#this is the first time the Olympics have been in my time zone since London 2012

[becauseimanicequeen]

Since today marks the real start of the Olympics with the opening ceremony, I won't watch 4 Minutes until after midnight or something.

If I find some time over the weekend (between all the sports I'll be watching), I might post about the first episode in the coming days.

Delayed watches and posts will basically be my new normal for the next few weeks + keeping away from the spoilers (which basically means keeping away from tumblr).

I mean, as a former swimmer and handball player, I've got priorities.

Sorry, Bible. I still love you very much.

[miedemabc]

Miedema Volkskrant interview

Interesting interview with Vivianne Miedema in the Dutch paper De Volkskrant, December 29th 2020.

She is the socially-minded top shooter among women's soccer players. Vivianne Miedema (24) has been an ambassador for War Child, which cares about the suffering of children in war zones, for a year now.

Vivianne Miedema is the top marksman in the English women's league with an average of one goal per game: 53 goals in 52 duels. The striker of Arsenal and Oranje is the face of the English league. These days in London they recognize her on the street. 'If I turn on the TV, there's a good chance I'll see myself within five minutes.' With a laugh: 'That's why the TV is off now. But I also enjoy it and I'm in a position to make women's soccer bigger. I take that opportunity.'

Miedema is a self-confident, young woman with self-mockery and ability to put things into perspective. 'We are also frustrated that no one can come to our matches, that I can't go home for Christmas, but that's all part of it. We have to set the right example.'

What is it, one time not going to Holland, compared to the situation of teammate Jennifer Beattie, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer? She had surgery and immediately said she wanted to play soccer again. 'We are supporting her as best we can.'

Miedema let the year 2020 come to mind. In the beginning, when corona had just broken out, you saw solidarity everywhere, fighting for a better world. Now it's more me me me again. It's just a difficult situation for everyone.'

Black Lives Matter While soccer lay dormant for a time, sport raised its voice against injustice. 'Black Lives Matter, for example, in which America and the United Kingdom are leading the way. We still kneel before games. Soccer is a great example where everything and everyone can come together. You see that in our team as well.'

She knows that men's soccer is more diverse. 'Women's soccer is several years behind. In youth leagues you see more and more mixed, dark teams. That development is positive. At Arsenal we don't have any dark-skinned players at the moment. Ten years ago it was unthinkable for many black families to allow their daughters to play soccer. In the next ten years that's going to change.'

A lot has changed since Miedema made her entrance into professional life as a girl. 'Nobody expected the growth of women's soccer to be so great. That also has to do with developments in the world, with women power. That movement is also helping us. At the same time, the level is rising, while we still have 100,000 steps to take. As for myself, I have an excellent income and can save easily. Girls in the Netherlands, and also in England, don't earn much yet and often have to do something on the side.

That is going to change, she thinks. It continues to grow, especially with three consecutive tournaments three years in a row: Olympic Games, European Championship and World Championship. That's great. Becoming more visible. Take the Champions League: the NOS broadcasted it for the first time via a live stream. Until recently it was nowhere to be seen. If that changes, it's easier for sponsors to get on board, to get recognition.'

Matches in the English league can be seen on the app FA Player, on BT, commercial TV, and sometimes on the BBC. 'We have world stars running around in the Dutch national team these days. That's inspiring for young girls. It's up to us routiniers to bring youngsters in and make them feel comfortable to be able to give as many players a good future as possible. I don't play soccer for money. I also pass that on to young girls. If you base your choices on that, you have forgotten who you are and what you are playing soccer for. Money should never be the driving force.'

Fit and hungry The 24-year-old Miedema remains fit and hungry, no matter how hypothermic she celebrates her goals. Six months without soccer, from March to September, has done her good, after all those double years with club soccer and internationals. With friend and teammate Lisa Evans, she took the car to Scotland, where Evans is from.

We spent four or five months there. Switching off from soccer for a while. I've never enjoyed exercises in the gym and running so much. That says it all. I play soccer because I like the game. Tactically I just want to be good enough that you don't have to run alone. But during the lockdown it was the only option, to not have to sit inside.

'Lisa was my pt, my personal trainer. We were super fit for the new season. In Scotland we had so much freedom. We went hiking, walking. Soccer, tennis, padel. For six months it was a normal human life.'

She started studying: for the Uefa B trainer's diploma, plus a master's in Football Business. That's the first time since she left for Germany as a 17-year-old to play soccer at Bayern. 'I never had the energy, the will and the time to study again. Now I do, and it's fun.'

Constantly broadening her horizons is one of her goals. For example, she has been an ambassador for War Child for a year now, which cares about the suffering of children in war zones. She already noticed during the World Cup in France (2019) that children were following her. I already loved War Child as a child. My mother was an assistant mother at school. Of course I could play a little sport. At every charity run it was up to me whether we raised enough money.

My mother made me aware of the fact that we in the Netherlands, I in any case, have a good position, and that in the rest of the world it is not so easy. During the World Cup I was in my bubble, but after that I saw pictures and movies. Sport is a distraction for many children, which allows them to eliminate suffering and have fun.'

She was previously with the Dutch national team in South Africa, where the team visited townships in Cape Town. 'When you see how much fun you can give children with sport, you want to do it as often as possible. I will never forget how two girls of about 9 years old ran up to me afterwards and wanted to hug me, as a thank you. That was so special, they didn't have to think about danger or violence. With War Child I hope to make a nice trip.

Gigantic response By necessity, in 2020 she was an ambassador who stayed inside. 'Online I was able to do a lot. Movies, videos with examples of exercises. I get a huge response from all over the world. Not only from children, also from parents, from people who like what I do. For me, recording a video like this is a small thing and I can make a lot of people happy with it. Stretching, moving, playing soccer, playing sports. And sometimes get to interact by putting everyone else to work.'Children also take initiatives by raising money. 'It's nice to see kids showing social agility, especially now that we have to keep today's youth somewhat in check and steer them in the right direction.'She laughs a little at that term, youth of today. 'If you are a part of something, you are all in it together. That's why I play soccer and I don't play tennis. Kids push each other to do the best they can for other kids.'Now the season is back in full swing. She is top marksman of all time in the English Premier League and was recently chosen again in Fifa's team of the year. European champion, second in the world. And then she still has a soccer life ahead of her. 'I would like to say that I will continue for another ten years, but you never know. I would prefer to stop at my peak.'Again with a laugh: 'I've broken quite a few records, so maybe I'm already at my peak. But I'm definitely not someone who wants to continue at the highest level if I can't take it anymore. I also hope that people around me will then say: Viv, it's not sitting out anymore, please, stop it.'Miedema bettered Nikita Parris' British goalscoring record in October, with the difference that her predecessor scored about one goal every two games, while Miedema needs one game for a goal.  'I can only run out, but above all I want to help the team. One hundred goals for the national team would be very nice.' She is on 70 and is the all-time record holder. Most of the goals I can still remember. They are all in my head.'

https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/topschutter-vivianne-miedema-voetbal-niet-voor-het-geld-leer-ik-jonge-meiden~b27b2994/

[targetsports]

Knights in White Lycra

Words by Susan Burton

Why a group of foreigners bicycle to Fukushima every year – and what this says about charitable giving in Japan

The Knights ride out from Tokyo on the Friday evening bullet train, their bicycles dismantled and stowed in the obligatory rinko carry-on bags. They overnight in Takasaki city in Gunma Prefecture and the following morning they rise early to begin their quest – to ride 500 kilometres in four days to the Aiikuen Children’s Home in Fukushima prefecture and to raise money for the 72 children who live there.

In the peloton this year there are 42 riders from 14 different countries, ranging in age from 23 to 63. Twenty-six are attempting the ride for the first time. They are grouped together in seven teams of six, by experience, ability and willingness to stop for lunch. Each group is led by an able, veteran Knight.

Rob Williams (53, works in finance) is the Knights’ spiritual leader. In 2012, he and a group of fellow British expatriates were slumped disconsolately in the Hobgoblin pub in Tokyo staring at their beer guts. They concluded that they either needed to stop drinking or take up some form of exercise. They chose cycling because, “Brits are good at sport that involves sitting down.” There was also a more serious side to their quest. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear disaster in March 2011, several of them had made repeated trips into the disaster area delivering emergency aid and public donations. But a year on, many places still lacked even basic necessities. One of these was Minamisoma, a city 25 kilometres north of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Minamisoma was partially destroyed by the tsunami and most of the surviving residents were forced to relocate outside the 30-kilometre mandated radiation evacuation zone. In April 2012, when the zone was reduced to 20 kilometres, some residents had been allowed to return but many still had no electricity, running water or medical facilities.  

That evening in the Hobgoblin pub, Rob and his friends decided they would cycle to Minamisoma to raise money to supply the residents of the city’s temporary accommodation with food and drinking water. Later in a karaoke bar someone stood up and sang the Moody Blues song, and the Knights in White Lycra (KIWL) were born. Their motto: get fit and give back.

Rob is also one of the ride’s team leaders this year. His team are strictly A to B cyclists, speeding to their destination in the shortest possible time. For lunch he allows them eight minutes to grab rice balls and Pocari Sweat drinks from the local convenience store.

Andy Abbey’s group prefer to stop for a sit-down lunch at a café or roadside noodle bar. Andy (British, 47, works in management consultancy) joined the Knights in its second year. Hours after the earthquake, a Facebook page called Foreigner Volunteers (now Foreign Volunteers Japan) appeared calling for contributions and helpers. Their first donation was a case of baked beans. When they had filled six two-tonne trucks, Andy and several other foreigners drove north. Recalls Andy, “Everything was just flat. It was terrifying.” The tsunami had swept away houses, cars and people up to 5 kilometres inland and 200 kilometres all the way up the east coast of Japan. Compounding the catastrophe was the nuclear radiation which was spewing from three exploded reactors and spreading unchecked on the spring winds and coastal currents. “It was very obvious that this was an unmanageable situation,” says Andy. Some foreigners went north only once, too traumatised by what they had seen to go back. Andy made repeated trips to the disaster areas. But he wanted to do more. He’s now a member of the KIWL committee.

Miho Inosaki (Malaysian-Japanese, works in public relations) is in Andy’s group. At 23, she is the youngest and least experienced rider and one of only five women in the peloton. She first encountered the Knights when she was tasked by her company Custom Media, one of the Knights’ sponsors, with filming their annual promotional video. Before becoming a ‘Knightess’, she had never cycled before and she averages one crash every third time she gets in the saddle. Within five minutes of picking up her new bicycle for this year’s ride she collided with a motorcycle. (During the ride, she somersaults over her handlebars and hits her head on a fence post.)

Egon Boettcher (New Zealander, 48, works in banking) leads another group and plans the Knight’s route, a difficult task due to Japan’s mountainous terrain and the fact that the ride takes place during the rainy season. Japan also has the world’s highest incidence of earthquakes, but the Knights have been fortunate. Earthquakes tend to strike in areas Egon has just left. This year, a magnitude 6 rattles Niigata two days after the Knights’ departure.

In previous years, the Knights had started their quest in Nihonbashi in central Tokyo but with heavily congested streets and numerous traffic lights it took more than three hours to clear the metropolis. Now they take the train and begin in another prefecture. This also enables them to vary the journey every year and to make it a challenge worth sponsoring. Tokyo is only 300 kilometres from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, a distance that has been imprinted on every Tokyo resident’s mind since the plant’s meltdown. (By comparison, Chernobyl is over 2,000 kilometres from London.)

On the first day, the Knights cycle from Takasaki to Yuzawa in Niigata prefecture, a distance of 55 kilometres in 27-degree Celsius heat under a sun unobstructed by a single cloud. The journey takes them through the Japanese countryside in early summer, past flooded rice fields sprouting green shoots and to a height of 1,200 metres, in sight of mountains from which the snow has yet to melt.

They spend the first night in the town of Yuzawa, in a mountainous region of Niigata prefecture known as ‘snow country’. Their lodgings, a resort called Twin Towers, is a complex of privately-owned apartments developed during the economic boom in the 1980s. More than two decades into an economic recession, many of the owners are unable to sell and now rent out the rooms to cover exorbitant maintenance charges. There are few guests in green season. Andy appears to have the 11th floor to himself. Egon rattles round a duplex penthouse that he learns was refurbished for the Emperor and Empress during the 1998 winter Olympics in nearby Nagano (but they never stayed there). “We never saw a soul who wasn’t with us,” says Egon. “It was like the Shining.”

On the second day, they pedal further north to Niigata city on the Sea of Japan along routes lined with lush spring greenery and across wide bridges spanning streams that will swell into torrents in a matter of hours. With the rainy season approaching, a searing heat reflects off the tarmacked roads and a thick, stifling humidity envelops the riders.

Rainy season arrives on the morning of the third day, bringing 50-kmh head and cross winds. Three riders are blown off their bikes on the 150-kilometre journey to Aizu Wakamatsu, where the riders ease their aching limbs in the steaming onsen (volcanic hot spring). In case of accidents, injuries and punctures, the riders are followed by two support cars. Padded cycle shorts and ‘bum butter’ are essential on the road. But a soak in a hot spring eases the muscles at the end of the day. And that’s one good thing about having so few women on the ride, notes Miho. There’s always plenty of room in the women’s onsen.

On the fourth and final day, the winds have blown themselves out but the rain continues to trickle down the backs of windcheaters and seep into microfibre shoes. The morning begins with a long climb to a plateau on which sits Lake Inawashiro, the fourth-largest lake in Japan, also known as the Heavenly Mirror Lake because of the glass-like clearness of the water. The sun reappears just as the riders reach the Aiikuen Children’s Home which is situated south of Fukushima city and, gallingly for the exhausted riders, at the summit of one of the ride’s steepest hills. As they round the final bend, the excited children are waiting to greet them, waving flags of the Knights’ home countries and stretching out their hands for high fives. “It was just a wonderful moment,” says Miho later. “Just this overwhelming feeling of emotion where you went, ‘Oh my god, that’s why we do it.’” The riders dismount and the children, aged from 2 to 18, rush up. They want to know all about the Knights’ road bicycles. One little boy tries on Andy’s cycling helmet. “He decided I was his best friend and would show me the children’s home,” Andy recalls. The riders are led by the children into the gymnasium where they sit cross-legged on the floor to listen to a speech of thanks.

Aiikuen was founded in 1893 by Uryū Iwako (1829-1897), an orphaned daughter from a merchant family who dedicated her life to the improvement of living conditions for ordinary people. Situated 49 kilometres away from Daiichi, the orphanage is outside the evacuation zone. But because it stands on a hill facing the plant, when the reactors blew, its seven hectares of thickly-forested grounds – sports field, campsite and lawn – were coated in caesium-137. The prefectural government paid to have Aiikuen cleaned, hosing down the modern concrete buildings, removing grass and chopping down trees. But hotspots remained and for several years after the disaster Aiikuen staff (like many parents in the Tohoku region) limited the children’s outdoor playtime. They also tested food for contamination and regularly checked the children’s health. The immediate danger may have passed but Aiikuen still needs more support, which the government is slow to provide.

