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Rail News >
Great Western Main Line Capacity Upgrade
Great Western Main Line to Receive Capacity Upgrade
Published 18th May 2012
£350 Million to be spent on new and improved infrastructure
LONDON - Network Rail will be spending around £350 Million on infrastructure improvements on the Great Western Main Line, between London and Bristol and London and Cardiff
The most important of these changes is the preparation and groundwork of a new regional control centre at Didcot. This centre would control all signalling along these routes.
It is anticipated that this work will improve reliability and punctuality, driving delay minutes as a result of non-robust signalling and infrastructure. The signalling along the route has become greatly aged, and is in dire need of upgrade.
As the route between London and Reading is anticipated to gain overhead electrification, the vast number of signals mounted on gantries in this area will be taken down and placed on regular posts.
Southern links strengthened
In the Reading area, the Reading area upgrade is already well underway, and is financed outside of this package. This includes the provision of four new platforms and the re-instatement of the southern route grade separated junction to the east of the station to create easier access to and from the Southern electrified network.
The new platforms serving Waterloo services were brought into service earlier this year and the connectional line doubled to ease congestion.
New flyover and signalling
A new flyover will be constructed across the existing FGW train depot to the west of the station along with a new train depot on the north side of the GWML.
The extra spending will however provide various signalling improvements between Reading and Newbury, allowing for more capacity. This is in addition to major works carried out a decade ago at Didcot East Junction and at Reading to enable the intensive Cross Country train service to operate.
Improvements off the main line
In the Oxford area, slow speed crossovers will be dealt with to improve punctuality and reduce the amount of time that a conflicting movement will take. It is likely that a new platform will be built to further ease capacity constraints.
In 2014, more than £40 Million will be spent on the doubling of track between Swindon and Kemble, as well as signalling and infrastructure improvements towards Chippenham.
More tracks at Bristol?
The greatest spend will be in the vicinity of Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads, Filton Abbey Wood and Parson Street. This will include track remodelling around Temple Meads station to allow for more local services to Avonmouth, Weston Super Mare, Bristol Parkway and Newport. The Bristol area is currently in the grip of a surge in passenger numbers on local journeys.
Tracks could be reinstated in the Filton area making the line a four track route rather than the current 2-track link out of Bristol Temple Meads to Bristol Parkway and South Wales.
First Great Western
Nicholas Hair
Phil Marsh


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Countries With the Strictest Travel Requirements
Godolphin Stars at Dubai World Cup Night
By S. Jack Heffernan Ph.D on April 1, 2018 Comments Off on Godolphin Stars at Dubai World Cup Night
If the relevance of the G1 Dubai World Cup and its supporting races had ever been questioned, an emphatic reply was sent to all critics with Saturday's glittering 23rd running serving up a series of stunning results that attracted global attention.
by J A McGrath at Godolphin
Yes, Thunder Snow (Helmet) was fantastic seeing off his rivals in the World Cup, Hawkbill (Kitten's Joy) courageous in his defiance of all in the G1 Sheema Classic, Jungle Cat (Iffraaj) game to the bitter end in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint, and Benbatl (Dubawi) classy as ever in the G1 Dubai Turf.
What a brilliant night's racing — the stars twinkled above Meydan as the equine version dazzled on the Turf and Dirt below.
Godolphin Blue was the only colour coding required to gain access to the winner's enclosure, certainly in the elite races on this highly impressive card.
Results in the big races were testimony to the high level of skill and hard work supplied by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin teams under trainers Saeed bin Suroor and Charlie Appleby.
They also underlined the dominance of Darley stallions on the big night, with five of the eight winners of the thoroughbred races being by those currently on its roster.
Heavy Metal (Exceed And Excel) took the opening G2 Godolphin Mile in the colours of the Crown Prince Of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, while Vazirabad (Manduro), in the green and red of His Highness The Aga Khan, completed a unique hat-trick of wins in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup.
Also, the amazing victory of the Aidan O'Brien-trained Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) in the G2 UAE Derby, by a staggering 18 and a half lengths, saw him become a major contender for the G1 Kentucky Derby, in yet another endorsement of the night.
Two decades ago, many in the racing world were mildly amused when Sheikh Mohammed announced he would stage a major race meeting in Dubai. Then, when he said he would put on a $10m race, they were flabbergasted.
But the decision has changed global racing — forever. European horses are training in winter to prepare, their American counterparts remain on the go long past the Breeders' Cup, while the Japanese and Australians taper their running plans when they find suitable candidates.
Dubai World Cup night is truly a 'must' on the international racing calendar, with the results likely to have a major influence on plans and assessments of horses for the rest of the year.
Thunder Snow has emerged as one of the most versatile and durable Godolphin runners in recent times.
Already a G1 winner on Turf at two and three, he showed incredible determination to win the UAE Derby last year and followed it up, 12 months later, with his brilliant triumph in the Dubai World Cup.
All four Godolphin winners are older horses, who have long graduated from the demands of their Classic year.
The way is now clear for them to bring further credence to Dubai World Cup night in some of the world's major races in the months ahead.
Godolphin Stars at Dubai World Cup Night added by S. Jack Heffernan Ph.D on April 1, 2018
View all posts by S. Jack Heffernan Ph.D →
S. Jack Heffernan Ph.D
CEO at HEFFX
S. Jack Heffernan Ph.D. Funds Manager at HEFFX holds a Ph.D. in Economics and brings with him over 25 years of trading experience in Asia and hands on experience in Venture Capital, he has been involved in several start ups that have seen market capitalization over $500m and 1 that reach a peak market cap of $15b. He has managed and overseen start ups in Mining, Shipping, Technology and Financial Services.
Latest posts by S. Jack Heffernan Ph.D (see all)
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Vanuatu (formerly called the New Hebrides Islands) is a line of volcanic islands and submarine volcanoes 1,400 miles (2,300 km) east of northeast Australia. There are 13 main islands, nine of which are home to active volcanoes. Espiritu Santo and Malekula are older islands made of Miocene (5-24 million years old) andesitic volcanic rocks. Volcanic rocks on Maewo and Pentecost islands are also Miocene in age. Map with islands (names on left) and volcanoes (names to right of islands) from Fisher (1957).
The geologically recent tectonic history of this region is complex. Colley and Warden suggested that the Miocene volcanic rocks were related to south-westward directed subduction. Present-day volcanism is related to the north-eastward directed subduction of the Australian Plate beneath the edge of the Pacific Plate. The two plates converge at a rate of about 9 cm/year. A divergent plate boundary (called a spreading center or spreading axis) is east of Vanuatu. Modified from Monzier and others (1997).
Volcanoes of Vanuatu
Aoba
East Epi
Kuwae
Lopevi
Mere Lava
North Vate
Soretimeat
Traitor's Head
Yasur.html
Sources of information on the volcanoes of Vanuatu (New Hebrides Islands).
404 Error Page | Volcano World | Oregon State University
This page has (probably) been moved!
Hello Volcano Fans!
As you might have noticed we are in the process of changing to a new style of website. This is a significant upgrade over all previous versions of VW and will allow this website to carry on for some time into the future without any further changes. We understand and apologize that things have been changing so often here, but each step has been required for us to keep the website going. This change will guarantee that VW is always up to date!
Most of the older content is still here!!
I suggest using the search box on the homepage first.
You can also try our sitemap @ http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/view/sitemap
Questions and comments can be emailed to us at: volcanoworld@lists.oregonstate.edu
Click here to proceed to the VW homepage!


ANNAPOLIS — The calendar may still say July, but it's never too early for parents to plan to attend Back-To-School Night at their child's school.
More than 78,000 students are expected to enter Anne Arundel County classrooms when the school year kicks off on Aug. 26, and Back-To-School Nights provide parents with a chance to learn more about the instruction their children are receiving and the teachers who are providing that instruction.
Back-to-school events begin on August 22 for parents of students at Monarch Academy Public Charter School. Detailed information on dates can be found here or on the school system's website.
Scholarship to honor life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


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VolleyMob's Female Volleyball Nations League Power Rankings
0 Liam Smith | May 15th, 2018 | Asian Volleyball, European volleyball, FIVB Nations League - Women, International Volleyball, News, NORCECA volleyball, Pro Indoor, South American Volleyball
Sports betting is now legal - Don't do it before reading our Power Rankings Current Photo via FIVB
2018 FIVB Nations League - Women
Event PageFIVB Landing Page Schedule/Results Format Power Rankings Final Preliminary Standings Final 6 Brackets
More 2018 FIVB Nations League - Women
After Libero Experiment Fails, Jaqueline Retires From Brazil's NT
Jaqueline Endre's libero adventure didn't pan out
VNL's Best Libero Suelen Pinto Undergoes Hand Surgery
Brazil has a massive hole at the libero position
Inside The Numbers: Women's VNL Final Stats
Looking at the numbers from just the final round, China's Zhu Ting, who was in and out of the lineup during the preliminary matches, posted the highest scoring tally with 87 points
Projected Women's FIVB World Rankings after the VNL Finals
With the USA Women's national team winning the first Volleyball Nations League championship last weekend in Nanjing, China. The FIVB…
Coach Guimarães Talks About Brazil Being Out Of VNL's Podium
"I know we're going to get a lot of criticism in Brazil for the fourth place"
Kiraly Adding to His Legacy as a Coach
Karch Kiraly is one of the greatest, if not the greatest volleyball players of all time, and he is the only player to win Olympic gold medals in beach and indoor. After winning the VNL, he is continuing to build his legacy as a coach.
American Michelle Bartsch-Hackley Named MVP of 2018 #VNL
After leading Team USA to gold in the first-ever FIVB Nations League gold medal match, Michelle Bartsch-Hackley was named MVP of the tournament.
