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konietzko-sylvoran · 4 years

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The Ephemeral Hazella

At long last we finally made it with time to enjoy The Ephemeral Wagon, a booth put up by miss Hazella whom we met our first night of the faire!

The amazing transient shop was still stocked full with goods she had hidden away making everyone wonder just what lay behind keeping the imagination and curiosity flowing!

Everything about this wagon is whimsical and enchanting just as much as the caravan curator herself!

Like its own festival within a festival, the golden and violet colors are so very attracting to the eye!

But so too is the glowing trees that stand with star-shaped lights and lantrns hanging about with a spicy and herbal aroma!

Despite all the eye catching curiosities that lay within we came to take a risk and see what mystery and stories could be played out by spinning the Ephemeral Prize Wheel!

Of course I was first to step up! I never pass up a challenge like this. The huge circular wheel was so intricately decorated!

Painted with all of my favored colors and celestial symbols along the rim!

As I spun the wheel it lit up in a ring of lights glowing yellow as music started to play! Spinning faster and faster the colors started creating dazzling rainbow spirals!

With the smell of jasmine incense in the air it finally stopped landing on a single gold star. The moment it stopped a portal opened in the middle of the wheel as a spectral hand reached out with a closed fist and threw a handful of glitter!

The next thing I knew it was exploding into a shower of gold sparkles with a pillar of light beaming down on me as a winner!

Shocked and amazed by the animated show from the wheel and miss Hazella herself! I was rewarded with a lucky necklace and a box of dark chocolate truffles!

I was so elated with this unique prize, I simply can’t wait to see what it does but I have been waiting to put it on. I am told it will whisper encouraging words to me, light knows I will need them this week to come! A hug was deserved, given and happily received.

Next it was a turn for @fyrrefly ! She stepped up and braved the wheel only to see it pulse as it spun and go pitch black!

The wheel started ticking after vibrating and expelling another round of dazzling arcane energy and lights! As we spotted a full moon glowing on where it landed she was showered with purple confetti and glitter as like a true Tart Fyre was showered in it all! Another winner!

Winning a golden ticket she was awarded the chance to return to the shop to spend the ticket on whatever item she pleased from the caravan itself!

We looked on in awe and pride for our dear friend!

At last we got Ra’sen to step up! @sirensdxn was a little weary at first but he took ahold of the wheel and gave it a spin!

Sadly our luck was not strong enough for our dear reverend as the wheel quite literally fell apart and broke down from his spin!

He was crushed, though even Hazella said she had never seen this before but the fate of the wheel was not at its end yet!

The wheel did not wish to budge, and we looked on with sympathy for our dear friend.

With some positive encouragement and reinforcement not all hope was lost. But such is the game of chance, it seems our dear friend has little luck in this arena.

In no time Hazella fixed the wheel and at last it was @talthorn-sylvoran turn!

When one eccentric magi meets an ephemeral lass such as this we knew we were in for a show!

Talthorn was so fascinated with the work of art in this wheel that he could not help but take a moment to study the runes and read what he could from them. But finally he conjured new luck for the wheel and took a spin!

Once more the wheel creaked to life as star shaped lights burst into glowing yellow life in sequence one after the other until the entire ring was fully lit and then went off!

The wheel started to interestingly enough attune to nature magic this time!

Flashing into emerald lights now glimmering and flickering, green motes of light would rise around the wheel stand itself!

The wheel glimmered and glowed with the light of the Dream spinning in a dreamy, serene, hypnotic pace before it stopped flicking with green sparkles!

Stopping on a purple wedge a cheering sound rang out as it exploded into purple glitter and a tiny moon and leaf shaped confetti rained along Talthorn!

Pulling out from the prize box came.... a Yu’lon kite, Green Dance sticks and a pack of cards or omens!

Talthorn was so mesmerized and touched he was speachless!

Another hug was awarded after such an amazing show and wonderful prize given! Talthorn was truly... elated.

The kite flew high into the sly overhead, Tatlhorn was so happy and elated and it looked amazing up there.

We would be walking about the faire for some time with his prize and our own, smiles on our faces and eyes still alive with the amazing experience that this vendor and kind woman gifted to us of her time. All in all... it was worth every second spent waiting in line. Hats off to you Hazella, we will meet again.

The events too place at the World’s Fair Carnival and was a fun coverage for such a wonderful, creative and kind vendor who not only delivers a show but makes her own TRP3 items to continue the show after you visit! Her games invite you to return or play as she is not just your average vendor. @wfc-official

#wfc2021 #World's Faire Carnival #Hazella #The Ephemeral Wagon #Vendor Experience #Talthorn and Kon #Konietzko and Talthorn #Fyrefly #Ra'hsen #Prize Wheel #performance #Wow #Just wow #Amazing

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catboygretzky · 4 years

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to answer this anon!!!!!!

OKAY a list of each reason i think [insert team] should win/why they look like contenders -

STARTING WITH ROUND ROBIN (THIS IS GOING TO BE VERY VERY LONG):

boston: reasons they’re contenders - bc they’re good. reason they should win - N/A bc i hate them.

tampa bay: kinda those ‘i never really think about you but apparently you’re good?’ teams. i think it would be WILD if a florida team won idk i can’t say i want them too but it would be kinda quirky if they did. also they have to stay in hotel x and like? the spite from that may just mean they’re contenders

wsh: see boston.

flyers: contenders because they were on a madcore streak, tho obviously that was months ago. a lot of young talent, mayhaps not a great deal of experience which may have an effect on how well they do. a lot of emotion behind their game, especially with the whole ‘oskar strong’ business (see dupuis, c 2016). also i love them and want giroux to win a cup.

blues: see boston and wsh.

avs: contenders because they have a LOT of talent. i think nate mac is one of the best forwards in the league (nate for hart 2k20) but he’s not their ONLY talent, which is important. again, not a great deal of playoff experience but only so many teams and players DO have that. (but, then again they have multiple cup winners on their team, after all) also i love them.

vgk: i’ll be honest. i feel nothing re: vegas. like, i have no desire to watch their games but i do appreciate how extra and flashy they are and i would kill for flower BUT the fact that they ALMOST won already and haven’t been around long is pretty swaggy and i think that would be cool. also i want flower to have another cup.

dallas: well, i love them and want old man pavs to get a cup. i think their defensive game is SUPER strong and they have two good goalies, which will help with teams that rely on offense. they also have a great deal to prove, and that can really help a team win.

QUALIFYING NOW (I TOLD YOU THIS WOULD BE LONG):

pens: ok i’m not even saying this as a pens fucker, but i think if i had to choose a team to win RIGHT NOW it would probably be pittsburgh. obviously, we don’t truly know, but bc these playoffs are fucking strange, the incredible amount of playoff experience will REALLY come in to play. guentz is back as well, and he’s known for fucking it up madcore in the playoffs. they also have a LOT of depth. ALSO I WANT OLD MAN PATTY MARLEAU TO HAVE A CUP MORE THAN ANYONE IS THAT SO WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE NARRATIVE!!!!!!!!!!! AND I WANT SID TO HAVE MORE CUPS THAN PK*NE!!!!!

canes: again, i love them and therefore that’s the only reason i need. they’re fun and quirky and they give off good vibes. they have a LOT of talent as well, and while a lot of their talent is quite young their captain is already a cup winner (also i want jordy to win another cup).

isles: they’re.......well they’re average and i don’t REALLY want them to win but i want ebs to have a cup bc it’s what he deserves. also mat barzal’s nostrils deserve a cup. but mostly ebs.

leafs: ok i would like to preface this with ‘it would be very sad if the cup the leafs won was a fucked up one like this’. they have a LOT of talent, obviously, but they really need to get it together fdsjkgh they rely on offense WAY too much, their defense/penalty kill is - well. i don’t want to be rude, but they need to work on that. a lot. i LIKE the leafs, i do!!!!! but there’s a reason they don’t get past the first round, and it’s bc they haven’t shown the GRIT that’s needed for the playoffs. i do wish them the best tho. do it for steve dangle’s new baby!!!!!!

blue jackets: another team i never think about like, ever, unless they’re playing my teams. they don’t.....idk they don’t stick out to me at all but zach werenski has a mullet now so there’s a reason.

panthers: like tampa, a florida team winning would be sexy bc florida needs the serotonin right now. they should win bc they meow to each other sometimes. is there any other reason than that?

rangers: see boston, blues, and caps, minus the part about them being good. BUT! i do love a bit of mika and would be pleased for hank obviously, he’s the king u feel.

habs: ok carey price is my dad and they should win just for him. also the narrative of ‘they sucked so bad but still managed to get into the playoffs’ is kinda fun. i can’t say they’re contenders, but must reaffirm that i love carey price.

oilers: hooo boy. again, i do like the oilers. i want davo to get a cup, i would kill for ethan bear, yamamoto, and ryan nugent hopkins. i think they have a LOT of talent, but like the leafs.....defense, man, defense. they rely on mcdavid and draisaitl and that won’t cut it for the playoffs. AGAIN, I WOULD BE HAPPY IF THEY WON.

preds: i would never go out of my way to root for the preds, but the fans seem to have a fun time ya know? the fans have a fan time and therefore they should be able to have a fun time. they’re...they’re not BAD, but i wouldn’t say ‘PREDS WILL WIN’. they have a lot of fight in them, tho

canucks: again, i love them and isn’t that enough? they have a LOT of (young) talent (ie petey, brock, huggy, etc), and while that’s going to be great for the future, there is the possibility that the lack of playoff experience can be a hindrance. tho a lot of their young talent went to uni, so they have experience in THAT regard. DO IT FOR GUNNAR AND GUS HORVAT AND BROCK’S HAIR.

flames: my feelings in regards to the flames can be summed up by saying ‘i only care about them when they go feral v the oilers’. B U T i love johnny hockey and think he and ratty matty’s handshake is cute. also i have a soft spot for matty, but not big enough that i’d root for them.

jets: god, i truly just do not care about them at all. i tried, but i simply couldn’t do it. there are certain players i like, though! and would be pleased if they won a cup! but i simply feel nothing. i appreciate their morals, though!

wild: another team i simply........never think about. they’re not super good and i have no reason to want them to win, but maybe that’s a good reason for them to win! my apathy! i do love a staal, tho

yotes: see rangers. i hate them and they suck.

hawks: see rangers and yotes. they shouldn’t even be in the playoffs i stg.

#long post #alex ramos #scp20 #my long rambling rant lmao

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madlori · 5 years

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Lori Explains Hockey Numbers

So I’m gonna take you through the basic hockey player stats, which anyone can access on NHL.com. There are super advanced analytics too, but I’m not going to get into that.

The above images are for the same 5 players (I split it into two images or else it was too small), the current top 5 points leaders, and these are the baseline player stats. Note that all are centers except John Carlson, who is a defenseman and having a hell of a start to his season. Also note the top two players both play for Edmonton - the Oilers are traditionally terrible but they are 6-1-0 on their season so far so that’s good for them. It probably won’t last.

So here’s what those numbers mean.

