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That Championship Mailbag: 2015 Edition
2015 NFL Playoffs
by Bill Simmons
If you missed my Friday piece about the Brady-Manning rivalry and the hidden meaning of last Saturday's dramatic Patriots win, CLICK HERE. Before my Round 3 picks, let's tackle actual emails from actual readers.
Q: How would Peyton Manning's retirement affect the TV commercial landscape? Every third non-Cialis commercial features Peyton Manning. If Manning retires one of two things will happen: 1) he has MORE time to film commercials ("Hi, I'm Peyton Manning, if you've had your ass kicked in the playoffs as much I have, then you'll appreciate the cool, soothing relief of Preparation H") or 2) a void is created. So what NFL player will fill that void? Master thespian Aaron Rodgers can't out-act two-by-fours. Your top 5 candidates?
—Steve Glaros, Riverdale Park, MD
BS: Fantastic question. First of all, Manning isn't going away — if he leaves football, he's making up that whopping salary with a TV gig (and he'd be the highest-paid TV guy since Madden, not to mention the biggest sure thing since Strahan), as well as even MORE commercials. Given what we've seen from Joe Montana, Brett Favre and others, as well as the post-1998 Michael Jordan, sponsors won't care if Manning retires. His Q rating won't budge. As long as he's likable, they'll be cutting him checks. Chicken parm, you taste so good …
As for active players, Rodgers is like the Ryan Reynolds of NFL pitchmen — he's just going to keep getting gigs three years after we realize that it's not working out. I can't see him losing pole position, though. Wilson and Luck aren't ready yet. Brady doesn't want it. J.J. Watt isn't recognizable enough. There's one dark horse for the Manning Alpha Dog Ad Spot, though. If the Patriots somehow win two more games, I mean …
Q: Could it be the Year of Gronk? He hasn't been this healthy since 2011. He's single handedly transformed the Pats offense into a Super Bowl offense and helped save Brady's career. Someone wrote a freaking erotic novel written about him. Even the Wonk Team (Baltimore) couldn't stop the Year of Gronk. And the Super Bowl is in Arizona this year. The same place where one Robert Paxton Gronkowski attended college. TELL ME ITS NOT THE YEAR OF GRONK!!!!!
—Will, New York
More on the Super Bowl
Barnwell's Super Bowl Breakdown
Belichick: The Great Defender
Giving Vince Wilfork His Due
Marshawn Lynch and the Media
Cousin Sal's SB Prop Bets
Beware the Visor: Kam Chancellor
Among the Lurchers at Media Day
Pats and Seahawks Weaknesses
NFL Defense Championship Belt
Matthew Slater: Mr. Special Teams
Story of the First Tackle
How Belichick Rules the Draft
'You Mad, Bro?' Revisited
Pierce on the Deflatriots Farce
The Pats' Homegrown Linebackers
BS: Combined with my previous mailbag answer, we're suddenly battling so many different jinxing implications that I might have to cleanse myself in a hot bath, cover myself in rosary beads and give myself a concussion to forget this whole sequence happened. This is NOT the Year of Gronk. (Monotone voice.) On to Indianapolis. On to Indianapolis. On to Indianapolis.
Q: After watching the Golden Globes with my wife, I have no doubt that Amal Clooney is on the Mt. Rushmore of women that women love to hate. Can I get a confirmation on this?
—Kotite, Phoenix
BS: No question. It's her, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway and Jenny McCarthy right now. If that were the new cast for The View, they'd have to change the name of the show to Hate-Watch.
Q: The Pistons cut Josh Smith. The Pistons win six1 straight games. The Colts make Trent Richardson a healthy scratch. The Colts manhandle the Broncos. Are you afraid that the Colts benching of T-Rich is going to propel them to a Super Bowl? Also if this happens can we officially coin the Josh Smith theory as a derivative of the Ewing theory?
—Bryan K., Half Moon Bay, CA
BS: You just mentioned one of the two non-football reasons that I am frightened of the Colts on Sunday.
Q: With each passing year, John Elway and Ric Flair are looking more and more alike. How long until Elway starts showing up to interviews with the Four Horsemen?
—Pat, Portland, ME
BS: And here's the other non-football reason. It scares the crap out of me that the Colts have been ripping off Flair's iconic 1980s "Rolex-wearing" interview …2
… with safety Sergio Brown as their postgame locker-room victory routine.
You know what Clairvoyant Bill doesn't like? The thought of Indy shocking the Patriots this weekend, Sergio Brown doing that speech one more time, then Super Bowl week rolling around and Ric Flair showing up with the announcement that, if the Colts win the whole thing, RIC FLAIR will be doing that locker-room routine with Brown. CLAIRVOYANT BILL IS FRIGHTENED OF THIS ENTIRE HYPOTHETICAL SEQUENCE. IT'S THE KIND OF GOOFY SUBPLOT THAT ALWAYS SEEMS TO HAPPEN TO UPSTART TEAMS THAT MAKE AND WIN SUPER BOWLS. MY CAPS LOCK IS NOT BROKEN. DAMMIT. DAMMIT. I HATE THIS RIC FLAIR THING. DAMMIT. DAMMIT!!!!!
Q: So during the Bountygate investigation, Goodell did everything short of asking Gregg Williams' grade school teachers if he was troublesome as a child. BUT during the Rice investigation, while getting a hot dog and beer at the turn before 10, Goodell couldn't turn to Bisciotti and say, "Hey Steve, do you guys have the elevator tape?"
—Kyle, Bowie, MD
BS: Yup. Pretty much.
Q: I've been waiting years for the Colts-Patriots to play in the AFC Championship again just so Vinatieri can purposely shank a game tying 25-yard field goal in the closing seconds, rip off his jersey revealing a Pats jersey underneath, and run over to kneel in front of a cackling Belichick.
—Adam, Norfolk
BS: Adam Vinatieri is in the building! Get 'em, Adam! Go get 'em, baby! Oh, oh, oh … what is he doing??? What the hell is going on here?????
Q: Can we get someone to figure out what Mike Carey's percentage is when has CBS cut to him for his take on a replay? Is it higher than 25 percent?
—Billy B, Fresh Meadows, NY
BS: I'd set the over/under at 32.5 percent, and I'm going under. Hopefully Carey's struggles are leading to CBS dumping Mike Carey and hiring Jerome Boger, then dressing him up like Tim Meadows from The Ladies Man for every ruling.
Q: You had two Mike's from Shanghai in your last mailbag. I do not believe it. Post this to prove me wrong that you aren't just making emails up!
—Mike, Shanghai
BS: I thought it was a copy-paste mistake, but we searched my reader e-mail account for "Shanghai" since December and THREE different "Mike from Shanghai" email addresses came up. How are there three Mikes from Shanghai who read my column? How is there anyone from Shanghai reading my column? The Shanghai Sports Guy must really be slipping.
Q: Ray Lewis comes out and says if not for the Tuck Rule we'd never have heard of Tom Brady??? Even if the Pats lose that game what about 03′ and 04′? Someone remind Lewis that Deer Antler spray was legal at the time he used it, then the NFL made it illegal. Does that make his 2012 comeback "made up" or fake? What a chump. I'm not a big guy but I'd say that to his face no matter what occurs afterwards, then I'd laugh at him Fight Club style after getting my face pounded in.
—Chad, Olympia, WA
BS: (Afraid to say anything.)
Q: Joe Buck compared Aaron Rodgers playing QB with a pulled calf to Willis Reed playing in the NBA Finals with a broken leg and Tiger Woods winning the US Open with a fractured leg and torn knee. Joe Buck sucks ass.
—Mark, Vancouver
BS: (Nervously glancing around.)
Q: My wife who doesn't normally watch football games with me came downstairs while I was watching the Seattle and Carolina game. After a couple of big physical plays and a Marshawn Lynch run, she asked, "What are they feeding those guys in Seattle?" I didn't say anything, there was a long pause, and then she added, "We should really eat more salmon." I thought to myself, yeah, that's it. It's the salmon. Do you think it's possible that LeBron excluded salmon from his summer diet?
—Daniel B, New Port Richey, FL
BS: (Unable to breathe.)
Q: Why are you lumping golf celebrations into the Chris Christie/Jerry Jones Power Love-In for Awkward White Guy celebrations? They're just in a different class.
—Andrew, Toronto
BS: Wow, you went with Azinger and left me David Duval's career-ending double-fist-pump debacle? A curious move by Andrew from Toronto!
Still, Rachel in Edmonton sent me the funniest celebration on YouTube — a gamer battling (and losing) to a champagne bottle after winning one of the world's biggest e-sports tournaments. This is just remarkable footage. I almost didn't embed it because I'm worried you won't be able to concentrate on the rest of the mailbag now. Whatever.
Q: If you're worried about Boston hosting the Olympics, don't be! Look, here's a picture I just took of our commuter line tracks on fire — while it's snowing!
WE GOT THIS!!!!!!!
—Quentin, Boston
BS: Boston's Olympic slogan should definitely be, "Boston 2024: NOBODY BELIEVES IN US!!!"
Q: Just wanted to thank you for the Johnny Bananas toast video. We have three girls in our group of friends who are nicknamed Jenny Bananas, Chloe Bananas, and Jill Bananas — all because they've hooked up with him at some point during the past eight years. How impressive is it that a guy can hook up with a girl and instantly give that girl the nickname of "first-name Bananas"?
—Austin, Boone, NC
BS: It's certainly better than about 20 other things he could give them. Why Grantland hasn't launched "Story Time With Johnny Bananas" is one of the great mysteries of life. By the way, I've been watching America's Fifth Pro Sport (The Challenge) and think we should induct Nany into The Bunim/Murray Hall of Fame if only for these two moments: (1) She couldn't figure out which "ex" MTV was pairing her with because there were too many possibilities, and (2) she said the words, "And me not having any self-respect — why does this bother you?" Nany is the J.J. Watt of The Challenge — every season, she's a little more superhuman. Let's hope they never meet.
Q: Certain athletes are terrifying because their level of intensity will not allow them to be defeated. In big moments, it transforms into a rage and aggression that is truly special to watch. We've seen it with guys such as Rafael Nadal, Russell Westbrook, and J.J. Watt, who can just out-muscle, out-heart, and out-psycho anyone who gets in their way like a lion or rhino or something. As much as it kills me to say it, when Tom Brady gets in his F-bomb dropping, head-butting mode, he has to be included in this list. Even with the Ravens up 14, I knew Brady would go on a rampage eventually. But the Pats won't win it all, because the way I just described Brady is basically the ENTIRE SEATTLE DEFENSE. For now, just take the points and enjoy this Sunday, because I think they are going to massacre the Colts and get back to the Super Bowl.
—Taylor, Patchogue, NY
BS: A rarely seen short-term jinx coupled with a long-term nobody-believes-in-you reverse jinx. Stop toying with my emotions, Taylor in Patchogue. And pass the salmon, Seattle's defense.
Q: I am curious, are you a freemason? The reason I ask is that you have a column about "the triangle" on your website, and you have a "G" for Grantland as your emblem. Both of those are freemason symbols. You also had the "pyramid" of great players in your book. If you are unfamiliar with freemasonry, you can check on the internet to see that both those symbols are associated with freemasonry. Their main symbol in fact is a compass and square with a capital G in the middle. Maybe I am reading too much into the symbols, not sure. Take care.
—Andy, San Mateo
BS: I checked it out and … um … NO! I am not a freemason! Or, am I secretly a freemason and never realized it, but it's been unwittingly seeping out of me? What the hell????? Why did you plant this in my head? How did I become a freemason? What are my next steps? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Q: Have you ever seen a group of players more unsure about when to give up than the Broncos offense at the end of their playoff game? Half the team is trying to run a no huddle, and the wide receivers are dicking around five yards past the line of scrimmage. Then when they finally catch a pass, they try like all hell to stay in bounds so the game will just be over. What the hell was that?
—David, Ann Arbor
BS: That was called "The Denver Broncos and coach John Fox have mutually agreed to part ways."
Q: Go back and watch Peyton Manning's fumble (against Indy) again. Manning makes zero real effort to get the ball back, meaningfully block defensive players away, or otherwise influence who gets possession of the fumble. Watching that play I felt like Peyton — the quintessential competitor — was done with football. Brady meanwhile is full of the piss and gall to scream after every big play, get in the face of larger competitors, and spike TDs like a 22 year old. One looks done, one is going to play with the same spirit until he "sucks."
