The consequence is that hackers could potentially access files stored in the cloud, or get access to cloud accounts, using leftover data stored on an Android device, iPhone or other smart phone.
"That smart phones can essentially remember deleted information poses a huge risk to organisations that issue smart phone s to employees and to organisations that don't explicitly disable the use of personal devices for work-related computing," says Pravin Kothari, founder and CEO of smart card, a maker of cloud encryption software.
The tracing of leftover data on smart phone s is not for the layperson, Kothari says, but could be looked at as the modern-day equivalent of Dumpster-diving for personal information.
Researchers at the University of Glasgow ran a variety of tests to come to their conclusions. Phones tested included the HTC Desire, running Android 2.1, and an iPhone 3S running iOS 3, and cloud-based file storage systems tested included Box, Dropbox and SugarSync.
A hard reset of the phones being tested was done before 20 files were created on each of the devices, including images, documents, PDFs and music files. Researchers then "manipulated" the phones, by either powering them off, caching the applications or both. As a control, some of the phones were left in active state without any caching. Researchers then did a "data dump" of the phones by copying the memory onto a flash drive, which they then analysed.
Researchers found a variety of metadata leftover after the files had been uploaded to the cloud services. Email addresses of users and transaction logs of which files were uploaded to the cloud were visible, for example. Researchers said they were even able to piece together various metadata to get a URL address of where a file was located in Box's cloud. Researchers also found that all files marked for "offline access" were able to be recovered from both the Android and iOS devices. Even some deleted files were still traceable on the SD card of the Android device.
Files were recovered from both the Android smart phone and its SD card, while the recovered data from the iOS device was recovered from the phone's internal memory (the iPhone 3S does not use an SD card).
In most circumstances, the researchers found that if the applications had been cached, then recovering the files was more difficult, except for when using Box on the iOS device, in which case the same number of files was able to be recovered even after caching.
"Smart phone devices which access cloud storage services can potentially contain a proxy view of the data stored in a cloud storage service," the research concludes. Accessing the proxy data can lead to further data being exposed, they add. Files that were not viewed on the smart phone, but were in the user's cloud storage account, could not be recovered, although in some cases a thumbnail of a JPEG that had not been viewed on the phone was able to be seen.
Researchers say a variety of tools can be used to extract data from a smart phone, including products from private company Cellebrite, which makes the Universal Forensics Extraction Device (UFED). Micro Systemation's XRY makes another tool for forensic detection of data.
In response, a spokesperson for Box pointed out that the researchers were using outdated versions of the company's mobile application (Android Version 1.6.7 and iOS Version 2.7.1), which are both almost a year old. Since then, Box has begun encrypting all files that are saved for offline use. The current Android app has automatic encryption and the Apple version has a feature to enable encryption. Previews of files are always encrypted, Box added.
Researchers admit further testing would be needed to determine how widespread of a vulnerability this is on newer devices, operating systems and cloud platforms.
Kothari, from CipherCloud, says there are steps IT managers can take to prevent corporate data used on smart phone s from being tracked by hackers. For one, encryption tools like CipherCloud's can be used in addition to or in replacement of whatever security measures cloud service providers offer. Data loss prevention (DLP) and audit monitoring services can also be used to ensure employees are not accessing sensitive information on their smart phone s, ensuring that it never gets on the smart phone in the first place and therefore cannot be recovered by a hacker later.
Blackberry stresses that it is not primarily a phone manufacturer - it offers network solutions and devices to attach to them. Naturally there's a problem when the main way of connecting to those networks are unpopular so the challenge has been to make a phone that people will not only use but mould their life around like they would with other RFID tag. Amazingly, to a significant extent, they have succeeded.
I've never really got on with Blackberry. Having something which prime function was to ensure that I couldn't escape from email, wherever I may be, was not something I wished to embrace. But I could see the value. I tried using the phones many times, but while I could see the benefit of secure messaging, I didn't need it and the operating environment felt dated, complex, unintuitive and clunky. It was primarily for IT departments to deploy business-level communication devices with proscriptive access to things like the internet and social media.
The keyboards were a boon, but many other pre-iPhone phones caught up quickly here. Post iPhone and Blackberry's are the main choice for those who still demand a keyboard and many people still swear by them - Angus, the editor at Lifehacker Australia can't be found without his, and that's a high endorsement from someone who goes through a lot of phones.
Basically, companies who still want to inflict phones upon their staff for security reasons have been waiting for a device that won't make employees feel like a cat on a leash. Existing Blackberry users who love the apps and environment, finally have a modern device that looks and operates more like an iPhone or decent Android device, so they'll be happy. Those who want a modern Blackberry with a keyboard only need to wait a little longer for the Q10 which will be out in April or May. All of these people were likely to buy a Blackberry so long as it wasn't terrible, and so they'll likely be happy. We'll be dealing with why, below.
But what about people like me? I've used, and lived with, just about every smartphone, that's appeared on the market, since before the first iPhone. Is the Z10 a genuine rival to the iPhone or a top Android device? That would be one helluva achievement if so - to effectively quit the market and come back with a cutting edge rival. I've been living with it for a while now. Here's my view.
2013年3月27日星期三
2013年3月25日星期一
Next step in UCLA's coaching search
Oh, and retain players; enough so if there is a major injury like Jordan Adams' broken foot in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals that it doesn't expose a glaring depletion in the roster due to a series of transfers during the past three years.
That's essentially the job description UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero unveiled during a Sunday night teleconference after he said he fired Ben Howland earlier in the day in his UCLA office.
"We want to try and bring someone here who excites the fan base and can work with our student athletes and get them to compete at a high level,'' said Guerrero, who continued to sing the praises of UCLA's academic model, arena, recruiting base and the Pac-12. "We want to play a fun brand of basketball but a quality brand of basketball where we have the fundamentals and defend.''
Guerrero said he would cast a wide net, but multiple sources say he will lock in on Virginia Commonwealth's Shaka Smart. The question is, Would Smart be receptive to going West? Those close to Smart aren't so sure.
Smart stayed at VCU instead of going to Illinois, which is closer to his Wisconsin roots. He has strong ties to the Southeast, too, having worked at Florida. Smart has no ties to the Los Angeles area. Smart does bring his 'Havoc' defense -- known for its frenzied, turnover-producing pressure -- and the brand of basketball that would certainly get the fans amped. All you have to do is see the atmosphere in Richmond for a Rams' home game or even when VCU was in the tournament to gauge the palpable enthusiasm for Smart's style of play.
The problem is Smart might not want to deal with the bubble that has become the UCLA program. Trying to fend off the agent culture, the pro-like atmosphere and the overall pressure of being the UCLA coach isn't for everyone. Howland was there 10 years and had his problems with players at times, but he still won at the highest level, and it will be hard to match his strategic success.
Two of the more obvious choices -- Gonzaga's Mark Few and Butler's Brad Stevens -- likely wouldn't touch the job, according to those close to them. Few hasn't left Gonzaga for other high-profile jobs (he once was part of the Indiana search) because he loves his fit with the Zags. He's not an L.A. guy. Stevens isn't, either. And Stevens, as wonderful as his run has been, doesn't fit this latest description of a style to watch. Stevens also loves his Butler life and has shown zero signs of wanting to leave and go West.
If UCLA stays with a college coach -- and Guerrero said he is open to anything -- then this could mirror the Illinois job search from a year ago. The Illini found a gem in Ohio's John Groce, but he wasn't the first choice (Smart was). NC State's Mark Gottfried and Washington's Lorenzo Romar, two former UCLA assistants, would listen, according to sources. But it might be hard for UCLA to look at Romar, who currently runs a Pac-12 program that has hit a downward cycle recently, or go East to look at Gottfried, a former Jim Harrick assistant. That's why there are outliers who could be in the mix -- coincidentally for both the open USC and UCLA jobs -- in Memphis' Josh Pastner, Cincinnati's Mick Cronin and a new wild card in Wichita State's Gregg Marshall.
Marshall makes more than $1 million annually at Wichita State but has energized the fan base and now has the Shockers in the Sweet 16. He's not a West Coast coach, either, but could suddenly be an intriguing name if the Bruins need to go further into the search. Guerrero wouldn't say if he is interested in a coach who is still in the tournament, but if so, then he would obviously wait until the coaches of any remaining teams are eliiminated.
What the next coach has to understand is that the culture around the program is hard to change. The plusses of having so many pros playing pickup is the access the current players get to high-level talent. The negative is that it would be hard to control the outside influences.
If the Bruins stay relatively intact, then the roster is more than ready to compete atop the league, with Adams being one of the best returning players in the country and teaming with Kyle Anderson -- who isn't ready for the NBA like classmate Shabazz Muhammad is -- to form at least a nucleus for a new coach (similar to the situation Groce walked into at Illinois with the return of Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson).
UCLA is paying Howland a $3.5 million buyout ($2.3 million for the first year and $300,000 for each of the subsequent four years, but it is negotiable if Howland takes another job). Guerrero said the money will come from an $80 million budget the school has for the athletic department. So there is suddenly money to pay a head coach, which wasn't always the case at UCLA. However, travel accommodations would have to change to lure a reputable coach, as the team has taken to flying Southwest Airlines -- as opposed to a more comfortable, chartered ride -- on road trips. The new Pauley is a plus, but the pressure to produce not just Pac-12 champions but Final Fours is real.
The Australian Tax office will use new data-matching technology to closely scrutinise residential and commercial property sales to ensure tax payers paid the correct amount of tax.
Around 10.4 million taxpayers will face scrutinise over their property dealings with the ATO’s high tech computer systems gathering real property transaction details from state revenue offices and relevant state government land and property departments
The ATO will be keen to get maximum value out of the data-matching technology, which cost $800 million to implement over a seven year period.
"No one should underestimate the sheer volume of data the ATO now collects and with the ever-increasing sophistication of techniques to analyse and 'slice-and-dice' that data, the tax affairs of Australians will come under closer scrutiny," wrote tax writer Terry Hayes in January.
That's essentially the job description UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero unveiled during a Sunday night teleconference after he said he fired Ben Howland earlier in the day in his UCLA office.
"We want to try and bring someone here who excites the fan base and can work with our student athletes and get them to compete at a high level,'' said Guerrero, who continued to sing the praises of UCLA's academic model, arena, recruiting base and the Pac-12. "We want to play a fun brand of basketball but a quality brand of basketball where we have the fundamentals and defend.''
