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sportparade · 4 years ago

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The Grace of Kristie Mewis

by Grant Wiedenfeld, December 18, 2020

(Photo by Jordyn Baker / Keeper Notes)

In the spirit of the holidays, the gifts of Kristie Mewis are worth reflecting on. Most now know her tale. Select US youth player, Boston College star, drafted by FC KC, and capped by the national team. But the lack of a clear role there flattened her trajectory, as she explained to Graham Hays. She lost her only playoff game with Kansas City, played on five clubs in five years, then tore her ACL in 2018.

When asked now about those lumps of coal, Kristie expresses no resentment. Her comeback does not appear fueled primarily by anger or by the drive to outperform others (a characteristic fans might associate with Carli Lloyd or Hope Solo). So what else drives Kristie Mewis? A pride to perform at her best. And that’s no small thing. Such purposiveness without a concrete purpose is Kant’s definition of the beautiful.

(Photo by Jordyn Baker / Keeper Notes)

Pure joy has resulted from the fact that Kristie’s best was good enough to help the Dash win the Challenge Cup and to elevate her to the national squad. No blazing vengeance or redemption from injustice is necessary. Such an occurrence of the unnecessary is rightly called grace.

Andonovski said he included her on the Netherlands friendly roster based purely on her performance. “Kristie is not here because of the substitution rule” that permitted him to play extra players, he explained. “She's here because she deserved to be here, because of how she performed in the October camp, the fall series, and the Challenge Cup.” After six years away from the national team she had worked her way back.

But if Lindsey Horan had not missed the trip with covid-19 and if Catarina Macario’s Fifa approval had not been delayed, Mewis would likely not have subbed on in the 61st minute. Her extended opportunity was yet another gift.

Kristie beamed with joy when Andovoski sent her in despite the nordic November chill. Stepping beside the fourth official on the sideline, she caught her younger sister Sam’s eye. “I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I saw Sam and she was smiling at me.”

2020 is the year of kristie mewis pic.twitter.com/9rfdSEnkkh

— NWSL Offseason Edition Memes (@MemesNwsl) November 27, 2020

Sam Mewis outgrew her older sis by half a foot and became a mainstay for the national team and league leader North Carolina Courage during the period Kristie’s career plateaued. "There was never any weirdness between us," Sam said before the game. "I've always been her biggest fan and she's always been mine." Despite playing the same position and finding more success, Mewis the Younger explained, "when you're family it's not so competitive, it's mutual support."

Once on the field together Kristie said, “I felt oddly comfortable, I think because she was on the field.” They set a record for sisters playing together on the national team.

The 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ content we all deserve 😊@KristieMewie and @sammymewy back in action together for the #USWNT and a goal by @KristieMewie to top it off! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/H2WD4Pixpv

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

Kristie’s comeback could have been complete here. “I’m so proud and so happy that I was able to get another cap with this team,” she later said. But another unexpected, unnecessary gift would be delivered.

Her first few minutes are neither imposing nor awkward (as they were for Sophia Smith in her first cap, who forced a shot and committed two fouls). Mewis the Elder stays in her lane, playing defensively around the midfield opposite Mewis the Younger. The ball does not come Kristie’s way but she does not grow restless. Serious work has dispelled the joyful moment of introduction, which she will remember later, but now she simply plays her part.

Then goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher drops a ball from heaven that Lynn Williams touches into the space open before Kristie. Suddenly she is sprinting toward the box with a defender on her hip. Concentrating on the ball running before her, she intuitively swivels as if lining up a right-footed shot, then swivels back to the left and drills a shot past the stunned feet of the Dutch keeper, on of the world’s best. It looks like Kristie is figure skating when she scores this breakaway goal, cool as ice. Then in the celebratory embraces of Sam and her teammates comes nothing but warmth.

70' | In her first cap since 2014, @KristieMewie comes through with her second USWNT goal and first since 2013! pic.twitter.com/WdCQxW0Ade

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) November 27, 2020

Kristie Mewis’ goal was full of grace. Her run and left-footed strike, like Williams�� touch pass, were graceful movements. It was no easy feat. But this goal meant more.

In some religious traditions an unexpected blessing is understood as divine grace. For devotees of the Houston Dash, the Boston Breakers and Boston College, of FC KC and Kristie the icon, this goal was 2020’s finest gift. The footy gods must have been smiling.

Grace is also a name for words of thanks for a meal, fitting for a game played the day after American Thanksgiving. Thankful for a return to the national team and thankful for the team’s return to action after a nearly nine month hiatus, no better grace could be said than a goal to cement a 2-0 lead.

This rules. pic.twitter.com/Sm0qvmk2pQ

— Our Game Magazine (@OurGameMagazine) November 27, 2020

Before the game Sam Mewis had said, “To be here for Thanksgiving together is…very special.” She who currently resides in Manchester where she plays for City, an ocean away from her older sister and her family. In that holiday spirit of family and reunion, let us tell again the story of Mewis the Elder and sing a tribute version of a traditional song:

Deck the hall with boughs of collie,

Mewie, ewie, ewie, ewie, yes!

'Tis the season to be jolly,

Mewie, ewie, ewie, ewie, yes!

Don we now our gay apparel,

Mewie, ewie, ewie, ewie, yes!

Fill the meadcup, drain the barrel,

Mewie, ewie, ewie, ewie, yes!

(Photo by Gia Quilap / Keeper Notes)

#kristie mewis #houston dash #USWNT #woso #tribute

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andrewuttaro · 5 years ago

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New Look Sabres: GM 5 - FLA - Weird Win

The Florida Panthers thought they would be the Carolina Hurricanes by this point: the hot, young club meteorically rising to the top of their division. The Hurricanes seemed like they were a goaltender away for half a decade and patched that up enough last year to make the Eastern Conference Final. They’ve added a lot from coaching to forwards and they’ve only built the beast bigger this season. Florida similarly has pulled all the stops to turn their corner. With two playoff appearances since 2000 that organization has been long hungering for something compelling on the banks of the Everglades. When it comes to Panthers v Sabres there’s little to no history to speak of. None of the Buffalo News’ top 50 Sabres games of all time involve the Florida Panthers. Most Sabres fans of my generation associate them with the Eichel Draft occurring in their arena, the Mark Pysyk trade and… well that’s about it. Neither of those moments are games. To my parents’ generation I suppose the Panthers represent a fun Sabres away game side trip while visiting their retired parents in South Florida. I solicited Sabres twitter for Greatest Game Against the Panthers for Buffalo. Understandably you guys had just as much trouble as me finding anything notable about the 100 matchups these two teams have had over the years. Somehow I ended up getting four games notable enough for them to memorable to some people. Don’t worry, there are three other games against Florida this season. The other three games will get in here as well. The Greatest Game Against for today’s matchup however was submitted by @t31mcgraw. It’s the January 19th, 2001 matchup that saw aging Dominik Hasek defeat young gun Roberto Luongo in a matchup for the ages. It was 0-0 until the last ten seconds of regulation when Sabres forward Denis Hamel blocked a shot and returned it to the Panthers zone to win it. That’s a throwback right there. Now let’s talk about tonight’s game.

This game could have been as contentious as the Habs game Wednesday night. If it was then both teams had a weird way of showing it. This one was a weird one from the start as the first 30 minutes of this game was more or less two drunk men just throwing haymakers at each other in the words of @d4rkbuffalo. Confession: I missed those first thirty minutes due to a work event. I turned this game on confused. 0-0 halfway through the game? Beyond 5 on 5 expected goals most every advanced stats category was dead even through that first period. The Sabres were getting outshot but looking back on this game you really don’t notice it until the overtime period, but we’ll get there. I’m tempted to say the gangbusters powerplay Buffalo has had through the first four games finally hit a wall and that’s why it was so dull but there was only one powerplay opportunity in the first. All five of the other powerplays between both teams were inconsequential. The powerplay didn’t click but it was symptomatic of these two teams just whacking each other will limp pool noodles. Breaking through in this game would take someone or some players making mistakes. And so this one became a game of mistakes. You know who cleans up a game of mistakes? The goalies. Linus Ullmark versus Sergei Bobrovsky is not a matchup you’re expecting to be a spectacular duel, at least not from the Ullmark side. I’m the biggest Linus Ullmark fan not married to him in North America. Even I will say I don’t expect him to win a pure goalie duel against Sergei Bobrovsky but once again: this was a weird game all the way around.

