text:
Isu Codices, Volume 16: Catching Up with "Assassin's Creed"
By Gregory Ellner | February 2nd, 2021
Posted in Annotations | % Comments
Welcome back to the Isu Codices. We have had quite a bit of time away from the French "Assassin's Creed" comics, but this month, with the release of its English translation, we finally will be going over the events of the latest in the "Cycles" of Les Deux Royaumes, and seemingly the last from Titan Comics in general for at least the foreseeable future: "Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone" Book 2. If you want to get caught up on what happened last time, look here.
New Concepts
Bleeding Effect
Boris Pash describes the Bleeding Effect (without knowing what it is), August 2, 1964
We discussed the Bleeding Effect briefly in the second volume of the Isu Codices, but never in extreme depth.
To quote that element: "Overuse of the Animus can cause a condition known as the 'Bleeding Effect,' wherein memories or traits of the ancestors can "bleed" into the life of their descendant. Though this trait can be very good, allowing for a fast track of learning skills, it can also lead to insanity as memories crash into one another. In some cases, this insanity leads to the victim being rendered brain dead, but in at least one notable case, it led to homicidal mania."
While this state can be intentionally utilized for quick training, such as in the cases of Desmond Miles and Charlotte de la Cruz, the muscle memory and instincts come with a cost, as mentioned above. As the genetic memories bleed into the sufferer's real-time memories and experiences, there comes a difficulty distinguishing between one state and the other, leading to something that Lucy Stillman identified as similar to some dissociative or schizophrenic disorders, including visual or auditory hallucinations of past events, or an inability to identify the date or their own identity separately from their ancestor or otherwise the person whose memories are experienced. Eventually, these problems all-too-often become a full mental breakdown into either violence (famously the case with Daniel Cross) or catatonia (in the case of Desmond Miles). Proximity to Pieces of Eden can cause exacerbation of the symptoms, even if managed through therapy, and it has been thought, at least in 2012, that the disorder was especially potent in those with high quantities of Isu genetics.
Unlike Sages or similar reincarnations, who seem to naturally develop their memories without an Animus or related device, the majority of people with the Bleeding Effect have it due to overexposure to the Animus, itself based on Isu technologies.
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The franchise's interpretation of what happened on August 4, 1964
The "Gulf of Tonkin incident" is the name for an altercation between the United States naval vessel USS Maddox and North Vietnamese forces that officially took place on August 2, 1964, but had buildup including July 30 and July 31 of the same year. At the time of the incident, it had been captained by John J. Herrick (hereafter simply identified as "Herrick").
By late July, North Vietnamese territorial waters were areas of extreme tension, on account of infiltrations by South Vietnamese intelligence teams and commando raids in addition to North Vietnam's military response to the same. On the night of July 30, South Vietnamese commandos attacked a North Vietnamese radar station on Hòn Mê island, an operation that, in 2005, United States National Security Agency (NSA) historian Robert J. Hanyok identified as the inciting factor to the later incident, when combined with the (seemingly unrelated) proximity of the Maddox at the time. Regardless, Maddox began patrols of the North Vietnamese coast in this context the next day in order to collect intelligence, and came within a few miles of the very same island that had been attacked. At the same time, United States aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga was stationed nearby, with Maddox being tracked by North Vietnamese by August 1, and were believed to be within the 12 nautical mile territorial limit of North Vietnamese waters. This limit was not recognized by the United States, as (according to the factually incorrect assessment of United States Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Jr.) North Vietnam had only claimed a 5 nautical mile limit to its territories.
On August 2, three torpedo boats began following Maddox as it continued patrols after briefly retreating, with intercepted communications indicating the boats' intentions to attack Maddox. With the boats coming close, Maddox fired three warning shots (never reported by the Johnson administration to the public), which received retaliation with an outright attack that prompted, with a distress call from Maddox, for Ticonderoga to send out jets that sank one of the torpedo boats and heavily damaged another, with Maddox only suffering minor damage. After the skirmish, President Johnson ordered Maddox and destroyer USS Turner Joy (which had joined her toward the end) to stage daylight runs into North Vietnamese waters in order to test the North Vietnamese territorial limit and their military's resolve, runs that coincided with South Vietnamese coastal raids and were interpreted as coordinated efforts between the two countries by the North, in official acknowledgement of the engagements on August 2.
On August 4, the NSA claimed that there was another incident, a supposed second sea battle, also in the Gulf of Tonkin. However, further examination has shown that the US intelligence-gathering patrols had merely seen "Tonkin ghosts," or false radar images, as there was no evidence of any wreckage from a further strike when sought out. In 1995, Robert S. McNamara, US Secretary of Defense during the incident, had met with former Vietnam People's Army General Võ Nguyên Giáp to ask what had happened in the second attack, which was declared as "absolutely nothing" and that the attack had been imaginary.
At the time, Herrick had noted his misgivings about whether or not there had been any second attack, citing confusing radar images and lack of visual confirmation, and requested further investigation before any decisions could be made. Evidently, his concerns were not told to Sharp or Johnson, as the latter retaliated against the assumed strike with "Operation Pierce Arrow" the next morning, resulting in bombing of four torpedo boat bases and an oil-storage facility in Vinh.
After the fact, McNamara admitted that while there was no response by the Department of Defense to the incident on August 2, the second incident never happened. However, he also claimed that the second attack had been highly probable at the time, and that there was a strong feeling that the first (and only confirmed) attack demanded a response, so Johnson had responded to the second one.
Ultimately, the overall incident resulted in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, also known as the Southeast Asia Resolution, first introduced to the United States Congress on August 7 and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 10. This resolution allowed the President to do whatever was necessary to assist "any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty," of which South Vietnam was a part. The joint resolution was especially notable because it allowed the United States to enter into a conventional military war in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war by Congress, a situation that had been developed progressively since the Central Intelligence Agency-sponsored 1963 Vietnamese coup d'état that had led to the arrest and assassination of South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm (discussed in a prior Isu Codices volume).
William King Harvey
William King Harvey on August 4, 1964 (with the Fourth Apple)
Although William King Harvey did show up in the first book of "Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone" hiring Alekseï Gavrani as the new QJ/WIN, he was not shown in depth until now, so it is best to talk about the man as he was in reality (so far as we can discern).
Also known under the codename "ZR/Rifle" in the 1960s while organizing "executive actions" (a euphemism for assassination of foreign political leaders), CIA officer William King Harvey (September 13, 1915 – June 9, 1976) is known for his involvement in Operation Mongoose, a.k.a. "the Cuban Project," an extensive campaign of terrorist attacks against civilians and covert operations carried out by the CIA from 1961 until, at the very least, far into 1963, following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961. He was also one of those suspected of involvement in the assassination of John F. Kennedy following the death of former CIA officer and Watergate figure E. Howard Hunt in 2007, though the story by Hunt's sons has since been declared inconclusive at best and exploitative of the ageing Hunt's loss of lucidity at worst.
Also known as "America's James Bond" as nicknamed by fellow CIA officer Edward Lansdale, he had connections to the American Mafia, including those through businessman and CIA asset Robert Maheu, most notably John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli, who helped him with various actions against Fidel Castro in Cuba.
According to records, he was assigned as station chief for the CIA in Rome in 1963 following his tarnished reputation in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, where he remained until being ultimately relieved in response to his deteriorating health and continued alcoholism. He eventually formally retired from the CIA in January 1968, having taken an extended leave of absence throughout much of 1967 on account of both his alcoholism and concurrent fallout from his relationship with the convicted Roselli. In 1975, he testified before the Church Committee on some of the CIA's past operations.
While William King Harvey is identified as the Director of Central Intelligence during 1964 in "Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone," in real life, that role was held by John McCone, who served from 1961 until his resignation in 1965 over a feeling of being underappreciated by President Johnson and disagreement over expansion of the War in Vietnam.
Much like the first volume of "Bloodstone," this one will be organized in chronological order, rather than according to the pages. For the elements in the "present day" (November 2017), they will be organized according to their pages, which seem to be in roughly chronological order, unless otherwise stated in the text.
Assassin's Creed: Bloodstone, Book 2
We pick up with Alekseï Gavrani on June 30, 1964, in the Gulf of Tonkin, North Vietnam. American forces were navigating through the gulf as a distraction so that Gavrani, also known as "Agent QJ/WIN" of the CIA under William King Harvey, could sneak on to Hòn Mê island on its north face. Despite his fellow Americans (disguised as South Vietnamese troops) being less than enthusiastic about being so overt in their behavior along the south face (which soon drew gunfire), he told them that he would keep the Viet Cong busy for at least thirty minutes, before diving off of the ship without a shirt and climbing the cliff face without any safety equipment whatsoever. Apparently, Boris Pash was stationed in a small base that Gavrani went to infiltrate, but he had escaped, leaving one of the Bloodstone Unit members, Dhogura, behind to cover for him. Dhogura held Gavrani's (non-lethal) defeat of William Greer in 1963 against him, as well as Gavrani hunting down the members of the Bloodstone Unit rather than just abandoning them. Unable to reason with Dhogura, Gavrani was forced to kill him, with the Pash loyalist telling the former Bloodstone member to "take care of Zenia," referring to a blonde woman in the Bloodstone Unit.
The next day, the troops on the USS Maddox, located in the gulf, were feeling disillusioned with fighting the North Vietnamese, but kept going in the hope that they could avert another far larger war, mostly because Captain Herrick told them so. They were working for Agent QJ/WIN and had been told to do anything he said, with Gavrani even noting that he would "put the entire region to fire and the sword if it dug up the Bloodstone Unit," justifying his extremism as being to avert something far more dangerous than another massive war if Pash was not stopped. However, Captain Herrick balked at going into North Vietnam itself, only agreeing to drop him off and leave him to his own devices, but not to continue onward beyond that, as even as a CIA operative, "William King's damned soul" had limits on what he could order.
Zenia reveals herself to be expecting.
Alone but for radio contact with Captain Herrick, Gavrani caught up with Boris Pash, along with Zenia and another man in the same unit named Doni, as they traversed a river in the Ninh Binh region of North Vietnam on August 2nd. The Apple of Eden Pash had been using for his experiments, the same one that Gavrani was trying to steal from him, had been hidden away and left in the encampment where Dhogura had died, as he and Zenia told Gavrani when questioned at gunpoint.
The reason why Pash was traveling here was that Zenia was heavily pregnant with his child, and they had to reach the diocese of Phát Diệm (which places them roughly near to the rural Kim Sơn district of the province) if said child was to be born healthy. Zenia promised to tell where the artifact had been buried if they made their way to the diocese alive.
Julia undergoing treatment, presumably at some point in 1963 or earlier in 1964
As for why this was a problem, the issue runs far deeper. Judging from both Pash's dialogue with Doni and Zenia and his talk with Gavrani upon being discovered, the extremist cell leader had been fleeing from Gavrani's assault with the Americans, but they were also very worried about an ambush by Julia Gorm, who had apparently gone rogue and was apparently actively tailing them in the region, which did not have Bloodstone allies amongst the Viet Cong. Julia had been suffering from what fans can recognize as the Bleeding Effect, with the memories and identity of her father Eddie Gorm having overridden her original personality due to Pash's experiments with the Apple, resulting in her seeking revenge for what happened to Eddie Gorm himself and Julia Dusk on July 15, 1943 (as previously discussed). She had been locked up in the base on Hòn Mê until they could find treatment, but Gavrani's attack had allowed her to escape, with the crazed woman hunting after Pash for the past few days.
As for why she was made this way, and why she had been turned to this life, both rested on Pash's obsession with the Isu and their "fragments of Eden" (really the Pieces, not to be confused with the actual fragments, but let's not digress). According to Pash's beliefs, the only way to be truly free of the "shackles" of the Isu was to have access to ancestral memories, which had led to Project BLUEBIRD. The project itself had been meant to allow the present mind to cohabit the body with the genetic memories, but much as with other such attempts, the result was madness. While Pash blamed it on her inheriting her father' "psychosis," it is readily apparent that her state is his fault, both due to involving her in this way and his manipulative behavior decades prior with Eddie.
A lost romance?
Despite wanting nothing to do with Bloodstone, Gavrani followed the trio to a hut deep in the jungle, with Doni staying on watch. That night, Gavrani sat by a campfire with Zenia, reminding her that Harvey only wanted Pash, not her or her baby, with her denying his offer to keep them safe due to her child needing a father.
Judging from Gavrani's choice of words, he and Zenia were once romantically involved. However, while Zenia chose to bear Pash's child, it was not out of love, but rather a fear of death, with BLUEBIRD having been a method to "extend our existence beyond death." Zenia wanted to be "reborn" through her own child by way of genetic memories, in order to have a chance to right her wrongs if not given enough chance when younger, something that Gavrani noted was utter madness.
Before they could speak further, Doni struck Gavrani from behind, not trusting him to be anything but a CIA agent, but was therefore unprepared when Julia Gorm attacked their temporary hideout, resulting in him having his throat slit and Zenia having a knife thrown into her right shoulder before they could escape.
Pash wants redemption... but isn't learning much.
As Zenia began to bleed on the ground in front of an arrived Pash, Gavrani took it upon himself to confront the mad Assassin woman, only to be stabbed fatally in the gut with a Hidden Blade before he could fire his rifle, though managing to render Julia incapacitated in the process (but clearly not dead given how these memories are viewed).