Nationwide, only ten per cent of approximately 30,000 children in care are orphans. The rest have been removed from neglected or abusive homes or given up by families who are unable to care for them financially. Fostering and adoption remain rare in Japan because parents must give legal permission for their child to be cared for by someone else and for cultural reasons – predominantly loss of face – they are unlikely to agree to this. Adoption is registered on the koseki (the family register) which is a publicly available document, and the stigma of having an adoption in the family bloodline (suggesting an unplanned pregnancy or a lack of financial stability) can affect job and marriage prospects. Less than ten per cent of children in welfare are fostered or adopted. Most remain within the welfare system long-term (just under half live in children’s homes for more than five years), sometimes with little or no parental contact. They are termed ‘throwaway children’, trapped in a legal limbo until they must leave at 17 or 18.

The attitude of some Japanese towards marginalised and disadvantaged groups is not always sympathetic, and the needs of children in care homes is not an issue that many Japanese wish to look at too closely. Says Andy, “I think there’s a blanket assumption here that the government takes care of everything. That’s good in some respects because generally the government kind of does but when something goes wrong – and the Tohoku earthquake was a perfect example – the government literally couldn’t take care of everything. No government could take care of that. It was impossible.” This is why KIWL has focused its money-raising efforts on children’s charities, in particular grassroots organisations for whom even a small amount of money can make a big difference.

In the gymnasium, the children present the Knights with certificates of appreciation printed by Aiikuen’s Digital Citizenship Club on its laser printer. With little or no parental support, a university education is impossible for young people coming out of the care system and they risk falling into low level work in factories or the sex industry. One goal of Aiikuen is to educate the children in skills that may enable them to find fulfilling jobs when they leave, particularly in the technology industry. During the ceremony, word arrives that the Knights’ cycle ride has raised just over ten million Yen (£75,000) for YouMeWe, the charity which supports the home. It will help to pay for more computing equipment and training in digital skills such as coding and video editing.

Most of the ten million Yen comes from corporate sponsorship. The Knights’ major sponsors are the international companies for which many of the riders work. This year, alongside the Knights’ logo (a plumed helmet and a shield depicting linked hands) there are 26 sponsor names on the riders’ jackets including Netflix, World Family, Land Rover, Boyd & Moore Executive Search and Allied Pickfords, companies which reflect the transient nature of expatriate life in Japan. In western countries, sponsoring someone to do a sporting challenge is a recognised way of raising money for charity. Egon’s first sponsored event at age 8 was cycling round and round a school track on a Raleigh bicycle. But in Japan there is no concept of the sponsored event. When Miho asked friends to sponsor her they were confused. “I got questions like, ‘Why would I pay you to do sports?’” In Japan, charitable giving more commonly takes the form of volunteering in the local community and doing chores – such as managing rubbish collections, street cleaning and watching over elderly residents – for your neighbourhood association. “It’s not that there’s no charitable spirit,” says Andy. “It’s just expressed in a different way.” 3/11 was a disaster on an unprecedented scale and many Japanese reacted immediately, collecting donations from friends and neighbours and forming residents’ groups to travel to the disaster area to provide volunteer labour. But paying foreigners to bicycle there was perplexing. Toru Akiyama, one of the five Japanese riders and at 63 the group’s oldest Knight, had to work hard for the money he raised from friends and colleagues. “He had to explain individually, this is what a sponsored event is,” says Miho. One result of the Fukushima disaster is that the number of charities seems to be increasing along with a shift in understanding about the many ways that donations can be raised. The 500-kilometre sponsored ride is not the only sporting challenge the Knights take on. There are marathons, pub quizzes, golf, futsal and even motorcycling. Once a year Andy organises a walk around the Imperial Palace and gives participants a KIWL t-shirt in return for a donation. “And for Japanese people that’s much more manageable psychologically than sponsoring Egon to ride 500 kilometres,” admits Rob.

In the days after the disaster, it was noticed by the Japanese media that some foreigners (known as ‘gaijin’ in Japanese) were attempting to leave, heading straight to Narita airport which was – ironically – marginally closer to the nuclear power plant. They were termed ‘flyjin’ and accused of ditching Japan in its time of need. In fact, just as many Japanese fled to southern parts of Japan where they had relatives. Most foreigners didn’t have that option. And many, like Andy and other future Knights, were driving in the opposite direction, right into the disaster area and risking their health, if not their lives, in the process. Andy says he never breached the 30-kilometre evacuation zone around the power plant. He drove around it. Nevertheless, he and the others were aware of the implications of a sudden rainfall or a change in the direction of the wind. Andy also took the iodine tablets the British embassy were offering. “He snorted them recreationally,” jokes Egon. The Knights are a good-humoured bunch but there is no denying the dangers present during those first weeks. While tourism (particularly foreign tourism) to the Tohoku region has since recovered, it should not be forgotten that the half-life of caesium-137 is 35 years. Wandering in the Aiikuen grounds after the ceremony the Knights come across a large radiation monitoring station. A nearby golf course appears deserted.

The Knights’ first sponsored ride, from Tokyo to Minamisoma in 2013, was abandoned when for the first time in ten years the region was hit by a blizzard. The highway was closed and several of the riders suffered hypothermic symptoms. Six of the original ten Knights returned two months later to finish the ride. That year they raised 2.7 million Yen (£20,000). Year on year they have doubled the number of riders and consequently the amount raised. In subsequent years, they have cycled to and on behalf of several different children’s charities in the Tohoku area. By riding to the charitable organisation the Knights can see first-hand where their money is going, which Rob observes has a greater impact on the riders. There are tears and, when the Knights move on to a new charity, some riders continue their support for a place they have visited. For two years, the Knights rode for Place to Grow (a charity supporting children and their families in Minamisanriku, a town that was 95 per cent destroyed by the tsunami). Andy and Egon continue to act as cycling Santas for them, delivering gifts to the children at Christmas. The Knights’ support for Mirai no Mori (a charity which offers American summer camps to disadvantaged children) has been maintained by BNP Paribas, a KIWL sponsor.

KIWL is a small group with a big impact. They have raised 62.3 million Yen (£469,000) since they first came together to “get fit and give back.” Says Miho, “The beautiful scenery, the challenge, the camaraderie, the drinking are all very nice bonuses but nothing really compares. Even the sensation of knowing that you’ve cycled 500 kilometres doesn’t come close to what you feel when you see all those kids look so excited to see you.” And Rob Williams has achieved another goal. ‘Fat Rob’ (as the others jokingly call him) has lost 10 kilogrammes since that drunken evening in the Hobgoblin.

[altrcistics]

❄️❄️ –––– have you seen [ ESME MACMILLAN ] since the storm? some say they look like [ DANIELLE CAMPBELL ] but they’re [ 21 ]  & go by [ THE TACITURN ].  [ SHE ] lived in halloway for [ 11 YEARS ] & they are originally from [ LONDON ]. before the town vanished they were studying [ MEDICINE ] and lived at [ UNI BLVD ]. most people knew the [ CISFEMALE ] as [ ALTRUISTIC ] but i’ve heard they can also be [ RETICENT ]. for some reason, they feel [ UNEASY ] about the town’s disappearance.    ––– 

–––––– well , well if it isn’t me , b , with a broken theme !! but i’m too eager to pay any mind to it right now , and i’ve got homework due at midnight that has to happen after i get this baby posted . hi friends !! very excited to be here . this is my soul baby esme who is just trying her gd best and is stressed out 99% of the time . needs a 12 hour nap and maybe a therapist . summed up in a word ? soft , probably . i hope you love her like i do anYWAY GONNA leave this here and get to plotting so you can also hit me up at  b a y#9956 on discord!! 

LONDON.

weston and anna macmillan never planned on having a child. they were young and in love, and both had struck the genetic lottery – weston with his brains, anna with her trust fund. while weston was up and coming in the world of corporate law, anna had spent her life in pointe shoes and was at the top of her game as a principle dancer for the royal ballet in london. they were picturesque… perfect, even. until anna found herself to be three weeks late and their dazzling little dream life reached its first hiccup.

that hiccup entered the world screaming a whole nine months later!! tiny blue eyed esme grace macmillan was a fuckin handful even before she was born. as anna went through prenatal checkups, she found that her heartbeat was irregular. further tests concluded that she had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (hcm) which is a genetic condition that affects the muscles in the heart and causes irregular blood flow. it’s not fatal, but it is hereditary and gets riskier with physical exertion. being a new mother, anna made the decision to shelve ballet and focus on this new chapter of her life.

which was probably a good thing! she loved being a mom, and it was safe to say that having a set of eyes on esme at all times was the right choice. she was restless and constantly full of energy. from a really young age, it became apparent that esme had inherited some of the best parts of her parents. she got her dad’s brains, catching onto things quickly and learning to walk and talk earlier than most. this turned into simple reading and messy writing shortly after. she wasn’t a very social kid though, didn’t talk much.

as soon as esme was old enough, she was put into tiny pink ballet slippers. she took a liking to dance, and this is when they realized she’d also inherited her mother’s natural grace. early on, it looked like she’d easily follow in her mother’s footsteps.

dance really really opened esme up. it was here that she started making friends and began tip toeing outside of her comfort zone and opening up a little bit, but her direction changed when she was six and discovered figure skating.

it was technical and lyrical like ballet, but it was far more challenging. even as a kid, esme loved a good challenge. so her parents bought her a pair of skates, and the rest is history. as she grew up, her weekends were occupied with practices, performances, and eventually competitions. she was a natural. and for the first time there was an air of confidence about her.

though she loved it more than anything in the world, her life soon came to revolve around school and skating.  it caused her to miss out on a normal childhood, never really making friends close enough to be invited to sleepovers or birthday parties.

that made the move much easier for esme. when she was 10, her father’s firm went international and he was put in charge of the american branch. thus, the macmillans hopped across the atlantic and moved to halloway for a fresh start, a new adventure.

HALLOWAY.

she took a small break from competitive skating when they moved; it was her parents’ choice in hopes of her actually making friends in new hampshire. and it worked! for a while. esme was still quiet, still a little too book smart and a little less than street smart. even as a kid, she was awkward, but she was kind and clever and for the most part — people liked her.

and life was good for a long time! she got back into skating, and around the time she was thirteen she showed no signs of stopping. in fact, her sights were set on an olympic medal, and though her parents were wary of her inherited condition, they supported her in every possible way.

entering high school, life got a little bit harder. her schoolwork and training kept her pretty tied up, and it was often really hard for her to balance a social life along with that. she didn’t show up to every party. she didn’t really have any interest in going on dates. she kept up with her friends and made time for the important things, but she wasn’t exactly the most open person.

this backfired real quick!! as a freshman, at a bonfire, a senior boy kinda came onto her and when she said nope no thank you, he got pissed. instead of taking rejection Like A Man, he decided to spread a little rumor about them hooking up. this combined with her quiet nature kind of caused her to get a bit of a reputation of being aloof and a bit easy which is so far from the truth. but high school is high school!! and people were fuckin mean about it for a long time thereafter!

around this time was also when her parents sorta…. fell out of love. as in… her father got a little power hungry, a little bored of his life, and like the cliche he is started having an affair. the secrecy of it didn’t last… long and he ultimately left both anna and esme. she felt kind of.. abandoned. like they weren’t good enough almost but.. she and her mom got . even closer because of it tbh. the macmillan girls don’t need no man!!

so she threw herself into her studies and even more so into skating. she trained in the morning and on the weekends, year round. winning competitions made her feel good, and she kept doing so. when she was fifteen, she competed at the world figure skating championship. though she didn’t medal, her scores were impressive and she became an alternate for the us figure skating team at 16. being so close to those five rings was enough to push her further.

she left traditional high school and threw herself even further into figure skating. (this only fueled halloway rumors that she was a bit of a snob akjdfha) after graduating, she enrolled at halloway part time in order to slowly get through her gen eds while training for, yup, you guessed it, the 2018 olympics.

and ya know what? it paid off. at 20, she’d had two world’s silvers and a world’s gold under her belt as she competed in the winter games. her whole life had been leading up to that moment, and she brought home an olympic gold medal in women’s figure skating. that’s right, ya girl fucking peaked.

it was a high, for a while. and she rode it quietly and gracefully. idk she was PROUD ok she worked so hard…. but her incessant need to be perfect and to continuously better herself was nagging in the back of her mind. she wasn’t sure how you could really get better than gold at the olympics.

needless to say, she’s in the midst of a bit of an identity crisis. with her heart condition and ya know aging… she knows figure skating isn’t a forever-thing. so she went back to halloway, taking an interest in medicine and trying to understand her own weakness— a weak heart. she began studying medicine and to fell in love with that profession, but . she honestly can’t stay off of the ice. activate existential dread! she doesn’t actually know who she is!

and then the heckin storm happened smh

NEW HALLOWAY.

with a calm exterior and a notorious knack for being maternal . . . someone , somewhere along the line said hey let’s put esme in charge of the hospital to which she said in a john-mulaney-esque voice . . . huh ? what ? huh ? what ??? huh ???? and then did it anyway

if she’s not on call or working at the hospital , best believe she’s studying because she’ll be the first to tell you she has no business calling herself a doctor 

it’s been months!! since!! they disappeared!! and she’s sort of adjusting to this new life which often makes her feel very, very guilty because she doesn’t know what’s happened to her mother at this point

when everything was frozen she still found time to escape and do some skating on the lake aksdjfhas

for the most part, she keeps herself busy ... someone like .... help her tho

PERSONALITY.

esme’s naturally introverted. she likes people, but she’s a textbook people pleaser and gets exhausted quickly when she’s socializing. she’s always been quiet, never the center of attention (unless on ice) and never the loudest voice in the room. when she does speak, though, it’s purposeful and articulate. the sort of ‘she doesn’t talk much but when she does it’s important’ kinda thing idk. she’s not meek ya know.. just reserved

she’s naturally… very kind. cares a lot about other people but struggles to express that which is why she gravitates towards the profession of medicine. she enjoys helping people ya know

ya girl keeps her shit close to her chest. doesn’t really want to bother anyone with her own shit and takes her anger out in physical activity, disassociates from her sadness by reading. a lot of people know her but not on a deep level. tbh does she even know herself? prob not

she’s not a stick in the mud, but she does need a little push every now and then. she lets loose when she’s around people that she’s comfortable with tbh. behind the prim and proper macmillan facade is.. a bit of a goofball. does not hesitate to participate in dramatically karaoke or midnight swims in a lake.

