Bloodborne “Total Game Volume” is Bigger Than Demon Souls, Claims Producer

(Editor’s note: the interviewee was originally listed as Director Hidetaka Miyazaki, as that was the name on the interview schedule, among other circumstantial communication oddities. That aside, here is the interview with Mr. Yamagiwa)

Did you find From Software’s previous games — Dark Souls and Demon Souls — long enough for the genre it’s in? If so, you’ll be glad to know Bloodborne will be even bigger in scope.

Continuing our interview with Bloodborne Producer Masaaki Yamagiwa at TGS, we asked him how many hours of gameplay are they expecting from a typical Bloodborne playthrough, and here’s the good news he relayed:

Just like Demon’s Souls, it really depends on the player’s skill. It’s hard to say. But we can say that the total game volume is bigger than Demon’s Souls.

While Miyazaki didn’t give out any specific duration of time, the fact that the total game volume is bigger should be welcome news for fans, right?

In another part of the chat, Miyazaki commented on why Bloodborne is a PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Are you concerned at all regarding Bloodborne’s length or should it not matter provided the gameplay is solid?


- Two ex-cons tried to use the Polk County Sheriff's office to scam a local business, but it didn't work.

When Marco Sullivan was arrested in Lakeland on an outstanding warrant from Orange County, he didn't want his employer to know, so he asked his girlfriend, Martisha Wilson to try and cover it up for him.

At first, she told his boss that he had the flu and would be back in a few days. But after Sullivan went to court, he realized he was going to be behind bars longer than he thought. So he hatched a plan.

He told Wilson to download a Polk Sheriff's Office letterhead. Sullivan told her to write a letter saying that he was on a special mission with the ATF Division of the Polk Sheriff's Office.

But the letter had red flags from beginning to end.

"There is one thing for sure," said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd. "We'll never use Martisha as a secretary at the sheriff's office."

The letter was written entirely in capital letters. Then there were the spelling mistakes.

"He'll be on the unit for 6 months or less," Judd read from the letter. "Do (sic) to the severity of the case, I am not able to enclosed (sic), E-N-C-L-O-S-E-D, no farther (sic), F-A-R-T-H-E-R, information," Judd read, spelling out some of the misspelled words.

Judd also pointed out the Polk Sheriff's Office doesn't have an ATF Division and the signature on the letter was Mike Singleton. There is no person employed at the sheriff's office by that name.

When someone at Reddy read the letter, they knew something was wrong, called investigators.

Sullivan remains in custody. Detectives have yet to locate Wilson. There is a Polk County warrant for her arrest for criminal use of personal identification. She is believed to be in the Orlando area and is described as 5-foot-4 and 150 pounds. The Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact them at 863-298-6200.


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Professor Joan Goodman, the director of the Teach for America program at the University of Pennsylvania, talks about the philosophy behind *no excuses* charter schools, and the price paid by students who attend them.

EduShyster: You’re the author of an article called Charter Management Organizations and the Regulated Environment: Is It Worth the Price? that’s the single best overview of *no excuses* charter schools that I’ve seen. Talk a little about the research you’ve been doing.

Joan Goodman: I began to focus on charter schools when the first Mastery Charter School was started in Philadelphia. These were supposed to be experimental schools which would have a variety of new approaches and they’d get rid of bureaucracy and we’d see all kinds of novel approaches to children. But particularly in terms of the charter management organizations they haven’t provided much variety—they’re all strikingly similar to one another. These schools have a very clear philosophy about what they’re trying to do, how they’re trying to do it, what they think is necessary, who they read, who their leaders are. And they’re explicit in describing it. The combination of the uniformity across these different schools and their explicitness about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it makes it easier to get hold of this movement than it is with say, public schools in a city or a school district where there’s so much variety and there isn’t a single philosophy.

ES: With the exception of KIPP, which has allowed Mathematica to study its admission policies and test results, these schools haven’t been receptive to academic studies. How did you manage to study them?

Goodman: I’m the academic director of our Teach for America program at UPenn and our TFA students are teachers in these schools. So I can go in to look at what our students and their teachers are doing, and then students tell me a lot about what’s going on. I have also done a good bit of visiting. The charters are hospitable to that. A lot of this is anecdotal, and much is based on what the schools have written, which is public. My work is investigative, I think, more than formal research. But you’re right—it takes a huge effort to try to get into these schools for any systematic research. They don’t welcome outsiders to study them. And they have a point. What academics do when they go in is criticize, and you can see why they might not like that. I think they’ll let just about anybody in for a visit. But to go in and have the schools really cooperate with an investigator, that’s a whole lot harder. What are the day-to-day processes that are happening in the classroom? How do teachers feel about these processes? How much range of behavior is there? It would be great to be able to investigate these sorts of questions, but the schools wouldn’t welcome that.

ES: Minority children in urban areas are increasingly being educated at schools run by the types of charter management organizations you study, yet I find that people know little if anything about the way these schools view the world.

Goodman: These schools start with the belief that there’s no reason for the large academic gaps that exist between poor minority students and more privileged children. They argue that if we just used better methods, demanded more, had higher expectations, enforced these higher expectations through very rigorous and uniform teaching methods and a very uniform and scripted curriculum geared to being successful on high-stakes tests, we can minimize or even eradicate these large gaps, high rates of drop outs and the academic failures of these children. To reach these objectives, these schools have developed very elaborate behavioral regimes that they insist all children follow, starting in kindergarten. Submission, obedience, and self-control are very large values. They want kids to submit. You can’t really do this kind of instruction if you don’t have very submissive children who are capable of high levels of inhibition and do whatever they’re told.

ES: Time seems to be an essential component too—the idea that not a second can be wasted. I’m reminded of this video about *speedy transitions* for kindergarteners at a New Jersey charter school.

Goodman: In order to maximize academic accomplishment, no time can be wasted and anything that’s not academically targeted, that’s not geared to what the students have to know, is time wasted. So there is almost no opportunity for play, for relaxation, very little time for extra-curricular activities. The day is jammed with academics, especially math and reading because that’s what gets tested. The view of time and strict discipline are related, by the way; in order to get these kids to attend over very long hours—they have extended days and extended weeks—you have to be tough with the kids, really severe. They want these kids to understand that when authority speaks you have to follow because that’s basic to learning. So they don’t have the notion of learning that more progressive educators have, that learning is a very active enterprise and that children have to be very participatory and thinking and speaking and discussing and sharing and having initiative. That’s not their view of learning. It’s too variable across teachers, the objectives are too non-specific, and time is wasted.

ES: The *broken windows* theory is well known when it comes to policing, but as you write, these charter management organizations apply that theory to schools. Explain.

Goodman: These schools believe that behaviors that you might not think are directly related to academic learning can have a domino effect if left unaddressed. Getting up from your chair to go to the bathroom without explicit permission, for example, or not having your hands folded on your desk, or not looking at the teacher every minute, or not having your feet firmly planted on each side of the center of the desk are problematic behaviors. Because if you don’t conform to these rules then you are going to precipitate the next domino and the next domino. It’s going to have a cascading effect on your behavior and pretty soon you’re going to be very disruptive. If you get up to sharpen your pencil, maybe you’re going to throw your pencil at someone. Or if you get up and get something out of your backpack that you forgot, maybe you’re going to elbow another student on your way back to your seat, or make eye contact with them and divert them from looking at the teacher. Any one of these little behaviors they see as leading to the next behavior. Before you know it there will be bedlam.

ES: Does the emphasis on discipline diminish as kids get older?

Goodman: Well yes—as kids learn and adapt to this regime there’s less time spent on discipline. It takes a while for the kids to adapt to this because it’s so out of their experience. The older kids are still getting merits and demerits all the way through high school, though. In some schools they wear these lanyards that get marked, and when they accumulate a certain number of demerits things happen to them. By 12th grade, the kids are almost giving the demerits to themselves, they’re so accustomed by this point. You might think that if this is still going on in 12th grade, then the kids can’t have internalized all of this very well, but they do get used to it. They do adapt.

ES: One of the questions you ask is whether there are legitimate limits to the power exercised by schools over children.

Goodman: That’s a big question. What rights do children have that are similar to the rights of adults? Can you search them? Can you control what they say and don’t say at all times? Do they have any freedom of speech rights? Do they have any freedom to bring something to school if they want to? More than that, do they have any rights at all against oppressive punishment? Students in these schools have to go to a certain chair and sit there for a certain length of time, all at the teacher’s discretion, and sometimes they have to go repeatedly to this isolated chair with their back to the class. They may be deprived of recess if that’s granted. They have to go to detention and stay after school. They have to write things 100 times. In some of the schools, there’s a good bit of shaming: they have to wear different colored shirts, they can’t talk, they have to sit on a lower bench than other children. And it’s deliberate shaming of the kids. No one is allowed to talk to them. And what offense have they done to merit this kind of punishment? They haven’t done their homework or they’ve come in late, perhaps repeatedly. They haven’t done anything violent. There has been no adjudication. The teachers or the school norms say that this is appropriate. So what are the limits of what a teacher can do to a child?

ES: You expected that students in these kinds of schools would consider the rules oppressive, but in your study The Quest for Compliance in Schools: Unforeseen Consequences, you found that the students had come to believe that they didn’t deserve more freedom.

Goodman: One thing about these atmospheres is that they’re very uniform. Everybody is on board—you don’t have variability from teacher to teacher or class to class. The atmosphere is totalizing. And the children tend to model themselves after this authority. It has that effect on kids, that they identify with the rules of the regime and their identity becomes *a kid in this school who conforms to these rules.* Now some of the students, of course, don’t conform to the rules, and I think that if you get the kids later in life it’s much harder. But if you get them early, you develop their sense of self that accords with those of the authority. The adults know everything, they know nothing. Here’s what’s good, here’s what’s right. You’ll be successful and happy if you take on these characteristics. Without these rules you’ll be bad or impulsive and you’ll destroy your future. You may not be having fun but you’re doing what’s important. We know best. And the kids come to believe that. As the social psychologists have shown, in totalizing environments, that’s often the result. They call it “identification with the oppressor.” Here oppressor should be changed to authority. There is very, very strong authority in these schools. The teachers are novice teachers, so they get molded too. I don’t think you could take highly experienced teachers—20 years of running a classroom—and put them into these schools and have the same kind of experience. It’s a really interesting study to see how both the teachers and the kids get acculturated.