—Adam Benson, Butte
BS: Agree — that was the defining "I'm old, I'm banged-up, get me out of here" sequence. But the degree of difficulty for Manning's 2012-14 comeback doesn't get enough credit. Four neck surgeries???? Expecting three healthy Denver seasons from him, in retrospect, was more than a little unrealistic. It's a little like Kobe's 2014-15 season right now — doesn't it seem foolish that we thought Kobe could return from a torn Achilles tendon and what amounted to being a 20-month layoff, at age 36, with over 55,000 NBA minutes/miles on him, as if nothing ever happened? I always revered a then-crippled Larry Bird for gutting his way through those last two Celtics seasons with the 25-pound back brace; it wasn't much different from what Manning just did. Seems like we keep forgetting this.
Q: As one of the "enemy," I thought it would be hard to write this, but Manning's debacle on Sunday actually gave me some peace. It's over. All the late-season offensive tinkering was to cover that my man was falling apart. He's not coming back, nor should he. The thing I always loved about Manning is that he shouldn't have been that good in first place. … What Manning addicts like myself have to realize at some point is that he's a front-runner (like Tiger Woods). He's all timing and routes and precision, a beautiful science project. But when things go wrong in the playoffs, as they always do, he will force things and make mistakes. And lose. I don't think Brady is all that "clutch" either, but he's a lot closer to it than Peyton. But F— it: I like my heroes flawed.
—Justin, Los Angeles
BS: That might have been the longest and most eloquent backhanded compliment in mailbag history. But Manning was better than you're saying. Every great QB has flaws. Marino and Warner couldn't move. Rodgers can be beaten up, like Montana back in the day. Elway and Favre were too careless. Eli Manning couldn't find the giant horseshoe that was crammed up his butt until January and February. You could nitpick every great guy.
Q: Tim Tebow averaged one playoff win per season during his tenure as the starting QB for the Broncos. Peyton Manning averages 2/3 of a playoff win per season during his tenure as the starting QB of the Broncos. Just passing along that fact.
—Aaron W., Miami
BS: TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-BOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Q: Seriously though, why is Tebow not in the NFL? Ryan f'ing Lindley just started a playoff game in which 43-year old Kurt Warner was somewhat hoping for a phone call from the Cardinals brass asking him to make a return. It's time for a GM or coach to pick up the phone, right? What am I missing?
BS: You're not missing anything! TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-BOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!! For God's sake, we just lost two more starting QBs (Kyle Orton and probably Manning), and we have more up-in-the-air-QB teams (Cleveland, Tampa, Tennessee, Buffalo, Jacksonville, the Jets, maybe Denver, maybe Washington) than incoming rookie saviors. The QB pool is like the beach in Southern California: It recedes a little more every year. I refuse to believe that Tebow is worse than five Opening Day starters next season. He won a playoff game!
Q: How about that strategically placed tidbit, right as the Monday Morning newscycle was starting up, that "sources" said Manning was playing with a torn quadricep? Why is it never Peyton Manning's fault?
—Kevin B., Los Angeles
BS: Helping your case: Two different reporters disagreed and said Manning did NOT have a tear, just a strain in one or both legs. But if NFL teams are supposed to report every injury, why didn't the Broncos report Manning's "torn" quadriceps? What about my three-team tease that Denver blew on Sunday because I didn't know that Sure Thing Denver had a one-legged quarterback? The NFL fines teams for not reporting injuries, but it didn't fine Denver for not reporting THE biggest injury? Regardless, let's stop piling on Peyton. The man had an extraordinary career.
Q: "Hi, I'm Rob Lowe and I have directtv."
"And I'm Peyton Manning Face Rob Lowe and I have cable."
—Ryan B., Crofton MD
BS: Seriously, let's scale it back a notch.
Q: You wrote: "If they ever held the Greatest "Mic'd Up" Players Ever tournament, Steve Smith and J.J. Watt would be the no. 1 seeds." How can you not mention Matthew Stafford in this? He's always mic'd up in the best games! Like the comeback vs. Cleveland where he broke his shoulder, or the wild-card game this year vs. the Cowboys. He even has his own Reddit thread!
—Mike, Rochester, NY
Q: Let's get the Grantland interns on this right away. We demand the Greatest "Mic'd Up" Players ever tournament. With 64 entries, 4 brackets … c'mon, you know how this works. I already envision an Elite Eight of John Randle vs. Shannon Sharpe, Steve Smith vs. Ray Lewis, Mike Singletary vs. (the original) Hank Stram and Terrell Owens vs. J.J. Watt.
—Bill Anderson, Suwanee
BS: I went and found those hyperlinks for you, America. Just because I love you. You'd also have to consider the following guys to crash the Final Eight: Stafford, Ed Reed (this is great), Bum Phillips, Lawrence Taylor, Michael Strahan, Jerry Glanville, Brett Favre, Richard Sherman and Jay Cutler (just for the Brandon Marshall moments) … I mean, he's right. This really could be the next Grantland Bracket.
Q: Like you, I was amazed by Al Michaels' and Cris Collingsworth's description of Goodell and the Mueller report. It seemed to be in the line of a North Korean newscaster commenting on Kim Jong Un. It got me thinking: what would the best ludicrous claim the duo could make during the Super Bowl telecast? If they said, "We played 18 holes with Goodell this week — he shot a 31," would that be more or less believable than what they said during the Pats/Ravens game?
—Perry, Monterey
BS: That would be a hilarious SNL sketch — Michaels and Collinsworth saying increasingly crazy praise-worthy things about Goodell as the camera scaled back to reveal NFL and NBC executives pointing guns at them. Don't worry, I am getting Al Michaels on a B.S. Report soon. We're getting the real story. Maybe they didn't have time to read the whole Mueller Report. Maybe they were told to do that … or else. Maybe they just weren't educated enough about the whole story. But to briskly read through the "highlights" of Goodell's "exoneration" from the Mueller Report without mentioning all the different ways that same report made him look (fill in a word: incompetent, bumbling, shady, nefarious, deceitful), or mentioning that the report specifically said that Goodell didn't tell the truth in his September 10 memo to the 32 owners … I mean, come on.
Q: The dumbest thing I keep hearing about Russell Wilson is that "he's not asked to do much." He does EVERYTHING for the Hawks. Marshawn is a huge weapon but carries the ball less than 20 times a game on average. People aren't used to seeing a QB doing what Wilson does. He really has no o-line, yet he almost never makes a bad decision and accrues massive amounts of yardage. Wilson gained 4,324 passing/rushing yards this season, as opposed to 4,168 passing/rushing yards from Brady. Does it really matter how they got the yards? He's not asked to do less things, he's just asked to do different things.
—Brian, New Jersey
BS: That's a really smart point. And there's also a chance — like Brady in 2001 and 2003 — that Wilson COULD do more, but he's a little limited by the available receiver options. He's a superb quarterback. I'm terrified of him. There's only one Wilson flaw right now: Every interview makes me wonder if he's the lost Will Smith–Jada Pinkett kid. He's so serenely perfect and well mannered that it creeps me out.3 Every great QB also seemed like a fun hang and someone who wasn't afraid to let loose. Can you imagine, say, driving cross-country with Russell Wilson?
You: Sorry, man, I just farted.
Russell (smiling): That's fine.
You: Roll down your window if you want.
Russell (smiling): It's OK, don't worry about it.
You: You haven't farted this whole trip. Have you ever farted?
Russell (smiling): Not really.
(Dead silence.)
You: Hey, you hungry? Should we stop for food?
Russell (smiling): Yeah, if you want.
You: Are you hungry?
Russell (smiling): It doesn't matter, whatever.
Q: On a scale of zero to Mercury Morris dying of mercury poisoning,4how ironic is it that the Cowboys lost the game due to the Calvin Johnson Rule?
—Bill S., Ludington, MI
BS: It's way, way, way, way up there. My quickie take: That was the correct interpretation of an excruciatingly bad rule. But the Cowboys didn't play well enough to win, either. You have to BEAT Green Bay in Lambeau. Remember that third-and-1 near the end of the first half, in two-down territory, when they threw an incompletion, got the penalty on the field goal try, then missed the field goal and allowed Green Bay to get three points out of it? That's when they blew the game. If you can't get one yard with DeMarco Murray in two tries, then you don't deserve to win. They got too cute. I thought the right team won. Rodgers owned the second half; even if the Dez catch counts, Rodgers still rolls down and scores. The first half was when Dallas could have put the Packers away — or come close.
Q: I hope the DVD cover of The Missing Rings: 2014 Dallas Cowboys is a picture of sad Chris Christie slumped over a plate of half-eaten onion rings.
—Danny A., Springfield, NJ
BS: Serious question: Could Chris Christie be intentionally trying to lower everyone's opinion of him so he can rally back as 2016's "Nobody Believes In Me" candidate? This is all leading to our Nobody Believed In Him president lighting the torch in our Nobody Believed In Us Olympic city. I can feel it.
Q: You know what the Dez Bryant play was like? Driving down the highway in the middle lane when some rich a-hole blows by you in a Maserati going 110 mph. Perturbed, you keep driving up the road and smoky bear has the guy pulled over writing him a huge ticket. These moments don't happen often and you have to savor them.
—John Herndon, Giants Fan, Westfield, Indiana
BS: And you left out the best part: Everyone who wagered on the Cowboys +6 clinched their bet thanks to Green Bay's failed two-point conversion from earlier. (That was one of my favorite gambling wins in awhile.) I felt bad for Dez in this respect — if he hadn't made the mistake of dipping the ball against the ground for 0.00004 seconds and Dallas had somehow held off Rodgers for the emotional win, that would've become a LEGENDARY catch. An all-timer, even. He did everything right … except for that split second when he reached for the end zone.
Q: You remember how you told everyone that you would give them a gift, and that shit gift was the Steelers to win the Super Bowl at 18/1 odds. Are you kidding me? That was the worst gift since I got roach killer as a stocking stuffer from my Percocet popping Grandma.
BS: Had Todd Haley given up on his running game, spread the field and chucked it every down against that sketchy Ravens secondary like the Patriots did, we'd probably be talking about Steelers-Patriots right now. Blame Todd Haley! He's the Percocet-popping grandma in this scenario, not me!
Q: What if Joe Flacco's annual New Years resolution is just to be better at football? Then come September, just as with everyone else and their resolutions, he has given up and is back to being a regular Joe?
—Jake Wall, London
BS: Maybe that should be his nickname — New Year's Joe. That's the funniest Flacco email I received last weekend except for the guy who spent a paragraph comparing Flacco to Michael Myers, right down to his "dead eyes." When you can be successfully compared to a fictional serial killer, you know you're making an impact as a playoff QB. New Year's Joe Flacco, you still scare the shit out of me.
Q: On the final interception, I think every Raven fan's mouth just dropped open with a constant flow of why's. Why go for it all and leave Brady time? Why? I think the answer is Joe Flacco went into Horry/Cassell mode and thought "I'm Joe f–king Flacco, and this is what I do." I've watched it 20 times and he's locked in on that safety as soon as the ball is snapped. He has Marlon Brown across the middle for a first down and never even thought about it. The playoffs had just taught him it would work out, and it didn't. Saw this interview this morning and it confirms that. Gotta love and hate the guy who can throw a season ending interception and let you know he's seen the coverage before, knew he was throwing into double coverage, and just thought it would work out.
—Zach, Austin