USA Comes Back vs. Turkey Again to Win #VNL in 5; China Downs Brazil for Bronze
Kimberly Hill led the way for the U.S. for the match and in the comeback to overcome Turkey for Gold on the final day of the 2018 VNL.
The Final for the 2018 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League is Set
It's become clear that the American's path to gold is the right arm of Michelle Bartsch-Hackley (#14).
#VNL Semifinals: Turkey Upends Brazil, USA Downs Host China in Semis
Turkey upended Brazil to reach the finals where they will face USA, who downed host and top-ranked China in four sets.
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2018 FIVB WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL NATIONS LEAGUE
Dates 15 May – 1 July
Pool 1 Preview
Week 1 Rosters
In a decision passed 6-3 on Monday, the US Supreme Court struck down the 1992 federal law titled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, or PASPA for short, which had forbidden the majority of US states from legalizing sports gambling. If you are going to commemorate this by betting on volleyball, then you must surely read our power rankings for the inaugural edition of FIVB's VNL.
Role Players Tier
The following teams' main goal will be to avoid relegation from the tournament, and give its youngsters a chance to experience international volleyball in hopes they develop into good players. Trust the process.
#16 – Argentina
The weakest of the challenging teams, Argentina's sole purpose in this tournament is to give its young players some international experience. The team is desperately trying to reinvent itself, as long-time stars Emilce Sosa (middle-blocker) and Yael Castiglione (setter) have retired from international play. If it escapes relegation, there will be reasons for fireworks. It will be a very tough mission.
Soon to be 29-years-old, Julieta Lazcano, the team's captain, is one of the few players on the roster with vast international experience. Playing in the French League since 2011, the 6'3″ middle blocker has played with Argentina's national team since 2006, including 4 Grand Prix, 1 World Championship, and 1 Olympic Games. Her biggest task this season is to anchor the team's defense and lift the spirits of her young teammates.
No pierdo mi gracia de gimnasta 😏 fotuli: @greg_cap_photography #yoga #volleyball #warmup
A post shared by Julieta Lazcano (@julietalazcano) on Mar 31, 2018 at 10:45am PDT
#15 – Belgium
Belgium is taking into NVL the competition's youngest squad, with a roster of an average age of 20-years-old. The team, which would probably be better fit in an NCAA field, will have a very hard time surviving against the world's toughest players.
6'2″ opposite Kaja Grobelna is one of the best young hitters in the tournament. Playing in Poland's national league this season, she was the 2nd best rated attacker of the competition, hitting at 38% clip, although she did tend to get overwhelmed when the team tried to run its offense solely through her.
What can I say? Thank you Budowlani Lodz for this amazing 2 seasons in Poland. Because of you I had the chance to turn my dreams in to reality. I met a lot of amazing people who will be forever in my heart. Thank you for everything ❤ Now it's time for a new chapter. I'm very excited to announce that next season I will represent my new club Busto Arsizio! See you soon 🇮🇹! :))
A post shared by Kaja Grobelna (@kajagrobelna) on May 7, 2018 at 10:36am PDT
#14 – Poland
The once super power of the European continent, it's safe to say that Poland's national team has enjoyed better days. With most of its stars long retired from the
national team, the team's biggest focus now is on its rebuild. Fans should brace themselves, because it's not going to be pretty.
6'5″ giant middle-blocker Agnieszka Kąkolewska, the team's captain, is also its biggest rising star. After several seasons shining in the Polish League, she is now
being courted by Europe's best teams, who see in the player amazing size and leadership. Although only 23 years old, she'll have to carry a very heavy load for her squad. The VNL is the perfect stage for her to finally transition into a star and cash huge checks in Europe's top leagues.
Dziś swoje urodziny obchodzi#AgnieszkaKąkolewska 🎂 Wszystkiego najlepszego Aga! #budowlanitomy #grotbudowlaniłódź #urodziny #stolat Grafika: @kasiakoz_13
A post shared by Grot Budowlani Łódź (@budowlani_lodz) on Oct 17, 2017 at 2:23am PDT
#13 – Germany
Since reunification, the German team has enjoyed only ocasional success in Europe, winning continental bronze in 2011 and 2013. Since then, it has oscillated greatly in performance in the following years. In Grand Prix play, the team enjoyed a few years of good performance in Group 1, but was relegated to group 2 in 2016. With most of its roster comprised of players from the German League, the team lacks firepower to pose as a danger to the competition's best foes.
Louisa Lippmann is a natural born scorer. She led all scorers in Group 2 of last year's World Grand Prix, and was also that year's highest scorer of the Montreux
Masters tournament. Even though she is only 23 years old, she knows she'll have to carry the team on her back.
75 Spiele in 💛💙 DANKE für 2 unglaubliche Jahre mit so viel Spaß, Liebe und wunderbaren Menschen! @ssc.palmberg.schwerin #geminsamzumziel #IMOVEME
A post shared by Louisa (@louisa_lippmann) on May 6, 2018 at 12:48am PDT
Real Long-shots Tier
These teams have one thing in common: lonely superstars who can't change their team's fates by themselves.
#12 – South Korea
Easily the weakest of the core teams. Having enjoyed success in the early 2010's, with a 2012 Olympic Games 4th place finish and a 2014 Asian Games gold medal, the team has just lost too many of its players, and now has no chance to contend. If South Korea is to become a power in volleyball again, it will have to start from
scratch.
Kim Yeon-Koung is a superstar, but she will shine alone in the team. She is the team's best hitter, receiver, and server, and one of its best blockers. She'll be asked
to carry an absurd load in all of game's fundamentals. But not even an Olympic Games MVP like herself can do miracles on the court. After all, volleyball is a team game.
오늘 저녁 23:10분 KBS 대국민토크쇼 안녕하세요 많은 시청 부탁드려요📺 🌸
A post shared by 김연경 Yeon Koung Kim (@kimyk10) on May 7, 2018 at 5:29am PDT
#11 – Turkey
A third place finisher in last year's European Championship, the Turkish national team has seen its roster be emptied since then. Star players such as Gozde Kirdar have retired, while superstar team captain Naz Aydemir has taken the year off to get pregnant. Needless to say, this will be a completely revamped Turkish squad. But with most of its players having never played in senior competitions before, it stands no chance against the more experienced teams.
Hande Baladin, the youngster from Eczacibasi, has enjoyed a lot of success in one of the world's toughest professional leagues, even though she is only 21 years old. She won MVP honors in last year's FIVB U23 World Championship, leading Turkey to the title. This will be one of her first chances to make her name now on the senior circuit.
Locked in! 🔒
A post shared by • Hande Baladın (@handebaladin) on Apr 23, 2018 at 10:52am PDT
#10 – Thailand
Thailand plays the perfect example of what many call Asian-defensive volleyball. It is a tough team to play against, often causing huge headaches for opposing coaches. However, as of right now it just lacks talent to actually contend with the best teams. Most of its players come from the Thai league, which isn't know from its competitiveness. The fact that it is, along with Japan, the tournament's shortest team, with an average height of 5'9″, doesn't help much either.
Nootsara Tomkom is a superstar. The diminutive setter is one of the world's best at her position. She knows, however, that the team doesn't have much else besides her.
เย็นนี้เริ่มแล้ว วอลเล่ย์ฯเนชั่นลีก2018 THA vs NED 18.00น.ทางช่อง3 🇹🇭🇹🇭เจอเจ่เจ้ลงสนาม2นะ #nootsara13 #ไทยแลนด์ปู้นๆๆ
A post shared by Nootsara Tomkom No.13 (@t.nootsara) on May 14, 2018 at 4:41pm PDT
#9 – Dominican Republic
The Dominican team is brimming with young talent. Libero Brenda Castillo is one of the best in the world at her position, while Yonkaira Pena and Brayelin Martinez also have experience in the world's toughest professional leagues. Add to that experienced veterans like Prisilla Rivera, Bethania de la Cruz, and Annerys Valdez to mentor them, plus a coach such as Marcos Kwiek, and you got yourself the recipe for a competent team.
21-years old outside hitter Brayelin Martinez is currently being tested in Italy's Pomi Casalmaggiore, in what many consider to be the toughest female professional league of the world. At 6'7″ tall and with a spike height measured at 10'10", she is sure to be a big headache for opponents' defenses.
Pomi Casalmaggiore | 2-3 | Liu Jo Nordmeccanica Modena (25-17,25-20,21-25,24-26,10-15) . Photo Credit 📷 • Get Sport Media 🙏 . #brayelinmartinez #volleyballdominican 🇩🇴 #pomicasalmaggiore
A post shared by Völleyßall Fanclub 🌈🏐😙 (@kemsvolii) on Mar 10, 2018 at 1:50pm PST
Darkhorse Candidates Tier
Although it is not to be expected, it wouldn't be a total surprise if any of these teams ends up in the tournament's podium.
#8 – Japan
Japan has been actively trying to once again become a volleyball superpower after completely dominating the sport in the 60's and 70's, a period which includes Olympic gold medals in 1964 and 1976 and World Championship gold medals in 1962, 1967, and 1974. Recently, it won the bronze medal in the London 2012 Games and finished 5th in Rio 2016. Japan has never, however, enjoyed Grand Prix success, as despite being only one of two teams, the other being China, to participate in all of the competition's 25 editions, it only medaled in it once, a silver in 2014. In this edition, it will once again try to tire their opponents out behind their defensive prowess, forcing teams to adapt to their game volume.
Sarina Koga is the team's biggest offensive weapon, having averaged over 15 points per game in last year's Grand Prix. Japan's chances at this year's VNL will depend on her repeating that performance.