SOFT as fuck but she’s not one to be walked all over. she’s clever as all get out and when snapped at harshly enough won’t hesitate to snap back. she doesn’t get angry to the point of showing it easily, but when she does, she’s very purposeful with her words. don’t underestimate her she hATES being underestimated

competitive as heck. in academics, in sports, in board games. she’s a sweetheart but she will wreck you in spite and malice or sorry bc she just… has a competitive nature

really does give a shit about what people think of her. like… wants to be liked. not being liked by some people in high school really fucked w her bc she just….. can’t help caring about how other people perceive her and wants it to be positively. it’s in part because of how she was raised?? she grew up in a pretty monitored, strict environment between rigorous training and her parents’ world of the rich (will this change after the storm tho??? we’ll SEE)

values honesty like has absolutely 0 time to be lied to and 0 time for bullshit

SO curious, always ready to learn more

will make a fool of herself to see you laugh

a lil bit of amy santiago.. a lil bit of rory gilmore.. a lil bit of caroline forbes..

needs to relax; constantly Anxious

s t u b b o r n

literally never sleeps

doesn’t curse bc there are more clever ways to express anger

reputation: aloof and stuck up. reality: literally just shy lmao

is TRYING VERY HARD

WANTED PLOTS.

i have a few connection ideas here!! and a tag here!! but also…

friends from halloway that she’s just… straight up been pals with since she moved there

i’m… constantly thirsty for … girl gang shit. any of y’all watch the bold type? i eat that shit uP AND IT’S all i NeED TO BE . HAPPY OK

esme’s an only child and i would love to see a sibling-like bond for her

academic rivals pls and thank!! mayb in their major…. mayb back in high school…. paris vs rory anyone?

the maya to her riley oh man

a bad influence or even… the polar opposite . to her Mom Friend-ness

someone else who grew up in the realm of rich parents like galas suck but at least we got each other!!

neighbors!!

new friends! people who she’s met through halloway and quickly taken a liking to. super interesting dynamic bc… while she’s eager to know u she’s not so eager to …. open up lmao

previous roommates

y’all into angsty exes? i know this is the end of the world and all but that don’t mean wE CAN’T get SAD

someone she became friends w via… skating yikes akjdfha i swear that’s not her only personality trait

someone she agreed to tutor!! or study buddies!! ‘i’m going to cry literal tears on my flashcards please study with me!’

someone she was forced to be friend with post-storm. they step on each other’s toes but suck it up for the sake of everyone else

i .. love combining ideas and brainstorming too so!!! we can also do that!!

if you made it this far i’m literally going to cry bc i love you already for reading a rambling like this . aNYWAY !! that’s my esme. feel free to smash the like and i’ll come to you or message me on discord!! 

[architectnews]

"Paris is green with envy" at London's sustainable policies says Sadiq Khan

Paris is "jealous" of London's cycle lanes and is copying London's green initiatives, according to London mayor Sadiq Khan.

Khan, who has been mayor of London since 2016, told Dezeen that he is aiming to make London "the greenest city in the world".

According to Khan, London's Ultra Low Emission Zone, tree-planting initiatives and cycle lanes are "the envy of the world".

Other cities "embracing" London's policies

He believes that other cities, including Paris, where mayor Anne Hidalgo has been making headlines with a raft of sustainable initiatives, are copying his policies.

"It's great to see Anne embracing some of our policies," he told Dezeen. "Anne's doing it on a much smaller scale, which is understandable. We are doing it on a much bigger scale."

"So we're doing lots of things rather than one or two excellent things that Anne's doing," he continued.

"We have the world's first Ultra Low Emission Zone and we're speaking to other cities across the globe, including Paris, about how we did it," Khan said, referring to an area in central London where vehicles with high emissions are charged a daily fee.

In October, the zone is set to be expanded to cover around four million homes.

Hidalgo, who has been mayor of Paris since 2014, has recently announced plans to convert the iconic Champs-Élysées avenue into a pedestrian-friendly public space and plant "urban forests" in four of the city's squares.

"I know Paris is jealous of our safe cycling"

Khan, who spoke to Dezeen at the opening of a brightly coloured zebra crossing designed by Yinka Ilori installed as part of a drive to attract people back into central London, explained that he is implementing a raft of green initiatives in London alongside the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone.

"Put aside for a second the world's first Ultra Low Emission Zone," he said. "We've increased safe cycling fivefold, going from 50 kilometres to now more than 250 kilometres. I know Paris is jealous of our safe cycling."

Sadiq Khan (left and above) recently opened a colourful zebra crossing designed by Yinka Ilori (right)

"We've also managed to make active travel a big part of our policies in relation to walking as well as cycling," he continued. "We have more electric buses than any city in western Europe, including Paris, more rapid charging points than any city in western Europe and more charging points – more than 7,000."

"At the same time, we've planted almost 400,000 trees," he added. "Paris is green with envy."

"I want the city to be the greenest city in the world"

Last year, Hidalgo announced plans to plant 170,000 trees in Paris while by December 2020, London had 300 electric buses and Paris had 259. Both lagged behind Moscow, with 500 electric buses.

In terms of tree planting, Milan eclipses both cities with its Forestami initiative to plant three million trees.

Hidalgo, who is the first female mayor of Paris, introduced a Low Emission Zone in 2015 and is aiming to ban all diesel vehicles from the city from 2024 and petrol vehicles from 2030.

Earlier this month, Hidalgo announced that she will run for the French presidency. Khan was re-elected to a second term as London mayor earlier this year.

"I'm thinking long-term," he said. "One of the challenges we have as politicians is we have a four-year cycle and we like to point to stuff within those two, three, four years that we've delivered. I'm in this for the long term. I want the city to be the greenest city in the world."

"I'm quite clear that we face a climate emergency"

Khan set out his plans to make London a zero-carbon city by 2030 in the London Environment Strategy in 2018, the same year that London declared a climate emergency.

"My initial plans were to get to zero carbon by 2050," he said. "I'm quite clear that we face a climate emergency. So we've adjusted our plans to get to zero carbon by 2030."

As part of this plan, the mayor's office created its 1.5C Compatible Climate Action Plan, which was independently assessed by C40 Cities – a network of international cities that are aiming to address climate change.

"So the 1.5 degrees plan is my piece of work, but I asked others to mark my homework," he said.

"So C40 Cities, which is a global network of cities across the globe, almost 100 cities, they looked at my 1.5 degrees plan and I was the first global city to get their sign off."

C40 Cities is overseeing the Reinventing Cities competition, which will see developments that strive for net-zero carbon built in cities around the world including Paris but not London.

Khan became mayor in 2016 after now prime minister Boris Johnson left the role to become a member of parliament. While mayor, Johnson oversaw the 2012 Olympic Games and was responsible for introducing a public bicycle system and new London buses designed by Thomas Heatherwick.

He also pushed to build a pedestrian Garden Bridge over the Thames, which was also designed by Heatherwick. Soon after becoming mayor, Khan pulled the plug on the bridge, which had become controversial due to cost overruns.

"We are a city that has a responsibility to be a world leader," said Khan. "I'm hoping people in London realise the progress we've made. We are the envy of the world."

Photography courtesy of Sadiq Khan.

The post "Paris is green with envy" at London's sustainable policies says Sadiq Khan appeared first on Dezeen.

[everyshipneedshiscompass]

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir force people to talk about them. Of course, first and foremost because of their skating. Even before they battled for and won the silver medal at the 2008 World Championships, former Canadian figure skater Garossino had tears in his eyes after one of their skates. And legendary trainer Louis Strong praised them long before they won any major medals. But their off ice reputation/relationship has a place in people's talk as well. At competitions, if you'll note, that if you need to get an interview with Virtue and Moir, then you will most definitely receive a smile. Even the face of the tired reporter will brighten up: you'll hear, “They are so amazing” and “Scott, he's something all right.” After a personal interview, Virtue and Moir are a great pair. She is a classy beauty. She'd feel at home in a Jane Austen romance novel, and if she'd have to enter the real world, then she wouldn't even have to change her name. She would definitely be the extraordinary heroine. Moir, simultaneously, brings attention through his refreshing humor and is always sprinkling everyone with jokes. He reminds me of a young Steve Martin who upon an entrance always has a smile on. This interview was taken at the World Championships in Los Angeles, the day after they won the bronze medal after a fierce competition. Backstage at the Staples Center soars the soul of competition, but they look relaxed, even refreshed. He's dressed in a bright turquoise shirt while she's in a popular red coat. You have been skating together since 1997. This is a very long period for ice dance. “Yeahhhhhhh...,” stretched Moir, and Virtue added, “It really is a long time.” But they know that their experiences bring them strength. “You can see the great difficulties of the season that just ended for us,” says Moir, talking about Virtue's injury. “We had many obstacles that we needed to overcome, but we know how to work together excellently. We can pretty much take on anything. This is one of the greatest benefits of our lengthy partnership.” He glanced at Virtue, “And it's also great to have a younger, more mature sister, like Tessa. We're the best of friends and that really makes practice a lot of fun.” It's sweet that you call Tessa your younger, but more mature sister. “She's younger only by age,” added Moir. Virtue smiled. “This is part comfort, that comes with experience, and part trust,” she says. “You have to trust your partner because you're skating – it's only the two of you together. You have to forget about everything else and plunge into the hard work. If we respect each other and trust each other, then that just makes everything a lot easier.” Virtue and Moir are very fortunate to have found each other so early. It was fate that they were both born in London, Ontario, and were paired up in 1997 when he was 9 and she 7. Their rivals, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, can argue with them of the long partnership as they have a similar story. Currently, both pairs train with Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva in Canton, Michigan. “I think they're together just as long as we have been,” says Virtue, of Davis and White. “Me and Chucky grew up together,” says Moir of White. “We've been skating together since Novices.” Can you remember a moment when you were watching figure skating and you got goose bumps? Moir didn't even need time to consider his answer: “The 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Sale and Pelletier's 'Love Story.' It was unquestioningly just that kind of moment,” says Moir. “I was watching it at home on tv, and I swear I said to myself, 'I want to be a figure skater. I want to go through this. I will train and do everything needed. I want to do what they did and inspire the people of Canada just like they did.” Great answer! Moir smiled, “Thank you, I prepared!” Everyone laughed. Virtue added, “I can say that right now, I'm going through a phase where I'm watching Patrick Chan's skating. He reincarnates skating skills. Gosh, I just melt! I just melt when he skates.” Moir agrees, “I think that everyone needs to melt when they see his skating. I'm glad he's not a dancer because he'd lure Tessa in in a second.” Moir's cell phone going off reminds the interviewer that their time is limited. They often give interviews, so that's why they were immediately asked some not very serious questions. What do you always have in your fridge? “Chocolate milk,” Virte immediately answered. Moir thought for a second, “Cheese sticks.” Your fans were waiting to hear “fruits” or “distilled water.” Virtue's eyes widened at the horror and she merely shook her head. Moir said that he always takes Gatorade with him to the rink. If your house were to catch on fire, what would be the one item you'd take with you? “An object?” asks Virtue. “Yes.” “Photo albums.” Moir went into deep thought. “Probably my autographed jersey of Wendell Clark,” he said, referring to the best player of the Toronto Maple Leafs. What's your favorite movie? Oh! That's hard!” said Moir. “It's constantly changing. Right now it's 'Blood Sport.'” This movie with Jean Claude Van Damme, came out when Moir was only a year old. “'Princess Bride,'” answered Virtue, choosing a film from the same period as Moir. What's your favorite song? “Oh, I have so many!” said Scott, turning to Virtue for help. “Which would you say is my favorite song?” Before she got a chance to say anything, he straightened himself on his chair and gave a final answer, “AC/DC. 'Thunderstruck on Back in Black.' Best.” He turned to Virtue who suddenly seemed confused. “Hall and Oates?” she answered with a question. “I knew you'd say that!” exclaimed Scott. Virtue explained her hesitation, “Every time I say that, I get laughed at.” When it finally became apparent that around her were friends, she repeated her answer with more confidence, this time without a questioning tone, “Fine, so 'Hall and Oates.'” “I wanna tell you, you answered so doubtfully,” said Moir. “What kind of person told you: 'Gosh, how terrible!'?” In the same humorous manner, Virtue gave the name of the reporter and added, “She just pounced on me!” And what is your favorite song from Hall and Oates? Moir started singing the chorus to “Private Eyes,” bringing a smile to Virtue's face. “Probably 'Private Eyes,'” she nodded. “You saw them live, right?” asked Moir. “Yes,” confirmed Virtue. “In London. My sister and I took our mom for her birthday. I think we were the only young people who were dancing. What was the last book you read? “I just read The Pillars of the Earth,” said Tessa, referring to the historical piece by Ken Follet.It takes place in the tenth century, and the story revolves around a Cathedral in England. “I'm reading How Tiger Does It by Brad Kearns,” said Moir. This is a motivational book about Tiger Woods that delves into such topics as “How to enter the zone during competitions.” Do you read many motivational books? “Mostly biographies,” says Moir. And what can Tessa Virtue say about her book? “I can't decide,” says Virtue. “I was definitely entertained. I couldn't stop, just kept reading and reading, but at the same time, I didn't really like what the story was about, so that's why I have mixed feelings. But I think that was the joy of the book. I was definitely entertained.” Your first concert? “N'Sync,” answered Virtue. “I think my first concert was Kim Mitchell,” says Moir. “Do you know Kim Mitchell? He's the singer of 'Patio Lanterns.'” This single from 1986 was in Mitchell's later album. “I think this is very Canadian,” added Moir. “It wasn't a big concert. The conversation passed on to Youtube and the availability of music nowadays. What do you search for on Youtube most of the time? “So you think you can dance,” Virute immediately answered. “Sometimes we do a lot of homework online,” said Moir, “we search for music for dances, and there's a lot of it on there.” As dancers, Virtue and Moir have to constantly find new moves and positions for their programs. This becomes harder and harder every year, so they look for inspiration from other phenomenons like “So you think you can dance?” “Gosh, the choreography was just incredible!” exclaims Virtue. Who are your idols in figure skating? “When we were growing up, and transitioning from the junior level to the senior level, we learned a lot from older Canadian figure skaters, such as Jeff Buttle, Patrice Laizon and Marie Franz-Dubreill,” said Moir. “I don't know how to call them correctly: idols or mentors, but they definitely helped me learn to understand what to do in every given situation and when to be myself. These three truly helped us. And Jeff's win at the World Championships last year was just the icing on the cake. We miss him a lot.” Virtue agreed, “Jeff is always so inspiring, he really loves to perform. He's creative and he truly loves figure skating. And the art! I'm glad that we're very good friends.” The conversation went on to the strength of the art in the sport, generally. In the morning, after practice for the free skate, Patrick Chan had an interesting opinion on the other forms of art involved in figure skating. A reporter asked him: if he could change something in figure skating, what would it be? He suggested that the judges approach ballet dancers and artists for scores on the artistic side of the sport. “This makes sense,” says Moir. “I think that many creative and artistic moments are very limited in our sport right now,” says Virtue. “The new system is great in many aspects, but it's just as destructive in this sense, and if we have many ideas and we want to execute them, then they have to be judged by other artists.” “I agree!” says Moir, “Yes!” Transitioning to a more relaxed topic, can you describe any particular dreams you have? “I'm always either being arrested or shot at in my dreams,” says Moir. “I can't answer,” says Virtue. “I don't know if I have any interesting dreams that I remember that wouldn't be horrible or that wouldn't scare people.” Moir continued, “Almost every single one of my dreams ends in me being arrested, no matter where the dream is taking place...” This causes a bit of anxiety. Virtue compassionately nods. All right, we'll go to a much more pleasant topic. What should your ideal night be like? Moir immediately switched gear. “For me, it's just being at home in London, in the backyard, cooking barbecue with my friends and family,” he said. “Yes, this is my favorite thing to do. Our free time is so limited, so when we have the opportunity, we just really like to enjoy moments like that. Yes, my ideal night consists of sitting in the backyard with the light from the setting sun and just spending time with my friends.” “I agree,” said Virtue. “We put all our time into hanging out with friends and family and really enjoying it. But, to be honest, my first thought was dance, so if I'm in a dance class or I'm just dancing, it's like I'm just in my own little world and I just feel really happy...” This kind of vacation must seem really nice after Virtue underwent surgery to both legs. She had chronic exertional compartment syndrome that brought her great pain during practice. Her muscles couldn't expand so the doctors had to cut into her tissue to allow them to do so. She's on the road to recovery, but can still feel discomfort from time to time, which is why she doesn't spend much time in dance clubs. “Sometimes, it's just nice to have a dance night in your PJs,” she states firmly. The return of Virtue and Moir got a great response from Liz Manley at this World Champinoship. “This is just incredible,” she said after their free dance. “Nobody skates with the heart. Watching them really warms your heart.” Manley likes them not only on the ice. “They're just like adorable dolls!” she said. “You can just walk over to them and talk to them easily. They're very down to Earth.” It's time for the last question: What are your best memories on the ice? "I don't think that for me it's anything related to the elements of the skate," says Virtue. "I can't say about a specific moment, but I think we've had many moments when I just stopped and though, 'My God, how good is it all, that I can share this with Scott! How lucky we really are that we're friends and that we have all these opportunities.' He constantly makes me laugh, I think that particularly these moments in practice are the ones I'll always remember, and I'll keep them to myself/treasure them. Not the moments when we receive awards or our performances." Moir nodded. "My favorite moment is related to/associated with the last week before the end of the year (season), before the last competition; the programs are already ready and perfected to the level when you can give it your all and perform the program the way it should be performed. It's just a crazy feeling. You feel this at competitions and it's great, but when it happens at home, then the feeling is special/spectacular. You think, 'This is great!' That is definitely something you want to save and treasure." But many figure skating fanatics predicted different variations of answers: for example, their FD to Umbrellas of Cherbourg at the World Championship in 2008. "That was something really special," confirmed Virtue, "that was really something." "That was amazing," adds Moir. The two wowed the public of Goteburg, taking first place in the free dance with their breath-taking performance under the music of Michael Legran (the composer of UoC). That finally secured their spot on the international arena. "That was something special," says Virtue, "but I think people don't think about the greatness of special moments that happen to us at home, when the program can look even better, and that is an even more special moment, because only the two of us, alone, are experiencing it. After, going and performing the program to the public - this is also huge, but there are a lot more of these moments at home."