GP: Games played G: Goals A: Assists P: Points

A few general words. Hockey players aren’t judged on goals scored but on POINTS scored. You get a point for a goal or an assist. Each goal can have up to two assists, a primary and a secondary. You get the same point for all those things. Most players have more assists than goals, just because there’s twice as many assist points available as goal points. Don’t think assists are somehow lesser - the goal is credited to whoever’s stick touched the puck last before it went in the net, which may or may not be the player who did the work to make that goal happen. Lots of times the goal-scorer is just the guy standing by the net, while the player who got the primary assists carried the puck all the way up the ice and dodged defensemen to get it there.

+/-: This is a very polarizing stat, usually called “plus-minus.” It’s supposedly a measure of a player’s on-ice effectiveness. If you’re on the ice and your team scores a goal, you get a 1+. If you’re on the ice and your opponent scores a goal, you get a 1-. It’s cumulative, so by the end of the season you’ll see guys with a plus-minus of 25+ or 17-. A lot of people claim this stat is meaningless - so much of it depends on what else is going on. How the goalie is doing obviously affects it a lot.

PIM: Penalty minutes P/GP: Points per games played. This is a very important stat and is a key measure for a player’s overall success through the course of his career because it negates time lost due to injury etc.

This stat is a little misleading this early in the season. Usually by the end of the season there will be maybe only a half dozen players who are still above 1.00 in P/GP. Scoring on average more than a point per game is a benchmark of a truly exceptional player as even really good players often go scoreless. Nobody can maintain a 2+ P/GP pace. Sorry, Connor.

ETA: I should clarify. Usually for every season that are a few dozen players who stayed over 1.00 the whole year. There are only a handful of players who have more than 1.00 G/PG CAREER. There are currently eight active players with a career P/GP of greater than 1: Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Nikita Kucherov, Steve Stamkos and Joe Thornton. Both Sid and Connor rank in the top ten G/PG ALL TIME.

The next six numbers are for kinds of points. PPG/PPP = power play goals and points, SHG/SHP = short-handed goals and points, GWG = game-winning goal and OTG = overtime goal.

Then we have S for Shots, which means Shots on Goal. You see this on the screen during game time, tallied for the whole team as SOG. This is the number of shots the player has taken. Now - shots on goal are a specific thing. Any old “slap the puck towards the net” doesn’t count. A shot on goal is defined as a shot where the puck would have gone into the net if the goalie hadn’t stopped it. That means if you hit the crossbar, it’s not a shot. If the puck’s aimed right but another player blocks it (not the goalie), it’s not a shot. If you just miss the net wide, it’s not a shot. A lot of teams now also track shot attempts, which includes all the other stuff. The next number is S% or shot percentage, also called the shot conversion rate, meaning how many of your shots taken resulted in a goal. If your conversion rate is above 20% you’re doing pretty damn good.

TOI/GP is Time on Ice per Games Played and Shifts/GP is number of shifts per games played, in other words average time on ice. A hockey game last 60 minutes and they roll four lines of forwards and three of defenseman, but the lines never get equal TOI. The top lines almost always clock more minutes. You can see that all of the centers in the above graphic are clocking way more than their equal share of minutes. Draisatl is playing almost as many minutes as a defensemen. Some defenseman do 30 minutes or more of ice time. You can also see from the number of shifts compared to the TOI that for these players, their average shift length is a minute or less.

And finally FOW% which is Faceoff Win percentage. Obviously you want to be above 50%, but faceoffs are a hard thing to be good at, and if someone wins even 3-5% more than they lost, they’re considered Good at Faceoffs. Sid is really killing it in the faceoff circle so far this season. Carlson you see has zero faceoffs - he’s a defenseman, which means he doesn’t take faceoffs. More detailed analytics tally up how many faceoffs a player wins as a function of where the faceoff occurs on the ice. It’s way more important to win a faceoff when it’s a defensive zone faceoff - when the faceoff is taking place by YOUR goalie and not your opponent’s, because you don’t want the other team getting puck possession when they’re in your zone.

Now, the goalie stats.

So first we have GP/GS which is games played/games started.

W = wins. The goalie gets credit for a win. L = losses T = ties OT = Win in overtime SA = shots against, or how many shots the goalie has faced so far Svs = Saves, or how many shots he’s stopped Ga = Goals against, how many goals have been scored on this goalie Sv% = Save percentage, one of the two majorly-reported stats for goalies. If you’re an NHL goalie you’re really expected to be above 90%. Above 92% is really good. John Gibson is having a hell of a year so far. GAA: Goals against, average. Number of goals against divided by number of games played. An NHL goalie really expects to be below 3. Below 2 is great. Below 1 is like HOLY SHIT.

It’s interesting that Freddie Andersen’s stats are not looking good even though he’s tied for most wins, and the Leafs are actually doing pretty well. That probably means the forwards on his team are scoring a A LOT to overcome his relatively poor performance...*checks*...yep, Toronto is currently #1 in goals-for, having scored 31 total goals this season so far, three more goals than the three teams who’ve scored 28 (Nashville, Pittsburgh and Edmonton).

So those are the stats that get flashed up a lot. Please enjoy your hockey-viewing experience.

#hockey #hockey stats #lori explains a thing #hockey info #lori explains hockey

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flauntpage · 6 years

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The Ultimate Ranking of the Best Hockey Films Ever

Great hockey movies are hard to come by.

There's what first comes to mind: Slap Shot and Goon and Miracle. Though there's more bad than good: The Love Guru, MVP, or the boring-as-sin Sudden Death.

One thing that's fairly certain is that hockey movies tend to represent the experience of the wealthy white and male demographic, the one that also populates the sport itself.

The NHL says that "hockey is for everyone," and yet many believe that official motto to be one of the league's myths. Fines for on-ice gay slurs are pocket change for the privileged. Ice Girls' bodies are still exploited for a male audience. Social change within the hockey community is diminished yet commodified into sloganeering. And while the NHL was one of the first pro leagues to partner with the You Can Play project, many feel hockey's rate of change to be glacial. Commonplace hockey myths suggests NHL owners don't make much money off the game or that enforcers are necessary to police on-ice behaviour, exactly the kind of myths that are reinforced in hockey movies.

Some of the best hockey films are lesser known yet they question our assumptions about the game. Like the assumption that Russian players are "enigmatic" or that men are inherently better and more entertaining on the ice than women, or that hockey is a unifying force in communities or across a nation.

Should Slap Shot and Goon stand as the best of the best if they reinforce hockey's monoculture? Are Miracle and Youngblood and Mystery, Alaska just reselling the myths we've been buying?

Great hockey movies are out there. It's just time to reconsider the rankings.

1. RED ARMY (2014)

Gabe Polsky's Red Army does what few if any films have done: provide a real glimpse at the life of Soviet hockey players inside the Iron Curtain. It comes across as the most honest portrayal of the Soviet Union's relationship to hockey, and depicts how dramatically Russian-style hockey changed the sport.

The documentary succeeds as the best hockey film on this list because it weaves together sports and politics, it asks its audience to challenge their assumptions about certain hockey myths, and it expertly uses hockey footage and commentary to tell a compelling story.

Polsky, through intimate interviews with the famed Russian Five and goalie Vladislav Tretiak, captures such a personal account of the players that audiences feel they've learned something about the players of the historically tight-fisted Soviet organization. Whereas hockey myth-making has portrayed Russian players as robotic, or as self-interested divas, Red Army does well in illustrating the Russian Five and their goaltender as sympathetic individuals with six different points of view.

Vladislav Fetisov, the first Soviet player to play in the NHL, is a star in the film, and Polsky's dynamic with him on camera is a big part of what makes Fetisov's scenes work so well. The director asks Fetisov questions and often the player will not initially answer but only react with a facial expression—moments Polsky uses to splice in visuals and recordings to provide an answer to what Fetisov doesn't say. When he asks Fetisov about the Soviets' disappointing loss to the United States in the 1980 "Miracle On Ice," for instance, no words are necessary. The best moments are when it's "show" rather than "tell."

Red Army illustrates the conflicting approaches to coaching between Anatoly Tarasov and Viktor Tikhonov, the varied personal politics of the players, and it highlights the politics that drive hockey-related decisions in nation-building. Its use of historical footage and ability to tell a compelling, real-life story is unmatched in hockey films.

2. CANADA-RUSSIA '72 (2006)

The second-best hockey film is one in which Canadians are finally self-effacing about one of their greatest on- and off-ice triumphs embarrassments. In Canada-Russia '72, the CBC dramatization relives the famed Summit Series of 1972 when for the first time Canada's best professional hockey players took on the powerhouse Soviets.

Released in 2006, the three-hour film casts a critical eye on the resentful, obnoxious, and violent behaviour of the Canadian exhibition team that eked out a victory in the eight-game series. The historical event is understood by many Canadians as an affirmation of the country's dominance in hockey. But Canada-Russia '72 paints everyone from Alan Eagleson to Harry Sinden to Phil Esposito as petulant and crude in their pursuit of beating the surprising Soviets. What was supposed to be a walk in the park turned into a national identity crisis. But rather than portray the Canadian victory as a case of underdogs exhibiting perseverance—and free-market capitalism defeating communism—Team Canada is viewed here as the Apollo Creed to the Russians' Rocky. They win the contest but the victory feels empty.

"You know Ms. Fournier, the average Canadian might never forgive us if we lose this series," says head coach Harry Sinden to the fictional media relations character. "But the rest of you intellectuals? You'll never forgive us if we win, will ya?"

The hockey in the film is terrific to watch. Entire sequences are reproduced from documentary footage that seem natural rather than staged. Recognizable beats maintain a degree of tension regardless of the fact that we know the outcome. The audience is privy to a great deal of dramatized behind-the-scenes moments that provide new context.

In one of the film’s most effective (and probably exaggerated) examples of the Canadians' arrogance, a young Soviet boy offers Esposito a Lenin pin in exchange for his hockey stick. Esposito instead offers him a stick of gum. The boy says in Russian, which Esposito doesn't understand, "You cheap son of a bitch."

When Sinden gives his big speech in the dressing room ahead of Game 8—a moment typical of sports dramas, intended to rile the players and the audience—he says, "We win this game, we win the series. We vindicate ourselves and everything we stand for." That line might be heard as inspiring in a straight-forward sports drama. Instead, it sounds like what Canadians "stand for" in hockey is upholding the assumption that Canadians are the best at it.

Canada's victory celebration in the film is muted. It's more relief than national pride. As Canadians, we've been buying the line Sinden voiced, that we were vindicated by the win. But the film succeeds because it throws that myth in the trash.

3. NET WORTH (1995)

There is one scene in this film that stuck with me since 1995 despite only watching the CBC television miniseries the one time. Detroit Red Wings general manager Jack Adams is negotiating with Gordie Howe over the star's one-year contract. Howe's wife Colleen had just prompted her husband to ask for an extra $2,000 over last season rather than his usual ask of a $1,000 raise. Howe is manipulated by Adams and folds. Adams smiles and tosses the signed contract in the drawer.

Based on the book by David Cruise and Alison Griffiths, Net Worth describes the beginnings of the formation of the NHL Players' Association in the face of tyrannical owners who exploit the players and bust their attempt to form a union.