NECレッドロケッツ 古賀紗理那 #vleague #volleyball #NECレッドロケッツ #古賀紗理那 #sarinakoga
A post shared by Jun Hayasaka (@jhjhjhred) on Nov 21, 2017 at 8:31pm PST
#7 – Russia
Including its years competing as the Soviet Union, the Russian women's team are the most successful in the history of women's volleyball, having won many Olympic and World Championship gold medals. However, the team's recent performance has not been up to par to its amazing history, as it is coming off a season where they were 9th in the World Grand Prix, which was their lowest finish ever, and 6th in the European Championships, which tied for the same. This season, it seems fans won't have many reasons to celebrate either, as they will be without star opposite Tatyana Kosheleva, as she will be rehabbing from an ACL injury until at least August.
Nataliya Goncharova, now 28 years old, is at the peak of her career. One of the best opposite hitters in the world, she will have to take it upon herself to try to get Russia out its major slump, although even her teammates know that the team depends too much on her.
A post shared by Nataliya Goncharova (@natusi4ka8) on May 11, 2018 at 11:05am PDT
#6 – Italy
You can never count Italy's team out in any major competition. Last year, it surprised everybody with a second place finish in the Grand Prix, after having finished 9th in the Olympic Games only a year before. However, the field is much stronger this time around, and Italy's roster has suffered some setbacks, such as the absence of Raphaela Folie and Caterina Bosetti due to injuries.
The Italian team is very young. Its captain, Ofelia Malinov, is only 22 years old, while its biggest offensive weapon, Paola Egonu, is only 19. Even though it may it may not seem fair to burden such a young player like Egonu with protagonist status, she has raised up to the challenge, as she ranked 2nd among all scorers in points in last year's Grand Prix and was the most efficient hitter in the tournament by more than 2 percentage points (49.80%).
SO EXCITED FOR GARA 3 #igorine #insiemesiamopiùforti #gameday #myteamisbetterthanyours💯 #doitwithasmile ⚔🔥💣🤩
A post shared by Paola Egonu (@paolaegonu) on Apr 25, 2018 at 3:46am PDT
#5 – Netherlands
2017 EuroVolley's silver medalists, the Netherlands is slowly coming into full force in the international scene. With players dominating in every one of Europe's top leagues in every position of its roster, the Dutch is perhaps the favorite team in the field with real chances at upsetting the world's best teams. The team is tall, athletic, and hungry to finally reach volleyball's modern pantheon.
Lonneke Slöetjes is 27 years old but already has 230 caps for the Dutch national team. The 6'3″ opposite starts for the best team in the world, VakifBank, and is very effective in her attacks. She is in the best shape of her life and ready to give opponents a headache.
Champions League quarterfinals tomorrow! 19.00 🇹🇷 time against Volero Zurich! #govakif💛 #formore 📸 @studiokalopsia
A post shared by Lonneke Sloetjes (@lonsloet) on Apr 4, 2018 at 10:48am PDT
Favorites Tier
The cream of the crop.
#4 – Brazil
Champions at last year's Grand Prix, Brazil is a force to be reckoned with. However, this year's roster is plagued with injuries, as most of its players are slowly getting back to health, Like Natalia Zilio and Thaisa Daher. On top of it all, Fernanda Garay has unexpectedly asked coach José Roberto Guimarães for some time off from the team. Given the circumstances, even though Brazil is the oldest team in the pitch at an average of 28 years old, thus very experienced, a podium finish from the team would be an amazing effort.
Brazil's chance at a medal goes through Natalia Zilio's full recovery. When healthy, she is one of the world's best passers and most efficient attackers. With Fernanda Garay out, she is perhaps Brazil's only offensive weapon capable of going head to head with the world's best.
Missing all of this 🔜🙏🏼💛💚
A post shared by Natália Zilio (@natizilio12) on Apr 27, 2018 at 9:00am PDT
#3 – United States
Team USA sports a solid roster, with very experienced players from all over the world's best leagues. Experienced veterans like Jordan Larson and Foluke Akinradewo, both with more than 200 caps with the team and a lot of international experience will lead the field. The team enjoys a lot of depth in most of its rosters positions, and will give all of its opponents a major run for their money. Although fans lament coach Kiraly's decision to not call up Destinee Hooker and Nicole Fawcett, it should not make much of a diference at this point, as both players had only regular performances in Brazil's Superliga this season.
Jordan Larson is 31 years old, and most people will say that she is already past her prime. However, we believe that is not the case. She recently extended her contract with Turkish powerhouse Eczacibasi after a solid season with the club. Things tend to go right for Larson when she is in her best health, and she is just a few years removed from amazing performances in the international scene. Her experience alone should add a lot of locker room presence to the team, helping setting the team's newcomers in the right away.
That Z.N.E Pulse Hoodie life… #lit #giftedbyadidas #thepulseof ISTANBUL ————————————————- 📸 cred: @ipekbirol
A post shared by Jordan Larson (@gov1007) on Nov 15, 2017 at 8:53am PST
#2 – Serbia
The hottest "newcomer" in volleyball, Serbia has already made a name for itself after winning silver in the 2016 Rio games and Gold at the 2017 EuroVolley. The team is loaded with offensive talents, sporting names such as Brankica Mihajlovic, Milena Rasic, Tijana Boškovic, and Jovana Stevanovic, which is just too much for most teams to handle. The team plays an innovative style of volleyball, with all of its hitters being able to attack off-the-net sets. Although it will be missing superstar setter Maja Ognjenovic, it should be not a problem, as they won last year's EuroVolley with their third stringer.
Tijana Boskovic, who is only 21 years old, is a scoring machine. At 6'4″, the opposite plays like a veteran, able to hit anything that is thrown at her. She is guaranteed to give her team at least 5 points per set just by stepping on the court.
Moj bebac ❤
A post shared by Tijana Bošković (@coti_18) on Apr 30, 2018 at 8:32am PDT
#1 – China
You knew this was coming. Besides being the hosts of this year's inaugural FIVB Volleyball Nations League finals in Nanjing, China is the number 1 ranked team in FIVB's senior rankings. The team will be ready to capitalize on its 2015 World Cup, 2016 Rio Games, and 2017 Grand Champions Cup gold medals. That is a very impressive winning run from one of the world's best volleyball superpowers ever and it doesn't look like it's ready to stop at anytime soon. Behind names like Zhu Ting, Chunlei Zeng, Gong Xiangyu, Xiaotong Liu, and Ni Yan, the team will strike fear in all of its opponents. The fact that the team boasts an average height of 6'2″, the tallest of the tournament alongside Russia, is scary as well.
Zhu Ting is an unstoppable force in women's volleyball. She is so good that any team that has her in its roster, is a favorite. Although she is currently treating a minor ankle injury suffered in the Champions League semi-final, China has a spot guaranteed in the Final 6 due to being the competition's host, so Zhu will most definitely be fresh and totally recovered when the important matches come by. As is normal every-time she is on the court, fans will expect nothing less than brilliant play, to which she will surely deliver.
Spring 🌼🌻🌸
A post shared by Zhu Ting (@zhuting1129) on Apr 6, 2018 at 12:36pm PDT
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Ran 5K up from our place in Füssen up to Castle Hohenschwangau. By the time I was back in town I had gone 10K but my legs really wanted to run and I remember there seeing a little mountain road on Google Earth that got you over the first foothill of the Alps and into Austria, so I ran on to see if I could find it. I found it at 13K and started into the 8% grade climb. The fog was coming over the moutains so as soon as I got half up the mountain all the trees were enshrouded in thick mist. The top of the foothill brought me to Lake Alatsee, then up and over the border of Germany to Austria and down into the farmer town of Vils. The odd thing about this town was that it seemed fully deserted except for a humming factory which was exporting something in large, overhead containers which traveled along on a overhead pully system that extended out across the town, it was as if the only thing moving in the town was this factory and its slow-moving cable cars. I turned around in the town at about 17K and began the trek back, up over the hill, then caught up with another runner going around Lake Atesee who told me of a running trail that went along side the road back down to Füssen. I got on it which turned out to be a very fun running trail, padded with pine needles and many ups and downs, which eventually brought me out onto a little road on which I ran for another half hour back to Füssen, stopping sometimes to appreciate the absolute silence in this hidden valley smothered in fog and trees. Amazingly, legs are hardly phased at all, but I have hundreds of unique memories from this adventure run.


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'Captain Marvel' Tells Another Exciting MCU Origin Story
March 7, 2019 by Anthony Taormina
'Captain Marvel' Review
Captain Marvel successfully tells a female superhero origin story with the MCU formula.
Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Screenwriters: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Nicole Perlman, Meg LeFauve
Producers: Kevin Feige
Cast: Brie Larson (Carol Danvers/Vers/Captain Marvel), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Ben Mendelsohn (Talos/Keller), Jude Law (Yon-Rogg), Annette Bening (Supreme Intelligence/Mar-Vell)
Editor: Debbie Berman, Elliot Graham
Cinematographer: Ben Davis
Production Designer: Andy Nicholson
Casting Director: Sarah Finn
Music Score: Pinar Toprak
At a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is undergoing a major transition, it only makes sense for a film like Captain Marvel to arrive. With Brie Larson (Short Term 12, Kong: Skull Island) leading the charge, the film pushes the MCU forward and sets it up for a wider berth of stories. At times Captain Marvel does have some of the same flaws that the earlier Marvel films do (underdeveloped villain, inconsistent tone) but it still succeeds way more often than it falters. Most importantly, it gives superhero films yet another example of how diversity in casting and storytelling can deliver the same thrills and excitement albeit with fresh faces.
Brie Larson in Captain Marvel, image courtesy Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures.