[pttracktherapy]

Cheshire Elite Half Marathon

I thought I would type up a bit of a race review on Sunday now that a few days have passed since the event 😊 good lunch time reading!

The Wrexham Elite Marathon was first designed to take place last Autumn, when it was clear that London would be a closed event. The aim was to allow “elite” club runners and other athletes an opportunity to race and not waste the summer months of training. However, with lockdown it didn’t go ahead and a decision was made to move it to April and extend the scope to include a half marathon. Both events had qualifying times to enter. Kelly and I entered the half back in November as something to aim for during the winter months. However, as time went on, we both realised that this was perhaps a much bigger race than we had anticipated and the field was now including international athletes who had been unable to participate in marathons in their own country due to lockdown. Some big names were being thrown into the hat, and when the start lists were released last week we found out that only 19 women were racing the half and we would most definitely be bringing up the rear 😊 This was a bit unnerving as normally we take part in big races but this was a closed event with limited participants and spectators. Another challenge on the day!

We knew a few other people taking part in the marathon, and obviously Matt and Tom had secured their places so it was nice to know we wouldn’t be on our own from the club but I think Tom summed it up nicely on the day that this “was no fun run!”. There was definitely an air of excitement but also of slight tension as runners (mainly men, I think there was only about 60 women in total in a field of 300) started to limber up. We warmed up with Louise from Knowsley and it was nice to see people that we hadn’t seen in a long time due to Covid. Before we made our way to the start, a Mexican/ Spanish lady ran over to me and asked me in broken English what my finish time was expected to be (presumably to help pace someone in the marathon). When I told her my plan she gave me a little smile and ran off to find someone else 😉

The course was a 3.5 mile loop around Pulford. It was due to be held in Wales but with the different lockdown restrictions, it was moved quite late on and renamed the Cheshire Elite Marathon. The Organisers (Michael and Helen) did an amazing job to get everything sorted on the day. The whole thing was very slick, simple but well-rehearsed. I couldn’t fault them at all. Plenty of loos, quick registration, regular timing mats and a live stream. All for £30. A fortnight ago, an athlete called Tash Lewis was tragically killed whilst on a run and had been due to take part in the race. Michael managed to get the medal ribbons changed to incorporate her club colours. Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. I think the running community is such a great thing to be part of.

We were all grouped into pens based on our finish times, the half and full marathon runners together (so a 1:30 half runner would go with a 3:00 marathon runner). We were in the last pen of around 25 females and were last to start. With a loud shout, we were off and the field quickly strung out. By the end of the 3rd mile it pretty much became a solo time trial and it was a matter of when we would be lapped. The road was fairly flat, very rural (lots of hedges and trees) and there was one stretch on the main road that had a few spectators. I managed to get to the 3rd lap and approx. 8.5 miles before the half marathon winner came flying past me. I felt like I was running in treacle because he went past so quick 😊 a few minutes passed and another group came past. I think Matt came past at Mile 10 and it was nice to hear a friendly voice. The half marathon was 3.75 laps of the course and that last 0.75 were really hard. Mentally I just had to keep forcing my legs to keep going and to knock off the mile markers and hope I could hold on. The actual finish line was on the entry to a cul de sac. Michael was there with a medal and a bottle of water. It was probably the most basic finish line I have ever crossed but probably one of the most important. When Kelly and I started reflecting on the race, we were both really pleased that we had put ourselves out there- we were very nervous beforehand but proud we didn’t give up even though it was mentally very tough. 3 athletes obtained Olympic qualification times that morning- 2 females (1 Irish and one from Israel) and the pacer Jake Smith decided to carry on and casually dip under the time in his first marathon!! That was pretty exciting to be part of. We were in awe of the marathon runners, I couldn’t imagine doing another 3 laps so hats off to Matt and Tom for amazing races in what was effectively a solo time trial. Would we do it again? Probably 😉 it was our first experience of an elite competition and it definitely made us stronger.

Basically the message is to not be afraid to put yourself out there and challenge your comfort zone 😊

[newstfionline]

The Case of the Disappearing Athletes

By Isabella Kwai and Jacqueline Williams, NY Times, May 29, 2018

SYDNEY, Australia--The first group of athletes to disappear from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games were weight lifters and boxers from Cameroon.

More athletes from more countries followed, and while much of Australia wondered what was going on, Lamin Tucker knew--because 12 years ago, he had been one of them. After finishing his last race in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, he walked into the city’s streets with nothing but a phone in his pocket.

“They are refugees in danger,” said Mr. Tucker, a former sprinter from Sierra Leone who is now an Australian citizen, referring to the largely African cohort of athletes who went missing after April’s Games in the City of Gold Coast. “These people who came here, who run away, they run away because they want freedom.”

The number of athletes and officials from the recent games who stayed in Australia has now ballooned to roughly 250. For the most part the athletes have gone underground, keeping low profiles to evade attention from the authorities in Australia and their home countries.

A Home Affairs official told a Senate committee last week that the vast majority of the athletes have applied for asylum, and though they have remained silent, their presence has reignited debate about how and when Australia should welcome foreigners fleeing danger.

Here in a country that has been condemned by the United Nations for its offshore detention camps and refusal to accept arrivals by boat--even when escaping war zones--the athletes have become a cause celebre. They are the ultimate competitors or cheats, depending on one’s perspective, who found a way into a place where the government prides itself on keeping people out.

But they are not the first athletes to use the cover of a sporting event to seek asylum.

Those who have followed a similar path say that international competitions have frequently been used as a means of escape from persecution.

Since at least the end of World War II, nearly every Olympic Games has included a rush of athletes seeking asylum in the host country.

“We’ve certainly seen this after other major events,” said Carolyn Graydon, principal solicitor with the human rights law program at the Asylum Seeker Resource Center. She added: “It’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

Indeed, after the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, 82 athletes and officials sought asylum to remain in the United Kingdom. At least 200 Ghanaians who entered Brazil for the World Cup as tourists sought asylum in 2014.

And in this year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, many wondered if North Korean athletes might be tempted to defect, though none have previously done so at an Olympic Games.

Even the lead-up to this year’s Commonwealth Games in Australia was not without incident: the Australia Border Force canceled the visas of several people who were posing as journalists and officials.

But Mr. Tucker, 35, did not come under such false pretenses. As the captain of the Sierra Leone team, he had come to compete.

Now he lives in a block of flats in Sydney, in an apartment scattered with coloring pencils and books for his four children. A scar from an acid burn on his arm is a permanent reminder of why he chose to leave during the Games. In Sierra Leone, after criticizing the government, he said he had been beaten up, thrown in jail and tortured.

He had never planned to stay in Australia, he said. “My passion was to run and represent my country, not to stay and kill my career.”

But a frantic call from his wife as he prepared to compete, warning him their family was in danger and planning to flee to Guinea, made up his mind.

“This was my last option,” he said. “I prefer they put me in jail here than go back to Africa.”

He added that he has spoken to a few of the missing athletes who feel the same way.

The missing athletes are largely from Africa, including Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda and Sierra Leone, according to news reports. About 50 are still here on expired visas.

Ben Lumsdaine, a lawyer at Refugee Advice and Casework Service in Australia, which has been handling some of the cases, said the athletes generally reflect the reality of global need. “In some ways what’s going on is just what happens every day,” he said.

Like many who come on student or visitor visas, foreigners associated with the Games arrived in Australia legally but feared returning home and eventually applied for protection visas. Under international law, it is legal to seek asylum as long as you report yourself to the authorities.

“It’s a little bit strange that they’ve been singled out and so much attention has been directed toward them,” Mr. Lumsdaine said of the missing athletes and the furor that ensued.

Some of the athletes, like Mr. Tucker, faced extraordinary political pressure at home in countries where repressive governments demanded support in order to compete--one of many reasons not to return home.

Other missing athletes are believed to be seeking protection from religious persecution in their home countries, while still more claim their sexual orientation makes them a target of violence.

“People fleeing from persecution will use what means are available to them,” said Ms. Graydon, of the Asylum Seeker Resource Center, which is working with a group of people who arrived in Australia on visas associated with the Commonwealth Games.

“What person would not take an opportunity to take a step to seek legal protection to potentially save their life?”

A few athletes starting over in Australia have continued their careers, with a different loyalty. After successfully seeking asylum in 2006 like Mr. Tucker, Cameroon’s former weight lifters, Francois Etoundi and Simplice Ribouem, now wear Australia’s green and gold.

In this year’s Commonwealth Games, Mr. Etoundi won a bronze medal in weight lifting for Australia, tearing a bicep muscle in the process.

But for others, like Mr. Tucker, who began running at 16, staying in Australia has cost him his athletic career.

“It’s very hard,” he said. “What can I do? At least I’m alive. I’m safe. That’s the most important thing.”

Now, he works part-time at a pub while studying computer science at a local technical college. He also coaches budding track athletes in Sydney, developing the next generation of runners.

At a park on a recent afternoon, his youngest child, Rachael Tucker, 3, seemed to show promise, her tiny red sneakers pounding the pavement.

“She’s going to be the runner,” he said.

[thesteveyates]

‘F’ is for Uffa Fox

‘F’ is for Fairey Atalanta.

Blog time : well, it’s mid April and just going into week 4 of this strange life.  As far as my own boat and sailing life are concerned the boss is keeping a good eye on WABI”’ and has had the hatches open to air the boat out for me.  Obviously i’m not out on the water and not writing any new material based on my own boat.  In blog life all i’m working on are the new posts for this series as all of the posts that i was working on in the spring are now out there.    My own life is probably about to change radically if things work out as i expect they will ; that’s because i’m now back on the temporary/emergency register and it looks as though i might get deployed to the emergency Nightingale hospital in London…that’s obviously going to be the ‘hot’ zone.  If that works out well then i’ll be working on my own next boating project while i’m away and i can take more time over the next designer in this series.

In this post for the design series i’m really just looking at one design from one prolific designer, sailor and all-round total English eccentric ; Uffa Fox.  The boat is the highly unusual and funky looking Fairey Atalanta designed by the late Uffa Fox in 1955 alongside Alan Vines ; an executive of Fairey Marine.  The boat was then mass produced using some radically new building techniques between 1956 and 1968.  Many Atalanta’s still exist today, many have been restored and there is an active owners association.

Right at the start of this post i have to point out that all of the photographs i have used come from other sources and not my own files ; most of them appear on the Atalanta owners association website or found during a general image search.  The title photograph also, is of a very modified deck/coachroof version which i think looks great and very different.

Uffa Fox…..Yachtsman and designer.

I regard the late Uffa Fox as the most important and influential small boat designer ever, at least from the narrow perspective of British designers : i place him above other brilliant designers of small sailing craft like Maurice Griffiths and William Fife for example because he took the design and construction of small craft in completely new directions.    Later on in the design series i hope to be able to show how later designers like David Thomas and  Jack Laurent Giles, and then modern designers like Keith Callaghan all owe a lot to Uffa Fox’s radical new designs.

As i re-read biographies of Uffa Fox he comes across as a brilliantly eccentric man who managed to be both at the centre of a very conservative and traditional yachting community based around Cowes on the IOW , at a time when it was an important ‘Royal’ yachting venue and centre of the English yachting world, and at the same time being a maverick and radical designer.   He was for example closely connected to the British royal family at play, regularly sailing with or crewing for HRH Prince Philip and the young Royals , often in his or their Dragon class racing yachts.

In 1938 Uffa Fox designed the first of several International 14 racing dinghy’s, the most famous of which was ‘Thunder and Lightning’, the radical feature of the new designs being their ability to plane rather than just being displacement hulls. The International 14 class was then, as it is now, a development class and that same boat not only planed downwind in a breeze but could generate a lot more power upwind because of another new device….the trapeze…..instantly banned as being ‘unsporting’ until a few years later. Now of course the International 14 is a double trapeze boat and still very quick even when compared with more modern dinghy designs.

Fairey Marine and the Atalanta.

Fairey Marine Ltd,  was a boat building company based on the River Hamble near to Southampton on the Uk’s south coast.. The company was created in the late 1940s by Sir Charles Richard Fairey and Fairey Aviation‘s managing director, Mr. Chichester-Smith. Both were avid sailing enthusiasts along with Chichester-Smith’s good friend and former Olympic yachtsman, Charles Currey.  Fairey Aviation of course was the company responsible for designing and building wartime aircraft such as the Fairey Swordfish, which, even as an ‘obsolete’ carrier based biplane managed to stick a torpedo up the backside of the Bismark which led to that ship’s eventual sinking only 8 days into her one and only wartime mission !