ES: I think it’s important to point out that you also have some very positive things to say about these schools—you’re not just a straight-up hater.

Goodman: Not at all. I’m certainly not a hater. I think the basic idea of order, of developing habits—you walk into class, you put your things away, you sit down, you take out your book, teacher says good morning, shakes hands, you look at her—some of the habits they’re cultivating will be helpful to kids. And certainly the prohibition on violence makes for a safe community. The problem is that the approach is unbalanced. I think a certain amount of routine, habit forming, strictness, limiting certain behavior is good—but I would always be working towards reducing that. Once you’ve established a safe environment, for example, why not loosen up on the behavior regulations? If I were running one of these schools I would feel that *OK—I have to do this* but I would always be working towards turning over more authority to the kids. That would be my goal all of the time. Let the kids be responsible for their behavior. Have more group work, more student councils, more kids in charge of their own lives.

Joan Goodman is a Professor in the Graduate School of Education University of Pennsylvania and a former school psychologist. Her article, Charter Management Organizations and the Regulated Environment: Is It Worth the Price?, appeared in the February 2013 issue of Educational Researcher.

Send tips and comments to tips@haveyouheardblog.com.


According to a number of reports, much-maligned Philadelphia Eagles cornerbacks Roc Carmichael and Curtis Marsh have been released. Both Marsh and Carmichael struggled majorly in the team's preseason games. It's far from a surprise to see they were cut.

Marsh is a former third round pick from the Eagles' dreadful 2011 NFL Draft class. Carmichael spent time on the Houston Texans practice squad last year before being signed away by the Eagles.

With Marsh and Carmichael gone, the Eagles cornerback position now comes into focus. The five remaining cornerbacks include: Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher, Nolan Carroll II, Brandon Boykin, and Jaylen Watkins. Williams and Fletcher are the returning 2013 starters on the outside. Boykin is one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL on the inside. Carroll II projects to be the team's dime cornerback and also could push Fletcher for a starting job still. Watkins is a rookie fourth round pick with the versatility to also play safety. It appears Watkins will serve as Boykin's backup for the time being.


The Florida Gators were the last team to win back to back NCAA Tournaments in 2006 and 2007. There were three NBA lottery picks from that team, Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Corey Brewer. All three of those players were part of the 2004 signing class along with Taurean Green. They were all roommates during their three year stay in Gainesville and the best of friends. They became known around the state as the “04’s”, perhaps a take-off of Michigan’s “Fab Five” of the early 1990s.

Al three of the front court players from that team were chosen in the lottery, two of them Noah and Horford, are still with the teams that picked them. Brewer was picked by the Minnesota Timberwolves and has bounced around a bit with stops in New York and Dallas before finding a home with the Denver Nuggets. Noah was drafted by the Chicago Bulls and is still one of their best players. He played in this season’s NBA All-Star Game, nearly recording a double double in just a few minutes in that game. Horford has also been to the All-Star game and is one of the best players for the Atlanta Hawks who drafted him.

All three of these players have panned out, which the odds were probably against. But the odds have never gotten the best of these three before. In 2004, the Kentucky Wildcats incoming class was rated over Florida’s, and it wasn’t even really close. In 205, these four players helped the Gators win their first ever SEC Tournament over Kentucky in the championship game, even though their roles were limited behind David Lee, Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh.

In 2006, Florida began the season unranked. But with the emergence of Noah, Brewer and Horford along with Green and his back court mate, sharpshooter Lee Humphrey, the Gators got off to a 22-0 start. They went into the SEC Tournament as one of a handful of teams that had a shot to win it, but they won their second in a row, beating the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final. They then went to the NCAA Tournament as a number three seed and went all the way to school’s first national championship. Noah was a sure #1 pick as he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Coach Billy Donovan got his “Big Four” together after the tournament and told them they had a chance to do something special in repeating as national champs. Noah’s first reaction, understandably, was “I’m about to go get PAID!” But Brewer talked his mates into returning to school to go for the repeat.

They made their announcement at the championship celebration, sending the Gator crowd into a frenzy, but putting a target on their backs. At times, the target was huge as teams gave them their best shots. But when the post season came around, these gators ripped through the competition for their third straight SEC Tournament championship and second straight national championship. Then it was on to the NBA.

This is their sixth season in the NBA and it is safe to say that all three have made their marks on the game. All three are participating in this year’s playoffs and playing a major role for their teams.

Noah averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Bulls. He was the second leading rebounder and fourth leading scorer on the team.

Horford averaged 14 points and six rebounds per game for the Hawks. He was their third leading scorer.

Brewer averaged nearly 15 points per game for the Nuggets in what has been his first real shot to contribute in the NBA. The Nuggets up-tempo style fits his game perfectly.

So it is safe to say that the Gator Boys are Still Hot. Altogether there are at least eight former Gator players in the playoffs with the Spurs Matt Bonner, the Warriors David Lee (who is now out with an injured hip), the Rockets Chandler Parsons, and the Heat’s Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. There are probably not very many schools with that many contributing to playoff teams. The trio of Brewer, Horford and Noah will always be linked as the most revered of Gator greats.


Sans crazy arcade installation

It's been a real joy re-experiencing classic titles from Sega's past. With the recent releases of Outrun and Fantasy Zone II bringing back some serious nostalgia trips, the folks at Sega have still got plenty of 3D remasters in store. Though the spring phase of Sega's 3D Classics series is drawing to a close, there's still one more title in the wings, and that's the return of the underrated and super enjoyable Thunder Blade.

Much like Outrun, the 3D release of Thunder Blade has seen some time on the market overseas, but the Western crowd is now finally going to get a taste of the action on May 14. Just before its debut, I got to experience a special hands-on look with the title, along with a quick chat with producer Yosuke Okunari. And we got to learn what was like porting this unique arcade shooter to the handheld.

Originally released in 1987, Thunder Blade brings players to the helm of a heavily armed attack helicopter as they battle waves of foes in tanks, jets, and battleships across a variety of locations. Much like the other Sega offerings of its time, the story is kept light in favor of offering accessible and fast arcade-style gameplay. You're the good guy, everyone else is bad -- shoot them. Though unlike most other shoot-'em-up titles, Thunder Blade features a unique take on perspective, as the action will transition from an overhead angle to the over-the-shoulder look similar to Space Harrier during key sections of the stage. This dynamic switch of perspective made it a welcome fit for the 3D remaster.

"We felt that this point of view was extremely well suited for a stereoscopic 3D conversion," said producer Yosuke Okunari. "When we went to actually build the game out in 3D, we found that it gained a very unique sense of actually being suspended in their air, and was even more impactful than the original game. This same thing happened with 3D Galaxy Force II, where by implementing stereoscopic 3D, the game's visual view point style transcended in to its final form, you could say."

Thunder Blade has made the transition quite well, and the new hardware has done wonders for the gameplay. The frame rate is rock solid, and the controls for the 3DS are super sharp and make controlling the attack chopper feel very accurate. The left stick controls movement and altitude, while both shoulder buttons control speed (increase and decrease). Though the 3DS is a far cry from the control scheme found on the original arcade release -- which featured a flight stick and a special chair that sought to emulate the cockpit of a helicopter -- I can safely say that 3D Thunder Blade is a fine port, and the action still kept me on my toes during the hectic battles.

Much like the other 3D Classic titles, Thunder Blade makes exquisite use out of the new 3D visuals and hardware. One of the most striking elements is its depth of view during altering perspectives, and the new 3D visuals do well to enhance the view and sense of movement during the action. Though the draw distances unfortunately haven't been improved, I was still quite impressed with how the visuals sharpened up. Interestingly enough, the transition to 3D meant having to design the new visuals around the new perspectives independently, and layering them on top of one another.

"For this version, we had to implement 3D separately for each of these three types of scenes," said the producer. "The boss stages were particularly difficult. The original game actually had preset depths. Even more so than some of the Genesis games, there were a number of situations where we wouldn't really have to worry about if we left them in 2D, suddenly [having] paradoxical situations when we put them into 3D."

"Thunder Blade has three types of gameplay for every stage. The first are scenes that are from the top-down, which allow you to fully appreciate and enjoy changing your helicopter’s altitude. The second are scenes that are 'over the shoulder,' which are reminiscent of After Burner II. The last are the boss battles, where you are not able to change your altitude but you are placed into a forced-scroll situation where you can control your speed and progression. There are no other games that allow you to experience these three types of gameplay all in a single game."

Though they were keen on keeping the 3D remaster as it was with the original title, they did implement some new features -- both out of necessity and the desire to include new content with the original game. As some areas didn't take to the new 3D visuals too well, such as shadows glitching out and boss battles resulting in odd bugs, they had to be cut in order to preserve the experience. But in order to make up for this, they implemented a stage that's brand new to the original Thunder Blade. Okunari stated that the new level will be consistent with the rest of the game and really offer an exciting finish.

"The new stage feels natural and uses the graphical style of the era, all while taking advantage of the stereoscopic 3D to deliver a scene where you flying into the center of a base, reminiscent of the final Death Star scene in Return of the Jedi. The boss has a really awesome background to it as well, so I encourage everyone to check it out."

Not only that, there's the new Arrange mode which is unlocked after completing the arcade mode. In Arrange Mode, players will control an alternate helicopter with different weapons and tackle stages that have some additions to them. While the the original arcade mode is exciting, the extra content goes above and beyond what I expected.

I was pretty damn pleased with how 3D Thunder Blade turned out. It helped to scratch that shooter itch I had after playing Space Harrier and After Burner, and Thunder Blade definitely holds its own. While the style and approach is a bit different, I still found it to be a welcome addition to the Classics series. And it's a fine 3D remaster, too. This title is a good one to close out the spring phase of the Classics series, and it'll definitely hold you over till the summer titles come a knocking.

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NEW YORK – Calgary Flames center Jiri Hudler, Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov and New York Rangers goaltender Cam Talbot have been named the NHL's "Three Stars" for the week ending March 8.

FIRST STAR – JIRI HUDLER, C, CALGARY FLAMES

Hudler paced the NHL with eight points and shared the League lead with four goals to help the Flames (36-25-5, 77 points) earn seven out of a possible eight standings points. He opened the week with 1-1—2, including the winning goal at 1:23 of overtime, in a 3-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers March 3. Hudler followed that performance with 1-1—2 in a 4-3 shootout win over the Boston Bruins March 5. He then recorded 2-0—2, including the game-winning goal, in a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings March 6. Hudler closed the week with a pair of assists in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators March 8. The 31-year-old Olomouc, Czech Republic, native has posted multiple points in four consecutive games for the first time in his career. He leads the Flames with 23-33—56 in 63 outings this season, including four game-winning goals (tied for second on the team).

