For the covers of The Chronicles Throughline limited series, we commissioned artist Chaowat Pong Lertsachanant to create a series of eight panels depicting the future of San Francisco that would connect to form one large panoramic image.

Lertsachanant had to navigate difficult thematic content alongside format challenges. Having a large canvas meant more details to get right in an illustration depicting a city to its own citizens. Each panel was also extremely vertical, inverting the film-like shape that is typical in Lertsachanants animation work. And then each piece had to stand on its own while weaving into the larger final illustration.

Now that all eight pieces have been published, we asked Lertsachanant for his artist commentary on each panel and how he depicted a futuristic San Francisco, altered by the pandemic and protests, moving forward better.

Week 1: The City

I lived in the Tenderloin before. I tried to recall how I felt about the Tenderloin and how it could be better, how it could be more tidy and more clean and still keep the look of the buildings in that area. It was also the area that I thought should have the solar panel towers from the micro-hood concept, since it seems like the area is slightly cheaper than other parts of San Francisco, so its easier to invest in.

In the street, its quite tricky because it has to connect to the panel next to it while still telling a story. So I thought it should be on the corner that connects streets together, so I can get away with it heading into the next panel and a building doesnt get in the way of the viewer.

Week 2: Closing the Gap

I was thinking about protesting in the future. Nowadays people have to be down on the street. Thats hard to control. I wanted to think about controllable vehicles that could project holograms of all the protesters, so that they wouldnt have to actually go out, and the way it would make people notice is by voice or sound. It was a fictional vision of what a protest could be.

And of course I used blue cause its a color scheme you often see in futuristic movies.

Week 3: The Future of the Arts

This was really challenging in terms of perspective and having to connect with the last panel. Davies Symphony Hall is quite a wide building, and I had to adjust into a vertical ratio. Theres no way. My solution was to put it in the front and just fake the perspective. I used the scale of people to give it a sense of size and make it contrast from the middle musician.

I was thinking about the color of the panel. Since I already used blue, I put pink and purple. This color scheme actually comes from the Blade Runner movie. I fused that idea into this panel a little bit.

Week 4: The Social Scene

Since its the Castro, I wanted to bring up the LGBTQ topic in this panel. Thats why I put the male couple in the front.

One of the things I looked at in the future was hand sanitizer being a normal thing that people use. Its on the dining table even. They use it before they eat. Or, on that date, its the new normal. Like, oh, I cant touch their hand until I use it first.

Week 5: The Tech Sector

I think I like this one the most since the composition features the Salesforce Tower. Its really tall, so it was the easiest one to compose since I could compose something in a vertical view.

Its the first time I actually had to paint a glass building and represent the Financial District. It was the easiest one and also the most challenging because, once I got into details, I had people in the front and details on the building. I had to figure out a way to push the buildings away so it didnt feel too dense for viewers.

Week 6: Rewriting the Rules

I wanted to free up the viewer a little bit, so I put the camera farther out after having very tight compositions in the previous illustrations. This one I just tried to have the feeling of the space in Civic Center.

When I walked there, the feeling of the space the air, the space between me and City Hall it made me feel like its a gigantic place and yet a space that I was still able to walk through.

It also has futurist elements that come from other panels. Thats why I have the skywalk bridge at the top. It connects it to the previous panel. I was worried it might be too big, but in the overall panorama, it wasnt as bad as I thought.

Week 7: How We Move

Since the suggestion was people feeling more hope and feeling more lively, I put a little story in there about a couple who may not have seen each other that much. I wanted it to say that now you can meet the people you love.

I chose Pacific Avenue. I sketch there all the time, and I walk and jog there. Theres a great view, and it just felt right to give a hopeful feeling of the city.

Its fictional. Its visually just my feelings that I mashed into that space that could work in a vertical ratio. I was really concerned about the perspective. I really worried people would find out that you dont see cable cars and the Golden Gate Bridge in the same place, and that you wouldnt see the bridge from Pacific ever like this.

This is actually the view from California and Mason, but in reality its a framing of the Bay Bridge. This city is like a composition by itself, and I tried to translate it into this picture. Its a VisDev (visual development) artist skill: We mess things up and make it look possible.

Week 8: The Community

I had the same worry as the previous panel. I mixed things up, and hopefully viewers wouldnt catch it or be mad about it not being true. Like the last one, I made the space feel more free with a lot of air between viewers and the scene. Thats why I used a lot of cool colors with just a touch of warm to make it like a normal sunny day, which is related to the happy ending of this series. It is just another normal day in which people can live their lives.

And on the screens in the outdoor classrooms, its like the pandemic is a memory already, that it happened in the past.

Alex K. Fong is the designer of the Throughline. Email: Alex.Fong@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @alexkfong

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Anatomy of the covers: The story of the Throughlines cover illustrations - San Francisco Chronicle

Grey's Anatomy 2017 ABC

While Grey's Anatomy isn't going to disappear from our screens right away, the writers are already thinking about the end of the series .

Recently, the medical series was renewed for a fifteenth season, but during an interview with Entainement Tonight, actress Ellen Pompeo recalled that the series would end well one day . She confided, We season after season. We're starting to think about how we can end such an iconic series. ". A potentially near end decision, therefore, and which will be commonly taken by the actress and the creator of the series Shonda Rhimes.

In this interview, the actress also reflected on the departures of Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Drew at the end of season 14. She said, My first reaction was: what? What do you mean ? Why ? And then you go through all the stages of the trouble. It's hard for them, it's hard for us, it's hard for the writers to have made this choice, and to have had to make this decision. ".

The finale of season 14 of Grey's Anatomy will air on May 17 . In the meantime, an episode airs every Thursday evening on the ABC channel.

Source: TV Insider

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Grey's Anatomy: The writers start to think about the end of the series - POP TIMES UK

Welcome back to the Anatomy of a Goal, where each week we dissect one goal (or near goal) from Columbus Crew SCs previous match.

For match seven of the 2020 MLS Season, we take a look at Alexander Rings 59th minute goal for New York City FC that gave City a 1-0 lead and send the Crew to their first loss of the 2020 campaign.

Here is a look at the goal from NYC FCs captain.

Columbus entered Mondays match against NYCFC on a six-match unbeaten streak to start the season. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Black & Gold flew into New Jersey on match day and their sluggish legs through much of this match showed just how difficult getting a result on the road will be during this phase of the MLS season.

The Crew was once again without offensive fulcrum Lucas Zelarayan, and the offense continued to struggle without the Argentine playmaker. Offensive timing issues further plagued Columbus with three goals correctly called back as offside.

Rings game-winner directly follows a substitution and tactical change for the Black & Gold. Following a foul on Luis Diaz, Artur entered the match for the Costa Rican winger sending Darlington Nagbe up to the No. 10 spot and Pedro Santos out to the wing as the team finished the match against Chicago last week. Emmanuel Boateng entered for Derrick Etienne in a more like-for-like substitution.

Jonathan Mensah lines up the free kick after the substitutions are complete. He has the option to hit a pass to almost every Crew player on the field.

Mensah, keeping with the Caleb Porter system, plays a pass across Heber toward Aboubacar Keita. Heber then drops back toward the midfield. Hector Jimenez will provide a wide option to Keita and Sebastian Berhalter will also drift further toward the sideline bringing Rings defensive presence with him. Artur sticks further up the field.

Keita picks up the ball and has four immediate options. He can play a pass up the sideline to Jimenez, carry the ball forward, play a short pass to Berhalter or play a pass back to Mensah.

Keita takes a step sideways and spots Mensah heading back toward the 18-yard box. Ring has left Berhalter and is cutting toward Keita to apply a defensive press. Heber puts on the breaks and cuts back toward the passing lane between the two Columbus center backs.

Mensah notices Heber cutting back and points toward the box for a deeper pass from Keita.

Keita hits the pass toward the spot that Mensah has vacated as the captain points back to the penalty box. Heber sprints into the path of the ball.

Mensah realizes the ball was played behind him and without enough pace and plants hard to try to recover. Keita realizes that he has mishit the pass and sprints toward the middle of the field while Heber attempts to intercept the errant pass.

Heber gets near the ball the ball with Black & Gold defenders between him and goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell.

From behind the goal we can see just how close this pass was to missing Heber. The NYCFC striker has to stretch out his left foot to get on the end of the pass.

Unfortunately, Heber is able to intercept Keitas pass and carries the ball into the Columbus goal box. Ring sprints in behind Keita, forcing the Homegrown defender to decide whether to cut off Hebers angle to the back post or whether to track Rings run into the penalty box.

Keita cuts off Hebers angle to the back post leaving Ring to run free in behind. Heber now finds himself with the option to take a shot on goal or to slide a quick pass over to a wide open Ring.

Heber makes the safer choice and plays a simple square pass to Ring.

Ring tees up a first touch shot on goal as Keita and Tarbell scramble back toward the New York City captain.

Ring fires in a left-footed shot as Tarbell attempts to dive in front of the ball.

Tarbell has too much ground to make up as the ball sails past him . . .

. . . and into the back of the net.

Findings:

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Anatomy of a Goal: Ring sends the Crew to first defeat of 2020 MLS Season - Massive Report

Go inside the long and record-setting life of George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward's iconic aria.

Since the 1935 world premiere production of the classic folk opera, Porgy and Bess, much of the score of George Gershwin's first opera has become musical canon.

Leaping off of the operatic stage and into the mainstream, songs like 'My Man's Gone Now', 'It Ain't Necessarily So', and 'I Got Plenty o' Nothin'' have established themselves as standards of the great American songbook. Though the reach of Gershwin's classic tunes has proved vast, no other song from the opera has quite matched the monumental success of the show's opening aria, "Summertime."

In the 85 years since its debut, this soulful lullaby has taken on a unique and unprecedented life of its own. In its long life, the song has proven its staying power and versatility, conforming to countless musical styles and settings and ultimately becoming the most covered song of all-time.

The story of how and why the song reached this pinnacle begins in 1925 when DuBose Heyward, released his novel Porgy, which ultimately gave way to a 1927 play of the same name by Heyward and his wife, Dorothy. Deeply inspired by the story, Broadway composer George Gershwin went to work on an adaptation. This time, however, the show would not be created for the musical stage- for the first time ever, Gershwin had set his sights on the opera.

To bring his Porgy to life, Gershwin enlisted novelist and playwright, DuBose Heyward and his brother, lyricist Ira Gershwin. In order to craft the world of the show, the Gershwins and DuBose spent several weeks in Charleston, South Carolina to study the lives and vernacular of the African American community there. Gershwin specifically drew inspiration from the coastal James Island Gullah community, citing their preservation of authentic African musical traditions as a jumping off point for the sound of the score.

Though the work itself is an opera and contains the traditional forms of arias and recitatives throughout, Gershwin drew inspiration from numerous musical styles, employing his roots in New York jazz, along with Black folk music, blues, street cries, spirituals, and hymns to enrich the musical world and community of Porgy and Bess.

"Summertime" specifically points to the diverse array of musical styles contained in the opera, utilizing the melancholy minor keys of jazz music, but written to be performed by a classically trained opera singer.

Musicologist K. J. McElrath wrote of the song, "Gershwin was remarkably successful in his intent to have this sound like a folk song. This is reinforced by his extensive use of the pentatonic scale (C-D-E-G-A) in the context of the A minor tonality and a slow-moving harmonic progression that suggests a "blues". Because of these factors, this tune has been a favorite of jazz performers for decades and can be done in a variety of tempos and styles."