As the war drew to a close Fairey and Chichester-Smith both decided that they should produce sailing dinghies utilising techniques that had been employed in the construction of aircraft. Charles Currey was recruited to help run the company when he came out of the Royal Navy. The world air speed record holder Peter Twiss joined Fairey Marine Ltd from Fairey Aviation in 1960 and was responsible for development and sales of day-cruisers. In 1969, commanding the Huntsman 707 Fordsport, he took part in the Round Britain Powerboat Race, and included among his crew members, Rally champion Roger Clark. Boats were primarily designed by Alan Burnard.

In the early years, thousands of dinghies were produced by Fairey Marine including the Firefly, Albacore, Falcon (dinghy), Swordfish (dinghy), Jollyboat, Flying Fifteen, 505 and International 14‘s along with the much smaller Dinky and Duckling. Later on in the 1950s they produced the larger sailing cruisers, the Atalanta (named after Sir Richard’s wife), Titania, Fulmar and the 27-foot (8.2 m) Fisherman motor sailer (based on the Fairey Lifeboat hull) along with the 15′ Cinderella (outboard runabout)/ Carefree (inboard runabout), and the 16’6″ Faun (outboard powered family cruiser).

By way of a side-line here, Fairey were using very similar techniques to the ones developed by the De Havilland company which used the extraordinary (for then) concept of building wooden framed and skinned aircraft…and that resulted in the fastest wartime fighter/bomber cum recconaisance plane ; the famous Mosquito.

Fairey Swordfish.

Personal interest.

Many readers will be aware that while i really like my little Hunter Liberty i could really do with a bit more waterline length, more space (volume) , more sailing ‘power’ and while keeping the Liberty’s ability to sail shallow rivers and dry out level at the end of the day.  Some readers will also know, because i wrote several posts, that i did a serious search for a slightly larger and more capable boat and that one group of boats that i found were the post IOR designs of around 25 feet with lifting keels : the Dehler 25, Evolution 25 and Super-Seal 26.

Both of us went to see the Dehler and both almost instantly didn’t like the boat, the Evolution 25 that i had in mind disappeared off the market and i couldn’t afford the larger Parker Super Seal although i think it might have made a good boat.  The boat that really might have worked for me was the again slightly larger Kelt that i photographed in Wareham :

There was however one complete outsider in the mix and that was the much older Fairey Atalanta and one did come up on Ebay at about the same time ; i don’t remember now why i didn’t go and see it because it was only ‘just down the road’…ie about a hundred miles away !.     Going way back, at least 25 years, when i first started thinking about owning my own boat in my post Whitbread race era i was talking to a yacht designer about what i was looking for in a boat and he told me about an Atalanta sitting in the yard somewhere behind Proctor spars place in the Hamble.

I was greatly intrigued so i went and saw the boat and yes, it had a lot of what i wanted and it was just about inside my budget except that it was in poor condition and it smelled very nasty inside…..i’m pretty sure there was some unhealthy wood in that one.  I spent some time working up a budget for the potential rebuild and what i came up against straight away is the huge base cost of having a boat like that in a shed anywhere in the Hamble where covered space seems to be charged out by the square inch !.  On top of that i did some research about repairs to an Atalanta hull and it does seem to be a more specialist job than a ‘normal’ ie carvel, wooden boat.  The reason for that being that the whole hull is hot-glue laminated from Agba veneers in a large oven !.

I liked the basic concept and the actual boat though so i always kept it in mind for ‘maybe one day’ : today i still greatly admire the Atalanta and iv’e since seen some very nicely refitted ones.  The size would still be about right, i could live with the layout , especially by converting the aft cabin to a large double + berth and i still love the funky looking 50’s shape.  Given that these boats were first built in the 1950’s iv’e always fancied having one that was ‘born’ in the same year as me (1958)…..not the most intelligent or logical reason to own a boat but hey ….it’s me we are talking about !

The Atalanta file.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

  Here’s one for sale via the Atalanta owners website .

https://atalantaowners.org/f14-noggin-sale-2/

Funky, Foxy, Fairey. 'F' is for Uffa Fox 'F' is for Fairey Atalanta. Blog time : well, it's mid April and just going into week 4 of this strange life. 

[acambridgegraduate]

Home

This has always been a tricky little topic for me.

Age three, my parents separated. So, I grew up with ‘home home’, my grandmother’s house (where my mum & I lived for years following the split), ‘dad’s home’ – and I also lived at my aunt’s house during the holidays while my mum had to work. In any case, ‘home’ was always a term in flux.

On a wider scale, ‘home’ often refers to where you are from. In my case, this is Birmingham.

I had never known anything different to Birmingham until I started studying at the University of Cambridge. During this time, I saw Cambridge as more my ‘home’ than Birmingham; after all, it was the first place I had ever discovered alone. The winding streets, the bustle of tourists – I found it magical and new and completely and utterly mine.

Alas, this was temporary.

After discovering I was to move to London last summer, there was a moment – you may possibly remember it, I wrote a blog post – where I sat in New Street station (or should I say, ‘Grand Central’) and felt slightly sad to leave Birmingham.

I’m not really sure why. My memories of Birmingham are not usually wholly positive, harking back to a time where an awkward teenager who didn’t quite fit roamed, yet to discover the breadth and the possibilities of the world outside the city she was currently residing in. Nevertheless, in Grand Central last year, I felt a small spark, a flicker, of what I think some people may feel when they think of ‘home’.

I haven’t felt that towards Birmingham since.

Each time I go back to visit Birmingham, there is a change to the city. A new coffee shop or restaurant is created, my usual bus no longer stops by my house – there’s even a new tram system which has been implemented. The city itself is slowly shifting towards a better future, a more streamlined look. It’s fabulous and fantastic – but it’s no longer the Birmingham of my upbringing. I feel with every new building that is built, with every new brick laid and splash of paint applied, the city is slowly shutting me out. I feel alien.

I have changed, the city has changed. We just don’t fit.

Less alien, however, is the once unfamiliar and intimidating life in London. Each day I step onto the Victoria Line with precise regularity. I understand the ins and outs of what you should and shouldn’t do here. I’ve adapted to the late nights, the early mornings, and I’m haphazardly juggling everything accordingly. My 10 months here have absolutely flown by in a whirlwind of tube journeys, brunches, Friday drinks and canal runs.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Central London still seems like an institution. Impenetrable.

But I have found an absolute sanctuary in my edge-of-Zone-2, pokey, £££££££ per month flat in Hackney Wick.

I’m currently writing this post in an #edgy vegan coffee shop and lunch spot called Mother, in Here East, a building which was once used by production/news companies during the Olympics, but which is now formed of empty spaces that are slowly becoming occupied by independent businesses. It’s an ideal spot, overlooking the canal in the sunshine – a people-watcher’s dream. Looking around, I can see a diverse stream of people walking and cycling along the canal today, or sunbathing, or drinking coffee, or having breakfast/lunch. There’s ‘90s music playing. I’m drinking a smoothie that has ‘cacao’ in it. I’m about to go to the gym.

I’ve never felt so free as I do here. I’ve never felt so accepted, even in Cambridge. Perhaps I wholeheartedly fulfil the artsy stereotype of the people who live here - I mean, I am currently wearing my mom jeans, an oversized cotton shirt thrown on over them, typing furiously on my Macbook with my large, taupe glasses on.

But perhaps I feel at home here in Hackney Wick because I’ve realised I don’t even have to try to fit in here, because everything and everyone is just so different. I walk along the canal and see people tending to their boats, some painting them, some watering plants on top of them, some hosting BBQs and drinking cider on them. Each and every life here is different, and it’s liberating. I’ve never felt like this before.

It’s made me want to try new things – for example, I went bouldering a couple of weeks ago with my housemates. Bouldering. It was incredibly fun, but I couldn’t quite get over the fact that I had done that, and enjoyed it. Me.

I feel less scared to be me. To discover new things. To fuck up.  

And perhaps this is what home feels like. Finding a place that allows you to be content in your own skin, your own body, your own mind. Finding a place that allows you to roam free. A place that accepts the fact that you’re a theatre-going, gin-and-elderflower drinking, life-drawing, book-reading, gym-going, (bouldering), stressed, single, account executive who is still figuring herself out and wanting to meet lots of different people with different experiences.

No doubt, I could go all statistical and strategic and say that factors such as age demographic, etc. widely affect attitudes/preferences towards a place. I don’t doubt that in the future, Hackney Wick will no longer feel like home – we are, after all, creatures who are in constant change. But right now, I’m home, and I’m happy.

[sarcastic--fantastic]

Olympics, Music, Broadcasting And A Sense Of British Pride

This will be a bit different from previous posts, but it’s something I’ve wanted to talk about for a while. This is a story set in the Summer of 2012, and focuses on music, animation and technology used by the BBC in their television programming for the London Olympics.

A Mammoth Preparation

(photo courtesy of LOCOG, photographer unknown)

Let me set the scene - it’s a cold wet Winter in the British Isles, preparations are well under way for the Games of the XXX Olympiad and the XIV Paralympics, more commonly known as the London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games happening the following year in July. Venues are having their finishing touches added to them, the London Mayor’s office is planning transport links for the huge surge in visitors, athletes are training in their home countries to get ready for the Games and the BBC are laying out their plans for television and radio coverage. Before anything kicked off, the hype was big enough in the UK that they even made a mockumentary about organising the Games.

I don’t work in media (yet), I certainly don’t work in the BBC but I can have an idea about the huge undertaking that broadcasting the Olympic Games (in the British Broadcasting Corporation’s home country and city) must be. And for 2012, the BBC were going full out; they planned to broadcast all 5000 hours of sport across 27 channels including the red button, Sky, Freeview, Freesat and online.

There’s a lot to prepare like: what programming they’re going to have and what features they want to produce and what filming locations they will be at and which presenters and commentators they want and what additional visual and audio equipment they’ll need and all the hundreds of behind the scenes crew that come with that as well as additional systems they need to set up to facilitate such a large amount of television being sent over the airways. And a big chunk of the BBC’s coverage is live which adds a whole layer of complexities.

I could quite easily nerd-out on the audio-visual and broadcasting technicalities the BBC/OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Services) set up for the 2012 Olympics like suspending the BBC Parliament channel to make room for more sport and how the Games were broadcast in 3D across the world but that’s not the main focus of this post today.

A Song For The Olympics

The BBC isn’t new to this shindig - they’ve broadcast live coverage of every Summer Olympic Games since 1960. A small but significant part of this coverage is a theme tune and a title sequence, and that’s actually what this post is about.

In November 2011, it was announced that Elbow, an English alternative/indie rock band would compose the soundtrack for the BBC’s Olympic coverage. This is on the back of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, in which Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn (the musicians behind the British virtual band Gorillaz) produced music and animation for the opening titles.

"This builds on our recent tradition of using great British contemporary artists to deliver our music, as we did with Damon Albarn in 2008; and we reckon Elbow have a unique combination of credibility - hence their Mercury Prize - with a style that can be enjoyed by people of all ages." - Roger Mosely, BBC's Director of London 2012. [source]

"For our music to be sound-tracking it, there was a big feeling of responsibility but also we're just dead proud to be doing it. And strange as well with none of us really being athletic." - Guy Garvey, lead singer of Elbow. [source]

The BBC asked Elbow to come in and consult on composing the soundtrack. It’s reported they said: “if we asked you to do the Olympic theme, what would you do?” Garvey was told he had been invited along because of Elbow's 2008 single One Day Like This (an epic, anthemic, art-rocky track), which has been used on countless sport montages. Garvey replied: “Well, we can give you something similarly rousing. Something anthemic and bold. And we'd put lots of different parts in it for different parts of the coverage.”

And that is just what they did.

First Steps - Elbow (A.K.A. BBC London 2012 Summer Olympics Theme)

(First Steps cover art courtesy of Elbow and the BBC, artist unknown)

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj3_3vvHDwE

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Elbow-first-steps-lyrics

The track isn’t available on Spotify or officially from Elbow due to it being a commission by the BBC (of which royalties were waived in support for charity). Additionally, it was only released as a digital-download through selected retailers, none of which still seem to be selling it. So unfortunately this YouTube rip is the best quality I could find.

“First Steps” by Elbow is an epic 6 minute 21 second lasting tidal wave of sound that hits you with incredible emotion. The anthem was composed in secret by Elbow in Salford over the 2011-2012 Winter and recorded with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the NovaVox gospel choir in Spring. Although the full version lasts more than six minutes, it was intentionally composed to allow different clips of one or two minutes to be played during montages of winners or losers. Additionally 40, 30 and five second edits along with a title sequence were used throughout the BBC’s London 2012 campaign.

The first bars of it would be aired around the time of the torch relay beginning in May 2012, with the full work revealed near to the Olympic Games opening ceremony. A one-minute edit of the track, accompanied with video sequence (more on that later) was first shown on BBC One during half-time of the UEFA Euro 2012 final on Sunday 1 July 2012. A four-minute edit of the track was premiered on Chris Evans' Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 on Friday 27 July 2012 (the morning of the opening ceremony). It was used in the opening and closing title sequences of BBC Sport’s Olympics coverage on the first and final days of the Olympics as well as throughout the Games.

"It should be just about the most heard piece of music in 2012." - Roger Mosely, BBC's Director of London 2012. [source]

"I've written something called First Steps. The song can be parents looking with pride at their kid walking for the first time, but also those hopes and aspirations - marvelling at what's going on, the human element of it - translates quite well to watching your finest athletes doing their very best." - Guy Garvey, lead singer of Elbow. [source]

It is in my opinion the perfect backdrop to an incredible event and an important time for the country as a whole. It’s so jaw-droppingly powerful and inspiring, it gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it and I have to commend everyone who worked on the track for such an accomplishment of music. Furthermore, Elbow are such nice chaps that they even waived all fees and royalites from digital downloads of the track in support of Children In Need (a BBC charity and annual fundraising telethon).

But this is only half the story, as while the music is incredible and served as brilliant theme/incidental/identity music for BBC Sport throughout their Olympic coverage - they still needed a title sequence.

Stadium UK - Red Bee Media (A.K.A. BBC London 2012 Summer Olympics Title Sequence)

(BBC Olympics 2012 wallpaper courtesy of BBC Sport, artist unknown)

Full Sequence (YouTube rip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cVrjFlt4hI

Shortened Trailer (original quality): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ViLiXA0E70

“Stadium UK”, named for the concept (seen in the sequence) of a giant stadium encircling the UK with athletes preparing and competing in a variety of landscapes, was devised by creative agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe Y&R. The animation was created by Passion Pictures and it was produced by Red Bee Media in conjunction with the BBC and Elbow.

The anthemic composition and the accompanying visuals were intended to sum up the achievement of reaching the Olympics, the emotions of those who win and those who do not, and the coming together of the whole country to support the event. The title was inspired by a child of one of the band members of Elbow learning to walk during the composition of the song, symbolising the hope and achievement of the moment.

As previously mentioned, this “trailer for the Olympics” was first shown during the Euro 2012 final and many more times leading up to the Opening Ceremony. It’s hard to get across the collective hype that was being experienced in Britain before the start of the London Olympics, because for a lot of people it would be a once in a lifetime event that simply couldn’t be missed. Olympic fever was really was everywhere you went. In the news, on signposts, in casual workplace conversation, on banners in pubs. To be fair though, us Brits love a big ol’ national celebration, we’d done the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee just a month prior.