SECOND STAR – SEMYON VARLAMOV, G, COLORADO AVALANCHE

Varlamov went 3-0-0 with a 0.69 goals-against average, .981 save percentage and one shutout to lead the Avalanche (30-25-11, 71 points) to three straight wins. He made 28 saves in a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins March 4. Varlamov then stopped all 44 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets March 7 to record his 18th career shutout and fifth of the season, including three that have featured at least 40 saves (also Oct. 30 vs. NYI: 40 SV and Jan. 6 at CHI: 54 SV). He capped his performance with 29 saves in a 3-2 triumph over the Minnesota Wild March 8, extending his shutout streak to 124:19 – just 5:04 shy of his career high set March 1-6, 2012 (129:23). The 26-year-old Samara, Russia, native has appeared in 46 games this season (including 22 consecutive starts), compiling a 22-17-7 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.

THIRD STAR – CAM TALBOT, G, NEW YORK RANGERS

Talbot posted a 2-0-1 record with a 0.99 goals-against average, .965 save percentage and one shutout to backstop the Rangers (40-17-7, 87 points) to five out of a possible six standings points. He denied 25 shots in a 4-1 triumph over the Nashville Predators March 2. Talbot then made 29 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings March 4. He capped the week by stopping all 29 shots he faced in a 1-0 overtime victory against the Chicago Blackhawks March 8, becoming the first Rangers goaltender to post a shutout in Chicago since Dec. 25, 1966 (Ed Giacomin). The 27-year-old Caledonia, Ont., native has appeared in 26 games this season, going 14-6-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and five shutouts. That includes points in 12 of his last 13 decisions (9-1-3) as well as a 5-1-1 mark in his last seven appearances (1.69 GAA, .943 SV%, 2 SO).


49ers: Michael Crabtree Runs for First Time by Eric Melendez

49ers: The Case Against Alex Smith by Eric Melendez

Part 3 of my Get to Know series of this year’s San Francisco 49ers draft picks, and we’ll look at rookie tight end Bear Pascoe.

Get to Know: Glen Coffee

Get to Know: Michael Crabtree

Bear Pascoe, Tight End

Born: February 23, 1986

Height: 6-5

Weight: 260 lbs.

High School: Granite Hills High School (Porterville, CA)

College: Fresno State University

College Receiving Stats YEAR TEAM REC

YDS

AVG

LNG

TD

FD

FUM

LOST

2005 FRES 5

34

6.8

12

0

0

0

0

2006 FRES 22

307

14.0

75

2

0

0

0

2007 FRES 45

553

12.3

44

4

0

0

0

2008 FRES 40

400

10.0

39

4

0

0

0

Tight end Bear Pascoe entered the NFL Draft after his senior year and was drafted in the sixth round with the 184th pick in 2009.

Best game in college:

September 8, 2007 vs. Texas A&M: 7 receptions for 70 yards with 3 touchdowns.

In the clutch:

2008 New Mexico Bowl vs. Colorado State: 3 receptions for 39 yards with 0 touchdowns.

2007 Humanitarian Bowl vs. Georgia Tech: 6 receptions for 72 yards with 0 touchdowns.

2006 Liberty Bowl vs. Tulsa: 2 receptions for 10 yards with 0 touchdowns.

Awards:

2003 East Yosemite League Offensive Player of the Year (High School) and 2003 All Area Team (Northern California).

All WAC Selection in 2007 and 2008.

Pascoe Facts:

Played quarterback in high school. Passed for 1,851 yards and 16 touchdowns in his senior year. In the last two years of high school he had just under 3,500 total yards along with 33 touchdowns.

Was recruited by Fresno State as a quarterback. Switched to tight end and redshirted his freshman year.

Full name is McKenna Sean Pascoe. Earned the nickname Bear as a kid because of his size. He weighed 10 pounds as a baby.

Is a champion team roper and cowboy down to the bone. He grew up on his family’s ranch in Porterville, CA which they still own today.

Majored in communication studies.

As a Niner:

Will back-up starting tight end Vernon Davis. He will be used mostly as a blocker and on special teams. He blocked six field goals in college which is a record. He has great catching abilities and will challenge Davis for playing time this year.

Will wear number 48.

As of June 10, 2009 he remains unsigned by the 49ers.

Highlights:


But a month before the news conference, court documents show, Mr. Levison had already received a subpoena for Mr. Snowden’s encrypted e-mail account. The government was particularly interested in his e-mail metadata — with whom Mr. Snowden was communicating, when and from where. The order, from the Federal District Court in Alexandria, Va., required Mr. Levison to log Mr. Snowden’s account information and provide the F.B.I. with “technical assistance,” which agents told him meant handing over the private encryption keys, technically called SSL certificates, that unlock communications for all users, he said.

“It was the equivalent of asking Coca-Cola to hand over its secret formula,” Mr. Levison said.

By July, he said, he had 410,000 registered users. Similar services like Hushmail, a Canadian encrypted e-mail service, had lost users in 2007 after court documents revealed that the company had handed 12 CDs’ worth of decoded e-mails from three Hushmail accounts to American law enforcement officials through a mutual assistance treaty.

“The whole concept of the Internet was built on the idea that companies can keep their own keys,” Mr. Levison said. He told the agents that he would need their request for his encryption keys in writing.

A redacted version of that request, which was among the 23 documents that were unsealed, shows that the court issued an order July 16 for Lavabit’s encryption keys. Prosecutors said they had no intention of collecting any information on Lavabit’s 400,000 other customers. “There’s no agents looking through the 400,000 other bits of information, customers, whatever,” Jim Trump, one of the prosecutors, said at a closed Aug. 1 hearing.

But Mr. Levison said he spent much of the following day thinking of a compromise. He would log the target’s communications, unscramble them with the encryption keys and upload them to a government server once a day. The F.B.I. told him that was not enough. It needed his target’s communications “in real time,” he said.

“How as a small business do you hire the lawyers to appeal this and change public opinion to get the laws changed when Congress doesn’t even know what is going on?” Mr. Levison said.

When it was clear Mr. Levison had no choice but to comply, he devised a way to obey the order but make the government’s intrusion more arduous. On Aug 2, he infuriated agents by printing the encryption keys — long strings of seemingly random numbers — on paper in a font he believed would be hard to scan and turn into a usable digital format. Indeed, prosecutors described the file as “largely illegible.”


AT&T owned Cricket Wireless has added two new smartphones to its prepaid lineup, the Samsung Galaxy Amp Prime and the Samsung Galaxy Amp 2. Both Samsung phones are 4G LTE capable and come with the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS. Cricket adds Samsung Galaxy Amp Prime for $149.99 online and in its stores while Amp 2 will be available for $99.99 from April 15, 2016, also online and in stores.

For quick info check the video.

The Samsung Galaxy Amp Prime is a larger handset of the two, featuring a 5-inch super AMOLED display. The phone comes with 5-megapixel camera with Quick Launch and HD videos and a front facing camera that can take selfies with simple hand gesture. The Amp Prime also features One-handed operation mode, Easy Mode for beginners with simpler interface and Ultra Power Savings Mode that extends phone’s standby time for up to 24 hours with just a 10% charge.

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The smaller of the two, the Samsung Galaxy Amp 2, is an entry-level, low-cost smartphone with Super AMOLED display 4.5-inches in size. The display features outdoor mode that enables users to see better in sunlight by increasing the screen brightness for 15 minutes.

Both Samsung Galaxy Amp Prime and Amp 2 will work with Cricket’s $40, $50 and $60 plans that include unlimited talk, text and data with first 2.5GB, 5GB and 10GB at 4G LTE speeds. The two pricier plans also come with unlimited international texting (SMS only) to 38 countries and unlimited calling, texting (text, picture and video messaging) and data roaming in Mexico and Canada. Customers who enroll in auto pay will receive a $5 monthly discount so they can get Cricket plans for $35, $45 and $55 per month.

Even though Cricket said that the Samsung Galaxy Amp Prime is available online and in stores, the phone hasn’t been listed on Cricket’s smartphone page yet.

Source: Cricket Wireless


I plan to report only "bright" Supernova (above mag 17.5) on this page. Note that you are going to need a big telescope to find most of these things, for instance, a "Mag 14" SN probably won't be visible to the eye in anything less than a 10" telescope. A CCD, however, can often detect a Mag 14 object with a much smaller objective. Those SN which are easily findable by amateurs (above mag 14.0) will be in red .

The format is as follows:

Name of SN, Discovery reference (link if possible), Date which the supernova first appeared (Year/Month/Date format), Name of discoverers separated by a ";" (link to discovery site(s) if possible)

Name of galaxy (linked to a page describing this galaxy), RA and DEC of SN in J2000.0 coordinates (link to sky map of that area of the sky)

Directions to the SN from core of host galaxy, galaxy name (linked to a Photometry Reference image of that galaxy)

Magnitude of SN when LAST reported (link to the source of the last report) : date of report ("maximum brightness:date of maximum" or "rising" if that information is available), Type of SN if reported. [Spectrum if possible] (Any data which reference this SN (IAUCs; VSNET; past SNe))

Any special pages dedicated to observing this SN, or a link to a sub page if enough data warrants it.

If possible I will create an icon for every bright supernova. This icon will be black on a white background and mirror imaged left to right so that North is up and East is left. The exception being a color image, which will have he same orientation. All icons will be less than 100x100 pixels in size so that they load quickly.


Since the last time Jon checked in on the increasingly sprawling Republican field for President, several more also-rans joined in: cherub Tennesse Williams character Lindsey Graham, frothy SEO disaster Rick Santorum, the forgotten George Pataki, and 19th century orientalist and cartoonishly evil corporate overlord Carly Fiorina. But one, in particular, Donald Trump, really gave the Daily Show host pause. After the Donald's smug, trolly face came on screen, Stewart paused, bit his fist and exclaimed, "No, no I've made up my mind… God, maybe I'll get a twitter account."

Let's hope so! In a GOP presidential race marked by increasingly goofy soundbites, The Daily Show would have no shortage of comedy gold in the coming months. Stewart even broke character for a brief moment as he looked genuinely shocked at neoconservative Lindsey Graham's casually racist assertion that Iranians are "liars". How can any comedian pass up week after week of rightwing softballs like these?