A Sabres powerplay had just ended when Kyle Okposo and Johan Larsson came streaming into the Panthers’ zone in the last minute of the second period. This line has transcended being just a cliché checking line. These three veterans, all dudes we were begging to see shipped out over the summer have had a great start to the season. They’ve played a stout game defensively, frustrating their matchups and even getting the puck entrenched in the offensive zone against better competition. Call it the roaring twenties line or call it the LOG, its making hay out of dirt whatever you call it. Kyle Okposo covered by two defenders gets the puck over to Johan Larsson who shoots over the outstretched Bobrovsky and gets the Sabres out to a 1-0 lead. He falls over Bob like Bobby Orr. Okay. Sure! That’s a lead. I’ll take it no matter which guy wearing a bison on their jersey does it. That goal-less dynamo line finally gets rewarded! Moreover Marco Scandella saved a puck from the goal line in heroic fashion. It was certainly a weird one. Through that second intermission your thinking: okay, scoring effects alone have to even the score in this game, the most weirdly even-uneven game we’ve seen in a while. Then two minutes into the third period the LOG gets right back to work as Zemgus Girgensons skates in, drops it to Kyle Okposo, who drops it to Marco Scandella… yikes not him… *eyes widen* …did he just… score!? Yes, believe it or not, Marco Scandella just tapped it in past Bob like he was an Allstar or something. Did someone drug me at my work party? What is this? This can’t be Sabres hockey, even the new version doesn’t feature Scandella dingers. What’s going on? They reminded us who we were watching, don’t worry.

The Florida Panthers got a new coach over the offseason in addition to the Sergei Bobrovsky. The one and only Joel Quenneville. Three-time Cup winner with the dynastic Chicago Blackhawks. I don’t need to tell you who he is. Evidently the rough start for the Cats got him upset. He was bag-skating dudes in practice this week. Do you think the likes of Mike Hoffman and Aaron Ekblad are taking well to that? You think Eichel is tired of losing? Imagine being Ekblad and not even living in a place that knows you exist! They were not going to lay down and die after a couple scrubs scored on them. This Ullmark fan is going to be honest here: Linus was a little far out of the crease when Evgeni Dadonov came in and snuck it around him. They call him daddy in Miami. He sparked the Panthers comeback and comeback they did. The Cats got up and began shelling for the equalizer. And this is when the first and foremost flaw in Ralph Krueger’s coaching becomes clear. He moved Jimmy Vesey up to Victor Olofsson’s spot next to Jack Eichel and gee, I don’t know. I want Greasy Vesey to get going I just don’t know how to trigger him. Maybe when you’re clinging to a one goal lead late in the third against a divisional opponent isn’t the time. Just a thought. Krueger is still figuring out who to trust in these tight situations and hopefully he soon figures out the Scandella-Ristolainen pairing probably ain’t it. Hell, what do I know after this game? At this rate Scandella scores a hatty against Dallas on Monday, what a weird world! Anyway, after the shelling reached it’s fever pitch in the dying minutes of the regulation Mike Hoffman sunk a tight 4-hole shot and it was even with less than 15 seconds left! Yeah, that was a hair-puller. But it got worse.

I was certain, almost beyond convincing that they were going to lose the game in overtime. It doesn’t take a savant to tell you possession is everything in 3 on 3 overtime. It’s golden goal and its over so the dude who has the puck is making his team multiple times more likely to win the game just by having the puck! The Sabres had maybe a minute of possession the whole five-minute overtime. It’s a low-grade miracle the Panthers didn’t take two points in OT. They didn’t and so we went to the first shootout of the season. This is where the goalies matter most. Linus Ullmark was 2-2 in shootouts coming into this but well over .800 in shots taken on him in those shootouts. He’s a good goalie and the shootout is damn good evidence. No Panther got a puck past him and Jack Eichel and Casey Mittelstadt both had their fancy finishes. The Buffalo Sabres took away the two points and the 3-2 win from this one and successfully completed a two-game overpowering of two big Atlantic Division wildcard opponents. I’ll say this: letting each of these games go past regulation, giving both of Montreal and Florida a point in the standings is not ideal. There is a lot more hockey left, 77 games in this regular season in fact, so let’s see where it goes. I think it’s a safe bet that come next month we’re not talking about the Quenneville Panthers getting bag-skated in practice. They’ll turn it on and so will the Canadiens. The question remains: will the Sabres be a good team in November, December, January, February, March and yes, April? Or do we have another team here that will burn bright early and fade? I don’t know but I really hope we have fun, meaningful hockey in the spring. We’ll have to see, it’s not even winter yet, eh.

You might be reading this on Saturday. If you are tonight is the night! If you’re not… well tomorrow is the day! Tomorrow is the Third Annual Buffalo Pod-a-Thon downtown at Buffalo Riverworks! Doors open at 5:30 and most of the proceeds go to BB&G Charities. That’s $25 at the door and you get dinner with that, so I think it’s a good deal. Once you’re in you get me and about two dozen other Western New York Sports personalities to enjoy. I’ll be the one wearing a Rochester Americans Linus Ullmark jersey. I’m awfully proud I get to wear it the day after a performance like that! I know it will be fun and even if you’re not my biggest fan you’ll find something there you’re into. There’s even going to be a game show I hear! I hope you’ll come on down and come back here Monday night after the Dallas Stars come to town to take on the… wait for it… the 4-0-1 Buffalo Sabres! They haven’t started this well since the Ryan Miller era! Like, comment and share this blog with a friend. Hopefully I see you tomorrow!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. I want to join the pile-on Alex Nylander. He got a few games on the Toews and Kane line in Chicago and now he’s scratched. That sounds like the guy I remember! I still cannot believe we got Henri Jokiharju for that guy!

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #nhl

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btskismet · 5 years ago

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Kismet (Chapter 16): A BTS Jin imagines fanfic

First ever fanfic. Contains fluff and smut. Please read sequentially as it is a long story arc. Please provide feedback! My IG is btskismet.

November 4, 1944

He arrived at Ichihara with nothing but a duffel bag filled with a few clothes and some food. He was not expecting to be on the road for so long after the ship ride from Gyeongseong* to Tokyo. He knew that volunteering to be part of the Army was stupid but if it would help earn money for his family, he would do it. He also knew that he had the know-how to go up the ranks. His father, being a local official in Gyeongseong in the past, knew that if his youngest son learned Japanese, he would go far. Being in a country that has been under Japanese rule since 1910, his father had good foresight to get his son to learn Nihonggo well.

His mother tried to stop him from leaving and she cried so much when he boarded the ship. “Omma, I’m doing this to make you proud of me. Where else can I earn good money?”, he thought to himself silently as he watched his mother and brother from the ship deck. His father passed the year before and he was hoping he was watching his son from the heavens and pleased with his decisions to take care of their family. He knew that his older brother Jun-ha would’ve done what he could but after the incident, his leg would not last if he went with him.

Kim Jun-seok hoped that he wouldn’t be drafted to work in the Army hospitals or worse, to be sent for active duty somewhere else. He was hoping that with his act of volunteering, he would be able to handle technical work the camps or hangars. After all, volunteers can be part of the extensive apprenticeship for technical work, if they are lucky. He was crossing his fingers and praying that luck would shine on him.

“Sakurai Touma!”, a man called his name as he was waiting in line. In 1939, his family had to change their last name to Sakurai and they had to adopt Japanese first names too. Though he and his family still called each other by their Korean names, it would be deemed atrocious, if not illegal, for them to use it outside. To prevent from being ostracized in their town by the Japanese officers and the community, they had to get used to responding to their Japanese names.

He approached the table where the “Gocho” (Corporal in Japanese) was. His heart was beating fast as he was concerned about what assignment he was going to give him.

The stern-looking man scrutinized him and asked for his documents and identification. He looked at his ID, then his face and then back again to his ID and documents. He was afraid that this man might just decide to send him to active duty, especially since the war efforts were more rampant now that Japan has taken a desperate push to continue its hold on several Southeast Asian countries after attacking Pearl Harbor in 1941.

He hoped though that his Japanese language level and family history may keep him in Ichihara, Chiba to work in the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service hangar as an air technician. He was fascinated with the fighter planes made by the Japanese for the war, despite his biases towards the Japanese people in general.