Captain Marvel puts its own spin on the origin story by catching up with Starforce agent Vers as she begins her first mission. Under the tutelage of Yon Rogg (eXistenZ's Jude Law), Vers has learned to harness photon energy to shoot blasts from her hands and launch into the sky. But when that first mission goes wrong, and Vers ends up on Earth circa 1995, she starts to learn more about the life she can no longer remember. And once Samuel L. Jackson's younger and more naïve Nick Fury enters the picture, the early remnants of the Avengers start to take form.
As with most Marvel movies, it's best to go into Captain Marvel knowing as little as possible. Writer/directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (the pair responsible for It's Kind of a Funny Story and Half Nelson), along with screenwriting contributions from Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Tomb Raider), Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Meg LeFauve (Inside Out), are able to craft a story that is surprising and inventive. It subverts expectations in a way that fits well with previously established Marvel tropes, and that informs Captain Marvel's development as a character. The film is an adventure as only Marvel seems to be capable of delivering.
Jude Law and Brie Larson in Captain Marvel, image courtesy Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures.
Arguably the key pieces of Captain Marvel are Larson and Jackson who, after several movies together now, have a great rapport. There's genuine buddy chemistry to their scenes that help give new layers to Nick Fury's character and grounds this female superhero who is extremely powerful. Without the two, Captain Marvel arguably would have fallen flat, but it sings as a result.
The film's only real misstep is the amnesiac story diminishes some of the conflict. So much is made of the fact that Vers doesn't know her identity that when things start to come together, it's too late to define what's what. Again, it's hard to talk about that without spoiling some of the film's best elements, but by no means is that a deal breaker. It just would have been nice to see Marvel land a villain for Captain Marvel, since she is a character who is supposed to usher in a new era for these movies.
Nevertheless, Captain Marvel is an easy hit for the MCU thanks to its spectacular cast, fun dialogue, and bold vision. The film is never preachy even though it has a lot of weight on its shoulders and it lets Captain Marvel the character be just as kick-ass and funny as any other hero. If Brie Larson is to become one of the new figureheads of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then the future is in good hands.
Action Sequences
Even if you don't care about the Captain Marvel story or what it means for the MCU, the action in the film is plenty enjoyable, well-choreographed with some fun comedic beats thrown in for good measure. It has big, effects-driven set pieces and smaller, more intimate fight sequences, all of which are convincing and exciting. Captain Marvel is a badass, and the action serves to emphasize that. It even has those big, "she finally understands her powers" moments that will have audiences cheering.
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Filed Under: Action, Adventure, Entertainment, Fantasy, Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Movie Review, Movies, Science Fiction Tagged With: Anna Boden, Brie Larson, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Jude Law, Meg LeFauve, Nicole Perlman, Ryan Fleck, Samuel L. Jackson
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Scott Wolter: French Normans Carved Kensington Rune Stone, Knights Templar Caused Cahokia Collapse
You'll be happy to know that after months of delays, I've finally been able to order a copy of Scott Wolter's new book, From Akhenaten to the Founding Fathers: Mysteries of the Hooked X®, which I should receive sometime next week. You can look forward to a thrilling chapter-by-chapter review of…what exactly? I'm not sure, but we'll find out together.
Wolter also gave a two-hour interview yesterday to Rita Louise of Just Energy Radio, an ancient astronaut theorist and a "medical intuitive" who promotes a wide range of "alternative" and New Age systems for cash. If you think, though, that I have time to sit through two hours of talk about the Kensington Rune Stone, you have another thing coming. I jumped around and listened to excerpts because I've heard most of what he had to say many, many times before. The complete interview is below followed by some thoughts.
Things did not start off well when Wolter repeated his claims that scientists and scholars are ignoring him and his work and are conspiring to suppress the truth. As he later says, "Academics who quite frankly didn't know what the heck they were talking about" are freezing out normal, everyday people who have something to say about lost white invaders of Minnesota. It's nearly word-for-word identical to his recent interviews on other shows, and, frankly, it's tiresome.
"I found out there was apparently some paradigm in history that no one was there before Columbus," he said, "and I didn't know that that was the rule, and I broke the rule apparently." Thus he reveals that his knowledge of history extends to 1950s textbooks and not much beyond. Obviously, Columbus never set foot in the United States, and it has been established since the 1960s (and widely believed before that) that the Vikings were the first Europeans to make landfall in North America.
I'll admit that his next claim is a new one on me. Pay careful attention to the sleight of hand here: Wolter claims that the Kensington Rune Stone (KRS) is in the Golden Ratio (!) and, in summarizing the text of the KRS, now claims that the Northmen listed on the stone are not Norse, but rather "I'm beginning to think it means Normans," specifically "French" Normans. Oh, how clever. These Normans, of course, are the progenitors of the Santo Claro-St. Clair-Sinclair Holy Bloodline of Templar Kings, thus allowing Wolter to fold the KRS into his Templar conspiracy more fully. But it ought to be fairly obvious that the Anglo-French Normans were long and far removed from the Northmen who gave them their name. The KRS uses the word "norrmen," while the Normans were typically called Norðmaðr and Norwegians could be either Norðmaðr or Norrœnn in Old Norse, Latinized as Nortmanni, and given as Normand in Swedish. Never mind that by 1362, thanks to the Hundred Years' War, the Normans had come to self-identify as English, Scottish, French, Neapolitan, etc. and were no longer a distinct ethnic group, nor did any of them use Old Swedish or Old Norse, the language of the KRS, as their preferred language.
But the linguistic arguments are irrelevant because Wolter wants to move the authors of the KRS from the north of Europe to its heartland where the Templars and the Sinclairs were in better evidence, all the more "evidence" for the Holy Bloodline "theory." Thus, as Wolter "translates" the KRS, it now has sprouted "French" people privy to the secrets of the Hooked X®, since as we all know, the Normans conquered the Merovingians, who were the guardians of the Holy Blood in the conspiracy literature. Only by ejecting the Norse and making the Götlanders into servants of the Normans can the KRS become "proof" of Templar-Sinclair penetration of America in the name of claiming the Mississippi watershed for the Holy Bloodline Grail Kings.
Based on who I'm convinced created this—well, first of all I know there's more going on with this inscription than it appears to be on its face—there are codes embedded within it, there's double-dating, and who knows what else. I think a lot of the inscription is probably allegory and code, and I don't know if it would be a good idea to take it just as it reads.
In short, the KRS does not support the Holy Bloodline theory as written, and it is only by rejecting everything about the stone that we can re-create it in the image of the Holy Bloodline and the Templars. This method of inquiry frees us from facts and allows us to fill the gap with fancy and fantasy in support of nearly any idea we wish to impose upon it. To wit: The stone is "evidence" of the "land acquisition" and "land claim" but we must also reject the actual words—including the specific word acquisition that Wolter used to spin the land claim yarn—to find the hidden Templar Bloodline conspiracy? Methinks one cannot have it both ways.
Wolter also returned to his new favorite theme: The U.S. government is conspiring to hide the truth to maintain its legitimacy.
Call me a conspiracy theorist if you want, but I really believe that this all goes back to Manifest Destiny in this country. And what I mean by that is that there were a couple of tenets in that doctrine that basically set the precedent for what we're dealing with today. One is that the Native Americans are savages, not Christians, and therefore it's OK to persecute them because we've got to get rid of them and, you know, we want this land. The other things is there was nobody here prior to us, so this is virgin land free for the taking. Right? That's basically what the two main tenets were. But let me ask you this: What do you think would happen along the way when you know they found a Kensington Rune Stone or a Bat Creek Stone or something that told them that somebody from the other side of the Pond was here before us? What does that do to Manifest Destiny?
At this point Louise jumps in to say that such issues would threaten America because by "denying" Columbus, "they"—it is not clear if she meant Native Americans or Europeans—would say "we'll just take our land back—ha, ha, ha, ha." The "ha" was the anti-Americans sneering, not Louise giggling. Wolter replies by saying he thinks Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark had knowledge of "things like the Kensington Rune Stone." Zebulon Pike, he said, was also in on the conspiracy to find and destroy "land claim stones" to secure America.
It makes my head hurt. We've been over this before, so I will spare you Wolter's misunderstandings. Suffice it to say that Andrew Jackson endorsed the ancient white race theory in a speech to Congress, senators and representatives debated which white people were really here first, and every American and European government eagerly sought evidence of various ancient European colonies in America, which they trumpeted to all who could hear, as a way of justifying oppression of Native Americans—the "we were here first" argument. Manifest Destiny, incidentally, was more of a media strategy than anything; the government never formally adopted it as an official policy, and prominent politicians like U.S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, and (late in life) John Quincy Adams rejected it. Its most prominent use had nothing to do with taking land from Native Americans (whom all European powers agreed had no real right to it) but rather to take land from Mexico in the Mexican War!
Wolter claims that America was the place where the Templars came to practice religious freedom, and he claims that they married Native Americans—which he says Native Americans told him themselves. He also believes this "truth" (that Native Americans are hybrid French-Scottish Templars) will "come out" because "it's in the blood," as in the DNA tests Steve St. Clair is doing, which Wolter hopes will prove that Sinclair DNA flows in Native American blood. Louise claims, and Wolter agrees, that Native Americans have "Jewish" blood. (The allegedly Jewish DNA is actually a DNA marker shared with populations of Siberian or Central Asian ancestry, as some Ashkenazi Jews and all Native Americans are.) Wolter adds that this is "the tip of the iceberg," but that he can't reveal the DNA results he's been privy to, which supposedly show Native Americans are "really" European Holy Bloodline migrants. He says that "the internet" and "cell phones" will prevent academics from using a "nonsensical review process" to suppress these findings the way peer review suppressed earlier research.