Guerrero said he would cast a wide net, but multiple sources say he will lock in on Virginia Commonwealth's Shaka Smart. The question is, Would Smart be receptive to going West? Those close to Smart aren't so sure.
Smart stayed at VCU instead of going to Illinois, which is closer to his Wisconsin roots. He has strong ties to the Southeast, too, having worked at Florida. Smart has no ties to the Los Angeles area. Smart does bring his 'Havoc' defense -- known for its frenzied, turnover-producing pressure -- and the brand of basketball that would certainly get the fans amped. All you have to do is see the atmosphere in Richmond for a Rams' home game or even when VCU was in the tournament to gauge the palpable enthusiasm for Smart's style of play.
The problem is Smart might not want to deal with the bubble that has become the UCLA program. Trying to fend off the agent culture, the pro-like atmosphere and the overall pressure of being the UCLA coach isn't for everyone. Howland was there 10 years and had his problems with players at times, but he still won at the highest level, and it will be hard to match his strategic success.
Two of the more obvious choices -- Gonzaga's Mark Few and Butler's Brad Stevens -- likely wouldn't touch the job, according to those close to them. Few hasn't left Gonzaga for other high-profile jobs (he once was part of the Indiana search) because he loves his fit with the Zags. He's not an L.A. guy. Stevens isn't, either. And Stevens, as wonderful as his run has been, doesn't fit this latest description of a style to watch. Stevens also loves his Butler life and has shown zero signs of wanting to leave and go West.
If UCLA stays with a college coach -- and Guerrero said he is open to anything -- then this could mirror the Illinois job search from a year ago. The Illini found a gem in Ohio's John Groce, but he wasn't the first choice (Smart was). NC State's Mark Gottfried and Washington's Lorenzo Romar, two former UCLA assistants, would listen, according to sources. But it might be hard for UCLA to look at Romar, who currently runs a Pac-12 program that has hit a downward cycle recently, or go East to look at Gottfried, a former Jim Harrick assistant. That's why there are outliers who could be in the mix -- coincidentally for both the open USC and UCLA jobs -- in Memphis' Josh Pastner, Cincinnati's Mick Cronin and a new wild card in Wichita State's Gregg Marshall.
Marshall makes more than $1 million annually at Wichita State but has energized the fan base and now has the Shockers in the Sweet 16. He's not a West Coast coach, either, but could suddenly be an intriguing name if the Bruins need to go further into the search. Guerrero wouldn't say if he is interested in a coach who is still in the tournament, but if so, then he would obviously wait until the coaches of any remaining teams are eliiminated.
What the next coach has to understand is that the culture around the program is hard to change. The plusses of having so many pros playing pickup is the access the current players get to high-level talent. The negative is that it would be hard to control the outside influences.
If the Bruins stay relatively intact, then the roster is more than ready to compete atop the league, with Adams being one of the best returning players in the country and teaming with Kyle Anderson -- who isn't ready for the NBA like classmate Shabazz Muhammad is -- to form at least a nucleus for a new coach (similar to the situation Groce walked into at Illinois with the return of Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson).
UCLA is paying Howland a $3.5 million buyout ($2.3 million for the first year and $300,000 for each of the subsequent four years, but it is negotiable if Howland takes another job). Guerrero said the money will come from an $80 million budget the school has for the athletic department. So there is suddenly money to pay a head coach, which wasn't always the case at UCLA. However, travel accommodations would have to change to lure a reputable coach, as the team has taken to flying Southwest Airlines -- as opposed to a more comfortable, chartered ride -- on road trips. The new Pauley is a plus, but the pressure to produce not just Pac-12 champions but Final Fours is real.
The Australian Tax office will use new data-matching technology to closely scrutinise residential and commercial property sales to ensure tax payers paid the correct amount of tax.
Around 10.4 million taxpayers will face scrutinise over their property dealings with the ATO’s high tech computer systems gathering real property transaction details from state revenue offices and relevant state government land and property departments
The ATO will be keen to get maximum value out of the data-matching technology, which cost $800 million to implement over a seven year period.
"No one should underestimate the sheer volume of data the ATO now collects and with the ever-increasing sophistication of techniques to analyse and 'slice-and-dice' that data, the tax affairs of Australians will come under closer scrutiny," wrote tax writer Terry Hayes in January.
2013年3月20日星期三
Easter family events in Shropshire
Staff at a Shropshire arts and entertainment venue are looking forward to hosting their Easter Bazaar. The special Easter themed Bazaar at the Hive Music and Media Centre will take place on Saturday 30 March, delivering more than 30 individual stalls for people to browse with the best of Shropshire’s independent traders on show!
The unique event will offer a diverse selection of interesting stalls, celebrating and showcasing an array of crafts-people and small businesses from across the region.
Stall-holders exhibiting for the Easter event include knitwear, baby items, hair accessories, ceramics, greetings cards, scarves, stationary, books, clothes, , jewellery, bags and much more. Entry to the event is ￡1 for adults and proceeds from the entry fee will support the Hive’s work as a youth arts charity, delivering creative outreach projects and arts opportunities to disadvantaged young people across Shropshire.
Over Easter weekend Sunnycroft, the National Trust villa in Wellington, will be decorated for a traditional Easter at home with the Dining Room laid for dinner and beautiful Edwardian Easter cards on display around the house.
For Easter weekend in the house there will be a free Easter Chicken trail for children to spot some feathered friends, whilst on the main lawn will be a new 2013 Cadbury Easter Egg hunt as well as colouring activities to get stuck into. During the main school holidays there will also be a hare themed trail outside in the garden for children to partake in some Easter fun along with games such as skittles, badminton and croquet on the main lawn.
For those who won’t be hunting for eggs the Edwardian style tea-room will be serving simnel cake and hot cross buns, which can be enjoyed inside or out on the veranda.
Sunnycroft is open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10.30am to 5pm, with last admission to the House at 4pm. Normal admission charges apply, Cadbury Easter Egg trail ￡2.50 per child, School holiday trail ￡2 per child.
A highlight will be the unusual pastime of egg dancing, which will take place opposite the Print Shop. Once blindfolded, the townsfolk will dance across the street without stepping on eggs that are carefully placed along their route. After the demonstration, visitors are invited to have-a-go with mini Easter eggs and lollies as rewards for all who complete the course without stepping on an egg!
You can also take part in the ‘hunt-the-chick’ competition, following a trail of clues around the recreated Victorian town; join a sing-along in the New Inn Public House and try hands-on workshops as well as watch open-air performances by the Prince Albert Players and Kaleidoscope Theatre.
Families should come wearing their best Easter Bonnets, as the Town’s Milliner will be judging the finest creations at 2pm in the Pleasure Gardens; there will be a prize for the winner and every youngster taking part receives a small Easter egg.
Open 10am to 5pm Blists Hill is one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing entry into all ten museums, valid for twelve months and unlimited return visits, costs ￡24 per adult, ￡19 for the 60 plus, ￡15.25 for students and children and ￡65 for a family of two adults and all their children aged up to 18 years in full time education (terms and conditions apply); under 5s free. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge in addition to the museum admission fee. Individual museum entry tickets are also available.
Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre is putting on a whole host of activities for families at Easter 2013. Good Friday afternoon, 29 March 2013, is the Easter Eggs-travaganza featuring a wide range of creative activities and the classic egg and spoon race. The following fortnight will see the Digging Archaeology event take place, where children can learn from what was discovered in the ground.
The Easter Eggs-travaganza, running from 2pm to 4.30pm on 29 March, gives families the chance to get creative together. Decorating Easter Trees to take home, making Easter Bunnies and 3D eggs, and designing Easter hats, are some of the events that families can get stuck into, and it doesn’t end there. Once you have completed your projects, there are races for the bunnies, a parade to show off the Easter Hats, and a prize for the best one.
Perhaps most dramatic is the Scrambled Eggs event ,where you are challenged to design a contraption to beat gravity and protect a chicken’s egg on its return to earth after it is fired into the air on a rocket.
There is also the Easter Chicken Trail, which will take you out into the wild meadows around the centre.
The cost is ￡4 per child (but children must be accompanied), which will include refreshments, and is suitable for accompanied children aged 3-11, and Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre has planned an indoor alternative day should the weather go all British.
Digging Archaeology will run from 1 to 2.30pm Mondays to Fridays between 1 April and 12 April. The activity will look at artefacts found and what we can tell about the individuals they belonged to all those years ago, as well as matching pictures of Iron Age artefacts with what they looked like new. The activity costs ￡3 per child and is suitable for 5- to 11-year- olds. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Use your imagination to design and create fun ‘sticky critters’ from craft materials inspired by the suction capabilities of an octopus, then discover how long they can cling to an upright glass surface. The drop-in Nature’s Engineers family workshops will be held at Enginuity, near Ironbridge, Shropshire during the Easter school holiday from Friday 29th March until Sunday 14th April, between 10.30am and 3.45pm.
Paper, card, plastic and other materials will be used to make the designs based on frogs, geckos and octopus or any other creature of your own invention. Activities will vary from day-to-day and some additional costs will apply.
Open 10am to 5pm Enginuity is one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing entry into all ten museums, valid for twelve months and unlimited return visits, costs ￡24 per adult, ￡19 for the 60 plus, ￡15.25 for students and children and ￡65 for a family of two adults and all their children aged up to 18 years in full time education (terms and conditions apply); under 5s free. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge in addition to the museum admission fee. Individual museum entry tickets are also available.
The unique event will offer a diverse selection of interesting stalls, celebrating and showcasing an array of crafts-people and small businesses from across the region.
Stall-holders exhibiting for the Easter event include knitwear, baby items, hair accessories, ceramics, greetings cards, scarves, stationary, books, clothes, , jewellery, bags and much more. Entry to the event is ￡1 for adults and proceeds from the entry fee will support the Hive’s work as a youth arts charity, delivering creative outreach projects and arts opportunities to disadvantaged young people across Shropshire.
Over Easter weekend Sunnycroft, the National Trust villa in Wellington, will be decorated for a traditional Easter at home with the Dining Room laid for dinner and beautiful Edwardian Easter cards on display around the house.