“Across the 17 days of the Games, some 24 million viewers watched at least 15 minutes of our Red Button service - and what was particularly gratifying is that all the different sports proved to be a draw for the audience, with each of those 24 'channels' receiving at least 100,000 viewers at some point.” -  Ben Gallop, BBC Sport Editor. [source]

I can say with some degree of certainty that this Summer in 2012 was one of the biggest, and uncharacteristically, happiest moments for the country in many years. Many people were still reeling from the 2008 recession, the coalition government was struggling to co-operate following the 2010 general election and resulting hung-parliament and just a year ago many major English towns were something akin to a war-zone during the 2011 riots. The Olympics were a distraction, and the relative importance of sporting contests can be argued, but what can’t be is how much of a mood-lifter it was for much of the population. This title sequence got people excited - it had a major impact as it showcased the best of Britain. It not only reminded people that some of our own athletes are some of the best in the whole world, but that the upcoming Games would be a chance to show the world all of the wonderful, impressive and sometimes strange things about the United Kingdom. And that was something to look forward to.

A Legacy For Decades

(Ellie Simmonds’ golden postbox photo courtsey of Express and Star news)

The impact of the 2012 Olympics continues to this day, mainly in the form of sport centres with signs that say “home of the 2012 Olympic [sport] events” and golden postboxes on the sides of streets emblazoned with the names of winning athletes. The BBC have long since scaled back their broadcasting following the conclusion of the Games although due to the huge and somewhat slightly unexpected huge popularity of their coverage, many features of those Games’ coverage that were being trialled for the first time were implemented in wider usage must faster than they would have been without the Games. Notably; Twitter and social media interaction, live-blogs on the BBC Sport website and additional Red Button live broadcasting, which has been re-used for basically every Wimbledon tennis tournament since.

Elbow’s music hasn’t been entirely forgotten either (I hope this post proves that). I heard it recently during the BBC’s coverage of the annual London Marathon, they’re certainly getting mileage out of it. And why not re-use it for future sporting events, the track’s emotion and feeling is just as applicable to something like the London Marathon as it is to the Olympics. Not mentioned up until now but there was actually an official song for the London 2012 Olympic Games called “Survival”, by another English rock band: Muse. It does deserve a very honourable mention as Muse are a great band and it’s a brilliant song, but it’s very different in style and I would argue is not what people think of when you ask the question “what was the music for the 2012 Olympics?”. There were also two soundtrack albums for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but these are mainly live cover performances from those ceremonies.

To conclude, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were incredible, and I get rather patriotic when talking about them. Bar a few controversies it was largely a huge success. Millions of people who were not able to attend events in person were able to be part of the action thanks to the impeccable British Broadcasting Corporation. Fantastic programming and coverage, great features and analysis and one stellar title sequence and music track. We all know the on-screen presenters but I don’t think the behind-the-scenes crew get nearly enough praise - so personally I would like to say thank you to those hundreds upon hundreds of people who worked thankless tasks so people like me could be a part of one of the greatest events this country’s ever hosted. And thanks to Elbow, for a work of musical genius, that continues to inspire and send chills down the spine of every hopeful athlete or just plain old regular person to this day.

Further Reading

A couple more things to mention before I close out this mammoth of a blog post (not many I promise). The BBC and Elbow produced a 10-minute behind the scenes video outlining the process of creating “First Steps”, which I highly recommend watching.

BBC Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-18960004/london-2012-how-bbc-olympics-theme-tune-first-steps-was-made

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5WfsWF4dfE

Additionally I do recommend this short VT featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, which was used to open BBC Sport’s Olympic coverage. He quite succinctly sums up many of my feelings towards the Games.

RadioTimes has a very lengthy article where they talk to Guy Harvey about First Steps and his Olympic thoughts, which you can read here.

BBC Sport Editor, Ben Gallop talks in-depth about the preparation and technology of broadcasting the Olympic Games in a blog post, which you can read here.

BBC Director Of London 2012, Roger Mosely, lists in detail the staggering TV output and staffing amounts for the summer Games in a blog post, which you can read here.

You may also want to the read the Wikipedia articles for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games for more information than just the broadcasting and BBC music I’ve talked about here.

Final note, I’ve only talked about the BBC’s Olympic broadcasting in this post. In the UK, Channel 4 (that’s the name of the organisation) have held the rights to Paralympic Games broadcasting for however many years and had their own idents and music.

Finally, if you did make it through to the end, thank you very much for reading. This took several days to put together and a lot of research (very easy to start going down rabbit holes), so I hope you learnt something and liked what I wrote. Comments appreciated. 

See you soon :).

[monstrousthingsrp]

Time Period Quick Reference:

Courtesy the lovely Erin (@incre-et-painture) we now have a handy-dandy little reference to help us all “flow with the times” without having to struggle between either spending precious time researching or winging it and hoping for the best! She actually lived in England during the period in which our game is set, so if you have additional questions about the setting she’ll be happy to help you out--

Although keep in mind that this is an alternate universe. As such, specific individual facts and historical events may be different. So don’t worry about getting bogged-down in the details; after all, this is a world in which The Cold War was replaced by The Worldwide Witchunt Wars. There probably was no Cuban Missile Crisis; there may not have even been a Space Race! We’ve left particular historical details vague enough that we can tailor them to suit whatever plot-points we all decide to develop.

So just as with the timeline, view the following as a reference guideline, not a checklist to obey!

Technology:

This is probably the most important one for us, as unlike most Potterverse games we’re actually playing in a world where your character very well might have access to the sort of technology that we take for granted in our current lives -- albeit several generations older than what we’ve got on hand now!

Most computers operate using ethernet cords to connect to the internet, laptops weigh an extremely portable 52 pounds, basically, and camera phones are cutting edge technology. The pictures taken with them are notoriously grainy at this stage and definitely not the crystal clear video we’re used to.

Most mobile phones operate on a “top up” method where you pay for minutes. They’re called track phones in the U.K. Also, most people are paying per text message sent, but it’s still a popular method of communication. You can top up your minutes in most convenience stores and by calling into your provider’s number. There aren’t any smartphones, apps, and other things like that. Public payphones still exist, although they are fading out by this point.

Travel is done by taxi, bus, and tube. Lyft and Uber do not exist. Londoners love the Tube and definitely travel that way frequently. For frequent travelers, Oyster cards are refillable cards that are similar to the Metro cards we use in the US. In fact, 2004 was the first year that Oyster cards existed. They can also be used on the bus and train, but not on taxis.

Please also remember that trains are a popular method of travel for Europeans. They’re also very reliable and a great way to get around. (As for whether people would be comfortable sharing a carriage with someone who’s got stars by their eyes, well...)

Pop Culture: Sport

As much as it breaks my heart, Manchester United won the FA cup in 2004. (Mod Note: her Erin, maybe in this messed-up world West Ham isn’t a total lost cause? I mean, sport doesn’t have to have happened the same as it did in reality, and we’ve got so many crazy things going on here already -- wealthy Weasleys, werewolf-friendly Blacks, a living Regulus...stranger things could happen, right?)

For those of you interested in talking football, here are the league tables for that season. Please keep in mind that different teams are in different leagues so, if your character follows a team, make sure you know who they play. :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_Football_League

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_FA_Premier_League

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_Football_League_Championship

Pop Culture: Telly

The Television lineup in Britain in real 2004-2005 contained the shows:

Little Britain

Spooks

Eastenders

Still Game

Dr. Who (the new series had just started, but the reruns were still extremely popular and well-loved by a majority of British people)

Casualty

The Doctors

Holby City

River City

Blue Peter

Strictly Come Dancing

And news is broadcast on the BBC News

For a comprehensive list, please see this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_programmes_broadcast_by_the_BBC

Please pay attention to the years listed for each program to make sure that it’s applicable...and feel free to make up shows of your own that might exist in this reality! Just keep in mind that TV in England was a much smaller, lower-budget, more contained entity than the overwhelming glut of channels going on in America.

Pop Culture: Music

This will be a painful trip for some of us. After all, I think we’d probably all rather forget that Kelis ever proclaimed that her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard. However, it’s a sad fact that she did, and this is the time when it happened!

Now again, we are living in an alternate reality here, so feel free to make up other songs and singers and groups -- both mundane and magical; maybe the Weird Sisters and Celestina Warbeck don’t exist here (and maybe they do) but there are surely still some magical musicians (maybe some taking advantage of the “dangerous” aura their magic grants them, while others might try and downplay it) so please, let your imaginations run wild! Maybe this Brittany Spears never sang Toxic but rather Cursed...maybe this Goldie Lookin Chain wrote Wands Don’t Kill People, Rappers Do. Who knows, have fun! The following list is for reference so that you know what kind of music and what kind of bands (probably) exist in this world and this time. And, maybe, to give you all a trip -- pleasant or otherwise -- down nostalgia lane. Enjoy!

Here are the Top 100 Songs of 2004 in the UK:

01 Eamon ~ F**k It (I Don't Want You Back)

02 Eric Prydz ~ Call On Me

03 Anastacia ~ Left Outside Alone

04 DJ Casper ~ Cha Cha Slide

05 Usher featuring Lil' Jon & Ludacris ~ Yeah!

06 Frankee ~ FURB (F U Right Back)

07 Kelis ~ Milkshake

08 Mario Winans featuring Enya & P Diddy ~ I Don't Wanna Know

09 3 Of A Kind ~ Baby Cakes

10 Michelle McManus ~ All This Time

11 Britney Spears ~ Everytime

12 Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules ~ Mad World

13 Destiny's Child ~ Lose My Breath

14 The Shapeshifters ~ Lola's Theme

15 Outkast ~ Hey Ya!

16 LMC vs U2 ~ Take Me To The Clouds Above

17 O-Zone ~ Dragostea Din Tei

18 The Streets ~ Dry Your Eyes

19 Busted ~ Thunderbirds / 3AM

20 Usher ~ Burn

21 Britney Spears ~ Toxic

22 Natasha Bedingfield ~ These Words

23 Ozzy & Kelly Osbourne ~ Changes

24 Boogie Pimps ~ Somebody To Love

25 Kelis ~ Trick Me

26 The Rasmus ~ In The Shadows

27 Band Aid 20 ~ Do They Know It's Christmas?

28 Nelly ~ My Place / Flap Your Wings

29 D12 ~ My Band

30 McFly ~ 5 Colours In Her Hair

31 Girls Aloud ~ I'll Stand By You

32 Cassidy featuring R Kelly ~ Hotel

33 Jamelia ~ Thank You

34 Peter Andre ~ Mysterious Girl

35 Maroon 5 ~ This Love

36 Eminem ~ Just Lose It

37 Rachel Stevens ~ Some Girls

38 Khia ~ My Neck My Back (Lick It)

39 Christina Milian ~ Dip It Low

40 McFly ~ Obviously

41 JoJo ~ Leave (Get Out)

42 Deep Dish ~ Flashdance

43 Lemar ~ If There's Any Justice

44 J-Kwon ~ Tipsy

45 Will Young ~ Leave Right Now

46 Sean Paul featuring Sasha ~ I'm Still In Love With You

47 Brian McFadden ~ Real To Me

48 Girls Aloud ~ Love Machine

49 Katie Melua ~ The Closest Thing To Crazy

50 2Play featuring Raghav & Jucxi ~ So Confused

51 Twista ~ Sunshine

52 Sam & Mark ~ With A Little Help From My Friends / Measure Of A Man

53 Robbie Williams ~ Radio

54 Blue ~ Breathe Easy

55 The Black Eyed Peas ~ Shut Up

56 Twista ~ Slow Jamz

57 Busted ~ Who's David

58 Ice Cube featuring Mack 10 & Ms Toi ~ You Can Do It

59 U2 ~ Vertigo

60 Girls Aloud ~ The Show

61 N*E*R*D ~ She Wants To Move

62 Christina Aguilera featuring Missy Elliott ~ Car Wash

63 Nina Sky ~ Move Ya Body

64 Anastacia ~ Sick And Tired

65 Maroon 5 ~ She Will Be Loved

66 Ja Rule featuring R Kelly & Ashanti ~ Wonderful

67 Goldie Lookin Chain ~ Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do

68 The 411 ~ Dumb

69 Usher ~ Confessions Part II / My Boo

70 Special D ~ Come With Me

71 Kelis featuring Andre 3000 ~ Millionaire

72 Keane ~ Somewhere Only We Know

73 Duncan James & Keedie ~ I Believe My Heart

74 Jamelia ~ See It In A Boy's Eyes

75 Natasha Bedingfield ~ Single

76 The 411 featuring Ghostface Killah ~ On My Knees

77 Franz Ferdinand ~ Take Me Out

78 Gwen Stefani ~ What You Waiting For?

79 Basement Jaxx featuring Lisa Kekaula ~ Good Luck

80 George Michael ~ Amazing

81 D12 ~ How Come

82 Kylie Minogue ~ I Believe In You

83 4-4-2 ~ Come On England

84 Jay Sean featuring The Rishi Rich Project ~ Eyes On You

85 Avril Lavigne ~ My Happy Ending

86 Rachel Stevens ~ More More More

87 Enrique featuring Kelis ~ Not In Love

88 Ultrabeat ~ Feelin' Fine

89 Jennifer Lopez ~ Baby I Love U

90 Green Day ~ American Idiot

91 The Streets ~ Fit But You Know It

92 Sugababes ~ Too Lost In You

93 Victoria Beckham ~ This Groove / Let Your Head Go

94 Ronan Keating ~ She Believes (In Me)

95 Shaznay Lewis ~ Never Felt Like This Before

96 Britney Spears ~ My Prerogative

97 Ashlee Simpson ~ Pieces Of Me

98 Busted ~ Air Hostess

99 Outkast featuring Sleepy Brown ~ The Way You Move

100 The Black Eyed Peas ~ Hey Mama

For the rest of 2004 in music in the real world, please go to this wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_in_British_music_charts

Random Stuff:

Since the standard closing time for a pub is 11 PM, that’s when “Needles” closes. There are after-hours nightclubs, and people probably go to them, but Needles does its last call at 10:45.

Prostitution is not illegal in Britain, but running a brothel is. Basically, a person can sell themselves, but you can’t sell other people. (I just feel like this is useful information.)

Gun Control Laws had banned both automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Rifles were still allowed for those with hunting permits.

Courtesy Millie @theinvisibleboi: 2004 is also the year Facebook launched (although at that point it would have still been restricted to school e-mail accounts) and the Olympics were held in Athens, in case anyone wanted to feel old! (Probably wix would not be allowed to compete...but if anyone wants to create some kind of controversial Olympics history or event for this world, or otherwise alter history to conform to to AU, please feel free!)

Again, please use this wonderful collection of data that Erin has so helpfully provided us with for as general reference, not uncompromising and stone-set facts that you must know, utilize, and memorize! None of us are expert historians and unless you do something really obvious like reference an iPhone or One Direction, we aren’t going to call you out on it -- especially when an “error” might just be a difference between this world and our own. This is just to help you get in the “vibe” of the time period, not information that you’ll be tested on later. So don’t panic, stay loose, and feel free to get creative!