BS: There's no question. That throw reminded me of Jason Terry's back-breaking 3 in the 2011 NBA Finals: I AM JASON F---ING TERRY AND F--- IT, I AM JUST SHOOTING THIS!!!!!
Totally in character, just like Flacco going for the kill was totally in character. That Ravens-Pats game couldn't have ended any other way. And actually, it didn't end that way — the Patriots screwed up their clock-wasting strategy, forgot to run sweeps and somehow left the Ravens with a punt return and a Hail Mary. (Important note: Every Pats fan has quietly agreed to never discuss those 99 seconds again. It's like how fans of The Sopranos conveniently forget the Italian American parade episode during every "David Chase is a genius" conversation. Those 99 seconds never happened.)
Q: I'm gonna remember that split second with everyone I was watching when we realized Edelman was gonna throw for the rest of my life. Go Pats.
—Mike Schaub, Ball So Hard University
Q: I waited five years for McDaniels to finally call that bubble screen lateral and pass for Edelman.
—Kyle, Madrid, Spain
Q: You always write about the QB position and how its 75% charisma and character and 25% skill and stuff like that. Let's give Brandon LaFell a chance to share his feelings about his QB: "It felt like a long day in practice: Everybody is tired, everybody is complaining, and you look at Tom, and he's just calm. He's putting us in the right plays, and he's just going out there spreading the ball around and making plays for us. When you look that calm, and he's just smooth out there, it calms you down and gives you confidence to make plays." (And then … ) "I told him after the game [how much I appreciated him]. I told him, 'I've seen guys throw interceptions before the half and they just went in the tank, but you didn't do that, man. You led us, you kept preaching, you kept leading.'" That's #12, the guy that plays QB for the team I love.
—James, Boston
BS: Patriots fans are a little gooey right now. I apologize.
Q: So I'm listening to you and Klosterman talk about Leo and how he's on his third generation of supermodels because of the Titanic trump card … I'm sure that's part of it, but at what point do we have to start throwing out Gladwell's 10,000 hours outlier theory? The man has actively been pursuing and dating super models without interruption for 20 years. At this point, Leonardo Dicaprio probably feels more comfortable talking to a Victoria's secret model than I would talking to a grocery store clerk. Did you see he convinced no less than 20 supermodels to leave the club with him last month?? point being, there's a good chance Leo's spent more hours talking to and picking up supermodels than Dirk Nowitzki has spent shooting jump shots.
—Leo, Portland
BS: Here's what Gladwell had to say …
"I think Leo's situation is not dissimilar to the Jamaican-sprinting question. Jamaica, a country one-tenth the size of Cuba, has now produced the world's best sprinters for the past generation in numbers that defy all logic. Here, for example, are the results of the high school boys' 100-meter finals from last year's Jamaican Boys & Girls Athletics Championships:
1 Zharnel Hughes Kingston College 10.12R
2 Jevaughn Minzie Bog Walk High 10.16
3 Raheem Robinson Wolmer's High 10.37
4 Martin Manley St. Jago High 10.38
5 Waseem Williams Jamaica College 10.40
6 Tyler Mason Jamaica College 10.48
7 Javoy Tucker Wolmer's High 10.64
8 Odane Bernard Donald Quarrie High 10.75
"For those who are not track fans, I should point out that this final is probably faster than the ADULT national finals in virtually every country in the world except the United States. So why are the Jamaicans so good? There are many reasons, but the simplest is that the effect of peers on high performance is REALLY strong. In Jamaica, EVERYONE sprints. There are 20 heats in the 100-meter regional championships. And because everyone sprints, and the average quality of sprinting is so high, everyone's expectations are raised accordingly. The psychological ceiling on elite performance if you are a high school sprinter in Kingston is, like, a foot higher than if you are a high school sprinter in America. Leo is the Jamaican sprinter of ladies' men. The average Don Juan gets to practice his A-game maybe once a month. Leo can't EVER take a night off. He's been competing with the very best for 20 years. I don't know if he remembers what it's like not to be charming."
(Did that settle it?)
Q: Liked your piece on Joe Flacco. But in the latest close playoff game, the Ravens were beaten at the line of scrimmage with subtle diversion or confusion. Hoodie is a master tactician. When Flacco was written off, I always knew he would eventually come through as a top tier QB. Italian-Americans consistently coming through in the clutch in sports history is no fluke. It's a sociological byproduct of marginalization. Happens all the time in baseball.
—Henry, Los Angeles, CA
BS: My mother is 100 percent Italian — I'd like to thank Henry for being able to replicate, almost to the word, something my Uncle Ricky would have said at Thanksgiving dinner after five glasses of chianti. This was amazing. By the way, we might be in range.
Q: I'm in ninth grade, and I'm reading Animal Farm in my english class. We're about eight chapters in, and I'm starting to realize there are some interesting similarities between the pigs in the book and Roger Goodell. The Pigs have taken over the farm, and are treating the other animals unfairly. The farm has seven commandments, many that go against humans and their ways. The pigs, the leaders on the farm, keep breaking them, then change them to their benefit. The other animals on the farm seem okay with them breaking the rules unless they change the commandment, making it okay. They're brainwashed, pretty much.
With Roger Goodell, he is changing the rules and lying. The pigs are lying to the other animals, while Goodell is lying to us. He (Goodell) then changes the rules to his and the NFL's advantage. The only difference is, in Animal Farm, the other animals on the farm don't know the pigs are lying and that they're changing the rules to their benefit. In the NFL, we know what's going on, and we know Goodell is lying.
—Hunter H., Twin Cities, MN
BS: We're definitely in range.
Q: After your shout-out to Delaware in your Two Flaccos column, it is only fitting that a Delaware High School (Caesar Rodney) graduate, Duron Harmon, picked Flacco off on the game's deciding play. That fact broke Delaware Twitter. Not much happens here.
—Andrew, Wilmington
BS: Getting closer …
Q: I loved your take in the Klosterman podcast about Unbroken. My favorite pastime is tricking my wife into watching the movie I want to see by rejecting her first couple of suggestions (that I really wouldn't mind seeing), feinting interest on movies (that I really don't want to see), and eventually steering her toward the weird/nerdy or not promoted movie I think we will both like. Recently this worked with Birdman and Interstellar, both of which we both like. Unbroken was the worst movie experience of my life. Who wants to go see somewhat get tortured for two hours with the only payoff a still image "where are they now" ending. My wife was sooooooo pissed we wasted the babysitter time and has blamed me for a week. I am pretty sure she is now depressed, and it has affected my sex life. Thank goodness I smoked a bunch of weed in the parking lot after dropping the wife at the front door and washed it down with two large popcorns. Otherwise it would have been a total loss.
As much as I hate myself for typing it; it would have been better if he died at the end.
—John B., Rochester
BS: We're circling. Just sit tight. We're landing in a second.
Q: Is it just me or shouldn't the actor that played the judge in A Few Good Men had a better career after that movie? He was really good … I am a little drunk …
—Clint W., Indianapolis
BS: Yup, these are my readers. Let's hit the conference-title picks.
(Home teams in caps)
Colts (+7) over PATRIOTS
Your New England red flags: no pass rush, no running game, too much offensive line upheaval, Vontae Davis shutting down Edelman, Luck catching fire, Vinatieri's Possible Revenge, the unstoppable Sergio Brown/Ric Flair Rolex-Wearing Karma Train, the difficulty of pulling off two Kitchen Sink Games in a row, T.Y. Hilton running around and doing T.Y. Hilton things, and good luck (not Andrew) failing to carry over from last weekend. Remember, Baltimore caused three fumbles in traffic and the Patriots recovered all three (two because of luck, one because Shane Vereen's knee was down for 0.2222 seconds). That may have been the last great Brady-Belichick win. It's possible.
Then again, the Colts can't run the ball, either. They don't have that scary/shifty/sneaky pass-catching back who routinely kills the 2014 Pats. They can't cover tight ends. (I don't need to say it.) Their gifted young QB puts the ball up for grabs two to three times per game (this time against an excellent Pats secondary). They've been positively pwned by the Pats during the Luck era (including two months ago). They may have just lucked out in the first two rounds — no A.J. Green or Jermaine Gresham in Round 1, then a crippled/aging/useless Manning and an impotent Broncos coaching staff in Round 2. Are we sure they aren't a little happy to be there? Are we sure Gronk isn't going to just throw them out of the club? Wouldn't the Colts be the worst Super Bowl team in years?
Here's the trump card: I watched a lot of Luck these past two years. If you don't pressure him, he morphs into a freaking assassin. Ask the Chiefs fans what happened last January. Ask the Bengals fans what happened two weeks ago. Unpressured Luck just keeps coming. The Pats won't generate nearly enough pressure to bother him. That means Luck is gonna hang around and hang around and hang around and hang around and hang around …
The Pick: Patriots 31, Colts 27 (Colts cover)
Packers (+7.5) over SEAHAWKS
First of all, that's a disrespectful line. Green Bay can run and throw with the best of them. That's too many points for an elite offense on the road. Vegas might as well fly "NOBODY BELIEVES IN YOU, GREEN BAY!" banners over CenturyLink Field. Second, Seattle's admittedly splendid defense hasn't played a good-to-great quarterback SINCE WEEK SIX. Seems relevant. Third, there's a decent chance that we're witnessing Rodgers's "By the time this season is over, you'll be wondering if I'm the best ever" season. It's in play. If anyone can beat Seattle in Seattle, it's him … but I think he falls juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust short. Seattle is due for one postseason scare, right? Besides, the Playoff Gambling Manifesto specifically warns us to "Beware of the Easy Same-Day Two-Team Tease." Everyone and their degenerate brother is going to be teasing the Pats and Seahawks this weekend. Someone has to screw it up. This feels like a classic in the making. I'm giddy. Enjoy the weekend.
The Pick: Seahawks 24, Packers 23 (Packers cover)
Last Week: 3-1
Playoffs: 4-4
Regular Season: 159-93-45
Seven!
Here's the whole interview. It's really, really, really all-time great.
Eventually, we found out that the Smiths weren't so serenely perfect … And may in fact be covered in batshit.
FYI: Mercury Morris is very much alive.
I finished 58-0 against the spread from Week 4 through Week 7. Also, the Mueller Report failed to find any evidence that I did NOT go 58-0.
Filed Under: 2015 NFL Playoffs, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Tim Tebow
Bill Simmons is the founding editor of Grantland and the author of the New York Times no. 1 best seller The Book of Basketball. For every Simmons column and podcast, click here.
Archive @ BillSimmons
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Check out all of your options: Facebook deals, Groupon, Google deals, Foursquare specials. Add information about your deal to your website, customized menu covers (think – Foursquare icon on the front page), and also to any printed advertising you do.
I found that the Bangalore based advertising and PR agency handling the Satyam account was not really contributing much though they charged a high fee. We sacked them and through a professional selection process appointed one of the top advertising agencies in the country to handle our paid communication business. The first collaboration effort was to bring out the corporate identity manual, called the Satyam Covenant.This was to make sure that all corporate branding effort across the world would be cohesive.
On the other hand, if you need an additional presentation of logos due to a complete change in direction on the companies part, there should be an extra fee. An example would be asking for a yellow duck logo design and changing your mind to a red dog design once the logos are presented to you.