For Easter weekend in the house there will be a free Easter Chicken trail for children to spot some feathered friends, whilst on the main lawn will be a new 2013 Cadbury Easter Egg hunt as well as colouring activities to get stuck into. During the main school holidays there will also be a hare themed trail outside in the garden for children to partake in some Easter fun along with games such as skittles, badminton and croquet on the main lawn.
For those who won’t be hunting for eggs the Edwardian style tea-room will be serving simnel cake and hot cross buns, which can be enjoyed inside or out on the veranda.
Sunnycroft is open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10.30am to 5pm, with last admission to the House at 4pm. Normal admission charges apply, Cadbury Easter Egg trail ￡2.50 per child, School holiday trail ￡2 per child.
A highlight will be the unusual pastime of egg dancing, which will take place opposite the Print Shop. Once blindfolded, the townsfolk will dance across the street without stepping on eggs that are carefully placed along their route. After the demonstration, visitors are invited to have-a-go with mini Easter eggs and lollies as rewards for all who complete the course without stepping on an egg!
You can also take part in the ‘hunt-the-chick’ competition, following a trail of clues around the recreated Victorian town; join a sing-along in the New Inn Public House and try hands-on workshops as well as watch open-air performances by the Prince Albert Players and Kaleidoscope Theatre.
Families should come wearing their best Easter Bonnets, as the Town’s Milliner will be judging the finest creations at 2pm in the Pleasure Gardens; there will be a prize for the winner and every youngster taking part receives a small Easter egg.
Open 10am to 5pm Blists Hill is one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing entry into all ten museums, valid for twelve months and unlimited return visits, costs ￡24 per adult, ￡19 for the 60 plus, ￡15.25 for students and children and ￡65 for a family of two adults and all their children aged up to 18 years in full time education (terms and conditions apply); under 5s free. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge in addition to the museum admission fee. Individual museum entry tickets are also available.
Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre is putting on a whole host of activities for families at Easter 2013. Good Friday afternoon, 29 March 2013, is the Easter Eggs-travaganza featuring a wide range of creative activities and the classic egg and spoon race. The following fortnight will see the Digging Archaeology event take place, where children can learn from what was discovered in the ground.
The Easter Eggs-travaganza, running from 2pm to 4.30pm on 29 March, gives families the chance to get creative together. Decorating Easter Trees to take home, making Easter Bunnies and 3D eggs, and designing Easter hats, are some of the events that families can get stuck into, and it doesn’t end there. Once you have completed your projects, there are races for the bunnies, a parade to show off the Easter Hats, and a prize for the best one.
Perhaps most dramatic is the Scrambled Eggs event ,where you are challenged to design a contraption to beat gravity and protect a chicken’s egg on its return to earth after it is fired into the air on a rocket.
There is also the Easter Chicken Trail, which will take you out into the wild meadows around the centre.
The cost is ￡4 per child (but children must be accompanied), which will include refreshments, and is suitable for accompanied children aged 3-11, and Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre has planned an indoor alternative day should the weather go all British.
Digging Archaeology will run from 1 to 2.30pm Mondays to Fridays between 1 April and 12 April. The activity will look at artefacts found and what we can tell about the individuals they belonged to all those years ago, as well as matching pictures of Iron Age artefacts with what they looked like new. The activity costs ￡3 per child and is suitable for 5- to 11-year- olds. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Use your imagination to design and create fun ‘sticky critters’ from craft materials inspired by the suction capabilities of an octopus, then discover how long they can cling to an upright glass surface. The drop-in Nature’s Engineers family workshops will be held at Enginuity, near Ironbridge, Shropshire during the Easter school holiday from Friday 29th March until Sunday 14th April, between 10.30am and 3.45pm.
Paper, card, plastic and other materials will be used to make the designs based on frogs, geckos and octopus or any other creature of your own invention. Activities will vary from day-to-day and some additional costs will apply.
Open 10am to 5pm Enginuity is one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing entry into all ten museums, valid for twelve months and unlimited return visits, costs ￡24 per adult, ￡19 for the 60 plus, ￡15.25 for students and children and ￡65 for a family of two adults and all their children aged up to 18 years in full time education (terms and conditions apply); under 5s free. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge in addition to the museum admission fee. Individual museum entry tickets are also available.
2013年3月17日星期日
Where Did Wii U Go Wrong?
Two years ago I was very excited by the possibilities of the Wii U. I instantly fell in love with the idea of the tablet/joypad game controller and saw all sorts of possible uses. It seemed like it might well be the console that could do it all, from first-person shooters to real-time strategy, and also lots of funky stuff like drawing games, things to do with cameras and so on. I also loved the notion that I might finally be able to play Call of Duty without having to fight over TV time with my wife.
I wondered aloud whether this play for an Ultimate Platform could be both the start and the end of something, and privately hoped that it would overcome some of its initial confusion and become interesting. Having largely mined the casual market to death with wibbly-wobbly party games and yoga simulators, it felt like a good time for Nintendo to start talking to its fans again and regenerating the marketing story that had got it so far. Concerns had long been raised among gamers that Nintendo had turned its back on them, and they felt that the company was not interested in them anymore. So Wii U seemed to be all about Nintendo finding its way back to them, but also dragging all of its newfound casual friends along for the ride.
But it seems the fans have already decided that for themselves, and Nintendo’s attempt to reignite the old flame is falling on deaf ears. Not only are sales of the platform very weak, it just has no buzz. Aside from the usual anticipation of a new Zelda, all the column inches about Wii U these days are about how poorly it’s selling, how shoddy some of the technology in it is, and how the premium games that it’s trying to attract all look cut-down in comparison to “proper” versions. Nobody, it seems, thinks that the controller is a big enough deal to really get excited. And to make matters worse, the casual market of Wii isn’t particularly interested either.
Like that other recent dud, the PS Vita, you know it’s all gone wrong when a platform is just not featuring in any conversations. Nobody’s thinking of making games for it, fans are generally not getting excited for it, and folks forget that it exists. Oh that, they say. Did that ever come out? What I find myself wondering, however, is why this has happened so fast to Wii U.
The console has only been available for three months and its first titles were mostly well-received. ZombiU was interesting, and many a Twitterite noted how Nintendoland was perhaps a little odd but full of user-created art and other neat stuff. The prospect of games on the horizon was also welcome. Then in the wake of Christmas it was all very silent. Sony started rumbling about PS4, Microsoft about Xbox, and the whole microconsole idea started to gain traction. Somewhere along the way we just kind of forgot about Nintendo entirely. Outside of the usual fan circle, nobody seems to be factoring the system into their thinking.
It’s possible that this is all because of the Wii/Wii U brand mixup. Six years ago the Wii was the hot ticket, and you could not buy one without sacrificing your firstborn. It was based on a very simple yet compelling idea (wave hand, something happens on screen) and extended this idea out with some very smart accessories like the Wii Fit. And yet three years ago, developers were already grumbling that Wii felt like it had peaked. Third-party games didn’t really sell well, and the technology was more limited than it initially appeared. Worse, the scuttlebutt around the campfire had it that most users who were buying Wiis were really only playing them for a week or two and then shelving them until birthdays and Christmas rolled around.
In many ways then, Wii may have already been a dead brand to most players, and selling them something that connected to that brand may have felt quaint. What certainly didn’t help was that the system seemed like (and still seems like) an add-on for your Wii. When the console was first announced in June 2011 there was mass confusion over what it actually was. At first it seemed to be a peripheral, much as Wii Fit had been. Then it slowly came to light that, no, it was a console. But not exactly a successor to the Wii, as it was aiming for a much more sophisticated kind of gamer. So we had the vision of the Wii brand trying to be all about fighters and shooters, and yet hold onto its casual roots.
Wii U is not the first Nintendo system in recent memory to try and fail to extend an existing audience. The 3DS tried much the same trick, building on all that DS love and hoping to convince the world that 3D was going to be the next big thing. The world remains unconvinced about that and is not inclined to pay a premium to find out. However Nintendo was able to backtrack via a large price cut and save the DS market. With Wii U, though, it feels different. Pivoting toward the core was probably a decision made from knowing what the attach rate and margins of casual games tend to be compared to fanfare, and yet still. Perhaps the Wii brand had already aged so much that the new system just needed a new story to tell.
Then there’s the technology. Although Apple and Nintendo are similar in many respects one of the big differences between the companies is that Apple has always tended to build sweet systems for the upper end of the market, so their devices are more expensive but also of better quality. Nintendo, on the other hand, tends to be cheap. In areas such as battery life, the number of gamepads the system can support, the slapped-together feeling of its online offering, difficulties with transferring saved games and so on, Nintendo created an air of ineptitude around the Wii U launch that refuses to go away.
There’s also the sensation that the competition has passed Nintendo by. While Sony’s recent conference may have produced mixed impressions (from those who think it was a great console launch, to others like me who think it showed a stark failure of vision), there’s a sense that the game is now Microsoft’s to lose. For all its woes, Kinect largely became the more interesting peripheral story, and many expect Microsoft to make a big announcement that will win the next generation soon. Nintendo, perhaps, needs to be bolder than it has been with Wii U. Perhaps it should have cut the console chord entirely and been a purely portable system (with better battery life). Perhaps Nintendo should not have worried so much about backwards compatibility (does anyone use their Wii Fit any more?) and instead focused on one core verb to define the new system.
Or perhaps it’s because Nintendo didn’t think small enough. Those pesky iDevices are becoming near universal, with their free games and such, and the taste for gaming, which is even more portable, is only growing. Likewise, microconsoles are emerging as a potential super cheap console with all the fun games you could imagine for cheap. Perhaps Wii U needed to be that simplistic and inexpensive.
It feels as though Wii U is the result of a company becoming trapped in a box of its own making. Nobody seems to want an ultimate console, or if they do they don’t want Nintendo’s version. The question before the company is whether the system can, or should, be saved. With only three months on the market, it is extremely unlikely that Wii U will be shelved, but it certainly needs adjustment. Whether in terms of a large drop in price or a revision of the technology, something big needs to be done.
I wondered aloud whether this play for an Ultimate Platform could be both the start and the end of something, and privately hoped that it would overcome some of its initial confusion and become interesting. Having largely mined the casual market to death with wibbly-wobbly party games and yoga simulators, it felt like a good time for Nintendo to start talking to its fans again and regenerating the marketing story that had got it so far. Concerns had long been raised among gamers that Nintendo had turned its back on them, and they felt that the company was not interested in them anymore. So Wii U seemed to be all about Nintendo finding its way back to them, but also dragging all of its newfound casual friends along for the ride.