However, he always remembers what his father said to him before he died: “If you follow their footsteps but know in the deepest of your heart that you are Korean, you are not being a traitor to your country. You are merely protecting yourself and your family to live long to fight for Korea in time.”

“Sakurai-san, are you a hardworking man?”, the Corporal asked him in Nihonggo.

“Hai!”, he shouted as a response. He excitedly shared to the Corporal in Nihonggo his desire to work in the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and what he studied in school that will help him become a good air technician.

“Have you ever seen a fighter plane up close before?”, the Corporal asked pointedly. Jun-seok opened his mouth to speak but didn’t say anything. He realized with that question that he has not seen one in real life. What he saw were drawings and photos of them in school and in newspapers.

“You disappoint me, Sakurai-san. How can you work on combat aircraft if you haven’t seen one at all?”, the Corporal said, swaying his head.

“I have worked on cars and other machines, Gocho! I can be of use to the Imperial Army Air Service! I know what is needed to repair planes to make them work better and stronger to fight our enemies!”, he confidently said.

The Corporal was quiet for some time and was checking his logbook. He then encircled a portion of the page he was looking at. He looked again at the documents and ID Jun-seok gave him.

“You are Kim Jun-seok, yes?”, the Corporal asked him, looking at him intently.

He was taken aback by his question. He stammered and didn’t know what to say. Finally he replied: “My name is Sakurai Touma.”

The Corporal smiled and read a piece of paper that was tucked inside his logbook. “Kim Jun-seok, youngest son of Kim Man-seok and Kim Mi-sun. Younger brother to Kim Jun-ha. Studied in Keio University. Your father worked in the Chosun Hotel and eventually became a banker for the Bank of Korea. He then got elected as Shicho (Mayor) of Seongbuk-gu and was respected by the community and was considered as a kokumin (Japanese national).”

He stared at the Corporal, aware that his mouth was wide open with surprise. He closed it and was stunned to hear the Corporal tell him his family’s background.

“Your father was a great citizen of our nation... but we both know he shouldn’t have allowed those men treat him the way they did.”

He bowed his head. He was trying his best to fight back the tears as he remembered his father.

Kim Man-seok (called Sakurai Makoto in Japanese), didn’t allow three men, who beat him up profusely, to be prosecuted by the Japanese courts. His brother, Kim Jun-ha, was with their father when they attacked and his left leg was fractured when one of the men hit it with a lead pipe.

These men, who were part of the Korean rebel factions, almost killed him when they branded him as a “Chinilpa” or “pro-Japanese”. The Japanese military intervened anyway and had the men executed.

Despite his protests, Kim Man-seok was not able to prevent their deaths. He knew that his father was heartbroken when they died and he couldn’t understand why, even after they beat him and his brother up badly.

“They were misguided, son.”, he remembered his father saying to him. “They thought we support the Japanese but all I wanted us to protect our family. If we didn’t follow them, we would starve and die. They were fighting a war with the Japanese that would be done eventually. They just had to strive and survive because it would be over soon. If we live, we get to fight another day.”

He felt then his father was a coward for acting the way he did - both to the men who hurt him and to the Japanese. It made him feel conflicted for weeks.

The Japanese officials lost faith in Kim Man-seok afterwards. They thought he was defecting by showing compassion towards his attackers. Because of this, they stripped him of his role as Shicho of Seongbuk-gu. He died months later from his injuries.

“Ahem...”, the Corporal cleared his throat and this brought Jun-seok back to reality and he looked up. “Sakurai-san, I know you are not like your father. You are a great citizen to our nation and you will serve us well if I send you to the hangars of the Imperial Air Service. But...we need you somewhere else.”

He started signing a piece a paper in front of Jun-seok. “We have a troublesome town to deal with and we need their land to build tarmacs for our fighter planes. It is a prosperous town and Shosa (Major) Kimori is good friends with their mayor. But our Korean forces there are giving the locals a hard time and Shosa Kimori is having difficulty intervening. He doesn’t want to execute the minimal troops we have there for their insolence and we need to secure that town for resources.”

“We haven’t found anyone who has a high level of language skill in Nihonggo and is also Korean to be sent to intervene and deal with these soldiers. You are perfect and I have been waiting for you to arrive so you can be sent there to help our Shosa and our country for our greater glory.”

The Corporal gave him a big sneer as he shoved the paper in Jun-seok’s hands. Jun-seok blinked twice and looked at what was written.

He was definitely not going to stay in Ichihara and he wasn’t going back home. It would be another two days before he would see land again.

--- to be continued ---

*former name of Seoul

#btsjin #bts imagination #bts imagines #bts jin #btskismet #bts fanfction #bts fic #bts jin fanfic

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pjtheresalight · 7 years ago

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110. THE LAST ONE

Hello, followers! I am fully aware of the fact that it's been two years almost to the day since I last updated, but life kinda got in the way. Let’s say I got stuck in traffic. Over these past couple of years I’ve grown a lot and honestly this fic makes me cringe, but it will always remain a tool that I used and relied on when things were super heavy and dark for me, so I will forever treasure it as that. Now even though some people told me that the chapter that I left you all at might have as well been the last one, as in it’s wholesome enough to give closure, I revisited my ancient drafts the other day and decided to string them together into one last piece of this story. So, here goes nothing:

“Angie?”

“Huh?” She lifted her face distractedly and glanced at Stone. He’d recently started wearing glasses and she secretly really liked it, although he was making so many jokes about himself being the intelligent academic type out of the two of them, that she would have never admitted it.

“Marry me.”

“Sure, yeah.” She lifted her hand briefly to remind him of the ring on her finger. It wasn’t an engagement ring per se, more like a promise ring that also kind of was a wedding ring in their heads. She’d been wearing it for five years and above all it symbolised their agreement that if they did ever marry anyone it would be each other, but neither of them really had an overwhelming desire to do that; it didn’t really matter to them, because they knew that signing a piece of paper wasn’t going to change anything. They knew that they would never stop loving each other or hurt one another so much that they couldn’t be together anymore, and that was the most important thing.

“I mean… In the present tense…not today necessarily, but like…this year?”

Angie looked up at Stone again, but this time her full undivided attention was on him as she put her pencil down. He looked very serious; he was smiling, but the smile was tinted with a strong shade of gravitas.

“I want to be your husband.” He added when she didn’t say anything. “Now… I mean, I’ve always wanted that, but it was a passive wish, because I know you’re mine anyway, but I’ve decided I don’t want to be passive about it anymore. I actively want to be your husband.”

Angie darted her eyes to the floor in thought and spoke after a brief moment of silence. “What about November?”

“I think that would be perfect.”

“Mommy, dad’s an idiot.”

Angie slapped her hand over her mouth at her younger daughter’s words to hide her laughter, but when she saw the five hear old sporting a horn made out of her hair with a million hair bands she couldn’t keep it in. “Don’t call dad that…” Angie tried to keep her chuckling down as she took the girl in her arms and examined the masterpiece of a hairstyle closer.

“Stop setting a bad example then, my love.” Stone wrinkled his nose at Angie with a big grin.

“Dad’s not an idiot, Haven. He’s just a very, very strange man, is all. But that’s why we love him, right?” Angie bumped the tip of her nose against her daughter’s and the little girl cracked a smile and nodded yes. “Are you gonna take your guitar to show grandma and grandpa how much stuff you’ve learnt already?”

“Yep!”

“It’s in the car already.” Stone informed Angie.

“Did you give any money to Aubrey?”

“Yeah, she said she’ll be at my parents’ around ten.” Stone said while Angie kissed Haven’s face a bunch of times and she hugged her mom tightly and then outstretched her tiny arms towards her dad. “And before you ask, I did take out the trash.”

Angie rolled her eyes with a quiet chuckle and gave him a kiss once Haven made herself comfortable on his back with her arms and legs wound around his neck and waist, or as much of it as her tiny limbs could reach.

The warm summer breeze was seeping through Stone’s very bones as he stood in the middle of a green yard studded with granite and marble headstones. His eyes were gliding along the writing on one particular stone, over and over and over again, and he felt dizzy and lightheaded, still unable to comprehend why it said what it did. Jul. 1. 1969 – Jun. 20. 2015. It hadn’t even been two months, but those weeks, those days, those hours had stretched into dark, cold, hopeless infinity and Stone was stuck in it, suspended in time and space. All he could feel was anger and helplessness, and more anger, and it seemed like he only physical sensation he could actually register was chilliness in his feet. Angie Gossard.