Watch the video below:


Map of aerial combat in Korean War.

"MiG Alley" was the name given by United Nations (UN) pilots to the northwestern portion of North Korea, where the Yalu River empties into the Yellow Sea during the Korean War. It was the site of numerous dogfights between UN fighter pilots and their opponents from North Korea (including some unofficially crewed by Soviet airmen) and the People's Republic of China. Soviet-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 were the aircraft used during most of the conflict, and the area's nickname was derived from them. It was the site of the first large-scale jet-vs-jet air battles, with the North American F-86 Sabre.

History [ edit ]

1950 [ edit ]

The North Koreans began their war against South Korea on June 25, 1950 with small numbers of Soviet aircraft retained from the Second World War. These were flown by under-trained and inexperienced pilots. After the United States and its closest allies committed its air units to the UN, the North Korean People's Army Air Force (KPAAF) was rapidly depleted. For several months, propeller-engined bombers and fighters, like the B-29 and P-51 Mustang – and early jet fighters like the F-80 Shooting Star, F-84 Thunderjet and Grumman F9F Panther – flew the skies over Korea virtually unopposed.

During October, the major Communist powers – China and the Soviet Union – commenced unofficial military support of North Korea. The Soviets also committed to supply North Korea and China with its latest MiG-15 fighters, and to train Korean and Chinese pilots to fly them.[citation needed] China officially entered the war in support of North Korea on October 25, 1950. While its strength in ground forces initially overwhelmed UN forces, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) was, at the time, small and no better equipped than the KPAAF.

While the Soviet Union never officially entered the war, on 1 November 1950, the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps (64 IAK) of the Soviet Air Forces was attached to the PLAAF, under the 1st United Air Army. That same day, Soviet-piloted MiG-15s began operating over North Korea and the first clashes between MiG-15s and US aircraft occurred, when eight aircraft from the Soviet Air Forces intercepted about 15 United States Air Force P-51 Mustangs flying a ground support mission. First Lieutenant Fiodor Chizh shot down and killed Mustang pilot Aaron Abercrombie.[1] Later in the day, the first air combat between jets occurred, when three MiG-15s attacked about 10 USAF F-80s. While First Lieutenant Frank Van Sickle, in a F-80C, was killed, US records suggest that he was shot down by AA fire. First Lieutenant Semyon F. Khominich (referred to as Jominich in some sources) – was credited with a kill by the Soviet authorities.[2] On November 9, 1950, a MiG-15 was destroyed in combat for the first time, when Lieutenant Commander William T. Amen of the US Navy, in a F9F-2B Panther, shot down and killed Captain Mikhail F. Grachev.[1]

In response to the deployment of MiG-15s, the UN's P-51 squadrons began to convert to jet fighters. In the case of the USAF, this was the F-86 Sabre.

49-1223. This aircraft served with the 335th F-I Squadron, 4th F-IW in Korea. It was shot down by MiGs near Wonsan on February 3, 1952; the pilot ejected. F-86A-5-NA Sabre. This aircraft served with the 335th F-I Squadron, 4th F-IW in Korea. It was shot down by MiGs near Wonsan on February 3, 1952; the pilot ejected.

UN Command standing orders forbade pilots from crossing the Chinese border. On December 17, Lieutenant Colonel Bruce H. Hinton led a finger-four formation of Sabres from the 336th Fighter Squadron on a patrol, a 485-mile (780 km) round trip, along the Yalu River, in an attempt to draw the MiG pilots into combat. The Sabre pilots stayed below 475 mph (765 km/h), to create the impression on radar screens that the Sabres were a slower aircraft. The slower speed and two 120-US-gallon (450 l; 100 imp gal) drop tanks on each F-86 also provided maximum air time. Forty minutes after take-off the Sabres were approaching the Yalu at 32,000 feet (9,800 m). Four MiGs were spotted 7,000 feet (2,100 m) below the Sabres and about to pass beneath them. The Americans jettisoned their drop tanks and as the MiGs passed below, the Sabres turned to the left and dived down at the Soviet fighters. When the MiG pilots realized that their adversaries were not older jets that they could be easily extend away from, they broke formation and headed for the border. Hinton caught up to the leader's wingman, Major Yakov Efromeenko, and fired 1,500 rounds of .50 caliber bullets. Smoke belched from its jet pipe and flames enveloped the tail section. After Efromeenko ejected, the MiG crashed about 10 miles (16 km) south of the Yalu.[3]

On the morning of December 22, a Sabre was destroyed by a MiG-15 pilot for the first time. Captain Lawrence V. Bach's F-86 was hit in the wing root by cannon fire from an unknown MiG pilot and Bach was captured after ejecting. That afternoon, eight Sabres from the USAF 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing (4th F-IW), operating out of a forward base at K-14 Kimpo (Gimpo), attacked an estimated 15 MiGs at 30,000 feet (9,100 m) and pursued some to the Yalu, claiming six without loss.

On January 1, 1951 a Communist offensive drove UN forces out of the Kimpo area; K-14 was overrun and the 4th F-IW was withdrawn to Japan.[4] In March 1951, the first two Sabre squadrons, from the 4th F-IW, returned to Korea, just in time to meet a new build-up of Communist air strength designed to secure air superiority over northwest Korea, in a prelude to a major ground offensive.[4]

While the Australian government had attempted to order the F-86, to replace Mustangs operated in Korea by No. 77 Squadron RAAF, McDonnell-Douglas was required to prioritize re-equipping the USAF. The British Gloster Meteor F.8 was the only viable alternative. 77 Squadron on begin converting to Meteors in Japan during April 1951.

USAF pilots nicknamed April 12, 1951 "Black Thursday", after 30 MiG-15s attacked three squadrons of B-29 bombers (36 planes) escorted by approximately 100 F-80s and F-84s. The MiGs were fast enough to engage the B-29s and extend away from their escorts. Three B-29s were shot down and seven more were damaged, with no casualties on the communist side.[5] Following this, USAF bomber sorties over Korea were halted for approximately three months. Bomber commanders were forced to discontinue daylight raids, and changed to night missions by small formations.

In the first five months of 1951 the 4th F-IW flew 3,550 sorties and claimed 22 victories. No F-86 Sabres were shot down by MiGs, although a number were lost due to accidents.[6]

On July 10, 1951 truce talks between North Korean and UN representatives opened at Kaesong. The ground forces were virtually stalemated at the 38th parallel, but in the air the two squadrons of the 4th F-IW were flying the only Sabres in the theatre.[7] Some intelligence source estimated that 500 MiGs were being operated by the 1st United Air Army.[8]

Although 77 Squadron RAAF had previously operated in Korea as a ground-attack unit, many of its pilots were veterans of World War II fighter units and it was expected that the Gloster Meteor would allow it to return to its previous role of interception. With 22 Meteors, 77 Squadron was attached to the USAF's 4th F-IW at Kimpo at the end of July.[9][10] For a few weeks, MiG-15 pilots scrutinized the performance of the Meteors and used their superior speed to avoid engaging the Meteors.[11][12] The first Meteor fatalities occurred on 22 August, when two aircraft collided in mid-air as they returned to Kimpo after a sweep.[11][13]

Meteor and MiG-15s pilots engaged each other for the first time on 25 August, without either side scoring hits. Four days later, eight Meteors and 16 Sabres fought 12 MiGs; one Australian ejected after his aircraft was shot down, and a second Meteor was damaged. The following week, a Meteor suffered severe damage in a dogfight with MiGs.[14][15] As a result of these losses, senior RAAF commanders decided to focus on escort and air defense sorties.

[16] No. 77 Squadron pilots and their Meteors at Kunsan, South Korea, June 1954.

Flight Lieutenant R. L. "Smoky" Dawson registered No. 77 Squadron's first jet combat claim when he damaged a MiG during an escort mission near Anju, North Korea, on 26 September 1951.[13][17] On 27 October, Flying Officer Les Reading was credited with damaging another MiG while covering B-29s over Sinanju; it was subsequently confirmed as having been destroyed, making it the squadron's first MiG "kill".[18][19] The squadron was awarded the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for "exceptionally meritorious service & heroism" on 1 November.[20][21]

On 1 December 1951, over Sunchon, at least 20 Soviet-piloted MiGs from the 176th Guards Fighter Air Regiment (176 GvIAP) attacked a formation of 14 Meteors. Both sides apparently overestimated the scale of the battle and the damage inflicted to their opponents: while three Meteors were lost, Soviet pilots claimed nine Meteors destroyed; Australian pilots claimed one MiG shot down and another damaged, from a formation of at least forty MiGs, while Russian sources suggest that all of the MiGs returned to base and less than 25 MiGs were available to 176 GvIAP at the time.[22][23]

The F86-As and F86Es of the 4th F-IW were now getting decidedly battle-worn and it was decided that the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing (51st F-IW) was able to commence operations from Suwon on December 1 under Colonel Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski.[24] Nonetheless, the 4th F-IW claimed 13 MiGs in air battles on December 13.[25]

On 26 December 1951, the RAAF reassigned 77 Squadron to ground attack sorties,[26][27] a role it would pursue until the end of the war. Its pilots continued to encounter MiGs and claimed two more victories over them, both in the Pyongyang area, on 4 and 8 May 1952.[28][29]

By August 1952, the tide of battle above "MIG Alley" had turned in favor of the United Nations. During that month 63 MiGs were shot down for the loss of only nine Sabres. An important reason for the increasing superiority of UN air power was the new F86-F, which had been issued to two squadrons of the 51st Wing in June and July and began reaching the 4th Wing in September. This Sabre development had a more powerful J47 engine developing 5,910 lbf (26,300 N) thrust, wing shackles for 200-US-gallon (760 l; 170 imp gal) drop tanks (raising the combat radius to 463 miles or 745 kilometres) and a simplified A4 radar gun sight that was more efficient than the MkXVIII gyro sight used on most of the F86-As and easier to maintain than the rather unreliable A1CM radar sight fitted to late F86-As and Es.[30]

One Meteor was shot down and another damaged by MiGs following a ground-attack mission on 2 October 1952.[31][32] No. 77 Squadron was credited with downing its last MiG southeast of Pyongyang on 27 March 1953.[33]

A special fighter-bomber variant of the F86-F arrived in Korea during January 1953 – the F86-F-30 with dual stores mountings under each wing. This Sabre could carry either a 120-US-gallon (450 l; 100 imp gal) drop tank or a 1,000-pound (450 kg) bomb on the inner fittings, together with a 200-US-gallon (760 l; 170 imp gal) drop tank on each of the outboard points. The new fighter-bombers were issued to the 18th Fighter Bomber Wing, which included 2 Squadron, South African Air Force (previously a P-51 unit). In February the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing began to replace its F-80s with Sabre fighter-bombers.[30]

On July 27, 1953 the ceasefire came into effect. By that time there were 297 Sabres in Korea facing an estimated 950 Sino-Korean MiGs. During the conflict the F-86 pilots claimed to have destroyed 792 MiGs in air-to-air combat for a loss of 78 Sabres — a phenomenal 10 to 1 kills-to-losses ratio. On September the defection of a MiG-15 pilot (with his aircraft) enabled US pilots to assess their erstwhile opponent at first hand. The MiG that Lieutenant No Kum-sok flew into Kimpo on September 21 was one of the later MiG-15SDs.[34]

Soviet role [ edit ]

Gun camera strip showing Soviet MiG-15 over Korea, April 1953.