In one of the best scenes in the film, the Association's first lawyer spells out, one by one, the popular myths that the NHL sells—like Randy in Scream listing the rules of the horror genre. To all of them, the lawyer Milton Mound says, "Bull. Shit. When you sniff around a pile of money and the other side clams up, they are hiding something."

What's particularly memorable is the contrast between the PA's first leader, Ted Lindsay, and his Red Wings teammate Howe. Lindsay takes the first cautious steps toward achieving fairness with the league but Howe, the most recognizable hockey player across the US and Canada at the time, decides again and again not to use his influence to better the players' position. Howe's character effectively shows that NHL players themselves become indoctrinated by the myths of the game rather than demand the rights and the money they deserve. Hockey is for fun, after all. It's a boy's dream. At least that's what owners have been selling to everyone.

The film isn't afraid to make players and owners alike look bad in the eyes of the viewer. It challenges some of the great assumptions of the NHL, like the heroism of a star player or the father-knows-best style of management. Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe is even represented as using racist language three times in the movie, the last of which the Jewish lawyer Mound responds with, "Smythe, it's hard to believe you fought against the Nazis."

Once you've seen Net Worth, you won't forget it.

4. INDIAN HORSE (2017)

No list of the best hockey films can be complete or accountable to the sport's troubled history without acknowledging its exclusionary and abusive nature. And no hockey film does this better than 2017's Indian Horse.

Situated within Canadian residential schools that abused and neglected Indigenous children, the film based on Richard Wagamese's book of the same name centres around the young boy Saul Indian Horse who is ripped from his family but attempts to lift himself out of the residential school life by teaching himself to play hockey.

"The rink became my escape," says Saul in narration. "The ice my obsession. The game my survival."

What the Canadian film does so well is illustrate how hockey has, since its inception, been a tool to help enforce white cultural dominance and nationhood. While Saul is eventually able to leave the school for a foster family, his new hockey team made up of fellow Indigenous players experiences the same kind of subjugation and violence at the hands of Canadians in the rinks and in the towns they visit. As the teachers at those schools tried to assimilate Indigenous children into Canadian culture, hockey players and coaches did the same on the ice—only "assimilate" is too kind a word for what took place.

Indian Horse's best hockey sequence is a montage in which Saul's Indigenous team defeats a local white team while Stompin' Tom Connor's song "Sudbury Saturday Night" plays on the film's soundtrack. Connor's music, most notably "The Hockey Song" which is ubiquitous in hockey and was recently inducted into the Canadian Song Writers' Hall of Fame, typically signifies to English Canada a sense of nationhood intended to unify people. Instead, the way the music is used signifies that neither the sport nor the country's identity can be appropriated by just one people. Saul and his teammates stake their own claim to the land and the game by playing skilled, virtuous hockey in the face of intolerance.

Indian Horse is not a story about a resilient "other" who succeeds despite the odds. Saul quits hockey despite pleas from his coach who appeals to Saul by pointing to the success of Indigenous NHLer Reggie Leach. The film reminds us the stories of the Saul Indian Horses are as important to see as the Reggie Leaches.

As Brett Pardy notes in his review, "This story makes it clear hockey is more often an extension of Canadian racism than a unifying force." This chapter of hockey's history, and Canada's, is as important as any other.

5. SLAP SHOT (1977)

The throne for best hockey movie has been Slap Shot's to lose for years, and yet it's trotted out again and again on best-of lists like it's a geriatric honouree at a Montreal Canadiens pregame ceremony. Its iconography and cultural impact is irrefutable but it's time to cede the throne to more inclusive films.

The movie's casual sexism and homophobia hits you like a brick when you watch now. Women are cast as wives and girlfriends only, portrayed as drunk hangers-on who complain while their partner lives out his extended childhood. One hockey wife is said to have slept with another woman and that prompts some players to wonder if that makes her husband gay. Paul Newman's character even exploits that information on the ice to manipulate the husband into giving up a goal against.

Women and their bodies are referred to with deplorable name-calling—and the thing is, that's kind of the point: to paint an accurate picture of men's pro hockey in the 1970s. Written by Nancy Dowd, whose brother played this level of hockey at the time, the film is a satire of commodified hockey culture and its spectacle of violence. And it gets major credit for that. But in revealing such naked truths about the game—like its casual intolerance—it reinforces to subsequent generations that hockey normalizes exclusionary behaviour. When Slap Shot has a chance in the end to say something progressive about women's roles in the story, it suggests that if only a hockey wife got a salon makeover, she'd forget her troubles.

But the film does have its transgressive points, allowing it to still survive among the top five. It's a sports movie about the economic malaise and widening rich-poor gap of the 70s, the resulting cultural frustration that leads to a blood thirst for violent entertainment, and makes a fairly bold statement with the Ned Braden striptease scene by criticizing the pandering to fans by the sport through the commodification of athletes and their bodies. The ambiguous ending, when the Chiefs win the championship while their jobs remain tenuous, even flips the standard sports drama narrative by questioning how we evaluate success and heroism.

But it's the fact that you can't watch Slap Shot without wincing or even turning off the film part way that pushes it down this list. Time is no friend of this film.

6. THE MIGHTY DUCKS (1992)

Despite The Mighty Ducks being pretty typical Disney fare, it was the hockey movie for a generation of young hockey fans who'd never seen The Bad News Bears. A championship game that didn't consummate with a fight but instead a skilled play. A coach who tells his player, "I believe in you, Charlie. Win or Lose."

The Mighty Ducks condemns the win-at-all-costs attitude of many hockey films while a team of lower-middle class kids beat the rich kids. It's one of the few to include non-white and non-male players on the featured team, and gives on- and off-ice screen time to just about every character.

The movie has a lot to do with classism in hockey, albeit in a sanitized way: The Ducks resent that their coach was once a (rich) Hawks player, one Duck calls his teammate and former Hawk Adam Banks a "cake-eater," and yet coach Bombay (Emilio Estevez) uses sponsorship dollars from his wealthy law firm to pay for necessary jerseys and equipment. In The Mighty Ducks, success in hockey still comes at the expense of your wallet.

It's a Disney-fied, contradictory mess but I'm still crying at that "I believe in you, Charlie" line.

7. THE ROCKET

Another film taking aim at Canada's national politics intersecting with hockey, The Rocket stands above the average hockey biopic by portraying Canadiens legend Maurice Richard as the tip of the Quebecois cultural spear during a time of division between French and English Canada.

Richard's personality in the film is an idealized portrait of French resistance in the face of English cultural dominance. The NHL referee who holds Richard's arms while a Boston Bruins player hits him with two free punches represents the English bias of NHL management who handcuff their French players. The Richard Riots—a politicized event often linked to Quebec's Quiet Revolution of the 1960s—bookend the film, couching the player's biography within the province's socio-political history.

When Canadiens coach Dick Irvin says to his team, "I need players who hate to lose," he's using a common sports maxim in reference to Richard. But those words could also describe how Richard embodies the attitudes of many Quebecers toward English rivals in politics and in the NHL.

The Rocket's sensitive approach to the story is seen too in the filming of the hockey scenes. The low-lighting of 1950s hockey arenas, the helmet-less players, and the cool colour tones give us a sense that Richard is alone in the cold of the rink.

Points go to any hockey movie that features a grown man crying in front of his teammates in a dressing room. The film hits the dramatic a little too heavily at times but is another in the genre that flips the standard sports drama finale by not concluding with the hero's team winning the ultimate game. This movie's about the NHL taking one step forward and two back.

8. THE GAME OF HER LIFE (1998)

Documenting the lead-up to the first women's Olympic ice hockey tournament in 1998, The Game of Her Life provides a rare and unique look at one of the most significant chapters in women's hockey history from the Canadian perspective.

Produced by the National Film Board and directed by Lyn Wright, the film charts Team Canada's ascent to its first Olympic Games and its disappointing loss to Team USA. These were the first Olympic matches between two of hockey's fiercest rivals, and the very real tension between the teams is set up well.

Among the best sequences is when coach Shannon Miller is meeting with players to tell them whether or not they made the team. Miller told me in an interview earlier this year that she relied on her experience as a police officer to prepare for the following day's roster cuts by recalling having to tell victim's families their relative had died. The elation and sorrow in that sequence is the heart of the documentary, and one of those roster cuts includes future Hall of Famer Angela James.

Though the documentary isn't beloved by all the Canadian players. Cassie Campbell, interviewed for the same story as Miller, told me she didn't appreciate the film's portrayal of her supposed modelling career (she took one class at age 16). "I was such a team player and yet I could feel the attention going to a small amount of us," said Campbell.

The rare glimpse into the women's game, the coverage of one of sport's most exciting rivalries, and the stark differences apparent between the men's and women's games makes The Game of Her Life a standout.

9. GOON (2011)

Another movie that may appear to rank too low on this list. But Goon, like Slap Shot, isn't standing the test of time well.

A fun story about a dim-witted Doug Glatt (Sean William Scott) who can't skate but can fight and protect the skilled players by intimidation, the independent Canadian film wants to sell the myth of the self-aware goon who violently avenges his teammates because the game is inevitably violent. It succeeds as fun and entertaining, as Doug is probably the nicest hockey player ever on screen, but its glorification of fighting and lack of attention toward the consequences of fighting just don't hold up, and it's only 2019.

The hockey scenes, though, are maybe the best in the industry—Liev Schreiber elevates everyone's game with his acting—and who doesn't shed a tear when Xavier Laflamme is set loose to score once Doug has punched out Schreiber's Ross Rhea? There's just too much cementing of boys hockey culture here, particularly with the casual homophobia. If you don't think the satire in Slap Shot helps normalize intolerance in the hockey dressing room, sit back and watch a group of actors riff on gay jokes for extended sequences while an implied gay character listens nearby.

Still, for a movie with questionable material, it has a lot of good writing and performances, and it's a satisfying experience where hockey fans get to interrogate their fandom and the role of violence in the sport.

10. MIRACLE

It's hard to fill out a roster of great hockey movies, and Miracle just makes the cut. There are better films, like Inside Out, that are hockey-adjacent. There are better films that few have seen, like Swift Current, which documents Sheldon Kennedy's experience of sexual abuse in junior hockey. And although Miracle has its charms, it embodies what's stale about hockey films.

Miracle is guilty of the most hockey movie clichés on this list. A group of underdog players beat the unbeatable team in improbable fashion. The players are bag-skated until they learn a valuable lesson. The coach dismisses the odds and relies on instincts and trust. The name on the front of the sweater is more important than the one on the back. A dressing-room speech inspires victory.

A great hockey film should do more than arouse national pride. It should relate to everyone in the audience, not just the high achievers and Type-A's. "This cannot be a team of common men," says Kurt Russell's Herb Brooks to the 1980 American Olympic team. "Because common men go nowhere. You have to be uncommon."

Canada-Russia '72 does everything well that this movie does but does it while questioning how history was recorded and how Canadians remember the events. Still, Miracle is among the best there is.

Honourable Mentions

The Sweater: This National Film Board short is a time capsule of 1950s French Canada, and in that context it's a staple in the hockey canon.

Swift Current: A hockey film only in part, the Canadian-made documentary on former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy charts his sexual abuse at the hands of the former junior hockey coach Graham James with startling detail. You won't be able to unsee this underside of hockey's history.