But it seems the fans have already decided that for themselves, and Nintendo’s attempt to reignite the old flame is falling on deaf ears. Not only are sales of the platform very weak, it just has no buzz. Aside from the usual anticipation of a new Zelda, all the column inches about Wii U these days are about how poorly it’s selling, how shoddy some of the technology in it is, and how the premium games that it’s trying to attract all look cut-down in comparison to “proper” versions. Nobody, it seems, thinks that the controller is a big enough deal to really get excited. And to make matters worse, the casual market of Wii isn’t particularly interested either.
Like that other recent dud, the PS Vita, you know it’s all gone wrong when a platform is just not featuring in any conversations. Nobody’s thinking of making games for it, fans are generally not getting excited for it, and folks forget that it exists. Oh that, they say. Did that ever come out? What I find myself wondering, however, is why this has happened so fast to Wii U.
The console has only been available for three months and its first titles were mostly well-received. ZombiU was interesting, and many a Twitterite noted how Nintendoland was perhaps a little odd but full of user-created art and other neat stuff. The prospect of games on the horizon was also welcome. Then in the wake of Christmas it was all very silent. Sony started rumbling about PS4, Microsoft about Xbox, and the whole microconsole idea started to gain traction. Somewhere along the way we just kind of forgot about Nintendo entirely. Outside of the usual fan circle, nobody seems to be factoring the system into their thinking.
It’s possible that this is all because of the Wii/Wii U brand mixup. Six years ago the Wii was the hot ticket, and you could not buy one without sacrificing your firstborn. It was based on a very simple yet compelling idea (wave hand, something happens on screen) and extended this idea out with some very smart accessories like the Wii Fit. And yet three years ago, developers were already grumbling that Wii felt like it had peaked. Third-party games didn’t really sell well, and the technology was more limited than it initially appeared. Worse, the scuttlebutt around the campfire had it that most users who were buying Wiis were really only playing them for a week or two and then shelving them until birthdays and Christmas rolled around.
In many ways then, Wii may have already been a dead brand to most players, and selling them something that connected to that brand may have felt quaint. What certainly didn’t help was that the system seemed like (and still seems like) an add-on for your Wii. When the console was first announced in June 2011 there was mass confusion over what it actually was. At first it seemed to be a peripheral, much as Wii Fit had been. Then it slowly came to light that, no, it was a console. But not exactly a successor to the Wii, as it was aiming for a much more sophisticated kind of gamer. So we had the vision of the Wii brand trying to be all about fighters and shooters, and yet hold onto its casual roots.
Wii U is not the first Nintendo system in recent memory to try and fail to extend an existing audience. The 3DS tried much the same trick, building on all that DS love and hoping to convince the world that 3D was going to be the next big thing. The world remains unconvinced about that and is not inclined to pay a premium to find out. However Nintendo was able to backtrack via a large price cut and save the DS market. With Wii U, though, it feels different. Pivoting toward the core was probably a decision made from knowing what the attach rate and margins of casual games tend to be compared to fanfare, and yet still. Perhaps the Wii brand had already aged so much that the new system just needed a new story to tell.
Then there’s the technology. Although Apple and Nintendo are similar in many respects one of the big differences between the companies is that Apple has always tended to build sweet systems for the upper end of the market, so their devices are more expensive but also of better quality. Nintendo, on the other hand, tends to be cheap. In areas such as battery life, the number of gamepads the system can support, the slapped-together feeling of its online offering, difficulties with transferring saved games and so on, Nintendo created an air of ineptitude around the Wii U launch that refuses to go away.
There’s also the sensation that the competition has passed Nintendo by. While Sony’s recent conference may have produced mixed impressions (from those who think it was a great console launch, to others like me who think it showed a stark failure of vision), there’s a sense that the game is now Microsoft’s to lose. For all its woes, Kinect largely became the more interesting peripheral story, and many expect Microsoft to make a big announcement that will win the next generation soon. Nintendo, perhaps, needs to be bolder than it has been with Wii U. Perhaps it should have cut the console chord entirely and been a purely portable system (with better battery life). Perhaps Nintendo should not have worried so much about backwards compatibility (does anyone use their Wii Fit any more?) and instead focused on one core verb to define the new system.
Or perhaps it’s because Nintendo didn’t think small enough. Those pesky iDevices are becoming near universal, with their free games and such, and the taste for gaming, which is even more portable, is only growing. Likewise, microconsoles are emerging as a potential super cheap console with all the fun games you could imagine for cheap. Perhaps Wii U needed to be that simplistic and inexpensive.
It feels as though Wii U is the result of a company becoming trapped in a box of its own making. Nobody seems to want an ultimate console, or if they do they don’t want Nintendo’s version. The question before the company is whether the system can, or should, be saved. With only three months on the market, it is extremely unlikely that Wii U will be shelved, but it certainly needs adjustment. Whether in terms of a large drop in price or a revision of the technology, something big needs to be done.
2013年3月14日星期四
Lunch, Anyone? Blunch
There may be no better way to dispel late-winter gloom than by stopping by the South End’s Blunch at noontime. From the moment you open the door, with its whimsical spoon handles, to this tiny sandwich shop, you’re bound to feel your mood lifting.
Directly across from Boston Medical Center, Blunch not only serves hungry doctors, nurses, and hospital visitors, but offers a warm welcome to folks of all stripes: it’s an outspokenly gay-friendly establishment, offers discounts to bikers, and is happy to host dogs (with the proviso that they’re attached to owners).
An unpretentious place for diners without a lot of time, Blunch offers counter service only, but employees still treat patrons attentively. We were greeted warmly and allowed to take our time scanning the café’s creative, mouthwatering menu. As its name implies, Blunch specializes in breakfast and lunch options (it does not serve dinner), offering a scrumptious selection of pressed sandwiches, bagelwiches, eggwiches, salads, soups, and baked goods, all made with fresh ingredients.
Careful consideration resulted in ordering the Giving Tree ($7.75). A delicious combination of smoked turkey, cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green apples, honey Dijon dressing, and baby greens on multigrain bread, the sandwich was pressed to perfection (not a corner burnt). The green apples provided juiciness and the honey Dijon a subtle tang. Unable to resist the tempting baked goods in the glass case at the counter, we indulged in a melty triple chip cookie ($2).
A companion opted for one of Blunch’s popular—and very reasonable—bagelwiches. Topped with smoked salmon, Boursin cheese, and a chopped salad mixed with tomatoes, capers, red onions, and cucumbers ($7), it was a bargain. Served on an open-faced toasted plain bagel the unique mesh of flavors made for a fresh, zesty sandwich, different from bagelwiches found at other local lunch spots.
And that’s the best part about Blunch: you won’t find the same old menu options here. We couldn’t try everything, so we’ve already decided to return. Next time, we plan to order the Meltdown—a triple grilled cheese (Fontina, cheddar, and Swiss) served with tomato on thick-cut sourdough bread ($7.75). Or perhaps we’ll go for the Lower East Side (no shortage of clever names here), another pressed sandwich, made with shop-roasted beef, Swiss cheese, horseradish cream slaw, fried shallots, and dill pickles on marbled European rye ($8.25).
Blunch also features daily specials, or “whims,” written in marker on an antique mirror. A soup, sandwich, and sweet not found on the permanent menu is offered each day. For the diet-conscious, try one of the several delicious salads, among them a tomato-caper-cucumber salad with smoked salmon, baby greens, and boursin cheese ($11); another has feta cheese, cucumbers, olives, and roast peppers in a lemon oregano vinaigrette ($7.50).
We ate on wooden stools along a tiled bar stretching across the front wall. The large windows look out on the neighborhood’s beautiful brownstones. Because there is limited seating (we had to wait several minutes for a group to leave to get our window spot), you may opt to get your food to go. Blunch encourages patrons to call ahead so their order will be waiting for them. In warm weather months, diners can sit at one of the small tables outside.
What Blunch lacks in square footage, it more than makes up for in lip-smacking lunch options. So the next time your day is looking bleak, brighten it by heading over to this South End sandwich shop for a colorful and tasty meal.
Understanding what matters most to us in our lives, the Samsung GALAXY S 4 was developed to redefine the way we live and to maximize our fulfillment of life. This sleek and innovative smartphone makes every moment of life very meaningful; it understands the value of relationships, enabling true connections with friends and family. It believes in the importance of an effortless user experience, making your life easy and hassle-free; and, it empowers your life, helping take care of your well-being.
The beauty of the phone is the highly crafted design encompassing a larger screen size and battery, minimized bezel; all housed in a light (130g) and slim (7.9mm) shape. The Samsung GALAXY S 4 is slimmer yet stronger, with less to hold yet more to see. It has come up with simply unreal beauty. At launch, two color options will be available - Black Mist and White Frost; with a variety of additional color options to follow later this year.
"With the GALAXY S 4, Samsung is again going to enhance the way we live," said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. "All the innovative features of GALAXY S 4 were developed based on the insights and needs we found from our consumers all around the world. Following the successful GALAXY S series, this phone is yet another great proof point of people-inspired innovation. At Samsung we'll never stop pursuing innovation conceived by people, so we can inspire them in return."
Equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera, the GALAXY S 4 also boasts a 'Dual Camera' function that allows simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras. When capturing moments, users can choose from a variety of frame effects which blend the two pictures naturally and also adjust the size of the small picture inside the big one. Users can select 8 different ways to combine the two photos taken by the front camera and the rear camera. At the same time, the 'Dual Video Call' function enables you to make and receive a video call with friends and family while showing what you are looking at during the call.
The camera functionality extends beyond Dual Camera, as the device is also equipped with 12 outstanding shooting modes including 'Drama Shot', which allows you to see all the action in one continuous time-lapse, and 'Sound & Shot', which uniquely stores sound and voice together as the picture is taken so those special moments are captured in the truest form imaginable, exactly as they happened.
These meaningful moments can also now automatically be stored in a photo album, with the new 'Story Album' function. Photos taken by the GALAXY S 4 are automatically gathered and sorted out according to your timeline, geo-tagging information, or a specific event to create a photo album. These unique story albums can be ordered and delivered as an offline photo album through a new partnership with Blurb*, so you can keep those precious moments safe to look at and share time and time again.