Though Gershwin said that he did not draw inspiration for the song from any pre-existing spirituals, many scholars have pointed to similar melodies Gershwin may have adapted the song from, most notably the spiritual, "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child", which was featured at the end of the source play. After the opera's debut, many were quick to pick up on the similarities between the two. The songs sounded so similar that jazz legend Mahalia Jackson eventually went on to record them as a medley.

Others have pointed to some Ukranian musical traditions as inspiration for the song. The Ukrainian Yiddish lullaby "Pipi-pipipe" has been the subject of speculation as Summertime's inspiration as well as another the Ukrainian lullaby "Oi Khodyt Son Kolo Vikon" ("A Dream Passes by the Windows").

Despite lingering questions behind Gershwin's melody, DuBose Heyward took inspiration for the song's lyrics from southern folk spiritual-lullaby "All My Trials", which had also been used in his play Porgy.

Stephen Sondheim, a well-known super fan of the opera, has praised Heyward's choice of words to the opening line of the song in setting the tone for the rest of the song and score.

"That 'and' is worth a great deal of attention. I would write "Summertime when" but that 'and' sets up a tone, a whole poetic tone, not to mention a whole kind of diction that is going to be used in the play; an informal, uneducated diction and a stream of consciousness, as in many of the songs like 'My Man's Gone Now'."

He continues, "It's the exact right word, and that word is worth its weight in gold. "Summertime when the livin' is easy" is a boring line compared to "Summertime and". The choices of "ands" [and] "buts" become almost traumatic as you are writing a lyric - or should, anyway - because each one weighs so much."

Gershwin began composing the song in December 1933 and had the completed melody set to Heyward's poem by February 1934. It took Gershwin and Heyward the next 20 months to deliver the full, orchestrated score.

The first ever recorded performance of Summertime was sung by American soprano Abbie Mitchell (who originated the role of Clara on Broadway) on July 19, 1935, with George Gershwin playing the piano and conducting the orchestra.

Though the show began its life as Porgy, everything changed when Gershwin received a letter from opera student Ann Brown, then 20 years old and the first African-American vocalist admitted to Julliard. In the letter, Brown expressed interest in the project and requested an audience with the composer to sing for him. Gershwin's secretary received the letter and set up the meeting. Gershwin was so impressed by Brown he expanded the role of Bess, then a secondary character, and cast her.

In the period between rehearsals and previews, Gershwin invited Brown to lunch. At that meeting, he told her, "I want you to know, Miss Brown, that henceforth and forever after, George Gershwin's opera will be known as Porgy and Bess."

Porgy and Bess had its world premiere at Boston's Colonial Theatre on September 30, 1935 and debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on October 10, 1935.

The song is utilized several times throughout the opera. It opens act one, sung by Clara to her baby as a lullaby. She then reprises the melody as counterpoint to the act two craps game scene. It is sung again in act three, this time by Bess, singing to Clara's now-orphaned baby following the storm that devastates Catfish Row.

The long recording history of "Summertime" began just days after the opera's Broadway opening when two white opera singers Lawrence Tibbett and Helen Jepson, of the Metropolitan Opera recorded a handful highlights from the show. Less than a year later, in September 1936, Billie Holiday's recording of the song was the first to hit the US pop charts, reaching no. 12.

The show's original stars, Todd Duncan and Ann Brown, were not given the opportunity to immortalize their work in the same fashion until 1940, when they recorded their own highlights, "Summertime" among them.

From there, the veritable floodgates opened for recordings of the song. Over the years, it has amassed tens of thousands of covers and recordings, spanning an astounding number of musical genres and nearly every conceivable instrument.

The Summertime Connection is a website whose sole purpose is to collect recordings of the aria in an effort to keep track of its incredible life all over the globe. At last count (August 2020) the website claims to have accounted for at least 98,400 public performances, of which 82,723 have been recorded. The Summertime Connection currently boasts 70,820 full recordings in its collection.

The song remains the Most Recorded Song in History according to the Guinness Book of World records, beating out The Beatles' 'Yesterday' and even Christmas standards that are routinely recorded each year.

Despite the ubiquity of recordings of the song, there are a handful that have etched their place in history as stand out covers. Former national tour Bess, opera singer, Leontyne Price, recorded wha
t is considered one of, if not the, definitive operatic version of the song as part of a performance at the White House in 1978.

Other highly notable versions include a duet between Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis' jazz instrumental, blues versions recorded by Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company and Al Green, a folk cover by Willie Nelson, a reggae rendition by B.B. Seaton, a stripped-down cover by British Invasion band The Zombies, and a bluegrass version from Doc Watson. The song has also been adapted into other tunes such as 'Doin' Time' from the ska band, Sublime, which incorporates elements of Gershwin's original.

In 1959, the song made its way to the big screen in the film adaptation of Porgy and Bess, starring Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge. Though Dandridge performed the song onscreen, Adele Addison did vocal dubbing for Bess. Diahann Carroll's Clara was also dubbed for the film. Though Dandridge and Carroll were both singers, their voices were deemed not operatic enough for the film.

There have been at least eight revivals of the musical on Broadway and in Broadway adjacent venues (Radio City Music Hall, City Center) since its debut, most recently Diane Paulus' 2012 re-imagining of the opera, starring Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald. This staging caused some controversy for Porgy and Bess superfan, Stephen Sondheim, who wrote a scathing open letter to The New York Times deriding changes made to the show, specifically the omission of DuBose Heyward's credit from the show's altered title, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess.

In addition to its life on Broadway, the opera has been performed countless times around the world. It returned to the New York stage most recently in a September 2019 production from The Metropolitan Opera. Singers Angel Blue, Elizabeth Llewellyn, Golda Schulz, Janai Brugger, and Brandie Sutton, who performed Bess and Clara throughout the run, are the latest to add their name to the long list of incredible opera singers who have brought this indelible tune to life.

Despite Porgy and Bess' place as a groundbreaking work for classically trained Black singers, it would be impossible to discuss the show's long life without acknowledging its long-debated history of racial controversy. Since its debut, the opera has faced criticisms of racism and outdated stereotypical depictions of Black Americans, as well as what critics view as a whitewashed version of Black people as created by three Caucasian artists. Some of the vernacular within its lyrics has been criticized as a form of minstrelsy, hearkening back to offensive blackface stereotypes and the 'Negro dialect' used to mock Black Americans.

With a life as controversial as it is long, it is a testament to the power of the compositions contained therein that Porgy and Bess has flourished for as long as it has. Though there is no telling what the future holds for the show as we continue our rigorous and long overdue examination of cultural representation in our media, its opening aria appears to have no such shelf life.

In the past 85 years, "Summertime" has become an institution unto itself; an affecting and lasting tribute to the lazy days of summer, when the livin' is easy and contentment abounds. With a legacy longer than any song in history, "Summertime" has proven its worth as a song for every season.

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Anatomy of a Showtune: 'Summertime' from PORGY AND BESS - Broadway World

Loretta Lynn and Kid Rock

Loretta Lynn surprised her fans over the weekend with news that shed up and married Kid Rock.

It was all in fun, but the happy couple is having a lot of fun with it. They have been good friends for several years, according to family.

The news began with a post on Facebook from Loretta Lynn, who was attending a wedding vow renewal ceremony for two family members.

Things got crazy then--my boy Kid Rock was there and weve always teased about getting ourselves married, Lynn said. Well, the preacher was already there so we had some fun with it. Sorry girls, hes taken now!

The country stars granddaughter added the context in her own Facebook post.

The vow renewal ceremony was already over when the lights were turned on Lynn and Rock, according to Tayla Lynn.

Memaw and Kid both become giddy. Like school kids. They were so caught off guard but both so happy, she said. They played along. (Cause obv its a joke)."

In the dozens of photos posted by the family, one shows Rock down on one knee, placing a ring on Loretta Lynns finger while shes wearing a white veil.

Lynns husband Oliver Doolittle Lynn died in 1996.

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Loretta Lynn and Kid Rock got married over the weekend - Dothan Eagle

Photo Source: Unsplash / Timur Romanov

Production is re-opening and these UK projects are now visible on the horizon, whether in development or actively casting. Keep these leads on your radar and your eyes open for the opportunity to land an audition.

Anatomy of a ScandalNetflixs adaptation of Sarah Vaughans hit thriller novel starts shooting this November. Following a high-profile marriage that unravels after the husband is accused of a terrible crime, there are no leads confirmed but casting director Lucy Bevan is attached casting now.

Hitmen 2Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins return as best friends and business partners Fran and Jamie, who also happen to be professional hitmen. Created by BAFTA-winning writing partners Joe Parham and Joe Markham, the second series for Sky begins shooting early 2021 and original casting director Tracey Gillham is very likely to return.

CyranoJoe Wright directs the big-screen musical adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, the romping romantic tale of a man whos only held back by his extraordinarily large nose. Peter Dinklage stars as Cyrano alongside a supporting cast that includes Haley Bennett, Brian Tyree Henry and Ben Mendelsohn. The project shoots in the UK and Sicily and casting director Nina Gold is attached. Filming begins in November.

Vera 11ITV detective series Vera, starring Brenda Blethyn and based on the novels by Ann Cleeves, returns for an eleventh instalment. Two episodes shoot this autumn and four in spring 2021, all on location in Northumberland. Casting director Maureen Duff is likely to oversee casting.

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Looking to get cast? Check out our UK auditions.

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Get Cast in Netflix Thriller 'Anatomy of a Scandal' + More Greenlit UK Productions - Backstage

Gen. Esmail Qaani (center), appointed commander of the IRGC-Quds Force in jan. 2020, at a memorial for his predecessor, Gen. Qassem Solaimani, who was killed in a US air strike in the same month. Photo: Reuters/Abacapress.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), better known as the Revolutionary Guards, is the ideologically-driven military force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This organization is tasked with guarding the Islamist regimes revolutionary values at home, as well as exporting them to other parts of the world.

The Guards are distinct from the classic Iranian army. Iran has had a regular army in the manner of modern Western armies since the early 20th century. However, after the Islamist Revolution of 1979, the army was deemed insufficiently revolutionary by the countrys new leaders. The mullahs decided to create an ideological militia that would compensate for the armys supposed lack of ideological zeal. Thus was born the IRGC.

However, before the revolution, the core of the Guards which was composed of hardline Islamists and leftists had been trained and battle-hardened in Syria and Lebanon during their ongoing internal and international conflicts, the most important of which was the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90). Indeed, the regional and later global interest and reach of the Guards stems from the fact that they started their fight as part of an international anti-Western and anti-Israeli effort that continues to this day.

In the course of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88), the Guards gradually replaced the regular army as Irans main military force. After the war which ended in a stalemate slightly in favor of Iraq, and directed the Islamists ambitions toward a different kind of foreign adventure the Guards became the regimes main instrument for exporting its Islamist brand of imperialism and conquest to the wider Middle East and the rest of the world.

August 31, 2020 5:21 pm

The notorious Quds Force branch of the IRGC was formally established in the early 1990s to systematically carry out the Islamist regimes program of extending its ideological and political influence beyond the borders of Iran. Since its establishment, the Quds Force, in line with its mandate, has been engaged in some of the worlds bloodiest conflicts, including the Bosnian War (1992-95), the Afghan Civil War (1992-96), the Israel-Hezbollah War (2006), the Syrian Civil War (2011-present), and the Yemeni Civil War (2015-present).

The Quds Force is tasked with organizing and supporting pro-Iranian-regime non-state actors such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan. The Quds Force is also known to have occasionally worked with and supported operations of Sunni Islamist forces that are not necessarily affiliated with the Shiite Islamist regime in Iran, including Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS. In those cases, the common targets have usually been Westerners, Arabs, Israel, and Jews worldwide.