With Gavrani dead, Pash spoke to the seemingly unconscious young woman, apologizing for Eddie's "failure with Kramer" and for the death of Julia Dusk. However, despite everything that had happened, he apparently learned nothing, as he still berated Gavrani's corpse as having possibly killed his hope for a "revolution," and demanding that Julia Gorm not die.
With Zenia's life hanging in the balance and dawn riding August 3rd, Pash was forced to choose to surrender the location of his Apple of Eden to William King Harvey on Gavrani's discarded radio so as to call in a rescue team, sacrificing the Apple to save his children both biological (Zenia's offspring) and not (Julia Gorm).
Okay, yeah, that was a pretty brilliant twist.
On August 4, 1964, Pash finally met with William King Harvey, his immediate superior as Mentor in the Assassin Brotherhood, on board the USS Maddox, and confronted him about his role in Bloodstone following the retrieval of Pash's Apple of Eden. Apparently, the creation of the Bloodstone Unit had been Harvey's idea from the beginning, from the coup against and assassination of Ngô Đình Diệm to the subsequent assassination of John F. Kennedy and more. Pash had not been a rogue extremist, but acting on the orders of his superior, who Gavrani had no idea was the same person as his CIA contact. All of the actions of the unit and Gavrani had been masterminded by Harvey himself to manipulate the Assassins into exacerbating the situation in Vietnam, as Harvey was not only a Mentor, but he was a Templar double agent, and had been for an unknown amount of time. Harvey had lied to President Johnson, saying that "one of [their] most illustrious colonels [Pash] was captured," which led to the Maddox intruding in the Gulf of Tonkin, incidentally inviting enemy fire.
As such, Pash was both a traitor to the Brotherhood and his own nation, and unable to explain either. Despite being kept alive to help learn how his Apple (the Fourth, the one he had been using which had also been held by Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Adolf Hitler) worked. Unfortunately, even if Pash wanted to help, he felt he was at a deadlock. Gero Kramer had attempted to use it to make übermenschen (super soldiers), only for the attempt through Die Glocke to cause his base to explode when sabotaged by Tesla. John von Neumann tried to use it for time travel, only to end up causing the deaths of hundreds of Marines in Philadelphia during Project Rainbow (due at least in part to Eddie Gorm's murder-suicide with Nikola Tesla robbing them of a brilliant mind). Even Pash's attempt to "buy [his] conscience back" for the deaths of Julia Dusk and Eddie Gorm by way of raising Julia Gorm backfired when he used the Apple, turning her into a homicidal monster. Despite Harvey's comments that Pash had transferred Eddie's strength to his daughter and demonstrated living proof of people being able to draw upon genetic memories, Pash believed that BLUEBIRD proved Precursor technology to be too dangerous for humanity to do anything but destroy it, as human minds are not prepared to "welcome multiple independent consciences."
Dr. Warren Vidic in 1964
Harvey disagreed, introducing Doctor Warren Vidic (known to fans of the franchise as the primary antagonist of the "Desmond Saga" that occurred in 2012 and took up the games from the original through to Assassin's Creed III), at the time a young prodigy who took care of Zenia's delivery of Pash's daughter Nathalia. Unfortunately, Zenia died in childbirth. Harvey took to using Nathalia as a bargaining chip, forcing Pash to stay working with the Templars in order to care for his daughter, along with ordering him to quit the CIA and hand over all of his research on Project BLUEBIRD over to Vidic (research that eventually led to the seventeen subjects of the Animus Project from at latest 1980 through to Vidic's death in 2012, as well as the construction of the Animus itself).
Julia Gorm, CIA Operative
As explained by Nathalia "Nathalie" Chapman, and inferred through the other history shown, Julia Gorm recovered physically from her ordeal in North Vietnam, and was taken in by Harvey as his new agent to replace the lost Alekseï Gavrani, and also took over operations for Harvey as ZR/RIFLE, specifically assassination of political leaders on the orders of the CIA. Her methods were rumored to be so extreme that torture was considered a mercy.
Nathalie Chapman and William Miles, 1977
After losing Julia Gorm to the CIA and the Templars, Pash did raise his daughter, but Vidic took to using her in the 1970s for his preliminary tests on what would become the Animus. Ironically, it was Vidic's own actions in having the young Nathalia (or rather, "Nathalie Chapman," as she became known) view her father's memories that led to her realizing how her family had been manipulated and betrayed, leading to her giving the blueprints on the Animus to an American Assassin and escaping Abstergo with the Fourth Apple.
Judging from the 2012 to 2015 website Assassin's Creed: Initiates, it is known that she gave the blueprints to William Miles, the Mentor of the global Assassin Brotherhood as of 2020 and father of Desmond Miles, and the transfer happened in 1977, when she was roughly thirteen years old. Afterwards, they were given to Medeya Voronina, mother of Galina Voronina (who we have seen in games such as Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, and in the "Assassin's Creed: Assassins" and "Assassin's Creed: Uprising" comics from Titan Comics between 2015 and 2017). Medeya has her own story tied to the franchise (it involves Juno, who was in earlier comics), but it is irrelevant beyond that transfer in regards to this comic.
The trigger is activated.
At last, the story catches up with the "present" day, November 2017. In Madrid, Hajime Shimada, who planned on bringing the still-living Tomo Sakagawa home, sent an Assassin after the escaping Maxime Gorm and Elisa Adler, who tried to escape in the car of "Dr. Florent Carpentier" (Sakagawa's alias), with the attempted assailant killed by Gorm before he could do anything to either of them. Gorm, driving, demanded answers from Adler (who was still rather upset about her parents being killed right in front of her), and heard about Director Nathalie Chapman, who was calling Adler on her cell phone. When he asked her to say they had a hard drive to trade, the voice on the other end of the line said a phrase in Russian, "BOPOH ИДET." Immediately after hearing the phrase, presumably a trigger for hypnotic suggestion, Adler held Gorm at gunpoint and told him to drive back toward the Swiss Alps to bring her "home," presumably back to the clinic.
Boris Pash's grave at Lake Geneva, in (or at least near) Switzerland
At Lake Geneva (between Switzerland and France), a few hours since the aforementioned scene with Elisa Adler and Maxime Gorm, Nathalie Chapman has survived Shimada's men's attack on her clinic and the attempted assassination. She hurries on to find Adler once more after being reminded by her security officer Stanislaw, but not before stopping by the grave of her father, Colonel Boris Theodore Pashkovsky. Better known to readers as Boris Pash, he died in some way or another on May 11, 1995 in Greenbrae, California, decades after the Vietnam War.
From here, the story returned to where it left off with Tomo Sakagawa. Brought "home" by Shimada, he was in fact forced back into the Animus at Nathalie Chapman's old base in Devil's Bridge Gorge for his ability to synchronize with Alekseï Gavrani, picking up the trail on July 30, 1964 (see above for the details). All the time, he was begging to not be forced back in, as he was "going to go mad," but Shimada insisted, as they needed Gavrani's memories to find a way to put a stop to Chapman's goal of being able to bring any Assassin from the past back to life in the modern day, even if it means driving his student to madness in the process.
Fall of a cell
When the memories of when Gavrani first saw Julia Gorm in the night of August 2 came to Sakagawa, the transmission was stopped due to the Assassins coming back to the base and informing Shimada of what was happening with Elisa Adler and Maxime Gorm, including how they had the hard drive with the Adlers' data on the Animus to hand over to Chapman. Shimada called for the Assassins to send an entire unit of troops to intercept the two amnesiacs, only for Sakagawa to awaken, still feeling the memories of Gavrani. His work was deadly and efficient, destroying the Animus and computers with a gun after killing an Assassin with his bare hands. Only after he had grievously injured Shimada did he come to his senses, the older Assassin, his adopted father, bleeding out in his arms, and the base in flames. As Sakagawa was still intent on taking down Gorm and Chapman both, Shimada told him to warn Saeko Mochizuki, head of the Osaka cell of Assassins (and also head of the Onmoraki-Gumi faction of the yakuza, if that is still true since December 2013; more on that if it comes up later) about how the targets were hiding near Gimmelwald, Switzerland, so as not to go alone. (As a side note, contrary to the translation, Mochizuki is female. Her husband, a co-Mentor of the Japanese Brotherhood was killed in 2013, was Kenichi Mochizuki.)
Due to Chapman's hypnotic trigger, Elisa had Maxime Gorm drive them back to a facility in the Swiss Alps, where Chapman met them and brought them inside, explaining about the Adlers' hard drive and the use of the Animus to manipulate the human brain, as well as about how Gorm had killed all of Sakagawa's family under hypnotic suggestion in 2000 and narrowly escaped the fall of the Madrid Abstergo headquarters when it was destroyed by the actions of Callum Lynch in 2016. By Chapman's estimates, Maxime Gorm was the key to her project for "the destiny of [the human] species."
Inside of her base, Chapman noted that she had "inherited" the Fourth Apple from her father, and hoped to uncover how to use it to continue his goals for advancing humankind by accessing the memories of Maxime's mother, Julia. In exchange, she would restore the memories of Maxime Gorm and Elisa Adler both, so Maxime agreed, picking up roughly where Sakagawa's experience with Gavrani had left off (if that is not just an easier way to show it for the readers).
With the look into 1964 eventually concluded, Chapman allowed Maxime Gorm to take off the headset used to view his mother's memories. Apparently there was nothing to be gained from Pash's experiments after all; the best he had accomplished was a madwoman, after which he had "cast aside his dreams" for his newborn daughter.
Despite seemingly failing, Chapman decided that the fact of Julia Gorm having lived with her Bleeding Effect for some time was evidence enough that her plan was feasible. Knowing they had to be careful, but not willing to abandon the ideas entirely, Chapman decided to use the radio towers in her base to project 5% of the Apple's power outward to try and begin the transfer of consciousnesses from the past, hoping to create a new kind of humanity.
A tense reunion
As they began, Tomo Sakagawa had finally arrived. Climbing up the side of the cliff and entering. Both shocked and angry, Elisa Adler tried to attack him, but was easily subdued by the veteran Assassin, who told her not only that he was sorry for the murder of her parents when he was not in his right mind, but also confirmed his true name and explained about how he hated Maxime Gorm because the agent had killed Sakagawa's mother when he was a boy in 2000.
The Assassin strikes.
Reluctant, but still willing, Adler agreed, and helped "Dr. Carpentier" kill guards in front of Gorm's room by distracting them with a relatively hostile conversation. Even so, she was momentarily horrified when Sakagawa stabbed Gorm in the head while he was tied to his chair, executing him instead of keeping him as a hostage as they had apparently discussed.
Using his technological expertise that Chapman's forces considered "genius," Sakagawa locked down Project BLUEBIRD from inside their closed system using a smartphone, using the encryption as a new "hostage" to guarantee that he and Elisa could have access to a helicopter and escape the facility in it without being shot down. As far as Sakagawa was concerned, Chapman's plans of "gifting" humanity with genetic memories had no hope of coming to fruition.
The Japanese Assassin noted, "Being saddled with the memories of our ancestors isn't freedom, Chapman. Quite the opposite. It's having the choice to make decisions free of influence." By forcing the memories on others, Chapman was acting exactly the same way as the enemies of the Assassins or Hidden Ones of ages past. Much like her father, she had abandoned the cause of free will and taken that of either her Templar upbringing or even that of the Instruments of the First Will or the Order of the Ancients (the 870 CE version of which was a predecessor to the former while using the ideals of the latter).
And so it ends.
Despite letting them leave, Chapman fully intended to bring them back by using her hypnotic suggestion on Adler as she had not so long ago. But even then, Sakagawa was completely aware of the imminent betrayal. Even with the muscle memory of Gavrani fading from him with Rome, he knew how to fly the helicopter, leaving, and told an indignant Adler that he had never intended to turn off the encryption. Instead, he knew that the reason the base had been built into an icy mountain was to be able to cool down the high-power equipment in use. Instead of giving the codes to restart Project BLUEBIRD, he had made a Trojan horse designed to sabotage their cooling system. When Chapman and her team turned it on, the entire base seemingly exploded, very likely killing every person and piece of data connected to the project for good, along with seemingly detonating the Fourth Apple itself.
This destruction is similar to that of the Seventh Apple on February 10, 1868 in Roxburghshire, Scotland. That Apple, which had few if any known users of import beyond its last one, was destroyed in an overclocked experiment by David Brewster, who only made the settings on the experiment as high as he did at demands of Templar Lucy Thorne. Incidentally, Brewster also died in the same incident, assassinated by Master Assassin Evie Frye, so he never faced direct consequences for his failure from his employers.
And so, the four-issue story of the Gorm family, Boris Pash, and those they interacted with seemingly came to a close after more than four years. If one counts the translations as part of the saga's length, it stretched from October 21, 2016 with the release of the first book of "Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies" in French until this latest translation at the tail end of January 2021. Future comics in this vein will likely be more representative of more current developments in the saga, rather than kept in at latest 2017, but we will see if those come into being.
Next month, we will be looking into the translation of the first installment for different project, written and overall produced in a different country altogether: a manga adaptation of Assassin's Creed: China, "Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun!"
//TAGS | Isu Codices
Gregory Ellner
Greg Ellner hails from New York City. He can be found on Twitter as @GregoryEllner or over on his Tumblr.
By Gregory Ellner | Dec 7, 2021 | Annotations
Welcome back to the Isu Codices. This month, we are looking into the English translation of the first volume of the Chinese manhua "Assassin's Creed: Dynasty."The Tokyopop translation has numerous errors, but will be used for images and as much information as can be effectively gleaned.So far, for a large portion of this installment, the […]
By Gregory Ellner | Sep 7, 2021 | Annotations
Welcome back to the Isu Codices. This month, we are looking into two different projects that were both released as English translations in August 2021.First, we have "Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Blood Brothers," a prequel to Assassin's Creed Valhalla written by Feng Zisu that follows the Sons of Ragnar as they began the Viking expansion into […]
By Gregory Ellner | Mar 2, 2021 | Annotations
Welcome back to the Isu Codices. This month, we are going to be going into a completely different style of comic: manga, specifically the first volume of "Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun" by Minoji Kurata, encompassing the first four issues serialized in Monthly Sunday Gene-X and translated to English by Viz Media.Technically speaking, roughly […]