Directly across from Boston Medical Center, Blunch not only serves hungry doctors, nurses, and hospital visitors, but offers a warm welcome to folks of all stripes: it’s an outspokenly gay-friendly establishment, offers discounts to bikers, and is happy to host dogs (with the proviso that they’re attached to owners).
An unpretentious place for diners without a lot of time, Blunch offers counter service only, but employees still treat patrons attentively. We were greeted warmly and allowed to take our time scanning the café’s creative, mouthwatering menu. As its name implies, Blunch specializes in breakfast and lunch options (it does not serve dinner), offering a scrumptious selection of pressed sandwiches, bagelwiches, eggwiches, salads, soups, and baked goods, all made with fresh ingredients.
Careful consideration resulted in ordering the Giving Tree ($7.75). A delicious combination of smoked turkey, cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green apples, honey Dijon dressing, and baby greens on multigrain bread, the sandwich was pressed to perfection (not a corner burnt). The green apples provided juiciness and the honey Dijon a subtle tang. Unable to resist the tempting baked goods in the glass case at the counter, we indulged in a melty triple chip cookie ($2).
A companion opted for one of Blunch’s popular—and very reasonable—bagelwiches. Topped with smoked salmon, Boursin cheese, and a chopped salad mixed with tomatoes, capers, red onions, and cucumbers ($7), it was a bargain. Served on an open-faced toasted plain bagel the unique mesh of flavors made for a fresh, zesty sandwich, different from bagelwiches found at other local lunch spots.
And that’s the best part about Blunch: you won’t find the same old menu options here. We couldn’t try everything, so we’ve already decided to return. Next time, we plan to order the Meltdown—a triple grilled cheese (Fontina, cheddar, and Swiss) served with tomato on thick-cut sourdough bread ($7.75). Or perhaps we’ll go for the Lower East Side (no shortage of clever names here), another pressed sandwich, made with shop-roasted beef, Swiss cheese, horseradish cream slaw, fried shallots, and dill pickles on marbled European rye ($8.25).
Blunch also features daily specials, or “whims,” written in marker on an antique mirror. A soup, sandwich, and sweet not found on the permanent menu is offered each day. For the diet-conscious, try one of the several delicious salads, among them a tomato-caper-cucumber salad with smoked salmon, baby greens, and boursin cheese ($11); another has feta cheese, cucumbers, olives, and roast peppers in a lemon oregano vinaigrette ($7.50).
We ate on wooden stools along a tiled bar stretching across the front wall. The large windows look out on the neighborhood’s beautiful brownstones. Because there is limited seating (we had to wait several minutes for a group to leave to get our window spot), you may opt to get your food to go. Blunch encourages patrons to call ahead so their order will be waiting for them. In warm weather months, diners can sit at one of the small tables outside.
What Blunch lacks in square footage, it more than makes up for in lip-smacking lunch options. So the next time your day is looking bleak, brighten it by heading over to this South End sandwich shop for a colorful and tasty meal.
Understanding what matters most to us in our lives, the Samsung GALAXY S 4 was developed to redefine the way we live and to maximize our fulfillment of life. This sleek and innovative smartphone makes every moment of life very meaningful; it understands the value of relationships, enabling true connections with friends and family. It believes in the importance of an effortless user experience, making your life easy and hassle-free; and, it empowers your life, helping take care of your well-being.
The beauty of the phone is the highly crafted design encompassing a larger screen size and battery, minimized bezel; all housed in a light (130g) and slim (7.9mm) shape. The Samsung GALAXY S 4 is slimmer yet stronger, with less to hold yet more to see. It has come up with simply unreal beauty. At launch, two color options will be available - Black Mist and White Frost; with a variety of additional color options to follow later this year.
"With the GALAXY S 4, Samsung is again going to enhance the way we live," said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. "All the innovative features of GALAXY S 4 were developed based on the insights and needs we found from our consumers all around the world. Following the successful GALAXY S series, this phone is yet another great proof point of people-inspired innovation. At Samsung we'll never stop pursuing innovation conceived by people, so we can inspire them in return."
Equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera, the GALAXY S 4 also boasts a 'Dual Camera' function that allows simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras. When capturing moments, users can choose from a variety of frame effects which blend the two pictures naturally and also adjust the size of the small picture inside the big one. Users can select 8 different ways to combine the two photos taken by the front camera and the rear camera. At the same time, the 'Dual Video Call' function enables you to make and receive a video call with friends and family while showing what you are looking at during the call.
The camera functionality extends beyond Dual Camera, as the device is also equipped with 12 outstanding shooting modes including 'Drama Shot', which allows you to see all the action in one continuous time-lapse, and 'Sound & Shot', which uniquely stores sound and voice together as the picture is taken so those special moments are captured in the truest form imaginable, exactly as they happened.
These meaningful moments can also now automatically be stored in a photo album, with the new 'Story Album' function. Photos taken by the GALAXY S 4 are automatically gathered and sorted out according to your timeline, geo-tagging information, or a specific event to create a photo album. These unique story albums can be ordered and delivered as an offline photo album through a new partnership with Blurb*, so you can keep those precious moments safe to look at and share time and time again.
2013年3月12日星期二
The World's Sleaziest Politician Goes to Jail
Here in the USA, we're all used to the downfall of sleazy, ethics-free politicians. And the low depths they reach in demeaning themselves and besmirching their families. Be it by sex, theft or just every-day scumminess.
Senator John Edwards who was fathering a child with his mistress/"videographer" under the nose of his cancer-stricken dying wife as she was working to get him elected president
Speaker Newt Gingrich who generously helped one of his wives take her mind off her cancer by giving her the distracting news (in her hospital bed) that he was dumping her for a younger model.
But -- no disrespect to American politicians -- they have all met their match in terms of plumbing the depths of human sludge compared to the loathsome British politician who has just been sentenced to jail for "perverting the course of justice." Incidentally, that English crime isn't the equivalent of the American charge of "obstructing justice." It doesn't mean just blocking the course of justice. It means what it says. Full-blooded, premeditated, pro-active malevolent criminality.
On becoming a member of the UK government cabinet in May 2010, he was appointed to Her Majesty's "Privy Council" -- a conclave of senior UK politicians who, once inducted, keep that role for life -- thus landing the prefix he'd long craved of "The Right Honorable". But having pleaded guilty to a serious felony and been sent "down river" to jail, he is now one of only four members ever to be forced to resign in disgrace from the Queen's Council. The other three were also discovered to be out-and-out criminals. Though none that can compare in tawdriness to the deeply-loathed Huhne who is in a putrid league of his own. And with that forced resignation he he is no longer "The Right Honourable." He's officially Dis-Honoured for the rest of his life. For posterity. And all renewable extensions thereupon.
Huhne has just been sentenced to jail time after having admitted his guilt in a ten-year saga of perverting justice that has not only wrecked his political career as a top government minister but also guaranteed that he had to resign from parliament and be stripped of his titles, salary and considerable perks. Given the attitude of Britain's prison population towards white-collar criminals, it may see him stripped of more... Certainly his trademark smirk may be a little changed after he's spent a few months with fellow convicts inside...
In the post-Watergate decades, we're all accustomed to the fact that it's often not the crime that causes the real problem, but the cover-up. And we've also learned that sometimes it's not the import of the original crime that really matters, nor even the cover-up. What is pertinent is what the crime -- however petty -- reveals about the true nature of the person who committed the felony. And the way that the criminal treats those closest to him/her (family and friends). And it's in those two categories that Huhne surpasses all other pretenders to the title of The World's Sleaziest Politician.
Huhne, 58, finally pleaded guilty to a comparatively petty crime he inflicted on his long-suffering wife (who has now divorced him) exactly ten years ago. At the time, in March 2003, Huhne was a member of the European Parliament. A notoriously bad driver with a reputation for speeding, he had accumulated numerous penalty points on his driving license and if he received just three more penalty points he would automatically lose his driving license.
He had also sleazed himself into multi-millionaire status having used his wife's wealth to parlay his connections as a finance reporter into a lucrative career as a financial operator offering insider "tips" on how to exploit small European economies to the barracudas on London's equivalent of Wall Street. He was Gordon "Greed Is Good" Gekko -- cunningly covered with a veneer of environmental do-gooderism as a rising member of Britain's Liberal-Democrats -- a third political party (of no fixed moral compass) in Britain's two-party system.
But because of the wealth he'd accumulated in a surprisingly short time (from "dodgy investments" his wife admitted last week under oath) -- and his portfolio of nine homes (several of which were generating indecent amounts of rental income) he could certainly afford a chauffeur-driven car, or at the very least a taxi service. So he could have lost his driving license for a year and survived life. Many have before...
But Huhne also had an air of ultra-smug entitlement. So he continued to drive himself. One night he drove himself to one of his London homes from an Essex airport after returning from a trip to the European Parliament. The speed limit was 50 mph. But Huhne ignored it and his car was tagged by a speed camera driving at 69 mph. It probably didn't help him that he had decorated his car with vanity license plates "HII H N E."
In the years immediately after he forced his wife to take the speeding bullet for him, it seemed that nothing could go wrong for him. In the UK General Election of 2005 he won election to the British Parliament. And a scant few months later he made clear how ambitious and ruthless he was. The leader of his party Charles Kennedy suddenly resigned after a whispering campaign that he had a "drinking problem." Though the source of the "sauce campaign" has never been confirmed -- the more you learn about Huhne, the less surprised you will be as to who orchestrated the whispers. The obvious next-in-line -- a party elder named Sir Menzies Campbell was assured a clear victory in the internal party election when Huhne suddenly threw down a gauntlet and challenged him (having of course first assured Campbell that he wouldn't run against him.) Despite Huhne coming close to winning, in the end the party sensed something of the slick arriviste about Huhne and he was defeated in the poll by Campbell.
However Huhne came very close to winning. The margin between Clegg and Huhne was just 511 votes. Interestingly, what may have contributed to Huhne's failure to win was a whispering campaign against Huhne himself by those whose seemed to know him best.