Thanks once more to Erin for putting this together for all of us, and remember that if you have questions about anything else regarding England in 2005, please feel free to message her and she’ll help out as best she can!

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/business/cricket-world-cup-is-about-participation-not-profit/

Cricket World Cup is about 'participation not profit'

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Indian cricket star Virat Koli (blue) is one of the big names taking part in the World Cup

Twenty years ago Steve Elworthy was part of a talented South African cricket team that crashed out of a World Cup semi-final in the most dramatic fashion possible.

As the game reached its climax, the team known as The Proteas needed just one run from four balls to reach the tournament final against Pakistan at Lord’s.

But, on the verge of glory, batsmen Lance Klusener and Allan Donald contrived to get the latter run out in a shambolically exciting end to the game.

Two decades on, 54-year-old Elworthy is now the person in charge of staging this year’s International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in England and Wales.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption South Africa’s Steve Elworthy (green) is run out in the 1999 World Cup semi-final

And with 50 days until the tournament begins, he says he would welcome such memorable drama at this year’s event, even though the pain of that game at Edgbaston, Birmingham, still remains.

“I can still remember it as though it was yesterday,” he says. “I was in the changing room, in my pads, having been run out myself not long before, when I saw it all unfold on a TV in the changing rooms.

Image caption Former cricketer Steve Elworthy is now an experienced sporting administrator

“The whole thing happened in slow motion. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.

“The changing room was deadly afterwards. There was complete silence for 30 to 40 minutes before we started to gather ourselves. Yet we still got a hero’s welcome when we returned to South Africa, despite what had happened.”

Global TV deals

While the drama, and climactic endings, of one-day cricket remains – just look at the 2017 Women’s World Cup final that England won by just nine runs – much has changed in the wider world since the 1999 men’s tournament.

Elworthy has now organised half a dozen global cricketing events for the ICC, and is putting the finishing touches to this year’s World Cup. Lasting for six weeks, it will feature stars such as India’s Virat Koli, England’s Joe Root, and the West Indies’ Chris Gayle.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption The Cricket World Cup trophy has been on a global tour to increase awareness of the event

And while this year’s event may not make money, Elworthy, says that – given the publicity that will come from wide-ranging global TV deals and over-subscribed ticket sales – making a profit is not the over-riding objective.

Rather it is about ensuring cricket remains on the 21st Century sporting and leisure map, at a time when football dominates the back pages, and the power of digital communications means there are competing attractions for people’s free time.

“This will be my sixth ICC tournament,” says Elworthy, managing director of the 2019 World Cup. “They have tended to be short-sharp tournaments with not a lot of legacy, which is something we want to address this year.”

He heads up a team of 100 people, based at Lord’s Cricket Ground, working to deliver the ICC’s global event on behalf of the hosts, the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Getting more children to play cricket is a top priority

“When we started to plan for this year back in 2014 we realised there was an opportunity for this Cricket World Cup to get more people to play the game,” he says.

“That became the priority for the event hosts, the ECB, and tournament organisers, the ICC. Clearly there are financial benefits, although it is not our priority,” he points out.

Sharing the spoils

He says the event will have a global TV audience of 1.5 billion viewers. There have also been more than three million applicants for just over 650,000 tickets.

The ICC keeps broadcast and sponsor revenues, and the ECB keeps publications and ticket revenues – but has pledged to put the money back into the game – to schools and clubs, and into the tournament itself. Meanwhile, the match venues keep hospitality, food, drink, and car parking revenues.

The match venues can use that cash to update facilities, such as investing in changing rooms and new floodlights.

Image copyright CWC19

Image caption World Cup ticket numbers have been vastly oversubscribed

“We want to engage one million under-16s through the Cricket World Cup,” says Elworthy. “It is a hugely ambitious number. We want to really stretch the ICC and ECB to achieve that number.

“We want to get 100,000 young people to watch a World Cup game, and have priced tickets for them at £6 a time.

“That for me is the main legacy… how to engage with new cricket audiences, and get people to play the games in schools and elsewhere, as well as to watch it.”

A volunteer programme, along the lines of that successfully used in London 2012 Olympics and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, was heavily oversubscribed.

The World Cup will also be used to publicise the ECB’s All Stars Cricket programme, aimed at giving children aged five to eight a first experience in cricket.

‘Fantastic format’

There has been much debate around the tournament format, which instead of a number of groups, features one large group, with each of the 10 teams playing each other once, before two semi finals and a final.

“The 1992 World Cup, where there was a round-robin format, was heralded as one of the better ones,” says Elworthy.

“I think all-playing-all is the best format. Every supporter knows where their team is going to play and when. If you have different pools you have uncertainty and fans buying tickets ‘on spec’ for future games they might not qualify for. The round-robin format has been terrific for us in terms of ticket sales.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption Australia are the reigning World Cup champions after defeating New Zealand in 2015

“Every team is guaranteed nine games. You could have a bad result and your prospects change, and suddenly you have to perform to get into the top four and a semi-final place. Or you could have a good few result, and the semi-final is a possibility again.”

‘Upsets and dramas’

With such a demand for tickets and only a finite amount available, that plays into the hands of touts.

“We are doing what we can about it within the confines of the law,” says Elworthy. “We are very pro-active in this areas. We have our own ticket resale platform in place.”

He said if organisers were able to identify the seat row and number of tickets appearing on non-sanctioned secondary websites, then they would cancel them.

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption England and South Africa open the 2019 World Cup at the Oval on 30 May

“There is a very real danger you will not be able to get into games,” he warns. “We priced tickets at a certain level for a reason, with the lowest price being £16. We want the tournament to be accessible.

“We want to attract families, with fan zones and lots of interactive and participatory events around games.”

Looking back to 1999 does he believe there will be anything to compare to that semi final, when South Africa and Australia actually tied the match, but the latter went through after finishing higher in their earlier Super Six table?

“There are bound to be upsets and drama,” he says. “The different playing conditions from the north to the south of the country will play a part too.”

[egan19680416-blog]

Wholesale nfl jerseys Between filming the two seasons

Exe 2005 02 17 00 11 49152 How to Make Samsung NX300 Audition Camera Rinse 1. Samsung Looking 3 Duos carcinomas free download As far as accurate roms go, gotta have them get now. Forever, they will all be super a Surface RT. Many were held on Spike island in Cork's lower harbour. They were sold in the slave 'markets' to plantation owners for sugar, Cheap Jerseys china which was highly prized for the middle classes of England and Western Europe. This was political policy and documented at the time from debates in Westminster parliament.

cheap nfl jerseys In now days you will find belt and chain garage doors with digital display and easy programming. A remote code scrolling technology is employed, and the repetition code with a probability of one in a million. Smooth starts and stops, high performance, noise free.  cheap nfl jerseys

wholesale jerseys from china Freight An Introduction To The Basic Principles The world of freight and shipping is an exciting and very broad field of activity. Usually weighing less than https://www.cheapnfljerseyscom.com a few pounds they almost always get delivered in the carriers packaging. Weighing less than 50KgWholesale Jerseys, and with no single item over 35Kg.  wholesale jerseys from china

1. Polar Loop Fitness Tracker: This technology gadget news is sure to catch the attention of health conscious people. The gadget which has developed by Polar is a smart bracelet shaped device worn around the wrist that enables users to monitor five different levels of activities in an accurate manner.

cheap jerseys Often, people put their abs workout at the end of a cardio session. Your gas may be a result of this exercise you did prior to the abs work, not the abs work itself. People particularly prone to such effects are distance runners and, to a lesser extent, Cheap Jerseys free shipping distance cyclists and triathletes..  cheap jerseys

wholesale nfl jerseys from china NOTES: Villanova and Seton Hall wore special MLK patches on their jerseys in memory of Martin Luther King Jr. Seton Hall has never defeated a No. 1D Preference 7: How he Asks You to PromHarry: You and Harry are High school sweethearts. You two have been together since freshman year! Now that both of you are seniors, you can go to prom! What every girl has been waiting for her whole life. Now, Harry doesn want to just simply ask you to prom, he wants to do it in a way that you remember! One day, he sends you a text saying, love, meet me at the park? by our bench.  wholesale nfl jerseys from china

"It a simple mental thing to be at your best and not be compared because certain people have certain qualities, https://www.cheapjerseyssalechina.com certain physical attributes that help them to be better fielders. Keeping that in mind, they have to develop their fielding skills. It is not fair to compare two different fielders.

wholesale nfl jerseys from china He was president of the magazine division of Cahners Publishing Co., based in Boston. He also served as moderator, deacon and trustee for Little Home Church by the Wayside. He was president of the Wayne Community Association; president of the Dunham Woods Riding Club in Wayne; a member of the Chicago Golf Club, University Club of Chicago and the Arts Club; and a member of the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla.  wholesale nfl jerseys from china

wholesale nfl jerseys Between filming the two seasons, Rea returned to his casting company, Fly Casting, and Sutherland did a theatre tour around Australia. Both actors say they experienced only positive feedback after the show screened on Prime. "The cool thing about the genre of the show, I think, is that it does have a really broad appeal age wise," Sutherland says.  wholesale nfl jerseys

Cheap Jerseys from china However, it's interesting that I never hear anyone say Colorado "Baseball" Rockies or St. Louis "Baseball" Cardinals, for example. There was once an NHL franchise called the Colorado Rockies and an NFL franchise called the St. Two bobble heads of Gov. Larry Hogan have been designed one depicting the governor with hair and one without hair and it will be up to Bowie Baysox fans to choose wholesale jerseys which one they like better. The first 1,000 fans ages 18 and older through the main stadium gates July 24 will get their pick of the two bobble heads.  Cheap Jerseys from china

Cheap Jerseys from china So, this whole week I decided to step out of my comfort zone and to go out and do things like the autism walk so I could really clarify myself again. Another tough thing was I told my father I loved him. Last time I did that was 20 years ago. (James P. McCoy/ Buffalo News)55 Crosspoint Parkway, AmherstAmherst Pizza Ale House at 55 Crosspoint Parkway in Getzville is a popular spot to watch the Bills game. They have 15 TVs and show every game that is playing for the day.  Cheap Jerseys from china

wholesale jerseys from china Russian news agency Tass last month cited investigators as saying they not received any complaints about the persecution of sexual minorities in Chechnya. A second activist taking part in Monday march said it was too dangerous for gays in Chechnya, and their families, to speak out about their abuse. "It is hard for them to say I am Chechen and I am persecuted in Chechnya because they have relatives there.  wholesale jerseys from china

Cheap Jerseys china Call them boys says Ingibjorg Bergos Johannesdottir, an executive board member of the National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland, https://www.cheapnfljerseys2014.com while cheering wildly for the team in London. They are not doing very good, they are just boys.' She stressed, five times, that she was just kidding about that. 10 year old here can tell you all the names of the players on the national team, says Sigudur Thorolfsson, news editor for 365 Media, an Icelandic newspaper publisher and television network Cheap Jerseys china.

[newsnigeria]

Check out New Post published on Ọmọ Oòduà

New Post has been published on http://ooduarere.com/news-from-nigeria/world-news/war-gaming-the-persian-gulf-conflict/

War Gaming the Persian Gulf Conflict: Have you forgotten that you provided adult diapers for your soldiers in tanks, Iranian General replies Trump

By Blake Archer Williams for Ooduarere via The Saker Blog

Greetings from Tehran, the “Capital of the free world” (E. Michael Jones).

A few days ago, Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst, had a brief post on Colonel Patrick Lang’s weblog, Sic Semper Tyrannis. Here’s the link:

https://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2019/07/will-donald-trump-kill-his-presidency-over-iran-by-larry-c-johnson.html#comments

He gave four possible options, and invited the commenters to add others of their own. The whole post and the comments which followed were absolutely pathetic in terms of the depth of analysis, including this mind-blowing comment by the Turcopolier himself: “The strait would not stay closed long, but there would be considerable economic damage while it is.”

I mean, are these people nuts?? Let me put it this way:

The [sand] niggers have burned down the plantation, OK? The plantation is no more. It is an ex-Plantation.

And the niggers have built their own supersonic Noor ground to sea and ground to ground missiles; we have built ballistic missiles with ranges of up to 2000 km and winged cruise missiles with a range of 2500, all with high precision (low CEP) impacts. Our latest generation of drones are on the leading edge of the technology. Trust me. (We are always in the 90+ percentile if not actually winning the medals in the Olympics for mathematics, physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, information technology, etc.) If the first ballistic missile or Noor cruise missile fails to take out the control tower of the Abraham Lincoln (and fail they won’t), we will use the multiple warhead option on the ballistic missiles, and “carpet bomb” the runway so that it will be useless. Just a rubber duck sitting in our pond, with its 5,000+ sailors constantly under fire until they raise the white flag of surrender and wait to be taken hostage.

The niggers have exercised strategic patience for a very long time (four decades). It would be nice to have a few more years just to be sure, but we are ready. We are thirsting for relief from the false new worldly order (novus ordo seclorum falsus) as declared in the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican in 1965 and in the Centesimus Annus encyclical issued by Pope John Paul II in 1991, which emphasized the surrender to usury (“capitalism, properly understood”).

Let us game this. Trumpf is talking about the use of nuclear weapons. He is itching for it. But only after he gets re-elected. What are Iran’s options? The Iranian “Samson Option” is simple: Fire a few Noor missiles at the deep-water supertanker docking ports of Ra’s Tanura (Saudi Arabia), Fujairah, and Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, “the largest man-made deep-water harbor in the world that is also the U.S. Navy’s busiest port of call outside of America.” It would take at least six months to rebuild the ruins, IF the sand-niggers allow the reconstruction to take place, during which time no supertankers will be able to dock anywhere in the Persian Gulf to fill their huge bellies with that yummy crude. What that would do to the world economy, you would have to ask my friend, Pepe Escobar, who knows a thing or two about derivatives and over-extension more generally. What is Trumpf going to do now that he has crashed Wall Street worse than 1929? I.e. the final crash which Pax Americana (as wagged by the Pax Judaica tail, of course) will not recover from. I.e. finally putting the Crash of September 2008 precipitated by the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy out of its misery. Take a dive from the top of Trumpf Tower, that’s what. The American equivalent of Seppuku, not having the “guts” for the real thing, or not being able to “make the cut” – you decide.

The pathetic talk on Sic Semper Tyrannis is that we would be able to hit some of the Saudi oil and tank infrastructure. For example, one of the commenters (Jack) says, “The real question is how badly could they damage Gulf oil production infrastructure and how long would it take to rebuild?” Why would we want to destroy what is [ultimately] ours?? Why not provide machine guns to the 2 million oppressed Shi’a in Qatif; you know, the niggers who run the Ra’s Tanura refinery and port… Roll in a couple of armored Divisions, given them the Uzi and Kalashnikov high copies (and maybe some magic Houthi sandals with which to wage war), and leave the tanks there for them to defend Qatīf with. (We would have their backs on the Persian Gulf side). Why not take as many of the 10,000 soldiers at the un-defendable Bagram base in Afghanistan hostage, as well as the 5,000 or so sailors of the Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain? (With the fall of Qatīf, Bahrain would also fall back into Iranian suzerainty.) Why not bomb the control centers and runways of all the airfields the US would want to use to take out our radar installations out in the first few weeks (so that they can then send in their Depends™ -wearing pilots to take out our nuclear sites). And for what? Like that is going to achieve anything other than bring about further national unity and cohesion. But like I said, there would be no “few weeks” once Iran implements the first three days of its gameplan.