“How’d she die?”

Stone flinched ever so slightly at the sound of some kid who had sneaked up on him wand was now staring at Angie’s headstone with his hands in his pockets and a straw of hay between his teeth. “What?” Stone frowned at him.

“How’d she die?” He repeated just as casually, and then started kicking the headstone and trampling the flowers on the grave.

Stone suddenly sat up in bed, feeling cold sweat running down his neck, and it took him a whole minute to steady his breathing. It was getting light outside, light enough that when he looked around he saw that he was alone in the bed and in the room. On his bedside table saw a new addition; a not. ‘The smaller child and the dog couldn’t sleep so we went out for a walk. p.s. happy anniversary, dork’ and a heart scribbled beneath.

“Angie!” Stone hollered from another room following the sound of a doorbell. “We gotta leave, like now!”

Her, Stone, and their two daughters were about to go see their friends play – a ritual their group never ever abandoned in all those years. Angie had been reminiscing a lot that day, prompted by the idea of seeing Soundgarden live for must have been the thousandth time. She’d been thinking about the time she moved to Seattle, about all the things she’d gone through with her family and her friends, and eventually a family that she created with Stone. Her heart was swelling with love and happiness, and some painful moments thrown into the mix. So when she had a moment to spare between running her life and going to the show, she sat down to jot some things down in her habitually forgotten journal.

I remember Eddie once saying this is probably the best life he’s ever had so far, and I think that’s the most beautifully accurate explanation of the past twenty something years.

I remember how Matt and Sam were the first ones to acquire one of those tiny humans and called him Raymond; how Sam and my brother started their restaurant chain together. How it felt like we were all finally getting our shit together.

I remember Eddie and Cass’ wedding in 1992 clearer than I remember their divorce in 1997. I remember how he met Jil and how he survived most of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his life to eventually become a happier person, and also ended up being the guy who drinks wine on stage and tells phallic jokes.

I remember how Cass started dating this woman about a year and a half ago, this clothing designer named Arielle, and it seems to be going pretty well. Stone’s convinced this is it, that they’re meant to be together, because when two people called Cassiopeia and Arielle meet and fall in love it has to be forever.

I remember how Danielle left Jeff around the time of making Yield, but they never stopped being friends. They’ve loved each other for too long to ever stop.

I remember how Ben and Jennifer eventually got back together, for good this time. It took them years and miles, and more years, and more miles to figure out themselves, to figure out each other, but they did in the end. I guess their love is kind of like a superhero, like Superman immune even to kryptonite. If I ever came even close to thinking that something in this life was meant to happen, it’s them. I only found out about them being back together by accident, when all of Ben’s gear, every single one of his guitars and amplifiers, was stolen in 2008. I was almost as heartbroken by the news as when Soundgarden announced their break up, but finding out that he had started seeing Jen again a few months prior kind of softened the blow – for me at least. They got married too, in 2010, around the time Soundgarden were getting back together, which again I personally found to be a very happy time in all our lives. Speaking of happy things, Ben released a solo album a few years ago and on the rare occasion that I get to see him he has to suffer my annoying fangirling which, let’s face it, he only pretends to dislike.

They all still treat me pretty much the same, actually. I’m 45 and Kim still acts like he’s my older perpetually annoyed relative. He’ll keep me young forever.

Chris got his happy ending, for the lack of a better word, too. He married Sadie in 1994 and had a kid, but that whole thing didn’t work out, it was kind of a nasty split really, which in retrospect was just an obstacle. He’s married again now and he’s got himself a couple more kids with Vicky, and he’s as wonderfully weird as always. I once stupidly suggested that he should get one of those Twitter things, which I thought the whole idea of was pretty redundant, to channel the life of a fading grunge icon, and he actually did that, and it’s the most hilarious thing.

Kay has a family now, too, and she hasn’t changed much at all. Except now that we all definitely have our shit together, I get to see her every single year. It’s a promise we made and intend to keep forever.

It’s almost surreal to think about how young Stone and I were when we fell in love, but we somehow got through to the other side with no significant casualties or lost limbs. It’s insane to think we’ve been suffering each other for twenty something years; he has made me want to slap him, punch him, shout at him, call him every name under the sun, set his guitars on fire…all those things, which I’m sure I drove him mad even more than that sometimes. But that’s good, it’s the good kind of fighting, because despite of it all, I feel like I’m still falling in love with him more and more, and he’s been my home all this time. And we got married, too. For all I care, that could have never happened and I’d still feel about him and our family the same way; but he proposed one day and I said yes. It was a couple of months after the unspeakably horrible tragedy at the Roskilde festival. It would be impossible to even begin to put into words what the band were feeling during that period of time; what everyone was feeling, really. But the guys were lost and scared, and devastated, and it was kind of like drowning very, very slowly in a dark, frozen lake with no ice-holes. I don’t think they will ever get over it, but they managed to get on with life in the end, only because they had each other and they had music, and after a lot of meditation and reflection they managed to survive somehow, and I think somewhere along the road to learning how to deal with it Stone decided he didn’t want to just drift along, to just go with it and see what happens, so he asked me to marry him. We got married in November of 2000 and a couple of weeks after the wedding I found out I was almost two months pregnant. I was absolutely mortified but Stone eventually managed to convince me that our baby wouldn’t die after five months like the cactus that Sam gave to me as a gift years ago. Our baby. Hand on my heart, that was one of the very happiest days of our lives in the end, matched only by a handful of others, such as the one when we found out I was pregnant with our second daughter a few years later. So that year was a bit of a roller coaster, to say the least.

Speaking of our babies. Lately, Stone is refusing to accept the fact that our sixteen year old daughter Aubrey has a crush on Matt and Sam’s son, and it’s the funniest and cutest thing.

When I decided to quit teaching Stone was very supportive, but he had this idiotic joke about how he was the only thing I never got bored of doing which he kept telling everyone for half a year. It wasn’t entirely untrue, but I had a hunch it’s not exactly what our friends wanted to listen to over dinner.

I think about my mom a lot, still. It’s strange and scary to think how much her death is affecting my life to this day. I remember the first time I heard Come Back I felt like she died all over again. I dropped by the studio one evening when the guys were working on the Avocado album and I sat in on a few songs that they were still polishing up. That was the first time they played Come Back the way that it stayed in the end and I lost it; I had to discretely remove myself from the room and bawled my heart out in the bathroom, and as I was doing so it occurred to me that something like that had already happened, years ago. For that moment it felt like nothing had changed at all, like I hadn’t changed, like I was back in that first week of what was supposed to be a few short months and turned into my whole life in the end. Later Eddie told me that when he was writing that song a thought about me and my mom had crossed his mind briefly, so whenever I hear it, I can’t help but think of her. I eventually come to imagine that by some dark, twisted logic this life that I have was my mom’s gift to me. I wish I could talk to her, I wish I could see her at least one more time and thank her for everything that she gave me; for all the people that I would have never met, for the love of my life. For the fact that even on the darkest, coldest nights of my life, there’s always been a light.

#pearl jam #pearl jam fanfiction #90s #soundgarden #it's pretty bad sorry bye

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neighsinthenight · 7 years ago

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ABOUT ME

Tagged by the fam @saferion <3

(guess what, I finally finished my summary for criminal law, bless)

Name: Leoni

Nickname: Well, surprise surprise: Leo :’) Actually nobody I consider a friend uses the whole thing. I like Leo a lot better.

Birth month: November 16, I’m a real winter child - spending most of summer curled up in my vampire cave with the blinds down.

Height: 1,68m (yes, far too smol for my murder warmblood, move along)

Ethnicity: German white bread, sorry nothing interesting here

Fruit: Apples? My mom instilled the “an apple a day” thing rather thouroughly

Season: Autumn. Definitely. I live for windy days that are not yet that cold that you need 50 layers to survive but summer heat is definetely Not My Jam. Winter can kiss my ass too, since Mr Overbred Hanoverian gets the worst winter coat ever and early sunsets cut me off from riding.

Books: Gotta second Saf here, I can’t remember the last time I read a book that wasn’t a university textbook. Fanfic, however, is a daily occurence.