The Guards initially took little overt part in politics in Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution and founder of the Islamic Republic, issued an injunction forbidding the Guards from entering the political arena. However, after the Iran-Iraq War, Khomeinis death, and Ayatollah Khameneis ascent to the leadership which sparked a domestic power struggle and brought about a sea change in strategic priorities overseas the Guards started to openly enter Iranian politics.

Like all military forces in ideological, totalitarian regimes such as the Brown Shirts/SA/SS in Nazi Germany, the Red Army in the Soviet Union, and the Chinese and Cuban armies, the Revolutionary Guards see themselves as the embodiment of a revolutionary ideology, and as such consider it their mandate to enforce and advance that ideology by any means necessary. In the case of the Guards, ideology mandates the establishment of a global Shiite Islamist government by subduing all ideo-mythological adversaries and conquering the whole world, with the US (Great Satan), Israel (Little Satan), and Saudi Arabia (Wahhabi infidels) as the arch enemies. It goes without saying that the Guards are inherently antisemitic and anti-Sunni.

To fulfill that goal, the Revolutionary Guards have dominated not only the military but also the economy and politics in Iran. Today, practically all Iranian officials in any capacity are members, either former or present, of the IRGC. It is estimated that around three-fourths of Iranian MPs are or were members of the Guards. The most prominent Guards alum today is the current speaker of the Majlis (parliament), Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who was a brigadier general and commander of the IRGC Air Force. In addition, almost all of Irans trade, industry, and banking is run by the Guards or their affiliates. The Guards also maintain a tight monopoly on import/export and overseas investment, which is their main conduit for money-laundering on the international stage.

During their history, in line with their goal of exporting Islamist ideology, subduing enemies of Islam, and establishing zones of influence around the world, the Revolutionary Guards have committed some of the most heinous acts of terrorism the world has ever seen. It can be said that most of the major terrorist attacks against Westerners, Jews, and Sunni Arabs were either directly conducted or indirectly orchestrated by the Guards.

Some of the better-known of these terrorist attacks by or involving the Revolutionary Guards are the Beirut barracks bombings (1983) during the Lebanese Civil War, which killed 307 American and French peacekeeping forces; the Lockerbie bombing (1988), which brought Pan Am Flight 103 down over Scotland, killing all 259 people on board; the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association bombing (1994), which killed 85 and injured hundreds; and the Khobar Towers bombing (1996), which targeted the living quarters of the coalition forces in Saudi Arabia and killed 19 US Air Force personnel and injured close to 500.

In addition to these major terrorist attacks, the Revolutionary Guards and their proxy forces are collectively responsible for the ongoing killing of coalition forces in the Middle East; creating unrest as well as engaging in mass trafficking of narcotics in Latin America; taking Western citizens hostage in the Middle East; war crimes in Syria and Yemen; and posing the most severe existential threat to Israel.

As part of its campaign between wars, the IDF has been pounding the Guards bases and units across the Middle East for at least a decade. In response to the Guards increasingly menacing activity, the Trump administration in 2019 finally designated it as a state terrorist organization. However, in order to rid the Middle East and the world once and for all of the organizations carnage and destruction, it needs to be completely dismantled, as was the Nazi military machine.

Dr. Reza Parchizadeh is a political theorist, historian, and senior analyst. He can be reached athttps://twitter.com/rezaparchizadehandhttps://iup.academia.edu/RezaParchizadeh.

A version of this article was originally published by The BESA Center.

Continue reading here:
Iran's Revolutionary Guards: The Anatomy of a State Terrorist Organization - Algemeiner

Grey's Anatomy has a lot of plots and arcs that need to be resolved or at least addressed in its upcoming Season 17.

Shondaland's medical drama Grey's Anatomy has had an epic run of 16 seasons and is all set to start production on its 17th season this year. Ever since the show started back in 2005, Shonda has thrown at us devastating deaths, heartbreaks, and lots of sex...like a lot of it, and season 16 was no exception.

RELATED:10 Best Medical Dramas (Aside From Grey's Anatomy), Ranked

A lot of curious things happened in Season 16 of Grey's --Amelia hooked up with Link, the ridiculously handsome Ortho Chief at Grey-Sloan, and got knocked up. Of course, she, rather characteristically, had no clue whose child it was which led to a great deal of drama. In other news, Teddy suddenly threw all caution to the wind and cheated on Owen, and Meredith found herself connecting with the cute new Chief of Pediatrics, Dr. Cormac Hayes. In Season 17, there are several storylines that need to be resolved or at least, built on, if nothing else.

Grey-Sloan's feisty Chief of Surgery, Miranda Bailey, found herself getting attached to a young homeless boy who had been doing the rounds in foster homes. She decided to offer him a home so that he would have a place to live in and folks to come back to during vacations.

In Season 17, it would be great to watch Miranda and Ben attempting toparent a teenage kid along with their own son, Tuck. Tuck and Joey already seem to have hit it off; so half the battle is won already. All that remains to be seen now is whether the couple can manage to keep the momentum going and build a heartwarming rapport with Joey.

Andrew DeLuca started showing mental health symptomsin season 16--now whether that was the result of the abnormal amount of stress that the doctors in the show undergo, or whether he was already genetically predisposed to it is another matter. But Grey's hinted it could be the latter since apparently his father too had similar mental health conditions.

A few storylines remained unfinished in Season 16 as production shut down hurriedly dueto the global pandemic, and De Luca's mental health was one of them. In the season's unplanned finale, the young resident was shown in a very fragile condition and Meredith took him under her wing. Season 17 needs to show how DeLuca is dealing with the situation.

Another subplot of Season 16 that remained unaddressed was that of the young patient, Sydney, and her aunt who De Luca suspected was involved inhuman trafficking. Although the hospital staff failed to take him seriously at the time, the writers hinted that the woman who pretended to be the aunt was indeed dubious.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Things That Need To Happen Before It Ends

It was heartbreaking to watchDeLuca unravel and the rest of the doctors forming a human chain around him instead of the so-called aunt who they thought were innocent. The creators need to hark back to that episode in Season 17 and give closure to the audience about whether or not De Luca was right after all.

Meredith's half-sister Maggie was introduced way back in Season 10 but unfortunately, the creators haven't been able to give her personal life a direction.She just hovers around, overthinkingand often irritated. Although she excels at her job, she seems to fail miserably in matters of the heart.

She was first paired with De Luca for a brief while, which honestly didn't make sense, and then she started dating Jackson Avery, which was a complete disaster. In Season 16 she was shown connecting with a former acquaintance Winston Ndugu,in a medical conference. Maggie needs to finally find some peace in her otherwise rocky love life and since rumors are that actor Anthony Hill who plays Ndugu has been upgraded to full-time status in Season 17, one can hope that would turn out significant for Maggie.

Grey-Sloan's former Chief of Surgery, who came out of a serious cobalt poisoning in Season 16, needs to get back with his estranged wife, Catherine. Period.

The elderly couple has had a lot of drama in both their personal and professional lives. And it was heartwarming to watch them find their way to each other in Season 11. But their relationship hit the rocks soon after and the two have lately been on the verge of separation. Here's hoping Season 17 sees them kiss and make up, literally.

Amelia Shepherd has been through enough already. From waking up beside a dead boyfriend to becoming drug-dependent to losing her older brother in a car accident, and being diagnosed with an enormous brain tumor, Derek's little sister has seen her share of ups and downs.

In Season 16, Amelia was finally shown to find a wee bit of stability as she hooked up with Atticus Lincoln and gave birth to their child. While one can only imagine how daunting bringing up a little kid might be for someone as scatterbrained asher, it's possible she might consider settling down with Link, married or otherwise, and finally pull it together.

Teddy Altmanwas shown harboringfeelings for trauma surgeon and then Chief of Surgery, Owen Hunt, even when she first joined the hospital. However, although Owen acknowledged her feelings at the time, he chose Christina over her and their sentiments towards one anotherremained unresolved.However, now that Teddy has had Owen's baby, she suddenly finds herself defying all logic and being drawn to Tom Koracic, the arrogant neurosurgeon with a tragic past, whom everyone hates. Well, everyone except her.

Teddy, who was always shown to be a mature, rational person, albeit impulsive at times -- she did marry a patient on an impulse -- ended up cheating on Owen with Tom, in a peculiar turn of events. Since Tom seems to really love herand Owen is confused as usual,maybe Teddy should make a run for it while there is still time. At any rate, she needs to figure out who she wants to be with.

Owen was shown traumatized when he (accidentally) found out that Teddy had cheated on him right before their wedding. Of course, fans might remember that Owen had himself cheated on Christina at one time, but it seems unlikely that his tension with Teddy would resolve itself any time soon.

Owen has been a confused soul for a lot of the time on the show, not knowing what he wanted with life. Yet, in Season 16 things fell apart shortly after he finally seemed to come to terms with what he wanted and proposed to Teddy, something he should have done at least two seasons earlier. Owen finally needs to face facts and fix things, unless it is too late already.

Dr. Cormac Hayes, cute and Irish, is the latest addition to the cast, and Grey'shas been setting him up as Meredith's potential new lover. Hayes has a tragic history himself--his wife died when she got cancer from a botched surgery and left him with two young kids.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: The 10 Best Couples, Ranked

Fans would be waiting for Meredith to hook up with Hayes in Season 17; the two would be perfect for each other since they both lost the love of their lives and are now mature enough to deal with a relationship at this stage in their lives.

Fans gave their heart to little Zozo the moment she was placed in Derek's arms years ago. Zola is now older, the oldest among Meredith's kids and it's time she had her own arc in the series.

The writers did hint that Zola might not take too kindly to Meredith's new partners. She is, after all, at an age when accepting a new man as her father or at least a potential father, would be very difficult. In Season 17, the creators could focus a bit more on developing her character and giving her a more substantial subplotwithin the broader narratives.

NEXT:Grey's Anatomy: 10 Most Tragic Patient Deaths, Ranked

Next 10 Unpopular Opinions About Avatar The Last Airbender, According To Reddit

Surangama, or Sue, as she is called by many, has been writing on films, television, literature, social issues for over a decade now.
A teacher, writer, and editor, she loves nothing better than to curl up on a lazy afternoon with her favorite book, or with a pen and a notebook (a laptop would have to do!) and a foaming cuppa tea on the side.

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Grey's Anatomy: 10 Things That Need To Happen In Season 17 - Screen Rant

Grey's Anatomy's pilot episode has one beloved character that was digitally added: Justin Chamber's Alex Karev. Here's what happened.

Greys Anatomys main cast was introduced in the pilot episode, but one fan-favorite character wasnt originally part of it and had to be digitally added: Alex Karev. Created by Shonda Rhimes, Greys Anatomy debuted on ABC in 2005, and though it was originally a mid-season replacement, it was so well-received by both critics and viewers that it has lived on for over 10 seasons, and shows no signs of stopping soon.

Like many other medical dramas, Greys Anatomy follows the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they juggle their careers and relationships. Greys Anatomy is led by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who started her journey as an intern along with many other characters, among those Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), though this last one was very close to not being part of the series or, at least, not being introduced with the rest.

Related: Grey's Anatomy: Why The Hospital Has Had So Many Different Names

Alex Karev is one of the few characters from season 1 that made it to season 16 and wasnt killed when it was time for him to leave. Alex started as the jerk of the group and went on to become Chief of Surgery at Pacific Northwest General Hospital before leaving it all behind to go back with Izzie. Alex became a fan-favorite in big part thanks to the development of the character, so it might come as a surprise to many that he originally wasnt part of the pilot episode, and was actually a last-minute addition, to the point where CGI had to be used.