As the interview wheezes to a conclusion after almost half an hour of bashing academics, Wolter talks about Cahokia. He celebrates the city for Monk's Mound, the earthen pyramid whose perimeter is larger than the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Wolter claims that the Knights Templar are responsible for the collapse of Cahokia. He dismisses all scientific and archaeological explanations for the Mississippian collapse such as ecological degradation—calling them racist claims that Native people were too stupid to maintain their cities—and instead argues that his Native informants told him (700 years after the fact) that the Knights Templar warned the Native Americans that they (the Templars) were coming, so the Natives picked up and left to make way for the superior spiritual power of the Great White Hope. He says that the Natives had a prophecy that they had to "abandon their cities and go wild if they had any chance to survive" the coming of the Knights Templar. And this is the non-racist story.
Wolter is upset that archaeologists scoffed at this theory. "You know what I say to them? Prove me wrong." Cahokia was not suddenly abandoned in 1312 when the imaginary Templar fleet arrived. It began a long, slow decline, usually dated to around 1200, but was still occupied, at least partially, until about 1400. The Mississippian chiefdoms began to disintegrate in the 1200s—a century before the Templars "invaded" America. A similar collapse happened at Teotihuacan in Mexico around 500-600 CE, but I don't see anyone claiming white visitors scared all the Native Mexicans away there.
Well, this will certainly work a particular believer into a lather.
Do you have your ticket ready for the express train to Hell? Maybe you and Wolter can share a seat!
It will be amusing to see how the faux Sinclair will spin this latest revelation. And thanks for keeping us up-to-date on Wolter's recent junket...what with that nasty obsession you have, you know. I think Wolter has officially taken residence in Kookville.
As John Adams said, "Facts are stubborn things...".
For that matter, I'm interested in seeing how Runestone enthusiasts will react- you know, the ones who really really want Minnesota to have been settled by "Vikings" (yeah, I know, actually post-Viking-age Scandinavians) and not Normans.
You speak of Wolter and Hell as though you aren't sitting next to him in that seat, yourself. Only Me, you lie on this blog, and you seem devilish enough to perhaps be wary of yourself. If I were you, I wouldn't trust my brain, because of this devilish influence.
I really don't get this insistence that somehow "previous land claims" would mean anything to anyone.
The world has a history of people conquering other peoples and taking their land. Heck! It's so much easier to do when the people who "claim" the land aren't even there.... such as the missing 'vikings' or 'Normans"
Reminds me of the scene in Lion in Winter wherein Henry II and King Phillip of France are arguing about the return of The Vexin, an area in France that was part of Princess Alix of France's dowry. She lived in Henry's household since a child and was never married to any of his sons. Phillip wanted The Vexin back....and Henry schooled him.
I can't find the video of the scene from the 1968 movie but it's powerful. So, here's the specific exchange I reference:
Henry II: The Vexin's mine.
Philip II: By what authority?
Henry II: It's got my troops all over it; that makes it mine.
mike fedele
Wow..this is like the old TV show the X files...conspiracies on conspiracies...everything connected..jumps in logic..and so many theories that its hard to tie them all together in the end..it becomes a dense blob of nuianced assumptions and conjectures..building on each other...
You know you're in deep when the "evidence" for your conspiracy is other conspiracies!
Foucault pendulum-ish, no?
"Foucault pendulum-ish, no?"
That was my first thought, too.
The Other J.
*thumbs up to Thane*
Wolter argues non-specialists should be allowed to do archaeology and history as they see fit and have their findings be accepted. If only medicine were done that way, just imagine. If teachers could alter facts as deemed necessary, it'd be a hell of a lot easier teaching the rules of grammar and syntax.
I think that's an important point to reiterate about Manifest Destiny being an ad campaign, and not a governmental program. A few years back I taught some Cormac McCarthy, and had to introduce a history of the Western; most of my students didn't realize Manifest Destiny wasn't official (and the rest weren't aware of it at all). For Wolter to argue "What does that do to Manifest Destiny?" is kind of like arguing what the Pepsi Challenge means to Coca-Cola.
Not to mention that Manifest Destiny applied to the desert southwest, the Rocky Mountains, California, and the Oregon Territory--all areas that are NOT part of Wolter's "land claim."
J Garlow
Did you know that the Doctrine of Discovery from papal bulls of the 15th century were upheld by the Supreme Court in case Johnson v. M'Intosh in 1823?
I feel like today's my birthday, except that I'm trying to ignore them.
Concerning the KRS, Wolter says: "I don't know if it would be a good idea to take it just as it reads."
And Jason and others here (the BR Collective) don't want to take it for anything but fraud.
Yet I see no reason not to take it for what it says. Yes, there was fishing. Yes, there was redrum. Yes, there was early Manifest Destiny-like behavior...if one cares to call land-grabbing that.
The Northmen? This looks like a good one for Richard Neilsen, the runic language specialist of Earth. I would take his academic word for what is meant by Northmen, or whatever is actually being communicated. We may recall that Dr. Neilsen has recently helped open the door to the KRS's possible (academic) legitimacy by showing how its manner of dating fits in with established (Greenland Runestone) dating of the period. In other words, he did away with a very early objection.
We definitely need to know about this word, and about its clearest translation. I will endeavor to email Dr. Neilsen about this word. Perhaps these men could have been from anywhere geographically considered North within that NW European, medieval community. Perhaps Frenchmen who had escaped France (Friday the 13th--hello!) would eventually be considered Northmen. Hello French Sinclairs! Welcome to the Northland of Scotland. Not far enough? Welcome to the Northland of Scandinavia. Still not far enough? Well, there's always Vinland.
Anyway, at least Wolter is willing to listen to Native Americans, eager to hear what they have to say.
To date, I believe this is the most accurate translation of the KRS we can find:
http://www.richardnielsen.org//PDFs/Inscription%20Panel.pdf
Color me confused.
Are you supporting Scott Wolter's new assertion that it was in fact Frenchmen who carved the Kensington Runestone? But then what about the *clearly Scandinavian* carving of a boat you were harping on about? What about the *obviously Nordic* axe in the KRS museum?
If there are such clearly Norse artifacts scattered about the countryside around the KRS, why do you need to consult the "runic language specialist of Earth" (as opposed to all those Martian rune experts we keep hearing about...)? Unless the medieval Norsemen were part of a different pre-Columbian expedition than the French Templar Normans? Oh, hey, maybe the two groups met and fought it out over who got to claim this new land, and that is why all those guys were red with blood and death?
I don't think this is "Jason's Waterloo" so much as the Wolter Armada being battered by harsh storms of legitimate criticism.
Clint Knapp
Clearly the Normans boat-jacked the Norse and stole some of their weapons so they could fight off those violent natives who murdered them, but their inexperience with the heavy Scandinavian weaponry would ultimately lead to their demise at the hands of those savages. Lucky for us, they had plenty of time to carve a stone about it in a language they also inexplicably borrowed...
This post brought to you by "Blog Rats"- because when you have to call someone names and suggest they fling excrement, denouncing them as "Blog Rats" will allow you to maintain that moral high ground you so desperately need.
Clint, don't forget that the Normans, in addition to taking the time to carve the stone, also *encoded* it!
The mystery will be what language the actual decoded message is in. Norman French? Old Norse? My bet is ancient Templar hobo symbols.
I don't think "Blog Rats" is a very flattering name, but in the newfangled tradition of groups of fans naming themselves (like the "Beliebers" or "Directioners") I propose that we fans of Jason Colavito who take to debating stuff in the comments refer to ourselves as "Argue-nauts"
I think it has a nice ring to it.
Since we're talking about the KRS again, I thought I'd share something I found you might find interesting. It relates to the stone holes you like to mention in conjunction with the KRS.
At first, I tried to find any info that showed the use of these stone holes as land markers, as you've proposed. I didn't find anything useful. I did find this tidbit, though; those same stone holes have been found in not only Minnesota and the Dakotas, but also Illinois, the eastern seaboard and on about 300 boulders scattered on the Great Plains. An example was discovered after Hurricane Fran in North Carolina in 1996.
Obviously, these all can't be examples of Viking "mooring stones", especially when you consider the elevation of such stones found in Pope County, and the geographical separation of North Carolina and the Great Plains from Minnesota and the Dakotas. However, the triangular cross-section and almost uniform dimensions of the stone holes, where ever they are found, means they all aren't placeholders for dynamite during blasting operations, either.
So, what could their purpose, if there is one, be? Here's something to think about; they may be left behind when tourmaline crystals are weathered out of the boulders. Tourmaline is a long, slender to thick prismatic and columnar crystal that is usually triangular in cross-section, distinguished by its three-sided prisms; no other common mineral has three sides.
And for those that love sources, go to www.science-frontiers.com and type "triangular holes" into the search bar. That should pull up the same articles I read.
Nice find. Here's an image of what that triangular tourmaline would look like: http://bit.ly/1918VCN
That's pretty and I want one.
Just thought I'd mention it as the gift-giving season is only a few months away!
Only me, you're grasping at straws.
What will we do about all the aged, triangulated stoneholes in our presence...especially those surrounding Runestone Hill? I can only say that one day they will be seen as part of the fabric of history. Until then, they will be an irritant to skeptics, a puzzlement to overcome, if possible. I believe we'll end up finding out that the majority were used in an attempt to fulfill a sort of early Manifest Destiny. Feel free to use the term "land grab," certainly nothing new.
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha...predictable as ever, Gunn.
"I added food for thought"...as did I, with a perfectly plausible explanation. Alternate hypothesis, speculation, thinking outside the box...what you allegedly do, right? Of course, you turn about and dismiss the idea, as I knew you would.
Oh, well, I tried. Whimsical fantasy, held with the fervor of a zealot, does not a reasoned debate make.
Only Me, you're getting dumber and dumber on this blog. I wish you were smarter so I could reason with you, but it's hopeless. You're only adding unnecessary confusion with your simple-mindedness.
Just an update. I sent an email to a professor named Norrman who studies medieval times, for her input, if possible.