A blog called the Anti-Chris! started to draw the attention of the party members due to vote in the election to some of his very questionable behavior including financial dealings that his wife subsequently confirmed were "dodgy" (a British colloquialism for underhand); his bizarre claim in a national newspaper interview that his mother (an amateur actress in neighborhood dramatic societies) had appeared in Hollywood movies as Superman's mother (she hadn't of course -- and she refuted her son publicly), and some very distressing reports about what had transpired between him and his two step-daughters (by his wife's first marriage) to cause them to be so appalled by him. Huhne -- an avowed free-speech advocate -- personally threatened to sue a prominent respected blogger who dared to link to the Anti-Chris blog. Obviously a raw nerve had been touched. It later became apparent that the source of many of the whispers on the Anti-Chris blog emanated from his own family members, who were very aware of just who and what Huhne really was.
Senator John Edwards who was fathering a child with his mistress/"videographer" under the nose of his cancer-stricken dying wife as she was working to get him elected president
Speaker Newt Gingrich who generously helped one of his wives take her mind off her cancer by giving her the distracting news (in her hospital bed) that he was dumping her for a younger model.
But -- no disrespect to American politicians -- they have all met their match in terms of plumbing the depths of human sludge compared to the loathsome British politician who has just been sentenced to jail for "perverting the course of justice." Incidentally, that English crime isn't the equivalent of the American charge of "obstructing justice." It doesn't mean just blocking the course of justice. It means what it says. Full-blooded, premeditated, pro-active malevolent criminality.
On becoming a member of the UK government cabinet in May 2010, he was appointed to Her Majesty's "Privy Council" -- a conclave of senior UK politicians who, once inducted, keep that role for life -- thus landing the prefix he'd long craved of "The Right Honorable". But having pleaded guilty to a serious felony and been sent "down river" to jail, he is now one of only four members ever to be forced to resign in disgrace from the Queen's Council. The other three were also discovered to be out-and-out criminals. Though none that can compare in tawdriness to the deeply-loathed Huhne who is in a putrid league of his own. And with that forced resignation he he is no longer "The Right Honourable." He's officially Dis-Honoured for the rest of his life. For posterity. And all renewable extensions thereupon.
Huhne has just been sentenced to jail time after having admitted his guilt in a ten-year saga of perverting justice that has not only wrecked his political career as a top government minister but also guaranteed that he had to resign from parliament and be stripped of his titles, salary and considerable perks. Given the attitude of Britain's prison population towards white-collar criminals, it may see him stripped of more... Certainly his trademark smirk may be a little changed after he's spent a few months with fellow convicts inside...
In the post-Watergate decades, we're all accustomed to the fact that it's often not the crime that causes the real problem, but the cover-up. And we've also learned that sometimes it's not the import of the original crime that really matters, nor even the cover-up. What is pertinent is what the crime -- however petty -- reveals about the true nature of the person who committed the felony. And the way that the criminal treats those closest to him/her (family and friends). And it's in those two categories that Huhne surpasses all other pretenders to the title of The World's Sleaziest Politician.
Huhne, 58, finally pleaded guilty to a comparatively petty crime he inflicted on his long-suffering wife (who has now divorced him) exactly ten years ago. At the time, in March 2003, Huhne was a member of the European Parliament. A notoriously bad driver with a reputation for speeding, he had accumulated numerous penalty points on his driving license and if he received just three more penalty points he would automatically lose his driving license.
He had also sleazed himself into multi-millionaire status having used his wife's wealth to parlay his connections as a finance reporter into a lucrative career as a financial operator offering insider "tips" on how to exploit small European economies to the barracudas on London's equivalent of Wall Street. He was Gordon "Greed Is Good" Gekko -- cunningly covered with a veneer of environmental do-gooderism as a rising member of Britain's Liberal-Democrats -- a third political party (of no fixed moral compass) in Britain's two-party system.
But because of the wealth he'd accumulated in a surprisingly short time (from "dodgy investments" his wife admitted last week under oath) -- and his portfolio of nine homes (several of which were generating indecent amounts of rental income) he could certainly afford a chauffeur-driven car, or at the very least a taxi service. So he could have lost his driving license for a year and survived life. Many have before...
But Huhne also had an air of ultra-smug entitlement. So he continued to drive himself. One night he drove himself to one of his London homes from an Essex airport after returning from a trip to the European Parliament. The speed limit was 50 mph. But Huhne ignored it and his car was tagged by a speed camera driving at 69 mph. It probably didn't help him that he had decorated his car with vanity license plates "HII H N E."
In the years immediately after he forced his wife to take the speeding bullet for him, it seemed that nothing could go wrong for him. In the UK General Election of 2005 he won election to the British Parliament. And a scant few months later he made clear how ambitious and ruthless he was. The leader of his party Charles Kennedy suddenly resigned after a whispering campaign that he had a "drinking problem." Though the source of the "sauce campaign" has never been confirmed -- the more you learn about Huhne, the less surprised you will be as to who orchestrated the whispers. The obvious next-in-line -- a party elder named Sir Menzies Campbell was assured a clear victory in the internal party election when Huhne suddenly threw down a gauntlet and challenged him (having of course first assured Campbell that he wouldn't run against him.) Despite Huhne coming close to winning, in the end the party sensed something of the slick arriviste about Huhne and he was defeated in the poll by Campbell.
However Huhne came very close to winning. The margin between Clegg and Huhne was just 511 votes. Interestingly, what may have contributed to Huhne's failure to win was a whispering campaign against Huhne himself by those whose seemed to know him best.
A blog called the Anti-Chris! started to draw the attention of the party members due to vote in the election to some of his very questionable behavior including financial dealings that his wife subsequently confirmed were "dodgy" (a British colloquialism for underhand); his bizarre claim in a national newspaper interview that his mother (an amateur actress in neighborhood dramatic societies) had appeared in Hollywood movies as Superman's mother (she hadn't of course -- and she refuted her son publicly), and some very distressing reports about what had transpired between him and his two step-daughters (by his wife's first marriage) to cause them to be so appalled by him. Huhne -- an avowed free-speech advocate -- personally threatened to sue a prominent respected blogger who dared to link to the Anti-Chris blog. Obviously a raw nerve had been touched. It later became apparent that the source of many of the whispers on the Anti-Chris blog emanated from his own family members, who were very aware of just who and what Huhne really was.
2013年3月7日星期四
Trico Homes in Cimarron - read more
With an exceptional location bordering the scenic Sheep River and overlooking the majestic foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the community of Cimarron in Okotoks offers a refreshing escape from the city.
Cimarron has a wide variety of homes available from respected builder Trico Homes. The company is currently building move-up or semi-estate homes in two phases of the community.
Trico Homes Area Sales Manager Neil Donnelly says the move-up phase includes 14 different models, ranging in size from about 1,900 to 2,400 square feet. Prices for a lot, home and GST in this phase start at around $424,900. In the semi-estate phase, there are eight models available, with square footage from 2,300 to 2,800 and the price for a lot, home and GST starting at about $450,000.
In both phases of the development a high level of features is the standard, with all homes including the very desirable front-attached garage, as well as hardwood flooring, ceramic tile and nine-foot ceilings on the main floor. The semi-estate models also include granite countertops in the kitchen and the nine-foot ceilings extend to the upper floor.
A good selection of lots are still available, including many walk-out lots in both phases, and cul-de-sac lots backing onto green space in the semi-estates.
In addition to an impressive selection of Trico homes, buyers in Cimarron benefit from the many attractions of the community, which is already well established as it enters into its final phases of development. That means all the amenities such as parks and pathways, are already in place, so residents don’t have to wait for things to be built. Cimarron also has fantastic access to shopping in the community including nearby Costco, and many more within Okotoks.
The health-focused grocer offers natural and organic products, including USDA-certified organic produce, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats, along with a variety of organic and natural groceries free of artificial flavors, sweeteners and hydrogenated oils.
One of the company's main goals is to offer affordable prices, said a company spokesperson.
The store also offers an extensive dietary supplement and personal care department, as well as lines of natural and organic pet food and environmentally friendly cleaning products said the spokesperson.
Every aspect of Natural Grocers aims to increase customers’ health and convenience in an eco-friendly, responsible manner, according to Lubbock store Manager Adam Nolan.
Nolan, who moved to Lubbock from Dallas about three months ago to open the new store, has West Texas roots. He was born in Hale Center, reared in Plainview and attended Texas Tech.
Now, after spending 15 years working in retail in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Nolan is excited to return home.
Natural Grocers’ opening in Lubbock could improve more than just the health of residents; it could also improve the city’s economy.
Natural Grocers, which buys only 100 percent organic produce and meat, believes the best producers are found locally most of the time.
“We make a real effort to reach out to local producers,” said Nolan. “It is always better to buy as many of the perishables we carry locally, if organic and natural options are available. We hope to establish some contacts with local ranchers who raise natural and organic livestock as well.
“Organic food tastes about 20 percent better than conventionally grown produce and conventionally raised meat,” Nolan said.
Natural Grocers’ Lubbock location offers a Grab and Go section with salads, sandwiches and other fresh products made locally, along with a large assortment of drinks for customers wanting to pick up a healthy lunch.
The new store features a community room where customers can drink a cup of coffee and read the newspaper and a top-of-the-line demo kitchen, where a licensed nutritionist the store plans to hire can provide demonstrations and education for customers.
“Each location checks the pulse of the local community to ensure we meet the needs to the area,” said Nolan.
The new store was built using green features, such as energy-efficient motion light sensors, 100 percent post-consumer content tiles, high-efficiency heat-exchange systems, polished concrete flooring and commercial-grade LED lights.
Natural Grocers' checkout is 100 percent free of disposable paper or plastic shopping bags. The store offers free recycled boxes and sells recycled totes for grocery carry-out.
Cimarron has a wide variety of homes available from respected builder Trico Homes. The company is currently building move-up or semi-estate homes in two phases of the community.
Trico Homes Area Sales Manager Neil Donnelly says the move-up phase includes 14 different models, ranging in size from about 1,900 to 2,400 square feet. Prices for a lot, home and GST in this phase start at around $424,900. In the semi-estate phase, there are eight models available, with square footage from 2,300 to 2,800 and the price for a lot, home and GST starting at about $450,000.
In both phases of the development a high level of features is the standard, with all homes including the very desirable front-attached garage, as well as hardwood flooring, ceramic tile and nine-foot ceilings on the main floor. The semi-estate models also include granite countertops in the kitchen and the nine-foot ceilings extend to the upper floor.
A good selection of lots are still available, including many walk-out lots in both phases, and cul-de-sac lots backing onto green space in the semi-estates.