Inside Out: The Pixar-animated film touches briefly on the main character's relationship with hockey but it becomes a significant element to a beautiful story. If you need a good cry, sob heavily to this movie.

Blades and Brass: This 1967 NFB short combines NHL highlights with Tijuana Brass-style music. Why haven't you clicked through yet?

Goofy–Hockey Homicide: Almost 100 years ago, Disney thought hockey was a foaming-at-the-mouth celebration of violence, and the psychedelic approach of Hockey Homicide is truly a sight to see.

Dishonourable Mentions

Mystery, Alaska: A fun concept sullied by misogyny and an absolutely wretched Mike Myers Cameo.

Sudden Death: Some of you don't remember how boring this movie is and it shows. If you loved Die Hard, you're going to hate this.

Youngblood: A b-movie with a confused message about violence in hockey. Still, look for Keanu Reeves playing a French-Canadian goaltender.

The Love Guru: (I will not be sharing any thoughts about this alleged film, thank you for your understanding.)

Goon 2: The Last of the Enforcers: No thanks to the faux-Sportscenter panel of James Duthie and T.J. Miller. I've never fast-forwarded through a movie faster.

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports CA.

The Ultimate Ranking of the Best Hockey Films Ever published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/

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universitychallenged · 6 years

Text

University Challenge 2017/18, THE FINAL: review

St John’s, Cambridge: 145

Merton, Oxford: 100

Behold! Something to be truly proud of on this St George’s Day! The arrival of something unutterably exciting! No, it’s not the birth of the new royal baby but the final of University Challenge 2017/18! Oh wait, what? It’s an Oxbridge final? Hmm, I take it back. Gimme dat babyking.

Sketch by @ChesterScribble

Team Vibe:

St John’s: Mid-century modern, circa 1969, Palm Springs

Merton: Arts and Crafts, circa 1910s, The Red House, Bexleyheath

Grandad Count: Wiberg would quell any high jinks from the other seven with one curt word. I’m more scared of him than of Jeremy! (Both teams actually have an average age of 23.)

Gender Diversity Count: Two, ie two more than last year.

Style News: Merton were all very inoffensive in pastel - UGH! Over at St John’s, Captain Devine-Stoneman and Hazell The Vet clearly decided the final meant turning it up a notch, and by turning it up a notch I mean throwing on the only shirt, jacket and tie in their respective wardrobes. Someone get the Queer Eye quintet on those boys! Thankfully, St John’s McKeown was sporting a pillar-box red shirt, which transpired, at the trophy-giving, to be a perfectly exquisite dress.

Cult Hero Of The Episode: Ahhh, Merton. I confess I totally expected these bruvs to win. Peplow as usual was quick off the mark, before Captain Woodland did her thing, answering a slew of bonuses and brushing off Wiberg’s feeble attempts to help her at probability. I adored her delicately blinking ‘oh...’ if the team’s guess was incorrect. But alas! They crashed in incorrectly several times, Woodland included, and St John’s began to pick up their game.

McKeown stretched her arms, sat up a little straighter, and started casually tossing out starter question answers like they were orders of drinks at a bar: ‘Danse Macabre’; 'corpuscles’; ‘ontological’; ‘snail’; as well as rattling off a line of a Marvell ode. Sure, the bromance of Devine-Stoneman and Hazell teamed up for some bonuses on organic compounds and spectroscopies, but without McKeown, they would have been nothing. All hail our leader!

Handsome Person of the Episode: I preferred Hazell with the beard and jumper. Rosie McKeown, you are glorious in all ways and I bow before you.

Horror Round: ‘Three bonuses on the ineffable, Merton.’

Dream Bonus Question Round: I am beyond proud that I got 3 out of 4 in the critical theorists word-cloud round (Derrida, Judith Butler and Foucault).

Regular Classical Fail By Composition PhD-owning Composer, Kerry Andrew: University Challenge have been pleasingly notable on featuring female musicians this year, have you noticed? So rejoice! The subject of this bonus round is on music conducted by Marin Alsop in the BBC Proms. Commiserate! They are all from operas. I spent the whole time going ‘Rule Britannia is from AN OPERA???’ Also, I didn’t get the Handel.

Speaking of female musicians…

Trophy Presentation Bonus Feature: Oh. My. God. I’d had my money on Mary Beard presenting it this year, but UniChall went one better, with Master of the Queen’s Music and all-round composer legend, Judith Weir. I can tell you from personal experience that Judith is the most gorgeously humble and splendid person, and it was sooo cool to see her on there.

Judith Weir fun anecdote #1: I played a set at my birthday party recently under the DJ name Judith Weird.

Judith Weir fun anecdote #2: she has done tutorials at the composition summer school where I teach. My staff and I prepped our students for her impending arrival by singing the words ‘JUDITH WEIR IS HERE’ over and over to the tune of the national anthem in choral harmony and with a piano part, not realising that she was standing at the door.

Jezza Watch: There he was, swapping awkward pleasantries with Dame Judith, as if both of them were at a party but really wanted to be at home with a Horlicks and the last few episodes of Breaking Bad. ‘It’s amazing what people know, isn’t it?’ he said, affably, which is quite an about-turn from barking meanly at everyone for not knowing about macroscopic particles, like he normally does.

Kerry and Andy’s Score: 15! Not bad, given the excitement. I got 9, because I know about Turkish wars, American poets and early English kings, y’all.

Brain Food: Andy’s birthday! We went out for a stonkingly good Sri Lankan curry in Tooting (ask for the green banana bhajis at Apollo Banana Leaf).

I’ll leave you with an après-series photo of these bad boys (by which I mostly mean GIRL), with the bonus of Hazell’s beard being back. Note Levin’s unyielding polo-neck/jacket combo.

Tweets of the Day:

Please feel free to share, retweet, etc, and tell me if you’ve enjoyed reading. I’m mostly a musician but a writer now too, and every little helps. Look! I wrote a novel which has recently been published!

#university challenge #universitychallenge #Kerry Andrew #British TV #british tv quiz #british quiz shows

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levaire · 6 years

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New Post has been published on https://levaire.com/22-ways-to-make-your-annual-report-remarkable/

22 Ways to Make Your Annual Report Remarkable

Ah, annual reports.

Awful things.

Full of stale, self-aggrandizing copy, dry pie charts, confusing bar graphs and committee-selected stock photos. This is 4-color, full-page bleed shredder-fodder at its finest.

Your annual report probably even has an opening letter from your Supreme Poobah, doesn’t it? And there they are, smiling away with that plastic, you-can-take-the-picture-anytime-now grin, their stiff image stuffed onto an entire page no one is ever going to read. Maybe even a chicken-scratch signature added for flair.

In fact—due to all the sub-par letters-from-the-chief we’ve seen over the years—you and I have actually been conditioned to skip that page entirely.

Tsk.

Oh, wait. Did I just describe your last year’s annual report?

I’m not asking you to feel condemned. I want you convicted. I’m trying to convert you.

What’s your plan to get people to actually read this typo-riddled train-wreck?

That is your intention, isn’t it? It should be.

Or are you just checking a box to please your board and trying to spend down this year’s print budget? (Now that’s stewardship. I see why they’re paying you the big bucks.)

What do you plan on doing about this year’s annual report, Sparky? I want you to consider turning over a new leaf. Or maybe not even printing any leaves at all. (Going completely digital is an option, you know.)

Here’s a not-so-novel concept: Your annual report is not a report; it’s a marketing piece.

I think it’s the word “report” that trips us up. When we hear the word “report”, we often think of things like driver’s license applications, tax forms and rows of numbers on spreadsheets with one-meeting lifespans.

If your annual report is a little slice of annual drudgery to produce, it’s time for a revolution.

In fact, your annual report can actually be leveraged as a springboard for your entire year’s marketing and outreach efforts. Sit with that for a moment.

The Annual Report 2-Step: Produce. Promote.

In this article, I’ve listed several ideas for improving your typical-fare annual report. My goal is to get you thinking out of the box.

Beyond that, you’ll find several fun ways you might deliver key information from your annual report to your anxiously awaiting audience.

Remember: You don’t have to stuff the whole report down their throats; just the important, most striking reveals.

Note: For these annual report ideas, I am targeting an industry we serve: homeless and humanitarian aid organizations. Obviously, if you are working in a different space, brainstorm on ways to adopt these ideas to your own niche.

Ways to Improve Your Annual Report

If you must print (and some do, appeasing federal, state or board requirements), here are 10 ideas for getting creative with your annual report format, design and content.

Produce the annual report as a newspaper. One of the smaller “articles” will be titled “Newspaper is Not a Blanket”.

Produce the annual report as a fold-out state map. Begin with a template provided by your state’s Department of Transportation.

Use the familiar. If the conventional booklet format is used, design one of the pages after the PIT count sheets provided by HUD (https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/Model-Service-Based-Count-PIT-Survey.pdf). As a subtle nod, this will be recognized by industry professionals but will pass unnoticed by most in the public square.

Show maps of declining/inclining numbers across the state or country. Compare against 10-year averages.

Illustrate the numbers. For key statistics, give real-world examples to give concepts of population sizes and impact as illustrative equivalents.

Use comparisons. While providing state-based statistics, contrast against national numbers for larger context.

Provide testimonials, case studies and success stories. Point to your website for additional stories.

Interview your partners. Conduct an interview and highlight best practices from service partners. Ask them to speak to the impact those efforts have made in their communities.

Include ways for the public to get involved at the local level (CTA). Ideas for getting more involved may include recurring volunteer opportunities like serving meals, fundraising, event support, board participation, lending creative services (photo, video, design, web), setting up recurring donations, etc.

Ask for commitment. Perforated tear-out sheet containing homeless veterans pledge card or some other “get involved” or “get connected” message, form or survey. (If the newspaper format was used, this could simply be an insert.)

Ways to Promote Your Annual Report

As you may have guessed (or experienced), though you have produced this glowing gem of a report, there is still work to do. This is where you can allow all the work that went into your annual report to inform your ongoing marketing. If you did your homework in producing a thoughtful report, you should now be well-positioned to broadcast those golden nuggets of wisdom uncovered by your research. Here are some promotional ideas to consider:

Public Service Announcements. Launch a PSA campaign, sharing vital stats with illustrative equivalents.

Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs. Use paid graffiti, stencil or reverse graffiti, or stickers to raise awareness around key stats. (Secure permission from local authorities.) Deliver on the sides of buildings or across high-traffic sidewalks. Develop and deliver yard signs. Ask local shops and restaurants with foot-traffic to display sandwich boards. Buy billboards. Scale to budget.

Blogger/influencer outreach. Offer influencers advance copies of the annual report so they can scoop to their audiences on the day the report is released. Engage whatever positive or negative commentary comes your way.

Make it into a video. Create a short video telling select pieces of the annual report story. Promote the video across the website and social media channels. Link back to your website.

Use maps. Is there a way to illustrate the impact on a map? Would it make sense in a GIS application?

Undercover marketing. Pay actors to approach people, strike up conversation and eventually deliver key stats and invitations to get involved. Caution: When revealed, this one could be seen as deceptive. It may be better to conduct a…

Street survey. Less “undercover” than undercover marketing, street-level, face-to-face surveys across the state could be conducted to poll minds and hearts toward the homeless issue while educating participants at the same time.