Justin Chambers was cast as Alex Karev after the Greys Anatomypilot was shot, and the writers decided to add him as they wanted a male character who could play opposite to George OMalley, who was shy and kind, while Karev was rough around the edges. In order to make him part of the pilot and thus begin his arc alongside the ones of the other characters, Alex Karev was added through the magic of CGI. This might have not been evident upon the first viewing of the pilot, but going back to it now that years have passed (and CGI techniques have evolved), theres definitely something strange going on. Still, what gives the trick away is how badly edited his scenes are, as he just casually pops up from time to time. Though there are no details as to exactlyhow these scenes were shot, its safe to assume the team behind Greys Anatomyscanned Chambers face and body and added him to the scenes. However, they did film a whole new scene, with Karev and Meredith sharing the screen.

Continue reading here:
Grey's Anatomy: Why Alex's Pilot Scenes Are CGI (& How They Were Filmed) - Screen Rant

Iranian MPs in IRGC uniforms, photo by Mohammadreza Abbasi via Mehr News Agency CC

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 1,709, August 26, 2020

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was originally intended by the Islamist regime to be an ideologically oriented militia that would compensate for the regular Iranian armys lack of revolutionary zeal. It has since replaced the regular army as Irans main military force and has spent decades working doggedly to export the regimes Islamist brand of imperialism and conquest to the rest of the region and around the world. The IRGC is responsible, either directly or indirectly, for most of the worst terrorist outrages the world has ever seen. The US declared the Guards a state terrorist organization in 2019, but it needs to be completely dismantled.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), better known as the Revolutionary Guards, is the ideologically driven military force of the Islamic Republic in Iran. This organization is tasked with guarding the Islamist regimes revolutionary values at home as well as exporting them to other parts of the world.

The Guards are distinct from the classic Iranian army. Iran has had a regular army in the manner of modern Western armies since the early 20thcentury. However, after the Islamist Revolution of 1979, the army was deemed insufficiently revolutionary by the countrys new leaders. The mullahs decided to create an ideological militia that would compensate for the armys supposed lack of ideological zeal. Thus was born the IRGC.

However, before the revolution, the core of the Guardswhich was composed of hardline Islamists and leftistshad been trained and battle-hardened in Syria and Lebanon during their ongoing internal and international conflicts, the most important of which was the Lebanese Civil War (1975-90). Indeed, the regional and later global interest and reach of the Guards stems from the fact that they started their fight as part of an international anti-Western and anti-Israeli effort that continues to this day.

In the course of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88), the Guards gradually replaced the regular army as Irans main military force. After the warwhich ended in a stalemate slightly in favor of Iraq, and which directed the Islamists ambitions toward a different kind of foreign adventurethe Guards became the regimes main instrument for exporting its Islamist brand of imperialism and conquest to the wider Middle East and the rest of the world.

The notorious Quds Force branch of the IRGC was formally established in the early 1990s to systematically carry out the Islamist regimes program of extending its ideological and political influence beyond the borders of Iran. Since its establishment, the Quds Force, in line with its mandate, has been engaged in some of the worlds bloodiest conflicts, including the Bosnian War (1992-95), the Afghan Civil War (1992-96), the Israel-Hezbollah War (2006), the Syrian Civil War (2011-present), and the Yemeni Civil War (2015-present).

The Quds Force is tasked with organizing and supporting pro-Iranian-regime non-state actors such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian Territories, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shiite militias in Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan. The Quds Force is also known to have occasionally worked with and supported operations of Sunni Islamist forces that are not necessarily affiliated with the Shiite Islamist regime in Iran, including al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS. In those cases, the common targets have usually been Westerners, Arabs, Israel, and Jews worldwide.

The Guards initially took little overt part in politics in Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution and founder of the Islamic Republic, issued an injunction forbidding the Guards from entering the political arena. However, after the Iran-Iraq War, Khomeinis death, and Khameneis ascent to the leadershipwhich sparked a domestic power struggle and brought about a sea change in strategic priorities overseasthe Guards started to openly enter Iranian politics.

Like all military forces in ideological, totalitarian regimes such as the Brown Shirts/SA/SS in Nazi Germany, the Red Army in the Soviet Union, and the Chinese and Cuban armies, the Revolutionary Guards see themselves as the embodiment of a revolutionary ideology, and as such consider it their mandate to enforce and advance that ideology by any means necessary. In the case of the Guards, ideology mandates the establishment of a global Shiite Islamist government by subduing all ideo-mythological adversaries and conquering the whole world, with the US (Great Satan), Israel (Little Satan), and Saudi Arabia (Wahhabi infidels) as the arch enemies. It goes without saying that the Guards are inherently antisemitic and anti-Sunni.

To fulfill that goal, the Revolutionary Guards have dominated not only the military but also the economy and politics in Iran. Today, practically all Iranian officials in any capacity are members, either former or present, of the IRGC. It is estimated that around three-fourths of Iranian MPs are or were members of the Guards. The most prominent Guards alum today is the current speaker of the Majlis (parliament), Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who was a brigadier general and commander of the IRGC Air Force. In addition, almost all of Irans trade, industry, and banking is run by the Guards or their affiliates. The Guards also maintain a tight monopoly on import/export and overseas investment, which is their main conduit for money-laundering on the international stage.

During their history, in line with their goal of exporting Islamist ideology, subduing enemies of Islam and establishing zones of influence around the world, the Revolutionary Guards have committed some of the most heinous acts of terrorism the world has seen. It can be said that most of the major acts of terrorism against Westerners, Jews, and Sunni Arabs were either directly conducted or indirectly orchestrated by the Guards.

Some of the better-known of these terrorist attacks by or involving the Revolutionary Guards are the Beirut barracks bombings (1983) during the Lebanese Civil War, which killed 307 American and French peacekeeping forces; the Lockerbie bombing (1988), which brought Pan Am Flight 103 down over Scotland, killing all 259 people on board; the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association bombing (1994), which killed 85 and injured hundreds; the Khobar Towers bombing (1996), which targeted the living quarters of the coalition forces in Saudi Arabia and killed 19 US Air Force personnel and injured close to 500; the September 11 attacks (2001) that destroyed the World Trade Center, resulting in the deaths of 2,996 and the injuring of over 6,000; and the attack on US government facilities in Benghazi, Libya (2012), which killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others.

In addition to these major terrorist attacks, the Revolutionary Guards and their proxy forces are collectively responsible for the ongoing killing of coalition forces in the Middle East; creating unrest as well as engaging in mass trafficking of narcotics in Latin America; taking Western citizens hostage in the Middle East; war crimes in Syria and Yemen; and posing the most severe existential threat to Israel. As part of its campaign between wars, the IDF has been pounding the Guards bases and units across the Middle East for at least a decade. In response to the Guards increasingly menacing activity, the Trump administration in 2019 finally designated it as a state terrorist organization. However, in order to rid the Middle East and the world once and for all of the organizations carnage and destruction, it needs to be completely dismantled, as was the Nazi military machine.

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Dr. Reza Parchizadeh is a political theorist, historian, and senior analyst.He can be reached athttps://twitter.com/rezaparchizadehandhttps://iup.academia.edu/RezaParchizadeh.

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The Revolutionary Guards: The Anatomy of a State Terrorist Organization - besacenter.org

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New Delhi: Posters and billboards, it appears, are pass in the post-Covid political world.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been conducting virtual rallies since 7 June to connect with the people and highlight the Modi governments work, has been relying on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to aggressively push its political messaging.

But how exactly are these virtual rallies being conducted? ThePrint spoke to a number of state unit functionaries of the BJP to understand the process.

Once it is decided that a virtual rally has to be conducted in a state, the BJP unit of that particular state asks the block, district and state units to use their Facebook and Twitter accounts to publicise it. Everybody from the councillors, MLAs, MPs, party supporters and workers are involved in the process.

A BJP leader said that before the virtual rally is conducted, cameras are set up and a stage is built from where the leaders can address the rally.

At the same time, a stage is also set at the headquarters of the state and there too a few leaders share the stage while maintaining a physical distance. A few party workers are also allowed to join the leaders and a separate seating arrangement (in front of the stage) is put in place for them.

During the physical rally before the main speaker, a number of leaders used to address the crowd. One of the main differences between the physical and virtual rally is that we have to keep such speeches short and only allow 2-4 people to address the rally before the main speaker. As it is digital, people can get bored very easily so this is crucial, said a second BJP leader.

In Delhi, for instance, there are 280 blocks and we ask each and every block to publicise it. Similarly, councillors, MLAs and MPs are told to put up the information on their personal handles also along with the link of the rally which would be used on the day of the rally, . This exercise is conducted at least four days before the rally, said a senior BJP functionary. They are also told to inform their followers that through FB live and on Twitter they will stream the rally live.

Senior BJP leaders and Union ministers, including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Nitin Gadkari, have already addressed a number of rallies and many more are in the offing.

Also read: The 5 key takeaways from virtual rallies by Amit Shah, Gadkari, Rajnath and Smriti Irani

Apart from the BJP website, the rally is streamed live on the partys YouTube channel, Twitter and Facebook account too. At times many news channels and websites also carry out live telecasts depending on who is addressing the rally this also becomes a medium to reach out to more people, said the second leader.

Following this, some key points are also identified by the state units where smart television screens are put up for people to watch.

All the councillors, MLAs, MPs are told that on their Twitter and FB they use a live telecast for which the link is created and provided by the state unit, said another party functionary. At points where television screens are put up by the party functionary, it is through screen mirroring the link prepared by the state unit is used to run a live stream on the smart LED television. The sets are usually taken on rent.

In every district, a few people are identified and tasked with keeping track of all activities leading to the virtual rally. IT conveners or sanyojaks were also appointed by state units who not only provided the tech know-how but at the same time in rural areas where connectivity is a major challenge they help telecast it on television screens, said another official.

A small stage is erected in the party offices where the virtual rally takes place and some of the main leaders and party functionaries sit there while maintaining social distancing.

Due to the changed scenario due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was decided by the party that it should connect virtually with the people as well as party workers. According to a senior BJP leader, national secretaries Tarun Chugh and Satya Kumar are in-charge of executing these virtual rallies.

Also read: The BJP should dump Nitish Kumar in Bihar, sooner the better

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Anatomy of a virtual rally How the BJP is reaching the electorate amid Covid-19 - ThePrint

Our historical walkthrough of Garfields Nightmare answers many important questions, including whether or not Jim Davis creator of Garfield ever rode it.Published on Wednesday, Jun 24th, 2020

I remember the first time I floated slowly through the watery, Day-Glo tunnel emblazoned with pizza, Ruffles chips and foot-tall cans of Mountain Dew.

A journey through Garfields Nightmare lasts less than five minutes, but the ride sticks with you prompting lingering questions like how did a ride featuring Americas premiere lasagna-loving, Monday-hating cat end up at Kennywood? Last fall, I decided to embark on a journey of my own, to uncover the history of this beloved and much-maligned attraction. And although there were no Ruffles or 3D glasses involved, it was a journey that took more turns than I ever expected.

In September of 2019, I met up with Nick Paradise, Kennywoods Director of Public Relations. We chatted on a bench just down the path from Garfields Nightmare. Nick acknowledged that I wasnt the only one with lingering questions about the ride, saying, we hear a lot of feedback about it. Its probably one of the rides that generates the most conversation. People largely do want it to go back to the Old Mill, whatever that may mean for them.