Why not take out Dimona and the Haifa Port Chemical Terminal and the Ben-Gurion Airport control tower? Why not make Israel a no-fly zone, so that the dual passport holders can make their way back to Europe and New York, which is where they came from in the first place? Not for the military aircraft, but for commercial aircraft: Anything taking off or landing in Ben-Gurion will be shot down by domestic analogues of the S-300’s; you know, the same good fireworks brought to you by the same folk who destroyed the so-called “stealth” Triton drone at four o’clock in the morning. (Help me out here… we’re just gaming this, ok?). And as for the Persian Gulf (not “the Gulf”, stupid); someone rightly characterized it as the Hotel California for whatever martial vessel which dares enter it. And for those who are not old enough to know: “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

So these are the options as we see them. First the Emirates (half of whose keffiyeh wearing “sheiks” are ethnically Iranian and Persian speaking anyway), and Qatīf (and of course Jīzān and the southern parts of Asīr back to the Yemenese, where they have always belonged historically). And then on to the Hejaz and the haramayn: Mecca and Medina, driving the Wahhabeast heretics back under the rocks of Najrān, from under which they crawled with the aid of British arms and financing back in the middle of the 18th century. Yes, Russia isn’t too happy about the possibility of Iranian control over such a large geopolitical jugular vein, but hey, it’s geographical determinism; they’ll get used to it. They will be getting Germany and France and the European sub-continent’s integration into the Eurasia “world continent” (McKinder?). And better the oil in the hands of the rational Shi’a than the crazy-as-a-loon American cowboys. And the ‘Sea Power’ pirates, Perfidious Albion and Uncle $cam will have to scamper back home with their rat-tails between their rat legs, followed by all their takfiri scum “rats” (Ghaddāfī), who will be deported to London and New York, God grant!

The phase of strategic patience is over. We are now in the phase of Eye for an Eye Escalation. But do not think that this phase will have the longevity of the last one. It is on a high-sprung spring-loaded trigger, after which all bets are off. This is the way we see it. How do you see it, Pray tell? Do you see it as we see it? As Colonel Lang sees it? Or somewhere in between? I eagerly await to see your perspectives in your comments.

Blake Archer Williams has asked me to add this article under his analysis because it illustrates the points he just made.  He also added the following important caveat to this translation:

The translation of the subtitles is not the best. Particularly, General Soleimani’s very first sentence, which is very important, has not been rendered well. Where it says, “There is no need for armed forces, I am your foe, the Qods Force is your foe.” It should read as follows:

“There is no need for the [regular] Iranian Armed Forces [to get involved in order to resolve the conflict between us]; I am [a sufficient] adversary for you; the Qods Force is [sufficient enough] of a foe for [the likes of] you.”

Also, at 1:37, where the good general says, “You start this war, but the end of it, we will decide.” Should read:

“You [may] start this war, but [know that in such an event], it is we who will draw (tarsīm) [the political map] of how it will end [literally: “of its end”)].

And as you know, my friend, General Soleimani is not given to hyperbole and lies, as is the unfortunate habit of US politicians and now generals too.

——-Here is the article in question:

PressTV reports

Major General Soleimani sharply reacts to Trump’s recent military threat

Iran’s Major General Qassem Soleimani has sharply reacted to the recent “cabaret owner-style” military threat by US President Donald Trump against the Islamic Republic, saying he takes the position to respond “as a soldier” since it is beneath the dignity of Iran’s president to do so.

Addressing Trump, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said, “You threaten us with an action that is ‘unprecedented’ in the world. This is cabaret-style rhetoric. Only a cabaret owner talks to the world this way.”

He was reacting to Trump’s all-caps tweet addressed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in which he threatened the Islamic Republic with actions “the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.”

The tweet came after President Rouhani warned the US against its hostile approach against Iran, saying Washington should know that peace with Iran will be the mother of all peace while war with the country will be the mother of all wars.

“It is beneath the dignity of our president to respond to you. I, as a soldier, respond to you,” Soleimani further said.

You already did all you could!

The senior general further reminded the United States of its failures in its invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

“What was it that you could do over the past 20 years but you didn’t? You came to Afghanistan with scores of tanks and personnel carriers and hundreds of advanced helicopters and committed crimes there. What the hell could you do between 2001 and 2018 with 110,000 troops? You are today begging Taliban for talks,” Major General Soleimani said.

The Iranian commander added, “Afghanistan was a poor country, what the hell could you do in this country that you are currently threatening us?”

“You arrogantly attacked Iraq with 160,000 troops and multiple times [military equipment] compared to what you used in Afghanistan, but what happened? Ask your then commander who was the person that he sent to me and asked ‘Is it possible for you to give us time [and] use your influence so that our soldiers would not be attacked by the Iraqi fighters in these few months  until we exit this country?’ Have you forgotten that you provided adult diapers for your soldiers in tanks? Despite that you are currently threatening the great country of Iran? With what background do you threaten [us]?”

“We are near you, where you can’t even imagine. We are the nation of martyrdom, we are the nation of Imam Hossein, you better ask. Come; we are ready. We are the man of this arena. You know that this war would mean annihilation of all your means. You may begin the war, but it is us who will end it,” he said.

In Yemen, Soleimani said, the US-backed coalition of Saudi Arabia and its allies has been incapable of making any gains against the country’s Houthi Ansarullah movement, which is both running state affairs and defending the nation against the Riyadh-led aggression.

“A mere organization is standing against you in Yemen, but it has emerged victorious in the face of the most advanced of your military equipment. What have you achieved over the past four years? You stripped the Red Sea – which used to be a safe sea – of security. You brought under fire Saudi Arabia and [its capital] Riyadh – which had not seen a single rocket fired at them for 100 years.”

The senior general further warned Trump against insulting the Iranian nation and president.

“Trump! You must not threaten our nation and must not insult our president… You must know what you are talking about; ask your predecessors and take advantage of their experiences,” General Soleimani emphasized.

The senior military official also censured the US for supporting the most hated anti-Iran terror group, called the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), saying Washington failed to achieve anything by doing so.

The commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force said, “the US had some grandeur in the past [and] when its fleet moved out, a nation fell apart. Have you now become attached to the Monafeqeen, who have been thrown in the trash bin of Iran’s history? You have become attached to a vagrant woman, and show her in all [your news] networks; is your hope pinned on this? Is this all your power? You are aware of our power in the region and capability for [launching] asymmetrical war?”

[westferrisscouting]

His Way: Keaton Parks’ Long and Winding Road from High School to the USMNT

As he prepared for graduation day at Liberty High School, Keaton Parks had two vastly different routes available for the future. After three standout seasons with Liberty, Parks had verbally committed to a soccer scholarship at nearby Southern Methodist University. Born in the Dallas suburb of Plano, he’d go to school in his backyard and play for the Mustang team that he grew up watching.

Parks had spent his whole life in Dallas, but he ventured overseas for the first time after his sophomore year in 2013. That trip planted the seeds of his second thoughts. He had followed his club coach from team to team since age eight, and that summer, he followed Armando Pelaez to Portugal, where Peleaz had played professionally. Between that summer and the next, Parks trained with several Portuguese clubs. Now, they wanted to bring him to Europe full-time.

Parks took the leap, an ocean away from his comfort zone. He hasn’t looked back. His upward trajectory since has brought him to his first-ever camp with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

“It was a big jump for me, but I definitely made the right decision,” Parks said. “The options were there. SMU would have been a great option. Portugal was a whole new country. Since I was a kid, I wanted to play in Europe. Just following my dream and everything was definitely the right decision to make, especially looking back at it now. This is what I wanted to do.”

A former pro in Portugal and Venezuelan national team member, Peleaz preached possession as Parks came up through the ranks. It’s molded him into a player who, even at 6-4, can glide with the ball at his feet.

“Always possession, keep the ball, a lot of touches and stuff,” Parks said. “That’s how I learned to play football. I’m really tall but I think I have really good feet and I’m good on the ball in tight spaces. When I have the ball, just looking at the field I can find good passes all across the field. I think I have good vision in that sense. I can also complete the pass as well.”

Close Control: Keaton Parks keeps possession of the ball in training while riding a challenge from teammate Erik Palmer-Brown.

Parks’ development with Pelaez lead to that first trip abroad in the summer of 2013. While Pelaez initially brought Parks to train with his former teams, an agent took interest in the young American and opened the door for opportunities at other Portuguese clubs.

That initial European exposure came before Parks’ growth spurt. Back in Plano, he earned All-State honors and led Liberty on a deep playoff run as he sprouted up. When Parks returned to Portugal the following summer, he had gone from 5-5 to over six feet tall.

He would spend only one more semester at Liberty. Parks graduated early and passed up a final full season of high school soccer for another trip overseas and a taste of the top-tier amateur game. After the fall term, Parks didn’t return to high school, but made his way overseas for another trip of training and trials in Portugal that confirmed his potential to sign professionally.

He returned stateside in time for the spring NPSL season. Pelaez coached the Liverpool Warriors , a local Liverpool affiliate, in the budding amateur league. Instead of a final high school campaign, Parks tested himself across Oklahoma and Texas against top amateurs and college talent in their offseason.

His time with the Liverpool Warriors also booked him a final short-term spell overseas. Parks had caught the interest of second division side Varzim in his winter trip to Portugal. When the Warriors went to play a tournament hosted in the city of Povoa de Varzim, it cemented the club’s interest. A few weeks after the trip, Parks put pen to paper with the small club.

As his friends packed their bags for college, the tall Texan picked up and moved overseas to begin life as a professional athlete in a foreign land. Far from the comforts of any dorm room in Dallas, he started life anew in a country where he could hardly speak the language. Parks had to rely on a bilingual friend to translate between him and his teammates at Varzim.

“At first, in training, I would listen to the coach but not catch anything,” Parks said. “I would just watch them do the drill and just copy what they did. I would just speak English really slowly to them and they could catch some things and try to reply.”

After a few appearances with Varzim’s B team to kick off the season, Parks spent the rest of 2015-16 with the U-19 squad. While it supplied valuable experience, his transition abroad brought its own challenges. Instead of school and soccer just 25 miles from Plano, he launched a career nearly 5000 miles from home.

Parks and fellow Plano, Texas native Weston McKennie battle for the ball during U.S. MNT training.

“There definitely were times that I’d just be in my apartment, lonely,” Parks said. “I had a couple friends, but most of the people didn’t speak English very well. I had SMU as the backup plan, so that was also enticing. I could just stay in my hometown.”

But Parks stuck it out. He got more comfortable in coastal Povoa de Varzim, started to learn the language, and a successful season with the U-19s brought him to training with Varzim’s first team by the end of the season. At the launch of the 2016 campaign, Parks immediately integrated into the first team.

He made his professional debut on Sept. 4, 2016 in Varzim’s fifth league game as a late substitute. A midseason managerial shift saw him lock down a regular spot in the starting lineup. In his final two games before the winter break, Parks scored his first two professional goals.

Just as he began to find his footing with Varzim, a contract dispute derailed the second half of his debut pro season. Parks trained, but couldn’t play in any games that spring. Despite the lack of regular action, he had shown enough the previous fall to earn his first Youth National Team call-up to a pre-World Cup Under-20 MNT camp in London.

Over the summer, Parks officially left Varzim to sign with Benfica, historically the most successful club in Portugal.

“At first, I just couldn’t really believe it, I was playing for one of the most well-known clubs in the world,” Parks said. “Especially when I started training with the A team, these guys I watch on TV and play with on FIFA, I thought it was really cool.”

After half a season in the second division, Parks found himself at one of the biggest clubs in Europe. He started out with Benfica’s B team, star-struck as the first team trained a field over. When his play with the reserves earned him full team training time, the players he idolized became peers. A chip over legendary Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar in training brought the first team down to Earth.

“I would see the A team training on the field next to us and I was like ‘Wow, those guys are so good, I know that guy!’” Parks said. “That goal was a really cool moment for me. I started feeling more comfortable in the training sessions. The guys talked to me more and they were teaching me. I started realizing, these are my teammates, I’ve got to stop admiring them so much.”

It took until his first game with the senior squad to fully see them as teammates rather than objects of admiration. That came on November 18, when Parks came on as a 71st-minute substitute in a domestic cup match. Back home, Parks would have been a college junior preparing for Thanksgiving break. An entrance in front of tens of thousands of rowdy red-clad fans in Lisbon was a world away.

“Walking out of the tunnel was really cool for me,” Parks said. “When they sent me to warm up at the beginning of the second half, I was like ‘Dang, I might go in to this game, it’s crazy. I got my chance.”

From then on, Parks trained full time with the full team. Almost two-and-a-half years after his arrival, he’s continued to fully integrate himself in Portugal, both in football and the language. Benfica put him through Portuguese lessons all year in preparation for the potential of interviews in the local tongue next season.

Parks still played primarily with Benfica’s B team in 2017-18 and starred as a regular starter, but began to make the first team bench more regularly as the season went on. He made a few more appearances, but with the club locked in a down-to-the-wire battle for Portugal’s second and final Champions League qualification spot, minutes became hard to come by.

Still, Parks showed enough in his limited minutes and in his key role with the reserves to draw the attention of the Men’s National Team. A few weeks before the start of camp, assistant coach John Hackworth gave him a call to check in. E-mails from the team administration followed, and Parks officially earned his first MNT invite.

U.S. U-17 MNT head coach and MNT assistant coach John Hackworth helped bring Parks into his first MNT camp.

“I called both my parents, my brother, my sister and Armando too,” Parks said. “He was really excited for me, he was like ‘I told you I’d get you there, thank you for trusting me!’ He was really proud of me.”

Back in the USA, Parks’ introduction to the MNT has granted a smoother transition than his move overseas. For one, he can understand when the coaches explain drills. For another, he fits right in among the freshest-faced USA roster in recent memory. Parks checks in just below the average age of 22, as he’ll turn 21 in August. Camp also reunites him with former North Texas Olympic Development Program teammate Weston McKennie as they share the field for the first time in years.

Unlike some of his youthful peers, Parks didn’t come through the YNT pipeline. The U-20s scrimmaged against English club teams last April, but Monday’s match against Bolivia will be Parks’ first-ever opportunity to represent the red, white and blue in an international match. With the opportunities now at hand, he couldn’t have made a better decision for his post-high school plans.

“I’m really excited,” Parks said. “Hopefully I’ll get my chance in the game and I can show what I’m capable of. I expect it to be the best feeling in the world, the best moment of my life so far. We’ll see what happens.”

Source Article

The post His Way: Keaton Parks’ Long and Winding Road from High School to the USMNT appeared first on westferrisscouting.

Learn More At:http://www.westferrisscouting.com/his-way-keaton-parks-long-and-winding-road-from-high-school-to-the-usmnt/