Note: Starter bays comprise 2 end frames whereas extension bays only have 1 end frame and require an existing starter bay to stand upright.
Eko Fit Aluminium Shelving Starter Bays Complete With 4 Shelves.
Picking the right shelving for catering, food storage and storage environments can be a tricky task, with so many styles and options on offer it can be a time-consuming task. With the flexible, yet robust Eko fit shelving we aim to make this decision easier, the Eko fit shelving system is a high density aluminium system ideal for coldroom, food preparation, storage and catering applications. This corrosion resistant shelving has a bolt free design, meaning all you need for assembly is a mallet and a few spare minutes.
These anodised aluminium shelving bays are supplied with 4 shelves as standard, each shelf's slats are removable so if they need replacing, cleaning or adjusting it's a simple task. Each shelf is ventilated which promotes airflow around the goods and with a 150kg to 250kg load capacity per shelf (depending on bay size) you'll be able to store plenty.
The above shelving bays are all starter bays, starter bays feature 2 end frames and 4 shelves. Extension bays are also available to purchase, these are supplied with one end frame and 4 shelves. Extra shelves and space-saving corner supports are also available allowing users to make the most efficient use of the space available.
The Eko fit shelving system is NSD, NF, Tuv Nord GS and HACCP accredited.
KFS466/17/4 - Sturdy, easy to assemble and very light to maneuver.
KFS604/17/4 - product well made, but arrived damaged.
Q. What are the plastic shelf slats made from ?