text:
Q: URGENT need of help for Accordion using JSON to add into to make it collapsible? I need urgently to create the accordion in SPO page, and am using JSON to input into the Format View side.  I have a list with 3 columns - Category, Question and Answer
I need it create the accordion for the FAQ based on these three columns.
I am not a coding person and I need someone to help with the coding for the following
I can only created till here.  how to make the following?

*

*Header (Category) to show on top of the Question?
Answer - click to read -collapsible

*how to make the code with the accordion?

Here's my code.  Please help.
how to insert code here to show??

A: To display the category, use the following code. As to making it clickable and expand, this is not possible using list formatting alone.
Your best bet there would be a SPFx web part, you can check out the one at sp-dev-fx-webparts/samples for inspiration.
{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/sp/view-formatting.schema.json",
  "hideListHeader": true,
  "hideSelection": true,
  "rowFormatter": {
    "elmType": "div",
    "style": {
      "display": "flex",
      "flex-direction": "column",
      "align-items": "flex-start"
    },
    "children": [
      {
        "elmType": "div",
        "attributes": {
          "class": "ms-bgColor-themePrimary ms-borderColor-themeDark ms-fontColor-white"
        },
        "style": {
          "font-size": "24px",
          "border-width": "2px",
          "border-style": "solid",
          "width": "100%",
          "padding": "4px"
        },
        "children": [
          {
            "elmType": "div",
            "txtContent": "[$Category]",
            "attributes": {
              "class": "ms-fontColor-themeTertiary"
            },
            "style": {
              "font-size": "10px",
              "padding-right": "10px",
              "font-weight": "bold"
            }
          },
          {
            "elmType": "span",
            "txtContent": "[$Question]"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "elmType": "div",
        "attributes": {
          "class": "ms-borderColor-themeDark"
        },
        "style": {
          "padding-left": "40px",
          "width": "100%",
          "border-width": "2px",
          "border-style": "solid",
          "padding": "4px",
          "font-size": "14px",
          "border-top-width": "0",
          "margin-bottom": "20px"
        },
        "children": [
          {
            "elmType": "span",
            "txtContent": "[$Answer]"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Generalized Hough Transform and OpenCv I'm looking for an OpenCv implementation of Generalized Hough Transform, or at least something in c++.
Despite I searched for a while, I've not been able to find nothing interesting.
Any suggestion?

A: I hope this Generalized Hough Transform code is what you are looking for.
There is a very simple tutorial as well and some instructions.


Including built-in seating. Patio area designs incorporating built-in sitting with pergolas and outdoor fireplaces look very posh and transform the patio area into an outdoor room. It is also a great way to make use of all available space in a very small yard. This solution is convenient if you don't want to shuffle around with garden furniture. However , the position of the seating is definitely fixed and restricts how one can use the patio. The space is less flexible as seating may not be varied to turn a dining area into a lounging area.
Gugara - Armstrong natural creations continental flooring company. Armstrong natural creations the trend in lvt is leaning more toward natural and more organic looks armstrong luxury flooring captures the essence of earth's woods, stones, metals and original graphic designs in a wide array of tile and plank sizes. Armstrong contract flooring continental flooring company. Continental flooring company offers armstrong flooring products including traditional and loose lay sheet vinyl, luxury vinyl tile and plank lvt , linoleum, and more we offer our customers competitive pricing and mill direct service on a nationwide basis materials only or installation services. Natural creations classics armstrong flooring commercial. A smart choice, a beautiful solution natural creations classics luxury flooring offers a popular array of modular shapes and sizes inspired by the natural beauty of wood, the colors and organic variations of stone and the distinctive woven appearance of textiles. Armstrong flooring on gsa contract gsa flooring. Continental flooring company offers armstrong's vct vinyl composition tile , biobased tile�, sheet vinyl, linoleum, stair treads and cove base materials only or complete flooring installation services are available on contract natural creations with diamond 10 technology � flooring. Continental flooring company cfcfloors on pinterest. Armstrong natural creations continental flooring see more commercial flooring tile floor feature tiles tile flooring armstrong medintech continental flooring community college specialty flooring by continental flooring company government and commercial flooring contractors. Armstrong vinyl tile flooring armstrong vinyl tile. A detailed review of all the latest armstrong vinyl tile flooring styles, colors at discounted direct prices. Continental flooring home plan. Ivc flooring continental company ottawa flooring floor continental flooring ottawa hardwood continental continental flooring company coronado woods lvt whats people lookup in this blog: about author. Commercial lvt luxury flooring armstrong flooring. Open the door to new possibilities in commercial flooring with our pioneering natural creations luxury flooring our continuum TM solutions unlocks unlimited creative design combinations and maximum coordination across the natural creations collection as well as armstrong flooring's full portfolio of commercial products. Natural creations earthcuts by armstrong lvt flooring. Note: although we try extremely hard to reproduce the exact flooring colors, the colors shown may vary in color from the actual flooring this is due to different monitors being used to view the pictures, scan and image quality, etc. Armstrong natural creations mystix. Armstrong natural creations mystix vinyl flooring from in addition to the amazing prices you'll find on your favorite vinyl flooring, we ship free nationwide.