In addition to an impressive selection of Trico homes, buyers in Cimarron benefit from the many attractions of the community, which is already well established as it enters into its final phases of development. That means all the amenities such as parks and pathways, are already in place, so residents don’t have to wait for things to be built. Cimarron also has fantastic access to shopping in the community including nearby Costco, and many more within Okotoks.
The health-focused grocer offers natural and organic products, including USDA-certified organic produce, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats, along with a variety of organic and natural groceries free of artificial flavors, sweeteners and hydrogenated oils.
One of the company's main goals is to offer affordable prices, said a company spokesperson.
The store also offers an extensive dietary supplement and personal care department, as well as lines of natural and organic pet food and environmentally friendly cleaning products said the spokesperson.
Every aspect of Natural Grocers aims to increase customers’ health and convenience in an eco-friendly, responsible manner, according to Lubbock store Manager Adam Nolan.
Nolan, who moved to Lubbock from Dallas about three months ago to open the new store, has West Texas roots. He was born in Hale Center, reared in Plainview and attended Texas Tech.
Now, after spending 15 years working in retail in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Nolan is excited to return home.
Natural Grocers’ opening in Lubbock could improve more than just the health of residents; it could also improve the city’s economy.
Natural Grocers, which buys only 100 percent organic produce and meat, believes the best producers are found locally most of the time.
“We make a real effort to reach out to local producers,” said Nolan. “It is always better to buy as many of the perishables we carry locally, if organic and natural options are available. We hope to establish some contacts with local ranchers who raise natural and organic livestock as well.
“Organic food tastes about 20 percent better than conventionally grown produce and conventionally raised meat,” Nolan said.
Natural Grocers’ Lubbock location offers a Grab and Go section with salads, sandwiches and other fresh products made locally, along with a large assortment of drinks for customers wanting to pick up a healthy lunch.
The new store features a community room where customers can drink a cup of coffee and read the newspaper and a top-of-the-line demo kitchen, where a licensed nutritionist the store plans to hire can provide demonstrations and education for customers.
“Each location checks the pulse of the local community to ensure we meet the needs to the area,” said Nolan.
The new store was built using green features, such as energy-efficient motion light sensors, 100 percent post-consumer content tiles, high-efficiency heat-exchange systems, polished concrete flooring and commercial-grade LED lights.
Natural Grocers' checkout is 100 percent free of disposable paper or plastic shopping bags. The store offers free recycled boxes and sells recycled totes for grocery carry-out.
2013年3月5日星期二
The smarter way to keep warm
With the last few winters in Britain being colder than the average, and energy prices continuing to soar to record levels, UK homeowners can be forgiven for feeling a little blue at the prospect of turning up the radiators to keep warm and cosy.
As the spring season kicks in, it’s not uncommon for thoughts to turn to renovating the home and many homeowners may well be considering making improvements that will help reduce energy costs whilst making the home that bit more inviting.
One of the most efficient ways to ensure your home is warm and comfortable, without worrying about using too much energy and depending on unsightly radiators, is to fit underfloor heating.
Underfloor heating systems are not only more efficient than radiators, but can also free up wall space in your home - so you’ll no longer be restricted in the design of and layout of your rooms.
Unlike radiator-based systems, underfloor heating ensures an even dispersion of heat across an entire room, with no cold spots or draughts. Family-friendly and with no unsightly radiators it’s aesthetically pleasing and a system can be tailor-made for any home.
There are two different types of underfloor heating available on today’s market – electric and water-based systems. Electric systems use cables attached to mesh mats to effectively create a giant electric blanket, however, because they are electric they are considerably more expensive to run than water-based systems.
Water-based systems, such as those available from Polypipe’s Home Solutions range, use flexible plastic pipes which are filled with warm water directly from the central heating. The systems can also be integrated with renewable sources too, making them a smart choice for eco-savvy homeowners who don’t want a system with expensive on-going costs.
There are many different types of water-based underfloor heating systems suitable for any type of floor construction. For example, concrete or cement floors can use a Solid Floor system which comprises lightweight plastic floor panels. These are quick and easy to install via a registered installer and provide optimum comfort within the room.
For retrofit projects, Overlay and Overlay Lite underfloor heating systems work best. Both can be fitted over existing flooring. Overlay is more suited to hard flooring such as ceramic tiles and stone whereas Overlay Lite is designed for use underneath softer floorings such as carpet and laminate.
Underfloor heating is also incredibly easy to control for homeowners. Digital thermostats can allow time control per room, which means if your bathroom needs warming up first thing in the morning but your bedroom doesn’t, you can easily control this via a handy thermostat control.
As we get into spring and the winter frost starts to become a distant memory, homeowners must try to prepare for the next winter in a bid to fight off the cold. Underfloor heating offers a simple and effective solution to ease the growing concern of rising energy costs, whilst keeping homes comfortable, efficient and sustainable.
Richard Marcs used to walk by the three-storey condos in Westridge and imagine living there. With their cedar cladding, steep-pitched rooflines and setting among evergreens that back onto a ravine, they reminded him of mountain chalets. When one of the units became available, he stopped by to have a look. “I was impressed not only by the spaciousness of the condo, but how well defined that space was,” says Richard.
But he decided it was out of his price range and let it go. The unit eventually went off the market. When next he saw it about a year later, the condo was up for sale again, but in the meantime the owner had added a massive mantel to the fireplace in the living room. This time, Richard refused to let it slip through his fingers, quickly putting his downtown condo up for sale and selling within a month.
That was 10 years ago. Since then he has renovated or at least refinished nearly every surface of the three levels and basement. The decor choices reflect Richard’s bold esthetic, family roots and a life of travel. He shrewdly mixes high end items (the dining room suite from Cottswood) with savvy budget finds (sofas from Sears), elevating the whole look to that of a grand European salon. With its rich hues, opulent furnishings and crown mouldings the interior of this condo is like a Flemish painting.
But it wasn’t always so. Richard began by moving everything onto the first floor so he could paint and refinish the woodwork from top to bottom, including the cedar-stained staircase, which he accomplished by removing, painting and reassembling the frame, spindle by spindle.
Richard has cultivated a mastery of painting techniques, from striping to suede finishes, all expertly applied in rich tones of European antiquity. “I only use Benjamin Moore paint,” he offers, “for a quality look.”
The next project was the main bath on the second floor. After gutting it himself, he hired handyman Jim Hooft, who was well known in the condo complex, to do most of the installation work. Richard chose simple subway tiles enhanced with designer pencil edging and tile baseboards. The results are stunning. His success gave him the confidence to tackle the large master ensuite, removing its dated sauna and massive Jacuzzi. Aiming for a clean, open spa-like design, Richard chose a doorless S-shaped walk-in shower unit, which he found at Best Plumbing. “It’s light and required no special structural reinforcement,” says Richard.
Copperhead Electric installed pot lights and a heat lamp. For the ensuite he chose large ceramic tiles, from Home Depot, again giving it the designer look by adding pencil detailing and tile baseboards. A handsome antique desk serves as the vanity, with a floating mirror above. Although he chose not to have a bathtub installed, there is space available to keep that option open.
As the spring season kicks in, it’s not uncommon for thoughts to turn to renovating the home and many homeowners may well be considering making improvements that will help reduce energy costs whilst making the home that bit more inviting.
One of the most efficient ways to ensure your home is warm and comfortable, without worrying about using too much energy and depending on unsightly radiators, is to fit underfloor heating.
Underfloor heating systems are not only more efficient than radiators, but can also free up wall space in your home - so you’ll no longer be restricted in the design of and layout of your rooms.
Unlike radiator-based systems, underfloor heating ensures an even dispersion of heat across an entire room, with no cold spots or draughts. Family-friendly and with no unsightly radiators it’s aesthetically pleasing and a system can be tailor-made for any home.
There are two different types of underfloor heating available on today’s market – electric and water-based systems. Electric systems use cables attached to mesh mats to effectively create a giant electric blanket, however, because they are electric they are considerably more expensive to run than water-based systems.
Water-based systems, such as those available from Polypipe’s Home Solutions range, use flexible plastic pipes which are filled with warm water directly from the central heating. The systems can also be integrated with renewable sources too, making them a smart choice for eco-savvy homeowners who don’t want a system with expensive on-going costs.
There are many different types of water-based underfloor heating systems suitable for any type of floor construction. For example, concrete or cement floors can use a Solid Floor system which comprises lightweight plastic floor panels. These are quick and easy to install via a registered installer and provide optimum comfort within the room.
For retrofit projects, Overlay and Overlay Lite underfloor heating systems work best. Both can be fitted over existing flooring. Overlay is more suited to hard flooring such as ceramic tiles and stone whereas Overlay Lite is designed for use underneath softer floorings such as carpet and laminate.
Underfloor heating is also incredibly easy to control for homeowners. Digital thermostats can allow time control per room, which means if your bathroom needs warming up first thing in the morning but your bedroom doesn’t, you can easily control this via a handy thermostat control.
As we get into spring and the winter frost starts to become a distant memory, homeowners must try to prepare for the next winter in a bid to fight off the cold. Underfloor heating offers a simple and effective solution to ease the growing concern of rising energy costs, whilst keeping homes comfortable, efficient and sustainable.
Richard Marcs used to walk by the three-storey condos in Westridge and imagine living there. With their cedar cladding, steep-pitched rooflines and setting among evergreens that back onto a ravine, they reminded him of mountain chalets. When one of the units became available, he stopped by to have a look. “I was impressed not only by the spaciousness of the condo, but how well defined that space was,” says Richard.
But he decided it was out of his price range and let it go. The unit eventually went off the market. When next he saw it about a year later, the condo was up for sale again, but in the meantime the owner had added a massive mantel to the fireplace in the living room. This time, Richard refused to let it slip through his fingers, quickly putting his downtown condo up for sale and selling within a month.
That was 10 years ago. Since then he has renovated or at least refinished nearly every surface of the three levels and basement. The decor choices reflect Richard’s bold esthetic, family roots and a life of travel. He shrewdly mixes high end items (the dining room suite from Cottswood) with savvy budget finds (sofas from Sears), elevating the whole look to that of a grand European salon. With its rich hues, opulent furnishings and crown mouldings the interior of this condo is like a Flemish painting.
But it wasn’t always so. Richard began by moving everything onto the first floor so he could paint and refinish the woodwork from top to bottom, including the cedar-stained staircase, which he accomplished by removing, painting and reassembling the frame, spindle by spindle.