Discover Nepal is our popular Nepal tour package where all must visit cities are included. You will visit the heart of Kathmandu city with full of heritage sites, Pokhara, which is one of the most popular destinations for tourist in Nepal, Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, and then Chitwan which is popular for Jungle Safari.
Experience the view of highest mountains in the world at Pokhara.
Jungle Safari at Chitwan National Park & Visit birthplace of Lord Buddha.
Booking Information: Advance payment of USD 100 / INR 5,000 per person is required for booking confirmation. Balance amount can be paid upon arrival at Kathmandu. If cancellation takes place after booking confirmation then advance deposit amount will be forfeited.
Friendly, helpful and knowledgeable booking agents to answer all telephone calls and enquiries during business hours.
Travel agents will do their very best to answer and explain all questions posed to them. Agents will always speak to potential passengers with respect and inform them truthfully about Rara Trek Tours and Travels.
Booking staff will make suggestions when appropriate, taking into account the customer's interests and wishes, in order to make them prepared for the best possible holiday.
Any changes or special offers will be published on the website or our Facebook page as soon as available.
The Rara Trek Tours and Travels Crew will try to keep each holiday as flexible as possible.
If there's something the group wants to do, every effort will be made to facilitate that activity.
All medication and spending money will be administered and distributed by qualified members of the crew, as arranged before the holiday.
Appropriate measures and precautions will be implemented to make every holiday as safe as it possibly can be.
Each passenger will be treated with respect and dignity.
Passengers will receive the support they require, and privacy and dignity will be respected.
Every activity on the itinerary will be completed, barring exceptional circumstances.
Accommodation will always be comfortable, safe and well located.
Meals will be well prepared and contribute to a balanced diet during the holiday.
Passengers will be informed of the Rara Trek Tours and Travels points. The points that they have accumulated can be used for discounts on future vacations.
Staff will respond to any complaints. A resolution will be sought in every case.
All feedbacks will be reviewed to identify the best parts of our vacations, and to address where improvement is needed.
A wide range of tour packages, including a single day to multiple days, are well managed and available with us. We have different practices for corporate organization centered purposes. We have diversified destinations according to the desires of our customers.
We provide the supreme standard of accommodations and amenities available at the place for those seeking for a luxurious and well maintained travel experience.
The ease of access, our priority.
A never-ending and unforgettable travel experience with best available amenities, our prior motto.
The best service for our clients and the activities including the localities will be served as per the deal and on pro rata basis.
Every kind of transportation is determined according to the desire of our customers. We have good access over different modes of transportations and services.
We provide different standards of Land cruiser, buses, and jeeps based on the desire of our clients.
The complete service is determined as per the need of our customer.
We provide the best standard of meals and dining available.
The needy meals and beverages discussed prior to the trip are determined as per the availability, varies depending upon the location.
The itineraries are subject to change in case of uncontrollable factors affecting the travel experience. The external forces like Natural calamities, environmental changes, blockades etc. are beyond our control. We'll provide you the best solution in case of sudden uncontrollable changes during the travel. The charges and fees are extra.
04:30AM – Early in the morning you will drive to Sarangkot hill for sunrise and view the Himalayan ranges. Visit Bindabasini Temple on the way back to hotel.
8:00AM – After Breakfast Drive to Lumbini. You will visit Japanese Stupa, Chinese Stupa, Ashoka Pillars, Vietnam Stupa, Buddha's birthplace, Mayadevi Temple and many other Buddhist Stupas. You will hire Rickshaw on your own for sightseeing.
09:00AM – After Breakfast Drive to Chitwan (5 hrs). During lunch there will be briefing about Chitwan National Park and Resort & its facilities.
08:00AM – Drive back to Kathmandu. Bhaktapur sightseeing en-route.
Optional Activities: Rafting, Boating, etc.