Urology specialist Dr. Cletus Georges uncovers common risk factors for bladder cancer and explains more about the condition and its symptoms.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, March 20, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ — With bladder cancer risk factors ranging from smoking and previous cancer treatments to a history of chronic bladder inflammation, as well as age, gender, and chemical exposure, with approximately 68,000 adults affected by the disease in the United States each year, understanding both the risk factors and symptoms is vital according to Cletus Roy Georges, MD.
"Bladder cancer is now one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers," reveals Dr. Cletus Georges, a specialist physician focused on urology and based in Orlando, Florida, "most prevalent in men and with risk factors including smoking, a history of the disease, and past chronic bladder problems."
Further risk factors, he says, extend to chemical exposure, exposure to arsenic, the diabetes drug pioglitazone, and Lynch syndrome, among others. "One of the most significant risk factors is gender," adds Dr. Georges, "with men up to four times more likely to develop bladder cancer than women."
Age-wise, more than 70% of individuals currently diagnosed with bladder cancer are aged 65 years or older, according to Dr. Georges. However, when diagnosed early, he points out, bladder cancer is considered highly treatable.
It's for this reason, says Dr. Georges, that understanding both the risk factors and symptoms of the disease is vital. "Common bladder cancer symptoms or signs include blood in the urine, painful urination, and pain in the pelvic area," explains the urology specialist. Other, less-specific symptoms which are also common signs of typically less serious conditions include back pain and frequent urination.
"If there's any doubt, or a patient has any concerns surrounding bladder cancer and its risk factors or symptoms, they should seek advice from their regular primary care physician or a urology specialist at their earliest convenience," advises Dr. Georges.
"Blood in the urine, in particular," he adds, wrapping up, "warrants an appointment without delay, although it's important to explore any signs or symptoms which are causing particular concern or distress."
Cletus Roy Georges, MD graduated from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan with a bachelor's degree in zoology with a biomedical option in 1987. Georges subsequently attended Weill Cornell University Medical College in New York City, graduating in 1991 and completing his residency in urology at Chicago's Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in 1997. Shortly after that, Dr. Georges started his practice in Sebring, Florida before relocating to Orlando, where he remains settled today.


The startup has been selected for Start2B, the exhibition area dedicated to the best regional and national startups, as part of the 11th International Exhibition of Industrial Research and Innovation, promoted by the Emilia-Romagna and BolognaFiere in partnership with ASTER and SMAU.
This entry was posted in Events, Open data, Startup and tagged Bologna, Smart city, SMAU. Bookmark the permalink.


The Riverside House, also known as the Riverside Hotel, was located in the part of Delware Water Gap sometimes known as North Water Gap. It was a popular summer resort desitination in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The Riverside House was owned and operated by M.M. Ace (Moses M. Ace), who was my great, great grandfather and later by L. M. Ace (Lewis M. Ace), my great grandfather. In the early years of operation it could accomadate 30 guests, over the years it was expanded to accomodate 50 guests and then to 100 guests. The Riverside House was approximatly a mile and half from the DL&W station in Delaware Water Gap. Pictured below are various newspaper excerpts, images and other related Riverside House items I have found.
The old sign that hung over the pickup spot for the Riverside House at the DL&W Railroad Station in Delaware Water Gap.
Rear view of the Riverside House circa 1970.
This is the cover to a small pamphlet for the Riverside House. I believe it is from the 1920's.


Hey everybody. I've thought of a way politicians can spend more money. On themselves, no less. They could spend millions hiring new staff. Isn't that swell?
No, really. I mean it. There is much that is wrong with our government, but it is not always what you think. For instance, a significant reason for Parliament's generally shoddy performance is not that MPs are lazy but that they are overworked. And here's another important point that frequently confuses citizens and candidates for office: It is not what politicians spend on themselves but what they spend on us that accounts for bloated, swelling public budgets. Voters clamour for wars on waste and expanded social spending. Politicians oblige.


Blackdiamond's lightweight, women's-specific trekking pole with built-in shock-absorbing technology and the simple security of FlickLock® Pro.
Blackdiamond's lightweight women's trekking pole designed for four-season on-trail versatility, the Black Diamond Trail Shock Pro also features the terrain-absorbing benefits of Blackdiamond's Control Shock Technology. Control Shock is located within the grip and provides progressive four-stage shock absorption with smooth rebound control on even the most rugged trails. The dual-density grip and padded wrist strap are sized specifically for women and provide secure, comfortable handling, while the double FlickLock Pro adjustability lets you optimize the pole for any trail outing or terrain. Interchangeable carbide tech tips offer secure bite on everything from granite slabs to pine duff.


Listen to the award-winning audio book of BLOOD DRAGONS.
A rebel vampire, a red-haired devil, and a Moon Girl battle to save the world – or tear it apart.
The narrator, when he's not being Light is A. W. Miller. He's also an acting and theatre coach.
The band Off the Realm have included their song, which was inspired by REBEL VAMPIRES, as a FREE Bonus track with the audio book.


"Thank you all who came to celebrate our opening last night. Lovely to meet the Mayor and Mayoress of chesterfield and the visiting councilors this evening. Such a pleasure to see the new staff team meeting up and getting on so well.


DreamHost and SiteGround are two premier Web hosts that both offer shared hosting along with a variety of other hosting types. When it comes to most reviews, one host easily dominates the other because it offers better overall services. However, the distinction is a little harder here because both companies seem to focus on different areas of hosting excellence.
SiteGround is completely dedicated to customer experience and fast loading times. They offer 24/7 customer support with the amazing reputation of returning messages and emails within minutes. There are no other hosting companies that are as fast as they are, plus the advice they give is incredibly helpful. SiteGround also focuses on adopting new technology as quickly as possible, ensuring that you get the fastest loading times.
DreamHost, on the other hand, provides a very unique 100% uptime guarantee that you don't see with nearly any other shared host. They also have 24/7 customer support that usually receives good marks, though every now and then there is a complaint about them. They also limit the scope of their plans, which may or may not be a pro or con depending on your preference. However, DreamHost is also one of the more expensive shared hosts.
In general, SiteGround is the best if you're looking for excellent customer support and superb technology. DreamHost is the best if you don't mind paying extra for your hosting and having a unique uptime guarantee.
There is no host that beats SiteGround when it comes to customer support. They offer 24/7 support, which sounds common enough amongst hosts, but how they do it makes them an elite service provider.
Most emails and text chats are answered within a few minutes (10 minutes or less on average), and they also have a no-hold phone service to ensure that you get someone as soon as you call in.
All of their customer support agents are located in the US. You won't reach anyone outside the country, ensuring that both parties understand each other throughout the whole call.
SiteGround uses a standard loadout of the cPanel management software. While "standard" is usually a bad word, most people dislike homebrew versions of this software, so getting the real deal should be a sigh of relief.
This version of cPanel uses the Softaculous script installer. Not only is this one of the easiest script installers to use, but it's also one of the fastest and there are 400+ scripts available. From WordPress and Drupal to Magento and PrestaShop, these scripts will be ready for you when you need them.
Their billing manager is also installed within cPanel, making it easy to see what and if you owe anything, and also making payments easy.
SiteGround is a new adopter of technology, they were one of the first to start using SSD servers (which are faster than previous hardware), and they use a specially made cache program that makes WordPress and other websites run faster than ever. Their programming languages, such as PHP, are consistently updated to provide the best speeds.
Their uptime guarantee is 99.9%, which is standard, but they often surpass this. Commonly their uptime is within the 99.95-99.99%, and they are very transparent about this by showing you the uptime for the last month and the last 12 months.
You are able to choose the location of the data center so that it's as fast as possible. Currently, domestic clients are able to choose servers either on the east coast or west coast. Choosing the one closest to you will ensure the fastest speeds.
Server crowding is a plague amongst shared hosts, and it's easy to see why. A crowded server might mean lower speeds for you, but it means more customers for the host. SiteGround respects your money and time, so they keep their servers properly distributed.
You don't get "unlimited" disk space and bandwidth, but that's a good thing. This gives you a more specific limit on what resources are available specifically to you. Disk space ranges from 10GB to 30GB depending on your plan. This should be plenty for most users.
Bandwidth isn't given in GBs, but you are told about how many visitors you can receive per month. While this is a rough estimate, it gives you a good idea of how much traffic you can accept. The entry-level plan can accommodate 10,000 visitors while the biggest plan can accept 100,000 visitors.
Students receive a major discount on hosting services. You can get hosting for just $1.99 a month as long as you have a .edu email address.
Aside from free shopping cart and other script installation on your website, you also get a free SSL certificate.
Their backup service automatically backs up your website on a daily basis. You can also manually perform a backup if you make any major changes.
You get unlimited domains as long as you have the mid-tier plan or higher, plus website migration is free.
There are developer-oriented services like WordPress staging and GIT installation. Regular customers may not use these features, but they are available to power users (without any additional fee).
Pricing is a little more expensive than other shared hosts. You get a good discount on the initial period, with the entry-level plan costing $3.95 a month, but then it shoots up to $11.95 a month. You can take advantage of this discount by getting as much hosting as possible from the beginning.
There are some setup costs for stronger plans. You won't face these fees with shared hosting, but you will be charged if you upgrade to a VPS service or other premium plan. Unfortunately, they don't show this until you're ready to check out, so you won't see it until the very end.
Very few hosts claim to provide 100% uptime because it's impossible to keep your website up all the time. This guarantee isn't so much about ensuring that your website is always up, it just ensures that the host does their best to provide amazing uptime.
Your website will go down, it happens. However, unlike other hosts where they aren't penalized, DreamHost promises to give you a free day of hosting for each hour your website is down.
Their overall uptime rests around the 99.9-99.99% area, which is still very good by most uptime standards. Plus, it's nice to get free hosting for what would otherwise be regular (but still unwelcome) periods of downtime.
DreamHost only offers one type of plan for their shared hosting. This might seem bad, but It's actually a good thing for most users.
The plans here are based on length, not service. You can choose between monthly, yearly or three-year plans. This changes the price, but the service is the same.
The starter plan is just $3.95 a month. It's the same as the other plans (except for domains, you can only have one).
Provides 24/7 customer support that is available through email or online chat.
Much like SiteGround, you will typically get a quick response. It's usually a little longer of a wait, but not as long as some other hosts.
For the most part, most customers find the support to be quite knowledgeable and helpful. They will usually be able to correct any issues that plague your website. However, there are others who find the support to be unhelpful at times, so it's a mixed bag.
SSD servers are among the best right now as they use hardware that is chip-based rather than disc-based. Chips are faster and have fewer moving parts, ensuring less mechanical failure.
SSD has been rated to be about 200% faster than traditional hardware. This ensures that your pages load faster while also improving overall uptime. While this has become an industry standard, there are still a few that haven't adopted this technology.
Aside from the Starter plan, all allow you to have unlimited domains.
You get a huge 97-day money back guarantee.
There is a free SSL encryption on your domain.
There are several CMSs that you can install in just one or two clicks.
DreamHost doesn't use cPanel, which is often considered the industry standard. They instead use their own homemade control panel.
Many of the features commonly found in cPanel have been stripped down here since it is aimed more at beginners instead of advanced users.
While some people find the control panel a little easier, most get confused since they are used to the cPanel interface. There is a good amount of documentation on the DreamHost website to help you along, but not nearly as much as cPanel.
Keeping shared hosting down to one plan is a good idea in some ways because it reduces confusion and ensures that you get the benefit of shared hosting (affordability and ease). However, only having one plan means that you can't upgrade to better shared hosting.
When you need to upgrade, you'll instead have to use a stronger service like VPS hosting. Depending on your needs, this can be significantly more expensive.
This also means that people just starting with shared hosting will pay the same as those who are close to moving beyond shared hosting, which just isn't fair to beginners.
Aside from their Starter plan, which is quite affordable, all of their plans are pretty expensive.
DreamHost's reputation is being one of the more expensive shared hosts available. While some argue that they are worth it and that you get what you pay for, but you can typically find similar levels of service at a lower rate.
You get discounts for signing up for either the one-year or three-year plan, but they aren't that significant. The one-year is only $1 less a month, and the three-year is only $3 less a month, so you'll end up spending quite a bit for this service.
While not as slow as some other hosts, DreamHost takes a little while to upgrade their hardware.
Unlike SiteGround, which really takes to new tech as quickly as possible to provide the best client experience, DreamHost takes their time with updating.
Some also say that their servers are bloated, which leads to lower speeds that SiteGround, but they aren't as bad as EIG companies, which are known for packing their servers as tightly as possible.
DreamHost focuses on beginners, which means that they try to make things simpler, but this has created some unexpected problems for expert users.
Many find that they have a hard time installing and using ecommerce programs like PrestaShop and Magento.
Others find that the databases are difficult to access and use, which can impact some users.
DreamHost has a lot of good features and their uptime guarantee is truly tempting, but they emerge as the runner-up here. Their lack of plan diversity, the beginner focus to the detriment of users, failure to use cPanel and their slow adoption rate of new technology makes them less appealing that SiteGround.
If you're looking for world-class customer support, fast servers and a ton of other benefits, then SiteGround is your best bet. Both hosts are a little more on the expensive side, but while you're paying for great service with SiteGround, with DreamHost you're just paying extra for regular service.
Stick with the clear winner here. SiteGround is one of the top shared hosts right now and it's easy to see why. Give them a chance and you'll see how they pull ahead of the pack.