Googling, I found a "Norrmen House," in Finland, which makes me wonder about that choice of name in that country.
I wonder what Norrman meant to Swedes in the time period of the mid-Fourteenth Century? I wonder what the word meant to Olaf Olman in 1898, if anything in particular?
We need professional advice about the history of this word, or at least what it meant in NW Europe in 1362.
Jason - That's great that you are going to review the new Scott Wolter book chapter by chapter. We won't need to buy the book and can donate the money to you using your donate button!!! Sweet!!!
Dave Lewis
I've been listening to Coast to Coast AM for several years. I enjoy hearing fantastic stories, I don't believe any of it. It's entertainment.
I've noticed that the guests usually have a new book that they're pushing. They will make the rounds of the paranormal talk shows and say the same thing on each show.
The guests have to come up with new material to be invited back to C2Cam. Whitley Streiber is usually on twice each year and always has new schtick. Nobody needs to hear about how the alien proctologists examined him a second time!
I heard that Clint experienced an alien proctology exam...nothing was found, leaving the aliens to wonder what happened to all his crap. Well, slyly, we know. It was deposited here.
Just out of curiosity, I wonder if it would be possible for medieval French explorers, in the company of Scandinavians, to use Scandinavian weapons?
Much of what Wolter comes up with, I disagree about. But if he wants to hypothesize about French explorers coming to MN before the 1600's, that's okay with me. Who were the 22 Northmen? So far, nobody knows, so the debate is wide open. We already know that 8 men came from Gotaland, Sweden. Also, I wonder which men were killed, which men stayed back near Duluth with the boat/s, etc.
Northmen only hints at who the majority of the men were. They could have been nearly any who lived, even temporarily, in what was considered North back then. This could include any Scandinavians and any Scotsmen and any Frenchmen, Englishmen, Irishmen, etc. Italian? Not so likely, though possible, too. Is Northmen a race? Probably not, but maybe. We need to know more about this translated word.
The horse is not dead, by any means. Thanks for not giving up on the KRS, Jason. Shetland ponies, anyone?
One of the major questions I had about the KRS involved the assertion that it proclaimed a land grab. This is because the inscription has been translated many times. One of two popular translations has it stating the men were on a "journey of exploration", while Nielsen's states "(this?) acquisition journey".
Then there is the matter of the stone holes. In my research, I've read that some believe the stone holes represent a "location grid", to mark the location of the KRS. Other hypotheses include mooring stones, places to pack black powder/dynamite for blasting or the spaces left from tourmaline crystals that have weathered from the stones. I think I've found a new hypothesis that satisfies the land grab claim of the KRS and the presence of Nordic explorers throughout the Midwest. Below is an excerpt from www.arkansasstonerepair.com:
"Though the evidence eliminates the idea of mooring ships, it does not quite eliminate the idea of early Nordic explorers. Valdimar Samuelsson, a retired airman in Iceland, offers a separate theory.
"In Iceland we have stones with holes," Samuelsson wrote in an email to the Public Opinion. "I have found some as boundary stones marking farm boundary. They are called the high stone and low stone."
Holes in stones would have a variety of uses, Samuelsson wrote. Some were mooring stones, but some marked the beginnings and ends of rivers, or marked roads (especially in the winter). Under Medieval Icelandic law, commoners would mark their land by sticking a marking rod into the holes.
Given the Icelander's drive to explore and their sudden disappearance from Greenland, explorers could have traveled as far as the Midwest area, either through Hudson bay or New York state where several stone holes have been found, he said. They could either have been marking their trail or sectioning land off for themselves.
After looking at the GPS coordinates of several notable holes, Samuelsson said he has found a pattern similar to the manner the ancients would section land."
Any thoughts? Dare I?
Only because you asked, Only Me. I went on forever and earnestly about stoneholes in previous blogs here. People were gasping and throwing up. Originally, I had named some local stoneholes after both Wolter and Jason. Please go back and read my comments, because I covered most everything...more than once, to Jason's chagrin. Oh well, people are still interested.
I had taken my site down for awhile, but I think it is a good idea to let anyone see a good, prime example of what I believe to be an aged, triangulated, hand-made, stonehole, as seen on the mis-named Viking Altar Rock. I have many photos of these holes that I took myself. They are a mystery to many, but the most obvious answer is just what you came up, Only Me: land markings.
Fairly recently, I came to the conclusion that clusters of stoneholes were probably associated with a particular carving in the midst which might indicate WHO made and owned the stoneholes. Like branding cattle with the same iron. It is the most logical solution. The stoneholes in the upper Mid-west weren't for mooring ships, which is now an uncovered fantasy that some still want to believe in, as though Runestone Hill could have been a medieval shipping hub!
http://www.hallmarkemporium.com/discoveries/id4.html
Well, that answers why I couldn't look at the photos of the metal object you found. I've been trying to find anything that remotely resembles it, but so far the closest item I've found is a counter-weight for an old shop scale. Not really sure that would be used in the field.
As for mooring stones...uh, no. With just the studies done in the Whetstone Valley alone, there is no physical evidence for water levels to be high enough, for the areas where the stone holes are found, for Norse longships to "dock".
I've read your past comments, so I'm familiar with your ideas. I was trying to reconcile the various claims- sacred geometry/location markers/grid map- with actual examples of such use(s). Unfortunately, it seemed no one would provide such a source/example, until I found the article with Valdimar Samuelsson.
Hey, you just got me to wonder whether or not the Norrmen were from Iceland, since they had a propensity for making holes in stones. In other words, did Swedes use stoneholes? Did those from Norway? I mentioned the Norrmen house in Finland, but what about stoneholes elsewhere, in Europe. I had read about Valdimar's comments before, in considering the uses of stoneholes, but I didn't give myself a strong enough nudge to consider Iceland as being the home of the 22 Northmen.
Really, would Olaf had considered the word? I don't know. I wish some native Scandinavians would look into this word more closely.
I listened to Wolter's interview, above, and I really disagree with him about the men dying of disease, and now, about the runestone having been buried, originally. He tied in the stonehole rocks encircling Runestone Hill with the runestone, but I think it is likely the hill was already encircled with these stonehole rocks before the massacre. I think the runestone memorial was erected on the hill because of the pre-existing stonehole rocks. In other words, people might be coming back to the encircled hill in the future, anyway, so then the KRS would be there, too. I suppose this because the surviving 10 men wouldn't take the time and make the noise necessary for all that stonehole making. Carving the runestone, 3 miles east of the Chippewa River, on Runestone Hill, yes, but not taking the plenteous time to both locate and make holes into rocks...especially if some kind of sacred geometry is being considered, too.
The KRS has a distinct ground line on it, which means that it was in an erected position for a very long time before it either toppled over, or was toppled over, face down.
If sacred geometry was used at Runestone Hill, using the dozen or more stonehole rocks, it was probably used for a purpose other than hiding the KRS. I believe it is possible that sacred geometry was used at Runestone Hill, but before the placing of the runestone. How long before is the question? What did the visitors in 1362 know about the stoneholes and Runestone Hill, as pre-existing?
Ley-line hub, ending on a knoll? A spot representing some kind of exactitude? Only Me, I believe I've developed part of a grid pattern in the region, especially when considering that a line runs from Duluth through Runestone Hill, and on to the Whetstone River area where many, many other stoneholes are. In other words, a straight line runs from where the "ship/s" were near Duluth, and where two main spots of stoneholes are located. Coincidence? So then, who would use such mapping skills...or even sacred geometry, to carve up the land. I speculatively envision a grid pattern emanating out from Runestone Hill, possibly both locally and continent-wide.
At any rate, the area is quite close to the very center of North America. Why would these people come out to the exact middle of nowhere, instead of stopping off along the way? I believe there's a lot more going on up here, historically, than we yet know about. I don't care who the Norrmen were; I'd just like to know who they were, as a matter of historical record.
It seems that maybe there was purposeful obfuscation in the exact identity of most of the men, unless the term Norrmen was well-understood at the time. In that case, I'd like to know what it meant.
I'm thinking the term *Norrmen* was well understood. Norrmen is Swedish in origin, and at the time, Sweden was made of three lands: Gotaland, Svealand, NORRLAND. Since the people occupying these lands considered them to be separate, distinct homelands, it would make sense that the inscription makes the distinction between *Gotalanders* and *Norrmen*. This would be like modern day exploration/scientific parties, that list the team members by nationality.
If Olaf knew of the term, he may have in the context of a surname. Norrland had a population composed of Sami, Kvens and different tribes/people related to the Finns. Swedish and Norwegian settlers tended to stick to the south. Norrmen became a Swedish surname, and was Anglicized (am I correct?) into Norman. The other option, is that he knew the term as applying to Norwegians (as on the KRS), or as an older, generalized reference to anyone from Norrland.
As to the "ground line" on the KRS, check out www.kensingtonrunestone.us.
"Norrmen is Swedish in origin, and at the time, Sweden was made of three lands: Gotaland, Svealand, NORRLAND."
Okay, now we're getting somewhere! Do you have a handy reference source for Norrland? So you think Norrmen are from Norrland, Sweden? So then, the KRS is saying that all the men were Swedish, some from Southern Sweden, but most from Northern Sweden? This all seems logical.
For a while, I had on my website a large, white, flat-topped rock I found in SD, which has a slab knocked out of it from an aged, triangulated stonehole. What's funny is that I had also found, online, an exact shaped rock, a runestone with a purposely flattened top...from Gotaland, of all places.
The KRS is beginning to take on a more Swedish flavor than I had previously thought. I wonder who, from medieval Sweden, may have been interested in sacred geometry? I asked Hendrick Williams if stoneholes were found in Sweden, and his answer was basically, no. Where did the Swedes get the idea for stonehole making, or does this show that perhaps most of the stoneholes found in this region predate the KRS?