text:
Winefred's Well
Dip your fevered mind and wearied limbs into the healing waters.
If you enjoyed your pilgrimage to the well, hit the collection plate!
Book on the Non-Forbidden Index
And Furthermore....
...and yet more.
More Music, Different Sphere
BUY SOMETHING !!
HELLO, BLOG
I've been away so long (committing regular infidelities with my Facebook page), even the following paragraph, which has been waiting on ice, is now out of date:
Having been virtually underground for a couple of months, your Intrepid Reporter is back in Newfoundland to finish out what was supposed to have been an entire summer ensconced among the rural wonders of the Rock. Not to be. Have just come off three weeks in So-Cal (that's southern California to all who don't live in southern California), first in charge of, and then just visiting, the wee grandchildren who lost their maternal Grandpa and said goodbye to their deploying Daddy within a very short time. (Made longer, however, by the fact that the military had trouble exchanging the proper papers to get Daddy to Afghanistan, taking another two weeks after granting him a week's bereavement leave.)
Had the also unscheduled thrill of laying eyes on all four grandkiddies within a 24-hour period, since the nearer ones were making a stopover at our place when we got home. They all grow and thrive, and increase in their Unsurpassable Cuteness, each in his or her own inimitable way. Life is good.
Well, the week in Newfoundland turned out rushed and insufficient to wind down the summer. So we're back in the stinky heat and haze of Toronto, looking ahead to another busy year, with many serious concerns, not least of which is the coming election. That's the sort of thing I would usually be covering here in detail, but somehow it's been too exhausting a prospect -- and spitting out mini-thoughts on Facebook has been the easier, lazier way out.
I tried to feel hopeful as the candidate became inevitable, one whom I did not much support but who ended up being "the guy" in default, since better men or women chose not to enter an increasingly unseemly fray. I've met Mitt, shaken his hand, and been left unwarmed. I have no doubt of his competence as a manager and executive. But he doesn't move me.
My man Rubio would have been a great VP, but the choice of Ryan has worked out well, and let us hope he has saved the American bacon. The ultra-choreographed kabuki of the conventions is coming to an end. The Tango in Tampa was pretty upbeat and impressive, and made me feel confident about the deep conservative bench. The Charade in Charlotte has been less edifying on every scale -- chock full of deception and mean-spiritedness -- and despite any grandstanding to the contrary, the backstage movers of the party know that they are in deep doo-doo.
At this moment, Joe Biden is unrolling a colossal tissue of whoppers in his ordinary way from within the deep reaches of his alternate universe. Can't wait to see the roll-out of facts checked tomorrow. The only comfort is that fewer and fewer people actually watch this kabuki. Some new program about child beauty pageants called Honey Boo-Boo rivalled the convention in viewership.
Biden is about to tell us how brilliant Obama has been as Commander-in-Chief. The Bin Laden story is being lavishly embroidered in senile rapture -- "LITERALLY!!!!!"
On that subject, let me just reference this brief report from Sunni tribal leader Ahmad Abu-Risha, one of the courageous Iraqis who turned the tide in his own country as part of the Anbar awakening. The headline says it all:
Iraqi leader to Obama:
'Why did you leave Iraq to Iran?'
During the troop surge of 2007, the group had several meetings with General David Patraeus, President George W. Bush and military officials to strategize against al-Qaida and help set the foundation for a new government.
Communication has since fizzled. Although then-Senator Obama met with the group for 90 minutes in 2008 and committed to continuing cooperation, Abu-Risha says he hasn't met with any American officials since U.S. troops left Iraq.
"Why did you give up the many sacrifices that Americans made? You can still have a partnership with us. If you are going to be president for the next four years, bring Iraq back into a strategic partnership with the United States and remember the people who fought against al Qaeda with you."
Biden just stated "the only truly sacred obligation we have" [then what the hell are all the entitlements, stimuli, and programs for?????????] is to prepare those we send to war, and care for them when they come back. Not a bad idea. Democrats should try trimming their agenda in just such a fashion some time.
Posted by Winefred at 10:09 p.m. No comments: Links to this post
St. Winefred's Well -- Holywell, Flintshire, Wales
1400 unbroken years of Catholic veneration and pilgrimage
A TIME FOR CHOOSING
'STRUTH
Hat-tip: some genius in Atlanta
I flatter myself that....
blue star mom
If you get what this is, let's all do the secret handshake.
THE LEMON IS IN PLAY
Winefred
I broke into the blogosphere in 2003, via a letter to andrew sullivan (made me a minor celebrity in my family for a week) Call it my bio: My grandfather came to the US from Greece around 1905, alone, age 10, sailing into New York Harbor and entering at Ellis Island, like the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Before settling down he spent a couple of his teen-age years "hobo-ing" around the country. He insisted to me that a hobo is not a bum. He looks for honest work to earn his food and a place to sleep - he is NOT looking for a hand-out... When you (Sullivan) used the word "hobo" to describe Saddam Hussein in his spider hole, I thought "Saddam should be so lucky as to be a hobo--he could wish for so much dignity." My grandfather finished third grade, and spent his life as a railroad mechanic. He raised four sons, three of them old enough for WWII. The four earned two M.A.'s and two Ph.D.'s, and produced 15 accomplished grandchildren. Among the many great-grandchildren are two Naval officers and a Marine Corps Captain...the legacy of a hobo. Saddam, master of the palaces and father of the lion-cubs, is just a bum.
Wingin' It, one
Marine Flyboy
Wingin' it, two
Navy Flyboy
Surely I've earned this
National Defense Ribbon ("Thanks for Showin' Up" Medal)
Keep Praying for Christopher Hitchens
Think God was a shock to him? -- imagine what he thinks of Purgatory....
Blog tributes
"Non-hysterical"
Kathy Shaidle, Five Feet of Fury
"Intelligent and thoughtful"
Julian Lopèz-Morillas, Bay area actor, director, 'Speare chucker, and old pal (still thinks I'm bananas)
"She made other comments, but they were too risqué."
David Warren, Canajun wordmonger and doge, davidwarrenonline
9/11/2001 (10)
aka Cumberbatch (2)
All things OBAMA (9)
Art/Architecture (3)
Canuck stuff (12)
Catholic stuff (13)
Feminazis (5)
Hollywood types (15)
Lefty Moonbats (25)
Lt. Dan (8)
Media - Mainstream (15)
Media - New and Improved (14)
Military Moms/Families (9)
Regular Womenfolk (5)
Religion generally (3)
Send in the MARINES (10)
Society Down the Tubes (3)
Sports - general (3)
Sports - HOCKEY (ice - what else?) (9)
Sports - Soccer (um - football) (4)
U.S. politics (73)
Winds of War (50)
Read about Winefred's Well
Here, here, here, here, and here. Winefred's final resting place is Shrewsbury Abbey, pictured here. Her story has been immortalized by Shropshire novelist Ellis Peters as the opening episode in the Brother Cadfael mystery series.
Where I'm stuffin' my politics these days...
RightUpFrontery
What the kids are doin'
OOH-RAH
operation "demographic balance"
Operation Demographic Balance, part deux
FLYING CHECKMATES
Whoooooosh-h-h-h-h
Links: Commentary -- Opinion Blogs
Independent Women's Forum
Victory Caucus
Links: Catholic
Summa Contra Improbos
Ratzinger Fan Club
Links: Milblogs -- Embeds
Thermopylae USA
Long War Journal
One Marine's View
The Indepundit
The Fourth Rail
links: military support
America Supports You
Chrenkoff's Good News from Iraq
Families United
Heart of a Marine
Marine Corps Moms
Operation Iraqi Children
Psalm 91 bandana brigade
Soldiers Angels
Yiss, b'y

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Government Technology reports on New York's progress implementing its 2006 strategic plan. Part of the progress includes a new, fully funded data center. The article also provides some added information on the planned statewide public safety wireless network and VoIP telephony.