Road rally. Construct a road rally treasure hunt where participants are led across participating cities with clues that educate on key homeless issues as they go. The finish line ends with a meal in a soup kitchen and a brief interview to collect experiences and revelations.

Youth poster contest. Conduct a poster or infographic contest across high schools and/or colleges zeroing in on key report takeaways. Posters are reproduced and posted across cities to raise awareness. Winning designs earn students a monetary award and bragging rights.

Gamify the experience of becoming homeless. Players select their characters who are becoming homeless (financial instability, drugs, mental health, domestic violence, etc.) The game moves players through several scenarios in choose-your-path manner, forcing decisions on what to do, where to go, how to take care of children (or losing children into the system), how to find meals, lack of safety on the streets, bureaucracy, etc. Players are exposed to real-life accounts, testimonies and/or key statistics along the way. At the end of the game, players are presented with a brief message/video along the lines of “Homelessness is not a game. Get involved.” and ideas for getting involved locally.

Shareable graphics. Develop and employ simple, shareable social media graphics and infographics containing key stats and a link back to your website. Use #(your state), #(your city), #(state-cause), #(country-cause), #homeless and other popular, relevant hashtags across social media channels.

Make it easy for the media. Establish a media kit for housing the report, shareable graphics, quotes, links to new releases and all other pertinent marketing assets. Send to media outlets.

Conclusion

Well there you have it: 22 ways to revive your annual report experience, with a dash of guerilla marketing to taste. I encourage you to press in on your next annual report. Why settle for the standard, blasé, check-the-box annual report when you can enjoy the whole process from start to finish and come away with a much better product and a much bigger impact.

In support of your efforts,

References

Marrs, Megan. December 18, 2017. 20+ Jaw-Dropping Guerilla Marketing Examples. WordStream. Retrieved from https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/09/22/guerrilla-marketing-examples .

McCauley, Jim. January 30, 2018. 10 beautiful paper portfolios to inspire you. Creative Bloq. Retrieved from https://www.creativebloq.com/portfolios/paper-portfolios-5132559 .

Please follow and like us:

#homeless #marketing

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tsgdenvercolorado · 5 years

Text

OUT & ABOUT WITH SCOUT | MARCH 2020

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Anyone else having Spring Fever? I'm ready for longer days and all the exciting events going on in our TSG Community.

ALL MONTH LONG

REBEL: Scratch off and Save

Stop into Rebel and pick up your scratch-off card to be used for the month of March and save 15-25% off one item.

Rebel

5910 S University Blvd

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VISIONS WEST CONTEMPORARY: Current Exhibit: Beau Carey’s recent work Basin and Range

Beau Carey is a landscape and en plein air painter based in New Mexico. The work in Basin and Range look at landscapes as a series of repeated journeys. Each is made of the same mountain ranges repeated and flipped. Carey’s work becomes defined by time; painted with different light, from different angles, some with suns and moons shown in varying states of rising and setting. His work explores and subverts the typical traditions of Western landscape art. Finding new ways to paint landscapes of the West, while recognizing the history of globalism and the new environmental dangers these landscapes face today. Inspired by John McPhee’s geological travel novel by the same name, Carey’s Basin and Range becomes a beautiful journey through time depicting a new perspective on the landscapes of the West.

Visions West Contemporary

2605 Walnut St

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THRIVE Lifestyle Solutions: Date Planning Services

THRIVE Lifestyle Solutions is a full-service individual and personal concierge company and is offering a 2 for 1 special if you book a date planning session between now and April 30th. THRIVE offers complimentary phone consultations to brainstorm your date needs.

Call or Email to schedule today - [email protected] or 720-487-1965

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THE VINTAGE LABEL: Pop-Up at Free Market in the Dairy Block

A thoughtfully curated collection of luxury designer vintage clothing & accessories.

Open Daily 11-7

Free Market

1801 Blake St

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HOWARD LORTON: Pre-Season Patio Sale now through May 10th

Because your style doesn't stop at the back door....Now is the time to find patio furniture at great prices so you can enjoy it all season long. Discover Howard Lorton's newly renovated patio shop, and experience our new arrivals. Find quality, comfortable patio furniture that is designed to last. Take an EXTRA 10% off our already low prices, including clearance items and special orders.

Howard Lorton

12 E 12th Ave

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PLUM SAGE FLOWERS: Treat yourself or give the gift of fresh flowers with a Plum Sage Flowers floral subscription. Their arrangements feature seasonal blooms designed in a stylish vessel that we can select to complement your space. The arrangements are available for pickup or delivery - once every week or once a month. Colors can be specified but all flower varieties are chosen based on health and seasonality. Pricing is custom but the average is $65 for a small arrangement, $85 for a medium and $100+ for a large arrangement.

Plum Sage Flowers

(720) 328-2190

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CCRM: Struggling To Get Pregnant? Don’t know what to do next? The first steps in your fertility journey can be overwhelming—Fertility House Calls is here to help. Fertility House Calls is a program that connects you to an experienced CCRM fertility nurse so that you can ask questions and explore care options, all from the comfort of your home or wherever is most convenient for you. Fertility House Calls is currently a free service to Denver area residents. Schedule today at www.fertilityhousecalls.com.

RISE COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE: Member Event - Eat, Learn, Grow

“Winning the Inner Game” led by Trisha Lee. A study by Cornell University found that men overestimate their abilities and their performance, while women underestimate both. Of course, not all men ooze self-confidence, and not all women lack it. However, the 'gender confidence gap' is real and closing it is imperative to women’s business and career success. Come participate in a discussion with Trisha Lee – Senior VP, Lockton Companies, mother of two young adults, widow, and the 7th of 9 children – to hear her top insights and tactics to overcome confidence challenges so that you can catapult your happiness and success.

Thursday, March 5th 12pm

RISE Collaborative Workspace

730 Colorado Blvd

Click here to learn more about Rise Memberships

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WANDER + IVY: Wine Tasting Event

Complimentary wine tasting featuring Wander + Ivy’s premium, organic, single-serve wines from family-owned vineyards around the world.

Thursday, March 5th 4:45-6pm

Natural Grocers

3757 Brighton Blvd

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FUSION ACADEMY & EQUINOX COUNSELING & WELLNESS CENTER: Academic Anxiety: Understanding & Intervening with School Refusal

Equinox parenting and mental health experts will help parents and teachers identify and understand the complexities of mental, emotional, and behavior health issues. In addition, they will explore how issues related to neuro-developmental disorders, neurodiversity, executive functioning disorder, anxiety, and depression influence school refusal

Understanding & Intervening with School Refusal

Thursday, March 5th 6-8pm

Fusion Academy

5340 S. Quebec St. Ste 100N

Click Here to Register

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HOMEFEST: Spring Decor Event

It’s Spring preview time! New arrivals are pouring in and it’s the perfect time to refresh your home for Spring. Shop our latest arrivals and save 15% on furniture, rugs, lighting, art & mirrors, pillows, throws, and florals.

Thursday, March 5th meet Pam Vincent of Maple Leaf at Home. Inspired by a love of entertaining and spending time with family and friends, Maple Leaf serving boards make a cherished personalized gift for all of life’s celebrations.

Friday, March 6th Emme Siegall of Michael Aram will showcase Aram’s beautiful collection of handcrafted designs. A celebration of nature and ancient craftsmanship, these pieces are as much fine art as functional serving pieces.

Saturday, March 7th Beatriz Ball will share her collection of lustrous metal-ware. Made entirely by hand, using the ancient art of sand casting, these pieces have a depth of character and personality that only a handcrafted product can.

Thursday, March 5th - Monday, March 9th

Homefest

5912 S. Holly Street

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RISE COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE: Member Event - Rise Fitness

Open to all RISE membership levels and fitness levels, this class will be a core blast class. Bring a yoga mat and we'll see you there!

Friday, March 6th 12pm

RISE Collaborative Workspace

730 Colorado Blvd

Click here to learn more about Rise Memberships

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ANDRISEN MORTON: Weekend Trunk Show featuring Samuelsohn

Preview Samuelsohn’s new Spring/Summer 2020 collection of superior made-to-measure clothing. Choose from exclusive fabrics and details to create a unique garment catered to your individual style. Save $150 on every made-to-measure suit or sport coat. Refreshments will be served.

`Friday and Saturday, March 6th & 7th

Andrisen Morton

3rd & St. Paul

303-377-8488

Appointments are appreciated

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WANDER + IVY: Wine Tasting Event

Complimentary wine tasting featuring Wander + Ivy’s premium, organic, single-serve wines from family-owned vineyards around the world.

Saturday, March 7th 2-5pm

Total Wine & More

9505 E. County Line Rd

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DAYLIGHT SAVINGS - SUNDAY, MARCH 8th

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RISE COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE: Member Event - Power Up Coffee

"Confidence in the Boardroom" led by Michele Ashby. Research shows that companies with a higher participation of women in decision-making roles generate higher returns on equity. Yet in the US, only 16.6% of corporate board seats are held by women. Come hear from Michele Ashby (Founder of Ace Board Training for Women) about executive presence, what it takes to get on a board, and what it's like once you're there!

Wednesday, March 11th 8:30am

RISE Collaborative Workspace

730 Colorado Blvd

Click here to learn more about Rise Memberships

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STYLE TM & REBEL: Spring Styling Event

Rebel is teaming up with Tina Friedman of Style TM to shop and style for Spring.

Thursday, March 12th

Rebel

5910 S University Blvd

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KITTO KATTO SKINCARE: Moisture Silk Product Launch

Kitto Katto Skincare is exciting to announce a new product in their line called Moisture Silk and are hosting a Happy Hour to celebrate.

Enjoy 25% off Moisture Silk at the celebration.

Friday, March 13th 4-7pm

Kitto Katto Skincare

601 N Corona

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WANDER + IVY: Wine Tasting Event

Complimentary wine tasting featuring Wander + Ivy’s premium, organic, single-serve wines from family-owned vineyards around the world.

Friday, March 13th 4-7pm

Mayfair Liquors

1385 Krameria St

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CLP JEWELRY: ADORNED Permanet Welded Bracelets

Our Adorned bracelets and rings are the perfect complement to your jewelry collection. These delicate threads are cut and welded directly onto your wrist. They are a perfect daily reminder of the intentions that you set while having them added to your wrist.

We offer 18 karat yellow gold, 18 karat rose gold and sterling silver.

Saturday, March 14th

CLP Jewelry

1464 S Broadway

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HALCYON, A HOTEL IN CHERRY CREEK: Wellness Series - Turn Up The Heat

Turn up the heat, get your burn on, and transform your week when you attend TruFusion Fitness Series at Halcyon. Discover your mental and physical edge with dynamic exercises led by your favorite fitness experts, all in a supportive wellness community. We’ve got everything you need to crank up your personal and fitness goals! Bring your friends and après with us for an hour class, followed by complimentary wine and beer.

This is a barefoot class, be sure to bring your yoga mat!