Over the years there have been a lot of iterations of the ride. It was originally built as The Old Mill in 1901 (and rebuilt in 1921), but between then and now, it was also re-themed as Fairyland Floats, Rapid Gorge, The Panama Canal, Tour of the World and Hard Headed Harolds Horrendously Humorous Haunted Hideaway among others. Every few years theyd rename it The Old Mill again though the theming was always different.

Brian Butko, Director of Publication at the Senator John Heinz History Center, looks at it from a historical perspective. A majority of people in recent years say they dislike Garfield, but decades ago, it was the Old Mills haunted Old West theme that was scorned for being dated and dumb. At the time, it had become boring except for couples needing some dark/quiet time.

Andy Quinn, who retired as Kennywoods Director of Community and Government Relations a few years back, agrees. It didnt matter what the theme was. Anyone who rode that ride in the sixties, seventies, eighties, they were not on that ride to look at the scenes.

Andy was the first person I reached out to who had been working at Kennywood during the rides Garfield-inspired transformation. I thought that he might be able to provide some context for Garfields arrival in the early 2000s. Andy explained that at that time, there was a big push for amusement parks to align themselves with popular cartoon characters. Six Flags had Looney Tunes. And Jim Davis (the creator of Garfield) looked around at all the parks and all the big ones were taken. Our company had five parks at the time and I believe it was Jim Davis who called us.

We had a long relationship with Jim Davis, Pete McAneny told me. Pete was the General Manager of the Kennywood Entertainment Company from 2003 to 2008. Since hes retired, hes been spending a lot more time with his grandson, who he was on his way to pick up when I reached him on the phone in his car. Pete recalls that his first contact with Garfield creator, Jim Davis, was related to an entirely different project. Jim Davis wanted to build a Garfield themed park in Indianapolis and he asked if wed come out and take a look at it and so we went out and met with him.

An entire theme park just for Garfield?!?! Just think of the possibilities! Lasagna bounce house? Odie tongue splash ride? A 90-minute musical revue celebrating Garfields beloved teddy bear, Pookie? Sadly, it wasnt meant to be, according to Pete, that Indiana park never really came together. The property was there, but there just wasnt the infrastructure for it or the capital. And so we talked about doing a Garfield ride at Kennywood.

I tracked down Larry Kirchner after I saw his company, Halloween Productions, mentioned briefly in a 2008 Pittsburgh Post Gazette article about new attractions at Kennywood. In the early 2000s, Larry was installing a ride at Kennywood when he noticed that the Old Mill hadnt been updated in a while, so I mentioned that if anything comes up with any of your dark rides, we would love to do it. I would almost do it for free. Larry started Halloween Productions, based in St. Louis, in 1989 and, as you might have guessed by the name, they had mostly built haunted houses and spooky rides up until that point, but he was excited to get into the dark ride business. As I learned in my research, dark ride is the industry term for an indoor ride that sends cars (or boats or trains) of visitors through lit scenes or tableaus. For instance, Its A Small World at Disneyland is a dark ride as is Pirates of the Caribbean and, of course, Kennywoods Old Mill.

Pete knew that it was time for The Old Mill to be replaced, but he initially wasnt sure what to put there. Its a high maintenance ride with a huge footprint. There were some suggestions that we should tear it down and use that parcel for something that had a higher capacity, but tradition and history is an important thing at Kennywood. Then he remembered his conversation with Jim Davis. They had already integrated some Garfield theming into the new Pounce Bounce in Kiddieland, but Jim Davis was especially interested in a dark ride. Pete admits, he wanted to sell merchandise, obviously. He thought if we put a ride together like that, then it would help.

So I got a call, Larry told me, and Pete said they were thinking of turning it into Garfields ride, but the budget wasnt that big. Larry took the job. As Pete remembers, Jim Davis himself wrote the script for the ride and did the initial drawings, but Larry remembers it a little differently. We did 20 or 30 drawings. He didnt do anything. I never talked to Jim Davis. The biggest thing was he, or someone, gave us some Garfield books and then we had to figure out which story we wanted to tell.

Initially, Larry had big plans that involved 3D effects and CGI and animatronics. We wanted to make it look like a billboard smashes open and theres a Frankenstein food character, and then we squirt them all with water. I wanted to do other CGI effects so it wasnt so static and so the characters were interacting with them. Obviously, there was a budget thing. In addition to budget restraints, there was another reason that they had to scale the ride back. Larry remembers being told that, we cant make it too great because too many people would want to ride it. It has a pretty limited capacity since its a boat ride.

Pete recalls that too and explained that many decisions at a theme park come down to ride footprints and capacity. On a good day, that ride can accommodate 3,500 people in 10 hours. One of the things we had to do is not make it too spectacular because it doesnt have a high capacity. So on a day that theres 15,000 people in the park and if you made it too good, youd have a line up to the Rankin Bridge.

Larry looked through the stack of Garfield books hed been given, he remembers, I came up with a simpler ride where it was more like you were riding through a book. So youd see these captions and comics that showed him having a nightmare. I asked Larry how they ended up going in the nightmare direction. We were known for Halloween and haunted house stuff so thats probably why we went in the direction of Garfield having the nightmare.

Reworking a hundred-year-old ride comes with some challenges. Larry points out that, without doing some massive redo, you couldnt move people faster or slower. Since the flow of water is controlled by the one big water wheel at the front of the ride, theres no way to speed it up or slow it down. We couldnt do a lot of the things we wanted to do because those boats pass through those scenes so quickly.

Throughout the process, Larry had to submit everything to PAWS, Garfields holding company for review. We had to do drawings of every scene and then get them approved by the creator
of Garfield. Despite the limitations and instructions to not make it too great, Larry and his team gave it their all. It took months. We built and painted all the sets in St. Louis and then we sent painters to Pittsburgh and they worked through the winter it was freezing.

Throughout the process, Larry kept getting inspired and sneaking in more details. We scrutinized every little thing. Wouldnt it be cool if there were a salt and pepper shaker? What if we added a fork? We just kept adding more and more stuff. We were really creative and I dont know if we made a penny doing it.

On May 1, 2004, Kenny the Kangaroo climbed into a wooden boat along with Garfield and Odie for the inaugural ride through Garfields Nightmare. I remember being there on the day that it opened, Larry told me. I was there with my whole family. I have a video of my kids riding it and they loved it.

Nick remembers his first ride a little differently. Its sort of humorous on a personal level because the first time I ever rode that with a girl, potentially for that private time, was the very first year that it became Garfields Nightmare. So you get in there and were like what is this? This isnt what we thought we were going into. So it kind of dampened the mood. Garfields Nightmare is many things, but romantic is not one of them.

Despite the many detractors to the ride, Nick was quick to point out last fall that, when you walk by on a Saturday afternoon and the line is spilling out of the queue its kind of like it cant be that unpopular.

I asked Nick if Garfields creator, Jim Davis, had ever taken a ride through Garfields Nightmare. Im not sure. I dont recall seeing anything in the coverage or in our photo archives. Now I was even more curious. I made a mental note to make sure to ask every other person I talked to, to see if I could determine whether or not Jim ever experienced the ride.

Rob Henningers family has been involved with Kennywood for over a century. He started working at Kennywood over thirty years ago as part of the grounds crew. Now hes the Assistant General Manager and Maintenance Director of the park. He remembers that first summer too. I thought it was cute when it was fresh and new and a nice addition for smaller kids in the park.

The ride worked out exactly as Pete had hoped. It attracted families but wasnt so popular that it attracted too large a crowd. Brian Butko from the John Heinz History Center notes that at the time, only one writer, a columnist, gave it much coverage, and he did mention that locals might be sad about the shift away from the tradition.

After opening, Garfields Nightmare stood intact for a decade and a half, welcoming hundreds of thousands of Kennywood visitors into its watery, neon channels. Rob mentions that as one of the older rides, it does take a lot of upkeep between seasons. The old tongue and groove system just swells up and it holds the water. If its not the last one in the world its one of two. We rebuild some of that trough every year.

In recent years, the public outcry for a return to the Old Mill has grown louder. In September of 2019, Brian posed a question in his Kennywood Behind the Screams Facebook group. He asked We know you want the Old Mill back, but tell us WHY. That post quickly garnered 236 responses. Brian believes that, one big factor in the shifting attitudes has been the rise of social media. There may have been regret at the time the Old Mill was changed, or when, say, the Dipper coaster or Gold Rusher dark ride were removed, but other than person-to-person chit-chat, the changes went mostly unnoticed. Now every minor tweak is shared instantly and a sense of outrage and entitlement can rise quickly if a crowd decides the change is for the worse.

On March 9, 2020, Kennywood posted a video to its social channels that, at first, looked like a historical retrospective. Nick Paradise is giving an overview of The Old Mills many versions before the video cuts dramatically to a shot of a crane removing the Garfields Nightmare sign from the rides facade. In the video, Nick announces, Were going to be bringing back The Old Mill as so many of you have requested, restoring the ride to the retro-western theme thats been remembered by so many over the years but with plenty of new twists for a whole new generation to enjoy. He pauses before adding dramatically, The nightmare has ended.

Over 1,300 people shared that post on Facebook alone.

Just a few months earlier I had chatted with Nick at Kennywood and while he had hinted that Garfields Nightmare might not be there too much longer, he also didnt say anything to indicate that it would be gone by the next season. It seems that some dealings in the greater media world might have forced their hand.

In 2019, Nickelodeon (a division of Viacom) bought PAWS (the holding company that owns the rights to Garfield and some of Jim Davis other creations). Rob says Garfields new ownership was only part of the equation. I think Garfields time has come and gone and so I pushed for the re-theming of the ride. It just kind of got stale over time and then they wanted to substantially increase the licensing fees so it felt like a good time to go back to the Old Mill that a lot of our guests were clamoring for. I asked if anyone at Kennywood campaigned to keep Garfields Nightmare. I dont think there was anyone pushing to keep Garfield. After 16 seasons at Kennywood, it seems the ride had lost its freshness, not unlike a 16-year-old lasagna still sitting on the counter.

While I had Rob on the phone I, naturally, had to ask him if he remembered Jim Davis ever visiting the park. Im not sure why I became obsessed with this question but I love imagining a very meta scene in which Garfields own creator rides through his own creations nightmare. Rob didnt recall Jim visiting but he did recall his brother, Dave, visiting Kennywood once.

I was curious about what happened to all those Garfield cut-outs and evil animatronic foods. Rob explains, Those had to be destroyed. It would have been fun to have them around but with all the intellectual property, we even had to document it being destroyed. Its strange to think of an employee at the Nickelodeon offices watching that video of Garfield and Odie and that giant animatronic bulldog being smashed and pulled apart.

Larry Kirchner, of Halloween Productions, was sad to hear the news. He still thinks back fondly of Garfields Nightmare, adding thoughtfully I think its some of the best artwork thats ever been done in blacklight. Its beautiful.

Larry also would have liked to be a part of this new chapter of The Old Mill. I wish that we could have redone it but they had some real time constraints and that was before coronavirus. They had to do it with some local people. Larrys still hoping to get back to Kennywood soon. He says, my new goal would be to redo Ghostwood Estates. He built the original ride and he thinks its ready for a refresh, adding that all the CGI effects were done before HD so I would love to redo them all.

Though Pete McAneny hasnt been the boss at Kennywood for a number of years, all the recent decisions made sense to him. You have to remember what the goal was back then to keep the Old Mill concept in place but not make it so great that everyone who came to the park would want to ride it. So you have to gear it to a younger audience. And thats probably what theyre wanting to do again.

As Pete and I were wrapping up our call, I thought Id ask my burning question one more time. Had Jim Davis, creator of Garfield, ever taken the trip through Garfields Nightmare? Pete responded immediately, He came to Kennywood, oh yeah, he came a couple times. He rode the ride. His brother came as well. He was coming through Pittsburgh and we had dinner.