Fast, intuitive maps of James Cook University Townsville campus, designed for your phone.
Easily search for a building by name or number.
JCUNav shows you a path from your current location to your selected destination, so you'll get there in no time.
Sooner or later you're going to need to contact someone on campus.
Use people search to find faculty and staff contact details—you can start a phone call or email with the tap of a button (iPhone only).
JCUNav is being developed as a part of a PhD student project at JCU. For users, JCUNav provides a fast and convenient method of campus navigation. On the research front, it is our hope that JCUNav will provide novel insight into campus activity based on the collection of anonymised statistics. By using JCUNav, you'll be contributing to novel research at JCU. Hopefully in the near future as the details unfold, we'll be able to share some of our findings with you. Until that time, thank you for using JCUNav.
We listen carefully to user feedback, so if you have any comments, questions or suggestions on how we can improve JCUNav, please do contact us: jcunavmob@gmail.com.
Disclaimer: JCUNav is not officially endorsed by James Cook University.
JCUNav works best on Apple and Android devices using the native app available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store respectively. The good news though is that there is still a web version you can access through your web browser at http://jcunav.appspot.com/ if you need to.


text:
Faizan Khalidi
Senior Director, Product Management
March 26, 2019 • 3 min read
Progressive Web Apps Will Become the Standard
Is Your Company Ready?
When mobile apps first arrived on the scene, they were the next big thing in digital convenience. Unlike websites, apps could be downloaded to your mobile device and used offline with a slick user experience that far eclipsed anything mobile websites could offer.
However, users are now realizing the limitations of native apps. Every time a user wants to access a different service, they have to first go to the app store and wait for it to download. This in turn clogs the device's memory and uses loads of data.
According to the numbers, consumers are growing tired of downloading apps from an app store. Based on ComScore's most recent U.S. Mobile Apps Report, the average consumer downloads zero apps per month. Needless to say, that's terrible for engagement.
On the other hand, traditional web applications lack the performance and user experience that users love about apps. Hybrid apps (using Cordova) tried to overcome a part of this but still needed to go through app approvals and app downloads, causing interruptions in customer engagement.
Savvy companies are switching to a new type of app development that harnesses the best of both worlds. Called Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), this emerging technology works with all major platforms, so consumers don't need to download anything to get the mobile app experience. PWAs are the future of app development; here's how developers can get on board.
Why Consumers Love Progressive Web Apps
At the most basic level, a PWA is a mobile app that works anywhere. It doesn't require a consumer download. Instead, thanks to Java-Scripted service workers in the background, PWAs provide performance similar to native apps—complete with push notifications, location services, self-updates, a secure connection and connectivity independence—delivered through the web. But PWAs are far more sophisticated than your average mobile website. While an app requires a visit to the app store and numerous permissions, a PWA can be accessed just like a webpage—with a single click.
Best of all, since PWAs rely on JavaScript, they can work on almost any device or browser framework. Users can save progressive apps on the home screen, but behind the scenes their function is akin to bookmarking a website.
PWAs remove the friction between apps and typical consumer browsing habits. When a website insistently nudges a viewer to download the native app, it must first garner considerable buy-in from the user. But users act on impulse, and are losing patience with the lengthy app download process. According to the latest report from Gartner, users are overwhelmed by the number of apps and have hit a ceiling on the number that they are willing to install on their devices. In response to consumer app-fatigue, the report predicts that by 2020, around half of native apps will have been replaced by PWAs. As more companies embrace PWAs, the ones who don't will be left behind.
How Developers Can Get Ahead of the Curve
Progressive apps are already taking the web by storm, but they're far from perfected. Designing an effective PWA is easier said than done. Currently, on the Google Lighthouse web quality measure, according to a survey, only 1% of PWA's score a 60/100 or higher. But rather than a detriment, this is a huge opportunity for developers to distinguish themselves and create the best PWA experience.
PWA development can be made easier with the right tools. That's where Kony comes in. Kony Quantum is the only low-code development platform that supports PWAs. Kony Quantum provides low-code without limits, a next-generation low-code app development platform that delivers rich digital experiences. It follows guidelines set by Google Lighthouse, so if developers work with Kony Quantum to meet all the requirements, they should be able to achieve a 100/100 score for PWA specifications. The Kony Quantum platform is downloadable for free. Users can also go to Kony Base Camp, a centralized hub of developer resources and community.
Key pain points that companies face:
Website- Since each browser-type has different features and benefits, to create a website compatible with all browsers, the development (and resulting user experiences) had to be reduced to the lowest common denominator, making the creation of a rich user experience impossible.
Native app- The need for constant connectivity (WiFi); making changes to app required the slow process of re-publishing to the App store, and then customers had to install (or reinstall) the app, causing an unnecessary bottleneck to the experience app developers wanted to provide.
To address these pain points, Kony Quantum can help users design a Progressive Web App that allows customers to experience rich images and videos quickly, caching them in the background for viewing offline. Most developers are frustrated with having to design separate apps for desktop and mobile devices. Using Kony Quantum, users can design one app that allowed for instant access via desktop or mobile device–across all platforms.
While organizations will continue to have the need for Native Apps to provide exceptional experiences, Progressive Web Apps will help them improve user engagement. They can do this by adding an additional PWA channel or by upgrading their current web applications to PWAs. The three major app platforms—Microsoft, Google and Apple—are all pushing PWAs. Developers need to act now in order to get ahead of the curve. Through mobile browsing habits and PWA statistics, users have already made their mobile app preferences known. Many developers are already realizing that PWA will become the standard in the future, as a result the pace of PWA adoption is rapidly increasing.
Faizan Khalidi is a Senior Director of Product Management at Kony, Inc. As a member of the Kony's AppPlatform Product Management team, he is responsible for the front-end design & development platform including Kony Visualizer and the Native & Web frameworks. Before his current role, Faizan held engineering and architect roles in the Services and the Product organizations. He holds a master's degree in Software Engineering and a bachelor's degree in Computer Science Engineering and is based in Orlando, FL. Follow him on Linked in at Faizan Khalidi.
progressive web apps PWAs kony quantum native apps
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Infographic: Digital Chasm

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Head to these salons for spray tanning in NYC to look your best, whether it's the dead of winter or you're avoiding UV rays on the 4th of July. Safer than baking outside in the heat at NYC parks, these sunbathing spots offer an even tan—along with other top spa treatments. Congratulations, you're now one step closer to having your dream beach bod!
This West Village tanning salon has been keeping New Yorkers bronze for 14 years. You can opt for either high-tech tanning bed or a UV-free spray tan by one of its certified artists. Plus, it offers teeth whitening as a rather unique add-on, so you can get bronze skin and a bright smile all at once.
This place has earned a reputation of having an exceptionally nice staff and tidy facilities. You can get a fresh spray tan for just 25 bucks and leave looking like you've just flown in from Maui.
If you want consistently bronze skin and a good value, this spot will hook you up—there are multiple package deals for spray tans ranging from one to 10 sessions, and even more options for custom tans. And for $79 per month, you can sign up for a Platinum Membership here and get unlimited access to both spray and bed tanning.
While this joint only offers spray tans, the employees are gifted painters—and deliver a thoroughly au natural look. Don't worry about leaving here with an orange complexion or anything resembling those orange streaks you had after attempting self tanner at home.
The prevailing atmosphere at this location is one of relaxation and sophistication, with wrought iron furnishings (including candelabras) and a vaguely European feel. The spray tans here are organic, and as a day spa, this spot also offers massages.
This spot sells both UV and airbrush tans, giving the best New York beaches a fierce competition. It also offers group packages, in case you want the whole gang to glow before a night out.
If you'd rather not sprawl out in Prospect Park next to loud families picnicking or twentysomethings ineptly playing Frisbee, head here for a faux glow. You can also get a free tan with the purchase of a (generously sized) lotion kit.
This pamper-perfect locale has top-notch tanning offerings—plus manicures, waxing and pretty much anything you would want from the best spas in NYC. A joint nail salon and tanning salon that gets your beautifying done in one shot? We're sold.
This tanning salon provides the option to stand up or lie down while you soak up some rays. It also has low-intensity beds if you're a fake-tan newbie or are aiming for just sun-kissed instead of Ross Geller levels of orange.
Looking to get a tan at the beach?
Summer's here! Time to put on those shades, fill the cooler and lie out on the sand at the best New York beaches.