Power Vinyasa with TruFusion

Monday, March 16th 5:30-7pm

Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek

245 Columbine St

Click Here to Register

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VERT BEAUTY: Intuitive Eating and Ritual Readings

Spring Equinox is all about new growth! It is the perfect opportunity to manifest renewal and new beginnings. We will be discussing health, beauty and connectivity to spirit during this wellness event. Learn how to eat in a more embodied way through the practice of Intuitive Eating with Soshy from Embody Nutrition. Intuitive Eating simply means, eat when you’re hungry, stop when your full, eat food that you love and food that feels good in your body. Imagine if you could feel at peace with all foods and be able to listen to your body on a deep intrinsic level when you’re eating! Rory, our favorite tarot-card reader, priestess, witch and spiritual guidance counselor will quickly tune in to your energy with an individualized one-on-one reading.

Monday, March 16th 6-7:30pm

Vert Beauty

3442 W 32nd Ave

Space is limited, call 303-623-8378 to RSVP

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WANDER + IVY: Wine Tasting Event

Complimentary wine tasting featuring Wander + Ivy’s premium, organic, single-serve wines from family-owned vineyards around the world.

Wednesday, March 19th 2:30-5pm

Total Wine & More

3905 E Evans Ave

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RISE COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE: Rise On The Town

The 9&CO development a block away from RISE is close to completion! One of the establishments, TruFusion, is offering RISE Collaborative an exclusive sneak peek into one of their classes! Join us for a yoga class at 4 PM in the RISE classroom. This event is open to the public.

Wednesday, March 19th 4pm

RISE Collaborative Workspace

730 Colorado Blvd

Click to RSVP

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WANDER + IVY: Wine Tasting Event

Complimentary wine tasting featuring Wander + Ivy’s premium, organic, single-serve wines from family-owned vineyards around the world.

Thursday, March 20th 4-7pm

Warehouse Liquor Mart

3371 W Hampden Ave

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RISE COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE: Member Event - Food for Thought

“The Art and Science of Getting What you Deserve” led by Amy Reczek. Negotiation and self-advocacy can make many of us cringe. From pricing your services to asking for a raise or a promotion, it takes planning, research, and strategy to feel confident to go after - and GET - what you truly deserve. Amy Reczek, Owner of Sales and Presence, is a sales executive with a distinguished 15-year career occupying high-level positions, and it took training and empowered self-advocacy to get where she is today. She will share with us why everyone needs a negotiation strategy in place, what negotiation strategies are most impactful, and how to create a code of conduct to help you execute that strategy. Lunch will be sponsored by Chook Charcoal Chicken.

Wednesday, March 24th 12pm

RISE Collaborative Workspace

730 Colorado Blvd

Click here to learn more about Rise Memberships

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HALCYON, A HOTEL IN CHERRY CREEK: Apres Hour: Whole Leaf, Whole Life

Reinvigorating the ritual and art of tea drinking, Ku Cha House of Tea is making a celebratory experience out of every cup. The owners are unabashedly obsessed with all varieties and types—in fact, they offer more than 170 whole-leaf teas! Join us and tea master, Rong Pan, for an authentic Chinese tea ceremony and become familiar with every type of tea from green, white, rooibos to oolong.

Thursday, March 26th 5-6pm

Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek

245 Columbine St

Click Here to Register

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BLANCHARD FAMILY WINES: Mermaids Under the Mirror - A Charity Dinner for Fins Attached.

You are invited to enjoy our Sonoma County wines, unique as a mermaids’ tail. We value sustainable wine-making processes and are proud to partner with like-minded organizations such as Fins Attached. This non-profit is dedicated to conducting research, promoting conservation, and providing education for the protection of the marine ecosystem.

Join us for an exclusive dinner in the (heated) Dairy Block Alleyway, benefiting one of our favorite aquatic organizations!

Your $125 Ticket Includes:

• A Wine Paired 5 Course Dinner by Foraged

• Silent Auction Benefitting Fins Attached

• Guest Speakers and Mermaid Appearances

• Hand-painted Wine Labels Available for Purchase to Benefit Fins Attached

Thursday, March 26th 6-9pm

Blanchard Family Wines

Dairy Block

1855 Blake St #120

Click Here to Purchase Your Ticket

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CLP JEWELRY: ADORNED Permanent Welded Bracelets

We offer 18 karat yellow gold, 18 karat rose gold and sterling silver.

Friday, March 27th

CLP Jewelry

1464 S Broadway

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highbuttonsports · 5 years

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What we can look forward to in the Ottawa Senators Orginization... 2019

Its been an interesting past week in the NHL, so as a hockey fan I'm interested to see how the upcoming 19/20 season will play out. However, as an Ottawa Senators fan I am... pessimistic, to be perfectly honest. Not specifically because of the trade involving Cody Ceci going to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not because of the signing of of Ron Hainsey. Not because Eugene Melnyk had previously criticised the Leafs defense and now he's okayed the signing of one of those d-men, that being Hainsey. Not even because I'm still angry about how we lost Karlsson. Don't get me wrong, I'm still absolutely livid about that, but its not the reason for my expectations of the coming hockey season for the Sens. Rather, the reason is just a mixture of all those factors combined.

That, and the fact that by the end of the 18/19 season the Sens were statistically the worst team in the league. Obviously that's a contributing factors. But the trade definitely has its own implications of what will happen in the coming season. Losing Ceci means losing a player who eats a lot of minutes for the Sens, the second most of all the defensemen on the team in fact. But both Hainsey and Zaitsev averaged a little over twenty minutes a game last season, so that shouldn't be too big of an issue. Statistically you couldn't call either player worse than Ceci, given that a direct comparison will show both Hainsey and Zaitsev as having positive plus-minus numbers while Ceci's personal goal differential left a lot to be desired.

So why am I feeling generally negative about the upcoming season as a Sens fan? Because I'm expecting failure. I'm expecting the Sens to be a last place team again, or close to the basement if not owning it for themselves. No disrespect intended to any of Nikita Zaitsex, Connor Brown, Michael Carcone, or Ron Hainsey, but I don't think anyone looks at any of those names and thinks of them as game changing players. This trade was a sideways step for the Sens in my opinion, and sideways from last place is still last place. But perhaps it will give at least some fans a slight wake-up call about one thing, and that being that the Sens are just a badly run team in general right now. The players aren't the problem, the organization is.

I've seen and heard Cody Ceci be criticized and ripped on for basically everything he does for several years now. Many Sens fans basically made him the new whipping boy. Remember how, for many, Jason Spezza was never good enough no matter what he did? Ceci got the same treatment, except possibly worse because he was being directly compared to Karlsson, who played the same position and is probably the best player the Sens have ever had, where as Spezza probably is the best, or at least the most successful, first line centreman we've had in Ottawa, so he was probably given that bit of breathing room. But now Ceci is gone. Will there be another whipping boy who will be the target of some fan vitriol? Maybe. But there shouldn't be. The problem with the Sens defence these past few years hasn't been Ceci.

The problem with the Sens in general these past few years hasn't been the players, but rather it has been how the team is run. It all comes down from the top, and whether the decisions are Eugene Melnyk's or they are Pierre Dorion's doesn't seem to matter at this point, we're just a bad team now. So, I'm calling the shot here in July, the Sens will finish with less than seventy points again, and will be a lottery team once more. Beyond that I'll also guess that in keeping with things being bad, we wont win the draft lottery and get that first pick. This is a tanking year, and its going to feel like a very long hockey season for Sens fans. But there is some silver lining. Thomas Chabot has another full season of experience and he's had a long off season to train. Brady Tkachuk was ready to play in the NHL on arrival, and I look forward to seeing him develop. These two young guys will be interesting to watch, and maybe in a few years they'll lead a winning team again, but let's take that one game at a time.

Brett Ibbetson

0 notes

rickhorrow · 5 years

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10 To Watch : Mayors Edition 41519

RICK HORROW’S TOP 10 SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 15 : MAYORS EDITION with Jacob Aere

Tigers’ Masters victory: other winners and losers. Let’s start with the biggest winner: CBS. According to a release from CBS Sports, Saturday’s Masters coverage was the highest-rated Saturday golf telecast on any network since 2015. It also featured a 5% increase in ratings over last year. Given the Tiger Effect, Sunday’s final ratings will blow the doors off those increases. Other major stakeholders benefitting from Tiger’s victory are Nike, which stuck by him during the troubled years, the PGA and the state of New York, looking ahead to the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black May 16-19, the golf industry as a whole, and fans. But even on this happy sports day, there are losers. The NBA and NHL had to air playoff games across from a Masters final round held early due to weather. Ditto the U.S. women’s hockey team, which defeated Finland to win their fifth consecutive women’s hockey world championship gold medal but likely had few casual fans watching back home. At Bethpage and elsewhere Tiger tees it up, the rest of the field will see its screen time vanish as TigerTV – every hole, every shot – blasts back. The biggest losers? The pocketbooks of 2020 Masters patrons. Secondary market badges averaged $2,500 per day this year. Next year, look for that marker to move north of $3,000.

Heads up! This year, Minor League Baseball fans might notice new digital screens and displays at their favorite stadiums. Together with ISM Connect, over 25 MiLB teams will be adding new smart displays to their ballparks. But beyond delivering unique stories and creative ads to fans during each game, these displays are also equipped with smart cameras to measure audience engagement. These smart cameras will help keep ads and content fresh. The cameras record anonymous interactions -- how long someone watches the screen or their age range -- not individual images of specific people. By measuring foot traffic and engagement, MiLB teams and ad sponsors can better understand who their fans are, what resonates with them, and how they’re experiencing each game. The result is a better, more engaging experience for fans, and a better way for teams and partners to learn how to best serve their loyal audience.

Stanley Cup Playoff storylines intrigue as the NHL enters its second week of the post season. Here are a few big picture scenarios for 2019. First, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in the conversation for best regular season team ever. The Lightning won 62 games, something only one other team has done -- the Detroit Red Wings in 1995-1996. However, of the 13 teams that have finished with the NHL's best record since the 2004-2005 lockout, only two -- the 2007-2008 Red Wings and the 2012-2013 Chicago Blackhawks — have gone on to lift the Stanley Cup. Second, the Stanley Cup hasn't been won by a Canadian team since Montreal took it home 26 years ago. However, three Canadian squads are in this year's mix — the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, and Winnipeg Jets — and Calgary has the second-best odds of capturing the title, per The Action Network. Finally, in his first full season as NHL owner, Tom Dundon helped the Carolina Hurricanes make the playoffs for the first time since 2009. In Raleigh, Dundon is a hero. Elsewhere, he's more of a villain, as he pulled the plug on the Alliance of American Football's inaugural season less than seven weeks after investing $250 million to rescue the league.

Congressmen threaten MLB antitrust exemption over RSN bid. U.S. Representatives Elijah Cummings and Raja Krishnamoorthi threatened MLB’s antitrust exemption over the league’s attempt to buy the 21 Fox-branded RSNs. In a letter sent to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, the two House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform members wrote that they are concerned about the potential for “anticompetitive conduct that harms American consumers” if MLB buys the RSNs. “MLB’s potential purchase of these RSNs raises significant questions about the antitrust exemption that professional baseball has enjoyed for nearly a century,” they wrote. “Although the Supreme Court has upheld baseball’s unique, judicially-created antitrust exemption for nearly a century on the basis of stare decisis, the Court has also described the exemption as an ‘aberration’ and recognized Congress’ ability to limit or even eliminate it.” The congressmen gave MLB only two weeks to produce documents relating to MLB’s potential acquisition and operation of the RSNs.