text:
Federal Proposals Would Streamline Support for Training
LIFELONG SCHOOLING
By Mark Trumbull
@MarkTCSM
`WHAT we have now is ... a lot of disparate programs" to help different groups of people develop job skills, says Betsy Brown Ruzzi, associate director of the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce in Washington.
The nonprofit organization is pushing for policymakers to develop a "comprehensive strategy for all citizens," she says.
Government support for job training today includes everything from federal tax breaks for employer-sponsored course work to state-sponsored programs that lure manufacturing plants with "employer-specific skill training" programs.
The most prominent federal program is the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982, with $4.2 billion allocated for the 1992 fiscal year. The JTPA includes programs to retrain workers displaced when factories close and programs to help disadvantaged youth prepare for work. The JTPA serves 1.5 million people, but 33 million are eligible.
Ms. Ruzzi acknowledges that even with the comprehensive strategy she hopes will emerge, some groups such as the poor and displaced workers will still need targeted assistance.
One broad legislative package, sponsored in the Senate by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts and Mark Hatfield (R) of Oregon, is known as the "High Skills, Competitive Workforce Act." Its provisions would:
* Promote a system of voluntary job-skill certification standards for educational programs.
* Establish school-to-work programs that would help young people prepare to enter the work force.
* Provide grants to industry for developing better training programs and "high-performance" work organizations.
* Levy a 0.5 percent payroll tax on employers unless they spend at least 1 percent of their total wages on training.
* Make permanent the tax-exemption for employer-sponsored education of employees.
Meanwhile, President Bush has proposed a narrower bill, the Job Training 2000 Act. It aims to streamline federal programs by consolidating their administration more fully in local "private industry councils" that were set up to administer JTPA funds. That money is parceled out to states on the basis of the number of unemployed and disadvantaged residents. With this proposed "one-stop shopping" approach, individuals and employers would no longer have to contact many agencies to find out about available as sistance.
Like the Senate bill, the Bush administration also recommends a system of job-specific skills standards, which industry groups would set voluntarily. This would make it easier for schools to design vocational education and apprenticeship programs. It would also enable workers, employers, and the government to make better decisions about training investments, the administration says.
Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton has proposed requiring that businesses spend an amount equal to 1.5 percent of their payroll on job training, and to spend it on all employees, not just managers.
The Labor Department is also pushing for reforms in education so students learn basic skills needed in the workplace. The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) recommends that, along with essentials like reading and math, schools emphasize problem-solving skills and working in groups.
Obama, Biden pitch job training: Do reforms go far enough?
Workforce of the future? Bipartisan bill would overhaul job training.
Training programs promise good jobs without college degrees. Can they deliver?


Please join us in our development efforts to… Safeguard the Future of Therapeutic Adventures!
ORIGIN: Belay. In fact, that is the original meaning of the word: to surround a thing with other objects. This was a literal meaning, of course, but the word came to be used figuratively, as well. It is from that meaning, or possibly from a cognate Dutch word, that the nautical use arose. There, to belay, meant "to secure a length of rope by wrapping it around a cleat or belaying pin, especially a rope attached to sails". This meaning was then extended to mountaineering and by the heyday of that discipline, the 20th century, to belay meant "to tie oneself, as a stationary member of a roped party, to a firm rock projection…or to a piton, etc…in order to secure oneself and to afford a safeguard to the moving climber" (from The Dictionary of Mountaineering, 1957).
We need your help to secure a strong and stable future for Therapeutic Adventures, Inc. It is crucial that we develop a network of support that is based on: (1) trusting relationships, (2) positive partnerships, and (3) a common purpose.


The utility of composite error-function velocity profiles for the modeling of gas–liquid shear layers is examined by comparing temporal stability results from such approximate error-function profiles with results from the exact velocity profiles based on the two-fluid boundary layer equations. The stability analysis is restricted to two-dimensional perturbations. The two-fluid boundary layer equations are solved numerically using a shooting method in each fluid layer. The composite error-function profile is constructed by matching displacement thicknesses with the exact solution. With given fluid properties, the displacement thicknesses depend on the asymptotic velocity ratio of the liquid and gas stream in the laboratory frame. For di¤erent sets of fluid properties, the maximum growth rates of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability show good numerical agreement between the exact and the approximate velocity profiles, especially when the asymptotic velocities of the gas and liquid phase are close.
Boeck, Thomas / Zaleski, Stéphane: Instability of two-phase mixing layers. analysis of exact and approximate base flows from boundary layer theory. 2015.


text:
"""Python module for TFE ops and functions exported by pybind11.

This module is created because we are splitting out eager bindings from
pywrap_tensorflow. This is causing some issues where Graphs are not properly
initialized when running eager code. Once the graph architecture has been
removed from pywrap_tensorflow as well, we can remove this file.
"""

# pylint: disable=invalid-import-order,g-bad-import-order, wildcard-import, unused-import
from tensorflow.python import pywrap_tensorflow
from tensorflow.python._pywrap_tfe import *