|	[http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/Eliz/REQ1no47/REQ1no47verso/IMG_0389.htm]	||	||	Richard Gomersall	||	Dionisse Fisher	||	Debt. Interrogatories to be put to complt.
|	[http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/Eliz/REQ1no47/REQ1no47verso/IMG_0392.htm]	||	||	Mary Thwaites	||	Dame Adelin Nevill	||	several causes where parties are both complt & deft.
|	[http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/Eliz/REQ1no47/REQ1no47recto/IMG_0071.htm]	||	||	Thomas Whyte, clerk	||	John Fauston & Edmond Fauston	||	Complt to deliver into court the sum of money due upon the agreement confessed, or else the lease of the parsonage of Okeforde Phispayne made by Robert R..de, clerk, to John Pyston.
|	[http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/Eliz/REQ1no47/REQ1no47recto/IMG_0086.htm]	||	||	John Parkes	||	John Lever	||	"... yf the plts wyef will live with him as becometh a duetifull wyef .... court will proceed to take further order for her relief	..."
|	[http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/Eliz/REQ1no47/REQ1no47recto/IMG_0106.htm]	||	||	Robert Malam & others	||	Robert Markham ||	Mem: The deft Robert Markham & also Adam Blackmore & Jerom Speede his followers or adherents comitted to the Fleet for sundry outrageous behaviours & contempts. County of Notts.
|	[http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT7/Eliz/REQ1no47/REQ1no47recto/IMG_0107.htm]	||	||	Thomas Higgins & Amy his wife	||	Edward Bedle & Robert Bishopp	||	Deft requires copies of court rolls from Hunts.


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We utilize the latest dental technologies and techniques to help you achieve a healthy smile.
We are here to maximize the health of your smile. Make an appointment with us today.
We strive to make your dental experience stress-free and comfortable. Contact us today.
We offer in-office sedation dentistry.
We proudly serve Cannon Air Force Base.
Utilize the latest dental technology and techniques.
We accept most insurance and have financing options available.


If you would like additional information that's not listed here, please use the information request form at the bottom of the page.
We also have Sunday School classes for children and adults during the 9:00 hour. Be sure to check out our Connect! program for children during the 10:20 hour.
Our parking lot has reserved spaces for those with physical handicaps, with convenient access to the church entrance. Although it's an old building (built in 1926 and expanded in 1954) the church building is fully handicapped-accessible, with appropriate ramps and an elevator to most levels of the church (the balcony in the sanctuary is not handicapped-accessible). Special restroom facilities for the handicapped are also available. There are reserved seating areas for wheelchairs in the sanctuary, too.
Our sanctuary has a fully-modern amplification system, with wireless receivers for those who need hearing assistance. Just ask an usher.
Here's a Google map to help you find us.
Weather-related closing information will be posted here on our website, and on our Facebook page.
Covenant Church also has an automated call system to inform church attendees when services are affected by inclement weather. If the church office has your home phone number in our database you will automatically receive a call when morning services are cancelled. If you do not want to be called, please inform the church office as soon as possible.
Weather-related schedule information is also posted at WGAL-TV's website, www.wgal.com/weather/closings. Closing information is also available on their mobile app.
Weather-related schedule information is also reported to both WJTL 90.3 FM and WDAC 94.5 FM radio stations, and posted on their websites, wjtl.com and wdac.com.
Unfortunately, Lancaster's Red Rose Transit does not schedule any public transit bus routes convenient to Covenant Church on Sunday mornings. However, Red Rose Access shared ride transit may be available for elderly and disabled persons who are not able to walk or drive themselves to worship services. Friendly Transportation taxi service is also available.
What about my kids? Do they sit with me?
The answer depends on their ages and which worship service you choose to attend. Your children are always welcome to worship with you, no matter what. However, we do offer Sunday school classes for nursery, pre-school and elementary age children during the 9:00 worship hour, and we offer an extended Sunday school during the 10:20 worship hour.
Be assured that your children will be in good hands. In order to protect our children, we have instituted policies that comply with the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Safe Sanctuaries policy. Click here for more information on our United Methodist Safe Sanctuaries policy.
Our youth Sunday school for junior and senior high age groups is held in the downstairs Youth area during the 10:20 worship hour. Young people are encouraged to participate in the 9:00 AM contemporary worship service.
Well, we believe that the act of giving tithes and offerings to God is an important part of worship. But as a first-time visitor you will not be asked to give money. Instead, we only ask that you fill out a visitor information card and put it in the offering plate, so that we have a record of your visit.
What is the environment like?
We hope you'll find Covenant to be a friendly and welcoming place. Please take the time to enjoy complimentary coffee, light snacks and fellowship in the Gathering Area outside the sanctuary. We worship in a very traditional sanctuary with a high, arched ceiling, wooden pews, an altar, candles, liturgical/seasonal decorations, and flowers. But we also have a modern sound system and a big projection screen where you'll see the words to hymns and praise songs. Click here to see pictures of our beautiful sanctuary.
There's no dress code, so please wear what you feel comfortable wearing. Business casual might be best for our traditional worship services, while seasonal casual is best for our contemporary worship services. You might see people wearing jeans and tee shirts, or suits and dressy outfits, and just about anything in between, and that's OK. We'll be delighted to welcome you no matter what!
Music varies depending on the Sunday morning service you choose to attend. Traditional worship at 10:20 AM has traditional hymns and anthems with organ and piano. If you choose our 9:00 AM contemporary worship service, you'll be singing the latest contemporary praise and worship songs and choruses with our Praise Team.
Yes, you'll find easy WIFI access throughout the building. Look for the easy security settings posted in the Gathering Area. Note that we do change the security settings from time to time, and we generally ask that you turn off those electronic devices during worship.
Is there anything we've left out, or are there questions you would like us to answer? Please use the form below.


text:
Real Name: Thomas Raymond
Identity/Class: Human mutant
Occupation: Adventurer
Affiliations: Golden Age Human Torch, All Winners Squad, Young Allies
Silver Age Kid Commandoes, Invaders
Enemies: Golden Age Red Skull, Asbestos Lady
Silver Age Battle-Axis, Super Axis
Known Relatives: Silver Age Anne (wife), Fred Raymond (father, deceased), Nora Raymond (mother, deceased)
Aliases: The Flaming Kid
Base of Operations: U.S.A.
First Appearance: Human Torch Comics #2 (Timely, August 1940)
Powers/Abilities: Immune to fire, able to generate heat and flames, able to fly.
History: (Human Torch #2-31, Marvel Mystery Comics #19-88, Young Allies #1-20, ga) Orphaned when his parents died in a train wreck (revealed during the Silver Age to have been caused by the villainous Asbestos Lady), Thomas Raymond was adopted into Pop's Travelling Circus. Since he appeared immune to heat, he trained as a fire-eater using the name Toro, until the day came when the heroic Human Torch was passing, and witnessed his act. The Torch was intrigued, and approached Toro to ask him about his abilities. The heat from his own body caused Toro's powers to activate for the first time, and he too burst into flame. The Torch took Toro on as his sidekick. Toro adventured both with his partner, and alongside other teenage crimefighters as part of the Young Allies.
(Invaders I #1-41, Marvels #1) Toro fought the Nazis both as part of the Invaders and the Kid Commandoes.
(All Winners Comics #1, ga) No synopsis available.
(What If? I #4) In 1945 the Invaders were shocked to learn of the apparent deaths of Bucky and Captain America, blown up over the English Channel. Around this same time, Toro accompanied the Torch in attacking Berlin itself, where they invaded Hitler's bunker. Toro was one of the few people to witness the death of the leader of the Fourth Reich, burned to death by his android partner.
(Captain America Annual #6) At the end of the war, the Invaders travelled to Japan to destroy and solar-powered prototype tank.
(What If? I #4) After the end of the war, the Invaders agreed to stay together at the request of the President, but changed their name to the All-Winners Squad.
(All-Winners Comics #19, ga) The All-Winners Squad defeated Isbisa, possibly the first nuclear terrorist.
(What If? I #4) Toro was present when the android Adam II attempted to assassinate a young and up-coming politician, a fight in which one Captain America lost his life (the Spirit of '76), and another took up the mantle (the Patriot).
(All-Winners Comics #21, ga) The All-Winners Squad battled the Future Man and Madame Death.
(She-Hulk II #22) The All-Winners Squad encountered the She-Hulk, a heroine who had travelled back in time, while trying to recover a stolen nuclear weapon.
(Human Torch Comics #36, fb, ga) Toro took a break from adventuring to look after his sick foster mother (meantime the Torch gained a new sidekick, Sun Girl). He returned to the Torch's side eventually, only for the two of them to be ambushed by criminals who used a chemical supplied by the Soviets to depower them. The Torch appeared to die, and the crooks buried him in the Nevada Desert. Toro was handed over to the communists in return for their help.
(Human Torch Comics #36-38, ga) When the Human Torch awoke again in 1953 he tracked down Toro, rescued his brainwashed partner, and together the two returned to adventuring.
(Saga of the Original Human Torch #4, Avengers I #134, Sub-Mariner I #14) Only a couple of years later, the Torch's powers went out of control, and he appeared to kill himself rather than become a threat to the world. Toro retired, married and settled down. Years later he heard that the Torch had briefly returned, only to die again. Toro attended his funeral, but was kidnapped by the Mad Thinker as he left, brainwashed, and sent into battle against the Sub-Mariner. Freed from the Thinker's control, Toro led his old ally to the criminal, but died trying to capture him.
Comments: Thanks to Jess Nevins for allowing me to use information from his excellent Golden Age Heroes Directory and his Guide to Golden Age Marvel Characters. Thanks also to Richard Boucher & Darrin Wiltshire @ PR-Publications for permission to use information from their equally brilliant collection of Golden Age Sites, PR Publications. Their knowledge of Golden Age characters far outstrips my own.
CLARIFICATIONS: None.
Back to US Independents Page