Finally learning that Jim Davis did in fact float through the ride inspired by his feline creation was so satisfying. I imagine Pete and Jim sitting across from each other at an Italian restaurant, recounting their favorite parts of the ride as they dig into a piping hot, celebra
tory lasagna.

On June 7, 2020, Kennywood released a few photographs of the newest version of The Old Mill on their Facebook page. While Garfield and Odie are now gone, the Day-Glo paint scheme is still intact and there are even some appearances by the coyote from the old Gold Rusher ride.

While much of our offseason efforts were paused or delayed over the past three months, some ghouls got going in our oldest ride. Here's a little sneak peek inside The Old Mill

Posted by Kennywood Park onSunday, June 7, 2020

The comments were full of people both praising and criticizing the new look. Nick understands their strong feelings, saying, its always hard to compete with peoples memories. Thats always a big challenge here at Kennywood. We try to walk a fine line between staying on the cutting edge and staying modern while also honoring the past and peoples memories.

Brian Butko adds, My Kennywood: Behind The Screams group members sometimes veer into I wish the park was as good now as it was then. I like to ask, When was that perfect time 1996? 1965? 1950, 1930? Logically we could go back to 1899, but even then, they cleared hundreds of trees to change a picnic grove into a trolley park. So, of course, the real answer is, it was best when we were young enough for nostalgia to make it all seem perfect.

Im sure its only a matter of time before someone starts a thread on Brians Facebook group pining for the good old days of Garfields Nightmare.

Ill leave you with some bonus viewing.

In Case You Want to Relive the Version of the Old Mill from Just Before Garfields Nightmare

Header Image:Garfield makes an appearance at the grand opening of Garfields Nightmare in 2004. Photo courtesy of Kennywood.

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The Anatomy of a Nightmare: How Garfield Came to Kennywood - Very Local New Orleans

Lionel Messis decision to hand in a transfer request at Barcelona is set to trigger a scramble for his signature.

But how many clubs would be willing and able to afford someone many consider the greatest footballer of all time? Here, Telegraph Sport breaks down the potential cost of signing Messi.

This could prove the key to Messi being allowed to leave Barca at all this summer. His contract has a buyout clause worth a staggering 700 million (631.3m). Strangely, the same four-year deal, signed in 2017, also contains a clause allowing him to leave for nothing at the end of every season until June of this year. In his transfer request, Messi asked for that clause to be honoured now because last season had been artificially extended due to the coronavirus crisis. Barca are refusing to budge and are reportedly insisting on a world-record transfer fee in excess of 200m. Spending that on any other 33-year-old would be madness but some clubs may view signing Messi as worth the gamble.

Even if Messi secures a free transfer, he is likely to command an astronomical signing-on fee. The one he secured when he last extended his Barca contract totalled 133.5m (120m) over the course of the deal. The size of it was said to be partly to compensate him over his conviction for tax fraud. But, transfer fee or no transfer fee, any club wanting to bring in Messi would also likely need to fork out a signing-on fee costing tens of millions of pounds.

Messis fixed weekly Barca wage before tax is 1.37m (1.23m), or 60.4m (54.3m) a year. To put that in context, the Premier Leagues highest paid player ever, Alexis Sanchez, was on less than half that at Manchester United. Paying Messi somewhere near what he earns at the Nou Camp would therefore shatter the wage structure of any club.

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How much for Lionel Messi? Anatomy of one of the most complicated transfers in history - Telegraph.co.uk

By Relaxnews November 23, 2020

With Covid upending every aspect of viewers' lives, some TV shows -- from the obvious medical dramas to sitcoms -- have woven the pandemic into their latest seasons' storylines, but a handful have avoided it altogether.

In the opening scenes of the latest season of long-running hospital drama "Grey's Anatomy," Meredith Grey enjoys a quiet moment alone on a beach.

She suddenly emerges from the dream, exhausted, in full PPE, in a frantic emergency room.

"I think we have a responsibility to really show what these health care workers have been going through," series star Ellen Pompeo said in a recent Deadline interview.

At a time when many Americans are "irritated with wearing a mask" and "disconnected" from the challenges facing hospitals, the latest season of "Grey's" offers "an opportunity to tell the story of how hard this is for our health care workers," she said.

Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, showrunners for NBC's "Chicago Med," told AFP that "as a hospital show, we knew we'd have to deal with the pandemic."

"So far it plays if not a direct then a tangential role in every one of the new episodes," said Frolov and Schneider about the show's sixth season, which premiered on November 11.

"Even if we're not doing Covid patient stories, the virus has profoundly changed protocols and procedures in the hospital."

Other medical shows like ABC's "The Good Doctor" have already tackled the virus, while "New Amsterdam" and "The Resident" are ready to follow suit in 2021.

Read also: What Is It Like To Participate In A COVID-19Vaccine Trial? A Volunteer Speaks Up

Outside of hospital settings, US network shows have also incorporated elements of the pandemic's impact.

NBC's hit drama "This is Us" has members of the Pearson family sheltering at home, and matriarch Rebecca having to postpone an Alzheimer's clinical trial, because of coronavirus.

ABC's "The Conners" put its own spin on the issue, addressing the pandemic through the financial hardships it has created for the sitcom's characters.

"For a family that is always struggling economically and lives mostly without a safety net, the economic impact of this was something we felt we had to write about," said Dave Caplan, writer and executive producer of the show spun off from "Roseanne."

Initially trying to get her career as a writer off the ground, Darlene Conner is forced to get a job at a local factory, working alongside her sister Becky who is also struggling financially.

Their father is on the verge of being evicted.

"We don't shy away from going to a very serious place for some of the subjects, which allows us to also exploit that tension with humor," explains writer and co-producer Bruce Helford.

"We've always found that the biggest laughs come when the audience is a bit uncomfortable and then they're allowed to just laugh at it."

"Finding the comedy and the humor is actually easier because these are brand new circumstances that haven't been dealt with before," which is very rare, according to Helford.

"The Conners" also made a conscious effort to portray the nation's stark political divisions over the pandemic and its handling.

Darlene's son Mark is confronted at school by a boy whose family opposes Covid restrictions.

"We touched on it because you can't ignore it," said Helford. "And we tried to do it evenhandedly."

- 'More important' -

In addition to existing shows, streaming platforms and cable channels have tried putting together new series centered on coronavirus, like HBO's "Coastal Elites" or Netflix's "Social Distance" -- but with no real success.

At the other end of the scale, many shows have offered a dose of escapism by completely leaving out Covid, sometimes because they were shot before the pandemic hit -- such as recent Netflix hit "Emily in Paris" or CBS's "Mom."

Last spring, writers on "The Neighborhood," a CBS comedy which revolves around a white family moving into a Black neighborhood, were pondering whether to address the pandemic in season three, recalled actor Cedric the Entertainer in an interview with TVLine.

"And then George Floyd happened, and it just felt like a more important (conversation)."

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Grey's Anatomy, This Is Us: COVID-19 Weaves Its Way Into TV Plots - Tatler Philippines

The Raptors failed to sweep their mini-series against the Indiana Pacers despite Kyle Lowrys return to action in the second game. Toronto was unable to match the defensive intensity that carried their team the previous night. They also did not have the same success behind the arc, giving them a much slimmer margin for error. And boy did they ever make some errors during Monday nights game.

Still, as we recapped here and here, the Raptors managed to stay within striking distance of the Pacers. It wasnt until the fourth quarter, really those final 10 minutes, when things really fell apart for the Raptors. This time there was no Pascal Siakam around to help (or use as a scapegoat), and Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren, former assistant to coach Nick Nurse, knew how to exploit Torontos ongoing issues.

Before the collapse, the Raptors had a successful third quarter, outscoring the Pacers 37-28 behind an aggressive 1-2-2 zone defense that would shift into a 2-3 zone when the ball got lower than the above-the-break area. Meanwhile, Toronto capitalized on the Pacers defensive weakness in transition after every miss or live-ball turnover. At the end of the frame, it felt like the Raptors could pull out another shorthanded win in Indiana.

The final period saw the Raptors and the Pacers in a tight contest, with Toronto trailing 97-98. However, OG Anunoby was then taken out a minute into the quarter after taking Edward Sumners elbow to his mouth. Chris Boucher, who played most of the third, replaced Anunoby. The Raptors were down OGs presence on the offensive end, but the Stanley Johnson-Boucher-Yuta Watanabe frontcourt was still solid enough defensively.

Lets get into what happened over the next nine minutes. First, the Pacers starters Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon returned to the game, while DeAndre Bembry replaced Stanley Johnson for Toronto. Now, to break down the breakdown.

As seen above, Watanabe has inside position on Turner already. Bembry, coming off a rotation from the baseline, directs Watanabe to rotate to the perimeter to take on T.J. McConnell, whos not a threat even if he gets the ball there. Bembry now has to battle Turner down low, and ends up ceding the offensive rebound. As a result, Turner gets fouled for two more free throws.

Also part of the play: Boucher looked lost following the ball during the entire play, and the team had very little communication on defense. Fortunately, Turner made 1-of-2. Pacers now lead 103-102.

Here we see Norman Powell and Boucher set up for a pick-and-roll, but Norm refuses the screen to avoid the potential blitz. It was the right move, as the Pacers were overplaying the pick and Powell almost had a clean lane for a dunk. Unfortunately, Aaron Holiday was able to contest his shot, forcing a miss. Of course, Holiday was already roaming, as he did not have to respect Bembry as a threat behind the arc.

Lowry refused to attack the pick-and-roll set by Boucher, instead kicking out to Bembry, who was momentarily open in the perimeter. Bembry drove to the paint where three defenders were waiting for him. He found a wide-open Watanabe for a corner three (good!), but Yuta bricked it (bad!). Brogdon and Turner went on to run a well-executed pick-and-roll action the following play to open up Brogdon for a three-pointer. On defense, Powell didnt put up much of a fight through screens, and Boucher, with a bad read, got caught in between the action, unable to defend either play. Pacers lead 106-102.

The Raptors next possession had Lowry second-guessing what to do. He was able to shed McConnell via Bouchers pick in the backcourt, and he looked open for a perimeter shot. He took advantage of the opening, but it didnt work out. (I blame Lowrys toe infection, which had to still be bothering him.) Watanabe grabbed the rebound and attacked the basket, drawing a foul. The dead ball situation allowed Fred VanVleet to come in for Lowry.

The Raptors ran a SLOB play to get the ball to Powell, with him setting up on the weak side and Boucher waiting to give him an off-ball screen. Brogdon fights through the screen and snuffs the play, giving Watanabe two options: give the ball to Powell near half-court or give the ball to Bembry, who came up as another pass receiver.

He goes with the latter, which leads to Bembry and Watanabe executing a pick-and-roll. But the Pacers blitz pushes Bembry near the logo too with no concrete plan. To try and save the possession, Bembry tosses Powell a grenade with just four seconds to shoot, which means Norm has to put up a bad pull-up three-point attempt.

The Pacers came back running another pick-and-roll involving Turner, this time with the ball in McConnells hands. The blown coverage between Watanabe and Boucher has them both going after McConnell, which allows Turner to roll towards the basket. Hes fouled in the process, pushing the Pacers lead to 108-102. Fortunately, the Raptors came back with a nice set play, allowing Powell to quickly get up for the dunk, cutting the lead to 104-108.