According to Budiansky, "In late March 1951, the 1st RSM (1st Radio Squadron, Mobile), still operating in Japan, picked up Russian ground controllers in voice communication with Soviet MiG fighter aircraft operating over North Korea. This became an "intelligence windfall", because "Soviet doctrine called for tight control of fighters by stations on the ground tracking the location of friendly and enemy aircraft on radar throughout the battle." These radio intercepts gave additional warning beyond the range of radar. This breakthrough in signals intelligence, centralized at a single USAFSS facility in Seoul, meant real-time listening of Russian controllers and fighters and the subsequent passing of information to U.S. pilots. "An analysis of ground control traffic in June 1952 concluded that more than 90 percent of MiGs engaged in air operations over North Korea were being flown by Russians."[35]

The Soviet Union kept the participation of their aircrews in the Korean War secret for many years, though it was widely suspected by UN forces. Soviet aircraft were adorned with North Korean or Chinese markings and pilots wore either North Korean uniforms or civilian clothes, to disguise their origins. For radio communication, they were given cards with common Korean words for various flying terms spelled out phonetically in Cyrillic characters.[36] These subterfuges did not long survive the fury of air-to-air combat, however, and pilots were soon heard communicating in Russian.

Soviet MiG-15 regiments were based on Chinese fields in Manchuria, where, according to existing UN rules of engagement, they could not be attacked. Many Soviet regiments underwent preliminary training at Soviet bases in the neighboring Soviet Maritime Military District. Soviet air defense troops also began to arrive along the Yalu, setting up radar installations, ground control centers, searchlights and large numbers of anti-aircraft guns to deter any attacks on the Chinese airfields.

While UN pilots chafed at the restrictions imposed on attacking the MiG's Chinese airfields, it wasn't known until many years later that the MiG pilots themselves operated under tight restrictions. To preserve the impression that Soviet pilots were not fighting in Korea, they were prohibited from flying over non-Communist-controlled territory or within 30 to 50 miles (50–80 km) of the Allied front lines. One Soviet pilot who was shot down in UN-controlled territory shot himself with his pistol rather than be taken captive. Another pilot who bailed out into the Yellow Sea was strafed to prevent him from being captured. Soviet pilots were not allowed to pursue UN aircraft over the UN-controlled Yellow Sea.[37]

In spite of the restrictions, many US pilots took advantage of a "hot pursuit" exception to flying over China to pursue MiGs across the Yalu River. Later, "hot pursuit" became active MiG hunting over Manchuria, with US pilots maintaining a "code of silence" about the patrols. Flight leaders chose wingmen who would keep quiet, and many rolls of incriminating gun camera footage "mysteriously" disappeared.[37][better source needed]

The UN conducted Operation Moolah to entice Communist pilots, especially Soviet pilots, to defect to South Korea with a MiG-15.[citation needed] The operation was intended to gain an analysis of the MiG-15's flight performance, as well as serve a psychological purpose undermining the Soviet pilots.

With the end of the Cold War Soviet participation in the Korean war became widely recognized as pilots who participated in the conflict revealed their role.[36]

Aftermath [ edit ]

MiG-15s curving in to attack USAF B-29s , 1951.

The MiG Alley battles produced many fighter aces. The top aces were Russian. Nikolay Sutyagin claimed 21 kills, including nine F-86s, one F-84 and one Gloster Meteor in less than seven months. His first kill was the F-86A of Robert H. Laier on 19 June 1951 (listed by the Americans as missing in action), and his last was on 11 January 1952, when he shot down and killed Thiel M. Reeves, who was flying an F-86E (Reeves is also listed as MIA). Other famous Soviet aces include Yevgeni G. Pepelyayev, who was credited with 19 kills, and Lev Kirilovich Shchukin, who was credited with 17 kills, despite being shot down twice himself.

The top UN ace of the war, Capt. Joseph C. McConnell, claimed 16 MiGs, including three on one day. His story featured in a film called The McConnell Story, starring Alan Ladd and June Allyson.[38] The second-highest-scoring UN ace, Maj. James Jabara, was the first UN jet-vs.-jet ace. Another ace, Frederick C. "Boots" Blesse, claimed nine MiG-15s in his F-86 Sabre[39] and later wrote No Guts, No Glory, a manual of air fighter combat that is still studied today.[37] James P. Hagerstrom claimed 8.5 kills. George Andrew Davis, Jr. became one of the first members of the new U.S. Air Force to receive the Medal of Honor after being killed while leading his section of two F-86s against 12 MiG-15s when he was trying to shoot them all down.

The newly established People's Liberation Army Air Force of China also emerged seven aces. Among them, Jiang Daoping has shot down the U.S. top ace Joseph C. McConnell. Hoyt Vandenberg, the Chief of Staff of the USAF, stated that the PLAAF had become a major air power.[40]

Over thirty Sabre pilots were claimed to have been shot down behind enemy lines and their fate has never been definitively established. Surviving pilots, captured and later repatriated after the armistice, reported being interrogated by Koreans, Russians, and Chinese. For years after the Korean War ended in 1953, rumours persisted of pilots held captive by the Soviets.[41]

A number of computer video games based on the combat in MiG Alley have been produced, amongst them MiG Alley Ace, released by MicroProse in 1985.[42][43]

See also [ edit ]

List of Korean War flying aces

MiG Alley (video game) – flight simulation computer game based on the air combat in MiG Alley

References [ edit ]

Notes [ edit ]

Bibliography [ edit ]


In 2005, MIT professor Richard Schrock won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing catalysts for a reaction that is widely used to produce pharmaceuticals, fuels and other synthetic chemicals. That reaction, known as olefin metathesis, involves breaking and making double bonds between carbon atoms to produce new types of carbon-carbon double bonds.

One limitation to the metathesis reaction is that it had not been possible to control the configuration of the olefin products, which can occur in one of two configurations. However, Schrock and his collaborator Amir Hoveyda at Boston College have now developed a catalyst that yields almost exclusively the more desirable configuration, known as cis.

In a paper appearing in the Nov. 3 issue of Nature, the researchers report using their new catalyst to generate the cis form of two natural compounds that have been of great interest to scientists because of their potential as cancer drugs. They expect that the catalyst, which contains tungsten, could also be useful for controlling the configuration of hundreds of other natural products, as well as new variants of those natural compounds.

“Sought by many investigators for almost two decades, this milestone achievement will be welcomed by the synthetic community as a major advance in organic synthesis,” says K.C. Nicolaou, a professor of chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute, who was not involved in this project.

Lead authors of the paper are Miao Yu, a graduate student in Hoveyda’s lab, and Chenbo Wang, a postdoc at Boston College. Oxford University researchers Andrew Kyle, Pavol Jakubec and Darren Dixon are also authors of the paper.

Making rings

In the Nature paper, the researchers focused on synthesizing macrocycles — compounds that contain large rings of nine or more atoms. Compounds of this type often have potent biological activity, making them useful as drugs, says Hoveyda, a professor of chemistry and the principal author of the paper, in whose laboratory the organic chemistry was carried out.

The researchers were able to synthesize two naturally occurring macrocycles, epothilone and nakadomarin. Epothilone, originally found in a soil-dwelling bacterium, blocks cancer cells from dividing by interfering with the cell skeleton; several variants of the compound are now in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. Nakadomarin, first discovered in a marine sponge, has both anticancer and antimicrobial activity.

Both compounds can be made in about 16 chemical steps, the last of which is a metathesis closing of the ring through formation of a double bond between two carbon atoms.

Metathesis, whose mechanism was first proposed by Yves Chauvin in 1971, requires a catalyst — a special compound that consists of a metal atom attached to one or more organic structures known as ligands. In 1986, Schrock, now MIT’s Frederick G. Keyes Professor of Chemistry developed the first catalyst that could perform this reaction. Chauvin and Schrock shared the 2005 Nobel Prize for chemistry with Robert Grubbs, who later developed different catalysts for metathesis that contain ruthenium.

When each of the two carbon atoms in the double bond has another carbon atom attached to it, the attached carbons can point in the same direction (the cis configuration) or in opposite directions (the trans configuration).

The cis configuration is found in most naturally occurring compounds. Hoveyda speculates that the cis configuration might be better able to interact with biological structures such as cell receptors, or is better able to cross the cell membrane. Unfortunately, most metathesis reactions produce a mixture of cis and trans, with trans usually predominating (up to 80 percent). Mixtures of cis and trans products are very difficult to separate.

‘An efficient solution’

The team’s new catalyst steers the reaction toward predominantly the cis form due to the size and shape of one of the ligands attached to the metal in the catalyst. This ligand is so large and bulky that it prevents any carbon atoms attached to the intermediate in the reaction from pointing toward it, forcing them into a cis configuration. Using this catalyst, the researchers were able to generate the cis configuration of epothilone and nakadomarin more than 95 percent of the time.

“It turns out to be a surprisingly efficient solution, but nobody’s ever done it before,” Schrock says.

Another advantage of the tungsten catalyst is that tungsten is much more abundant than ruthenium, which is a precious metal used in other, more popular metathesis catalysts. Ruthenium’s worldwide annual production is only about 12 tons, and one kilogram costs about $10,000. In contrast, about 60,000 tons of tungsten are produced worldwide per year, at a cost of about $50 per kilogram.