It's not out of the question to think that Vikings had something to do with the stoneholes, earlier than the KRS. And what of Swedish Templars--more properly, Templar-influenced Swedes? Is this whole "operation" in SD and MN a Swedish thing, but encompassing hundreds of years, or perhaps a shorter period, say between the end of the Viking age and 1362?
At any rate, thanks for the input.
Even with the supposed ground line actually being a modern staining, that doesn't do away with the hypothesis of the stone having been erected, initially. I can see it either way, but to believe it was buried entails also believing a method of re-finding it was devised...which could involve sacred geometry using the stonehole rocks encircling Runestone Hill, most likely. I have, in fact, come up with a geometric grid for Runestone Hill, a complete grid jumping off Wolter's experimentation in The Hooked X. There is some question about exactly where the runestone was found, and whether both stonehole rocks at the Park were moved there (they both were) for display. However, if my conclusions are still valid, a cut-jewel design emerges, with an X in it...and the runestone was found where a hook in the X would be, on the ground. In other words, I think I discovered the manner returning explorers would use to re-locate the runestone within the encirclement of stonehole rocks. That's if the KRS was buried. But again, maybe the encirclement was for a different reason, an earlier reason, in which case simply erecting the stone might be sufficient to later come back and find it...it being primarily a memorial stone; although it would prove Scandinavian, possibly Swedish, origin, which may have been related to a land claim of some proportion. If so, it is truly ironic that so many Swedes would end up coming here...again, hundreds of years later.
Let me see if I can be clearer on the Norrland connection. I got my info from Wikipedia, but what caught my eye was the mention of tribes/peoples related to the Finns. You brought up Norrmen House, in *Finland*...connect one. Norrland was one part that made up modern Sweden, and according to ancestry.com, Norrmen was Swedish in origin...connect two. Svealand was the name of the land located between Gotaland and Norrland, and is the source of the modern name, Sweden, for the whole country...connect three. Gotaland, also known by its older name, Geatland (motherland of famed hero, Beowulf), was the last land, located south...CONNECT FOUR!
So, UNLESS "Norrmen" applied to northern peoples *outside* of Sweden, then yes, our intrepid explorers were entirely Swedish (in accordance with the KRS inscription). Now, the language of the inscription has been identified as a mixture of Swedish and Norwegian, so perhaps, norrmen referred to the Norwegians, too.
Thanks a lot of adding more information. I was greatly curious about this, though I'll admit the reason is that I intended to look for "Templar" or perhaps Cistercian connections to whomever the Norrmen were. Now, perhaps we can see what kind of actual Templar connections Old Sweden had...I mean, during the Crusades. I would like to find out the degree of "Templarism" in Sweden at the time of Black Friday, 1307, if there was any at all. Or, perhaps the expedition in 1362 was more a Cistercian thing. When did Crusade activity involving Sweden (perhaps Norway, too, as you say concerning Norrmen) end? This may be a way of trying to figure out if there was any "Templar" influence in medieval America, by Swedes, even going back decades or a few centuries before the mid-Fourteenth Century. In other words, perhaps those who created the "evidences" in MN and SD came primarily from Sweden...but over a longer period of time. But where did they get the influence or notion to mark up land using stoneholes? Perhaps Norway or Iceland somehow come into the picture, possibly even Swedish Vikings. Unfortunately, no stoneholes have been dated, though I believe it is possible to do so by locating the stone chips still buried in soil and finding collateral carbon dating samples.
I put up another page on my website so you can see the possible geometric design at Runestone Hill. I don't stand by the hypothesis 100%, but it was fun speculation...although it took up several hours of my time. I've also uploaded the runestone/stonehole comparison rocks (from Gotaland and from Wilmot, SD) so you can see them, just for fun.
I invite further input, since Jason has so graciously afforded the flipped-open door on the KRS. This proves out what I was saying about not closing a subject off...with a collaborative effort, more pertinent information can be acquired. I really am looking for simple facts, truth, to back up my own opinion that the KRS is genuine. Again, it is also because of the "big picture" or preponderance of everything mixed together, not just the runestone itself.
I don't think there are hidden meanings in the message of the KRS, though I wonder why no specific person or persons were mentioned. There seems to have been a degree of secrecy which makes one wonder, why the lack of more specific identities? Why didn't it seem to matter? Was this more an "individual" thing, or an expedition representing a group, such as Templar remnants, or unknown monks, even?
But, Gunn, I thought you had ceded any connection between the KRS and the Templars, even dropping Sinclair from your pen name, as a sign of your shifting paradigm? I guess old Scott rekindled a dormant ember, eh? Not trying to be provocative, just ribbing you.
If I may, I'm going to include some excerpts that demonstrate how convoluted the KRS history is...and why I'm still unable to state that it is a hoax or genuine artifact with any degree of certainty.
"What, though, of the difference between the purported date of the stone and the much earlier date of the voyages to Vinland? He pointed out that there appeared to be records of a voyage west from Norway in 1355, in search of the colonists in Greenland, who had been out of contact for some years (indeed, there was a report in 1348 that the colonists had vanished). In the autumn of 1354, King Magnus Eriksson (1316-1374; King Magnus IV of Sweden 1319-1364 and King Magnus VII of Norway 1319-1343), commissioned Pål Knutsson, a government officer from Bergen, to sail to Greenland to assess conditions there. Knutsson's expedition would thus have been led by a Norwegion, under the direction of a Swedish king. Holand believed that, finding the Greenland colony deserted, Knutsson spent many years searching for the lost colonists, evidently reaching Minnesota in 1362, where he and his companions may have perished."
"More serious is the objection of context. There is no evidence that Pål Knutsson's expedition was ever assembled or set out. Although there were occasional contacts with Greenland in the later fourteenth century, its economic importance had declined as there was no longer a market for narwhal and walrus ivory. A merchantman, Bauta Hluti, was fitted out for the voyage in 1366 and was known as the Grœnlands Knörr; after it was lost at sea in 1369, it was not replaced. The last contact seems to have been in 1385, when the Olafssudinn, a ship from Greenland arrived in Norway; it had spent two years in Iceland before travelling to Scandinavia. The passengers reported the death of Álfur, Bishop of Garðar (the cathedral city in Greenland's Eastern Settlement), in 1379; although successors continued to be appointed until the Reformation, none ever visited their diocese. By this date, even visits to Iceland were uncommon. There were sporadic trips between Iceland and Greenland into the early fifteenth century, but the Western Settlement had long been abandoned. If Pål Knutsson had reached Greenland, he would have encountered Scandinavian settlers living in reduced circumstances from their heyday a century before, but there would have been no need to spend the next nine years looking for others. The reason for journeying into the heart of the North American continent vanishes."
"The language of the stone has always caused problems. Although early sceptics criticised the rune forms, it has been found that many of them are attested in the medieval period. Rather, it is the words and their grammatical forms that have caused most linguists to reject the inscription. Instead of regular fourteenth-century Norse or Swedish, the inscription is a mixture of the two languages. No matter, say the believers: the party was composed of both Goths and Northmen, so a mixing of languages could be a result of the dictation of the the text by a Swede and its carving by a Norwegian. However, there are further problems. The grammar makes more sense in a nineteenth-century Swedish context than a late medieval. There is also a word – opþagelsefardþ that is unattested during the Middle Ages. Indeed, it was an obscure word that was popularised by the Norwegian historian Gustav Storm (1845-1903) in his 1888 work on Vinland, Studier over Vinlandsreiserne, Vinlands Geografi og Etnografi, parts of which had been serialised in an American Swedish language newspaper in 1889. The very word opdagelse did not enter the Scandinavian languages until the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century and borrows from Dutch opdagen and German aufdecken, both deriving from the French décovrir, "discover', itself a spelling not attested before the sixteenth century."
"To make matters even more complex, Wolter associates the inscription with a group of Knights Templar, whom he hypothesises fled Europe following the suppression of their order in 1312. "
"Wolter's evidence is based on cryptograms, which are rarely a good starting point for historical hypotheses."
I found this at http://www.badarchaeology.com/?page_id=1311. The page has a robust history of the KRS. Maybe, there is no connection to the Cistercians or Templars, at all....and adding those elements only further confuses the issue of the KRS itself.
No, I haven't ceded any possible connection between the KRS and Templars. I did back away some, though, since it became apparent that the Hooked X was used by Christians other than Templars, too, not so exclusively by Templars or Templar remnants. Now I'm more open to other possibilities. Somebody decided to use hooked X runic characters back in 1362. I still think likely candidates are Swedes with Templar-remnant connections, deploying secretly, or as Wolter speculates, Cistercian monks possibly in association with some kind of protective order. Obviously, the men didn't go inland unarmed.
Yes, my paradigm on the Sinclairs has shifted, though I still believe there is a connection between Templars, Sinclairs and Freemasons. Henry Sinclair coming to America may be a myth, but I still wonder why two different groups of Native Americans representing the East Coast (Vinland) and Runestone Hill, MN area both deal with alike stories. Have both groups of Native Americans been taken in by the myth, or could one or both be correct or partially correct? So I leave the door open on this just a crack, about like a Pandor's Box.
You say, "Maybe, there is no connection to the Cistercians or Templars, at all....and adding those elements only further confuses the issue of the KRS itself."
Yes, I can agree with that. One can get a pretty clear picture of what happened if nothing is added, but we just want to see more, so we speculate. But logic still has to dictate...such as in the murder/disease debate. Logic and cross-referenced archaeological history from nearby early 1300's SD indicating mass scalping show what most likely happened. The disease speculation is nonsense when looked into. The 20 men were a group, only splitting up with some going fishing and some staying back that day. How is the disease going to strike just one group of ten, killing them all that day, yet none of their companions they were just with got sick? This is political correctness going too far.