The Trump administration has nixed Major League Baseball's historic agreement with the Cuban Baseball Federation (CBF) that would have made it easier for Cuban players to enter the U.S. legally without needing to defect. According to Axios Sports, the goal of this deal was to help end the dangerous trafficking of Cuban players that has gone on for decades, resulting in players being threatened, extorted or even kidnapped. Take Yasiel Puig, now an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds. After helping Puig escape Cuba, traffickers affiliated with a notorious Mexican drug cartel held him for ransom on a small island for weeks. The Cuban agreement is similar to the deals MLB has with China, Korean, and Japan, and dates back to the Obama administration’s détente with Cuba, which intended to soften relations between the two nations. However, the Trump White House last Monday argued that the CBF is a branch of the Cuban government and that the agreement, therefore, violates U.S. trade law since MLB would be paying a fee in exchange for each player. A geopolitical war is being waged — and young baseball players with dreams of a better life are the collateral damage.

The Boston Marathon passes $200 million in economic impact, and welcomes seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson to its field. This year's Boston Marathon, held Monday April 15 and carried on NBCSports Network, will be the 123rd running of the race that winds its way 26.2 miles from the town of Hopkinton to the finish line at Copley Square. It is the world's oldest annual marathon, starting in 1897 after the successful debut of the marathon at the first modern Olympics in 1896. The Boston Marathon is traditionally held on Patriots Day, the third Monday in April. The Boston Red Sox also have a traditional home game on Patriots Day with an 11:05 a.m. first pitch against the Orioles this year. Boston is among the six largest marathons, along with Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. A special prize purse is given to runners who accumulate the most points in the majors. Here's a bit of trivia: Just five national sporting events were held during the two World Wars, and the Boston Marathon was one. The others? The Kentucky Derby, Penn Relays, Rose Parade, and Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

NASCAR has reportedly rejected an offer from Monster Energy to extend its title sponsorship of the US stock car racing series in order to push ahead with a new tiered partnership model. According to SportsBusiness Journal, the energy drink brand offered to extend its deal for an additional year to give NASCAR more time to finalize its sponsorship restructure. However, NASCAR has apparently turned down that option to keep moving forward with the new model, with Monster now in talks about becoming a lower-level partner. NASCAR’s switch to a tiered sponsorship model has been rumored for some time, and the series is reportedly asking for close to $20 million per year for top-tier deals. SportsBusiness Journal added that Monster would likely land a second-tier sponsorship deal, although it is not yet clear how much NASCAR wants for those slots. Monster was first named NASCAR title sponsor in 2017 as part of a two-year deal estimated to be worth an annual $20 million. The company then extended the partnership for a further season last April. The new arrangement would see NASCAR’s premier series be known as the NASCAR Cup Series, rather than the title-sponsored Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Your Call Football looks to change the future of the game through tech. According to ESPN, YCF is part football, part gaming, part fantasy and allows fans to decide how an actual in-progress game is played, as if Madden came to life. Every Monday night for four weeks in the spring, fans get a notification at 8 p.m. to open the YCF app. They are given a coach-selected "bundle" of three plays to choose from and each fan has 10 seconds to decide what the team's offense should do next on their app. The game is free to play, there are cash prizes, and fans are awarded points when they select what the coach wanted and when their play selection is successful. On the other hand, fans who don't pick with the majority are awarded points when the majority-chosen play results in a negative play, like a sack or an incompletion. At the end of the 10 seconds, the play is radioed into the huddle with the whole sequence taking just 19 seconds, no longer than a normal football game. For a generation of hyper-connectivity, YCF wants to bring the digital world into live sports and give millennials who have stopped paying attention a reason to actually care.

AT&T becomes the first non-apparel company with logo on WNBA jerseys. AT&T will become the first non-apparel partner to have its logo featured on all WNBA jerseys as part of a new deal, with the tech company and the league also planning to collaborate on programs that support women in sports. According to Hashtag Sports, the jerseys debuted during last week’s WNBA Draft held at Nike’s new NYHQ. “Whether it’s women in sports, supporting small businesses like those owned by WNBA players, being a leading voice in LGBTQ rights, or giving back to communities in which we operate, we have much in common and many opportunities to empower these incredible athletes and their fans,” said Fiona Carter, AT&T’s chief brand officer. Sports sponsorship deals can be important gateways to philanthropy. With this latest move, AT&T is demonstrating that giving back is as important to the telecom company as selling mobile phones and service plans.

April is National Autism Awareness Month, and the MLF Bass Pro Tour roster is participating in the way they know best: by catching fish. Most of the field of 80 anglers competing in the next two Bass Pro Tour events are pledging “dollars per pound” donations to their favorite autism awareness organization, and they’re asking their fans to consider doing the same. “Autism affects so many families, we’re just doing our best to encourage people to do whatever they can for their local autism awareness organization,” said Kevin VanDam, who is pledging a robust $5 for every pound of fish he records on SCORETRACKER. MLF anglers participating in April’s awareness and fundraising effort will combine their weights and contributions from the Stage Four event on Lake Chickamauga in Tennessee, and the Stage Five event on Smith Lake in Alabama. With big weights of Florida-strain largemouth expected on Chickamauga and even heavier overall weights of spotted bass on Smith Lake, those dollars-per-pound pledge could add up quickly. The angler with the most weight at these two tournaments will be recognized as the Autism Awareness Champion.

#10 #10towatch

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magzier-blog · 6 years

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Mesos Market In MapleStory 2: A New Trading System Will Bring The Fairness Back?

In Today's announcement on MapleStory 2 New Project Leaf site, the game's producer expands on the new trading system which will be deployed into Maplestory 2 within 20 days - Mesos Market. Mesos Market, allegedly is a place in the game where low-level players, especially newcomers, will gain relatively substantial MS2 Mesos for progression, as well as well-equipped players acquiring Merets for cosmetical purposes.

The game producer outlines the strengths of this new Market which in his words, will never lead the game into astray. He also enumerates a couple of calamities that the previous trading system may get entangled in but the new system wouldn't, such as the in-game balance collapse, pay-to-win domination over the system, and so on. Also, there are a series of specifics of how the new trading system works and what buyers and sellers can benefit from.

In the blueprint, Mesos Market is a currency trading platform that will be constructed under Black Market UI. A seller on this platform can make 5 listings of Mesos per day, at most. One list of Mesos is numerically limited to 5,000,000 and its desired price must be lower than the current average by 80% at least. And last, but not least, sellers won't have to pay some extra Mesos as transaction fees any more in this Market.

You have a grip more or less on the seller side of this market, probably painting it as "dancing with strapped hands". But please hold your horse before me elaborating on the full picture of the buyer's regulations in this market. Here are some unshakable rules for all those buyers in this market: First, a buyer needs to purchase "Meso Tokens" from the "Buy Merets" menu, where sadly can't be accessed by players with the Steam launcher. Second, the buyer acquires listings only with Meso Tokens, and Tokens can be only bought with NX Prepaid. The last thing is any buyer is limited to acquire a maximum of 4 listings in a month. How about that!

Take a step back and just chill for a second. This whole Meso Market idea may not be the most inadequate one you've ever heard. It's actually a certain-progression-oriented system where someone in some positions and under certain circumstances will benefit most from that. For example, some new players who desperately need millions of Mesos to take a giant leap into a higher level, or some hardcore players only hard up for a small amount of Mesos can't get their hands on the desired gear. This new platform would be a paradise for a bunch of people like the above-mentioned folks.

The precautions of this system, all the restrictions, and regulations it establishes are the shield to protect the Market from pay-to-win, progression imbalance, illicit Meso selling, and any other fraudulent activities. But let's be honest, after 5 months' horrible experience and the slippery slope of its player base, MapleStory 2 can really handle another appeared-to-be-formidable, yet possibly trumpery system with more criticism and rants directly coming next? Let's rub our eyes and wait.

#buyer #MapleStory 2 #Merets #Meso Market #progression #newcomers #seller #Tokens

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flickwatches · 6 years

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How To Fix The Los Angeles Valiant

Its no secret that the Valiant are experiencing some issues to start season 2 of Overwatch League. Between the bottom teams of the league they seem to have the most glaring issues. Washington Justice have a cheap roster (allegedly), Florida Mayhem are adding new players in hope of improving the team, Los Angeles Gladiators have a stacked roster full of off season additions still.

Teams like the Atlanta Reign, New York Excelsior, Florida Mayhem, Philadelphia Fusion, San Francisco Shock, and Boston Uprising have already recruit thru or promoted from there Contenders level teams. Without a lower level team to pull from the Valiant are relying on building within the team. You take bigger chances on bench players hoping that being apart of the highest level of play will help them develop into that level. And we all know how that went in season 1.

(From a cost perspective running a contenders level team just to possibly feed talent into the OWL level team is probably an easy way to lose money.)

During the off season the Valiant lost more talent than they gained. From coaches to players. Noah Winston, being the professional owner he is, let people leave to join the Paris Eternal. And they are already making waves in OWL. Very polite but the lost of talent was far greater than they must of expected. Because they put zero attempts in adding in new talent to fill those holes. Even if they offered to players who signed elsewhere they should of still signed lower skill players in an attempt to at least have the roster spot filled.

So in short I want to go into possible solutions to these problems. I’ll keep it simple when its just adding certain players from certain areas.

Korean Contenders Players

Most of Korean Contenders isn’t affiliated with an OWL team so the players are free agents able to sign at any time.

-Edison (GC Busan Wave) 17 yrs old

Worth to sign and hold onto Sinatraa style instead of losing the bidding war next season.

-Climax (O2 Blast) 19 yrs old

Strong DPS player.

-Order (Free Agent) 24 yrs old

Out shined Godsb during the season he played on X6 Gaming. Was easily there best player that season. Its a huge shame he isn’t on a contenders roster or OWL roster right now. Easily worth the pickup for one season.

-Delight (GC Busan Wave) 20 yrs old

Strong DPS player.

European Contenders Players

-Hqrdest (Morning Stars)

DPS player

Still playing at a high level. Playing some of his best Overwatch right now. Tons of team experience.

-Leaf (Morning Stars) 23 yrs old

DPS player

Has a slightly odd hero pool but a great player. I’ve been watching him for years since he was playing on GamersOrigin. Highly motivated to win.

-Davin (Team Gigantti) 23 yrs old

DPS palyer

Easily an OWL level player. Could step in and play right now. Experience and tons of success in Overwatch already. Would provide consistency in his role.

-Vizility (Team Gigantti) 22 yrs old

DPS player

Absolute nutter of a player. Made the move over to NA contenders before going back to EU contenders. Should already be on an OWL team. A lot of EU players are getting overlooked because of age but they were 19 and 20 when they first started making waves in the scene. People aren’t scouting well enough in OWL. There is no excuse for players like Vizility (and Asking) to not be in OWL. I don’t care if they can be hard to coach. COACH BETTER. Not everything is easy to do and wins are more importance than being comfortable on an 0-4 OWL team.