Schrock and Hoveyda have started a company called XiMo to work with clients, particularly companies that synthesize drugs or other chemicals such as polymers, pesticides and fragrances, to develop new catalysts to make their production processes more efficient.


Following the trade deadline there was much speculation and criticism over the moves, or lack thereof, of Peter Chiarelli. And in hindsight it was well deserved, as Andrez Meszaros and Corey Potter proved to be not enough on the backend—the duo rarely surpassed Matt Bartkowski on the depth chart, as Mezsaros appeared in four games, and Potter only one. Soon after the deadline, Bruins’ President Cam Neely revealed on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Felger and Mazz radio show that a deal was in the works, but ultimately fell through at the last minute.

"We were in on something else that we felt would have been good for us if it could’ve gotten accomplished, but it wasn’t entirely in our control in that regard… I think it may potentially have laid some groundwork for the future. But again, you have to have a dance partner… We had a deal in principle that was predicated on another team getting something done."

The Boston Globe’s Fluto Shinzawa wrote the following morning that the "deal in principle" was for the Canucks’ Alexander Edler, reporting that the deal was contingent on Ryan Kesler being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Had the trade gone through, the Bruins likely would’ve had to give up at least two high prospects (Bartkowski/Spooner/Khokhlachev), and likely a draft pick. Chiarelli noted that the negotiations weren’t a total loss, as he was able to "lay some groundwork", and that it would be revisited during the off-season. Flash-forward nearly three months to the day, and there’s one major variable PC may not have seen coming: former Bruins’ Assistant GM is now the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, replacing Mike Gillis at the end of May. So what ripple effect does this have for the future of the Bruins blue line, you ask?

First off, let’s look at a couple major factors. We’ll start with Edler’s current contract.

SEASON AHL SALARY NHL SALARY P. BONUSES S. BONUS AAV CAP HIT 2013-14 $3,250,000 $3,250,000 $0 $1,000,000 $5,000,000 $5,000,000 2014-15 $4,250,000 $4,250,000 $0 $2,000,000 $5,000,000 $5,000,000 2015-16 $6,000,000 $6,000,000 $0 $3,000,000 $5,000,000 $5,000,000 2016-17 $6,000,000 $6,000,000 $0 $3,000,000 $5,000,000 $5,000,000 2017-18 $6,000,000 $6,000,000 $0 $0 $5,000,000 $5,000,000 2018-19 $4,500,000 $4,500,000 $0 $0 $5,000,000 $5,000,000

2013-14 was the first season of a six year, $30M deal for Alex Edler. The $5 million annual cap hit would put him second on the Bruins, in front of Johnny Boychuk and Dennis Seidenberg. It would also give him the longest term of any defenseman on the team by two years, with Zdeno Chara and Seidy both up at the end of the 2017-18 season. Edler just turned 28, younger than Johnny Boychuk and only about six months older than both Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller. He would just be turning 33 at the end of the contract, giving you the prime of his career at a reasonable price.

Next, how about we take a look at his production in his seven full seasons in the NHL.

SEASON TEAM GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG S S% 2007-08 CANUCKS 75 8 12 20 6 42 4 0 0 124 6.4 2008-09 CANUCKS 80 10 27 37 11 54 5 0 1 145 6.9 2009-10 CANUCKS 76 5 37 42 0 40 2 0 0 161 3.1 2010-11 CANUCKS 51 8 25 33 13 24 5 0 1 121 6.6 2011-12 CANUCKS 82 11 38 49 0 34 5 1 0 228 4.8 2012-13 CANUCKS 45 8 14 22 -5 37 5 0 0 113 7.1 2013-14 CANUCKS 63 7 15 22 -39 50 4 0 0 178 3.9 NHL TOTALS 494 58 170 228 -11 287 30 1 2 1,080 5.4

While Edler is statistically a career minus player, last year was clearly the anomaly. Following the trade of Roberto Luongo at the deadline, Edler had a plus rating in just two of his final 19 games played, a -14 rating over that same span. Not that being -25 prior to the trade was much better, but in a year where Vancouver finished third-worst in the West, it can be chalked up to a down year.

Offensively numbers were down as well, with his lowest PPG average since his rookie season. His primary points were down by shooting percentage was also at its lowest in four seasons. But his track record shows a different story. Among the four Canucks’ defenseman with 5000+ minutes played since 2008—the other three being Bieksa, Hamhuis, and Garrison—Edler has the best Corsi and Fenwick ratings both 5-on-5 and on the penalty kill, and is 2nd on the team on the man advantage. In comparison with the Bruins, he is right in line with Johnny Boychuk and Zdeno Chara, the B’s leading defenseman in the same categories over that time-span.

Even Strength:

# Player Name Team TOI G A FirstA Points Shots iFenwick60 iCorsi60 1 EDLER, ALEXANDER Vancouver 6457:21 19 69 29 88 568 7.879 11.856 2 BIEKSA, KEVIN Vancouver 6442:08 20 72 27 92 542 7.507 11.018

# Player Name Team TOI G A FirstA Points Shots iFenwick60 iCorsi60 1 BOYCHUK, JOHNNY Boston 5266:40 18 44 24 62 548 8.841 12.680 2 CHARA, ZDENO Boston 8067:27 28 96 49 124 764 7.832 11.864

Penalty Kill:

# Player Name Team TOI G A FirstA Points Shots iFenwick60 iCorsi60 1 EDLER, ALEXANDER Vancouver 781:45 1 0 0 1 21 1.919 2.072 2 HAMHUIS, DAN Vancouver 1243:50 1 3 3 4 24 7.507 1.495

# Player Name Team TOI G A FirstA Points Shots iFenwick60 iCorsi60 1 BOYCHUK, JOHNNY Boston 670:12 0 4 2 4 16 2.149 2.596 2 CHARA, ZDENO Boston 1233:56 1 7 4 8 40 2.431 2.577

[source: stats.hockeyanalysis.com]

All these numbers and figures probably have you thinking, "Yeah, we could use a young puck-moving defenseman with a good numbers." But here’s the thing...

You don’t want Alexander Edler on the Bruins.

First of all, Edler’s cap hit might be reasonable once the salary cap increases in a few years, but with Jarome Iginla’s cap penalty on the books for next season, the B’s are assumed to be docked around $4.5 million, bringing their projected 2014-15 salary cap down from $71M to $66.5M. Even with Savard’s money on LTIR, Edler would put the Bruins against the cap, forcing them to make significant moves (trades or contract buyouts) before signing their own free agents. His $5M cap hit is comparable to Keith Yandle, who would give you much more bang for your buck.

When seeking a puck-moving defenseman, don’t forget the embarrassment of blue line riches the Bruins currently have under their belt. Not only does Boston have Dougie Hamilton under contract as he steadily grows in all facets of the game, but they have Torey Krug and Matt Bartkowski in their RFA years. Assuming they give Krug a multi-year deal and sign Bart to a qualifying offer, that’ll give the big club eight defenseman. In the system, they have David Warsofsky, Zach Trotman, Joe Morrow, and the newly signed Linus Arnesson. While Arnesson is more of a lock-down defenseman, Morrow, Warsofsky and Trotman have an offensive skillset, as the three combined for 85 points in their collective 165 games played in the minors last season. Joe Morrow, who came over in the Tyler Seguin deal, is the most highly-touted prospect, while David Warsofsky—also currently an RFA—is the most NHL-ready, as he appeared in six games with the Boston during the regular season (1G, 1A, +1), and followed that up with a great showing in the Calder Cup Playoffs with 9 points in 12 games.

Regardless of the defensive prospects possibly ready to make the jump, the trade for Edler was rumored to cost the Bruins’ a couple highly valued forward prospects. Both Ryan Spooner and Alexander Khokhlachev were in the reported package headed to Vancouver. Koko led the P-Bruins in 2013-14 in points during the AHL regular season, and led the team with 9 goals in 12 games during the Calder Cup Playoffs. Spooner, who had 11 assists in 23 games with Boston, had the highest point-per-game percentage with Providence (.938) during the regular season, and led the team with 15 points in 12 playoff games. Either Khokhlachev or Spooner—or both—could be a welcome addition to the big club, giving a new look and added speed to the Bruins 3rd and 4th lines in 2014-15.

The main issue with the Edler trade isn’t the player himself. It’s the position and style. Between current D-men, both on the team and in the system, the Bruins have very good puck movers on their blue line; Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, Dougie Hamilton and Johnny Boychuk all tallied more points than Edler. But aside from the strength of Kevan Miller, Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara, they have a slender defensive core. A skater heavy on the puck who has awareness in his own zone is a much bigger need. And Edler defensively isn’t enough to put the Bruins over the top. So if not Edler, who? Hint: Stay in the Canucks’ division.

Mark Giordano would be the ideal candidate, as he brings solid offensive touch while staying responsible in his zone. He led the Flames with a 12+ rating in 2013-14 despite the team goal differential being an abysmal -32. He’s skated alongside Jarome Iginla for five seasons, and both would be vying for their elusive first Stanley Cup. His presence would be welcomed both on and off the ice, as he could complement Johnny Boychuk or Dennis Seidenberg for a lock-down 2nd defensive pairing. Giordano has two years remaining on his contract at $4.02 million per year, so he’s cheaper than Edler, which could potentially lower the cost of the assets shipped out. In both zones, he’s more consistent, and his production has had a bigger upside than Edler’s over the last few seasons.

A. Edler M. Giordano

But enough of the armchair GM talk. What about Jim Benning? In all likelihood, Benning being in Vancouver hurts the chances of an Edler trade.

There are two logical reasons for this. First, from what Behind The B showed us last season, Jim Benning was a key voice in the Bruins’ front office in regards to the Tyler Seguin trade. Assuming this wasn’t a one-time occurrence, it seems that Benning was and had been heavily involved in trade negotiations alongside Chiarelli. Odds are he was a facilitator leading up to the deadline, and there’s a good chance that Benning wanted Edler on his team. Now that Jim has him, why give Edler up? Remember, the Canucks may have been sellers last season due to their record, but if they can get their goaltending situation figured out, there’s plenty of firepower in their arsenal to make them a playoff threat in the West next season. Dumping Edler would hurt that cause.