The Raptors defense was late on closing out Brogdons drive to the basket, but Johnson stays with him the whole time. Boucher also comes over to offer additional rim protection though Johnson maybe doesnt need the help. It forces Brogdon to kick it out to McConnell in the weakside corner. VanVleet probably closes out too hard here or perhaps he was just tired.

McConnell is a career 33 percent behind the arc, and even if he made one earlier that game, he hasnt had made multiple three-pointers in a game since the last regular season game of 2018. So, of course, McConnell attacks the closeout and is able to get a layup on a slow-to-recover Boucher. Pacers push their lead to 110-104.

Bembry finally does something good the following play, forcing McConnells turnover, which spurs a Raptors attack in transition. Unfortunately, VanVleet tries to go into hero mode, attempting a difficult layup against multiple defenders. At the same time, Bembry and Powell are wide open on the perimeter for a kick-out. Bembry has the presence of mind to crash the boards and somehow tip in VanVleets miss, cutting the lead to 110-106.

The Raptors defended the Pacers next possession well for 20 seconds. Credit to Turner here, he hits tough hook shot over Bouchers outstretched arms. Maybe Bembry could have done more with the double team, seeing that Turner was not in a position to kick-out with just a few second left on the shot clock. Presumably, if that was Lowry or VanVleet, they would have dug in to force an even tougher shot, or perhaps a miss (or maybe even a steal but thats wishful thinking after-the-fact). The Pacers bump up their lead to 112-106.

Bembry attacks the basket hard trying to dunk on peoples heads, but he misses. Fortunately for Toronto and they needed all the help they could get by this point the ball bounces all the way back out to Boucher on the perimeter. He wisely makes a quick swing pass to VanVleet for a deep three-pointer. Now its 112-109 for Indy. Unfortunately, on the next play, the breaks of the game go against Toronto. The Raptors almost get a stop, with Boucher diving in for a steal but then getting ruled out of bounds. You can see Nurse calling a timeout in the background.

The Pacers go back to another Brogdon-Turner pick-and-roll, but this time the Raptors are playing closer man-to-man defense. Johnson switches to Brogdon, but cant quite stay in front of him on the drive. Johnsons slight bump results in another foul, instead of Lowrys anticipatory drawn charge call. Brogdons and-1 pushes the lead back up to 115-109, and maybe finally breaks Torontos will.

The Raptors come back with another tired legs play with not much working on offense. In the process, VanVleet fumbles the ball a bit trying to get in the paint, Powell has to create a drive-and-kick opportunity for VanVleet. And when the ball gets out to Fred... he air-balls the three-pointer.

Indiana gets yet another successful Brogdon-Turner pick-and-roll its this kind of offensive reliabilit
y the Raptors are missing when Siakam is out which nets them two more free throws. In their efforts, the Raptors are again late on their help defense and recovery and the game is now fully slipping away, with Toronto down 117-109. Anunoby returns after getting stitches in his mouth, but hes non-factor the rest of the way. Lowry, meanwhile, draws a foul on a dribble-hand-off play, stopping the clock and getting him two free throws. But by this time, its too little to late. After a foul on Lowry, and more free throws, its 118-111 with three minutes to go.

From there we see a contested floater from Lowry, more Turner free throws, and Norm getting blocked by Turner too. Not even Anunoby, whos been playing great could help, as his drive-and-kick to Boucher in the corner for three was a brick. Meanwhile, Brogdon, like Turner, just continued to have his way with Torontos defense. Unlike Sundays game, the Raptors could do little to stop him or Turner, and that was that on Monday night.

********

Ultimately, the Raptors failed to adjust to the whistle. But more importantly, they were unable to counter the Pacers adjustments in the fourth. After outfoxing Indy on Sunday, the Pacers game-planned Monday nights game really well. To start with, they made life difficult for Torontos primary ball handlers, picking them up fullcourt and funneling them into other Pacers defenders.

By doing this, the Pacers got Lowry and VanVleet to give up the ball by blitzing their screen actions. With Siakam to also help with the ball, Toronto was stuck and Nurse failed to come up with any other counter that worked, which allowed the Pacers to dictate who would run Torontos scrambled offense.

The Pacers also showed no respect to the Raptors ancillary players perimeter shooting, repeatedly leaving Watanabe, Johnson, Bembry, and even Lowry open on the perimeter. The Raptors didnt help matters by often failing to recognize when and where open teammates were from moment to moment. On the flip side, Toronto made terrible decisions by closing out on poor shooters like Aaron Holiday and T.J. McConnell, which often led to free throws, if not easy layups.

With all of these happening, Nurse was then dealt an even worse hand when Anunoby had to leave the game to get medical attention. Anunobys absence led to a massive drop off on the Raptors defensive effectiveness. Pressed into extended minutes, Bembrys presence was odd in this game he could force a turnover, sure, but other than that, he was not a factor defensively and was not in sync with his teammates defensive rotations. He was also treated with the same disrespect as Aron Baynes on the perimeter.

Not to put it all on him, but VanVleet outlined Torontos defensive issues in the fourth quarter they were not guarding and containing the ball, which allowed easy penetration from the Pacers playmakers. In all, Toronto just wasnt making those extra needed rotations, and part of that comes from making the right ones on time.

During his post-game interview, Nurse said the Raptors were not allowed to be physical given how the game was officiated. He has a case here, as the Pacers were allowed to bump, grab, and hold without getting those ticky-tack fouls the Raptors were whistled for throughout the game. However, the whistle was at least consistently unfavourable to the Raptors from the opening tip onward. Its easy to say this, but nevertheless: the team should have adjusted better to how the game was being called. In this, tired legs led to obvious grabbing, reach-ins, and late rotations that only made things worse.

Toronto just did not do themselves any favours in any facet of Mondays game down the stretch. Lowry did not look right, VanVleet looked gassed, there was no Siakam to draw attention, the defense got overly scrambled, and the offense was left entirely lifeless by the final buzzer. Could the Raptors have done something differently maybe playing more of Matt Thomas or giving Paul Watson a look? Its possible, but given how many things were working against them internally against the Pacers, it doesnt seem likely they alone would have turned it around for the Raptors.

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Anatomy of a Collapse: Reviewing what went wrong for the Toronto Raptors vs. the Indiana Pacers - RaptorsHQ

There is something about the devastating synchronicity of a well executed counter-attack that pulls you to the edge of your seat, even in these strange times when an abundance of live football can make the action grey and indistinguishable. Mohamed Salah's second goal for Liverpool at West Ham was one such moment.

Why does this category of goal resonate and delight to such an extent? Firstly, counter-attacks are an exhibition of the razor-thin margins that decide top-level football matches: a team can be camped in the opposition's penalty area before picking the ball out of their net less than 10 seconds later. What better encapsulation of the emotional swings a fan experiences throughout the 90 minutes?

They are also very difficult to pull off, demanding technical accuracy at pace which is the most sought-after combination in football. Players who can see a pass or produce a piece of skill at walking pace are two-a-penny, as are those with speed but the touch and awareness of a rhinoceros. What separates the great from theaverage is the ability to do both. Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were sensational exponents of this type of football at Manchester United, as were Arsene Wenger's title-winning Arsenal teams who galloped from one end of the pitch to the other like a cavalry charge. Jose Mourinho's best sides at Chelsea and Real Madrid were also famed for slicing through teams with fast breaks. Leicester's 2015-16 champions spearheaded by Jamie Vardy are also a must mention.

Like passing the baton in a relay race, one mistake and the entire sequence breaks down. How often do you see a team butcher a move when they have four-on-two against the defending team? It is not easy as it looks, yet the picture-book goals that result from a well coordinated counter look delightfully simple.

When analysed in its entirety, a 90-minute football match is really a story of mistake after mistake. Often, especially in an erawith so much focus on pressing, the victorious team is the one who makes the fewest. The best counter-attacks on the other hand, are harmonious vignettes of mistake-free football bordering on perfection. That is what makes them, and Salah's goal, so satisfying. Here we pick out some of the essential components.

"Speed is often confused with insight. When I start running earlier than the others, I appear faster," said Johan Cruyff.

Salah is fast by any measure, but the way he sensed what could develop was crucial. As soon as the ball popped out of the penalty area, Salah is sprinting into space before any West Ham players have broken into a jog. You would expect Salah to win the race starting level, but that moment of 'insight' to start sprinting before anyone else has seen the possibilities is what puts clear blue water between the Liverpool forward and West Ham's retreating players.

See more here:
The anatomy of the perfect counter-attacking goal after Mohamed Salah's stunner - Telegraph.co.uk

Males of the extinct human species Paranthropus robustus were thought to be substantially larger than females much like the size differences seen in modern-day primates such as gorillas, orangutans and baboons. But a new fossil discovery in South Africa instead suggests that P. robustus evolved rapidly during a turbulent period of local climate change about 2 million years ago, resulting in anatomical changes that previously were attributed to sex.

An international research team including anthropologists at Washington University in St. Louis reported their discovery from the fossil-rich Drimolen cave system northwest of Johannesburg in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution on Nov. 9.

This is the type of phenomenon that can be hard to document in the fossil record, especially with respect to early human evolution, said David Strait, professor of biological anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University.

The remarkably well-preserved fossil described in the paper was discovered by a student, Samantha Good, who participated in the Drimolen Cave Field School co-led by Strait.

Researchers already knew that the appearance of P. robustus in South Africa roughly coincided with the disappearance of Australopithecus, a somewhat more primitive early human, and the emergence in the region of early representatives of Homo, the genus to which modern people belong. This transition took place very rapidly, perhaps within only a few tens of thousands of years.

The working hypothesis has been that climate change created stress in populations of Australopithecus leading eventually to their demise, but that environmental conditions were more favorable for Homo and Paranthropus, who may have dispersed into the region from elsewhere, Strait said. We now see that environmental conditions were probably stressful for Paranthropus as well, and that they needed to adapt to survive.

The new specimen discovered at Drimolen, identified as DNH 155, is clearly a male but differs in important ways from other P. robustus previously discovered at the nearby site of Swartkrans where most of the fossils of this species have been found.

Evolution within a species can be difficult to see in the fossil record. Changes may be subtle, and the fossil record is notoriously incomplete.

Usually, the fossil record reveals larger-scale patterns, such as when species or groups of species either appear in the fossil record or go extinct. So this Drimolen discovery provides a rarely seen window into early human evolution.

The new specimen is larger than a well-studied member of the species previously discovered at Drimolen an individual known as DNH 7, and presumed to be female but is measurably smaller than presumed males from Swartkrans.

It now looks as if the difference between the two sites cannot simply be explained as differences between males and females, but rather as population-level differences between the sites, said Jesse Martin, a doctoral student at La Trobe University and the co-first author of the study. Our recent work has shown that Drimolen predates Swartkrans by about 200,000 years, so we believe that P. robustus evolved over time, with Drimolen representing an early population and Swartkrans representing a later, more anatomically derived population.

One can use the fossil record to help reconstruct the evolutionary relationships between species, and that pattern can provide all sorts of insights into the processes that shaped the evolution of particular groups, Martin said. But in the case of P. robustus, we can see discrete samples of the species drawn from the same geographic region but slightly different times exhibiting subtle anatomical differences, and that is consistent with change within a species.

Its very important to be able to document evolutionary change within a lineage, said Angeline Leece of La Trobe University, the other first author of the study. It allows us to ask very focused questions about evolutionary processes. For example, we now know that tooth size changes over time in the species, which begs the question of why. There are reasons to believe that environmental changes placed these populations under dietary stress, and that points to future research that will let us test this possibility.

Co-director of the Drimolen project, La Trobe Universitys Andy Herries said, Like all other creatures on earth, our ancestors adapted and evolved in accordance with the landscape and environment around them. For the first time in South Africa, we have the dating resolution and morphological evidence that allows us to see such changes in an ancient hominin lineage through a short window of time.