Richard has cultivated a mastery of painting techniques, from striping to suede finishes, all expertly applied in rich tones of European antiquity. “I only use Benjamin Moore paint,” he offers, “for a quality look.”
The next project was the main bath on the second floor. After gutting it himself, he hired handyman Jim Hooft, who was well known in the condo complex, to do most of the installation work. Richard chose simple subway tiles enhanced with designer pencil edging and tile baseboards. The results are stunning. His success gave him the confidence to tackle the large master ensuite, removing its dated sauna and massive Jacuzzi. Aiming for a clean, open spa-like design, Richard chose a doorless S-shaped walk-in shower unit, which he found at Best Plumbing. “It’s light and required no special structural reinforcement,” says Richard.
Copperhead Electric installed pot lights and a heat lamp. For the ensuite he chose large ceramic tiles, from Home Depot, again giving it the designer look by adding pencil detailing and tile baseboards. A handsome antique desk serves as the vanity, with a floating mirror above. Although he chose not to have a bathtub installed, there is space available to keep that option open.
2013年3月3日星期日
British rugby coach Warren Gatland on being the Lion King Down Under
As coach, I'm leading the squad Down Under and will have some difficult decisions to make - such as choosing the squad and the captain. But picking Noosa as our base wasn't hard at all. We'll stay at the Sheraton in the resort, which is a 90-minute drive from Brisbane or a short flight from Sydney, making it the perfect base between the games against Australia.
Fans are being encouraged by the local tourist board to stay in Noosa, and I would agree with their recommendation. Noosa is surrounded by ocean, rainforest, river, national parks and bush. It is a Unesco Biosphere Reserve and famous for its year-round wonderful climate with an average temperature of 25C - about 77F.
And there will be plenty to do for both players and fans when we're not all focusing on the rugby. We'll be able to enjoy surfing and paddle-boarding lessons, kayak tours of the Noosa Everglades and great hiking and horse-riding tours in the national parks. And for a bit of rest and relaxation, there are loads of cafes, markets and top-class restaurants.
What is attractive about Noosa to a touring team is that, unlike some other places on the Queensland coast, such as Surfer's Paradise, it's very quiet. Lions tours attract an awful lot of fans, which is great, but it can also mean things get a bit hectic, so you really need somewhere you can shut yourself away and just have a little down time to escape all the pressure.
Not that we mind meeting the supporters. We all understand that Lions fans save up for a long time and spend so much on following us that it's important we give them time to meet and talk with the players.
I know Queensland quite well. I've been there a few times, for holidays and as a player. I've had great times at Kirra Beach and Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, south of Noosa.
I'm a New Zealander and when I went to the Gold Coast - a number of years ago - it was a popular place for Kiwis to go on holiday. But not so much any more.
It's a sign of just how much Australia has matured as a holiday destination that older New Zealanders have moved on to other destinations in Australia - for example to places in the far north of Queensland such as Port Douglas and to resorts in Western Australia. Surfers Paradise, however, is still a very popular place with younger kids from New Zealand.
People often ask about the relationship between Aussies and Kiwis. I suppose we see the Aussies as kind of like our big brother - and we want to beat up our big brother all the time!
Mind you, things were different on Lions tours in the old days. In 1971, for example, when the Lions went Down Under, the tour started in Queensland with a match on May 12 and ended with the final Test against the All Blacks in Eden Park, Auckland, on August 14 - that was three months everybody was away from home, and that's a lot of time to fill.
This year's Lions tour starts with a match in Hong Kong against the Barbarians on June 1 and ends with the third and final Test against Australia in the ANZ Stadium in Sydney on July 6. When I was a child, family holidays were spent on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand.
We used to stay in a caravan at Raglan, a small beachside town about 30 miles west of Hamilton. Raglan is best known for its surf.
Now I've got a beach house on the eastern side of North Island at a place called Waihi Beach, a town at the western end of the Bay of Plenty. It lies about five miles to the east of the town of Waihi, at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula.
Waihi beach has about five miles of white sand linking it to the small settlement of Bowentown. It's a popular beach with surf enthusiasts as well as with families. Our house is right on the beachfront, which is nice, and I try to get over there as much as possible.
My children are teenagers now so four years ago we built a couple of bunk rooms at the beach house so they can entertain all their mates there. They have a great time out in the surf and kayaking, or taking the boat out for water-skiing.
Remembering the way he postured on stage, and his astounding exhibitionism at the most decadent parties the rock world has witnessed, Freddie Mercury’s final days were poignant indeed.
Desperate to avoid his fans seeing how his once-muscular body had been ravaged by Aids, the legendary rock showman shut himself away in his London home with a coterie of friends and former lovers, and was only persuaded to release a statement admitting he was suffering the disease 48 hours before his death.
But Mercury’s paranoia extended even beyond the grave. According to his long-time personal assistant Peter Freestone, who was nursing him when he died in November 1991, he was so terrified that his last resting place might be defiled by bigots that he insisted the whereabouts of his ashes must never be revealed.
All of which explains the excitement this week after the chance discovery of a small bronze plaque, mounted in secluded gardens at Kensal Green Cemetery, West London, which appears to have been laid as a tribute to Mercury by someone very close to him.
Since the epigraph was signed simply ‘M’, the speculation is it was written by his girlfriend- turned-lifelong-companion, Mary Austin.
And as she took possession of the wooden urn containing his ashes after his funeral service at the crematorium in the cemetery’s grounds, it is felt she might have buried or scattered them there. This theory gained credence because whoever placed the plaque used Freddie’s real name, Farrokh Bulsara, and further obscured their identity by writing the message — ‘to be close to you always, with all my love’ — in French.
However, as legions of fans converged on the cemetery this week, forcing staff to remove the plaque into safekeeping, Mary told me it was ‘very unlikely’ the secret had been uncovered; and as Peter Freestone commented: “I’ve never heard Mary speak French.”
Fans are being encouraged by the local tourist board to stay in Noosa, and I would agree with their recommendation. Noosa is surrounded by ocean, rainforest, river, national parks and bush. It is a Unesco Biosphere Reserve and famous for its year-round wonderful climate with an average temperature of 25C - about 77F.
And there will be plenty to do for both players and fans when we're not all focusing on the rugby. We'll be able to enjoy surfing and paddle-boarding lessons, kayak tours of the Noosa Everglades and great hiking and horse-riding tours in the national parks. And for a bit of rest and relaxation, there are loads of cafes, markets and top-class restaurants.
What is attractive about Noosa to a touring team is that, unlike some other places on the Queensland coast, such as Surfer's Paradise, it's very quiet. Lions tours attract an awful lot of fans, which is great, but it can also mean things get a bit hectic, so you really need somewhere you can shut yourself away and just have a little down time to escape all the pressure.
Not that we mind meeting the supporters. We all understand that Lions fans save up for a long time and spend so much on following us that it's important we give them time to meet and talk with the players.
I know Queensland quite well. I've been there a few times, for holidays and as a player. I've had great times at Kirra Beach and Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, south of Noosa.
I'm a New Zealander and when I went to the Gold Coast - a number of years ago - it was a popular place for Kiwis to go on holiday. But not so much any more.
It's a sign of just how much Australia has matured as a holiday destination that older New Zealanders have moved on to other destinations in Australia - for example to places in the far north of Queensland such as Port Douglas and to resorts in Western Australia. Surfers Paradise, however, is still a very popular place with younger kids from New Zealand.
People often ask about the relationship between Aussies and Kiwis. I suppose we see the Aussies as kind of like our big brother - and we want to beat up our big brother all the time!
Mind you, things were different on Lions tours in the old days. In 1971, for example, when the Lions went Down Under, the tour started in Queensland with a match on May 12 and ended with the final Test against the All Blacks in Eden Park, Auckland, on August 14 - that was three months everybody was away from home, and that's a lot of time to fill.
This year's Lions tour starts with a match in Hong Kong against the Barbarians on June 1 and ends with the third and final Test against Australia in the ANZ Stadium in Sydney on July 6. When I was a child, family holidays were spent on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand.
We used to stay in a caravan at Raglan, a small beachside town about 30 miles west of Hamilton. Raglan is best known for its surf.
Now I've got a beach house on the eastern side of North Island at a place called Waihi Beach, a town at the western end of the Bay of Plenty. It lies about five miles to the east of the town of Waihi, at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula.
Waihi beach has about five miles of white sand linking it to the small settlement of Bowentown. It's a popular beach with surf enthusiasts as well as with families. Our house is right on the beachfront, which is nice, and I try to get over there as much as possible.
My children are teenagers now so four years ago we built a couple of bunk rooms at the beach house so they can entertain all their mates there. They have a great time out in the surf and kayaking, or taking the boat out for water-skiing.
Remembering the way he postured on stage, and his astounding exhibitionism at the most decadent parties the rock world has witnessed, Freddie Mercury’s final days were poignant indeed.
Desperate to avoid his fans seeing how his once-muscular body had been ravaged by Aids, the legendary rock showman shut himself away in his London home with a coterie of friends and former lovers, and was only persuaded to release a statement admitting he was suffering the disease 48 hours before his death.
But Mercury’s paranoia extended even beyond the grave. According to his long-time personal assistant Peter Freestone, who was nursing him when he died in November 1991, he was so terrified that his last resting place might be defiled by bigots that he insisted the whereabouts of his ashes must never be revealed.
All of which explains the excitement this week after the chance discovery of a small bronze plaque, mounted in secluded gardens at Kensal Green Cemetery, West London, which appears to have been laid as a tribute to Mercury by someone very close to him.
Since the epigraph was signed simply ‘M’, the speculation is it was written by his girlfriend- turned-lifelong-companion, Mary Austin.
And as she took possession of the wooden urn containing his ashes after his funeral service at the crematorium in the cemetery’s grounds, it is felt she might have buried or scattered them there. This theory gained credence because whoever placed the plaque used Freddie’s real name, Farrokh Bulsara, and further obscured their identity by writing the message — ‘to be close to you always, with all my love’ — in French.
However, as legions of fans converged on the cemetery this week, forcing staff to remove the plaque into safekeeping, Mary told me it was ‘very unlikely’ the secret had been uncovered; and as Peter Freestone commented: “I’ve never heard Mary speak French.”
订阅：
博文 (Atom)