Secondly, a deal with his former team in his first season would require Benning to undoubtedly win the trade. Benning would be shipping out a Top 4 defenseman just one year after the Canucks signed him to a mutli-year contract, and therefore would have to make the return not only fair, but great. Otherwise he runs the risk of being accused of hooking up his old pals in Boston on the cheap. To make matters worse, Benning knows the prospects in the Bruins system, so he won’t be fooled by any throw-ins Peter Chiarelli might try to claim are diamonds in the rough. He’ll likely want the same package proposed in March, if not more.

If you are a Bruins fan that wanted Alexander Edler, then Jim Benning as the Canucks’ GM is bad news. But if you’re a Bruins fan that wants a better team next year, with many of their new, young talent intact, the "trade that never was" may just have been a blessing in disguise. Then again, you can’t deny those dance moves.


by Brett Stevens on April 22, 2016

When the patient has no hope, we enter palliative care. Sedatives and painkillers abound. Food and water are withdrawn, to allow the body to exit with grace. When that moves too slowly, ever-increasing doses of morphine are administered. At some point, the soul flies away and the gasping corpse returns to the earth.

We are at that point with America (and come to think of it, Europe, too).

These were groups of people, but they were replaced by governments — by their own hands, I might add. The politicians offered benefits like merchants offer discounts, and We The People leapt for the freebie. Then they found out that the cost was the creation of a USSR-style permanent bureaucracy that determined who would succeed and who would fail on the basis of ideology.

America was designed around the idea that democracy could be constrained by rules on paper. If we cannot have the best leading us, we can plan for an average equal robot-citizen to take the role, and put enough rules in there to keep him from doing damage. Or could we? The history of America shows that this approach has failed.

It is time to put the dying beast out of its misery. Its purpose long ago destroyed, it survives from lack of anything else to do. But having no direction, it merely lingers in boredom and complaint to the point that it does not even fear death. This is not life; it is living death. Release it!

Government is not the nation. The nation is the nation: the people, their genetics, their culture and values. In saner times, we avoided government and had kings instead, people drawn from the nation who showed the best of its traits, and could lead it to excellence. But that hurt snowflake feelings: not everyone can be excellent.

It took them almost two centuries, but in 1968 the destroyers won. They did not want a nation. They wanted a jobs program with some kind of talking competition in which unexceptional people could become important just for destroying things and justifying it in creative ways.

At that point, America the organism died, and was replaced by Amerika the zombie-robot-ideology. Ever since that time, it has been miserable to live here. Jobs have replaced purpose, politics has replaced thinking, and a string of foreigners have replaced the people.

Mr. Trump, please do the right thing. Put this terminal patient to rest. Shoot it in the head. Declare a world war for transgender rights and ensure that the governments of USA and the EU perish in flames so that we do not have to watch the long slow decay to Brazil 2.0. Ruin government, so we can rebuild.

The remnant is out here. But they are paralyzed until the power falls. Burn it down, tear it down. Make America Go Away (MAGA). Send the EU to the fires of Hades. Smash all that is rotten and dead, and cover the earth in ash so something new can grow.

Anything is better than this.

Tags: america, collapse, decay, decline, donald trump, european union

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Another Fork? Bitcoin Gold Project Plans to Fork Bitcoin Next Month

After the hard fork on August 1 that produced Bitcoin Cash, many bitcoiners have been waiting for the possibility of a fork taking place this November with the Segwit2x plan. However, a lot of bitcoin proponents don’t know about another fork called “Bitcoin Gold” (BTG) that’s scheduled to take place on October 25th.

Also read: Japan’s Financial Authority to Begin Bitcoin Exchange Surveillance Next Month

Bitcoin Gold Plans to Fork Bitcoin and Change the Consensus Mechanism

Yes, you read that correctly bitcoin enthusiasts might see another hard fork this October that produces another token called Bitcoin Gold. The project first announced on Bitcointalk.org in July was created by Jack Liao, the founder of Lightning ASIC a mining firm based out of Hong Kong and an anonymous developer named “h4x3.” The forked protocol aims to change bitcoin’s consensus algorithm allowing users to mine the currency with graphic processing units (GPU) among other changes. According to the development team, Bitcoin Gold will use the Equihash algorithm used by the altcoin Zcash rather than bitcoin’s original SHA256.

“Bitcoin Gold implements the UAHF (User Activated Hard Fork) proposal to accept GPU mining,” explains the website archive. “Miners can choose the size of the blocks they want to mine, with a default of 1 MB. It includes replay and wipeout protection.”

For too long, Bitcoin has been held back by the centralized mining industry. GPU brings Bitcoin into the modern age with an exciting technological roadmap to enable massive on-chain scaling well into the future with decentralization.

Most Bitcoin Proponents Unaware of this Project

Even though it was announced back in July the news of the Bitcoin Gold fork is just starting to come around people’s radar. Some believe the announcement and the project’s website is a “troll attempt” to create confusion and dilute the power of the Bitcoin Cash fork and Segwit2x. The Bitcoin Gold protocol has available code on Github for review and has multiple social media accounts for Twitter, Facebook, and a Slack channel. Currently, there are over 250 members in the Bitcoin Gold Slack channel, and many of the visitors seem excited about the new fork. Even though the user-activated hard fork will take place on October 25 the full network launch is scheduled for November 1.

Evil ASIC Manufacturers

There is a lot of discussion happening on the team’s Slack channel and it seems the team has a lot of work to do if BTG developers hope to fork on October 25. For instance, at the moment there is no testnet for miners to test the protocol, reveals the BTG lead developer. “We are working on core protocol and will launch the testnet ASAP,” the BTG programmer reveals in a conversation on the team’s general chat Slack channel. “[Mining] profitability is determined by the price and mining difficulty, but the price is hard to predict,” he adds.

The developer also throws out a few opinions throughout the general chat channel about mining centralization. “ASIC leads to centralization — Evil ASIC manufacturers want to take up Bitcoin,” the BTG developer emphasizes. News.Bitcoin.com briefly spoke with Bitcoin Gold’s lead developer who calls himself “H4x3” over the team’s Slack channel about the project. “I can confirm the PoW will be changed to Equihash and the fork date is October 25,” explains the developer. We sent some questions to Jack Liao and H4x3 because the lead developer told us our questions were “too sensitive” to answer alone. The BTG team has not yet responded to our emailed questions.

Possible Reasons for a Very Unorganized and Confusing Fork Proposal

It’s likely that many bitcoin proponents are viewing the project as a joke or another method of “crypto-trolling.” There’s a lot of good reasons people believe its a prank because the project seems extremely unorganized for a hard fork slated for the end of October. Further, there is speculation from community members about the team’s intentions to change the bitcoin algorithm to conform with GPU miners. Jack Liao manufactures GPU miners that can mine the Zcash algorithm Equihash and speculators believe this is the primary reason to clone bitcoin and make it GPU compatible.

News.Bitcoin.com will be following the development of this story closely and will update this article if the BTG team responds to our questions.

What do you think about the proposed Bitcoin Gold hard fork allegedly scheduled for October 25? Do you think this project is trolling or a joke? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Images via Shutterstock, Twitter, and the Bitcoin Gold Slack channel.

Bitcoin News is growing fast. To reach our global audience, send us a news tip or submit a press release. Let’s work together to help inform the citizens of Earth (and beyond) about this new, important and amazing information network that is Bitcoin.


InFocus today debuted the Kangaroo Notebook, a $299 laptop featuring a dock with an 11.6-inch HD screen and two interchangeable Kangaroo Mini PCs running Windows 10. The Kangaroo Notebook will be available for preorder on Newegg in mid-October.

When the Kangaroo debuted in October 2015, and its less portable big brother arrived in April 2016, we explained that the oxymoron “mobile desktop” really is the best way to describe the Kangaroos. They’re basically desktop PC towers shrunk down to the size of a phablet, sans screen.

The Kangaroo Notebook, however, doesn’t deserve the Kangaroo name at all. It doesn’t require connecting a mouse, a keyboard, or a monitor. It’s a fully functional laptop with a keyboard, Synaptics ClickPad, battery, webcam, ports, a microphone, and speakers.

InFocus envisions the Kangaroo Notebook being used by families that want to dedicate one module to financial and personal information while keeping another for apps, games, and movies. In other words, it’s for paranoid people who really don’t trust the idea of having separate accounts on the same PC.

“With Kangaroo Notebook, we put the power to create private, individualized computing experiences directly into the hands of our customers,” Ben Chu, head of Kangaroo sales, said in a statement. “The modular design of this new mobile computing bundle gives our customers a different level of flexibility and control over how they want to manage personal computing, particularly in the home.”

For reference, here are the full specs for the Kangaroo Notebook:

OS: Windows 10 64-bit Home edition

CPU: 1.44 GHz Intel Atom x5-Z8350

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics

Memory: 2GB LPDDR3 RAM

Storage: 32GB eMMC

Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11AC + a/b/g/n Intel

Expansion: microSD TF slot (256GB max)

Battery: 37Whr/5,000mAh

Dimensions: 288.9 x 196 x 19.9mm

Weight: 1.2kg

Power: 36W(12V~3A) AC Adapter

Notably missing is the fingerprint reader, which previous Kangaroos included. Instead, there is one slot for a Kangaroo Mini PC (though again, two ship in the box).

And that’s what really makes the Kangaroo Notebook unique: You can swap out the whole PC for another one. The pitch is around customization, privacy, and security. But frankly, we expect you’ll stick to using just one.

If you don’t have a monitor or TV to plug a Kangaroo into, the Kangaroo Notebook is for you. At $299, however, there are plenty of cheap Windows 10 laptops to choose from.


Ahead of legal, adult-use sales kicking off next year, San Francisco has created a new office to serve as a hub for all things cannabis.

Approved at a meeting this week by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the Office of Cannabis will handle license applications and fees for the city and county, field questions and complaints, interact with state-level regulators, and act as an information repository for the public. It’s set to open by the end of the year.

According San Francisco Chronicle reporter Rachel Swan, the ordinance creating the office passed on the same day as the municipal budget, which earmarks funds to get the office off the ground:

The city budget included $700,000 to fund three Office of Cannabis positions — a manager, a principal analyst and a management assistant — along with overhead, website development and public outreach. Mayor Ed Lee also set aside $665,227 this year for five new Department of Public Health employees who would help oversee permitting for medical cannabis dispensaries. The city currently has 39 permitted dispensaries and 28 pending applications.