AUS Contenders Players

-Jordation (Order) 3 million years old

Support (DPSlol) player

I hate to meme on this guy so much but he is kind of known as Colourhex’s ugly step brother. Jokes aside the dude is a nasty sniper and has gobs of mechanical skill. Worth the risk.

Tons of talented players in this region and sadly the time zones make watching the games hard. Honestly though from a pure scouting perspective you should only be watching the Sydney Dropbears and whoever plays against them well.

Academy Players (buyouts yuck)

Every player listed here is going to have some stupid academy contract stuck to them and will cost extra money to get.

-Asking (Uprising Academy)

I’ve said a lot about this player since first seeing him click heads. Best sniper now in OWL by far. But for now I’m going to let his last match speak for him.

https://youtu.be/7rZiUbQxBwM?t=1871

-Gator + Hawk (ATL Academy)

Now this would come at a huge price tag. And probably be against what Moon would want. But you would instantly have more cohesive frontline. Gator and Hawk work great together but Hawk doesn’t seem to show out beyond his Dva play.

-Snillo (Fusion University)

DPS player with OWL experience.

-Logix (Montreal Rebellion aka Toronto Defiant)

Another talented DPS player with OWL experience. Has been playing at an extremely high level in contenders since leaving OWL.

-Dino (Uprising Academy)

Flex Support. Ever since he has moved up into NA contenders he has looked amazing. Should be on someones OWL roster.

-Tensa (Montreal Rebellion aka Toronto Defiant)

Main Support and one of the best leaders you can find in overwatch. Somebody you want connected to your team as a player or as staff. Should have a long career in overwatch.

-The entire Gladiators Legion roster

Jokes aside signing Water, Dalton, Luddee, Panker, or FRD wouldn’t be a bad idea. Some of the best contenders level players at there roles. Panker would already be OWL if it wasn’t for being trapped in contenders contract hell.

-Mangachu (Mayhem Academy)

Two words. Torb Hammer.

He would provide years of experience from the highest level of play. He has done everything short of playing in Apex.

-Manneten (Mayhem Academy)

Great player and like Logix he has been doing nothing but playing at his best since leaving OWL.

-Paintbrush (Mayhem Academy)

Support player. I’ve been watching him for years since he spent like a month on a team with a low level player I was watching to see if they would level up (rip LittleMenace). Great teammate.

-Gods (Second WInd) I forgot NA still has independent teams not affiliated with the OWL oops.

Flex everything

Instantly helps any team he joins by being one of the most experienced NA professionals of all time. Easily the most experienced NA pro not in OWL.

Trade Targets

Even more expensive, trading for or buying the rights to OWL players.

-Effect (Dallas Fuel)

You would have to convince both sides that the Valiant are a better situation for him. My only worry would be the dive meta with Fate, Agilities, and Effect. The game client mite crash from the high speed those 3 would play at.

-Tviq (Florida Mayhem)

As much as I hate him I think he could benefit from a change of scenery in the way players like Custa and Unkoe did last season.

-Soon (Paris Eternal)

Please come back.

-Architect (San Francisco Shock)

They have so many great OWL players that you would think you could just take one without them noticing. They would probably be more willing to trade Babybay than Architect. I would love Rascal or to take Striker. Its an embarrassment of riches to be honest.

-Diya (Shanghai Dragons)

I wouldn’t want to take him from his home team but I would love to have his talent. Great player still a pretty big star from the Chinese scene.

-Fearless (Shanghai Dragons)

Its sad whats happened to him since last season. He deserves redemption and I say let him come back up Fate on the Valiant. One of them is bound to improve because of it.

Some Random Free Agents

-Shadder2k (sad)

I would still sign him while he was hurt and helped him work thru out and have him under contract for when he’s healthy and ready to play. barely qualified at 18 yrs old when OWL first started. The most missed talent from the pro scene.

-Spirit (Twitch)

Known for 1 tricking to extremes but he would learn heroes at a higher level than your average pro would and that’s saying something.

-Jay3 (J3sus)

He’s moving on from pro OW to pro Apex but I would still take him back. One of the greatest raw talens (globally) that I ever saw play the game. I don’t think he truly understood how amazing he was.

-Brandito (why not)

Better than losing every game this season because your convinced the current roster and staff has what it takes.

JUST SIGN TALENT AND TRY TO IMPROVE. THE TEAM ISN’T GOING TO MAGICALLY GET BETTER BY LOSING EVERY GAME. The Valiant are about to become the Shanghai Dragons of season 2. Not because they’ll lose every game but because every team will play them hard not wanting to be the first team to lose to them.

Bring in new coaches. Bring in new players. MAKE AN ACADEMY TEAM. Don’t invest nothing into season 2 and expect to rewarded for it. Winning mite not matter that much to the Valiant but it will cost you fans and money in the long run.

#Overwatch league #Los Angeles Valiant #Hot Takes #HE WAS A COACH?!?!

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andrewuttaro · 6 years

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New Look Sabres: GM 65 - TOR - Bleakness Threshold

Friday night against the Pens I talked about this thing I dubbed the “Bleakness Threshold.” It’s basically when the majority of the fanbase realizes the playoffs are pretty much out of reach for the season and start looking to the Draft and the summer. Part of the reason I talked so much about it, after a victory mind you, is that going into that game all the talk was about why this team just isn’t good enough. It’s not, that’s clear; but the insistent self-flagellating of recounting missed picks and failed prospects gets tiring. The fun part of this game was that all that talk took a back seat to what Sabres fans yell when something gets dropped on their foot: FUCK THE LEAFS! I debated with myself how much I was going to talk about all their Tavares stuff this week. I went back and forth before ultimately deciding I can’t hate a guy who left in Free Agency. JT’s departure from Long Island was like their summer 2007. They got nothing in return and the whole situation leading to it was in large part because of a GM who had stuck around too long and not been a good negotiator. I feel for Isles fans that way. Maybe don’t throw things AT him? There are bad eggs but the whole Islanders fan base has the right to be upset at him and even boo him. Leafs fans… ugh, this is why I need wins against the Leafs: they give me Hockey life. Maple Leafs fans have been hurt so much in the past… or neglected by decades of bad teams, that now that they got a good team, they’re going to go all Leroy Jenkins on it. Sabres fans will struggle to understand the mental state of Leafs fans because we just have more experience with good Sabres teams (before the last five years of course). Let that realization color the Leafs pregame ritual of saluting Tavares before this game. He’s a great Leaf and he’s probably the best player to ever come home to play for that organization. They’re going to do that because not only is it cool for the millennials there, but their parents, who also haven’t seen a good Leafs team since their parents showed them the black and white footage. Yes, it looks stupid to give a guy on your team a spotlight standing ovation just because he got booed visiting his old team. Let it be. They need this.

And the Sabres need two wins in a fucking row for the first time in months! When JT opened the scoring it was the sauciest goal you’ll see scored against the Sabres. Pajama boy… gee, I can’t do that name: the photo showed his bed sheets you monsters! Oh, I got a positive spin for Tavares as a Leafs: it pissed off a lot of downstaters who think they’re the center of the universe! Whatever, I don’t have it in me right now. Luckily this game wasn’t a total blowout. Jason Pominville responded a couple minutes later tapping in a rebound originating with *checks notes* Girgensons and Scandella. This team is becoming a meme of itself, isn’t it? The goal might not have been announced yet when Conor Sheary got the puck in the Leafs zone, one-on-one with Nikita Zaitsev. Zaitsev must have screened Leafs goaltender Fredrik Anderson because Sheary just fired it on net, still blocked by Zaitsev and it went in. 2-1 Sabres was fun and we could’ve taken that scored into the first intermission if it weren’t for the guy who apparently deserves the Norris Trophy in Morgan Rielly. He shot one in from the blue line like he’s Brandon Montour or something and this game is tied 2-2 going into the second. That, my friends, is the end of today’s recap. But what happened next, Andrew? The Leafs scored three more goals and won. What do you think happened, ass hat? This isn’t November. We don’t get to have back to back wins anymore! Jack Eichel got some great chances and so did Skinner as always. The Leafs are basically Jeff Skinner is he was cloned five times. There’s an alternative timeline where the Leafs get Skinner and Buffalo has Tavares. Imagine that. Back to reality! Right, this game was not only our reminder we aren’t allowed two wins in a row, it’s also our reminder that the Sabres can’t perform consistently on the road.

I heard a few people on the twitter machine talking about how too many people see lack of result as lack of effort. That concept really touched me because I’m the guy at Soccer games yelling it’s the effort that counts. However, when they’re consistently losing the same ways using the same guys in the same ways, does that still make sense? Moreover, if you get bad results it means your effort wasn’t good enough! That’s real chicken-before-the-egg shit. Half the league makes the playoffs in the NHL. HALF THE LEAGUE! Buffalo hasn’t done it in eight years! If you make the first round that means you’re an average team! These guys had an 83% chance of doing that when we all started our Christmas shopping and here we are thinking about what to do with our St. Patrick’s Day all but assured the Sabres will not make the playoffs! Look this has been the reality for nine, maybe ten games now. We’ve crossed the bleakness threshold and we’re working on closing the door behind us at this point. I gave you the silver lining with the last game, this is my rant! Do you know what two wins in a row, one being against the Leafs would have done? Well not a whole lot in the standings considering the gap but folks like me who just can’t quit you: we’d have some spring in our step again! The Sabres need to go all Rocky Balboa training montage to make the playoffs at this point but they’re back at Rocky’s apartment playing with the turtles! One turtles name is Road Losses and the other one… oh and he’s a big heifer now: TWO STRAIGHT WINS!

Okay, I just had to get that out. I don’t know where the Rocky reference came from but there it is. Like, share and leave me a comment on how you’re dealing with the Sabres guiding us down the slow descent to madness. I’m Catholic and I realized Lent start this coming Wednesday and I joked to my wife about giving up the Sabres (that’s what we do for Lent, we give up stuff we’re probably better without). At first I laughed, and then I cried. I’m pretty sure my wife was thinking I was having a panic attack. I look at Amerks scores and standings almost daily now. The Rochester Americans are my happy place. They will probably kick the Toronto Marlies’ ass if such a playoff series occurs. That will be so therapeutic considering that by that point we’ll be forced to root for Boston to knock the Leafs off in the first round again. THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE US KNOCKING OFF THE LEAFS IN THE FIRST ROUND! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Tomorrow night we got a nice little Monday night game against Buffalo west: Edmonton. It’s those guys followed by Chicago on Thursday. So which team do the Sabres lose to in order to keep their win-lose pattern alive? If its Chicago again then this will not be fun. We joke about Jeff Skinner not wanting to sign here but lord have mercy, I don’t want to sign here right now. Nonetheless, like a marriage vow, through sickness and in health: Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Mandatory Prospect check to make us less sad: Ukko Pekka Lukkonen (UPC) won his 34th game of the season in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves. Meanwhile Linus Weissbach scored a game-winning goal for the Wisconsin the other night.

#buffalo sabres #hockey #blog #nhl #Toronto Maple Leafs

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