Of course, the Magnus/Knutsen hypothesis is just that, speculation. Yes the Runestone Park still delivers the fake history as fact, kind of like with the mooring stoneholes signage, unless these things have recently been taken down. That community is the Runestone's own worst enemy, especially with Big Ole the Viking declaring that Alexandria is the Birthplace of America...right across from the Runestone Museum!
Cort Lindahl
The KRS was left by descendants of the Normans that Mr. Wolter suspects. If you examine the history of the Hudson's Bay Company and the Douglas family it all becomes clear. The KRS lies on the border of Hudson's Bay Company/ Red River Colony and Louisiana. There are some references of La Salle and La Moyne d'Iberville mentioning boundary stones for Louisiana with "foreign writing" on them. There is a high probability that a family group that was very proud of their descent from George Washington knew of the Kensington Stone and what it really was. They also displayed similar values in the construction of a Catholic Monastery and Cathedral in Minneapolis, a Stonehenge reproduction in Washington State, and the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Their family also intermarried with the Marquette family. The symbols on the KRS that are so widely discussed seem to be present on the Archer Reliquary in Jamestown matching my already existing theory that this is where the symbols on the KRS originated. The French Norman overtones that Mr. Wolter is seeing are more the result of men like Marquette, d'Iberville, and the Comte de Maurepas. The context that Louis Buff Parry puts his sandstone pillar in is closer to the historical era in which the KRS was first deposited. This would have had to have been after the establishment of the Hudson's Bay Company when considering the Louisiana border the stone lies on. So KRS was likely put there in the 1670's. Sure people could have come long ago. That likely is not what is going on here. Thanks.


One third of all food is wasted. Much of that comes down to consumer behaviour.
Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 40% of losses in developing countries occur at post-harvest and processing levels while in the industrialized countries more than 40% of losses happen at retail and consumer levels. So there is a difference between food waste and loss in developing and developed countries.
How can we reduce this food waste and food loss? Making food more expensive could be an option in addressing these issues.
The proportion of household income spent on food has fallen over recent decades, especially in developed countries. Maybe food has become too cheap in the developed world? People may be more ready to throw food away because it doesn't cost much.
Nina Waldhauer, a Supply Chain Management expert from Wageningen University and Research says the problem is that we don't value food highly enough. Speaking at the recent side event, she said food is not like other commodities. It is a human need. The problem is that food has become more of a tradeable product like other products such as oil. Food has become not only an object for speculation, but has become more abstract in its relationship to agriculture. This could be described as a " financialization" of the food sector. We need to address this.
But If we make food prices higher, who is going to profit from that? The consumer needs to know who in the value chain earns what. He or she needs to know what the farmer gets, but also what the retailer earns from the food product.
There is a need for more transparancy in the whole food value chain according to Hans Hoogeveen, the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to FAO. For a lot of people, higher prices means less access to food. That can lead to famine. This leads to instabilities at the economic and political level.
Would you pay more for food to reduce food waste? Or do you think there are other ways raise awareness of the value of food? Some people in our community would really struggle with higher prices. It's a difficult issue but food needs to be valued more highly. We need to have more respect for food.
This post is part of the live coverage during the 43rd Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). This post is written by one of our social reporters, and represents the author's views only.


text:
Q: Prevent PHP From Waiting for mail() function In my web application, when a user makes a change to their account, I call the php mail() function to send that user an email notification. After implementing this, I found that the account change action takes a very large amount of time (>20 seconds) to complete. I suspect that this is because PHP waits for the mail() function to send the email. Is there any way to make this call without waiting and immediately continue to the next line of code?
Thanks,
Paul

A: Create another PHP script (we'll call it "mailuser.php" for this example). In this file your code would look for activated accounts that haven't been emailed yet... then send the email.
In your original code (after activating the account) call :
exec("php mailuser.php > /dev/null 2>&1 &");

This should spawn the process, but not wait for it to return.
For more information, see these posts : php exec command (or similar) to not wait for result & Run PHP Task Asynchronously
You could also elect to pass the user id on the command line, so that the mailuser.php doesn't have to look for the users based on a field/flag.

A: You could put the call to the mail function in a separate php file called, says, sendMail.php, and then send the request to the function with (jQuery AJAX)[https://api.jquery.com/jQuery.ajax/].
$.ajax({
   type: "POST",
    url: "sendMail.php",
    data: { name: "Foo", email: "foobar@baz.com" }
})
.done(function( msg ) {
    alert( "Email sent: " + msg );
});

A: You can send Ajax call for sending mail and then for security purposes if the mail is not sent you can call a rollback on database query, this way your code will be secure.

A: I had the same issue. Write a sendmail.php program and call it with ajax.
<?
session_start();
header("Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1");
require_once("libreria/class.phpmailer.php");
$mail             = new PHPMailer();
$body="";
$body.="<body>";
$body.=$_POST['cbody'];
$body.="</body>";
$mail->IsSMTP();
$mail->SMTPAuth   = true;
//$mail->SMTPDebug  = 2;
$mail->Host       = "mail.xxx.xxx";
$mail->Port       = 25;
$mail->Username   = "usermail@xxx.xxx";
$mail->Password   = "xxxxxx";
$mail->From       = "usermail@xxx.xxx";
$mail->FromName   = "xxx";
$mail->Subject    = $_POST['subject'];
$mail->WordWrap   = 50;
$mail->MsgHTML($body);
$mail->AddAddress($_POST['email'], "User");
$mail->IsHTML(true);
$mail->Send();
?>

(You can use the response of the ajax call to manage errors).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 last night at PPG Paints Arena. Bryan Rust scored a Penguins short-handed goal in the second period after the Oilers had taken a 1-0 lead in the first period. Rookie Teddy Blueger and newly acquired Jared McCann also scored for the Penguins. Goaltender Matt Murray stopped 38 of 39 shots, including a penalty shot by Edmonton's Connor McDavid in the second period.
The Pens moved back into a tie with Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan Division, and are now four points up on Carolina for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
The Penguins host Calgary Saturday at 1pm. WISR pre-game is 12:30pm. The Penguins also host the New York Rangers Sunday at 12:30pm. WISR pre-game is noon.
The post Pens top Oilers appeared first on ButlerRadio.com – Butler, PA .


text:
Add rookie Davis Webb into the fight for Giants backup QB
By By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer
Giants quarterback Geno Smith (3) looks to pass in an NFL preseason game against the Steelers on Aug. 11 at East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
East Rutherford, N.J. — The fight for the New York Giants' backup quarterback job is taking on a new dimension.
Heading into the preseason opener, veterans Geno Smith and Josh Johnson seemed to be dueling for the job as Eli Manning's understudy with third-round draft pick Davis Webb expected to be given a year to learn coach Ben McAdoo's system as the No. 3 quarterback.
Neither Smith nor Johnson stood out in the Giants' loss to Pittsburgh last weekend, and McAdoo Thursday left the door open for Webb to fight for the No. 2 job.
McAdoo said Webb is getting more snaps in training camp.
"Today was a little bit of a change of pace," McAdoo said of the workout in which Webb ran a few extra scout team snaps for Monday's game in Cleveland. "We are learning to practice on how to prepare for an opponent. So we had some ups and downs today. We were a little slow with our tempo, but that will get better as we move forward. But Davis is going to get an opportunity to take some more snaps in that environment, yes."
Since the Giants opened camp, Smith and Johnson seemed to be battling for the backup job with Webb not getting many snaps.
"We all have to be careful making assumptions," McAdoo said. "Josh and Geno are competing right now for the No. 2 spot, and if that doesn't look the way we want it to look, Davis will get a crack."
McAdoo said there is still a lot of time left in camp for Smith and Johnson to step up and win the backup job.
Manning did not play in the 20-12 loss to the Steelers on Saturday night.
Johnson started and completed 5 of 10 passes for 31 yards with a long of nine yards. He was sacked three times.
Smith got off to a quick start after replacing him, hitting 10 of 16 passes for 114 yards, with a long of 21 yards. However, he threw a bad interception and had another pick nullified by a penalty. He also was sacked three times.
Webb, who didn't play until the fourth quarter, was 8 of 16 for 67 yards with a long of 19. He didn't turn the ball over.
How much time Webb gets in the preseason games against Cleveland, the Jets and New England in the next two weeks is uncertain.
Manning will get at least a quarter on Monday night against the Browns and probably a half against the Jets a week from Saturday. With Smith and Johnson also getting time it would appear that Webb's biggest chunk will come in the preseason finale against the Patriots.
Smith and Johnson would have to play very poorly for Webb to jump into the backup role for the season opener in Dallas, but the veterans have not been consistent in camp. Webb has shown the poise and the knowledge of the offense to be the backup.
• S Landon Collins returned to practice after missing Tuesday with an illness. ... MLB B.J. Goodson (back) also returned to practice. ... CB Eli Apple was held out as a precaution because of an ankle that he hurt on Tuesday. ... LB Mark Herzlich, one of four holdovers from the team that won the Super Bowl in February 2012, continues to be sidelined with a stinger. Free agent rookie Calvin Munson is pushing him for a spot on the roster. ... With social problems around the country, G Justin Pugh said the team watched the movie 'Detroit,' a film dealing with the race riots in the city in the 1960s.
AP: Bill O'Brien agrees to return as Pats offensive coordinator
Foxborough, Mass. — Bill O'Brien has agreed to return to the Patriots as their offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke to the ...
After playoff run, Giants face decisions on Jones, Barkley
East Rutherford, N.J. — In their first season with the New York Giants, general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll cleaned up a mess that had littered the Meadowlands for five years. Schoen tra...