The evidence of rapid but significant climate change during this period in South Africa comes from a variety of sources. Critically, fossils indicate that certain mammals associated with woodland or bushland environments went extinct or became less prevalent while other species associated with drier, more open environments appeared locally for the first time.

P. robustus is remarkable in that it possesses a number of features in its cranium, jaws and teeth indicating that it was adapted to eat a diet consisting of either very hard or very tough foods, Strait said. We think that these adaptations allowed it to survive on foods that were mechanically difficult to eat as the environment changed to be cooler and drier, leading to changes in local vegetation.

But the specimens from Drimolen exhibit skeletal features suggesting that their chewing muscles were positioned in such a way as to make them less able to bite and chew with as much force as the later P. robustus population from Swartkrans, he said. Over the course of 200,000 years, a dry climate likely led to natural selection favoring the evolution of a more efficient and powerful feeding apparatus in the species.

Leece said it was notable that P. robustus appeared at roughly the same time as our direct ancestor Homo erectus, as documented by an infant H. erectus cranium that the team discovered at the same Drimolen site in 2015.

These two vastly different species, H. erectus with their relatively large brains and small teeth, and P. robustus with their relatively large teeth and small brains, represent divergent evolutionary experiments, Leece said. While we were the lineage that won out in the end, the fossil record suggests that P. robustus was much more common than H. erectus on the landscape two million years ago.

More broadly, the researchers think that this discovery serves as a cautionary tale for recognizing species in the fossil record.

A large number of fossil human species have been discovered over the past quarter century, and many of these new species designations are based on a small number of fossils from only one or a few sites in small geographic areas and narrow time ranges.

We think that paleoanthropology needs to be a bit more critical about interpreting variation in anatomy as evidence for the presence of multiple species, Strait said. Depending on the ages of fossil samples, differences in bony anatomy might represent changes within lineages rather than evidence of multiple species.

Project Co-Director Stephanie Baker of the University of Johannesburg added, Drimolen is fast becoming a hotspot for early hominin discoveries, which is a testament to the current teams dedication to holistic excavation and post-field analysis. The DNH 155 cranium is one of the best-preserved P. robustus specimens known to science. This is an example of what careful, fine-scale research can tell us about our distant ancestors.

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Newly discovered fossil documents small-scale evolutionary changes in an extinct human species | The Source - Washington University in St. Louis...

Actor Jesse Williams is finally a single man again after finalizing a grueling 3-year divorce and custody battle with his ex-wife, Aryn Drake-Lee.

Divorces can be very messyand things tend to worsen when children are involved. Many fans are left scratching their head and wondering where all the love went when they see some of their celebs go at each other during divorce proceedings.

Unfortunately, this ugly trend has played out between talented actor Jesse Williams and his now ex-wife, Aryn Drake-Lee. Even though it initially seemed like their divorce would be amicable, it quickly deteriorated into a messy legal brawl.

Thankfully, the drama is all over nowand both parties can now focus on moving forward with their lives. As per TMZ, the estranged couple hasfinalized their 3-year divorce battleand became officially single on August 7, 2020.

According to court documents, the couple will share joint physical and legal custody of their two children, son Maceo, and daughter, Sadie. However, Williams and Drake-Lee would have to reach an agreement about posting pictures of the kids on social media.

As for theirdivorce's financial repercussions, Drake-Lee was awarded their former family homes in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and Oakland. She also gets to keep two SUV vehicles.

Meanwhile, Williams was allowed to hold on to his leased 2018 Porsche Cayenne SUV. More importantly, the 39-year-old actor will keep the $936,810 he made from his appearance in "Grey's Anatomy" since their split in 2017.

As is commonly done in most divorce cases, the couple will split up all other accounts and royalties earned during their marriage. Aside from that, Williams will continue to pay child support.

Williams was alsoorderedto pay$50,629 per month in child support for the two kids up until October 2019, then $40,000 per month after that. He also owes his ex-wife a spousal support settlement of over $100,000, and then he is free.

In April 2017, Williams filed for divorce from his ex-wife after being together for 5 years. Asource latertoldETthat the divorce was a relief for Williams.

The source claimed Williams did everything he could to make the marriage work, but he eventually had to do what he thought was best for his kids by protecting them from a toxic relationship.

After splitting from his ex-wife in 2017, Williamsdatedactress Minka Kelly briefly before ending the romance in 2018. He is currently dating actress Taylour Paigeand they seem to be madly in love.

Williams and Paige constantly dote on each other on their social media accountsand they have been spotted making red carpet appearances together a few times.

Meanwhile, Williams has portrayed the character, Dr. Jackson Averyin the hitABCmedical drama, "Grey's Anatomy" since 2009. He also appeared on the spin-off, "Seattle Grace: Message of Hope."

With their history and the two children they share,Williams and Drake-Lee will have to put their differences aside to build a healthy co-parenting relationship.

Link:
TMZ: 'Grey's Anatomy' Star Jesse Williams' Divorce Has Officially Come To an End - AmoMama

Followers werent happy with the most up-to-date Grays Anatomy exit. In a weird ending to his lengthy storyline, Alex Karev skips city with out saying goodbye to anybody together with his spouse, Jo to maneuver to a farm in Kansas the place (shock!) Izzie had Alexs youngsters with out telling him. So in 4 separate letters, he says his goodbyes, proving that he could in truth be evil spawn in any case.

THE DISRESPECT FOR ALEX KAREV, SHONDA WTF ARE YOU DOING #GreysAnatomy, one fan tweeted. One other commented, Are you actually saying Justin Chambers is fully tremendous along with his character being butchered like this after years of doing this present? I AM MAD as hell at what they did to alex karev #GreysAnatomy.

The backlash was so sturdy, Ellen Pompeo took to Instagram to touch upon his exit, For me personally for Karev to return to the starting. was the very best storyline. It pays homage to these unbelievable first years and the unbelievable cast that created a basis so sturdy that the present is nonetheless standing.

It was introduced in January that Chambers, 49, was leaving the present after 15 years. Web page Six completely revealed at the time that Chambers, who mentioned he left to diversify my performing roles and profession decisions, was engaged on his psychological well being at Priv-Swiss, a luxurious rehab middle in Connecticut.

And regardless of followers begging Shonda Rhimes to not kill him off, following the episode, many wrote that they wished hed died versus the ending they gave him.

In an unique video, Chambers mentioned he was very excited for the subsequent chapter of his life and mentioned he hopes to get into producing documentaries in the future.

Grays has been very supportive of me and Im very grateful and its been an amazing trip, he mentioned.

Read the original post:
Where the original Grays Anatomy cast is today - Gruntstuff

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara returned to the Saints this offseason better than ever. The three-time Pro Bowler dedicated himself to nurturing and healing the knee and ankle injuries that suppressed his production in 2019. The Saints and Kamara are amid contract negotiations to extend him in a Saints uniform for several more years. We take a look at the physical and spiritual anatomy of Alvin Kamara and why he is a dynamic and important player for the New Orleans Saints.KAMARA IN 2019

Kamara admitted what many speculated:

Jacksonville week, I tore my knee, basically, Kamara said. That was something I was dealing with the entire season. (I) Had to miss some time, which I dont like to do."

Alvin knew he was not 100% last season, but he fought through the remaining games. His physical decline was evident as his explosive nature just was not present on the field last year. Kamaraadmitted his injury led to an unapproachable demeanor on the field.

Body language, obviously not being able to move my leg. Sometimes my body language was terrible and I know it, Kamara said. Its one thing for fans to say it, but its another when my teammates, my teammates, thats all Im really concerned about. They knew what I was going through and its like, OK, I know youre hurting, but come on. So Im like, I have to snap back.

On Twitter, Kamara admitted he played on one leg last season of only 75%. As a competitor, Kamara decided he would take the field and even play through an injury to help his team and teammates. SNN's Kyle T. Mosley provided a snapshot of AKs stats for 2019 despite his injury:

Even in the wake of his torn MCL injury against Jacksonville in Week 6, Kamaras production makes these stats even more impressive. 2019, he amassed 1,330 yards and 6 TDs for the Saints. Kamaras first three seasons are historic. He became the first NFL player to have over 2,000 (2,408) rushing and 2,000 (2,068) receiving yards, and 3 Pro-Bowl appearances. In 45 games, Kamara saw the end-zone 38 times, 7 rushing, 10 receiving, and 1 kickoff return. He missed 2 games after his leg injury.

The injury did not require surgery, but plenty of rehabilitation.

Whats the latest from Saints Training Camp? Dont miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter, The Second Line, and get breaking Saints news delivered to your inbox daily!

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is always striving to improve, which has made him a beloved staple in New Orleans and on the team. Hes had a stellar start to his NFL career with the Saints. Kamara and former Saints running back Mark Ingram enlisted the services ofDr. Sharif "Dr. Reef" Tabbah of Athletix Rehab & Recovery to help them with strength and conditioning.

When you are a unique athlete like Alvin Kamara, you must be creative in training and rehabilitation. His recovery and rehab were designed to strengthen balance and muscle, build up endurance, and improve speed. Kyle Mosley and Bob Rose spoke with Kamaras trainer, Dr. Reef, in May on The Bayou Blitz broadcast. Tabbah's goal was to help Kamara increase his core stability.

Tabbahs goal was to help him increase his core stability while taking defensive players hits on the field. Dr. Reef said there are different joints that have to withstand multi-direction forces that might be unpredictable. Can you imagine creating stability from the trunk up, to stay stable on top because youre using a lot of that core stabilization." (Bayou Blitz Podcast)

Kamaras offseason work with Dr. Reef continues to be a hot topic of conversation for many. Their videos feature many unique challenges, where Kamara must catch batons while balancing on a medicine ball. He must also haul a pair of kettlebells tied to a barbell taking staggering steps the length of a basketball court.

This workout aimed to strengthen his core muscles, which are the foundation of the running backs ability to maintain balance through contact, hits, and tackling. The shifting served as lateral stressors to his body, causing his muscle to put in extra effort to keep steady.

These unique and unusual techniques seem to replace the norm for Kamara as the coronavirus pandemic continues to plaque the NFL and other professional leagues around the nation.

Sean Payton was one of the first NFL coaches to use the Joker position - a multidimensional back who can line up on any part of the field and create mismatches in the opponent's defense. Reggie Bush and Darren Sproles were highly effective in this role. After Kamara displayed his athleticism at the NFL combine, the Saints had a private workout with Kamara. He impressed Payton with his route-running and receiving abilities during the workout. Payton coveted Kamara, and the team landed him in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Kamara has since proven to be the ideal fit for New Orleans as a hybrid player with the size, speed, strength, and endless versatility. Alvin can be a running back, slot receiver, pass blocker, run blocker, and decoy in just one offensive series. Defensive coordinators are aware of the threat Alvin Kamara poses each time he in on the playing field.

Kamara points out that the Saints allow me to be me. His look, style, personality, and vibe all embody the spirit of New Orleans. The Saints and AK fans now wear gold teeth grilles to the Mercedes Benz Superdome, fake dreadlocks, and bull nose rings in their nose. Kamara says his ability to be organic and authentic in the city of New Orleans is critical in his success. The energy is right, the perfect fit of franchise, city, and player.

The anatomy of Alvin Kamara is not about his physique; but his talent, energy, passion, and fit for this franchise. He is an outstanding player and an essential figure for the New Orleans Saints' success today and in seasons to come.

More here:
The Anatomy of Alvin Kamara - Sports Illustrated