Flowers: Don’t get the hype. Sorry, not your average girl, I don’t really care about flowers one way or the other.

Scents: Fresh hay (after, you know, picking all the strays out of your bra, looking at all the freshly stacked bales - yeeeees), the smell of grass and air after a rainshower, ozone - storms in general, freshly baked bread

Animals: Horses (obviously), dogs - especially unique mixed breeds, uuh, rabbits? yes, rabbits are cute (expect for when those suicidal bunnies run under Finn’s hooves while galloping down a meadow, fun fact: my horse once stepped on a sparrow in the arena and I had to bury the poor thing - them draft horse hooves are KILLERS)

Beverage: COFFEE (I study law, okay? This is a required drug for me to function properly). I’m also your stereotype German that drinks beer and apple wine.

Hours of sleep: HAHAHHAHA. Don’t even ask. Not enough.

Fictional character: Bruh, so many. I’ll limit myself to the very faves:: Levi Ackerman (Shingeki No Kyojin), Jon Snow (Game of Thrones, can’t wait to drool over my bastard with a direwolf when the next season hits), Spock (Star Trek AOS), Dean Winchester (Supernatural)

Number of blankets: At least one. Even when it’s 35 degrees and I am melting, I need my blanket, no discussion. In winter it’s up to three and I always need one pillow for my head and one more to sort of sideways smash my face into. Don’t ask, good luck to any future partner who has to sleep in the same bed with me. I do build real nests on the couch, too.

Dream trip: Uh, for the distant future after Finn, maybe another trip to Australia. Such a wonderful country and all the people are so nice. Like seriously, why can’t people around here be like that? I’d also love to load the horse into a trailer (problem one since I don’t have one and Finn also isn’t good with traveling due to his Shivering) and drive to a nicer area with lots of awesome horse trails here in Germany for a few days. Hell, I’m not hard to please, I just want to see some ocean so I’d be overjoyed to just go to the German coast.

Blog created: Huh, no idea, I’ll have to check. December 2014. That feels way longer than it actually has been.

Follower count: 1, 376, luv you all!

Tagging: @clickerpunk, @transperceneige, @classicaldreaming and @afradeverano

[if you don’t want to do this, no worries, but I’d love to read your versions :) ]

#about me #saferion #get to know the boring old hag behind this blog

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thrashermaxey · 6 years ago

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21 Fantasy Hockey Rambles

Every Sunday, we'll share 21 Fantasy Rambles — formerly 20 Fantasy Thoughts — from our writers at DobberHockey. These thoughts are curated from the past week's ‘Daily Ramblings’.

Writers: Michael Clifford, Ian Gooding, Cam Robinson, and Dobber

1. As you probably already know, perceptions of John Tavares to Islanders’ fans completely changed when he decided to fulfill his childhood dream and play for the Maple Leafs. Even though the jersey that Tavares wears has changed, his fantasy value hasn’t changed much.

For example, if you adjust the scoring inflation that many skaters are experiencing, Tavares’ place in the scoring race (in the top 25) is comparable to his place last season (in the top 20). JT is on pace for more goals and shots and better plus/minus, so the gains to his fantasy value are there. However, his power-play point total is down, which may be the result of a power-play unit that has struggled at times. Tavares has been a PPTOI leader for both the Islanders and Leafs, but he has averaged about 30 fewer seconds of power-play time this season. (mar1)

2. As consistent a goal scorer as Mike Hoffman has been, this campaign is the first time he has reached 30 goals in spite of scoring at least 20 in his previous four seasons. I’m sure glad I didn’t trade him in my keeper league when the you-know-what hit the fan in Ottawa last season. I don’t make a habit out of trading players for pennies on the dollar, though. Even when my fellow owners like to tease me with those kinds of offers. (mar1)

3. It’s pretty amazing Alex DeBrincat fell to the second round in his Draft year — he’s now up to 36 goals on the year. The shooting percentage is high (just under 20 percent) but he’s landing nearly three shots per game and looks every bit the productive forward he was expected to be. Maybe teams will stop drafting based on size. (feb28)

4. At the risk of being overly simplistic, much of Mikael Granlund’s improvements in the fantasy game over the last three seasons can be attributed to three things: shooting more, power-play production, and playing with Mikko Koivu.

It’s easy to forget that just a few years ago, Granlund was the guy who wasn’t living up to expectations. He had just 31 goals through his first 240 career games, playing at a 45-point/82-game pace from 2013-2016, through his age-23 season. Following that season, he saw a move from center to the wing and his production has since grown significantly: 62 goals and 185 points in 221 games. He doubled his goal output in fewer games while raising his 82-game point pace to 69. It has been a huge turnaround for the top-10 pick from 2010. (feb28)

5. Ryan Donato’s fantasy value has immediately improved with a move to Minnesota. Donato now has at least a point in all five games he has played for the Wild, with seven points over that span. Donato had averaged just 12:30 of ice time this season in Boston, which is a number that has jumped to over 15 minutes with the Wild.

To compare, Charlie Coyle, who was traded in exchange for Donato, has been held without a point in his four games as a Bruin. Dating back to his time with the Wild, Coyle has now been held without a point in his last 11 games. (mar3)

6. Kevin Hayes isn’t really a goal scorer. It’s not to say he can’t score, but he’s never averaged 2.5 shots per game, has cracked 20 goals once, and he may not get there this year. Winnipeg doesn’t need him to score, though. They have a plethora of goal scorers. They need players who can generate conditions conducive to scoring, and players to find their goal scorers. Hayes can do exactly that. (feb26)

7. So, Erik Gustafsson appears to be the real deal, eh? The 26-year-old has 17 points in his last 14 games and has been cruising at an unbelievable pace since late-November. His 39 points in 39 games stretching back to November 24th are the third most by a blueliner in the league. He trails only Brent Burns (47), and Mark Giordano (40).

Incredibly, his metrics aren’t that far off. Sure, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to convert on 11 percent of his shots as he has this season – certainly not the 15.4 percent he’s clicked on during the last three months, but his IPP and even-strength shooting percentage are right where they should be.

He’s feasting on the power play with Hart candidate, Patty Kane, soon-to-be 40-goal man, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Jonathan Toews. There aren’t too many better spots for an offensive defenseman to make hay. Additionally, the 26-year-old has been accruing his points in a manner that predicts continued success. Of his 45 points, 32 have been primary.

That leaves two questions: How do we value him moving forward, and what does this mean for the high-end blueline prospects that Chicago boasts in the pipeline? Follow the link for more … (feb27)

8. In his Flyers’ debut on Friday, Cam Talbot stopped 30 of 33 shots he faced in earning a 6-3 win. That’s eight goalies that the Flyers have used this season, which is now an NHL record. Talbot was also playing his first game since February 9. Since his acquisition, it’s been a steady diet of Carter Hart and Brian Elliott. Talbot isn’t an ideal own, as Hart is expected to return shortly from day-to-day ankle injury. (mar2)

9. Damon Severson is on pace for his first 40-point season. That 40-point season would come in the magical ‘fifth’ year, so there’s a bit of post-hype sleeper here. One note, if you’re in a league that counts plus-minus: Severson has never been a plus player, and his career total is minus-78 over those five seasons. (mar2)

10. With two goals on Thursday, Travis Sanheim now has nine points over his last nine games. He’s also skating on the team’s top blue line pair with Ivan Provorov.

Scott Gordon is clearly showing confidence in the second-year D-man. Under Dave Hakstol, Sanheim averaged just over 16 minutes per game but he is up to an average of more than 21:00 per game since Gordon took over as head coach. Sanheim is owned in just 8 percent of Yahoo leagues, in case you’re wondering. Don’t assume that Sanheim will supplant Shayne Gostisbehere on the first-unit power play, yet Sanheim seems to be arriving as a bonafide NHL defenseman. (mar1)

If you're still catching up on this past week's NHL Trade Deadline deals and their fantasy hockey implications, be sure to visit our tracker for a clear and comprehensive breakdown of each — links to the trades themselves, to player profiles, as well as to our discussion forums.

11. Since arriving for his second tour of duty in Edmonton, Sam Gagner has scored three goals in eight games, with these three goals all within his last six games. If you’re Edmonton, what have you got to lose by sticking him on the first-unit power play, similar to the way he was used in Columbus two seasons ago?

12. Canucks’ fans were happy to get something back – anything at all, even a bag of pucks – for Erik Gudbranson. So maybe it was a bonus that Tanner Pearson scored his first goal as a Canuck on Thursday, or at least it was one of the few bright spots for the Canucks. Pearson is getting his chance to play on the top line with Pettersson, so you could add him in a deeper league in the hopes that a new team will provide a short-term spark. I have to at least say that he’s looked okay so far. You can also check out the Pearson trade fantasy impact. (mar1)

13. As is currently the case with Jake Gardiner (back), one injury to one of the Leafs’ Big Four of Gardiner/Morgan Rielly / Jake Muzzin / Travis Dermott on the blue line leads to the Leafs trotting out Ron Hainsey/ Nikita Zaitsev / Igor Ozhiganov on the right side of their defense. It shows the fragility of the blue line. If a center gets hurt, they can move William Nylander to the middle. If a winger gets hurt, they’re so deep they had Andreas Johnsson on the fourth line for big chunks of the year. If one of their left-shooting defensemen get hurt, well, you see the result. (feb28)

14. Sami Vatanen was activated off IR and back in the lineup this week, though I’m not sure how much fantasy value there will be. Given that he’s a guy without high levels of peripheral stats, he’s reliant on point production. I don’t think there’ll be much of that for the next little while as the Devils struggle with numerous injuries. (feb28)

15. Jimmy Vesey has six points in his last four games since joining the top line following Mats Zuccarello’s trade. I thought it would be Pavel Buchnevich being given the chance but it’s been Vesey on the top line, averaging over 20 minutes a night. I worry about lineups being shuffled eventually but Vesey is pretty close to a must-own right now. (feb28)

16. Jeff Carter recorded two assists on Saturday. This isn’t usually big news, but Carter had been held without a point in his previous nine games and is still without a goal in his previous 12 games.

I was hoping that Carter would have been traded out of LA at the deadline to a better situation but rumor was that he was threatening to retire if he was traded. It’s still possible that Carter could rebound to some degree next season, but there are a ton of other better options at center if you are pushing to win this season.

When I talk about “a better situation”, I mean that only the Ducks have a lower goals-for total than the Kings this season. Also, the Kings’ win on Saturday was their first win in 11 games, so these are lean times in LA. (mar3)

17. Since James Reimer is out of the lineup due to injury, Sam Montembeault made his NHL debut on Saturday. The rookie made 22 saves in an eventual 4-3 overtime loss to the Hurricanes. His AHL numbers (3.16 GAA, .901 SV%) aren’t serving as proof that he’s NHL ready yet, so keeper leaguers should exercise patience.

If the Panthers shop for another starting goalie in the offseason, then Montembeault will be in the AHL another season or two anyway. Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised if the worn-down Roberto Luongo ‘retires’ on LTIR before his contract expires. (mar3)

8. When David Pastrnak went down with the injury two weeks ago, many fantasy owners were concerned about Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron continuing their torrid paces. Marchand has 11 points in the nine games without his opposite winger. Bergeron has just eight. (feb27)

19. Sasha Barkov is clicking right along this season at an 86-point pace and creates magic on a nightly basis. He’s another player who has started to shake the moniker of being injury prone. He’s hasn’t missed a game this year and only sat out three games last season. (no jinx). (feb27)

20. There was a lot of hubbub on social media following the trade of Brandon Montour from Anaheim to Buffalo. The hubbub was largely around whether Montour’s poor 2018-19 season is a reflection of him, his team, his coach, or some combination of the three.

To be sure, Anaheim’s injuries have negatively affected almost everyone on that roster. All the same, Randy Carlyle was the coach for Montour’s entire NHL career to date. Laying this year at Carlyle’s feet while disregarding the previous two seasons is disingenuous at best.

Though he’ll have time to develop his defensive game, at this point, Montour is a much better offensive defenseman than a defensive one. His blue line defense has been subpar for his career and he doesn’t do a good job limiting shots from the dangerous areas

There’s a very real possibility that Montour performs similarly to new teammate Rasmus Ristolainen: passable offensively but poor defensively, and the offense doesn’t make up for the lack of defense. It’s a question, then, of whether Montour can flourish under a new coach on a new team. (feb26)

The gamble for Buffalo was sending prospect defenseman Brendan Guhle and the first-rounder for Montour. I’ve always liked Guhle’s ability at both ends and was seemingly coming into his own in the AHL the last year or so. He’ll get an immediate shot in the NHL with Anaheim, though that’s obviously a very poor situation. (feb26)

21. Gustav Nyquist ’s fantasy fortunes hinge on his placement, and as far as the move to San Jose goes, this is likely a downgrade for him.

There are only two right-handed shots currently in the team’s top two lines, Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi. It’s possible they go with three lefties on the second line, pushing Donskoi to the third line, but I think it makes more sense for Nyquist to replace Marcus Sorensen on Thornton’s line. We’ll see how that shakes out. Nyquist has moved to a better team but it’s not necessarily a better situation fantasy-wise. (feb26)

Have a good week, folks!!

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/21-fantasy-hockey-rambles/21-fantasy-hockey-rambles-7/

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thalaal · 7 years ago

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Long read: Grenfell - Britain's fire safety crisis

By Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent and Nick Stylianou, Sky News Producer

The deaths of 71 people in Grenfell Tower were a defining tragedy in 21st century Britain. That so many people could lose their lives in one block of newly renovated council flats shocked the entire country - shock that turned to anger when it became clear that the fire had spread up a thick layer of external plastic foam insulation covered in plastic-filled panels.

The disaster was also a wake-up call; a deadly warning that something has to be seriously wrong with fire safety regulation and enforcement in Britain. If so many people could die in Grenfell Tower, how can anyone be certain that their own home, school, hospital or workplace is safe?

Our investigation, conducted over the past four months and published on Monday, has attempted to answer that question, and exposed the disturbing issues that left Mr Wrack so horrified.

Even before the first bodies had been removed from Grenfell Tower, senior figures in the fire safety sector began revealing a number of uncomfortable truths: they knew plastic insulation was storing up problems; they had suspected a disaster would happen; and many of them had been telling the Government for years that the building regulation and control system was not fit for purpose.

And some went further; claiming that elements of the plastics industry were not only helping to write the rules that require more insulation to be fitted to buildings, but were also trying to silence people who questioned whether plastic insulation was safe.

Time after time we were told the plastic insulation industry was highly litigious, that speaking out about its fire safety was impossible, and that while the story should be told, no-one would go on camera. Eventually we found a former government scientist who agreed to talk, on condition of anonymity, about the pressures he faced. He said threats to sue him had made him unwell.

"If you've got no [legal] insurance you lose your house," he said. "It was a worrying time and they were quite famous for it - people knew this was the way they reacted." He says he doesn't think the work he did was influenced by the threats, but they had an effect: "I think perhaps more than anything else other people were silenced - by saying 'Oh, you'd better not say anything about that, look what happened to him,'" he told us.

We have identified several other similar cases. Among them Rockwool, the main producer of the non-combustible mineral-based alternative to plastic insulation. Rockwool sent out videos in 2007 showing how their product doesn't burn and how plastic insulation does. They were sued for trademark violation and malicious falsehood. Despite the falsehood claim being thrown out the legal action tied up Rockwool for years and cost them millions of pounds.

In 2013 an insurance firm set fire to plastic insulation panels to demonstrate that they burned more fiercely in real life than they did in official tests and posted the video on YouTube. It might explain, they suggested, why hundreds of millions of pounds of fire damage had been caused in a spate of factory fires. They were immediately threatened with legal action and had to remove all references that could have identified the manufacturer.

And the week after the Grenfell Tower fire, six European plastic industry lobby groups complained in a letter to the respected publishers of a peer-reviewed paper on the dangers of toxic smoke from burning plastic insulation written by chemistry and fire safety expert Professor Anna Stec at the University of Central Lancashire. "We request that the article is withdrawn," it said. "The consequences […] are enormous and could well lead to significant consequential losses." It ended: "We feel you should consider this very seriously."

The Government's 2012 Green Deal launch report 'Opportunities for Industry' contains 126 mentions of 'cost' and 119 of 'saving', but nothing about fire safety.Gerard Tubb, Sky News Correspondent

Prof Stec told us her employers are supportive but even vaguely-worded threats are stressful. "All the complaints, all the attacks are taken very seriously by my university," she said. "It worries me at some point that if you've got complaints coming in on an annual basis the university will come out and say 'how long do we have to handle that?'"

While legal threats were being made in private, the plastic insulation industry was openly advertising its role in writing the rules that govern the fitting of its products to millions of buildings across the country.

The main lobby group for the plastic insulation trade was, until November 2017, called the British Rigid Urethane Foam Manufacturers' Association [BRUFMA]. Partly in response to Grenfell Tower - or what it refers to as "events of this year" - BRUFMA changed its name to the Insulation Manufacturers Association.

They advertise that they are "influencing UK and local government, specifying authorities, relevant approval and certification bodies," and have "high level involvement in the drafting and regular revision of British and European standards [and] the Building Regulations." Its members are promised the "opportunity to influence Government bodies and NGOs" and "direct input into relevant British Standards committees."

How that influence works in practice is exposed by examination of government efforts to meet the UK's climate change commitments. Since the Kyoto agreement in 1997 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, successive governments have created rules about how new and refurbished buildings must be insulated to reduce heat loss.

In 2011 the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) turned to the insulation industry for help, inviting representatives onto a Green Deal committee to come up with ways to push more insulation into homes. We discovered that of the 10 firms and construction industry groups on that committee, four were members of BRUFMA. One of them was Celotex, the firm whose plastic insulation would be fitted to the outside of Grenfell Tower four years later.

Celotex technical director Rob Warren was a leading committee member who made his intentions clear on a now-deleted company web page. Under the heading "Celotex enter government," he said his position on the DECC committee meant he was "working inside government" to "shape this critical policy enabling the insulation industry to maximise the benefits." Construction expert Simon Hay who was also on the committee told us he was aware of the agenda: "The point from the insulation companies was that they were going to sell a lot more insulation," he said

A few years later Celotex revealed that the rules the plastics industry helps to write are key to company profits. Trade magazine Urethanes Technology International reported in 2015 that Warren had told them regulatory change was the "greatest driver" of plastic insulation sales. Without new regulations he was reported as saying: "You cannot give insulation away and the public are not really interested."

Building control was opened up to competition, pitting private building inspectors against council officers in what one architect said was an 'extremely stupid' form of privatisation.Nick Stylianou, Sky News Producer

But while new guidance and legislation led to a doubling of the market value of the main plastic insulation products in the UK between 2012 and 2016, efforts to insulate buildings rarely considered fire safety. Simon Hay who sat alongside Celotex and the other insulation firms on the DECC committee says he doesn't recall fire being mentioned in any of the meetings. The government's 2012 Green Deal launch report "Opportunities for Industry" contains 126 mentions of "cost" and 119 of "saving", but nothing about fire safety.

Several fire safety experts have told us it was Part L of the building regulations which deal with heat loss that had a significant impact on the fire safety of buildings of all sizes. Niall Rowan from the Passive Fire Protection Association told us: "Due to the green agenda we've had a push to insulate buildings and the easiest and cheapest way to insulate was using these combustible materials […] our eye was off the ball."

While one government department was increasing demand for combustible plastic products, the government department responsible for Part B of the regulations, dealing with fire safety, was being warned that the increasing use of plastics was increasing the risk of fires and the regulations were not good enough.

When plastic cladding on Garnock Court flats in Ayrshire caught fire in 1999, killing a man and injuring five other people, a parliamentary inquiry reported that building regulations were "far from being totally adequate."

In 2009 plastic insulation burned on Lakanal House in London, killing six people and injuring 20. The coroner wrote to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) in 2013 saying the building regulations were "a most difficult document to use" and calling for changes to include "clear" and "intelligible" guidance. The regulations were not changed.

Perhaps most puzzling of all, DCLG has refused to let us read 54 submissions they received in a 2010 consultation into how the fire safety rules needed to change. When we used the Freedom of Information Act to try to read them our application was refused on the grounds that releasing them was "not in the public interest."

One of the submissions was from insurance industry trade group the Fire Protection Association (FPA) who sent us a copy. "Urgent research is required", it warned the Government, into whether the building regulations were "fit for purpose." It said "building regulations enforcement is not effective" with inspectors turning up "less frequently if at all," and ministers "should act."

Jonathan O'Neill, managing director of the FPA, told us he has seen other submissions sent in at the same time from other experts who independently warned DCLG that they must act urgently to review the fire safety regulations.

A system of self-certification by building owners is weaker than a system of certification by a fire officer, somebody whose interest is directly to make sure his men and women fire officers don't die in fighting fires.Technical expert, Ian Abley

Amid the lack of building regulation review there were some significant regulatory changes. Building control - the enforcement arm of the fire safety system - was opened up to competition, pitting private building inspectors against council officers in what one architect told us was an "extremely stupid" form of privatisation.

Then the Regulatory Reform Order 2005 scrapped fire certificates for buildings, leaving landlords responsible for ensuring fire risk assessments are carried out. Technical expert Ian Abley said it was a significant weakening of fire safety protection: "A system of self-certification by building owners is weaker than a system of certification by a fire officer, somebody whose interest is directly to make sure his men and women fire officers don't die in fighting fires," he said. "There are holes in the regulatory reform order that don't necessarily include the outside of a block of flats - which is Grenfell."

Increasing pressure from the construction industry to use new insulation products coming into the market eventually led to some architects, developers and contractors making mistakes.

Mr Rowan, who has four decades of experience in the fire safety sector, described the failure to reform the regulations as "kind of creating a house of cards." He said the lack of robust official guidance led to individuals deciding "I'm assessing that that's OK, this document says that's OK, and other people say well that authority and this authority say it's OK so I can say it's OK."

Mr Rowan admitted that eventually it became an open secret that a disaster was looming. "The passive fire industry [has] been worried that someday we would have a fire with large loss of life because of what we know what goes on in buildings and design that it not adequate," he said.

Throughout all the changes to the energy-saving Part L of the building regulations - three major revisions since 2010 - and the lack of changes to the fire safety Part B - none in the past 12 years - the Government has relied on fire safety advice from a group which also makes money from the plastics industry.

BRE, formerly the national Building Research Establishment, was privatised in 1997 and made to pay its way, with the plastics industry providing a significant revenue stream. In 2005, following the 1999 Garnock Court fire, BRE helped the Government to manage the risk from plastic insulation and cladding by creating a fire test called BS 8414.

Twelve years later it remains the only facility in the western hemisphere capable of conducting the test. Although BRE won't say how much it has earned from BS 8414, its biggest plastic insulation client told us privately that BRE is currently being paid up to a million pounds a year.

After all the warnings from inside and outside the construction industry about the problems being caused by plastic insulation products BRE told the Government that the building regulations could cope. Under a rolling contract from DCLG to "investigate issues that may have implications for building regulations," BRE reported in April 2016 that on high rise buildings there was "an increase in the volume of potential combustible materials being applied."

It said "A number of significant fires… have demonstrated the potential risks," but advised: "with the exception of one or two unfortunate cases, there is currently no evidence from BRE Global's fire investigations for DCLG to suggest that current building regulation recommendations, to limit vertical fire spread up the exterior of high rise buildings, are failing in their purpose."

I’m afraid there will be buildings that are unsafe, and that must be a worry for people who are falling asleep in them.Simon Hay, architect

The report told ministers that building controls, which BRE has influenced since 1948, were "adequate".

The industry lobbying, the attempts to silence critics, the rules requiring more insulation, and the failure to heed warnings about the creaking building regulations have created what one respected expert has described as a fire safety crisis.

Simon Hay, who sat on the DECC committee in 2011, is an architect who worked inside the cladding industry and is now an expert witness with litigation services firm Diales. Since the Grenfell Tower disaster he has been commissioned to inspect high and low rise buildings and has found significant fire safety issues that had previously been missed. "These are not on anybody's radar as yet," he said, "I would say in all the investigations I've carried out I've found deficiencies."

We asked him if he would describe the state of fire safety in Britain' buildings as a crisis. "I think I would describe this as a crisis," he told us. "I think fire safety is absolutely vital, and it's not just about the premises that catch fire, it's also about the fact that people should be able to live in their dwellings in the reasonable knowledge that they are safe in the sense that fire might break out.

"I'm afraid there will be buildings that are unsafe, and that must be a worry for people who are falling asleep in them."

In response to the points we raised, BRE told us it "works with multiple partners across various sectors, including government, the emergency services and the private sector," and said it is "working to improve the built environment through research and the provision of testing and certification services" which are "audited by the UK's national accreditation body".

Celotex told us that "because issues fall within the remit of the Grenfell Tower inquiry" it is "unable to provide any further information" but is offering "full cooperation with the ongoing investigations".

A DCLG spokesperson said: "Nothing is more important than keeping people safe. After the coroner's investigation into the Lakanal House Fire in 2013, government took action to implement all the recommendations," and is "continuing to work on updating our fire safety guidance."

And the Insulation Manufacturers Association says it "feeds into any building regulations reviews through all the usual public channels" and denied it or its members have used legal action to silence critics.

Grenfell Tower is still a crime scene and the Metropolitan Police says there are reasonable grounds to suspect offences of corporate manslaughter.

Sir Martin Moore-Bick has promised his public inquiry will "get at the truth" of what caused the fire, and Dame Judith Hackitt is conducting a review of building regulations and fire safety.

But it is far from clear whether anyone is asking why, with so little debate, so much material that burns is still being added to Britain's buildings.

#https://news.sky.com/story/long-read-grenfell-britains-fire-safety-crisis-11146108

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thecoroutfitters · 7 years ago

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Unlike chickens and some other animals, I was raised that there are milk cows and there are meat cows. We had Jerseys to milk and red and black Angus for meat. Where I came from, there really weren’t many cows in that area that were good for both meat and milk.

Now that I’m out of the little town that I was raised in, I realize that there is a whole wide world of cows out there that are great for using for both milk and meat.

Since we’re the kings and queens of multi-purpose living, and most of us don’t have a ton of space to have several of each type of cow, we need to cull the herd a bit. See what I did there?

My goal over the next few paragraphs is to lay out some options for you so that you can have the best of both worlds.

Before we get into actual breeds, know that as a small homesteader, a lesser-known, miniature breed may be better for your needs than a mainstream cow because they’re often bred for one trait or another.

They may also be bred to live a commercial lifestyle, thriving on grain and hay rather than foraging. In short, they may be less hardy, and therefore less suitable for a sustainable situation that requires low-maintenance animals.

In short, we don’t want picky cattle that cost a fortune to feed and don’t meet our needs. We need a cow that breeds easily, because we want more meat and more milk. An open (non-bred, without a calf) cow is a cow that isn’t earning her keep in any way, and that won’t do. So what if she gives a ton of milk and produces a big, beefy calf when she calves if she doesn’t breed consistently?

What I’m saying is that what commercial farmers value in a cow may not necessarily be what we value. Remember, they value volume. They want a cow that gives a ridiculous amount of milk regardless of whether she needs expensive feeds and supplements to do so. We want a cow that provides a decent, constant supply of milk without needing expensive feed.

After all, what would we seriously do with five or six gallons of milk per day per cow?

So, who cares what Big Ag says is the best cow? As usual, what’s good for them isn’t necessarily what’s good for us.

I’ve done quite a bit of research lately and have come to the conclusion that the miniature cow route may be the route to go for us little guys. Adequate milk and meat for our needs, half the feed, and half the space; it’s a great idea. If you’re looking for a full-sized cow though, these first two may be good for you.

Forgotten Lessons of Yesterday

The American Milking Devon

These cattle were originally tri-purpose: milk, meat, and draft work. They’re thought to be the first English breed to be imported to the states in colonial times. There’s a farm called Flack Family Farm in Vermont ran by Doug Flack and his family that raise these cows, and they sound like the perfect cow for what we need.

They’re a smaller breed, with three-year-old steers weighing in at 600-750 pounds, hanging. They’re also hardy and do well in hot climates, but do fine in the cold, too – obviously, because these cows are in Vermont!

The cows give 35-40 (5 gallons or so) pounds of high butterfat milk per day while living on wild pastures (clover, orchard, bluegrass, and vetch) with no grain supplementation. Wow, this cow is sounding great! His cows lactate from mid-May to early November and are milked twice a day in the spring and once in late summer and fall.

And how about longevity? According to the interview I read, he has a 14 year old cow that’s still lactating! Regarding cheese, the average milk cow milk converts about 10 percent of their fluid milk to cheese, but the Milking Devon can convert almost twice that. That’s a crazy big deal.

The meat is beautifully marbled and is purportedly just as good or better than traditional meat cattle, and the steers are raised on pasture. This is a great way to have a cow that feeds your family and provides a dual source of income to help support your farm.

Holsteins

A Holstein is a mainstream cow that’s a great balance of milk and meat.

Be warned: she’s considered a milk cow and is the top-producing milk cow in the industry. Expect up to nine gallons of milk a day. This may be good if you only want to keep two cows (in case one doesn’t breed one year). Still, that’s a LOT of milk, but you’ll have plenty of friends, and you can always can it.

The meat is said to be good, and since the Holstein is a large breed, you won’t need to raise more than one or two calves a year for meat. A note though – they eat a ton! Apparently, they aren’t great at converting feed to meat, so they require 10-12 percent more feel than the average beef cow, or milk cow for that matter.

Still, I wanted to throw them in the hat because they’re easy to come by and do produce plenty of milk and meat.

There is a miniature version of them, but apparently the cute factor comes into play when contemplating eating them. It’s an option, though.

The Belfair

This miniature cow is a cross between some of the best of both worlds. It’s a 50-50 cross of a small Irish Dexter beef cow and a Jersey milk cow. The idea was to add some of the delicious butterfat of the Jersey, but to use the Dexter to pack some meat on its bony frame. Oh, and to take away the meanness of the Jersey bull.

It worked; the result is a cow that gives good meat and milk and is docile, with even the bulls exhibiting little to no aggression.

The Belfair produces about three gallons of high butterfat milk per day and beef up quickly at around four months. The breed is small so it has a smaller appetite. Actually, it’s been called the poor man’s cow because it produces milk and gains weight on inferior pasture. Nothing high-maintenance about these cows.

The Belfair looks like a beefy Jersey cow; blacks and browns ranging from mahogany to dun. Sometimes, there will be some white, and the cow has horns, The cow is 42-46 inches at the shoulder and is actually considered a mid-sized miniature breed for registration purposes, formally known as the Belmont.

Why Go with Miniature Cows?

We just talked about the Belfair, which is a miniature cow breed, as is the Dexter, and the more I research, the more I think that miniature cows are worth looking at for those of us with little space to dedicate to cattle. I’ve also noticed that there’s a good selection of dual-purpose cows in the miniature pool. They were pretty much bred to suit our needs.

Midsize cows measure 42-48 inches at the hip

Standard cows measure 36-42 inches at the hip

Micro-miniature cows are less than 36 inches at the hip

That puts them at one-third to one-half the size of a regular cow. As a life-long farm girl, I have to say that this is an appealing idea, because, if for no other reason, they make smaller piles and would be easier to manage physically, especially for those of you new to milking. There’s nothing to make you grouchy faster than getting shoved out of the way by a 1000-lb animal when it’s 30 degrees and muddy.

Here are some reasons to go miniature:

They won’t drown you in milk, but you won’t run out, either. A mini cow will give you a gallon or a gallon and a half per day, more than enough for milk and butter.

You only need half an acre to an acre per cow

They’re 25-30 percent more feed-efficient and require about a third of what a regular cow eats. You’ll buy less and haul less.

One miniature cow will feed a family of four for several months

There are a few good dual breeds out there, in addition to the Belfair. The Zefu gives about a gallon of high butterfat milk per day, but from all accounts, you may have trouble butchering them for meat because it would be akin to eating the family dog since they’re so friendly.

Miniature cow breeds are certainly an attractive option for small homesteaders for all of the reasons that we’ve discussed. They’re widely available, but appear to be kind of regional, so what’s available in one part of the country may not be available in another. It’s an intriguing proposition – all of the benefits of having a cow with half of the downfalls, or maybe a third!

If you have any experience with miniature cows, or have a suggestion for a good dual-purpose cow of any size, please share with us in the comments section below.

Also, if you’d like to learn how to tan your hides, butcher your meat, can your milk, make butter, or can your beef, take a look at my book, Forgotten Lessons of Yesterday. I’ve compiled a ton of useful, diverse information so that you have it right at your fingertips, plus there are five free guides that are valuable in their own rights. Check it out!

This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

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