text:
/ Reviews
/ One From Many; 29:11
Reviews Uncategorized
One From Many; 29:11
Sebastian Cole 5 January 2016
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ofmmusic/
This Portland, Oregon based four piece, formerly known as FarCry, follows up their critically lauded debut The Alleged Album with a five song EP called 29:11. The vague title refers to a passage in the Holy Bible's Book of Jeremiah and provides a kind of thematic jumping off point for the collection. Over the course of 29:11's five songs, lyricist Andrew Supina contends with the psychic wreckage from broken relationships, particularly those between lovers and family. The album focuses musically on acoustic guitar and vocals but they are rendered with outstanding clarity and carry deceptive sonic weight. One From Many's skills as arrangers are unquestionable – each of the five selections features sturdy songwriting with depth and entertainment for all. Despite the personal nature of the material, 29:11 is never inaccessible.
Anyone with a certain amount of age and experience can relate to "Like a Ghost". While not all of us have experienced this narrative with a parent, adulthood rarely spares anyone the pain of abandonment and unresolved grief. The cathartic qualities driving the song's drama never overshadow its musical merit. Supina and guitarist Josh McCormick are chiefly responsible for conjuring a moody ambiance that strengthens the lyrical content. "These Three Words" brims over with emotion, not nearly as dark as those heard in the opening number, but it's nevertheless another decidedly adult number about facing our fears to love. Though it has an appealing commercial edge, it never panders fantasies of happily ever after, but Supina's soaring vocals help it fly high, especially in the rousing chorus. The EP's centerpiece, "Apology", has another glittering vocal melody never undercut by the song's intensity. Supina goes for his own throat here and renders a litany of regrets with such impassioned fervor that you can't help but wonder if he collapsed in a chair after cutting his vocal.
The album's last two songs, "Promise Forever" and "Afterglow", slow things down even more than earlier efforts. The "brisker" of the two, "Promise Forever", is a masterpiece of conversational lyrics elevated to something poetic. Supina's nuanced vocal and the introduction of a contrasting female voice for harmony vocals brings a musicality to the song lacking before. "Afterglow" finishes the album in an early morning haze of woozy tempos and bleary-eyed reflection, but it's impossible to not hear in the music a sort of settling, like a flower petal falling to earth. It isn't hard to imagine that, perhaps subconsciously, Supina viewed this EP release as a final word on his own broken marriage and "Afterglow" is his clearest signal that he has finished pronouncing last rites over the corpse.
One From Many have solidified, with this release, a growing reputation as one of the most thoughtful outfits in indie music today. Material like this poises them mere inches from another level – every element works in sympathy with the other and, as the phrase goes, the sum is greater than its individual parts. 29:11 will impress the band's fan base but, most importantly, will garner the band an assortment of new fans.
8 out of 10 stars.
Richard Felton
"You're My Little Cowgirl" from Dudley Allen.
"That's What Winston Churchill Said" – Tom Tikka
Jeremy Parsons' Releases New LP
Evan Troop's debut collection The Next Chapter EP
The Nesrallah Artuso Project Releases New Music
"Black Jackal" by Paul Jacks
Singer/Songwriter Mauri Dark Releases LP
Singer/Songwriter Francine Honey's "Can't Press Reset"
Guitarist Darren Michael Boyd Release Sophomore Album


The small Harold's Tankbag camera bag in Dothebag design comes in a matt black tone and is your stylish companion for all cases. This camera bag is equipped with the Tenax closure system, a special closure technique with secure snap buttons that is unique for all Dothebag camera bags. Due to this closure system your camera gear is protected yet accessible within seconds.


text:
Pierre-Jean Herbinger, né le  à Beaumont-sur-Oise, Seine-et-Oise, mort le  à Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, est un combattant de la Première Guerre mondiale, devenu ingénieur civil des mines, puis officier de renseignement de la France libre pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, Compagnon de la Libération. Il est surtout connu comme fondateur et chef du réseau Mithridate.

Biographie

Première Guerre mondiale, puis ingénieur
Pierre-Jean Herbinger prend brillamment part à la fin de la Première Guerre mondiale. Il y est blessé puis réformé mais reçoit la Croix de guerre.

Il reprend ensuite des études, à la faculté de Strasbourg puis à celle de Nancy. Docteur en Sciences, il est ensuite ingénieur civil des mines.

La France libre
Herbinger refuse l'armistice. Selon l'ordre de la Libération, il se trouve en Espagne en  ; selon Noguères, c'est de France qu'il se rend au Portugal. Il s'engage à Lisbonne le  dans les services de la France libre, auprès d'un contact qui lui permet d'en recevoir les consignes.

Il est alors affilié au Bureau central de renseignements et d'action (Service de renseignement) du colonel Passy. Il retourne en France le , chargé de la mission d'y créer un réseau de renseignement militaire.

Le réseau Mithridate

Il fonde avec Fernand Gibelin en  le réseau « Mithridate », qui s'étend sur la Côte d'Azur, en Italie et dans les îles de Sardaigne et de Corse. Les renseignements militaires sont obtenus à partir de voiliers observant les navires de guerre italiens. Herbinger prend lui-même part à plusieurs missions d'observation en voiliers. Les résultats de ces observations permettent aux Anglais de rejoindre et couler plusieurs navires de la Marine italienne.

Il organise un autre réseau en , implanté en Bretagne nord et aux alentours de Lille. À la même époque, le réseau Mithridate est en partie démantelé par plusieurs arrestations et la neutralisation de deux succursales, en Italie et sur la Côte d'Azur. Lui-même est arrêté par la police française, et torturé. Il est emprisonné à Clermont-Ferrand, puis à Riom en . C'est l'intervention de l'ambassadeur des États-Unis à Vichy qui permet sa libération.

Herbinger, qui a pris le pseudonyme de Bressac, est arrêté une deuxième fois en . Mais il parvient à s'évader. Il est condamné par contumace à dix ans de prison en août suivant, puis à la peine de mort. À l'époque de cette condamnation par contumace, il échappe à une troisième arrestation, cette fois par la Gestapo dont l'étau se resserre ; deux Allemands sont abattus et il arrive à s'enfuir.

Il donne un nouvel élan à son réseau de  à . Le réseau Mithridate qu'il a créé étend ses ramifications à Paris, dans le Nord, en Bretagne, à Bordeaux et à Bayonne. Des réseaux secondaires sont implantés à Toulouse, à Marseille, à Saint-Raphaël, à Lyon, dans les Alpes, dans le Jura, ainsi qu'en Normandie.

Jusqu'à cette année 1943, lui et son réseau dépendent principalement de l'Intelligence Service. Il est autorisé par les Anglais à se rapprocher du Bureau central de renseignements et d'action (BCRA) dirigé par le colonel Passy. Il récolte des renseignements militaires de la zone occupée et de la zone libre, à partir des principales villes de France.

Herbinger se rend à Londres de mai à . Il fait homologuer son réseau, son organisation et ses agents par les services de la France libre.

Vagues d'arrestations
Quand il revient en France, son organisation est atteinte par une vague d'arrestations ; son centre de Paris et celui de Bretagne sont anéantis. Deux mois plus tard, son second, André Aalberg alias « Jean-Louis », est blessé en tentant de s'évader lors de son arrestation le  et meurt peu après, à Clermont-Ferrand. La centrale locale du réseau est elle aussi annihilée, de même que celle de Lyon trois jours après, avec l'arrestation de tous les agents de la partie lyonnaise. Herbinger alias Bressac échappe à l'arrestation.

C'est à Paris qu'il installe son nouveau quartier général en . Pendant trois mois, il s'efforce de reconstituer et renforcer son organisation. Malgré les nombreuses arrestations, il réussit à faire parvenir à Londres dix importants courriers de renseignements. Il retourne à Londres en  jusqu'au  suivant, et revient chargé d'implanter et développer un programme de transmissions radio.

Mais il est arrêté lui-même trois semaines plus tard par la Gestapo le  ; blessé de deux balles dans le ventre, il est emprisonné dans l'hôpital-prison de la Pitié. Bien que gravement blessé d'une quadruple perforation, il est torturé longuement le , puis laissé pour mort pendant trois jours. Dix jours plus tard, il est opéré ; il essaye de s'évader le .

À la suite de sa tentative d'évasion, il est d'abord transféré dans la prison de Fresnes, puis transféré en Belgique à la Prison de Saint-Gilles. Condamné à mort par les Allemands, il est emmené le  à destination des camps d'extermination, mais libéré le lendemain au cours de son transfert, grâce à une opération du Front de la Résistance belge.

Il est créé Compagnon de la Libération par le décret du .

Après-guerre

La guerre terminée, il reprend sa carrière d'ingénieur. Il devient président-directeur général d'une entreprise minière dans le Gard.

Pierre-Jean Herbinger meurt le  à Nice, dans les Alpes-Maritimes, à cause d'un accident de la route. Il est enterré à Saint-Raphaël, dans le Var.

Hommages et distinctions

  par décret du

  (2 citations)
  par décret du 31 mars 1947
  (Royaume-Uni) ;
  (Belgique).

Notes et références

Bibliographie
 .
  .
 .
 .

Voir aussi

Articles connexes
 Appel du 18 Juin
 Résistance intérieure française
 France libre
 Liste des Compagnons de la Libération

Liens externes
 .
 .

Naissance en Seine-et-Oise
Naissance en décembre 1899
Naissance à Beaumont-sur-Oise
Bureau central de renseignements et d'action
Compagnon de la Libération
Mort dans un accident de la route en France
Officier de la Légion d'honneur
Officier des Forces françaises libres (terrestres)
Personnalité du renseignement
Réseau Mithridate
Résistant français
Titulaire de la croix de guerre 1939-1945
Décès en avril 1972
Décès à 72 ans
Décès à Nice

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I came across a new-to-me archive of Civil War letters recently. The project, "Corpus of American Civil War Letters," under the direction of Michael Ellis, Missouri State University, and Michael Montgomery, University of South Carolina, has amassed quite a collection of letters written during the Civil War – nearly 10,000 letters and diaries written by soldiers and their families from both sides of the conflict.
The writings are often phonetic, without proper spelling, grammar, or punctuation, but written with sincerity to friends or family members — never intended for the larger audience that they now reach.
Browse through transcriptions and databases to get a sense of the private lives of possibly your own ancestors, Private Voices.