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Lala No More
When I wrote about my new favorite music web site back in January, little did I know that, just one month prior, the company I thought they would challenge for electronic music supremacy had already acquired them.
Apple purchased Lala in December 2009, beating out Google in the bidding process, and effectively squashing any potential competition in the process. Today, I received this email notification:
Dear C. Simone,
The Lala service will be shut down on May 31st.
In appreciation of your support over the last five years, you will receive a credit in the amount of your Lala web song purchases for use on Apple's iTunes Store. If you purchased and downloaded mp3 songs from Lala, those songs will continue to play as part of your local music library.
Remaining wallet balances and unredeemed gift cards will be converted to iTunes Store credit (or can be refunded upon request). Gift cards can be redeemed on Lala until May 31st.
Click here or visit Lala.com/support for more information, or to view Lala's Terms of Service.
It's a sad day in my world, as I was already getting used to being able to preview just about any album I desired, and purchasing the occasional web album for about a dollar. I had yet to purchase a full album of mp3s, but was also interested in the fact that Lala represented an option that was $2-3 per album cheaper than iTunes, and placed no restrictions on the number of computers I could authorize to play those files.
It's also hard to imagine that one company could purchase another for $85 million—confirming how valuable the acquisition is in the process—then turn around and simply shut it down. There is talk that Apple could have bigger plans for Lala's music streaming technology, but having effectively eliminated the competition, I see no incentive for iTunes to be more price-competitive.
I may not end up listening to the 350 new albums that I was on pace to this year, but I will survive. Thanks to my recent discovery of NPR's Exclusive First Listen, in addition to AOL/Spinner, there are still good sources for streaming new releases. Also, my subscription to eMusic—iTunes' cooler, cheaper cousin, according to Rolling Stone magazine—provides me with an option to purchase music for about half the price of iTunes, and that service's selection is getting better almost daily.
If there are new music sources that I'm overlooking, please share. I'll be certain to continue to write about any new developments here.
Posted 10:52 PM 0 comments
Subjects: Music, WWW
NPR First Listen
Add NPR's Exclusive First Listen to my list of the best web sites for those of us who crave a steady rotation of new music. While AOL/Spinner is the place to go to listen to streaming audio of a dozen or more albums for a week or two after their release, and Lala is great for offering one free preview of just about any song, new or otherwise, NPR's site maintains its own exclusive niche.
For previews of select, upcoming albums, in their entirety, this is the site to go. Among those currently streaming on NPR, until May 4, are the following:
The New Pornographers - Together
The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever
Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Additionally, the following records are in queue to become available for listen during the following dates in May:
The National - High Violet: May 3-11
The Black Keys - Brothers: May 10-18
Of course, these are just the albums that show up on my radar. There are definitely others that you may want to check out for yourself.
Piece Out
On our way out of town, KJ and I finally made it to the brew pub we'd been hoping to get to all along. Honestly, we had no idea what we would have been missing had we opted to skip it. I really just wanted to get a taste of something locally-brewed, and the fact that Rick Nielsen is a part owner was simply a bonus. What I didn't know was that Piece would deliver the best new (to me) beer I've had since visiting Oregon back in August.
The thought crossed our minds to order a variety of 3-oz. samples, but instead we opted to cut straight to the chase and go with the styles we were really craving. "We're hoppy people," KJ said to our waiter, who lumped himself into the same category. I ordered a supercharged IPA named Dysfunctionale, and KJ's selection was an Imperial IPA called Wack Job. What she didn't realize was that the latter weighed in at 9% ABV.
My first impression of the Dysfunctionale was of its pleasantly mild grapefruity hop aroma and profile, the bitterness of which perfectly balanced its full-bodied maltiness. My first smell and taste of the Wack Job, though, revealed how truly subtle the Dysfunctionale's notes of grapefruit are, as those characteristics in this one blew me away. Much more hoppy than the Dysfunctionale, the Wack Job is slightly higher on the bitterness end of the scale, but still very well balanced.
Although rating both of them highly, KJ clearly preferred the Wack Job. I couldn't decide which I liked better, but can honestly say they are the best pair of brew pub ales I've had since Old Lompoc's LSD and C-Note Imperial Pale Ale.
Our waiter also gave us small samples of two other brews, Marketing Ploy—an IPA that isn't as well-balanced as the others, but is solid—and Surrender—a Belgian Farmhouse Saison that's pretty good, but a little too sweet after the highly hopped beers we already had. Of course, it was the name of the latter that piqued my curiosity, but I still chose the Wack Job for my second beer, despite already sampling much of KJ's.
The beer isn't all that Piece has going for it. The service is excellent, and their brand of New Haven-style thin crust pizza is tremendous as well. We ordered ours with pepperoni, banana peppers and garlic, a delectable combination. The atmosphere is great also, with plenty of music memorabilia hanging from the walls, including a Rick Nielsen trademark five-neck guitar. Playing from the tavern's sound system was an excellent mix of indie rock, much of it highly recognizable and some just slightly familiar, all at a reasonable volume. That is, not nearly as loud as in other places with similar vibes.
After that, we hopped back on the 'L' to O'Hare, quite content that we had ended our visit to a great city on an extremely high note.
Subjects: Beer, Breweries, Travel
No Cell
An electronic sign at U.S. Cellular Field declares its namesake as the exclusive cellular provider of the Chicago White Sox. Little did I know that meant my service, purchased in a market that U.S. Cell doesn't compete in, would be rendered useless. While I can't say for certain that they're actually blocking other carriers, or if it's just that my cell provider doesn't cover the area as well as, say San Francisco, it seems pretty suspicious.
But, I digress. Not only was "The Cell" the third park KJ and I have visited together in our one-year history of traveling to baseball games as a couple, it was the 10th current park I've visited more than once (Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards, Rogers Centre, Progressive Field, PNC Park, Wrigley Field, AT&T Park, Oakland Coliseum). If not for the Twins leaving the Metrodome in favor of Target Field, that would have equaled the number of current parks I've yet to visit.
When Brian and I visited what was then called New Comiskey back in 1998, we weren't terribly impressed with the aesthetics of the park. That opinion hasn't changed 12 years later. Don't get me wrong, this is no Veterans Stadium, but opened one year prior to Camden Yards, it's just not as nice as its contemporaries.
While the photo may not give you enough of an impression, you'll have to either take my word for it or see for yourself. The place just doesn't have a lot of character. But, that doesn't tell the whole story either. The sight lines could be significantly improved if the seats were turned about 15 degrees towards the on-field action, something that has worked well with other parks built in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.
There were positives, however. The rows in our section, and those around us, were only 8-10 seats wide. As a result, there was only one time during an entire nine-inning game that we had to get up to let our fellow patrons pass. If you've ever been to Fenway, you certainly would understand the importance of this factor.
Also, there were numerous concessions options beyond the standard fare. Of course, my mind was fixated on Chicago-style hot dogs, and I wasn't disappointed in the foot long I found, which was topped with sweet pickle relish, tomato wedges, pickle spears, sport peppers, mustard and onions. KJ opted for the smaller version, but I think she ended up regretting that decision. We were both surprised there was only one stand in the entire park that sold these wonderful creations, but we quickly figured out why once we sat down to eat them. A photo would have been a nice idea here, but you'll have to use your imagination to understand how difficult it was to eat a hot dog that looked like it had been "dragged through the garden."
The beer selection was comparable to that at most Midwestern parks. That is, the options were mostly of the American lager variety—Chicago's proximity to Milwaukee makes it clearly a Miller town—with a couple of decent, if not spectacular, micro-brewed choices as well. We opted for the Wisconsin-brewed Leinenkugel's Classic Amber, which was solid, but nothing special. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a single beer brewed in Chicago available at the game, leading me further to the conclusion that this is not a craft beer city. I may or may not be correct in that assumption, but the following day I would discover the place that, in the very least, is the exception. More on that in a later post.
The White Sox were hosting the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that was fresh off a Patriots' Day weekend sweep of a four-game series in Boston. Apparently, a masterful performance from John Danks is what it would take to slow down the hottest team in baseball. The Chicago lefthander shrugged off a first-inning solo homer by Carl Crawford, then proceeded to hold the Rays hitless for the next 5 1/3 innings until Crawford's swinging bunt single in the 6th. His impressive outing (8 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO) was more than enough to lead the White Sox to a 4-1 victory, in a game that lasted just two hours and 22 minutes with none other than Joe West behind the plate.
A few other items worth noting from Tuesday night's game:
It was immediately clear that it was Jackie Robinson Day at U.S. Cellular Field, this being the Sox first home game since April 11. A group of kids spotted outside the stadium, wearing White Sox shirts with #42 on the back, was our first clue.
The White Sox are one of those home teams whose dugout is on the third base side. I believe I've already written about how much KJ dislikes this.
We laughed at the song that was played every time Gordon Beckham came to bat: "Your Love" by The Outfield. I'm not sure why we found it so funny to hear "Josie's on a vacation far away, come around and talk it over," over and over.
Baseball lesson of the day: "One from the mound, two from the field," is the common phrase used to remember how many bases are allowed on a throw that goes out of play: one base if the throw is by the pitcher from the rubber, two if the throw is from any other fielder, including the pitcher while off the rubber. All base awards are from the time of the throw.
Subjects: Ballparks, Baseball, Food, Travel, Umpiring
Deep Dish and Light Craft
From a food and beverage standpoint, what would you say Chicago is known for? Forgive my ignorance if I'm missing something obvious, but deep dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs were the two things on my radar as I anticipated my current trip to the Windy City. Wheat beer was not one that came to mind, but when KJ and I visited Lou Malnati's Pizzeria last night, their only craft beer selections were four of the lighter variety—Goose Island 312, Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss, Blue Moon Belgian White, and Goose Island Summertime. The latter was their seasonal selection, an odd choice considering April in Chicago hardly feels like summer.
In reality, I'm sure the beer selection had more to do with the fact that Lou Malnati's is all about great food rather than great beer, or maybe it has something to do with what pairs well with pizza. I really don't know, but I still would have preferred one choice that was a little more hop-centric. Regardless, I wanted to try something that was indigenous to the area, so I gave the Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale a shot.
At first sip, I rather liked it, but that wore off a little as I worked my way to the bottom of the glass. Considering it's not my favorite style, I would still rate it as pretty good. It was light and refreshing, not too sweet, but a bit too bubbly for my taste. It did, however, pair rather well with our food selection, as we opted for the deep dish with sausage and giardiniera peppers, which in reality is a relish consisting primarily of serrano peppers, celery, carrots and cauliflower.
Lou Malnati's came highly recommended as the place for out-of-towners to get a taste of the deep dish pizza that the nation's third most populous city is known for. Let me just say it proved itself worthy of such recommendations. KJ and I shared a 9" pie, which consisted of two fully satisfying slices each, and she caught me saying "whew" under my breath a few times at the spicy kick delivered by the giardiniera.
The decor at Malnati's was pleasing as well. The walls were covered with lots of cool, but very tasteful, baseball memorabilia, including old programs from Wrigley Field, framed jerseys of Ryne Sandberg and Ernie Banks, and home plate from the final game played at Comiskey Park, signed by what appeared to be all the members of the 1990 White Sox. An odd addition to these tasteful decorations was a framed "Cub Fan, Bud Man" tuxedo. I'd really like to know what the story is behind that one.
Tonight, we're headed to U.S. Cellular Field to see if the White Sox can do what the Red Sox haven't been able to—beat the Tampa Bay Rays. More importantly, though, we're checking off the third major league park we've visited together and hoping to satisfy our other Chicago craving, which shouldn't be a problem at a baseball game.
Subjects: Beer, Food, Travel
Summer of '04 Trivia
Each of the seven posts in the Summer of '04 series was named after a song. Each of these songs has a connection to the city the post was about, some being more obvious than others (e.g. "Look Out Cleveland," "Detroit Rock City," "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis").
For each song, name the artist who is best known for performing it, and for the two songs for which it's not obvious ("The Long Cut" and "The Sheltering Sky"), identify the connection between the artist and the city the post was about. Also, one of the songs ("Pittsburgh Town") was written by an artist who is more famous than the song's best known performer. So, for that one, I'm looking for both performer and composer. In all, this makes it a 10-part question.
As a reminder, here is the list of posts/songs again:
Cleveland Rocks
Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis
The Long Cut
The Sheltering Sky
Pittsburgh Town
Of course, there's one particular reader of this blog who's the clear cut favorite to be the first to answer the question correctly. I'm certainly not discouraging him from proving me right, but I look forward to seeing if anyone else has what it takes to beat him to the punch.
Subjects: Music, Trivia
This is the seventh and final part of the Summer of '04 series, chronicling my first serious baseball road trip.
It's probably a blessing in disguise that Brian has a lunch date with his former advisor, because immediately afterward, we're hitting the bars for some pre-game drinks.
Not surprisingly, this is where the journal entries end. Just as we did during our 1998 trip to Chicago, Brian and I kind of overdid it during the daylight hours, the highlight of which was a visit to Chiodo's Tavern, in the Pittsburgh suburb of Homestead. The place was one of Brian's favorites during his days at graduate school, and on this day, we were lucky enough to meet its 86-year old owner, Italian immigrant Joe Chiodo.
Joe has since passed away, and Chiodo's Tavern is no more, but it was a Steel City landmark in its day, known for the hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of memorabilia hanging from its ceiling.
I do remember deciding on this trip that Pittsburgh's PNC Park was, perhaps, my favorite ballpark. I later adjusted my thinking, because let's face it...with exception, all of the new parks are great. Some have better concession options, while others have done a better job with space. Some are a little more visually appealing than others, but all of them have good sight lines. That is, all seats priced moderately and up provide a good vantage point for the on-field action.
So, what made PNC Park stand out so much to me? Honestly, I believe it was Pittsburgh itself, particularly the view of the city from the stadium, especially those trademark yellow bridges. Unfortunately, the photo below is the best I've got, and it doesn't really do the view justice, but I hope it will give you an idea of just how aesthetically appealing the view from inside PNC is. It's just too bad that the Pirates haven't produced a winning season since going 96-66, and losing the NLCS in seven games to the Braves, in 1992.
The day after the game, while driving Brian to the airport, I felt that all-too-familiar crunch of brakes that have worn all the way through the pads. The trip was nearing its end, but I was still 600 miles from home. So, instead of risking driving that far on brakes that were shot, I decided to play it safe and drive only 400 miles to Poughkeepsie, NY.
That's actually not as crazy as it sounds. Driving a car with a manual transmission on a route that was almost entirely interstate highways, I was able to downshift when absolutely necessary, so that I barely had to use the brakes at all. $90 spent at Auto Zone and a little help from my brother-in-law and I was back on the road for the 200 miles that would return me home safely, and bring my first serious baseball road trip to an end.
Subjects: Ballparks, Baseball, Road Trips, Travel
Boston Beer Guide
A couple months ago, I began putting together a page listing the best places to find craft beer in and around Boston. This idea was inspired by The Beer Mapping Project, and the page I created includes an area map provided courtesy of that impressive web site, but my intention is to improve upon their coverage of this particular area. As much as I love beermapping.com, considering it touts itself as "...a project by someone who likes knowing exactly where he is and how far he needs to go for good beer," why it includes such lame places as On the Hill Tavern and Powderhouse Pub and Grill—just to name two from my own neighborhood—is beyond me.
Now if either of these places has recently transformed itself to a good beer bar, then I apologize for calling them lame, but I highly doubt this is the case. I do suspect, however, that since The Beer Mapping Project relies extensively on user input, then it's someone who doesn't even know how to pronounce the word bar who is to blame.
But, I digress. My page, of course, will always be a work in progress. Contrary to popular belief, I haven't been able to visit every bar in the Greater Boston area just yet. So, I'm sure there are at least a few that I'm missing, but I think this is a very good start.
The basic idea here is that this is a page that craft beer enthusiasts, such as myself, can use to decide where they want to go find a beer, or what beer they plan to drink when they meet up with friends at a specific place. I recently used it to decide what my first two selections would be when I visited Olde Magoun's Saloon, a neighborhood establishment that is worthy of being identified as a good beer bar.
Because this concept relies on the availability of such information, with exception I've only listed taverns that have good beer selections and a web site that includes a current beer menu. The exceptions I've made are for places I feel confident you could walk into blindly and not be disappointed in what they have to offer. But, of course, I'm a little torn on this, so I reserve the right to change my mind.
If you haven't already discovered it, please check out my Boston Beer Guide (you can also find the link in the upper right corner, just below the left field photo). Since I'm only one person, and I don't frequent such establishments nearly as much as I used to—which is both a good and a bad thing—I'll take all the help I can get. So, I welcome any and all recommendations as to places I should add to the list, as well as any corrections if you notice before I do that a particular link isn't working.
Subjects: Beer, WWW
Live at Manticore Hall
Sunday night's show at the Lynn Memorial Auditorium was billed as "An Intimate Evening with Keith Emerson & Greg Lake," but when the band was introduced prior to taking the stage, the public address announcer's greeting was "Welcome to Manticore Hall." This, of course, was in reference to Emerson, Lake & Palmer's fascination with the mythical creature that has the body of a lion, the head of a man, the tail of a scorpion, and a trumpet-like voice.
This was one of those shows that I decided was worth attending alone, which was necessitated by the fact that very few of my friends share my admiration of the English progressive rock supergroup. When I took my seat at the venue, next to me was another solo concertgoer. A few years older than I, he shared with me that he and his wife have much different taste in music, using Mariah Carey as an example of where her interests lie. I told him that, while my wife and I share much more musical taste in common, this was one band I never really attempted to turn her on to. He seemed to agree with my somewhat stereotypical claim that those of the female persuasion generally don't appreciate prog rock. This generalization was not reinforced by an event that occurred later in the evening, but I'll get to that soon enough.
Just as I predicted in a conversation with KJ prior to the show, the 65 and 62-year old rockers played two sets separated by a short intermission. Highlights of the first set included a rendition of King Crimson's "I Talk to the Wind," a song Lake admitted he hadn't played since 1969; and a medley that began with ELP's "Take a Pebble" then transitioned to excerpts from "Tarkus," which included a fine display of Emerson's still impressive keyboard chops.
Both Emerson and Lake let the on-stage banter flow freely, and the second set included several such highlights. The first was a story told by Emerson about meeting one of his idols, Leonard Bernstein, and Bernstein's somewhat sarcastic and arrogant dismissal of the music of The Nice and ELP.
What was even more interesting was when they initiated a Q&A session with audience members. I wanted to ask why they didn't hire Ian Paice as their touring drummer, but I didn't get the chance. One of those chosen was a 14-year old girl who called ELP her favorite band. I found this quite interesting, of course, and then I tried to imagine my 14-year old niece's reaction if I played her Brain Salad Surgery in its entirety.
Personally, I love when performers are adept at successfully interspersing a few stories into their set. Emerson and Lake may have overdone this a little, but it never detracted from the music, which certainly did not disappoint. Even the somewhat bizarre fact that they used a drum machine during the Tarkus medley didn't really bother me.
The final highlight of the night was their encore performance of "Lucky Man." I'm not sure what I was more surprised about: the fact that they ended a show of mostly deeper cuts with their most commercially successful song, or that I enjoyed hearing it as much as I did. While it was Keith Emerson's playing that shone the brightest for most of the night, it was during this song that I realized just how lucky we fans are that Greg Lake's vocal ability has held up so well over time.
Subjects: Concerts, Music
Midlake @ The Paradise
I can't remember when the last time was that I saw a show at the Paradise Rock Club. In fact, trying to use this blog to determine this proved fruitless, as there isn't a single post about a Paradise show. It was only late 2008 that I began regularly writing up concerts, but nevertheless, it's probably been at least a couple years. This is unfortunate, because the Commonwealth Avenue club is still one of my favorite venues.
It used to be that when a band graduated from Paradise to Avalon status that I was pretty much done with seeing them live. But, Avalon is no more—thankfully—and has been replaced by the House of Blues, a venue that is slightly larger but much better suited for rock shows. Still, I've only been there once since it opened just over a year ago.
Last night was the third time I've seen Midlake in concert, twice of those at the Paradise and all of them excellent shows. The seven-piece from Denton, Texas, led by the vocals of Tim Smith and no less than four guitarists, seems to have a knack for live music that fully captures the magic of their studio output.
Speaking of Smith, it occurred to me during last night's show that he is the only member of Midlake whose name I know, which is somewhat surprising considering they're one of my favorite current bands. I have no problem remembering the names of all the members of Styx from their heyday: Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James Young and the Panozzo brothers. Well, I'll admit that I had to look up the first names of the latter siblings—Chuck and John—but you get my point. Knowing the names of band members is pretty much my thing, but somewhere along the way, this ability has faded, or this information has become less important.
Also faded is my ability to stand in one place for three hours without my legs and lower back aching. But, that's another story. Part of the reason this was an issue was the opening act. Previously unknown to me, John Grant was a pleasant surprise in a supporting role. His music beared much resemblance to Midlake's—not surprisingly since they served as backup band for his recent album, Queen of Denmark—except with much lighter lyrical subject matter, as evidenced by song titles such as "Sigourney Weaver," " Chicken Bones," and "Jesus Hates Faggots."
I've already written here that I think Midlake's latest release, The Courage of Others, is nowhere near the masterpiece that The Trials of Van Occupanther was, but the songs from Courage did not disappoint live. That's not to say that hearing "Roscoe," "Bandits," "Van Occupanther," and "Young Brides" from Van Occupanther weren't the highlights of the show, but the band seemed perfectly constructed to perform the newer material. To that point, another highlight was an extended jam during one of the show's closing songs, "Rulers, Ruling All Things."
It's also been quite some time since I've seen two shows in just three days time, but that will be the case this weekend, as I have plans to see Keith Emerson and Greg Lake—two-thirds of the legendary progressive rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer—play at the Lynn Auditorium tomorrow night. More on that to come.
So far, I'd have to say that this year is clearly better than last at this stage of the game, although not much has really piqued my interest since the first round of Frequent Spins 2010. That should change come the month of May, with new albums due from four bands who can boast seven top ten albums among them: The Hold Steady, New Pornographers, The National and Band of Horses.
Clem Snide - The Meat of Life
After a four-year hiatus during which it seemed the band was no more, Clem Snide made an impressive return with Hungry Bird last year. The Meat of Life builds on that momentum, as it's simply another collection of clever, sometimes melancholy, and always quirky indie pop from this trio named after a character from several William S. Burroughs works.
Magnetic Fields - Realism
This release is a nice little comeback for Stephen Merritt and Co. after the somewhat disappointing Distortion. The jury's still out as to whether or not it's as good as 2004's i, but it's definitely in the ballpark.
Rogue Wave - Permalight
To me, this album represents the maturation of Rogue Wave. Their first release, Out of the Shadow, was catchy, but it wore out its welcome after a little while. They followed that up with the very unremarkable Descended Like Vultures and the disappointing Asleep at Heaven's Gate. On Permalight, this west coast band appears to have finally lived up to the potential they showed on their debut.
Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
I used to think that Okkervil River was a Shearwater side project. Of course, that was before I heard Black Sheep Boy and it became my album of the year in 2005. As it turns out, Shearwater has never been able to match their sister band's output, but this is probably the closest they've come.
Shout Out Louds - Work
These Swedish indie-popsters caught my ear with their first two albums, 2005's Howl Howl Gaff Gaff and 2007's Our Ill Wills, but they've really come into their own with this one. Incidentally, a web stream of the entire album is nowhere to be found, so the link here is to the Lala stream of the single "Fall Hard."
Subjects: Frequent Spins, Music
Late Night at the Old Tavern
Only those who lasted beyond midnight at our wedding reception were witnesses to an unexpected special treat: a surprise performance by Anders Parker. Unbeknownst to the bride and groom, the groundwork was being laid for the late night one song show since earlier in the day, when my good friend Afshin—who was doubling as our wedding ceremony piano player and reception MC/DJ—heard him playing "Feel the Same" on the Old Tavern's house piano.
That song happened to be included on the wedding mix that we made for our guests, so Anders was successfully convinced that it would only seem appropriate for him to perform the song just after we were required to turn the reception music off. Personally, I really enjoyed the story he told as an introduction, where he reminisced about his Town of LaGrange Little League days and his childhood impression of how intense my father and I were about baseball.
Anders' performance, of course, fully lived up to our expectations. He claimed to not completely remember how to play the song, but this didn't seem to be a problem as he improvised an intimately reworked version. Suffice it to say, Anders earned a few new fans that night. But, it was those who already were his fans who were most pleased, particularly me and KJ. We both agreed that this moment perfectly closed out a perfect day and a fantastic weekend that was all we had hoped for and more.
Subjects: Concerts, Music, Nostalgia
ABBA vs. The Bay City Rollers (aka Neil Young vs. The Beatles)
I was recently talking to KJ about the national origins of the musical artists I'm a fan of. I made the statement that—after the big three of the U.S., Canada and England—my next favorite country, based on the current musicians it has produced, would probably be Sweden. I'm not sure what got me on this subject, other than my interest in trivial conversations about the demographics of the little world inside my head. Maybe we were listening to Jens Lekman or the Shout Out Louds. But, of course, the end result was that it made me want to do a little further research.
So, I went through my year-end lists for the past three years, and here are the results:
U.S. - 72.1%
England - 10.2%
Canada - 8.0%
Scotland - 2.7%
After that, Sweden, Australia, Iceland and France were tied at 1.8%. I actually had initially considered that Scotland might rank ahead of Sweden, but at the time of the original conversation, the only significant (to me) Scottish band I could think of was Teenage Fanclub. But, now I'm asking myself, what was I thinking? Sweden? Beyond the aforementioned Jens Lekman, the Shout Out Louds and a couple others, there aren't really that many Swedish bands I'm into. Certainly not ABBA, although I would probably have to rank them ahead of The Bay City Rollers, the Scottish band whose 1975 hit, "Saturday Night," was the first 45 I ever owned.
Also of interest to me is the fact that England beat out Canada for the #2 spot. Not satisfied with this outcome, I took a different angle and looked at the artists represented in my Fab 40. The results weren't all that different, at least in the top three spots:
U.S. - 75%
Canada - 10%
Australia - 2.5%
But, of course, these are just absolute numbers, and don't take into account the fact that Rush was my favorite band during most of my high school days, and Neil Young has been my favorite for the past 20 years. So, I think it would be safe to say, The Beatles notwithstanding, that Canada is #2...to the U.S., of course. I'm sure their citizens are tired of hearing that familiar refrain.
Subjects: Music, Nostalgia
ABBA vs. The Bay City Rollers (aka Neil Young vs. ...


