I just knew…
"The loudness of my vocals was a complete accident. It started because I used to sing Bob Dylan covers in the pubs, and I used to get really annoyed when people would talk while I was singing, so I just shouted. Then one day, I thought 'This sounds quite good.' But it really frightened people, because I was quite small and had nice long hair. When I came onstage, they thought I'd be really sweet and demure. So it used to frighten them, which I enjoyed.
"But I was more frightened, actually. Still, in my heart I knew it would be alright. It was what I had to do, and that's the way I live my life. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't."
In February 1985 it was starting to work out. Ensign Record partners Nigel Grainge and Chris Hill were in Dublin checking out the talent. They thought that Ton Ton Macoute, the band Sinéad was fronting, were dreadful. But Grainge was taken with the female singer's voice. Several weeks later, she quit the band and sent Grainge a demo of her own songs. But while Ensign was deciding what to do with Sinéad, her mother was killed in an automobile accident.
It really frightened people, because I was quite small and had nice long hair. When I came onstage, they thought I'd be really sweet and demure. So it used to frighten them, which I enjoyed.
"I was in a flat in Dublin where I was living. I was there with this boyfriend of mine, and all of a sudden we started to talk for no reason about what we would do if our parents died. I got very upset for some reason, like really upset. We just had this discussion, and the next morning I was going to my dad, and I was walking up to the home that Sunday, and I just knew it, and I was destroyed.
"There's no way of saying things like this without it sounding like I'm fucking kooky. But it's true. I just felt like I knew the night before she died that she was going to die. I just knew.
"When she died was when it began to happen. Things really began to happen. Then I just knew that she was around. I could smell her. I knew she was sitting there. I just knew there was something in it and I always felt her telling me almost to do something. I know it sounds mad…
"Up until that point, it had been a sad relationship. I hadn't seen her very much 'cause I had left and gone away when I was 13. I had always gone back to see her and always felt a great love from the relationship. See, she wasn't a very happy person. She wasn't happy with her life. I always felt some understanding for her. I could never feel hatred or bitterness towards her. I just knew from a small age that she didn't know what she was doing, and she didn't mean it. I always felt a great love and great bond.
"But I think now I can understand her because I am a woman and I am a mother and the frustration that she must have gone through being in Ireland and the age, the generation that she was. There's no divorce, and there's no abortion – no contraception – and now I can look and say, poor woman. What a shitty life she must have had. What a shitty life my father had."
When Ensign sent Sinéad a plane ticket, she was glad to be getting out of Ireland and making a clean start. But London offered no refuge, living in a cold-water flat in Stoke-Newington, with no friends around to keep her company, waiting for an album to happen. Sinéad was desperately lonely. It was through her aunt that she met an older man and fell in love.
"He was the fulfillment of all my fantasies because he was black. But he was married. His wife was a homemaker, with kids, and this guy in fact was a minister at this church in London. It lasted about a year and a half. And it was horrible and painful. I was madly in love, basically, and he wasn't. But as time went on, he told me he wasn't leaving his wife or anything, so I finally told him to get lost. And the next day, he came around to my flat with a present. It was a Hoover – a vacuum cleaner – so I thought if this is what it's going to be like, then no way. So I told him to fuck off. I've never figured out why he came with a Hoover.
"He came around the next day to convince me to fuck him again. The fucking bastard had nerve. I don't know why guys always think, 'One last time.' I cried for a while."
As the affair was going from bad to worse, her professional life began to pick up. Sinéad met Fachtna O'Kelly – fellow Irish malcontent and ex-Boomtown Rats and Bananarama manager – and signed him as her manager. With Fachtna, it didn't take long before she was recording the song "Heroin," with U2's guitarist The Edge for the soundtrack to the film Captive.
"I met Bono about six months after I moved to London. He heard some tapes I did with In Tua Nua years and years ago, and we just became friendly, and then he rang up and said The Edge was doing this thing, and would I like to do it? So I did it."
After The Edge, Sinéad finished putting her band together and headed into the studio to record her first album. But once she was there, producer Mick Glossop had his own ideas about what Sinéad should sound like.
"He was a fuckin ol' hippie. He was into 70s music and people like Grace Slick and Joan Baez and he thought I should make a record like that, a kind of Grace Slick sort of album. He had very romanticized ideas of how an Irish woman singer should sound. It was all heavy arrangements and nice little Celtic melodies.
"I didn't want the album to sound the way it sounded, but I didn't say anything for weeks and weeks because I thought, 'Well, if the record company is happy with it, they know more about this than I do, so I shouldn't say anything.' Then they said they didn't like it. It was just shit, it was all fucking Irish, ethereal and mystical. It never occurred to me that I actually had the right to question. I deferred to him because I was stupid. I was ignorant, and they played on my ignorance."
And there was another problem. Sinéad was pregnant by drummer John Reynolds.
"It's a worrying thing for a man to have some girl come up and say, 'I'm having your baby,' but I remember taking him to this dingy, depressing café where we drank some horribly greasy tea and I was crying and said, 'I'm pregnant.' I was terrified. I mean, I was glad. I was really glad I was pregnant, but I knew that I'd get a lot of trouble about it. I knew that there'd be trouble."
The record company was not amused and tried to talk her out of having the baby.
Ensign scrapped the sessions Sinéad did with Mick Glossop. Six months pregnant, she found herself back in the studio beginning all over again, but this time producing herself.
"Being pregnant made me feel strong, because having a baby is such a big deal- it's like the biggest thing that ever has, or will happen to me. It makes everything else seem trivial. After fighting to keep the baby and going through the pregnancy and labor, I felt like, hell, I can do anything I want. But it was very, very difficult recording while I was pregnant, because I was so moody. I got very exhausted and anemic. The band thought I was being vociferous because I was pregnant, not because I wanted them to do it a certain way. We finished the album, and four weeks later the baby was born."
By the time The Lion and the Cobra was finally finished, Ensign Records was suffering cash-flow problems, and Grainge sold the label to Chrysalis Records. Though Chrysalis kept Sinéad on, the company didn't have a clue as to what she was all about. They wanted her to "tart" herself up a bit and act "girlie." Sinéad's response was to go to the barber and get her hair cut off.
When The Lion and the Cobra was released, the record company only expected US sales of 25,000. Instead, the album went gold, Sinéad toured to sold-out venues and became a star at 21.
Like I said, I fell for her too, or rather I fell in love with a great idealized fantasy of her.
We first met in November 1988, in the London offices of Chrysalis Records. Sinéad sat in the corner of the room looking like some post-modernist, Dickensian street waif in her overcoat and furry Russian cap. She was leaning against the wall reading the trades.
Sinéad was the sexiest woman I'd met in a long while. Dazzling and captivating eyes, the most beautiful Irish brogue and skin that look like it would melt butter. I wanted to stare at her but I was trying to be cool, you know, just catching glimpse of her when she wasn't looking my way. The other women, though supportive and friendly, were a bit tense in Sinéad's presence. Because Sinéad's presence doesn't lend itself to making one feel particularly comfortable. At a time when everyone is trying to conform for fear of rejection, Sinéad has wiped away all the normal reference points from her body.
I was amazed she was such a tiny thing. She came up to about my armpits. And I kept thinking, geez, how does such a little thing take up so much space? There wasn't an inch of the room she didn't control. And I kept thinking, how does such a huge voice come out of such a little person? I couldn't figure how the voice managed to fit inside her. Then her manager led us into a humongous board of directors' office with lush wood paneling, mile-high ceilings and the longest table in Christendom. Sinéad sat down across from me and finally removed her hat. God is she gorgeous. …
Sinéad was the sexiest woman I'd met in a long while. Dazzling and captivating eyes, the most beautiful Irish brogue and skin that look like it would melt butter.
"Aren't you going to press the record button?"
A couple of months later, after I got back from El Salvador, the phone rang.
"I'm coming to New York."
"Great, great…"
But it wasn't great: I'd forgotten that I was having a reading – some friends over to read aloud what they'd been writing – the same night we agreed to get together.
"I'm sorry, I forgot that I had it planned…" I told her when she called from her hotel.
"Well, aren't you going to invite me?"
"Oh yeah, sure, but, but…"
"I'll see you then."
The problem was women. I'd been in a magnanimous mood when I'd invited friends over, and I'd forgotten that some of the women didn't know about the others, or pretended like they didn't know about the others. But now they were arriving at my door for the most uncomfortable evening of my life. Lots of ex-girlfriends in the same room at the same time. Yeah, a real brilliant idea. And just to add to the drama, in came the Bald Headed Wonder to enjoy every minute of watching me squirm.
"It serves you right for being such a slag and a weasel, lying to all those nice girls so you can get in their knickers, womanizing scum, you're going to burn in hell…"
"It's not like that…I…uh…ummmm…Well, you know, Sinéad, I am single. I'd been with someone seven years and…"
"And broke the poor girl's heart with your filthy, dirty ways. It's no wonder she left you for someone else…"
"Geez, Sinéad, you're a real pal…"
She liked ripping into me. No, she loved it. By keeping the focus on me, we didn't have to concentrate what was going on with her. The fact was that after all the success and acclaim Sinéad was experiencing, she was still a desperately unhappy little girl.
The next afternoon she was sitting on the brown couch, looking like a waif who'd just come in off the street to get out of the cold.
"Do you want to read the intro?" I asked, junking any sort of professional ethics in favor of getting a reaction. She was still working on the LP, so the story I had interviewed her for in London got pushed back. But I had finished the introduction and was curious to see if she'd like it.
I immediately regretted the decision and hid in the kitchen making a pot of tea, but then finally got the nerve to peek in. The smile was now stuck in a laugh, and her cheeks were blushing the color of tomatoes as she read: "Sinéad O'Connor is a beautiful 22-year-old woman from Dublin, Ireland, and the most original singer to appear in a long while. No one really knows just what the hell the lyrics or intentions of her songs are, but the emotional reality is immediate."
"Fair enough," she said when she was done. It was a phrase she used constantly. It was what she said instead of arguing. Only this time, she said it with a smile, still blushing. With Sinéad, it's the smile that makes all the difference.
The introduction claimed that she was the most intimidating person I'd met in a long time. Sinéad didn't agree.
"I don't think I threaten anyone."
"Sinéad, you threaten everyone."
"Oh, and what makes you such an authority on Sinéad O'Connor?"
"I'm not; it's just interesting watching you."
"Do you think there's a place around I can get tram lines for my head?"
"Tram lines."
"You mean like railroad tracks? For your head?"
She explained that what she wanted were racing stripes cut into the hair on the side of her head. "Tram lines" is what she called them. It was a year before every homeboy in America had a design cut into the back of his head, and the concept was still new.
"You know, the lines a lot of black people wear to show a part. I think they look brilliant."
"Well, I guess you could go up to Harlem and get them. I'll take you if you want."
We got a cab and rode up to 125th Street and Lenox.
"Excuse me, you know where there's a barber shop?"
A passerby pointed to around the corner, ignoring me, but watching Sinéad all the way down the street. She was dressed in a denim jacket, T-shirt, jeans and Doc Martens, and had her 18-month-old son Jake's ink pajamas hanging off the back of her jeans the way some people tie a sweater around their waist. She looked different, but cute as hell. And oblivious to the stares her appearance invited.
A group of black men sat playing rummy at a card table off to the side of the barber shop. In one of the two chairs, a barber was reading a newspaper. The other chair was empty, and a young, skinny barber with a pencil moustache beckoned Sinéad to sit, even though, by the look on his face, he didn't have a clue as to what to cut. There wasn't any hair except for two millimeters of stubble.
"Can you put tram lines on the side?"
The barber looked over at his friends and rolled his eyes wide. To Sinéad he just kind of nodded and she climbed into the big barber's chair, her Doc Martens not even coming close to the footrest. The barber looked at his pals playing cards, and they all broke into wide grins that threatened to break into hysterical laughter. But the barber cut it off before they exploded and started talking in whispers with Sinéad to try to figure out just what the hell she meant by "tram lines." After a couple of minutes in conference, he turned on the electric clippers, and she sat back in the chair, chewing her gum and swinging her feet back and forth. She looked about five years old.
The tram lines took a minute and forty seconds to clip. We paid the guy and thanked him, smiled at the card players and left as the nervous laughter was coming.
Sinéad checked herself out in a store window.
"Brilliant," she said of his work, then forgot about it.
Sinéad had told me that Barbra Streisand was her biggest influence, and I didn't really believe her until I popped a New York Dolls tape in the boom box and she asked who it was. I played her Patti Smith's Piss Factory and Richard Hell's Blank Generation and a few others, and they all got the same reaction. She said she liked them, but she was being nice. Humoring me until she could go back to listening to rap.
But watching her up there in Harlem reminded me of why rock & roll used to be dangerous and Sinéad still is. It's not only that she is different, but she celebrates the joy of being different. Of being herself. Like Carl Perkins digging his blue suede shoes. And in an age of "Conform or die," Sinéad is a revolutionary. But rock & rollers were all once revolutionaries, by the fact that they said it was okay to be weird. To be different, and celebrate it.
I was doing a lousy job, but trying to explain it to her anyway.
"Once upon a time, rock & roll used to be dangerous, you know, about Jim Morrison singing about killing his father and fucking his mother instead of…"
"While I can understand that, I can't possibly relate to it because I'm 22 and that all happened when I was, you know, in nappies."
"Don't rub it in."
"I can't help it, there's a certain perverse pleasure…"
"Yeah, someday you'll be a dinosaur, too."
When she had to catch a plane back to London I rode out with her to the airport. It was one of those real gray New York winter mornings when the world looks its bleakest. One of those mornings when you stare out at the row houses in Queens and wonder what's the use of going on. And to top it off, the car radio was carrying a live broadcast outside the prison in Stark, Florida, where any minute, mass murderer Ted Bundy was about to fry in the electric chair
"It's quite frightening. America always makes me feel like I'm a million miles away from everywhere. I mean, I come from a very small town, so America, especially New York, is too impersonal, too cold – physically and mentally. It's quite frightening for somebody who knows nothing about it and who doesn't live here. It's the one place I've ever been where I have actually been afraid walking down the road. And fucking stupid bastards drive up to me in their car and go 'Scum!' because of the way I look. And I could just fucking kill them."
"You don't get that in England?"
"You don't get that in Ireland?"
"No, you get stupid people staring at you as if you have five heads or something, but I never get that treatment in England or Ireland."
The cab pulled into Pan Am, I paid the driver and we stood on line at the ticket counter.
"I'm really going to miss you."
Sinéad blushed.
"See ya."
She walked down the hallway and boarded the plane, and I felt like someone had stabbed my stomach with a pitchfork and started turning it round, twisting up my guts. I knew that no matter how close I got, I would still be a million miles away.
And as far as she was concerned, I was still in the enemy camp, for she knew that as a writer I would someday have to write it all down.
I went to the newsstand and picked up a copy of SPIN with the 25 best albums of all time, grabbed a cab back to Manhattan and read Christian Logan Wright's assessment of Sinéad: "…Sinéad's wailing, serenading, bellowing and swooning arrives like two dozen roses in the dead of winter. She's at once tentative and cocksure, glamorous and severe, a kid and a mother. If Collette had recorded pop songs, she might have sounded like Sinéad…"
"Ya hear, they just fried Bundy!" The cab driver growled over his shoulder.
"Jesus, I was trying to have an intimate fucking moment here… Yeah, it's no wonder she didn't stay…"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
The cabby was silent for the rest of the way in.
It wasn't the same Sinéad I'd seen a year before who met me out in front of her modest two-story suburban home in Golders Green, on the outskirts of London, in January. She still looked great, stubble and all, but there was something else going on. I didn't notice it at first, but as she gave me the nickel tour of the house and tucked her son Jake into bed underneath his gold record for helping to make The Lion and the Cobra a hit, it finally dawned on me that Sinéad was happy.
Her best friend from Dublin, Kera, was on the couch watching TV. Sinéad sat on the floor bent over her portable CD player alternating between rap, Sex Pistols and Van Morrison, looking like a little girl relishing her 45 collection. The scene was more reminiscent of a lazy weekday night in the girls' dorm than the home of the woman with the number-one single in Britain. "Nothing Compares 2 U," a Prince cover from her new LP, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got had just hit number three, on the way to number one. Beside her, lying on the floor to remind her that she wasn't just another young mother and newlywed, was a copy of the New Musical Express with Sinéad's picture on the front and back covers.
"I was 20 when I put my first album out, and 15 when I wrote a lot of the songs that are on it, and I was very, very fucked-up and very, very unhappy. And I remained so until about six months ago, when I started to write again.
"I worked really hard on the new album. I didn't particularly work hard on the last one, and I didn't really give a shit about it."
Kera made a round of Irish coffee, and as they were drained, she and Sinéad started laughing at all they've been through together. Kera was remembering the time in grammar school with Sinéad when she was writing her name on a new book bag, but only got as far as S-I-N, when the bell rang. Kera grabbed the book bag and filled in the rest so it read, "I LOVE SIN!" The next day, Sinéad's mother (whom Kera had never met) arrived at school and bawled Kera out in front of the world.
The two of them were in hysterics, remembering the war of adolescence, when Sinéad's husband, John Reynolds, arrived home from a hard day at the studio. A tall, good-looking, friendly guy, it wasn't hard to see why Sinéad married him. He looks like the kind of guy you want to go knock back a few with at the pub.
Sinéad grabbed the tape John had spent the day mixing, popped it into the box and fiddled with the equalizer. She sat staring into her knees, listening to the music.
"I can never understand why people thought I was aggressive. I never realized that if I shave my head people would think it's aggressive. Because I know myself inside me, I know I'm not aggressive. The main thing for me is to take responsibility for myself and that's the lesson I need to learn in my life.
"I think if you are prepared to go around and express an opinion very vociferously about something, you should also be prepared to say that you were wrong and you should always be prepared to apologize if you were wrong.
"John made me much more settled, where before I felt very isolated and very lonesome. I'd always felt very insecure and was always running around, going out with this, that and the other bloke, because I was always looking for something and I didn't know what it was I was looking for. And then when I got married, my whole life became very settled with Jake and John. I had never been particularly happy."
It was nice to see her find some peace, but as I was saying goodbye, the old Sinéad resurfaced. The sore throat that she was suffering had grown from an inconvenience to an obsession.
"You don't think it's throat cancer?"
"No, Sinéad. It's not throat cancer. Your voice is going to be fine. You're going to sell a million records and everything is going to be okay for a while, okay?"
Only this time, she looked like she actually believed that she might be entitled to some serenity, too. Well, only half believed it, but that was a lot more than I'd ever seen from her.
And it left me feeling there was a chance for everyone else. I mean, if Sinéad could get there, then…
"Where's my Elvis Lamp."
"This time I really have it, I'm gonna send it tomorrow, I swear…"
"You lying bastard. So are you going to read me the rubbish you've been writing about me?"
"Of course I am, but it's a bit long. You know what I should do: I should fax it to you, now doesn't that sound like a better idea?"
"So when are you going to fax it to me?"
"Tomorrow, that's good for me. Yeah, tomorrow…"
"Just like you're sending me my Elvis lamp. God you're such a sl…"
"You call me that once more and I won't tell everyone how great your new album is!"
"Do you really like it?"
"It's really wonderful, you should be very happy."
"I am, it's just that I haven't had anything out for such a long time. And I've been running around doing all this press and I can't quit smoking…"
"Sinéad, it's a great album."
"I'll talk to you tomorrow?"
"Okay, tomorrow."
"See you later?"
© 1990 + 2017 by Legs McNeil
1990'sSpin Magazine
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Legs McNeil
LEGS MCNEIL is co-author of Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk, and is the coauthor (with Peter Pavia and Jen Osborne) of The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry. He was the former Resident Punk at Punk magazine, and a senior editor at Spin.
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