During discussion of the ordinance, several of the supervisors raised concerns about race and gender equity in the cannabis industry, noting that the Bay Area has struggled to diversify its tech industry. In response, according to the meeting minutes, Supervisor Ahsha Safai moved to add language meant to promote inclusivity.

“The Office shall ensure that the perspectives of communities that historically have been disproportionately impacted by federal drug enforcement policies are included and considered in all policy decisions,” Safai’s amendment says. It’s not yet clear what that will look like from a practical standpoint.

Following debate and amendments, supervisors passed the ordinance unanimously.


On Tuesday, January 27th I enjoyed a very candid conversation with Oakland Raiders Quarterback, Derek Carr. Below is a transcription of our 20 minute chat. I’d like to note, speaking with Derek, it was very obvious that this young man is the same guy talking to the national media after an NFL game, his local media after a Raider practice, or a guy on the phone in Seattle who writes for a blog about the Raiders.

Following is my interview with Carr about his rookie season, his offseason so far, and the future of the Raiders going forward.

Patrick: How has your offseason been going? What has been your focus?

Derek: Right now, its just letting my shoulder rest. I haven’t thrown a ball since the season, I’m trying to let that rest as much as possible. Coming off of my senior year of college, I had no rest. I went straight to training for the Senior Bowl, straight into the combine, straight into the workout, training camp and then the season.

I haven’t stopped throwing for way over a year now. I thought it was real important to rest that. I’ve been working out real hard, trying to get stronger right now. Working to maintain the conditioning level.

Patrick: Last season there were a couple close calls with some leg injuries, you were able to play through. Has your training been focused on preventative measures for that?

Derek: Oh yeah, a lot of rehab type stuff. Like you said, preventative. I just praise God that it wasn’t worse. It could have easily torn, or broke a bone you know. I just praise God that I wasn’t hurt that bad. I was banged up, but at least I could fight through it a little bit and keep playing. All except the London game.

Doing those kind of things in the offseason are important though, you want to make sure that your ligaments are strong, and all the parts of your body recover. Offseason is really important, especially when you have to go through a long season in the NFL.

PF: When you fight through an injury like that, many people believe that earns you the respect from the older players in the locker room. Did you notice anything to that effect?

DC: You know, I did. They all know you, but they don’t KNOW you yet. They don’t know what you really have deep down inside. When something goes wrong, or if you get banged up, how is he going to respond? All those things. You do your best to fight through those things. Sometimes there are things you can’t fight through. Like when I got my concussion against Detroit in the preseason. That’s something I couldn’t help. I tried to fight through it, but I couldn’t walk right. So I knew I was done for that game. (chuckles)

PF: That’ll close it down quickly.

DC: Ha. Oh, real quick. Especially when your left side isn’t working. But when its an ankle or a knee, if I think that I can play the next play, I’m going to do my best to play the next play. At times, it may have hurt us on 3rd downs, but I’m showing my teammates that I’m their guy and no matter what I’m going to be out there.

PF: From watching your post game interviews, and mid-week interviews last season. Seeing how you grew from week to week and learning from every experience you had. Did you catch the NFC Championship Game, and what were you able to learn by watching that come back performance?

DC: Oh absolutely! Not only do I play the game, but I’m the biggest football fan around. I love football, I love watching it, I love learning from it. I absolutely watched that game. Especially, I was watching my buddy, Davante Adams, who was playing in it, so I wanted to watch him, root for him.

Watching the game, you watch Russell play, and he does a lot of things in his life that I respect and that I like, and his kind of character, the way he handles thing; so I love rooting for him as well. You watch him, he goes off and throws 4 picks, the NFC Championship, it is in your home stadium, you feel like you are letting your everybody down, but he kept his head down, kept the faith and kept fighting, kept believing, kept leading his teammates.

Because games in the NFL are never over. That’s one thing that I learned, that game is never over. You keep playing. As I watch, you don’t have to do anything heroic you just have to do what you are taught. That’s exactly what he did on both of those touchdowns. He did what the coaches taught him. He checked the one pass play for the TD in overtime, he’s just doing what he was taught he wasn’t trying to do too much, and that’s something that I learned from it.

PF: Speaking of the “not over till it’s over” I was at the game you played in Seattle. Toward the end of that game, I was thinking the exact same thing.

DC: That’s another example. Seattle got that onside kick against Green Bay, if we get our on side kick, we get the ball and we are trying to drive to win it. That’s how close these games are.

“I hope I play here for the rest of my career.” – Derek Carr

PF: The wins everyone was hoping for last season, didn’t come along. But the young players on the team did great, obviously Khalil is up for Defensive Rookie of the Year. You had one of the most productive rookie seasons from a QB in the history of the NFL; With all that, what do you think you need to do, and the team needs to do to improve?

DC: For me, I want to go out and be more efficient. This past year I said I’m going to go out and play as hard as I can, just do everything I possibly can to win a football game, throw it wherever I need to, try to fit it into windows to help us win. Record wise we weren’t doing very well, so I tried putting it all on my shoulders. There as a spurt in the middle of the season where I was turning the ball over, and that was related to me trying to do too much. So, I said, “ya know what, I’m going to finish the season off thinking about my team, and thinking about not turning the ball over.”

That’s how I’ve played my whole life, but I was trying to prove something to people, and that’s not who I am. When I had that mindset, the team mindset, we went out and we won our last three games at home, against some really good football teams. That’s something I learned. No matter who you are in this league, you can’t do it on your own. There’s no doubt about it, I don’t care who it is, you cannot win a game on your own. When you try to, you’re going to screw it up for everyone else.

Also I learned, we’re actually starting something really good here. The record might not show it, but people who pay attention to us and who know the Raiders, like yourself, you understand what we’re doing and what we’re building. Its going to take time, but our mindset is, we are trying to be playing at this time next year. We think that we can do that, obviously we have to add some pieces and keep working, and hopefully we are going to get there.

PF: I remember at the beginning of the season, when they posted the schedule, a part of my heart sank, because I thought this was the hardest NFL schedule I’d ever seen. How do you think that schedule helped your development?

DC: You’re exactly right, we played 8 of the top 10 defenses this year. The others we played were right up there anyway, there just wasn’t room for them in the top 10. (chuckles) It was good. Coach Olson said, “you will probably never play a schedule like this again, and this could be the best experience you could ever have.” He’d never seen a schedule like this. Going through it as a rookie QB with a brand new team we are trying to build, I think those are things people over look with this team.

People don’t really necessarily pay attention to those things, and its sad. I know this league, and the only thing that matters is wins, so the fact that we can look back on it and say “hey, we did some pretty good things against some great defenses” that’s all good and well, but we know that all that matters is the wins. So we got to watch that film and try to push ourselves to be better next year knowing that in all honesty we played one of the best schedules you could ever play. We have a lot of confidence going forward, but that schedule was really good for us.

PF: Have you had a chance to meet any of the new staff yet?

DC: I did, I met them all. They are great. I think the Raider Nation is going to love them, honestly. I sat down, talked with them, I’m going to continue to meet with them. Its been great so far, they’ve been awesome.

PF: The offseason is full of rumors, one has been (offensive coordinator) Musgrave wanting to install a no huddle offense. What would you think about running a no huddle offense?

DC: I think it’d be awesome. It’s what I did in college. Getting up to the line of scrimmage, getting us in the right play, that’s what I’m used to. I have no problem doing that. It’s what the best players in the league do at the QB position, that’s what I want to do. The teams that are winning Super Bowls, those are the things those teams are doing. Getting to the line of scrimmage and putting it on the QB.

PF: Woodson is back! How great is that, and how much inspiration did he have on the locker room last year.

DC: He’s awesome. Just to watch a guy at his age run around playing like he’s 24 years old. No one questions him losing a step, no one questioned his ability to practice every day. The guy practiced every day. Played hard every single day, worked out every time. Never missed a meeting, never missed anything. He doesn’t know everything, but its pretty darn close. He knows a lot about this game, and watching him wanting to learn and get better, its an inspiration for us young guys. Its something we need, and we need to see.

Him (Woodson) coming back shows his confidence in this team, the guy doesn’t have to play football. He has no financial problems. He doesn’t need to win a SB, he has one. He has every reason to go home and enjoy his family, but the guy wants to play again and that says a lot about his confidence in this football team.

PF: Did you watch Marcel in the Pro Bowl?

DC: I caught some of it on TV. I heard he had a few good plays, I was actually taking care of my son. (chuckles) My wife was cooking dinner. I couldn’t be more happy for him, he’s the best fullback in the league.

PF: Marcel said before he left for the Pro Bowl that he was going to do a little recruiting for Free Agency while he was there. Have you done any of that? Reaching out to players, or putting a name in Reggie’s ear?

DC: Absolutely. I already started talking to some guys, recruiting some guys. Obviously I can’t say any names, but I have started. I’m doing my best to help this team win, if I can help I’m going to.

PF: One name who has been coming up as a possibility for the Raiders is, Julius Thomas from Denver. He was quoted saying he’d consider the Raiders a possibility because he grew up a Raider fan. He’s just waiting to see if the Raiders reach out to him. How much of an impact could he have on the offense?

DC: Having him would be amazing. Obviously, I’d love to play with him. I’d love to throw him the ball. His family are big time Raider fans. I know a lot about him, I think he’s a heck of a player and I think he would fit in with the group we already have. If we could add him, it would be great. We’ll see what happens, see what the front office wants to do. He’d be a great addition for our team.

PF: Julius said he’s a Raider fan, I’m starting to hear that more and more. Leonard Williams from USC is a Raider fan, Coach Del Rio grew up a Raider fan, even you grew up a Raider fan. Now that you’ve been in the organization for a full season, what do you think it is that draws players and coaches to the Raiders?

DC: I think it’s that Silver and Black honestly. It’s the emblem. The mystique of the Raiders. The fear people used to have when they’d play us, and the fear we started creating again. Especially on the defensive side of the football in that last stretch in December.

Once you get to know these fans, once you get around them, I can tell you I never want to play anywhere else. I hope I play here for the rest of my career. I love these fans, I love playing for Mr. Davis. God has been good to me, to allow me to play here, so I’m very thankful to be here. I think the fans are really what make it, the passion they have. No matter what we are doing, no matter how many wins or losses, to come running back on the field and hear the fans cheering for me. To come running out of tunnel and hear them go crazy even though we only have two (eventually three after the home finale) wins on the season. It’s really amazing, and I love them to death.