Axcis have an SEN teaching job for a qualified teacher with experience of working with ASD pupils.
Axcis are looking for a talented, committed and enthusiastic Primary trained teacher with SEND experience to work within a Mainstream Primary school located in North East London. Knowledge and experience in ASD would be an advantage.
Your commitment to the belief that all children can do and learn, whatever their disabilities, is an essential requirement for this post. Experience and/or knowledge of working with children who have Special Educational Needs is essential.


text:
Minnesota's curlers: A different brand of…
Minnesota's curlers: A different brand of Olympic athlete
Debbie McCormick of the United States, left, delivers the stone while Ann Swisshelm, center, and Richfield's Jessica Schultz are sweeping the line during the bronze medal game against Canada at the World Women's Curling Championship in Riga, Latvia, Sunday, March 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Roman Koksarov)
By Brian Murphy | brianmurphy@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
PUBLISHED: February 4, 2014 at 11:01 pm | UPDATED: November 2, 2015 at 5:09 pm
DULUTH, Minn. — Monday mornings are hardest for U.S. Olympic curler John Landsteiner. Not the conventional drudgery of starting another work week, but rehashing for colleagues his unconventional weekend as a world-class athlete.
Landsteiner is a civil engineer who manages energy pipeline projects across Minnesota and Wisconsin. He also throws the lead rock for skip John Shuster, the Chisholm native whose five-man curling team of Minnesotans will represent the U.S. at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Since August, Landsteiner typically hopped on a plane every other Thursday night, curled over the weekend and returned jet-lagged to his desk at Lake Superior Consulting. It was a grinding schedule that took him to Edmonton, Alberta, and Las Vegas, as nearby as Fargo, N.D., and to far-flung Fussen, Germany, where his teammates earned their Olympic berth.
"I get a lot of crap for it, but everybody's excited," said Landsteiner. "The morning I come back is usually distracting. People want to know how it went: 'Did you have fun? Did you win or lose?' "
The office cubicle, a soul-crushing prison for some sedentary workers, is a welcome retreat for Landsteiner.
"The cube helps because I'm kind of in my own sanctuary and I can focus on what I need to," he said. "Once I get back there and back to my house, everything feels normal. Curling's normal, too. That's the normal life."
Curlers are the everyday people among Winter Olympians, whose gilded athletes are celebrated for their singular focus, sometimes years in the making.
Sure, today's curlers train harder and strictly monitor their diets more than their forefathers, who regularly turned bonspiels — curling competitions — into happy hour. But curling remains a niche sport led by amateurs whose passion competes with families to raise, day jobs to fulfill and tuition to pay, particularly in the United States.
Jessica Schultz is a physical therapist who lives in Richfield and is returning to the Olympics after competing in 2006 Torino Winter Games in Italy. Allison Pottinger, a consumer products analyst for General Mills and a mother of two, is an alternate on skip Erika Brown's team.
The men's team includes Jeff Isaacson, a science teacher at Gilbert Junior High School in Gilbert. He was fortunate to have the retired teacher he replaced volunteer to return the classroom this month and maintain Isaacson's lesson plans while he sweeps in Sochi.
And then there is Jared Zezel, who deferred his final semester at Bemidji State, where he is studying exercise science and psychology.
"I thought I'd be done with college by now, but I wasn't thinking about it too much (while) focusing on that one goal, to curl in the Olympics," he said.
The Hibbing native signed up for spring classes before his team flew to Germany in December to compete in the Olympic qualifier. "The happiest moment was going on the school website and canceling my classes," Zezel said.
Zezel has been living rent-free in Shuster's basement since October because the team trains out of the Duluth Curling Club.
"We don't even know he's there half the time," said Shuster. "He's got a king bed, his Netflix, his PlayStation 3, his own bathroom. He comes upstairs and makes a pizza once in a while."
It's not exactly free living. Zezel helps care for Shuster's 8-month-old son, Luke, while he practices and Shuster's wife, Sara, works full time as a pharmacist.
Shuster, who did not take up curling until he was 15, has spent the past 10 years competing for the national program. He won a bronze medal at the 2006 Olympics, the first by any American curlers, and skipped the 2010 team, which finished a disappointing 10th in Vancouver.
Shuster earned a marketing degree from the University of Minnesota-Duluth but has mostly worked part time at bars and golf courses so he can curl full time. He envies European countries that hand-pick and subsidize curling teams but realizes that lifestyle is unrealistic in the United States.
"That's nearly what I do anyway, but it would be different if you're getting paid for it," he said. "That way, instead of me having to practice while (Luke) sleeps in the car seat behind the glass, I'd be able to bring him to day care."
Therein lies the challenge for curlers like Landsteiner, whose engineering career is just starting. It takes sympathetic supervisors and collaborative co-workers to allow him to straddle both worlds.
Same with Schultz. She typically works four 10-hour days so she can travel to weekend competitions. This fall, however, Schultz took a leave of absence from her surgical outpatient rehabilitation center to focus on qualifying for the Olympics.
"My company has been amazing in allowing me to pursue this dream and goal of mine," she said. "It was pretty much go to work and straight to practice or the gym or both, eat something in the car, get up and do it again."
Pottinger has daughters ages 5 and 7 and "luckily, a very understanding husband," she said.
The Canadian grew up in Quebec and moved to Eden Prairie to start her career at General Mills, where she analyzes consumer buying habits for the company's marketing team.
"It's a challenge to balance everything out," said Pottinger, who was on a long lunch before heading to practice during a telephone interview last week. "Half my time off is through vacation; the other half I'm on leave. General Mills has been good about being flexible, knowing what I'm trying to accomplish and how I can fit it into schedules."
But the juggling for these men and women does not end when they return from Russia. The U.S. championships are March 1-8 outside Philadelphia.
"We've been working really hard, the guys I work with, to plan the month of February and beyond," Landsteiner said. "We've been very organized."
Follow Brian Murphy on twitter.com/murphPPress.
MINNESOTANS WITH BROOMS
The U.S. men's and women's curling teams:
Hometown Day job
John Shuster Duluth Bar manager
Jeff Isaacson Virginia Science teacher
Jared Zezel Hibbing Bemidji State student
John Landsteiner Duluth Civil engineer
Jessica Schultz Richfield Physical therapist
Allison Pottinger Eden Prairie Consumer products analyst
Brian Murphy has been on the Pioneer Press sports staff since 2000, migrating from the Detroit Free Press, where he covered police, courts and sports for four years. Murphy was the Minnesota Wild/NHL beat writer from 2002 to 2008 and has covered the Vikings as a reporter and columnist since 2009. Murphy is a Detroit native and Wayne State University graduate.
Follow Brian Murphy	@murphPPress
At least Ryan Donato had a few hours to prepare for his spot start this time around.
John Shipley: The Gophers' Destiny Pitts drama seems quaint
Oh, for more of this kind of drama.
Wild stay hot with blowout win over Stars on Hockey Day Minnesota
Maybe rest really is a weapon the Wild can use down the stretch. After scrapping practice earlier this week and emerging with a gritty 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning the following night, the Wild cancelled morning skate leading up to Saturday's matchup with the Dallas Stars and walked away with a blowout 7-0 win. With the time away...
Mankato announced as next year's Hockey Day Minnesota host site
In the midst of another successful Hockey Day Minnesota -- with Parade Stadium in Minneapolis serving as this year's host site -- the Wild announced on Saturday night that Mankato will serve as next year's host site. The 15th annual celebration will be hosted at Blakeslee Stadium on the Minnesota State Mankato campus. More details, including the official date, matchups,...
Andrew Wiggins tallies first triple-double in Timberwolves' loss to Toronto
There was a lot of good for the Timberwolves on Saturday night at Target Center. Andrew Wiggins earned his first career triple-double, tallying 18 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. The latter number marked a career high. Jarrett Culver scored a career-high 26 points, continuing his recent string of strong play. Robert Covington, too, was good on both ends of...
Salary-cap issues will force Vikings to make tough offseason decisions
Ten players remain from Mike Zimmer's first Vikings team of six years ago. Some of them aren't expected to be around much longer. With the Vikings projected to be over the salary cap before free agency starts in March, they are expected to release or look to reduce the salaries of some core players who have been around since Zimmer's...


text:
Q: How to use .firstWhereOrNull with Map? I know someone already asked the same question. But i still confuse about something. I followed the provided answer and use this:
extension ExtendedMap on Map {
  /// The first entry satisfying test, or null if there are none.
  MapEntry? firstWhereOrNull(bool Function(MapEntry entry) test) {
    for (var entry in this.entries) {
      if (test(entry)) return entry;
    }
    return null;
  }
}

And i try:
someMap?.firstWhereOrNull((date) => (date > recentSunday )&& (date <= nextSunday)

But i got this error:
The operator '>' isn't defined for the type 'MapEntry<dynamic, dynamic>'.Try defining the operator '>'.

The operator '<=' isn't defined for the type 'MapEntry<dynamic, dynamic>'.Try defining the operator '<='.

I'm confused why this happened. I thought  it should work if any boolean function is passed as argument.Can anyone explain why it is asked to define the operator?

A: The callback has type bool Function(MapEntry entry), so date is of type MapEntry. If you want to access the value associated with this entry, use date.value:
final result = someMap?.firstWhereOrNull((date) => (date.value > recentSunday )&& (date.value <= nextSunday));
                                                        ^^^^^^                         ^^^^^^

Complete example:
final someMap = {
  'halloween': 1,
  'christmas': 12,
  'easter': 123,
};

final recentSunday = 10;
final nextSunday = 30;

final result = someMap?.firstWhereOrNull((date) => (date.value > recentSunday )&& (date.value <= nextSunday));

print(result);

Console output:
MapEntry(christmas: 12)

Note that the returned value is also a MapEntry.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange