#like I have a hard time believing this national team coordinating staff would be so cold and blunt. even with telling them what’s expected

[viktoriakomova]

@pitirres No like…….. I’ve felt this way for more than a year now (worlds selection and lineups in 2022 come to mind lmao) with how people approach this whole triumvirate replacing the NTC [marta] position, and specifically 2 of them being (relatively) young former elite national team standouts. There’s this impression that because chellsie and alicia have been in these girls’ position less than two decades ago, their decisions should take Feelings into account. And that’s just not their job lmao. They are more sympathetic than marta or any other male head coach of an established elite program (eg Valeri, Tom), yes absolutely, and that’s a great thing, but they still have a job to do which is to strategically pick the best athletes to represent the US at international competitions, regardless of sentiment.

It’s okay for them to “““snub””” a gymnast who is clearly not up to par for what they need to be a reliable performance at an international competition. Reputation doesn’t matter here. And feelings don’t matter here. This is business. You can be human and take the time to explain to an athlete why you’re making the choice you’re making, and the choice still doesn’t make them feel great. Being “fair” isnt about feelings, that’s fundamentally a good thing tbh! I trust that the 2 of them are making it clear that it’s not personal and it’s still not over for them etc etc etc. but like. This whole culture change absolutely doesn’t mean that the athletes get to call the shots.

I’m sorry but people acting like suni not being given any international assignments is noteworthy is crazy to me. (assuming these same people have been paying attention to the happenings of the last calendar year)

If you’re a fan I get why you’re upset but unless you’re like delusional stan level I truly don’t get why u might be surprised lmao…?

[black-dragon1998]

New trainer (Kelley O’Hara x reader)

Summary: After being away for two years, the reader finally comes home to Kelley.

Warnings: sorry for any miss use of military terms. sorry for any mistakes written.

Thanks for reading and comments are always welcome.

“you are the reason I wake up every morning, the reason I want to come home every night. See you soon love <3” Kelley read the message for what had to be the mullioned time. (Y/N) had been overseas for the last two years and Kelley missed her every day.

They face-timed every chance they got even so, (Y/N) being in the army in another country and Kelley being on national camp. Meant those chances were few and far between.

It had been so long since they had seen each other that the other players on the team didn’t even know Kelley was dating. The only one who knew was Alex even nevertheless she knew not to mention it or Kelley’s mood would go south swift with how much she missed her girlfriend.

 “heard anything new?” Kelley was pulled out of her thoughts by Alex who was sitting next to her on the bus. Alex knew how much her best friend missed the love of her life and wanted to lighten the pain in any way possible.

“no. last I heard her squat had to stay behind because the region was unstable and she didn’t know when she would be sent home. Or even when we would be talking the next time.” Kelley had to swallow hard to keep her emotions in check, not wanting the other women to see her cry and worry about her.

Luckily the bus was rowdy enough that their conversation wasn’t overheard by the other players. Sonnett was busy blasting music and pestering the others for no real reason.

 The national team had a day off before the world cup camp started and they decided to go paintballing as a team bonding. Teams had been made at the hotel, if Kelley was being honest she didn’t pay attention. She was to occupied by the message she had received from you. This meant she didn’t know who was on her team.

After the bus stopped everybody got off the bus and into tactical gear very easily and were getting a safety talk before they were let onto the field to play the game. Vlatko also wanted to talk to the team before they became their competitive self.

“I know teams have been made at the hotel already but I have been informed by the staff that a special game is being prepared for you.” Hearing this caught the attention of the team.

“what special game are we talking about?” Julie asked with a critical eye. Ever the level head of the group. Vlatko was happy everybody seemed eager to at something extra to the game.

“While you guys are playing against each other one person is out hunting all of you. Even if they don’t belong to any team they can take out everybody. The person taking out this mystery person gets a special price.” The mention of a special price got everybody excited.

“How will we know that we have been shot by this mystery person and not somebody from the other team?” Ali asked, trying to keep Ash calm before the game.

“Unlike the coloured paintballs, they shoot with black paintballs.” Vlatko told them. After everybody was given guns they split up

 Both teams were so immersed in defeating or upscaling the other world that they completely forgot about the mystery person playing with them. The mystery person moved around undetected as they observed the teams looking who they could take out first.

After looking around a bit they decided to go after Emily and Lindsey first. Emily was her thunderous even id she tried not to be thus easily found. As the mystery person looked at the smaller blond they could see why they worked with Kelley so well.

Emily was shot in the chest and Lindsey in the right shoulder.

Next came Ashlyn and Ali. The couple was well coordinated as they moved around, but again no match for the mystery person. Ash was hit in the stomach and while Ali was doting over her down wife she was hit in the back.

Than came Christen and Tobin, Alyssa and Becky, Mal and Teirna, Rose and Sam, Juli and Crystal, Carli and Megan.

The last two left where Kelley and Alex. Juli and Crystal informed them about this when they passed them. Kelley and Alex who were already on their guard had their senses even more heightened.

Kelley even had the feeling of being watched and could swear she heard branches break around her. Alex told her she was being paranoid. Just as the statement left her mouth she was hit in the stomach by a black paintball.

Kelly immediately dived for cover when a paintball hit a nearby tree. Gun razed the defender peered around the tree to see if she saw anything.

Not noticing the shadow creeping up behind her, hitting her once on each ass cheek. Kelley quickly turns around to catch a glimpse of the shooter but saw nobody.

After a loud horn goes off signalling the end of the game and all the girls sulk back into the changing rooms. Complaining about being taken out in the ways they were.

 Everybody was groaning and being grumpy about the game when Vlatko walked in. being the only person knowing it would end like this. Knowing the identity of the mystery person. He knew they would be unhappy, he wasn’t expecting them to be pouting.

“well girls how did the game go?” it was a rhetorical question, on their faces, he could read how good it went.

“great if you look past that we all got our asses handed to us by a single person. Want that seems to be invisible.” Sonnet remarked. Vlatko could barely contain his chuckle.

“I can assure you I am anything but invisible.” A voice responded from behind Vlatko

Kelley froze at hearing the voice. It couldn’t be her. Kelley thought she was imagining things. You couldn’t be here. Vlatko talking on was what pulled her out of her trance.

“Ladies I like you to meet your new endurance trainer, sergeant (Y/N) (L/N).” Kelley flings herself at the woman when she heard her name. tears spring in Kelley’s eyes when she looks at you.

You are taller than her, with broad muscles shoulders. You are clad in camouflage gear, probably helping you stay hidden in the bushes.

“you’re here. You are here.” Kelley breaths into your shoulder as she keeps hugging you. You hug her back and kiss the side of her head. For the first time in ages, you feel home and safe.

“I’m here love and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” You tell her. It takes a moment before your words sink in but when they do. Kelley looks up at you with a massive grin on her face.

“so you don’t have to go back?”

“I’m not going back. I was honourably discharged two days ago.” The massive grin on Kelley’s face almost split her face. She kisses you passionately, a kiss you reciprocate immediately.

The happy bubble the two of you had created around you two was broken when the team swarmed the two of you. Seeing you with Kelley made them forget about the slaughter that was the paintball game.

Emily Sonnet was the first to speak being too hyped about the new person in the family.

“you know this behemoth of a woman?” the blond asked looking up at you, earning a slap on the head from Lindsey. This made you chuckle, she reminded you a lot of Kelley. Whispering so much to Kelley earning a slap on the chest from her.

“care to introduce us, Kelley?” Christen asks, trying with the rest of the veterans to rail in the youngsters of the group. Turning around with Kelley still in your arms you were met with twenty curious faces looking at you. You felled a little uneasy with all eyes on you.

Kelley felled your tattooed arms flex around her and gave them a little squeeze to reassure you.

“Guy’s I like you to meet (Y/N) my girlfriend.” The moment girlfriend left Kelley’s mouth the room seemed to explode.

“GIRLFRIEND!” the same word was yelled by over a dozen women at once. Together with.

“Why didn’t you tell us you had a girlfriend?”  you were a little taken back at this, you didn’t know Kelley hadn’t told her team about your relationship. Was she ashamed of you maybe?

“Quiet!” Alex yelled, you gave her a thankful smile. Nobody seemed to want to go against that woman.

Kelley looked down at the ground when she spoke. The reason why was a deep-rooted fear of losing you.

“I didn’t tell anybody because she was overseas for two years and in those two years I didn’t even know if she was coming home or not.” Emotions suddenly overtook you. I didn’t know she had it this hard with me overseas. In all ore conversations, she never let I shiny out that it was this hard on her.

“oh, Kelley. I am so sorry I put you through that.” You turn Kelley around so she is facing you and take her chin between your fingers to gently make her look up at you. Big brown eyes look up at you, littered with unshed tears.

“you have to believe me when I tell you that every day in those two years you are the only reason I got through every shitty thing happening. You were the reason I wanted to come home.” This time you couldn’t help the little crack in your voice. The woman in your arms had a knack of turning you into a big softy.

Instead of answering Kelley pulled you into a passionate kiss that the two of you got lost in completely.

After the heavy moment passed the lighter mood returned and the girls started asking questions. Julie even threatened you, that if you ever hurt Kelley in any way she would find you and hurt you.

It must have been funny to see a soccer player not even reaching your shoulders make you take a step back.

After seeing you weren’t a complete hardass Emily saw it fit to teas.

“so (Y/N), because you are Kelley’s girlfriend those that mean you are going to go easy on us?” you couldn’t help but laugh at the bubbly blond. Not even into first training and she was already asking to slack off. Kelley was smirking knowing you crazy work out habits.

“Well…”

PART 2

Want to support me Buy me a Ko-fi 

[prettywordsyouleft]

Uninvited

Request: #200 for @mark-tuan-and-namjoon-lover – “Pardon my French, but who the fuck is that?”

Pairing: Kim Himchan x reader

Genre: AU

Warnings: minor language

Word count: 1208

You had actually done it.

For a few minutes, you stopped to stare around at all your hard work. You had been planning this event for months now, and over the last three weeks, your life had been consumed with endless tasks to get the venue up and running and looking like the magical world it did now. Everything was in place and the guests were all enjoying the live band, the buffet stand and open bar.

You had succeeded.

However, you didn’t have time to simply soak in and process all that it had taken to get to this night. You had guests to mingle with, clients to impress and as the main host of the event, you weren’t entitled to relax. There was always someone who would need you and staff to monitor to ensure the event ran smoothly. You hadn’t spent the last week losing out on sleep for someone to mess this up for you.

About half an hour into the evening, you had almost finished looking over the checked VIP list. Everyone here tonight had been exclusively invited by yourself and your team, and so you knew every face here.

Or, you should have known every one.

As you stared across at the bar where the elusive man now sat, swirling the red port he held, panic began to settle in. You had established with everyone invited that if they wished to bring along a partner they needed to register that person with your secretary. And knowing three of your staff members were on the front entrance checking for passes, it would be impossible for someone to show up unannounced.

Keeping your eye on him as you dashed over to your secretary conversing with another staff member, you felt the tremble shoot down your arm as you grabbed onto her.

You couldn’t control the emotions you were now flooding with. This was your soirée and you had been hoping for the most perfect night. Your secretary looked at you, now alarmed. “What’s wrong, Y/N? Breathe!”

“Pardon my French, but who the fuck is that?!” You sucked in a deep breath after letting out your frustrations, recomposing yourself. You attempted to smile, but your eyes were just demanding answers instead.

Your secretary scrutinised the man for a moment and then nodded. “Ah, that’s Bang Yongguk’s plus one. I believe his name is Kim Himchan.”

“Kim Himchan?” you echoed, looking at the man who clearly knew his way around a fine wine. He took a sip, savouring the flavour.

As he should. You had only sourced the best-tasting fragrances for tonight.

Glancing back at your secretary, you frowned. “Wasn’t Yongguk bringing his wife?”

“Apparently she’s sick and he didn’t want to waste the ticket entirely and gave it to Himchan. They work together; I actually believe he’s his boss. He assured me on the phone that Himchan would be a delight to have here tonight. Just relax, everything is still running smoothly.”

Now with flushed cheeks from being worked up, you nodded, excusing yourself and then found an empty corner to rub your aching temples. You had gotten too worked up over absolutely nothing. Yes, you weren’t in the wrong to be concerned. Tonight’s event housed a lot of your plans for the future with your company. You were vulnerable, sharing a lot of in-house information with people you trusted in this industry. That was why you had lost your mind seeing Himchan there.

You decided that you would grab a drink from the bar to settle some of your nerves. One drink wouldn’t ruin you tonight and you hoped to feel calmer after it. After ordering your drink of choice, you greeted a fellow client who walked by as you waited on your beverage.

And then you glanced at Himchan. He was no longer staring at his drink or ignoring all the happenings around him. Instead, he stared at you, his dark eyes amused.

It irked you. All the same, you smiled politely. “Good evening.”

“I wouldn’t quite say that,” he replied, looking around at the party and then pulled a face.

You examined it, your eyes widening as you did so. Blinking rapidly and taking your drink, you moved closer to him. “It’s not to your liking?”

“I’m sure the coordinator of the event put in a lot of hard hours,” he commented with a slight nod and then smirked. “But it’s kind of tacky.”

“Tac- tacKY?!” You couldn’t help but let your voice rise an octave, dumbfounded by his conclusion. Staring out at your endeavours you then squared your shoulders. “I’m afraid we have yet to introduce ourselves.”

“How impertinent of me,” Himchan said graciously, his pearly whites now in full view with his smile. It was as if the devil was before you, enchanting you with such a wicked grin. You almost didn’t reach out for the hand he had extended out to you. “My name is Kim Himchan. I am the CEO of Warrior Technology.”

The CEO? How had you not known he was in charge of the company? Racking your brain, you had believed Yongguk worked for an older man who lived overseas. Himchan looked far too close to your own age to be deemed old.

“And you might be?” Himchan prompted and you looked down at your linked hands, before snapping away from your thoughts and his hand.

You smiled firmly. “I’m Y/N. You might not have heard-”

“I know all about you, Y/N.”

“You… you do?” you replied, stunned. If he knew all there was to you, then he would know this party was your own. You simply stared at his charming smirk once again. “So you know.”

“I’m sure you worked very hard. Maybe this is the scale of what happens in this nation. But you’re pushing for international markets next year, right? This won’t cut it.”

His blunt advice cut through you and riled you up. Swigging down some of your drink, you placed it back down on the bar top heavily before shooting him a hard look. “This is sub-par? Even though I’ve worked with the best of the best to arrange this event? You’re calling it a disgrace.”

“Now, I didn’t go that far-”

“Well, I am sure that my little tacky party doesn’t need to have you here if it creates such a lacklustre opinion within your mind.”

“You are twisting my words into a greater picture,” he mentioned and you scoffed. “You’re easily protective and have quite the temper.”

“And you’re not an old man like I thought you to be.”

Himchan picked up your glass and handed it to you to take. You were breathing heavily from your outburst, and snatched it from his grip, jolting with the surge that sparked up your arm from his fingers grazing along yours. Smiling again, Himchan held up his glass, tilting it towards yours. You clunked into it with your own, trying not to smile too much.

“I guess you and I have a lot to get acquainted with, don’t you agree, Y/N.”

“I’m convinced you’ll leave this party tonight knowing just how great I can be.”

He grinned, drinking to your statement. And then he nodded. “I look forward to the challenge.”

_________________

All rights reserved © prettywordsyouleft

[Drabble Game Masterlist] | [B.A.P Masterlist] | [Main Masterlist] | [Request Guidelines]

[emma-whoisleft]

GENERAL INFORMATION ➤

Full Legal Name: Emma Esmé Vanity

Emma = “Whole, universal”

Esmé = “Esteemed, loved”

Vanity = “Excessive pride in or admiration for oneself”

Nickname(s): n/a and don’t even try it Age: 18 Gender & Pronouns: cisgender female; she/her Sexuality: Greyromantic and bisexual with an outward preference for men driven by her traditional values and life plans. Date of Birth: March 27th Horoscope: Aries

Strengths: Courageous, determined, confident, blunt, passionate

Weaknesses: Impatient, moody, short-tempered, impulsive, aggressive

Likes: Comfortable clothes, taking on leadership roles, physical challeng individual sports

Dislikes: Inactivity, delays, work that does not use one’s talents

Hogwarts House: Slytherin Nationality: English on her father’s side; a quarter Moroccan via her mother’s. Emma grew up just outside Yorkshire and is very vocally proud of the region, flawed accents and all. 

Occupation:

Emma is currently a student, but she has big plans for her future and no doubt that she’ll be able to accomplish them — which isn’t a surprise to anyone who’s ever met her. Not many seventeen year olds purchase, renovate and successfully run a Quidditch camp as a summer project, and very few others have done simultaneous Ministry internships. 

Ultimately, Emma wants to work at the Ministry of Magic’s Department of Magical Games and Sports. This is made easier by the fact that her father is the Vice Head of the department and her godfather is the Head, but she genuinely wants to build her career upon her own merits. She plans to start as a Junior Regulations Analyst with a seat on the International Event Coordination team. Her goals are currently to change the relationship the Ministry has with corporate sponsors and private companies to increase the funding ceiling and strengthen key partnerships.

Then, within five years, her goal is to create her own, new position (Executive Liaison, final title pending!). Through that, she believes she would run her own staff as a department-within-a-department and be the official point of contact for team owners, sponsors, donors, private partner companies – such as her camp and similar programs – and key suppliers of equipment, uniforms, brooms, balls, etcetera. 

She plans to use whatever downtown is leftover to work on the Department’s overall public relations strategy and inter-Ministry reputation.

Summarized in One Word: Headstrong

APPEARANCE ➤

Faceclaim: Phoebe Tonkin  Height: 5′4″ Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown Noticeable Features: Resting bitch face, and the ability to instill a primal fear in someone with nary a glance. 

Typical Outfit or General Fashion Sense: Emma is usually dressed for capital-B Business. her wardrobe consists of black, grey and other neutrals and she opts for simple lines, minimalist looks and the simple intimidation of clear wealth. Streamlined, with hints to reclaimed masculinity; she has more blazers than any eighteen year old should, but she can seriously rock a little black dress, too. 

HISTORY ➤

Hometown:

The Vanity family has always have a longstanding history of residing in the North Country of England, on the outskirts of Yorkshire and the Humber. Although grand in scale like most pureblood manors, the inside of the estate is considerably warmer; it features dark-paneled wood instead of marble and walls painted in warmer hues than one might normally see. The untouchable artifacts that one might find in other homes have largely been replaced with Quidditch memorabilia, family photos, and bookshelves.

There is a grande ballroom for throwing events and the foyer is invariably pristine, but the layout contains several dens stocked with comfortable couches, ever-burning fireplaces, and shelves of whiskeys and wines brought up from storage in the basement. Everything is sleek and kept up to a standard of perfection, but the family and all those who lived there before them worked hard to ensure that the place seemed approachable to newcomers. Charms ensure that the house always smells of sharp vanilla, burning wood, and pine.

The grounds feature a lake surrounded by willow trees and a trail that leads through a hedge maze into what used to be a prized garden and have since become home to a miniature Quidditch pitch used by Emma as a child learning to fly; the hoops now stand only as tall as she is, but it remains there as a tribute as the flowers grow back around them.

The home is conveniently located only two miles from the practice grounds of the Appleby Arrows, the former team of Eoin Vanity and a family favorite for the last eight generations.

Financial Status: Upper class Spoken Languages: English, and a little bit of German. Enough to have a conversation, but not enough to consider herself fluent. She’s working on some Arabic, having taken an interest for Antonin and Tazie’s sake.  Dream Job: Decision maker of the entire world Bad Habits: Emma will tell anyone who asks that she has none...because of course she will. What she means by this, however, is that she has no "traditional vices” like smoking or drinking. Bad habits, though, she has plenty. Despite holding herself to a strict schedule, she is late for nearly everything. She is also a bit of a packrat; her bag is filled at all times with disorganized papers and lists that make perfect sense to her, and that she won’t just get rid of on the off chance she one day needs them again. She’s also a fairly close-minded person. She’s not curious and prefers to stick to what, who and where she knows best. 

FAMILY BACKGROUND ➤

Mother: Yvette Vanity Father: Eoin Vanity (neé Shaper) Sibling(s): n/a Pet(s): n/a Cousin(s): Amycus and Alecto Carrow (second cousins) 

MAGICAL ABILITIES ➤

Wand: Alder, 9 ¼ inches, mermaid hair core, inflexible. Information on the core can be found here [x] and here [x]

Patronus (and which memory they’re currently using to cast a patronus if they can, or which one they’d use if they could): 

Although she has not yet been successful in casting it, Emma’s patronus would take the form of a camel. Camels are symbolic of perseverance and stamina. People with this patronus are often superbly adapted to their own situation and personal element, but clumsy or inflexible in situations that are unfamiliar. The camel is a symbol of a strong work ethic and a stubborn attitude. While those with a camel patronus are often short tempered with small annoyances, they have almost limitless patience for life’s most difficult hurdles.

Eventually, Emma will use the memory of holding her firstborn son Gus in her arms to cast the most successful patronus she’s ever been personally capable of. For now, her selections oscillate between Quidditch Cup wins, opening day of her camp and her New Years Eve vacation to Russia with Lucinda. 

Boggart: An oversized, string-bound marionette doll. At face value, it is a very real fear of hers: dolls have caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up since she was a child. Even as a little girl who had not yet discovered the joys of Quidditch, Emma wouldn’t allow dolls of any sort to be allowed in her playroom– including, to the dismay of her mother, the collection of Victorian-era china dolls that she was supposed to take under her wing. On a deeper level, however, the boggart represents so much more: the fear of not being in control of her actions, of being a puppet of her family, of everything in her life coming with strings attached. 

OWLS: Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Arithmancy, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures NEWTS: Transfiguration (A), Arithmancy (E), Herbology (E), Defense Against the Dark Arts (E); Charms (E); History of Magic (O); Potions (INCOMPLETE)

What Kind of Magic do They Excel at: (OOC NOTE, this ended up becoming more of a pro/con thing than an ‘excel’ thing, but I like it so I’m keeping it oop)

Emma’s grades have always been stable and in the mid-range. However, she’s always known that her career path leads through to the world of sports somehow and that knowledge is enough to bolster her through any lower points in her academic career. 

Nonverbal spells are Emma’s specialty, as she has never been one to show her cards and depends on the elements of mystery and surprise when she’s looking to make an impact. She is heavily guarded when it comes to her arsenal, and so she stared making nonverbal spell-casting a priority. Her constant need for control over situations has lead to her holding her wand too tightly; it makes her wrist movements less fluid than they should be. 

Along those same times, the type of magic she is most gifted at is defensive magic, an interest that’s only increased in the current political climate. She can pull a shield, she can deflect, she can make herself a smaller and less easily seen target. It’s not about winning for her; it’s about surviving, just knuckling down and making sure that the crossfire doesn’t decimate her. These spells being largely nonverbal is an added boon for her safety; they draw less attention and can’t be as easily combatted. 

Personality wise, Emma is abrasive and that’s a quality that has carried over into her magic; when she tries spells, they are a bit harsher than intended. For instance, she knows a thing or two about first aid spells but if she had to heal a teammate’s broken nose on the pitch, there would be more of a crack to it—and, likely, leftover bruising—than if anyone else had tried.

Outside of dueling/magic situations, when Emma is on the offense, she prefers to do it through soft influence: with her words, with her power over people, through other channels other than violence. She knows her limits as well as the limits of others, and she’s never been able to stomach using violent magic against someone else…not that she’s ever tried, to date.

If she ever did have to make a show of physical power, her years on the Quidditch pitch have given her a predisposition to do it with actual physicality, not her wand. She has no problem smacking an unwelcome hand away or giving a well-placed shove. 

In terms of subjects she does NOT excel at, Emma is terrible at cooking and by that same logic she is terrible at potions. She doesn’t have the precision, intuition, or gentle touch for the subject. 

PSYCHOLOGY ➤

MB Type: The Logistician

Few personality types are as practical and dedicated as Logisticians. Known for their reliability and hard work, Logisticians are good at creating and maintaining a secure and stable environment for themselves and their loved ones. 

Yet Logisticians can be easily tripped up in areas where their practical and methodical approach are more of a liability than an asset. Whether it is finding (or keeping) a partner, learning to relax or improvise, reaching dazzling heights on the career ladder, or managing their workload.

As parents, people with the Logistician personality type are often the most comfortable. Their sense of responsibility and honor blends well with a tradition that has been in place since time immemorial: to raise one’s children to be respected, contributing members of home and society. As with most commitments, Logisticians do not take their roles as parents lightly, and will make it their work to ensure that this tradition is upheld to the highest standard.

Logisticians approach relationships, as with most things, from a rational perspective, looking for compatibility and the mutual satisfaction of daily and long-term needs. Blind dates and random hookups are not Logisticians’ preferred methods for finding potential partners. The risk and unpredictability of these situations has Logisticians’ alarm bells ringing, and being dragged out for a night of dancing at the club just isn’t going to happen. 

Logistician friends are not spontaneous. They are not talkative, or particularly playful in their affection. What Logistician friends are is loyal, trustworthy, honorable and dependable. Logisticians are a very methodical personality type, and this loyalty isn’t given away lightly. Often slow to make friends, Logisticians usually end up with a smaller circle, but they consider that circle to represent a promise to be there for the people they care about, and Logisticians’ promises are not easily broken.

When it comes to the workplace, Logisticians are almost a stereotype for the classic hard-working, dutiful employee. In all positions, the Logistician personality type seeks structure, clearly defined rules, and respect for authority and hierarchy. Responsibilities aren’t burdens to Logisticians, they are the trust that has been placed in them, an opportunity to prove once again that they are the right person for the job.

Enneagram: ISTJ [read more]

ISTJs are responsible organizers, driven to create and enforce order within systems and institutions. They are neat and orderly, inside and out, and tend to have a procedure for everything they do. Reliable and dutiful, ISTJs want to uphold tradition and follow regulations.

ISTJs are steady, productive contributors. Although they are Introverted, ISTJs are rarely isolated; typical ISTJs know just where they belong in life, and want to understand how they can participate in established organizations and systems. They concern themselves with maintaining the social order and making sure that standards are met.

+ Perseverance + Planning + Detail Orientation – Stubbornness – Tactlessness – Resistance to change

Moral Alignment: Lawful Neutral 

Archetype:

45% Athlete - The Athlete's focus and drive are unparalleled. Staying healthy and being fit are paramount to them (as for winning, that doesn't hurt, either).

44% Royal - When the Royal walks into a room, they command attention. They are the one in charge, and they enjoy reaping the rewards of their hard work.

11% Intellectual - The Intellectual is the ultimate dinner-party guest. Engaging questions and thoughtful debate are their trademarks.

Temperament: Choleric

[lookatthedawn]

“Home, Home Again,

I like to be here when I can...”*

It's bittersweet to come home because I feel like a great adventure has come to an end.  But perhaps it's not so.  Perhaps a greater adventure is to live life with dignity, courage, and authenticity.  Many issues expect me at home, from a personal level to total national chaos.  There's much work to be done.  After an uneventful flight, I land on JFK.  The immigration officer peruses my passport and says, with a smile, "you're a world traveler!" "Not exactly, not yet," I answer, humbled by the thought of my friend Anush, who really is a globetrotter.   Through the app Find Friends my son JeanLuc finds me waiting for my luggage.  He has grown in my absence, his beard has thickened and he looks more mature overall.  I hug him, smell his scent, listen to his heartbeat -- resting my cheek on the best place of the Puniverse, as I used to say when he was tiny.  We meet my daughter Katrina in the car, and she's driving and that's good, because she's not into hugging.  She does make an exception for birthday and Christmas, though, sweet thing that she is.   In the car, we share stories of the last two months, but not much, since I don't want to repeat everything I want to say when we're finally all together.   After three hours or so I'm home, seeing the rest of the family, which includes four new pets!  It's when I hug my oldest son Marcelo, though, that I break down and start to cry because I'm so happy to be home and I've missed them all so much!  Knowing his mother as he does, he has a surprise for me, which is a huge map on the wall, where we have fun placing color-coordinated thumbtacks on the places we've been.   During my time away I didn't allow myself to be homesick, because that would only take away from my experience abroad, but being around them all is like heaven -- or maybe heaven is just another word for home. Key Takeaways: 1) An internship reveals as much about ourselves as the path we're contemplating taking.  Sometimes a job is more glamorous from a distance than in the thick of it.  Interning at the company of one's choice allows for an inside look at the day-to-day business.  What did I learn at The Gioi?  I learned that editing is hard, not only for me but for everyone.  It takes work, and it's not always fun, but if making a messy paragraph shine appeals to you, then the time sitting and staring at a computer screen is worth it.  However, -- and here's the takeaway -- now I know that I can do it.  I can write and I can edit.  Maybe that's not as surprising to anyone as it is to myself.  I don't like to write all the time, and I don't like to edit always, but the work satisfies in me a deep need for connection and self-expression.  I could say that I write to understand, and I edit to be understood.  Or something like it.   Working at The Gioi showed me that the final product on a magazine shines because of hours of intense, laborious and boring work the staff is willing to put into a piece.  Editing is work done both alone and in collaboration with a team.  I worked alone at my desk, but I was just one of the many hands those texts passed through before becoming ready for print.  Although separated, we had the same goal; make a text as good as possible. 2) The pros of living alone.  I think everyone should live alone at least once in their lifetime.  If not completely alone, with busy roommates.  I did not live alone before getting married and starting a family of my own.  I wish I had.  By living alone you learn to become self-reliant.  If you fail, you deal with the consequences, and the next day you do better.  If you leave your bed unmade or a carton of milk outside the fridge, when you come home it's there, just the way you left it, or, in the case of milk, spoiled as a consequence of your negligence.  No judgment from anyone, but no helping hand either, so it functions like a straight look in the mirror when we contemplate ourselves and all our shortcomings.  Being so, living alone teaches humility, self-reliance, and confidence.  

Another great thing about living alone is that you have a better chance of following your plans without being derailed.  If you decide to sleep instead of reading or watch a movie instead of sleeping, that's up to you, and if you regret your choice the next day, that's also your problem, and you know you can't peg it on anyone around.   A subtler aspect of living alone is that you learn to manage your emotions, as there aren't people around to distract you from your feelings.  Nobody makes you mad, for example, you get mad all by yourself, with thoughts you choose to have.  That, I believe, is always the case, but when you're alone that becomes undeniably clear.  You must rely on yourself as a source of wisdom, comfort, inspiration, entertainment and anything else you need.   3) Perspective.  We have to leave sometimes.  Leave a relationship, leave a house, leave a job, a country... in other to see it better.  If by diving into something we take a closer look, by moving away from a situation, we see it in an entirely different angle.  While in Southeast Asia, I didn't hear about Trump's latest tweets.  It wasn't news, it just didn't matter for them what the POTUS said, did, or said he did or didn't do.  It was so refreshing! I also learned that most people in that part of the world are not as scared of North Korea as they are of the United States.  Well, considering our mutual history, can we really blame them? This same bird's-eye view I can apply to enlighten aspects of my personal life. 4) Traveling is an art, and, as with watercolor, writing or pottery, the more you practice the better you get at it. There are many kinds of travelers, and internship, work, or studying abroad have its own implications, but overall, leaving home reveals your identity as a traveler.  What places are you attracted to, what do you want to see, what do you want to do?  Do you travel to escape, to rest, or to learn?  Do you find a cozy place and make yourself comfortable as you watch the natives from a peephole? Or do you mix with the locals, learn a new language and try new things?   I admire the latter, but I'm not an extrovert, so I don't throw myself into a new situation.  I also don't hide from the wonderful opportunity to see new things, meet new people, eat different foods and do different things.  Whenever I travel, though, I realize that I need to do so more often.  Since traveling, by definition, is a state of transition, I want to learn to move more gracefully from one point on the planet to another.  That's the art in it, the dance in the storm, so to speak. And as in every art, if you do just what you plan, what's the art in that?  More important than following through some preconceived idea, is to be present in the moment.   5) So, there's the saying that "if you cut too many corners, you end up going in circles".  Another reminder says that when you cut a corner, you end up with two more.  In Brazil, we say that, by trying to avoid taking one step, we take two.  That relates to my attempts at cutting costs.  No matter how much one plans, when traveling there are always spur-of-the-moment decisions -- or there should be if you're living in the moment -- and cutting costs is an important practice if you're on a budget, but not every dime saved makes sense.  Sometimes it's okay to take a cab, even when there are buses available. Sometimes it's okay to go to a restaurant, even when you can cook at home or get an inexpensive meal on the street. 

6) Skin Shedding.  Closely related to this new perspective, is the shedding of skin, the throwing out -- or letting go -- of what is no longer working for you.  I got sunburnt in Phu Quoc Island, which led to probably the worst itch I ever had and later, to skin shedding. Although the process was far from pleasant, it symbolized a very special time in my life, when I'm letting go of much that I thought was part of my identity. I'm renewing myself.  The process is both painful and beautiful.  You cry for the skin to which you were once so attached which now brings you more discomfort than anything else.  So you let it go.  Then one day you look at your shoulder and see that the new skin is clear, healthy, and beautiful.  You've been born again! 7) Completely different, but just as good. By the time you travel alone, be it for an internship, to study abroad or any other reason, you're probably over the age of eighteen and might have developed a philosophy of your own. But as you immerse yourself in another culture you realize that other people do things differently, sometimes exactly the opposite of what you think is right.  That's a great opportunity to develop some humility.  Yes, your philosophy is great, but mostly for yourself.  If people in a different part of the world do things differently it's either because it's the only viable way in that environment or because it's working for them.  And here's the takeaway: study different angles of your own idea.  Learn, expand your views, enlarge thine soul. 8) Think Abundance. I have spoken extensively about it while talking about what I call scarcity mentality.  This experience was a great way to immerse myself in a culture that prides itself on making do with less.  It is a fact that in the United States there is too much waste, and better management of resources is something that we must learn, but sometimes that scarcity mentality can become a way of life, part of the culture and it stops making sense. To think abundantly is to understand that resources are always available, but if you go to the ocean with a spoon, that's how much water you'll get.  Saving is good and must be encouraged, but shouldn't be the modus operandi.  A better goal, in my opinion, is to do the best you can with what you have.   9) Order and Progress. It's pretty clear that basic organization leads to better planning and better execution.  Traveling through Southeast Asia constantly reminded me of that.  Some schools teach this but it must be reinforced by the culture, with social expectations and policies in public places. Brazil, for example, dwells in chaos.  The culture deals with that aspect of its people, reinforcing it with cliches like "o jeitinho brasileiro", (the Brazilian way), which allows for creative loopholes in every sphere of society.  Other cultures, such as the Japanese and Chinese, pride themselves in cleanliness and order.  Good fruits come from such values.  And that's what this trip reminded me to do; better observe organization in my own life.     10) I've always believed that people should leave their country of origin and live in another place for at least a year.  This experience only reinforced that belief. I can't think of anything else -- except, maybe, parenting -- that changes one's perspective as much as immersing into another culture.  Everything you know and take for granted, like the language spoken around you, the food, the currency, social values, all that changes but you, at first, remain the same.  It's like taking a piece from one puzzle and mixing it up with pieces from another puzzle.  At first, there's no place for that piece in that society and you feel extra and useless.  Little by little you learn to assess your surroundings and learn new things.  Learning happens when we modify ourselves. Without change, there is no learning.  And this learning reshapes you, so soon you find that you do fit into that society. People count on your presence, on your input, and on your contribution.  You don't stop being who you are, you just enlarge your worldview to accommodate new perspectives.  

"It's all worth it if the soul is not small", wrote Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa.  However, the soul, like the body, needs food for growth.  Traveling, reading, experiencing life in all its colors, shapes, and sounds, broaden our existence and deepen our understanding and therefore must be highly encouraged.  I'm proud of Mount Holyoke College -- and immensely thankful -- for the college's efforts to provide students with experiences of this kind.  

[mymusicaljourneyuniverse]

My guest today is one of the best volleyball players I have ever seen. For sure one of the best middle blockers ever. She has medals at the European Championships, she won the Champions League four times, she is always smiling and now doing an amazing job at CEV. If you don’t know her yet, let me introduce you, one of the most spectacular players in the volleyball history: MAJA POLJAK!

Hello Maja and welcome to vladpop.com. It is an honor and a pleasure having you here. I am a huge fan of volleyball and I must admit that you were one of the players I watched with great pleasure every time you played. So, the first question is a simple one: what is volleyball to you?

Volleyball has been initially for me just one of the many sports I enjoyed playing as a child. Having grew up in a sport family, surrounded by sport I watched live or on TV, my way of having fun was just doing some of the numerous sports with my friends or family.

After I started going to volleyball practices, my coaches soon realized the athleticism I fortunately got from my parents and the determination and discipline I had even though I was very young. Very soon I started collecting the fruits of hard work and really enjoyed the outcome. The harder I worked, the results were getting better and volleyball very quickly became my passion and stayed until now.

That is the reason why I chose to stay in volleyball even after retiring from playing it.

You had an amazing career as a player, winning the silver medal at the European Championships and also winning the Champions League for a total of four times with three different teams. Also a lot of national championships won with various teams. Still, which is the dearest win to your heart?

My dearest competition was always the Champions League, but to say which one is the dearest is hard. Most probably the first one I ever won, in Tenerife, since no one could expect that kind of achievement at the age of 20, while also being in the starting 6. My parents flew there just to support me, and since then we never abandoned this practice for the finals.

Another amazing feeling was in Istanbul. Fenerbahce had an incredible budget that year and they created a dream team. We fought so hard against them in the past years but never managed to win. And then it finally happened in the best possible moment, semi-finals of the Champions League Final Four. We fought like lions and managed to win a practically already lost tie-break.

The hall was crowded with Fenerbahce fans, around 7000 people supporting them that suddenly became silent. The feeling of winning someone that was so dominant in that period was incredible.

What does it mean to be a professional player? From the outside everybody sees the fame, the money and the glory. How is it from the inside?

The feelings were most of the time very positive, specially if you reach the high levels and achieve great results. Then everything you “invested” suddenly pays off.

However what people don’t understand is the sacrifices one does on the road in achieving that. Missing your family,  friends, constant changes (whether it’s the new team mates or staff you get, or you completely changing the club and needing to get used to new colleagues and city/country).

The pain and the sweat you go through, the injuries that unfortunately can happen. It is not a pleasant feeling when the first thing you feel when you wake up in the morning is the pain cause you’re injured.

What I mostly see around me is the not knowing what to do once your sport career is over. Many athletes have absolutely no time to study, because of the demanding schedules. In one moment they realize that the career is over and then for some of them the real struggle begins.

How did you ended up in playing volleyball?

My dad took me to see the CL Final that was held in Zagreb. I saw straight away the highest possible level of volleyball I could possibly see. I said ok, let’s give it a try with this sport, looks like fun.

You had a lot of coaches throughout your career. Could you name some of them, mainly those who influenced your career in a decisive way?

Giovanni Guidetti, Lorenzo Micelli , Giovanni Caprara, Marco Fenoglio…all of them gave something to me, each of them something different. But I also believe that with the dedication and fighting spirit I had, I also gave them in return.

As you know, this blog is about sports but it is also about music. So there will be a couple of musical questions too. One of them is about the music you have in your phone. What kind of music does Maja listens to?

I listen to all sorts of music, depending on the mood. But I am a true rock junkie.

Was there a special song that you used in order to get in the mood for the matches?

Oh yeah, I had a playlist from my favourite band, Muse. Music was a must for me before the matches. A great motivational tool.

Can we compare a volleyball match to a symphony? Why?

Honestly, my perception of a symphony is gracious and elegant. With volleyball  being so physical I can compare it more to a rock concert. It probably has to do also with my music taste, so I can’t really give you an objective answer to this one.

If you would describe yourself using only song titles, what would they be?

Please don’t stop the music

Butterflies and hurricanes

Fix you

Explorers

Let’s pretend that you get an offer to form a musical rock group and you have to choose another four members, all of them being former teammates of yours. Whom would they be and what instrument would they play? What name would the group have?

Neslihan Demir (lead singer), Jenny Barazza (guitar), Jordan Larson (guitar),  Francesca Piccinini (backing vocal), Jelena Nikolic (backing vocal), Nataliya Goncharova (backing vocal). I would play the drums. I always aimed high, can’t stop at 4, sorry ☺

After retiring last year from your professional playing career, you started working for the CEV. How did you handle the difference from being always on the road and always in training or playing and now sitting behind a desk?

Well, in the beginning I was sitting a lot at the desk, but I was just thinking the other day how very little time I spent in the office lately…A lot of events and preparation meetings so a lot of travelling. I have to say I feel way better at events then at the desk ☺

What is your job for the CEV?

Event Coordinator.

  As you’ve already told me, you have a lot to travel with this CEV job too. But is it all work, work, work or now you have time to visit some more in the cities you travel to?

Not really a lot of time to visit. Only if it happens that my hotel is in the city center, then I‘ll always try to have a nice walk before going to sleep, if time allows me.

The most beautiful city you played in?

Istanbul probably. It is indeed a beautiful city, but it also has its flaws. The traffic really takes a lot of time and energy.

Who is the best player you’ve ever played with?

Liuba Sokolova when we played together in Bergamo.

Who is the player you’ve ever wanted to play with in the same team but you didn’t have the chance?

Kim Yeon – Koung.

What is more successful? A group full of high-rated superstars playing as individuals or a team full of hard working player, playing as a team? Who is more successful, the money or the spirit?

A team full of hard working player that play as a team, and my teams have often been a proof of this statement.

What was your favourite drill in volleyball? What was your least favourite?

My favourite was anything related to the block, and my least favourite was serve. Even though I was aware that it has to be trained, there was never rhythm in it and I found it super boring.

The Champions League format will change starting this year with no more Final Four tournament. Do you think this could favour the bigger and more powerful teams? I mean, a team like Alba Blaj for example, will no longer have the chance (probably) to play a semifinal or final in this competition in this new way this competition is organized.

I believe that playing with home and away matches gives a real picture of quality between opponents. And the strongest teams should be the ones playing the Finals, wouldn’t you agree?

If you’d summarize your first year at CEV, how would you do it?

It has been very challenging and difficult in certain moments, but also surprisingly fulfilling.

Maja, thank you for all your answers and for your availability and I hope I will see you soon.

  *photos taken from Maja’s FB page.

MAJA POLJAK – THE SPECTACLE OF VOLLEYBALL My guest today is one of the best volleyball players I have ever seen. For sure one of the best middle blockers ever.

[orbemnews]

As Trillions Flow Out the Door, Stimulus Oversight Faces Challenges WASHINGTON — Lawmakers have unleashed more than $5 trillion in relief aid over the past year to help businesses and individuals through the pandemic downturn. But the scale of that effort is placing serious strain on a patchwork oversight network created to ferret out waste and fraud. The Biden administration has taken steps to improve accountability and oversight safeguards spurned by the Trump administration, including more detailed and frequent reporting requirements for those receiving funds. But policing the money has been complicated by long-running turf battles; the lack of a centralized, fully functional system to track how funds are being spent; and the speed with which the government has tried to disburse aid. The scope of oversight is vast, with the Biden administration policing the tail end of the relief money disbursed by the Trump administration last year in addition to the $1.9 trillion rescue package that Democrats approved in March. Much of that money is beginning to flow out the door, including $21.6 billion in rental assistance funds, $350 billion to state and local governments, $29 billion for restaurants and a $16 billion grant fund for live-event businesses like theaters and music clubs. The funds are supposed to be tracked by a hodgepodge of overseers, including congressional panels, inspectors general and the White House budget office. But the system has been plagued by disagreements and, until recently, disarray. President Biden has tapped a longtime economic adviser, Gene Sperling, as his pandemic relief czar. Mr. Sperling who twice headed the National Economic Council, has been racing to stand up the oversight architecture and is relying heavily on the investigative powers of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, a panel of inspectors general, in addition to the Government Accountability Office and the administration’s Office of Management and Budget. “When you have a rescue plan, there is going to be a certain amount of tension between aspiring for perfection and meeting the law’s fundamental aims to move funds out in time to cut child poverty, keep people in their homes, save small businesses, restaurants and child care centers,” Mr. Sperling said in an interview. “You just have to do everything in your power to strike a rigorous and right balance.” But the scattering of oversight functions has led to conflict and complicated surveillance. In late April, Brian D. Miller, whom President Donald J. Trump appointed to serve as the Treasury Department’s special inspector general for pandemic recovery, released a scathing report accusing other Treasury officials of blocking him from conducting more extensive investigations. Mr. Miller was selected to oversee relief programs managed by the Treasury Department, but the agency’s officials believed his role was to track only a $500 billion pot of money for the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending programs and funds for airlines and companies that are critical to national security. Mr. Miller said that Treasury officials were initially cooperative during the Trump administration, but that after the transition to the new administration started, his access to information dried up. After Mr. Miller’s requests for program data were denied, he appealed to the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which ruled against him last month. His team of 42 people has been left with little to do. “Rather than trying to squeeze people out, I think we should welcome everybody if they want to roll up their sleeves and perform oversight,” Mr. Miller said in an interview. White House officials dismissed his concerns and insisted that they remained committed to robust oversight and transparency. The Treasury Department maintained that Mr. Miller was trying to operate outside his jurisdiction and said it would “continue to make sure all of our inspectors general, congressional committees of jurisdiction and other oversight bodies have the information they need.” “President Biden has made crystal clear to his team that oversight is a key priority,” said Ron Klain, the White House chief of staff. “That means coordination and integration across the whole of government to ensure that taxpayer funds are being spent as intended and in service of the needs of the American people.” So far, major instances of fraud and waste represent a relatively small percentage of the 2020 initiatives and have been largely confined to small business lending efforts, like the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. But federal oversight experts and watchdog groups say the exact scale of problems in the $2 trillion bipartisan stimulus relief bill in March 2020 is virtually impossible to determine because of insufficient oversight and accountability reporting. Mr. Miller has been pursuing cases of business owners double dipping from various pots of relief money, such as airlines taking small-business loans and also receiving payroll support funds. The Small Business Administration’s inspector general said last year that the agency “lowered the guardrails” and that 15,000 economic disaster loans totaling $450 million were fraudulent. Updated  May 12, 2021, 7:36 p.m. ET The Government Accountability Office also placed the small-business lending programs on its “high risk” watch list in March, warning that a lack of information about the recipients of aid and inadequate safeguards could lead to many more problems than have been reported. The report identified “deficiencies within all components of internal control” in the Small Business Administration’s oversight and concluded that officials “must show stronger program integrity controls and better management.” The Government Accountability Office flagged 896,000 errors by lenders that were not investigated by the Small Business Administration and cited problems with the oversight of loan approvals, follow-up reporting and the monitoring of contractors. The agency, now run by Biden appointees, recently responded with a proposal to revamp many, but not all, of its procedures. Oversight veterans and some lawmakers say they want to see a more cohesive approach and more transparency from the Biden administration. “It is just staggering how little oversight there is,” said Neil M. Barofsky, who was the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program from 2008 to 2011. “Not because of the fault of the people who are there, but because of the failure to empower them and give them the opportunity to do their jobs.” Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, said she had pushed hard for more oversight last year because she believed that Trump administration officials had conflicts of interest. Despite improvements, she said, the Biden administration could be doing more. “I kept pushing for more oversight — we got some of it, but not all of what we need,” Ms. Warren said. “We are talking hundreds of billions here.” She added: “The Biden administration is definitely doing better, but there’s no substitute for transparency and oversight — and we can always do better.” In a closed-door meeting with Mr. Sperling, a policymaker with limited oversight experience, Mr. Biden issued a blunt directive: “You better work closely with I.G.s, like I did,” he said, according to a person to whom Mr. Sperling later relayed the story. Later, at his first cabinet meeting, the president pressed his appointees to cooperate with oversight officials. White House officials said the current oversight system, which relies most heavily on the independent inspectors general already working in federal agencies, was operating efficiently, even with occasional turf battles. Mr. Sperling is holding regular meetings with Michael E. Horowitz, who leads the pandemic relief committee, along with officials at the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Management and Budget. They are also requiring states and localities to publish performance reports that explain how they money they received is being used. But Mr. Biden’s team is equally concerned about imposing too many burdens on hard-hit recipients, and Mr. Sperling is especially worried about the slow pace of programs intended to speed $25 billion for emergency housing relief passed last year. Watchdog groups are wary that speed could sacrifice accountability. Under Mr. Trump, the Office of Management and Budget, which is responsible for setting policy in federal agencies, refused to comply with all the reporting requirements in the 2020 stimulus that called for it to collect and release data about businesses that borrowed money under the small-business lending programs. To some observers, Mr. Biden’s budget office has not moved quickly enough to reverse the Trump-era policy. Instead, Mr. Sterling’s team is working on a complex set of benchmarks — tailored to individual programs included in the $1.9 trillion relief bill — which will be released one by one in the coming months. “When it came to recipient reporting, the Trump administration said, ‘We don’t need to do any of this,’” said Sean Moulton, a senior policy analyst at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan oversight group. “We are seeing improvement under the Biden administration, but they are also basically saying, ‘We’re not going to collect this information either.’ That’s not good enough.” Since last year, Mr. Horowitz, whose group includes the 22 inspectors general, has argued that detailed expenditure information is needed to make adjustments in the criteria, targeting and design of future aid efforts. “We need sufficient data that would allow us to be able to assess impact and effects,” he said in an interview. “Did this deliver the kind of support that was intended? You need to know that, beyond the obvious question of whether or not people stole money.” Some of the overseers have also struggled with internal disagreements. The Congressional Oversight Commission, a bipartisan group set up to track how Treasury is using money for Federal Reserve lending facilities and other funds, became stymied by disagreements about a program to prop up struggling state and local governments. Its legally mandated report to Congress was delayed for weeks, and a member of the panel, Bharat Ramamurti, accused his Republican colleagues of stalling the group’s work. Mr. Ramamurti has since left to work for the Biden administration, and the five-person panel now has three commissioners and no chair. Its latest report was only 19 pages. Source link Orbem News #challenges #door #Faces #flow #oversight #Stimulus #trillions

[sapphicscholar]

A/N: It should be pretty obvious as the timeline gets clearer over the chapters, but I've aged up most of the main cast to make their career trajectories fit

Big thanks to @performativezippers for ALL the delightful title suggestions (seriously, 10/10, A+ all around, even the ones that didn’t make the cut). And thank you to @lurkz for listening to me dork out about politics and giving a first read through! 

Chapter Text:

“As much as I have appreciated your support and enthusiasm—and believe me, I have. You are the ones who made this experience possible, who inspired me to get out there day in and day out—I will be suspending my campaign for the time being,” Cat Grant announced. A hush fell over the room full of once rowdy and boisterous supporters, though after a moment of stunned silence, the room filled once more with shouts and questions and pleas to stay in the race. But Cat was already making her way off the stage and out to her waiting car, directing a few members of her team to stay behind and field questions, even if it just meant giving them vague pleasantries and the always frustrating reply of: “She has no comment at this time,” which was all the more frustrating because she did have a comment. Dammit, she was Cat Grant; she had a thousand and one perfectly worded comments. But each one of them would mean putting Kara in danger, so she kept quiet—a sacrifice she would willingly make again and again.

[4 months ago, October]

“Oh, and get Kara on the phone for tomorrow,” Cat added, drumming her perfectly manicured nails against the top of her desk, her mind whirring as she thought through her plan.

“Kara…?” Eve trailed off, a question in her voice that she wasn’t quite brave enough to voice as such.

“Danvers,” James cut in, earning himself a rare smile from Cat. “I’ll get you her personal email in a few.”

“That will be all.” With a flick of her wrist, Cat dismissed the group of core campaign staff that had gathered in her office for their weekly Monday morning briefing. When she looked up, however, she found James still lingering in her office. “What is it?”

“I—why are you calling Kara in?”

“Because I’d just love to know where she finds those poly-blend tartan skirts and clashing, kindergarten teacher cardigans—would really hammer home my message next debate, I think.” Her wit was as scathing as ever; apparently no amount of shaking hands and smiling and kissing babies would ever change some things.

“I mean, are you interviewing her for something?” It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his friend succeeding—and surely, after last night’s debate performance, being a part of Cat Grant’s team would be seen as success—but he’d been there for the fallout after the last campaign, after the last time Cat left Kara behind.

Leveling him with a glare that would have sent most of her staff scurrying, Cat snapped, “I don’t pay you to question my decisions.”

“Sorry,” James muttered, turning on his heel and striding out of the office and over to Eve’s desk, figuring the least he could do was to make sure that Kara at least received the invitation. Whether or not she accepted was her decision to make.

Once he finished helping Eve, he slipped down the hallway and knocked lightly on the door to Lucy’s office. Even though she wasn’t in the inner circle the way she had been during Cat’s years in office as governor, she still tended to know gossip before almost everyone.

“Yeah?” Lucy called out.

“Hey,” James greeted, sticking his head in the doorway. “You free?”

“I’ll head out,” Alex offered, pushing up off of the desk and pulling herself back to a standing position.

“You’re just as much a part of this campaign as anyone else,” Lucy corrected her, gesturing for Alex to sit—though perhaps in a real chair this time.

Alex shrugged; she hadn’t gotten used to the idea of working full time for one single candidate. After nearly a decade of work based out of the DEO’s offices and constantly flying from city to city to help put out fires and manage crises as they arose, she was still working on learning what it meant to pledge loyalty to a person, rather than to J’onn and the DEO. Of course, he’d encouraged her, told her she could hold onto her DEO affiliation—it looked good for them, after all, and he wanted to claim credit for the work of his protégé—but she missed working at his side.

“You are,” James insisted, smiling warmly and taking the seat beside her as he nudged the door shut with his foot. Though, now that he thought about it, perhaps Alex wasn’t the best person to tell about Kara… She might be on Cat’s payroll, but her willingness to sever ties with clients who violated her rather strict personal codes—almost all of which seemed to revolve around the small handful of people she deemed worthy of her protection—was legendary throughout DC.

“So what do you need to know?”

“I could have just dropped in to say hello, Luce.” She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at him and crossed her arms until he relented. “Okay, yes, fine. What do you know about…uh, tomorrow’s phone meeting?”

“What meeting?”

“Lucy Lane, not in on the gossip?” Alex looked genuinely astounded. Even though she was basically paid to know all the dirty details that never made it into the papers if she did her job right, Lucy often managed to be one step ahead of her when it came to the inner workings of Cat’s office.

“Hush, I still knew that Eve was sleeping with the new volunteer coordinator before they’d even stumbled out of the supply closet.”

Alex shuddered. “He was a walking, talking time bomb of a scandal.”

“And that’s why you had Cat fire him.”

“Among other reasons.”

Lucy snorted at the memory of Alex’s face when Mike had tried to hit on one of the new volunteers in front of her. The loud reaming out he got from Alex about abuses of power and inappropriate behavior in the workplace had been worth the meeting she’d been forced to have with the woman about why threatening physical violence against staff members, even those on their way out, was decidedly not a good idea from a legal perspective.

Remembering how they had gotten here, Lucy turned her attention back to James. “What’s this about a mysterious meeting?”

“Oh, uh…” James hesitated, casting a wary eye in Alex’s direction.

“If a scandal is brewing, it’s best I know about it now.”

“No, nothing like that. Cat asked Eve to set up a phone meeting with Kara.”

“As in my sister Kara?”

“That would be the one.”

Lucy narrowed her eyes, running through the possibilities for why she might want to talk to Kara. “Think she’s gonna try to get her on the campaign team? They worked pretty well together back when she made her run for governor…”

“Once she started calling her by her actual name,” Alex huffed.

“Would Kara even consider it?” James asked, looking more to Alex than Lucy. Sure, Lucy had gotten to know Kara since coming back to DC with Cat to stay on as her legal advisor after their four years in Sacramento, but she hadn’t been there the first time Cat left.

Alex shrugged. “She’s gotten older.”

“But I’ve never seen her that upset.” She’d shown up at James’ apartment the week after the election, tears streaking down her cheeks and unwilling to even talk about what had happened until she’d finished her first pint of Half Baked. Eventually she told him about how Cat had called her into her office only to offer her a glowing letter of recommendation for whatever job she wanted next. To anyone else, that would have been ideal, but Kara had expected to keep working with Cat, to be invited to come with her to Sacramento from National City. He still wasn’t sure exactly why she’d been as devastated as she was, but eventually she called in the promised recommendation and moved across the country to DC where she took up a post as a high-ranking congressional staffer.

“She made the best of it—got her foot in the door, and look at how well she’s done for herself since. I’m not saying Cat deserves to get her back, but I’m not about to dictate what Kara can and can’t do,” Alex said.

“That’s not what I’m saying, I just…” James trailed off, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I don’t want to see her get hurt again.”

“I think she’s been in this town long enough to hope for the best but not really to expect it anymore.” Watching Kara lose some of the optimism that she had clung to since childhood—her persistent belief that there had to be some greater purpose in all of it—had been painful, but Alex was glad to see a bit of realism infused into her perspective, even if she still had a tendency to buy into the relentless idealism of candidates that Alex had a hard time stomaching.

“I hope so.”

As the conversation turned to lighter topics—namely, Winn’s terrible blind date the night before that James had the good fortune of hearing all about on their metro ride in that morning—Alex’s phone trilled with a loud alarm.

Lucy cringed. “Christ, Alex, not everything is a crisis anymore. Maybe you turn that volume down.”

“I’m still a crisis manager.”

“No, I wrote your contract. I know for a fact that you are a ‘political consultant.’”

“Speaking of which,” Alex sighed, looking at the meeting reminder on her phone, “I’ve got to go meet with the research team.”

“Cheer up. When you’re done, you’ll be an hour closer to happy hour.”

Grumbling about unnecessary meetings and interaction with other people, Alex straightened her blazer and wandered down the hallways she was still learning to navigate until she found the smaller conference room Cat preferred for meetings. A handful of people, only some of whom she recognized, had already found their seats at the table and pulled out papers or opened laptops to spreadsheets and documents. Fighting the urge to run back for something to use as a prop, Alex reminded herself that she had prepared, that her job wasn’t the same as theirs and she was damn good at what she did. No one trained under J’onn for as long as she had and came out of it unqualified.

The telltale click of heels alerted everyone in the room to Cat’s approach just a moment or two before she strolled in, phone clutched in one hand and a latte in the other. “You’re all here?” It wasn’t really a question, at least not one anyone would dare answer in the negative. “We’ll start with the topics we’ve gotten traction on since last night’s debate. Education—go.”

“Ah right.” A young man Alex was fairly certain was named Rob adjusted his glasses as he shuffled his papers. “You got some really positive op-eds in the Times—LA and New York, a real coast-to-coast marvel,” he clarified with a small chuckle at his own remarks. It was nerdy enough that Alex smiled. “The Daily Planet was a bit more neutral, but no overt criticism.”

“No surprise there,” Cat drawled.

“You’ve got a few religious lobbying groups that are upset that you dismissed school vouchers, but no one in the party base would really expect you to say otherwise unless you were in Philly or Boston or one of those cities that’s Catholic enough that people identify themselves by parish.” Cat didn’t seem upset, though she jotted down a few notes. “And there’s been some talk about support for you coming from the Silicon Valley start ups—keep talking about increased funding for STEM education, and we might get a couple early campaign endorsements.”

“Any follow up?” Cat asked, looking out at everyone else, especially Alex. When there were no takers, she quickly checked off education and moved to the next item—she was nothing if not efficient.

By the time they made it to international affairs, Alex felt like she had a handle on how these meetings might go. Informed updates. A follow up question or two, especially when Cat wasn’t satisfied. Sometimes orders about new research to be undertaken—polls, reports, and the like. And then on to the next one. But when Kelly wrapped up her presentation on foreign affairs, Cat’s offer for further commentary wasn’t met with its customary silence. Instead another woman, one Alex didn’t recognize, cleared her throat and leaned in to the table.

“When asked about aid and disaster relief, you didn’t touch on some of the most prominent humanitarian crises. Look at Venezuela, Yemen, Syria. You barely touched on immigration and failed to offer any statements on your policies about refugees and asylum seekers.”

“Because it’s a political landmine,” Alex interjected. “Offering anything concrete this early when public opinion is as volatile as it has been on those issues would be a horrible idea.”

“Speaking up now would set us apart as the campaign finally talking about these topics, the campaign that doesn’t just offer vague platitudes about respecting human rights but actually gives concrete policies and solutions.”

“So that they can be brought up and derided and criticized by every single other candidate who was smart enough not to go specific this early in the game?”

“So that the young voters who care about these topics more than almost any other generation will show up for us.”

“They don’t outnumber the Baby Boomers and Gen Xers who won’t get behind a progressivism that starts spouting things about open borders with little to no security.”

“So you don’t care about everyone dying? Because that’s what those young people you’re so quick to dismiss will say, and they’ve been building grassroots organizations that have more reach than you care to admit.”

“I’m not paid to talk about things I care about; I’m paid to get Cat Grant elected president. As are you. You might want to start acting like it.”

“Ladies, ladies,” Cat cut in, looking mildly intrigued rather than simply annoyed. “I appreciate the passion, but let’s move some of these discussions to later strategy meetings.” Alex slumped back into her seat, resigned to dealing with the other woman’s frustratingly naïve idealism later. “Now, Maggie, how’d we do on human rights and advocacy issues—setting aside questions of international crises for now, please,” she added with a tinge of exasperation in her voice.

“Right.” The woman—Maggie—had the decency to look chagrined at least, Alex thought. She paid close attention as she spoke, finding herself almost disappointed at how thorough she had been, pulling sources from both sides of the aisle as she went through a rather comprehensive list of issues. When Cat asked for questions, Alex realized she had none.

“Before we adjourn, anything to add? Alex?” Cat peered over her glasses and down the table to where Alex had settled herself at the opposite end.

“Not yet. It’s early—now that you’ve proven yourself, I’m sure they’ll start to come for you. Until then, we wait. Stay smart, but don’t get overly defensive about slight criticisms.” She couldn’t hold back a pointed glare in Maggie’s direction.

“Alright then. Back to work with you all.”

Maggie sidled up next to Alex, leaning her hip against the table as she cocked her head to the side and regarded the woman. “So, what issue did you once care about only to have your heart broken?”

“What?”

“I mean…no one gets that jaded that fast without a reason.”

“I’ve lived in DC for over a decade.”

“Mm.” Maggie paused to consider it. “I suppose that could do it too.”

“What liberal enclave did we drag you out of?”

“Blue Springs, Nebraska,” Maggie answered, grinning at the surprised look Alex was quick to suppress—but not quite quick enough.

“Ah, well…I suppose idealism doesn’t have borders—just what you want for the country, right?”

“If that’s what you need to think to dismiss my proposals, sure.”

With a huff of annoyance, Alex stood up and stormed back to her office, determined to see Lucy and find out who the hell this woman was and how much longer they’d have to wait before she got shipped back to the middle of nowhere, Nebraska.

---

Chewing on the end of her pencil, Kara read the email from an Eve Teschmacher for what felt like the tenth time in as many minutes. It was short with little in the way of information:

Dear Ms. Danvers, I’m writing from Cat Grant’s campaign headquarters to see if you might be available for a phone conversation with the candidate. Please send me three times that would work for you at your earliest convenience, and I’ll schedule a time for you to speak with Ms. Grant. Sincerely, Eve Teschmacher

She cast a longing glance over at Alex’s whiskey, wishing, not for the first time, that it had an effect on her. Eventually she dialed her sister and curled up on the sofa.

After just two rings, Alex answered. “Hey.”

“Hey. How’s the start of your second week?”

“Ugh, I miss J’onn.”

“Ya know, back when you started I never expected you to be the poster child for the Department of Extranormal Operations.”

“Just call it the DEO,” Alex sighed, a slight laugh in her voice.

“Did you realize it sounds like you guys work on alien issues? Too many calls about UFOs and ET in people’s backyards?”

“We handle crises. They are extranormal events.” After a moment, Alex finally relented. “Okay, yes, fine. I didn’t name it!”

“I know, I know.”

“Plus, everything in this town goes by an acronym anyway.”

“Even the town,” Kara added with a laugh. “But what’s making you miss J’onn? Is it the lack of Oreos? I know Cat’s not big on junk food.” It wasn’t true of course; Kara had kept her office stocked with M&Ms. But she projected a certain image, and Kara wouldn’t be the one to bring it down, no matter how things had gone between them.

“No, no. Just some new researcher. The human right strategist or something. Thinks she knows better than everyone else. It’s my job to know what might cause an uproar, the kinds of things that bring down campaigns.”

“Aww, I’m sorry,” Kara commiserated. “If it makes you feel any better, I had a shitty day too.”

“Kara, it never makes me feel better when you’re upset.”

“Don’t let anyone hear you saying that. They might go thinking you’re a nice person.”

“Oh hush. So what happened to you? Whose ass do I need to kick?”

“Nothing like that. It’s actually—well, it’s your boss. Or her new assistant—Eve something.”

“Ah, the scheduler.”

“Yeah, she emailed me about having a phone conversation with Cat. Know why?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she wants you to come work for her again?”

Kara scoffed, shaking her head. “Yeah, doubt it. If she thought I was good, she’d have kept me on her team.”

“Hey, you’re plenty good. There’s a reason she sang your praises to everyone in this town. You could’ve gotten a job just about anywhere with her good word. Or, well, I guess mainly just with Democrats, but you get the idea.”

“I don’t—it’s not—I don’t know, Alex.” Kara burrowed slightly further into the blanket nest she’d built up around her while they talked. She’d gotten over the hurt, for the most part, but she still longed for an explanation—though she feared she already knew the real reason.

After a few moments of quiet, Alex spoke up. “Do you think you’re gonna talk to her?”

“I don’t know. Yes? Maybe? Probably?”

“Alright. Well you let me know if I need to kick her ass for you, okay?”

“Didn’t you just get a stern lecture about not threatening people at the office?”

“I’m going to kill Lucy.”

“There you go again!” Kara teased, laughing loudly at the sounds of annoyance she could hear through the line. “Anyway, I’ll let ya go. I just wanted to talk for a minute.”

“Still up for Thursday happy hour?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

Once she hung up with Alex, Kara flipped on the TV, intent on distracting herself for the rest of the night. Only, a few hours later, she felt like she couldn’t remember a minute of anything she’d seen, and she knew it would be a sleepless night if she left that email glaring up at her from her inbox.

Pulling it up, she began typing up a response, clicking through her calendar and finding times when she wouldn’t necessarily be missed from the office. Luckily it wasn’t close to an election year for Senator Rosen, so things were much quieter than they were elsewhere on the Hill.

Before she could hit send, in an act of bravery—or maybe it was just reckless, pent-up anger—she hadn’t anticipated, Kara switched over to her contacts and pulled up a number she hadn’t called in years.

“Hello?” Cat’s voice was cautious, and Kara could hear the news playing in the background. Apparently not much had changed.

“I hear you want to talk to me,” Kara said, catching the hitch in Cat’s breath that no human would have heard.

“I—yes, I had Eve email you about finding a time for us to speak.”

“Well, now works best for me, Cat. So what is it you want?”

“You really are a true Washingtonian these days, aren’t you?” When Kara didn’t respond, Cat continued, “As you probably know, I’m running for president.”

“Since I don’t live under a rock, yes, I am aware.”

“Right.” Kara was somewhat gratified to hear Cat sound rattled for a change. “My team’s done well so far. They’ve gotten me to where I am, and I’m grateful.” She paused, trying to find the right words, a diplomatic phrasing lest something be leaked to the press. “But they’re missing something.”

“Okay…”

“I think that something could be you, Kara.”

Kara hated herself for the way her heart sped up at that. “What do you mean?”

“Come work for me again.”

“Cat, I’m Senator Rosen’s chief of staff. I’m not coming back to be your personal assistant just because I was better than any of the other ones you had.”

“Good, I would be disappointed if you ever offered to drop back down to that level.”

“Then what is it you’re asking?”

“Come be my campaign manager.”

Kara gasped—she couldn’t help it. “Excuse me?”

“Greg is…adequate. Things function. But he’s not good or great. And you, Kara, you were always exceptional.”

“Cat…”

Hearing the warning tone in Kara’s voice, Cat cleared her throat. “Just think about it? We always did make a good team.”

“Did, Cat. Past tense.”

“I needed to let you dive—on your own, without my holding you back. And you did. Look at what you’ve done!”

Deciding to ignore what felt like half of the explanation she’d wanted for years now, Kara turned back to the job offer. “You know if I’m your campaign manager, you have to listen to me, right? I get a say. I can tell you no.”

“I still have the final decision.”

“Yes…but you don’t run a campaign by undercutting your right hand person every step of the way.”

“No, you don’t,” Cat conceded. “And I don’t plan on doing that with you. I saw what you did for Rosen. I could use someone like you by my side.”

“Give me 48 hours to decide.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

[salmenzo]

Weekly Update - Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Commitment - Conviction - Consideration

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.

Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Good Morning,

I hope that everyone enjoyed the long weekend and took time to remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I am not sure there has been a time in recent history where his work and commitment to equality resonated more.  As I shared on Thursday, the Town usually coordinates a wonderful ceremony in which our students, myself, and the Mayor participate.  Unfortunately, due to the restrictions of COVID-19, we are unable to hold the ceremony.  To not forget the significant accomplishments and contributions of Dr. King, Jr. in our nation and in the world, the Town has put together some reflections that will be posted on our website, the Town website, and Public Access Channel 19.

Here is a Press Release from the Mayor.

Here is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Packet - 1 18 21.  

COVID-19 Vaccination Update

As I shared in my update Friday, it is the intention of the Town to begin to vaccinate school personnel as soon as possible.  I did receive the statement below from the Commissioner's Office on behalf of the Connecticut Department of Public Health.  Each district received this twice.

Re: Critical update regarding Connecticut’s Vaccine Implementation Phase 1b

Dear Connecticut School Leadership,

Thank you for your patience as the State rolls out the COVID-19 Vaccine to its residents. This email is meant to clarify a number of aspects of the vaccine roll-out.

Throughout much of the summer and fall, the planning assumption was that teachers and other educational staff would be part of “Phase 1b” as frontline essential workers. This is still the case – however, given the current composition of Phase 1b, which also includes those 75+ years of age, 65-74 years of age, and 16-64 with comorbidities, there are a large number of individuals in this phase of distribution. There is currently not enough vaccine for all members of this group, so we will be focusing on individuals 75+ to start, and adding in others in the coming days and weeks.

As such, we are asking that teachers and other school staff not schedule vaccine appointments at this time. We understand this is a change of plans for many. If existing appointments have been secured, they can be kept. If they have not, then we ask that teachers and other education sector employees hold off on scheduling clinics until further announcements have been made from the State.

We understand that these changes to plans are frustrating, but also appreciate everyone’s support in helping ensure our initial roll-out of vaccines is targeted at those residents who are facing the highest burden of infection and death from the COVID-19 crisis.

In short:

+ The focus of our roll-out is currently on people over 75 years of age

+ Teachers and other school staff should not schedule appointments

+ Teachers and other school staff with appointments can keep these

+ We look forward to a future time when everyone can get vaccinated

If you have any questions, please email COVID19.DPH@ct.gov.  Your e-mail will be distributed to the appropriate contact person based on the nature of the question.

 Thank you,

Connecticut Department of Public Health

With this stated, we will continue to work collaboratively with the Wallingford Health Department and keep you posted.

Budget Update

Tomorrow evening at 6 p.m., I will present the Central Office 2021-2022 Budget Proposal to the Board of Education.  I want to thank the entire team for all of their hard work in pulling this presentation together.  I especially want to thank Karen Veilleux, Danielle Bellizzi, Aimee Turner, and Carrie LaTorre for helping finalize the Budget Introduction.  I also want to extend thanks to David Bryant, Dominic Barone, Marc Deptula, and James Bondi, and their teams for their hard work as well.  

As I always say, the budget process is a marathon.  Please do not get too excited about the initial presentation.  I do believe that it is a strong budget that has no negative impact on students.  I am confident that the Board of Education will move through the process successfully and present to the Mayor their budget of which we will all be proud.

I will include the link for tomorrow night’s meeting in my parent communication this afternoon that you all receive as well.  Please feel free to tune in.

Commitment - Conviction - Consideration

I wanted to offer a special “shout out” to the Voluntary Distance Learning Teachers this week.  You have really done an incredible job keeping students engaged and learning.  To honor you, we compiled this short video in your honor.  Thank you again!

Voluntary Distance Learning - Thank You Video

Here are the latest spotlights from parents.  Thanks again to all the staff for their hard work in these challenging times.

Karen Ruszkowski is a kindergarten teacher at Moses Y Beach School. She is the perfect example of the master educator. Her virtual classroom comprises twenty students, and she continually exercises a warm, nurturing virtual 

environment. Obviously, this is not an easy task. Her lessons are well developed and she implements them so easily that the lessons inspire students to achieve. She is able to engage the students, motivate them, and encourage them to go beyond the stated objectives.Ms. Ruszkowski has provided the students in her classroom with an excellent beginning as they journey through their formal education. Our family is indeed thankful for her efforts, and we are grateful that our little man has Karen Ruszkowski as his teacher!

I really want you to know that Kristen Wynus and her staff have been absolutely amazing with the Wallingford Transition Program. I don't want to see this team of teachers & staff to go unnoticed! PLEASE!  As you know, this program is not run like a traditional classroom. Times have been extremely difficult on all....but I'd say even more challenging for our Transition team & students! Please do not forget about this amazing program and Kristen Wynus who runs it! She deserves SO much credit! 

I am writing to give praise to many teachers & staff at Cook Hill Elementary.

Our daughter is in first grade in Mrs. Sorrentino’s class. When we heard that was who she was having this year, I can’t tell you how many people said “oh you’re so lucky.” We have quickly learned as to why people say that! She has been amazingly adaptive and innovative in navigating this new educational journey. As a parent who was frequently in the classroom last year, I very much wish I could be in there again to lend a hand. However, she has fostered and maintained an amazing relationship even from a distance with the parents of the class. To me, that speaks volumes as to what kind of educator she is. Communication has always remained open from day one.

In addition, the para in our class, Mrs. Knight, has really bonded with my daughter over her love of art. There isn’t a day that we don’t hear about Mrs. Knight from Sophia.

Lastly, I have to mention many staff at Cook Hill in which I think play an integral role in our positive in person learning experience this year. Principal Friend has been working tirelessly and her efforts have not gone unnoticed. In addition, the friendly faces at the pickup loop every day have helped to make the drop off/pickup process run very smoothly. I would particularly like to mention Mrs. Niezgorksi who goes out of her way to say hello to my younger daughter in the car every day.

Our daughter’s love for school is literally infectious. She could not wait to get back to in person learning and I commend everyone involved who had a hand in making that successful. Our family is incredibly appreciative of everything Dr. Menzo and the board of education have done to keep the elementary age children in school as long as they can safely do so.

I would like to say that Mrs. Stewart has been nothing short of AMAZING! My son is doing in-person learning with her, and she is such a special, happy, helpful, understanding and FUN teacher. He looks forward to going to school everyday, and asks why he can't also go on weekends! Haha. We love Mrs. Stewart! 

My daughter is in Mrs. Kusza’s 1st grade class at STEVENS. She has made an extremely challenging year seem very normal. She loves going to school everyday. She is learning a ton, and never talks about or is sad about any of the new restrictions from Covid. I sincerely believe this is due to the great work of the Stevens staff and especially Mrs. Kusza. She is always kind and upbeat. She follows safety protocols, while still differentiating and pulling small groups. She seamlessly transitioned into distance learning after a positive case in her class. She was well equipped and well prepared for this transition with all the work and practice they had done in school. 

I am a working teacher in another district and I cannot express what a weight it is off my shoulders to send [my daughter] to Mrs. Kusza’s class each day knowing she will be safe, loved, and taught well each day. Thank you for all the work the district, school and Mrs. Kusza has put into keeping this year as safe and normal as possible. 

We would like to thank and show our appreciation for our son's first grade teacher Mrs. Cartier. As parents we were nervous that our son wasn't going to be engaged and learn.  He was diagnosed with adhd last year and school was rough. Last year distance learning became a struggle but we survived. With Mrs. Cartier she has our son engaged, learning and thriving. She has the patience of a saint and is very caring and attentive. The live learning is amazing and his teacher doesn't lean on the parents to help much at all. We were afraid we would be sitting with our child everyday to assist him but Mrs. Cartier has everything under control.

Make it a great week!

Sal

Dr. Salvatore F. Menzo

Superintendent

Email - smenzo@wallingfordschools.org

Twitter - @SalMenzo

Wallingford Public School District

 Wallingford Public School System Mission

To inspire through innovative and engaging experiences that lead all learners to pursue and discover their personal best.

 THE INFORMATION IN THIS TRANSMISSION IS PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL AND INTENDED ONLY FOR THE RECIPIENT LISTED ABOVE.  If you have received this transmission in error, please NOTIFY ME IMMEDIATELY BY E-MAIL AND DELETE THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE. Responses provided by this E-Mail are SIMILAR to ordinary telephone or face-to-face conversations.

[anothergenericsportsblog]

Why it may seem like this series isn’t a ‘Rivalry’ anymore(to an outsider

This article is gonna be a fun one for me to write. I was talking with a friend the other day(who is a neutral party in terms of this game as a Michigan State fan) and he said “‘The Ohio State-Michigan game is quickly not becoming a rivalry anymore. It’s becoming something closer to Ohio State- Michigan State because it’s starting to get to be a game of ‘Beating Ohio State would be nice, but it probably won’t happen.’” And that phrasing and sentiment got me thinking. I asked him why he thought that, and he replied with ‘The Michigan players don’t care about the game anymore because the coaching staff doesn’t actually care. The coaching staff is more worried about letting the boosters and other alumni donors do what they want instead of saying no. And when the staff lets the boosters in the locker room they(the boosters) go up to the players and tell them how great they are and how nobody in the country can beat them. Because of that they don’t put in nearly as much work and when the coaching staff is mediocre in the first place this puts them at a serious disadvantage.’ This was an interesting sentiment from a man who spent considerable time around a major college football program(not Michigan) as a player and a team staff member. Naturally, this thought and sentiment from someone who reached a place in the game of football that I could never(for various reasons, including that I definitely was not good enough to be a Division 1 college football player) made me want to sit down and take a deeper look at this. So here we are, on the second day of Hate Week, taking a look at why some people might think that rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan that gives us The Game every year isn’t a rivalry anymore.

Reason 1: Ohio State’s record against Michigan the past 20 years

The first reason that I’m going to look at is how Michigan has fared against Ohio State since the year 2000. Well, if there are any Michigan fans reading this, you may want to look away. Since the year 2000 Michigan has won 3 games against Ohio State. Those wins came in the years 2000, 2003, and 2011. Since 2000 Ohio State has beaten Michigan seven times in a row(2004-2010), and eight times in a row(2012-2019). Michigan does have the longest winning streak in the history of the 116(117 after Saturday) game series at nine wins in a row. But that happened back in 1901-1909. Ohio State very much has the chance to tie that this Saturday considering they are currently a 30 point favorite if the game is played. The beginning of this century has not been good to the Michigan Wolverines. In fact, it’s been beyond bad for them. Combine that with the fact that Michigan has had four different coaches in that time span, I can see why an outsider to The Game would believe it’s not really a rivalry anymore.

Reason 2: Most of the recent games haven’t been close

This is another reason for Michigan fans to look away. Most of the games since Michigan’s last win(2011) haven’t really been that close. Yeah, 2012 was a 26-21 win for Ohio State. 2013 was a 42-41 shootout in which Michigan lost on a failed 2 point conversion attempt. And then there was the 2016 Double Overtime thriller that saw Ohio State win after JT Barrett converted on a 4th and 1 and then Curtis Samuel scampered 15 yards to paydirt to win the game. Outside of those three games, Ohio State has won every matchup by two scores or more. Yeah, the Buckeyes won by 9 in 2017, but then you look at 2014(42-28), 2015(42-13), 2018(62-39), and 2019(56-27), it’s not been pretty at all. And to make the 2018 loss even worse for Michigan, that was supposed to be their ‘Revenge Tour’, whatever the hell that means. They sure didn’t get any revenge against Ohio State for beating them in 2017 or any of the previous years. A secondary reason to Reason 2 is that the last year Michigan beat Ohio State was the year Ohio State went 6-7 and Michigan was only able to beat them by six. Again, this probably doesn’t help Michigan’s case.

Reason 3: The Talent Gap

Over the past years a talent gap has formed between Ohio State and Michigan. Ok, more like a talent gap has formed between Ohio State and the entire Big 10, but we aren’t talking about the whole Big 10, we’re just talking Ohio State-Michigan. Since 2010 Ohio State has had 73 players drafted to the NFL with 18 players being taken in the 1st round. Michigan has had 47 players drafted to the NFL in that span with only 7 players being taken in the 1st round. Wow, that’s a big discrepancy. And honestly, I don’t know how to explain that discrepancy. I knew Ohio State had a lot of players drafted in the past 10 years, and I knew that Ohio State had more players drafted in the past 10 years that Michigan had, but I didn’t know the difference was that much. That’s a rough look. Yeah, Michigan had some really bad coaches in those 10 years, and they had some really bad seasons in those 10 years to go along with those coaches, so that can explain the discrepancy of players drafted, but that’s all I got here. There definitely has been a talent gap forming in the Big 10. And some of that even has to do with recruiting and player development by the coaching staffs of both teams, which leads us into our next reason.

Reason 4: The Coaching Skill Gap

Well, if I’m not careful, this part of the article could go on for several paragraphs. In fact I could probably write an entire article on this reason alone. Since 2001, Michigan has had Lloyd Carr(he became the Head Coach at Michigan in 1995), Rich Rodriguez, Brady Hoke, Jim Harbaugh(current head coach) all walk through their doors as the head coach. In that time Ohio State has had Jim Tressel, Luke Fickell(interim after Tressel resigned), Urban Meyer, and Ryan Day(current head coach). So there has been a lot more long term stability at Ohio State in the terms of who the Head Coach was. After Lloyd Carr retired, Rich Rodriguez was only there for 3 years and went 15-22 at Michigan and was fired having the lowest winning percentage of any Michigan Head Coach. Brady Hoke came in and well, it wasn’t great. Sure he beat Ohio State in 2011, but as we established, that was Ohio State’s worst year in a while. Brady Hoke was fired after going 31-20 as Michigan Head Coach but having progressively worse seasons. At least he gave us the gem of ‘I do like hotdogs’ after responding to a tweet about him for a segment done by College Gameday. And currently, Jim Harbaugh is on the hotseat, one so hot that many people assume he’s pretty much already out the door. He has a 49-22 record at Michigan but has yet to beat Ohio State, has only won one bowl game, which happened his first year as the Wolverines Head Coach, and has had regressing seasons. Lloyd Carr was the last really good Head Coach that Michigan had, and since he retired, they’ve had a stream of bad to mediocre or average at best Head Coaches. Now switching over to Ohio State, after Tressel resigned, Luke Fickell was there as the interim Head Coach for a year, and it wasn’t great. Then came Urban Meyer, who only lost 4 games at Ohio State and won a National Championship as the Buckeyes Head Coach. After Urban Meyer retired, his handpicked successor, Ryan Day came and he’s only lost 1 game as Ohio State’s Head Coach. Ohio State has seemingly had better coaches and coordinators, which has led to better recruiting and player development, which probably speaks to the player talent gap that has formed between not just Ohio State and Michigan, but Ohio State and the Big 10. Without good, you won’t go far and beat or even be able to compete with the teams that have great coaching.

Reason 5: Michigan just doesn’t care as much

This is one that I’ve had some neutral fans/outsiders to The Game and even a few Michigan fans tell me the past couple years. I don’t know if I buy it, but I’m gonna mention it here anyway just to wrap up this article. I guess we’ll have a better idea on the validity of this after the outcome is decided on Saturday. If The Game is played and Ohio State blows the door off of Michigan again, then maybe there is a bit of credence to this. Michigan is a 30 point underdog, and if Ohio State covers the spread, or even wins by just 20-29, then yeah, maybe I’ll believe this is true even though Michigan just isn’t good this year. If Ohio State wins by 20+ that may just mean that they won’t even be playing for pride at that point. Which would be pretty rough, and a very hard pill to swallow for Michigan fans everywhere. 

And there it is, an analysis of why some people might think the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is just a yearly game played between two teams in the same division, not a rivalry. Personally, I disagree with those people. It very much is a rivalry, and I know some Michigan fans who would agree with me. But to each their own. I’ll be back tomorrow to look at other aspects of this year’s iteration  of The Game, because it’s Hate Week ladies and gentlemen. 

                                T-Minus 120 Hours until The Game

[deniscollins]

Patients of a Vermont Hospital Are Left ‘in the Dark’ After a Cyberattack

The F.B.I. estimated that the cybercriminals, who use ransomware called “Ryuk,” took in more than $61 million in ransom over a period of 21 months in 2018 and 2019, a record. What would you do if you were a hospital administrator and hackers attacked your computer systems which made it unable to serve only about one in four of your normal chemotherapy patients: (1) pay a multi-million ransom, or (2) refuse to pay? Why? What are the ethics underlying your decision?   

At lunchtime on Oct. 28, Colleen Cargill was in the cancer center at the University of Vermont Medical Center, preparing patients for their chemotherapy infusions. A new patient will sometimes be teary and frightened, but the nurses try to make it welcoming, offering trail mix and a warm blanket, a seat with a view of a garden.

Then they work with extreme precision: checking platelet and white blood cell counts, measuring each dosage to a milligram per square foot of body area, before settling the person into a port and hooking them up to an IV.

That day, though, Ms. Cargill did a double-take: When she tried to log in to her work station, it booted her out. Then it happened again. She turned to the system of pneumatic tubes used to transport lab work. What she saw there was a red caution symbol, a circle with a cross. She walked to the backup computer. It was down, too.

“I wasn’t panicky,” she said, “and then I noticed my cordless phone didn’t work.” That was, she said, the beginning of the worst 10 days of her career.

Cyberattacks on America’s health systems have become their own kind of pandemic over the past year as Russian cybercriminals have shut down clinical trials and treatment studies for the coronavirus vaccine and cut off hospitals’ access to patient records, demanding multimillion-dollar ransoms for their return.

Complicating the response, President Trump last week fired Christopher Krebs, the director of CISA, the cybersecurity agency responsible for defending critical systems, including hospitals and elections, against cyberattacks, after Mr. Krebs disputed Mr. Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud.

The attacks have largely unfolded in private, as hospitals scramble to restore their systems — or to quietly pay the ransom — without releasing information that could compromise an F.B.I. investigation.

But they have had a devastating and long-lasting effect, particularly on cancer patients, said workers and patients from Vermont’s largest medical system. Its electronic medical record system was restored on Sunday, nearly a month after the cyberattack.

In the interim, clinicians were forced to send away hundreds of cancer patients, said Olivia Thompson, a nurse at the cancer center.

The staff fell back on written notes and faxes, leafing through masses of paper to access vital information. They tried to reconstruct complex chemotherapy protocols from memory.

And while the hospital has taken pains to reassure patients that most care could proceed, some staff members worry that the full damage of the October attack is not well understood.

“To recover from something like this is going to take months and months and months,” Ms. Thompson said. “It feels like we are all alone and no one understands how dire this is.”

Elise Legere, a nurse at the cancer center, said she could compare the past weeks to only one experience — working in a burn unit after the Boston Marathon bombing — and has often found herself wondering about the motivation behind the cyberattack.

“It’s like asking what’s the point of putting a bomb in an elementary school, what is the point?” she said. “There is a lot of evil in the world. Whoever did orchestrate this attack knows a lot about how devastating it is.”

‘We expect panic’

The latest wave of attacks, which hit about a dozen hospitals in the United States, was believed to have been conducted by a particularly powerful group of Russian-speaking hackers that deployed ransomware via TrickBot, a vast network of infected computers used for cyberattacks, according to security researchers who are tracking the attacks.

The hackers typically work for profit. The F.B.I. estimated that the cybercriminals, who use ransomware called “Ryuk,” took in more than $61 million in ransom over a period of 21 months in 2018 and 2019, a record.

The attacks slowed last spring, when cybercriminals agreed among themselves to avoid hacking hospitals amid the pandemic, security researchers said. But just ahead of the presidential election, the groups resumed.

“In the past, they targeted organizations all over the world, but this time they were very specifically aiming for hospitals in the United States,” said Alex Holden, the chief executive of Hold Security, a Milwaukee firm.

The F.B.I. says it will not comment on the attacks, citing ongoing investigations.

Mr. Holden and other cybersecurity experts say that the targets and the timing — just weeks after the United States targeted TrickBot — suggest that one possible motivation could be retaliation.

In late September and October, fearing that cybercriminals could use ransomware to disrupt the election, the Pentagon’s Cyber Command started hacking TrickBot’s systems. Microsoft pursued the systems in federal court, successfully dismantling 94 percent of TrickBot’s servers.

The takedowns relegated TrickBot’s operators to “a wounded animal lashing out,” Mr. Holden said. His firm captured online messages sent among the group, including a list of 400 American hospitals they planned to target, and informed law enforcement.

“We expect panic,” one hacker wrote, in Russian.

U.S. officials warned hospitals about a “credible threat” of attacks on Oct. 23, and then an unusual cluster of attacks on hospitals took place. Several hospital networks — including The University of Vermont Health Network and the St. Lawrence County health system in New York — have said they received no ransom note.

Others reported ransom demands “in eight figures, which is just not something that regional health care systems can do,” said Allan Liska, an analyst with Recorded Future, a cybersecurity firm. These unusual demands, combined with the coordination of the attacks, make “it seem that it was meant to be a disruptive attack” rather than a profit-seeking one, he said.

Mr. Holden said many of the health systems opted to negotiate with their extortionists, even as ransoms jump into the millions.

“A great number of victims are dealing with these attacks on their own,” he said.

The view from inside

In Vermont, the damage radiated out through a sprawling network, hitting especially hard in the cancer center.

“My really good friends are I.C.U. nurses, and they’re like, no big deal, all we have to do is paper charting,” Ms. Cargill, the charge nurse, said. But the cancer center was badly set back for weeks, able to serve only about one in four of its normal chemotherapy patients.

Ms. Cargill spent the rest of the day turning away patients, an experience she cannot relate without beginning to cry, nearly a month later.

“To look someone in the eye, and tell them they cannot have their life-extending or lifesaving treatment, it was horrible, and totally heart-wrenching,” she said. The very first person she turned away, a young woman, burst into tears.

“She said, ‘I have to get chemo, I am the mother of two young kids,’” Ms. Cargill said. “She was so fearful, and the fear was tangible.”

In the days that followed, clinicians attempted to prioritize patients and recreate chemotherapy protocols from memory, gradually aided by backup chart information, said Ms. Legere, a nurse navigator in the unit.

“They were trying to remember everything they knew about a patient, but none of that is accurate,” she said. “Our brains are not designed to be electronic medical records. That’s not safe, and we all know it.”

Patients, she said, “feel very in the dark about when they will get treated,” and many cancer patients who live in rural areas do not have the resources to drive four hours to Boston for treatment.

“Vermont feels intentional, it feels scouted in the sense that it would cause a ton of panic,” she said. “The federal and statewide response is where I’m feeling very deserted. Maybe there’s stuff I don’t see.”

Lawmakers have also accused the Trump administration of marring the federal response.

In an email to The New York Times, Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat of Michigan and member of the Homeland Security Committee, called the president’s firing of Mr. Krebs unacceptable, adding that it caused instability at his agency as it tried to mitigate the hospital attacks amid a surging pandemic.

Administrators at the University of Vermont Health Network acknowledge that restoring services proved far more challenging than they expected.

“If you look at what some other hospitals have gone through, it was days, not weeks,” said Al Gobeille, the system’s executive vice president for operations. “We thought that was what this would be. And we were wrong.”

He said a large number of professionals on information technology — 300 hospital employees, plus 10 members of the National Guard — were deployed to rebuild and clean 1,300 servers and 5,000 laptops and desktop computers. A team of seven F.B.I. investigators was on site for two days after the shutdown, he said, but has had little to no contact with administrators since then.

With the restoration of the electronic patient record system, he said, the hospital’s systems are 75 to 80 percent recovered.

The motivation behind the attack remains unclear. At a news conference last month, Dr. Stephen Leffler, the president of the medical center, said he had received no request for ransom. Since then, though, at the request of the F.B.I., administrators have carefully avoided discussing the matter of ransom, or confirming Dr. Leffler’s statement.

Dr. Leffler, he said, “was saying what he knew at the time,” Mr. Gobeille said.

“The F.B.I. has asked us not to talk about that part of the investigation, and I haven’t said either way,” he said. “I’m a pretty transparent person, so it’s odd to say the F.B.I. has asked me not to talk about it. It’s not who we are. But in this case, I understand why.”

Some patients have complained that they were left dangling, uncertain when their treatment would resume.

Sean McCaffrey, 37, who was scheduled to see a cardiologist on the afternoon of the cyberattack — he had been suffering from chest pains — said he had never been contacted to reschedule the appointment.

“It’s really troublesome because I have lost some faith in my local hospital,” he said. “I was told I’d get a call. It’s been three weeks, and I have no idea what to do.”

Others say they are still waiting to gain access to critical scans. Two days before the shutdown, Damian Mooney, 47, had received a radiologist’s notes on an M.R.I. of his shoulder, which suggested that an aggressive bone cancer may have returned.

The scans have been unavailable since the cyberattack, so no doctor has been able to say whether the radiologist was correct, said his wife, Kat.

“For 26 days, we’ve been sitting here going, ’We don’t know whether this recurred or not,’” she said.

It will be difficult, both for patients and staff members, to regain their sense of security, said Jennifer Long, an outpatient nurse at the medical center.

She and her colleagues, she said, sometimes wonder aloud what allowed the hackers to get into the system: “Is it the kid down the street? Is it someone in another country? Was it an email I sent? Was it the last page I opened?”

“You’re left with that feeling — it’s kind of sickening, it’s very impersonal — knowing that this was a deliberate attack, without any regard for the consequences, and the potential for harm,” she said. “It really stings. It’s really hard to sit with it.”

[auburnfamilynews]

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Some big time players won’t be suiting up for a couple of Auburn’s rivals this fall

In a normal year, Auburn would be gearing up for a trip to Atlanta to face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels. We would have already gotten a chance to see a little taste of this Chad Morris offense last weekend in the season opener against Alcorn State.

But this is not a normal year. This is 2020. A crappy year but a historic one nonetheless. Last week, Auburn was unable to practice due to a breakout of COVID-19. This week, Auburn returned to practice while a number of big time players in the SEC decided to hang it up and begin focusing on the NFL Draft.

LSU Loses More Starters

Even in a normal year, LSU’s attrition this off-season would have been wild. Both coordinators, a number of off the field assistants, a Heisman winning QB and 13 starters all gone. But this is not a normal year and the blows have kept coming to the defending national champs. Earlier this week, Ja’Marr Chase announced his intentions to skip his junior season and begin preparation for the NFL Draft.

Thank you! pic.twitter.com/elByYq0oNg

— Ja’MarrChase (@Real10jayy__) August 31, 2020

The Biletnikoff winner put together an outrageous sophomore campaign catching 84 passes for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. That’s a huge blow to LSU’s offense which already had a mighty task ahead of itself in coming close to the same type of machine that was fielded last fall.

Then later that day another starter announced his intentions to opt out and leave early. Massive nose tackle Tyler Shelvin was expected to help anchor the Tigers defensive line this fall but instead he will be preparing for the upcoming NFL Draft. Chase’s decision makes some sense considering he’s a 1st round lock and matching last fall’s production would have been difficult. Shelvin, on the other hand, probably needed another year to have a chance to move up draft boards. His departure leaves LSU with even less returning contributors from last year’s title team.

Updated LSU depth chart from the national championship game: pic.twitter.com/uOCDidufVl

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) August 31, 2020

Rumors abound others could still jump ship as well. Most notably, buzz is out there that JaCoby Stevens is considering not playing this fall. Ed Orgeron confirmed the speculation that others are weighing the decision but he’s hopeful they will play.

2020 was going to be a tough year for LSU to follow up on last year’s success. Now it might be even tough to be 2018 good. Gus Malzahn is 0-3 against Ed O. No excuse to be 0-4 after this season.

Jamie Newman’s Heisman Campaign Ends

Remember how UGA landed a Heisman contender at QB this off-season? Remember how Jamie Newman was going to come to the SEC, light up SEC defenses and elevate UGA’s offense to 2019 LSU type of heights?

Well that plan has hit a bit of a snag in that Newman doesn’t plan to play a snap for the Dawgs.

. #GODSPLAN pic.twitter.com/1LMOi1lydF

— Jamie Newman (@jlmn12_) September 2, 2020

Newman’s opt out is the most shocking to date. While hype has been off the charts for him this off-season a lot of it was predicated on him having a strong showing in the SEC. His decision to step away now following the first scrimmage and kickoff just 3 weeks away leaves plenty of room for speculation.

Dawgs fans have been quick to pivot from “Newman is the next Cam Newton” to “he’s leaving because JT Daniels beat him out.” However, every reporter worth their salt on the UGA beat has said Newman was the best QB this past weekend and the front-runner for the starting job. Daniels isn’t even cleared for contact yet though that’s expected to happen in the near future.

I thought the Newman hype was overblown but I still believed he was a solid QB. The two things he does really well (run the ball & throw deep) make him tough to defend in the college game. Daniels is a former 5-star with big time arm talent but threw 10 picks his freshman season. He hasn’t seen live action in two years. Throw in a brand new offensive scheme he’s only just started to practice in and it’s hard to see the Dawgs offense looking all that explosive out the gate this fall.

However, given how good this UGA defense should be in 2020 it might not matter all that much. My fear is we see a 2016 rerun where Auburn’s defense dominates the Dawgs offense but the Tigers fail to capitalize offensively. But if there were ever a year for Gus Malzahn to leave Athens with a W you gotta a think a year where the game will be played in a mostly empty stadium against an offense with a brand new scheme with a QB who wasn’t been cleared for contact 3 weeks before the season behind a brand new offensive line would be his best bet.

Get it done Gus.

Not Much of a QB Battle in Tuscaloosa

When Bryce Young flipped from USC to the Tide fans immediately began to speculate he would be usurp Mac Jones as starter. The thought is intriguing. Young was ranked the #1 overall player in the 2020 class. He was an early enrollee so would get a chance to compete against Jones the whole off-season. Fans and even some analysts believe he’s more college ready than Tua was coming out of high school while Jones isn’t as established as Hurts was back in 2017.

But that scenario hasn’t quite unfolded as expected. First, spring practice was cancelled. Second, Young has missed extensive time likely due to either testing positive for COVID-19 or being in quarantine due to exposure. He’s just now returning to practice while Jones has already lead the Tide offense in a scrimmage.

There’s a chance the phenom freshman takes over the gig as the season plays out but for now Mac “Pick 6” Jones looks to be the clear leader of the Crimson Tide offense. He will have plenty of weapons at his disposal this fall despite the departures of Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs. As long as he remembers which color jersey his team is wearing, he’s likely to have a strong season in 2020.

@ZAKOBYMCCLAIN picks it off and GOES THE DISTANCE! pic.twitter.com/HrfPIoqnMz

— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) April 7, 2020

Joey Gatewood Still Not Cleared

The NCAA is an infuriating organization for many reasons but one of the biggest has to be its seemingly insane waiver review process. A process that might allow someone like Justin Fields to transfer due to frustrations over playing time to powerhouse Ohio State without having to sit out while Luke Ford, another UGA transfer, is denied despite returning closer to home to be near a sick family member.

Or how about a former USC QB transferring to Athens over the summer being granted a waiver in a months time while a former Auburn QB transfers to UK in December is still waiting to hear anything from the NCAA? Makes total sense.

Despite having left Auburn during the middle of the season, signing with the Cats in December and been given support by Auburn to be immediately eligible, Joey Gatewood’s eligibility status is still up in the air. It makes no sense and while I don’t necessarily wanna see Gatewood start for the Wildcats Week 1 because he would obviously score 5 touchdowns in an upset win while Nix throws 3 picks in the most Auburn of all contests, I don’t understand how no decision has been made at this point.

It’s unlikely even if cleared Gatewood would start for Kentucky with Terry Wilson healthy and ready for action. But you can bet Eddie Gran will have something drawn up to get Gatewood a chance to get some revenge on his former team. But he remains in limbo and given the fact the NCAA just furloughed it’s whole staff, I imagine hope of hearing anything in the near future isn’t high in Lexington.

NCAA is furloughing its entire staff about 600 people in Indianapolis for anywhere between 3-8 weeks. https://t.co/9jRFeSZFZ9

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) September 2, 2020

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/9/3/21418961/around-the-sec-big-time-opt-outs-jamarr-chase-jamie-newman

[betweenorbits]

I’d always imagined it would be uplifting, that I’d be standing with friends and a planet at my back or behind some great captain: watching Intel or Zara or John or Amelie dress down the ignoble while I protected them from the hidden assault. Or that it would just happen naturally, without any serious issues. But they were all so far, well, not all of them. But I was standing there. Amelie had agreed, Invel had agreed, and Jimmy and Term. Brutus, well, I don’t understand what Jimmy (Mayor and Mayor’s Wife to you) and our bubble Term did, but Brutus sent the code. I was informed, not particularly politely, that it wasn’t my problem to get Brutus’ consent, that the two Silicate Generals would take care of it. And they did. Amelie had sent her code to me as a physical as a letter apparently, and Invel had sent a proxy, but I’m not ready to talk about that, I couldn’t let myself think about what it meant. But I had the codes, I would push the button.

The IPC council chamber, deep under the rocks of Luna City (Hubble City officially), was grandiose Brutalist trash, high stands of carved concentric layers, full of lights and chamberlains, councilors, Xorp executives, and elected officials from all across the solar system. The beautiful diversity of the Solar System was incredible, but the balance was sliding back towards mercantilist aggrandizement at a scale that worried the future. And for some reason, a large fraction of them in this room, were conspiring against Mars. 

The rallying point of Expansionist policies, Mars, was putting a cramp on the designs of Xorp and autocratic government asset creation. Not every Executive, but any Executive. We had friends in many of the national governments of Terra, but not too many, who were still overly concerned with their own citizens, because of centuries of ecological and economic (they were still taught separately) mismanagement. The Loonies were our friends, but largely fractured and concerned with their Barrio politics. The isolated communities of the O’Neills and Asteroids, and the small Jovian research communities supported us as the same ‘oppressed’ peoples, but they were beholden to the same capital rich Xorps or governments that put up the money for the original settlements. And, many of the Xorps saw benefit to the tapestry of humanity, or some of their top executive felt that way. 

It was difficult to piece apart the competing goals of these chambers, in Geneva (where the UN relocated), and here in Luna City; but the statistical nature of our work clearly meant only one thing: a cabal not in our favor. We had known so long ago it could happen, and had fought for balance, had fought for patience, had cajoled, tricked, traded, and made alliances that protected our rights, and in general making sure that life improved for the settlers and citizens of the Red Planet. But what about all peoples? What about our Silicate friends, when would they have a seat at the table? Would humanity always choose the xenophobic path where the game was setup to make a formless and changing ‘us’ the first priority. It had happened so often in our ‘glorious’ history. 

Would our governing bodies always be designed for that centrism that Invel and I, in particular, had spent our lives fighting against? Someday we would go further afield, after those probes sent back their data from Centauri’s planets, or when we reached the next system or the next; somewhere we would find others out in the stars, and would humanity greet them as people or as ‘them.’ If the treatment of Silicates was indication, the current trajectory was poor. This is what Jimmy left the limelight for, to ‘hide’ out of sight and make a place of their own. The silicates wanted to be ready, and Jimmy and Term and other bio-metal brains I didn’t know were ready for their voices to be heard. We fought for ‘people’ everywhere, for every shape, every governance, every strand of dna, or line of code, for values that ignored species or race or orientation, the belief that we were an ‘all’ even when we are wildly different. 

But still, I sat in a painfully uncomfortable chair—wood if you can believe it, since no expense was spared for the delegates—watching my favorite clock system in the solar system. Up high ticked the atomic counters, the system timing array headquartered here on Luna, but Solar Coordinate time was taken from all the primary standard clocks in the system. Fifteen gorgeous clocks, of three different standards were mixed for uncertainty and then beamed out to the waiting billions. The old standards: ytterbium and strontium optical ran in Paris and Boulder for historical reasons; but the gorgeous new thorium nuclear fountains that graced Mercury, the Solar standards Labs liberating at the Earth-Moon-Sun L5 lab, two Venusian O’Neill’s, and at the Mars Technical University were the primary standards fed here, and mixed for output, were the real clocks of humanity, showing a staggering system wide fractional uncertainty of 10^(-26)! I tried to read the papers that came out, but alas, the freedom of information from Terra on such matters was just as poor as when I left grad school. The council chamber had a direct feed, 90 km or so of cable, which went to the Standards Lab on the Imperial Campus. Kept running on directly was System Standard time, and from it was calculated the official times all around the Solar System, lovingly displayed on brass handed clocks, with bold-type font under each movement; they showed the time in Denver (the North American Union’s new capital), Geneva, Pearl City, Hubble City (all of Luna kept the same time since it was all underground anyway), New Greenwich on Mercury, and Burroughs on Mars (our first city). The second was the same, everywhere, and I watched them tick by, not listening to the debate, waiting for the dramatic moment. 

I would start talking before it kicked off, in order to not be interrupted by the beeps and chimes of phones, communicators, across the chamber; but John would just tell me I was being dramatic again—probably true as well. Melody was with the underground at this moment, probably in her office, telling the teams where to go, readying the cry. Jarvis was sitting next to me, a wonderful boy. He is a young thirty-nine, the elder statesman of the mission here; a genius, the star student of the Applied Political department back on Mars—devious, honest to a fault, and ambitious. He was here to watch, as I’d told him it would all kick off here, the reactions in the chamber because I would be too busy not fucking up my lines. He invited the newspeople too, at least the ones that we we thought should definitely be there. I’m sure every consular staff knew that we had asked them to come too, there are no secrets from these people, it is their job. Normally there wouldn’t be stereo reporters, the top political career ones, at a regular meeting of the IPC where the agenda was tariffing amongst the Voyageur—the spacemen, sky jockeys, traders, void-caravaneers, smugglers, whatever you’d like to call them—on multi-legged trips. More and more looks, I’d noticed, or Jarvis told me later, that people kept looking at the two of us, dressed in our finery, knowing something was happening. 

The Xorps: Tharis and Vensus Conglom, and the rest, had smug, assured politicians here in the chamber. They were cooking up something terrible, and John’s discovery was surely connected. Invel’s proxy mentioned something about it as well, but the key thing was that the Xorps had convinced the major governments back on Earth that something needed to change to keep the Red Planet in line. The only way to stop it, well, was to change the timeline, to do the thing that I had promised the whole solar system, that we wouldn’t have: a war. 

And I’d talked with Mayor, Term, and the whole crew, and I was going to break my promise to Invel: I was going to go too far. I would go too far because, because if we didn’t, it would all disintegrate. I close my eyes, willing this all to be a dream, the choking, gagging feeling climbing up my throat, the feeling and the reality dancing in my chest, my heart sounding too fast; but the mind reminds, with emotions, visions, memories and pain, that this terror and this moment was what I had wanted. I had been ready for 30 years. 

I put my hands on the table and thought, two minutes till zebra hour, time to make hay. My feet were rooted in the soft rock, sweating in their thin socks and soft-shell coverings with modern gore-tex stickies to keep me from floating off around corners at 1/6 g. Both hands pressed into the desk, the w-shaped veins and arteries, and dark aged spots on my hands reminding me of my grandfather or perhaps because I wore his ring, my wedding ring, today of all days. And, I pushed myself to my feet, not too hard that I shot out of my seat and ended at the roof, which had happened to high-grav newbie representatives in this chamber. Across the oval, a representative from Venus was speaking, I don’t know about what, but sye stopped in mid-sentence when I stood. The chair, a quiet, ferocious young person from Pearl City, looked over at me and asked, “Do you have something to add to this discussion Ambassador Miller?” 

“I do your honor, and I would appreciate it no one would interrupt me for the next two minutes, I trust you will understand why,” I said, and took two deep breaths, and had I been a believer, I would have sent off a prayer to any deity that would hear me. I noticed, Mallory Padwr, the great political analyst slap her camera person, telling him to focus on me carefully, her eyes alight with what she would assume would be something weighty. I’d always liked her, so sharp, I wish she had been from Mars. “I wish to briefly address you: honored delegates, friends, foes, citizens of Sol, organic, bionic, and semi-conductor alike, and especially my friends from Mars. It is a lifetime’s achievement that I stand here before you today. It has been my eternal honor to serve you all, in whatever capacity you will have me. This council was founded with so many hopes, a new way to solve humanity’s oldest problems: rewarding endeavor, legislating anger and fear, legislating the distribution of the power that the creativity and drive of so many individuals to the great mass of our citizens who share the light of this small, yellow star. This has always been difficult, in any scheme humanity has tried, and in some ways this has been a startling success; but in others, we have failed once more. Once more we stand looking at a future where the gulf between those that have and those that do not is widening. Once more, we seek to classify different echelons of humanity, making wealth or genetics or cellular structure the basis for moral or political worth. Once more, the wolves in our hearts have marshalled the might to impress their own will over those of other thinking beings. Once more, the powerful seek to utilize law as justification for the unacceptable oppression of those who dissent.

“I have spent my life dedicated to the belief that war is a state of lawlessness in the human condition, that war is the complete opposite of civilization. Each election, debate, discussion, or side I have taken has been to further and not to diminish civilization; further that it is the role of each individual to expand the thoughts and rights of their fellows, and it is the responsibility and honor of officials such as ourselves to be the custodians of the fraternity of empathy, civilization. Your honors, I find this council lacking.” 

Throughout the beginning of the speech, there was a hush, and then a murmuring, the crossing of eyebrows and the shaking of heads. Several key players looked on apparently impassively, but they were the architects of the current fracas, and their surprise was a re-evaluation of the scheme. I smiled to myself as I imagined how their thoughts would change over the next few minutes. By the end of my breather, delegates were talking loudly with their colleagues, with chattering punctuations of ‘crazy’ and ‘what on earth is he talking about?’ and my personal favorite ‘uppity miner.’

“Chair, do we have to listen to this nonsense?!”

The chair agreed, “Dr Miller, while I much appreciate your prosaic style, I must agree that if you only have a few half-hearted injuries to spew at this council, that I will be forced to find you in contempt and ask you to sit down and reconsider wasting our time,” said the delicately worded steel-eyed promises of the chair. 

“Please, please, I’ve not lost my marbles colleagues, I’m still the same practical and demanding opponent or comrade as you are used to, so let me give you some facts, and then I will allow you or the press to ask me questions.”

The chair said dryly, “I’m not sure the press should be allowed to ask questions inside a legislative proceeding, it sets a bad precedent; however, we can of course grant you two more minutes for your remarks.”

I bowed briefly, “Thank you Chair.” 

I straightened up. “The facts: Mars has been the joint colonial holding of several Terran nations, under the charter of operation of Tharsis Mining, Infinity Xorp, and several others; and under the protection of the IPC. We have been granted delegates to this council due to our population, but never full autonomous control over rules of commerce, emigration, taxation, or the like of our space. Our outstanding commercial success for our corporate masters not-withstanding, the freedom of the peoples of Mars been a subject long-overdue, and much derided for the last thirty years by this council and those like it. The people of Mars, in conjunction with other marginalized peoples of this Solar System thus declare their severance with this council, declare themselves free of political or economic association with any entity that believes it owns or directs choices without the expressed opinion, through election by the people, and declares our debts paid. The people of Mars ask that representatives of the relevant parties make themselves available for discussion about the roles that their organizations would care to play within the Martian sphere of influence in the future, but rest assured that it will not be in the form of governance. All infrastructure vital to the survival and livelihood of the Martian People will be retained by the Martian people as part of the same statement of Independence.

“Any resistance will be viewed as an aggressive act, and these oppressed people shall not be caught defenseless. The nascent Republic of Mars will deport all Peacekeeping Forces of the IPC, except those that wish to join the Republic as citizens, and will defend its right to Independence with every fiber of being at our disposal.

“As of, let’s see, six minutes ago, to protect these rights, an interdict has been placed on travel between the inner planets, including Luna, and the outer planets and stations until a new accord has been ratified by all relevant authorities. Any craft seeking to break this interdict will be viewed as an act of war against the people of Mars, and will be treated as a hostile force, except where sanctioned by the Republic. Does anyone have any questions?”

Suffice to say that many people clamored to be heard at once. I stayed standing, though my legs shook under the strain. The large council doors opened, and in them stood a stone man, several other silicates, and a healthy, exhilarated, but messy Melody and some of her apparent group of revolutionaries. The council could not help but notice that all of the menacing shadows in their door were armed. A hush fell over the chattering children as the image of a silicate holding a gun, the stillness of resolve painted on the faces of the revolutionaries at their door. And then, General Mayor spoke: “The interdict has been enforced on the Port, and our forces are deployed and ready to maintain protection on the craft aiming for the gates.” 

“Thank you General, was there any resistance,” I asked quietly, listening to the audaciously silent council chamber, with every eye and lens on the ancient Silicate form, an anger from the crowd turned to chill foreboding at the clinical descriptions from the non-human person.

“Yes, but there seem to be few casualties at this moment. The majority of the capital ships are in orbit, and we have hailed them and will discuss their surrender. We are waiting to hear back from the other system targets. We expect to maintain Republic victory of any engagements with 96% likelihood, though we expect hostile casualties as the chance of immediate surrender seems, unlikely.” 

  “General, I would appreciate it if you would also answer any questions that the councilors or the press has for you, would you join me?”

“I’d be honored to Mister Miller. Long Live the free republics of Sol!” and with that, my friend Jimmy walked across the hall towards me as tears rolled down my old and tired face.

[newstfionline]

Military Quietly Prepares for a Last Resort: War With North Korea

By Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt, Thomas Gibbons-Neff And John Ismay, NY Times, Jan. 14, 2018

WASHINGTON--Across the military, officers and troops are quietly preparing for a war they hope will not come.

At Fort Bragg in North Carolina last month, a mix of 48 Apache gunships and Chinook cargo helicopters took off in an exercise that practiced moving troops and equipment under live artillery fire to assault targets. Two days later, in the skies above Nevada, 119 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division parachuted out of C-17 military cargo planes under cover of darkness in an exercise that simulated a foreign invasion.

Next month, at Army posts across the United States, more than 1,000 reserve soldiers will practice how to set up so-called mobilization centers that move military forces overseas in a hurry. And beginning next month with the Winter Olympics in the South Korean town of Pyeongchang, the Pentagon plans to send more Special Operations troops to the Korean Peninsula, an initial step toward what some officials said ultimately could be the formation of a Korea-based task force similar to the types that are fighting in Iraq and Syria. Others said the plan was strictly related to counterterrorism efforts.

In the world of the American military, where contingency planning is a mantra drummed into the psyche of every officer, the moves are ostensibly part of standard Defense Department training and troop rotations. But the scope and timing of the exercises suggest a renewed focus on getting the country’s military prepared for what could be on the horizon with North Korea.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both argue forcefully for using diplomacy to address Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions. A war with North Korea, Mr. Mattis said in August, would be “catastrophic.” Still, about two dozen current and former Pentagon officials and senior commanders said in interviews that the exercises largely reflected the military’s response to orders from Mr. Mattis and service chiefs to be ready for any possible military action on the Korean Peninsula.

President Trump’s own words have left senior military leaders and rank-and-file troops convinced that they need to accelerate their contingency planning.

In perhaps the most incendiary exchange, in a September speech at the United Nations, Mr. Trump vowed to “totally destroy North Korea” if it threatened the United States, and derided the rogue nation’s leader, Kim Jong-un, as “Rocket Man.” In response, Mr. Kim said he would deploy the “highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history” against the United States, and described Mr. Trump as a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard.”

Mr. Trump’s rhetoric has since cooled, following a fresh attempt at détente between Pyongyang and Seoul. In an interview last week with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trump was quoted as saying, “I probably have a very good relationship with Kim Jong-un,” despite their mutual public insults. But the president said on Sunday that The Journal had misquoted him, and that he had actually said “I’d probably have” a good relationship if he wanted one.

A false alarm in Hawaii on Saturday that set off about 40 minutes of panic after a state emergency response employee mistakenly sent out a text alert warning of an incoming ballistic missile attack underscored Americans’ anxiety about North Korea.

After 16 years of fighting insurgents in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, American commanding generals worry that the military is better prepared for going after stateless groups of militants than it is for its own conventional mission of facing down heavily fortified land powers that have their own formidable militaries and air defenses.

The exercise at Fort Bragg was part of one of the largest air assault exercises in recent years. The practice run at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada used double the number of cargo planes for paratroopers as was used in past exercises.

The Army Reserve exercise planned for next month will breathe new life into mobilization centers that have been largely dormant as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have wound down. And while the military has deployed Special Operations reaction forces to previous large global events, like the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, those units usually numbered around 100--far fewer than some officials said could be sent for the Olympics in South Korea. Others discounted that possibility.

At a wide-ranging meeting at his headquarters on Jan. 2, Gen. Tony Thomas, the head of the Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla., warned the 200 civilians and service members in the audience that more Special Forces personnel might have to shift to the Korea theater from the Middle East in May or June, if tensions escalate on the peninsula. The general’s spokesman, Capt. Jason Salata, confirmed the account provided to The New York Times by someone in the audience, but said General Thomas made it clear that no decisions had been made.

The Army chief of staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, in several recent meetings at the Pentagon, has brought up two historic American military disasters as a warning of where a lack of preparedness can lead.

Military officials said General Milley has cited the ill-fated Battle of the Kasserine Pass during World War II, when unprepared American troops were outfoxed and then pummeled by the forces of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel of Germany. General Milley has also recently mentioned Task Force Smith, the poorly equipped, understrength unit that was mauled by North Korean troops in 1950 during the Korean War.

In meeting after meeting, the officials said, General Milley has likened the two American defeats to what he warns could happen if the military does not get ready for a possible war with North Korea. He has urged senior Army leaders to get units into shape, and fretted about a loss of what he has called muscle memory: how to fight a large land war, including one in which an established adversary is able to bring sophisticated air defenses, tanks, infantry, naval power and even cyberweapons into battle.

Speaking in October at the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army, General Milley called Pyongyang the biggest threat to American national security, and said that Army officers who lead operational units must prepare to meet that threat.

“Do not wait on orders and printed new regulations and new manuals,” General Milley told the audience. “Put simply, I want you to get ready for what might come, and do not do any tasks that do not directly contribute to increasing combat readiness in your unit.”

His concerns have drifted down to the Army’s rank and file. And troops at bases and posts around the world routinely wonder aloud if they will soon be deployed to the Korean Peninsula.

But unlike the run-up to the Iraq war, when the Pentagon had already begun huge troop movements in 2002 to prepare for the invasion that began in 2003, military officials insist that this is not a case of a war train that has left the station.

There have been no travel warnings advising Americans to stay away from South Korea or Japan, and no advisories warning American businesses to be cautious.

It is unlikely that the Pentagon would launch military action on the Korean Peninsula without first warning Americans and others there, military officials said--unless the Trump administration believes that the United States could conduct a one-time airstrike on North Korea that would not bring any retaliation from Pyongyang to nearby Seoul.

Some officials in the White House have argued that such a targeted, limited strike could be launched with minimal, if any, blowback against South Korea--a premise that Mr. Mattis views with skepticism, according to people familiar with his thinking.

But for Mr. Mattis, the planning serves to placate Mr. Trump. Effectively, analysts said, it alerts the president to how seriously the Pentagon views the threat and protects Mr. Mattis from suggestions that he is out of step with Mr. Trump.

“The military’s job is to be fully ready for whatever contingencies might be on the horizon,” said Michèle A. Flournoy, a top Pentagon official in the Obama administration and co-founder of WestExec Advisors, a strategic consultancy in Washington.

“Even if no decision on North Korea has been made and no order has been given,” Ms. Flournoy said, “the need to be ready for the contingency that is top of mind for the president and his national security team would motivate commanders to use planned exercise opportunities to enhance their preparation, just in case.”

In the case of the 82nd Airborne exercise in Nevada last month, for instance, Army soldiers practiced moving paratroopers on helicopters and flew artillery, fuel and ammunition deep behind what was designated as enemy lines. The maneuvers were aimed at forcing an enemy to fight on different fronts early in combat.

Officials said maneuvers practiced in the exercise, called Panther Blade, could be used anywhere, not just on the Korean Peninsula. “Operation Panther Blade is about building global readiness,” said Lt. Col. Joe Buccino, a public affairs officer with the 82nd Airborne. “An air assault and deep attack of this scale is very complex and requires dynamic synchronization of assets over time and space.”

Another exercise, called Bronze Ram, is being coordinated by the shadowy Joint Special Operations Command, officials said, and mimics other training scenarios that mirror current events.

This year’s exercise, one of many that concentrate on threats from across the world, will focus extensively on underground operations and involve working in chemically contaminated environments that might be present in North Korea. It will also home in on the Special Operations Command’s mission of countering weapons of mass destruction.

Beyond Bronze Ram, highly classified Special Operations exercises in the United States, including those with scenarios to seize unsecured nuclear weapons or conduct clandestine paratrooper drops, have for several months reflected a possible North Korea contingency, military officials said, without providing details, because of operational sensitivity.

Air Force B-1 bombers flying from Guam have been seen regularly over the Korean Peninsula amid the escalating tensions with Pyongyang--running regular training flights with Japanese and South Korean fighter jets that often provoke North Korea’s ire. B-52 bombers based in Louisiana are expected to join the B-1s stationed on Guam later this month, adding to the long-range aerial firepower.

But unlike the very public buildup of forces in the run-up to the 1991 Persian Gulf war and the 2003 Iraq war, which sought to pressure President Saddam Hussein of Iraq into a diplomatic settlement, the Pentagon is seeking to avoid making public all its preparations for fear of inadvertently provoking a response by Mr. Kim, North Korea’s leader.

It is a balance that Mr. Mattis and senior commanders are trying to strike in showing that the military, on the one hand, is ready to confront any challenge that North Korea presents, even as they strongly back diplomatic initiatives led by Mr. Tillerson to resolve the crisis.

An exchange this month illustrated perfectly the fine line the Pentagon is walking, as an Air Force three-star general caught her colleague emphasizing military prowess perhaps a tad too much, and gently guided him back.

During a briefing with reporters on Capitol Hill, Lt. Gen. Mark C. Nowland was asked whether the Air Force was prepared to take out North Korean air defenses.

“If you’re asking us, are we ready to fight tonight, the answer is, yes, we will,” General Nowland, the Air Force’s top operations officer, responded. “The United States Air Force, if required, when called to do our job, will gain and maintain air supremacy.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when Lt. Gen. VeraLinn Jamieson, the Air Force’s top intelligence officer, interrupted.

“I’ll also add that right now, the Defense Department is in support of Secretary of State Tillerson, who’s got a campaign to be the lead with North Korea in a diplomatic endeavor,” General Jamieson said.

General Nowland quickly acknowledged in a follow-up question that the military was in support of Mr. Tillerson’s diplomatic push.

[junker-town]

How Katie Sowers became the first woman and openly gay coach in Super Bowl history

Katie Sowers is in her second season as a 49ers offensive assistant coach.

Katie Sowers has been a trailblazer as a coach for the 49ers. Here’s her inspiring story.

The 49ers are trying to etch their names in the history books with a Super Bowl win against the Chiefs, but one of their coaches is already no stranger to making history. Katie Sowers, an offensive assistant with the 49ers, became the first openly gay coach in the NFL back in 2017. Now, she’s set to be both the first openly gay coach and first female coach to appear in a Super Bowl.

Sowers, 33, is more than that to the players she coaches, her co-workers in the NFL, and her fans. She’s an inspiration to a lot of people, from women who love football or other sports, to LGBTQ people who are unable to outwardly be themselves in public.

Though she set out to be a coach in the NFL — with the end goal of being a head coach some day — she has embraced being a role model. Sowers took an even bigger step in the spotlight recently, when she was featured in Microsoft Surface ad that ran during football games.

In the commercial, she shared a page from her journal she wrote as a young girl. In it, she says she hopes to one day be a good football player.

A voiceover from Sowers adds: “I hoped someday I will be on a real football team. I’m not just here to be the token female. I’m here to help us win ... I would want to tell this little girl to keep pushing herself. Your dream is coming.”

Sowers is living her dream right now.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 49ers’ trailblazing coach.

Sowers had a love of football from an early age

Sowers was born in Hesston, Kansas, where she started playing football with her sister and friends. She’s talked about how football has been a big passion of hers ever since she was exposed to the game.

In another page from her childhood journal, a young Sowers proclaimed tackling to be her favorite part of football. She mentioned her writing in a 2019 interview with People magazine.

“(Football has) always just been kind of a natural love,” she said. “Every time I got a chance to write any kind of journal entry in school, it was always about football. I was constantly talking about it.”

Sowers has always known she wanted to be a coach, but didn’t realize it was even possible for her to do it in football. She knew football as a “man’s game” for a long time.

“I started to realize how much bigger the boys I grew up playing football with in the backyard became compared to me,” Sowers said in a 2017 interview with Outsports. “I was forced into the societal norms that told me girls don’t play football.”

Sowers did eventually play football, and at a high level.

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Just a flashback from my first year playing football with my sis in the great state of Michigan. #flashbackfriday #womeninsport #womeninfootball #twinning #twinningandwinning

A post shared by Katie Sowers (@katesowers5) on Jul 13, 2018 at 6:21am PDT

She spent time with the Kansas City Titans and the West Michigan Mayhem in the Women’s Football Alliance for eight years, and also made it on to the United States’ Women’s National Football Team. Sowers played quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back.

You can even watch her play on the national team in the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) on the organization’s YouTube channel. Here’s Sowers, No. 16, playing defensive back in the world championship game between the United States and Canada in 2013.

But before she began playing professionally, she had to settle for something different. Without a football team to join in college, Sowers played basketball at Goshen College in Indiana, and was met with a giant hurdle when she hoped to enter the coaching ranks after graduating: the school didn’t want an LGBTQ person coaching. Sowers was turned down for an unpaid coaching position.

Via Outsports:

“As I was finishing college, I actually got turned down from a volunteer coaching job (basketball) because I was a lesbian. I was told ‘because of your lifestyle, we ask that you do not come around the team.’

That moment really impacted me because it was the first time I truly felt judged because of my sexual orientation. I was so passionate about coaching and to feel like my opportunities were limited because of who I loved was hard to deal with. However, without that experience, I would not be where I am today.”

Recently, Goshen College issued an apology to Sowers for how they handled things in 2009. The school has since adopted a non-discrimination policy.

“When, not if, we go through these moments of adversity, we can view them as road blocks and feel sorry for ourselves or we can view them as a part of our story,” Sowers told NBC Sports after the apology was made in January. “I prefer to see what happened to me as a detour that put me on a path to where I am now.”

The path she’s on now is one of greatness and inspiration. But there were a few more steps to go through before she landed her current role.

How Sowers made her way to the NFL

Sowers’ career started when she became athletic director for the city of Kansas City, and the coach of a fifth grade girls’ basketball team. As it turns out, one of the people who noticed her was NFL front office executive Scott Pioli, whose daughter happened to be on the team Sowers was coaching. Pioli was impressed with how she coached and quickly learned how much passion she had for football.

Pioli, who became assistant general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, offered Sowers a coaching internship in 2016. It was part of the Bill Walsh NFL Coaching Diversity Fellowship, an initiative started by the legendary 49ers coach to encourage and mentor minority coaching candidates. Sowers credits Pioli as a mentor, and the executive is also notable for having helped former Patriots and Chiefs offensive lineman Ryan O’Callaghan come to terms with his sexual orientation.

With the Falcons, she worked with assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Raheem Morris in coordinator practice drills. She also spent nine months as a scouting intern with Atlanta.

In 2017, she followed former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to the 49ers, where he took over as head coach and she spent another year in the Coaching Diversity Fellowship. The next season, she was promoted to an offensive assistant and remains in that role today. She was just the second woman to earn a full-time job coaching in the NFL after Kathryn Smith, who was with the Bills in 2016.

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Our differences make us stronger- “Difference is of the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace: respect for diversity.” – John Hume 1998 Nobel Peace Prize Winner . . . . . #faithful #Womeninsports #nfl #diversityandinclusion #breakingbarriers #bethechange #womeninfootball #49ers #niners #dreambig #teammwork

A post shared by Katie Sowers (@katesowers5) on May 31, 2019 at 8:57pm PDT

Sowers is an all-purpose offensive assistant, but her focus tends to be on receivers. When the 49ers made her internship into a full-time position, Shanahan talked about her role with the team.

“She helps (receivers coach) Mike LaFleur out just with some rotations,” Shanahan said. “She helps our quality controls out with all the stuff they have to do. She’s a hard worker. You don’t even notice her because she just goes to work and does what’s asked. Because of that, she’s someone we would like to keep around.”

Sowers maintains that her goal is to one day be a head coach in the NFL — and she’s positive she could do it.

Sowers’ coming out story has made her an LGBTQ role-model

Sowers came out to her family in college, and she says there were challenges, but that they were supportive of her. But coming out to your family and having your orientation be part of your public identity are two different things. In 2017, Sowers was contacted by Outsports, and she agreed to publicly come out in an interview with them.

Sowers put herself out there as a lesbian, despite technically being a coaching intern at the time. She became the first openly gay member of an NFL coaching staff when the piece was published.

“No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers told Outsports. “There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about sexual orientation.”

This was only a few years removed from the NFL where Michael Sam was ousted after very brief stays with two teams in 2014. Since Sam, there have not been openly out active players in the NFL (though that will hopefully change this year with offensive line prospect Scott Frantz).

“The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, (or) religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day,” Sowers told Outsports.

Sowers also said she believed there are a lot of people involved in the NFL who are LGBTQ. And that’s part of the reason she agreed to make her orientation public — as a sign that yes, it is possible for marginalized groups to succeed in a straight male-dominated sport, even if it can be an uphill battle.

When Sowers came out, she became the first openly LGBTQ coach not just in the NFL, but in male pro team sports.

Sowers is making an impact for the 49ers on and off the field

For the 49ers, Sowers is simply a coach who does a great job. The prevailing opinion from the players and coaches is that she shows up to work and does her job the same as any straight male coach would.

“She’s been tremendous,” quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said before the 49ers’ first playoff game this January. “Katie was here before I was, but just what she does with the receivers, all the skill positions guys, how she interacts with them — it’s special. She’s feisty, man. Katie’s awesome out there. She’ll get after guys. It’s fun to be around.”

“She’s one of the coolest coaches I’ve ever had,” wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said leading up to the Super Bowl. “I like being around her. Just how she goes about her business and how positive she is.”

Fullback Kyle Juszczyk was also complimentary when asked about her at the 2018 Pro Bowl.

“Katie’s been phenomenal,” Juszczyk said, via Outsports. “She’s someone we’ve been able to lean on. If I ever have a question on a route or something, no hesitation and I can go talk to her. She’s a phenomenal asset to our team.”

While the 49ers treat Sowers the same as they would any other coach, she’s still a huge inspiration to many, particularly young girls.

If your daughter has a dream of being a football coach in the NFL... or a ballerina... or a professional soccer player.. or a teacher.. or a nurse.. or a doctor.. or an astronaut.. or even PRESIDENT.. just let her know this... She. Can. Do. It. And she will change the world.

— Katie Sowers (@KatieSowers) January 14, 2020

Sowers was signing autographs for women and girls before a preseason game in Denver when it fully hit her that she was making a difference.

“I had multiple families call me over and thank me for the doors I am opening for their daughters,” Sowers told Outsports. “I even met a few young girls who were so excited to see me and tell me their own story of the sports they play. It was a special moment that I will remember for a long time.”

Sowers has a chance to add even more to what is shaping up to be an incredible legacy when the 49ers play the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. She can go from the first openly gay woman coaching in a Super Bowl to the first openly gay woman winning in a Super Bowl.

[krishnaprasad-blog]

If the English market is tough for serious players in Indian journalism, keeping the head above the water in the languages is a humongous challenge. So immense, so expensive, and so impossible is the task of attracting readers and viewers, and keeping them engaged with quality content, that nearly nobody is attempting to do it.

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a stand-out exception.

In an arena filled with itsy-bitsy, tits-and-ass, click-bait majors—madly chasing eyeballs with the fake, frothy and frivolous; and conning agencies, advertisers (and themselves) with eye-popping numbers of “uniques”—BBC is an isle of calm. Quietly doing what it does best—journalism—and leaving audiences informed and empowered.

Rupa Jha is head of BBC Languages in India, responsible for content in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati and Punjabi. Her mandate: to enhance the “strength, depth, range and quality” of all BBC multimedia output, words mostly alien to bottomline-obsessed managers, in a mad race to the bottom.

***

Q: How does BBC as an international broadcaster view the Indian language market?

Rupa Jha: The BBC has been working in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali for more than seven decades. It recently decided to expand its portfolio to realise the potential of a wider language market. Hence, the creation of BBC news services in Telugu, Punjabi, Gujarati and Marathi.

Obviously, the language market in India is extremely crowded, with more than 900 TV channels, thousands of websites and hundreds of radio stations, but it struck us that there was a place for a brand known for credibility, trust and a world view; a brand that could challenge the status quo and be a strong counterweight to the rising challenge of fake news and the “echo chamber” effect.

The four new languages services were launched in 2017, following a “digital-first” strategy supported by a partner-based TV presence. It was the biggest expansion of the BBC in India, since the 1940s.  We hired around 150 new staff and created a state-of-the-art production hub, making Delhi the second biggest BBC bureau after Nairobi.

The bureau also houses two new, ultra-modern TV studios, giving our new TV programmes a fresh look and presentation that stands out for high production values and distinctive story telling. We also have five satellite offices where small teams shoot, edit and produce local content at the state level.

***

BBC’s “news needs wheel”

Q: What does the Indian language viewer, listener, surfer look for from BBC’s various language services that she doesn’t get from established legacy players?

Rupa Jha: The regional market is dominated by hyper-local content. So the content strategy of the BBC in this market of languages is to make a differentiated offer and become a trusted window for people to understand the place of India in the world.

Original content is at the centre of this strategy with a special focus on serving underserved audiences such as the young and women.

We aim to drive audience growth by expanding our traditional appeal amongst “news connoisseurs” into a wider group of “news nibblers”.

Our research told us that local players tend to focus their news coverage mainly on the “what” and “when” but there is little effort being made to explain the “why”.  This helped us to develop a model we call our “news needs wheel”.

This showed that audiences wanted the BBC to provide perspective and context, together with stories that educate, inspire and offer solutions. We use this model not only to tell international stories but also to help develop narratives on the local by stepping back and looking at the big picture.

Based on our understanding of “news needs”, our content strategy is to decode national/regional stories for all language audiences and help generate an interest in news that is beyond hyperlocal.

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Q: What does BBC do in the languages that Indian media houses can’t, won’t, don’t? How does it approach Bharat?

Rupa Jha: We believe the BBC stands out for its values and principles. BBC editorial guidelines are the same for all operations, whether based in the UK or outside. The DNA of the organisation is our editorial values.

Trust is the foundation of the BBC.

“We are independent, impartial and honest.

“We are truthful and fair in all our dealings.

“We make decisions based on our values, stick by them and take responsibility for them.

“We behave with integrity and do what we say we’re going to do.

“We take pride in that and ensure that we don’t get seduced by a desire to be the first to break news, something that can easily cost your credibility.”

We acknowledge that the BBC in India is not the first port of call for people. Our assumption is that what they do want from us is analysis and explanation of an event.

We have a huge loyal audience in rural India and we ensure that we cater to that segment of society through our editorial agenda. Because of this we have a specific focus on marginalised communities, women, farmers and stories of human rights, development and justice.

A good example is presented by this current election period. We have been running a month of special output called “Reality Check” where the promises made by the political class and those in power is being assessed. We do regular fact-check stories, busting the fake news.

# We have also had special coverage around Muslims in India called “Being Muslim in India” and we cover stories around caste identity regularly.

# We had a season in Marathi called Ambedkar and Me, showcasing stories of successful Dalit entrepreneurs.

# We have featured stories of women from across the country, under the banner “BBCShe”, stories of choices men and women made called “His choice” and “Her choice”.

# We have also committed ourselves to deliver strong contextual coverage of Kashmir—for example, we had a series of stories from the region based around looking at violence through the eyes of children.

# We also have a special focus on tribal issues. Our recent coverage of Pulwama and aftermath is a case in point where we worked hard to ensure neutrality and balance in coverage based on facts.

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Q: It used to be said that Indians looked at and listened to BBC for its credibility. Is that still the case after the growth of homegrown media? How do you achieve this? What are the tell-tale signs of a fake story for you?

Rupa Jha: Yes, of course. Credibility is the tag that has helped us grow in the market. We work hard on the training of all our full-time journalists and stringers to ensure they fully understand our editorial guidelines so that they understand the BBC way of reporting. This training is a continuous process and takes up a significant part of our budget.

We also have a very strong system of editorial checks and balances. All our language services cross-check and triangulate their stories, and also liaise with the London headquarters through a central planning desk which also ensures that there is a flow of news that is checked and verified. We have standing instructions not to run stories unless there are two independent sources or if we have our own direct sources.

On top of all the above principles and practices, we fact-check stories daily, mostly viral stories. We have also invested resources in a lot of “on-the-ground, eye-witness reporting” at a time when other Indian media have been reducing the amount they do.

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Q: As the head of BBC languages in India, what does your work entail, how many people do you lead, how do you go about spotting and farming out stories, what kind of stories do you like, etc?

Rupa Jha: My job is to coordinate and oversee the whole of the BBC languages operation in India and to be a vital link to BBC HQ in London. I directly manage ten Service Leads and make sure staff across services in Delhi are properly managed, recruited and developed. As head, it is my task to ensure that there is a strong, creative culture across the bureau, that every member of staff understands clearly what we are doing and who we are doing it for.

My aim is to ensure all services provide a distinctive offering to the Indian market, with a focus on original and solutions-based journalism, mobile-first content, social media engagement and a mixture of news and near news content. I also have to make sure we are optimising our content on every platform and in each language.

We leverage our strength in international news to report Indian news with a global context, i.e. stories that will compare Indian issues to those in the rest of the world and global stories that are made relevant to an Indian audience. To attract new audiences to the BBC, the new services address diverse content needs of the youth and female audiences and deliver the quality, independent journalism that is lacking in this market.

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Q: There are thousands studying journalism especially in the languages. What would you advise them about the way forward? How can they equip themselves to work for the BBC some day? Can they freelance for you?

Rupa Jha: I feel the language scene in journalism is flourishing. Digital is the way forward, so take the plunge. Whatever format you work in, understand that a good story is a good story. Understanding the eco-system where we operate is vital.

We don’t ONLY look for those who have a degree in journalism. For the BBC that’s not the only consideration because we feel if you are curious and passionate and can tell a good story, you can become a journalist.

It’s a fantastic profession which needs people with courage, imagination and conviction. They can surely freelance for us by sending their CV and work sample to us.

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Photograph: courtesy Rupa Jha

Slides: courtesy WAN-IFRA

News connoisseurs to news nibblers: how BBC is approaching journalism in Indian languages with five words fast disappearing from our ‘bhasha’: trust, credibility, strength, depth, quality If the English market is tough for serious players in Indian journalism, keeping the head above the water in the languages is a humongous challenge. 1,663 more words