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Why Do Democrats And Republicans Disagree

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Why Do Democrats And Republicans Disagree

Both Republicans And Democrats Cite Masks As A Negative Effect Of Covid

Patrick van KesselDennis Quinn

The COVID-19 outbreak has upended life across the United States and exposed growing divisions between supporters of the two major political parties. And when Americans are asked to describe in their own words how the outbreak has affected them negatively, no topic divides Democrats and Republicans more than the subject of masks, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of survey findings collected in late August and early September.

Overall, 14% of U.S. adults mentioned the word mask when asked how the pandemic has made their life difficult or challenging. That made mask the fourth most common term in these responses, behind family and work each of which was mentioned by 19% of the public and friend, mentioned by 14% of respondents.

For this analysis, we surveyed 9,220 U.S. adults between Aug. 31-Sept. 7, 2020. Everyone who completed the survey is a member of Pew Research Centers American Trends Panel , an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATPs methodology.

To gain further insights into these differences, researchers examined each of the nearly 1,000 open-ended responses that mentioned the term mask.

Despite The State Of Our Politics Hope For America Is Rising And So Is Youths Faith In Their Fellow Americans

In the fall of 2017, only 31% of young Americans said they were about the future of America; 67% were fearful. Nearly four years later, we find that 56% have hope. While the hopefulness of young whites has increased 11 points, from 35% to 46% — the changes in attitudes among young people of color are striking. Whereas only 18% of young Blacks had hope in 2017, today 72% are hopeful . In 2017, 29% of Hispanics called themselves hopeful, today that number is 69% .

More Than Half Of Young Americans Are Going Through An Extended Period Of Feeling Down Depressed Or Hopeless In Recent Weeks; 28% Have Had Thoughts That They Would Be Better Off Dead Or Of Hurting Themself In Some Way

Fifty-one percent of young Americans say that at least several days in the last two weeks they have felt down, depressed, or hopeless–19% say they feel this way more than half of the time. In addition, 68% have little energy, 59% say they have trouble with sleep, 52% find little pleasure in doing things. 49% have a poor appetite or are over-eating, 48% cite trouble concentrating, 32% are moving so slowly, or are fidgety to the point that others notice — and 28% have had thoughts of self-harm

Among those most likely to experience bouts of severe depression triggering thoughts that they would be better off dead or hurting themself are young people of color , whites without a college experience , rural Americans , and young Americans not registered to vote .

In the last two weeks, 53% of college students have said that their mental health has been negatively impacted by school or work-related issues; overall 34% have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus, 29% self-image, 29% personal relationships, 28% social isolation, 25% economic concerns, 22% health concerns–and 21% politics .

History Of The Republican Party

The Republican Party came into existence just prior to the Civil War due to their long-time stance in favor of abolition of slavery. They were a small third-party who nominated John C. Freemont for President in 1856. In 1860 they became an established political party when their nominee Abraham Lincoln was elected as President of the United States. Lincolns Presidency throughout the war, including his policies to end slavery for good helped solidify the Republican Party as a major force in American politics. The elephant was chosen as their symbol in 1874 based on a cartoon in Harpers Weekly that depicted the new party as an elephant.

Famous Republican Vs Democratic Presidents

Republicans have controlled the White House for 28 of the last 43 years since Richard Nixon became president. Famous Democrat Presidents have been Franklin Roosevelt, who pioneered the New Deal in America and stood for 4 terms, John F. Kennedy, who presided over the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban missile crisis, and was assassinated in Office; Bill Clinton, who was impeached by the House of Representatives; and Nobel Peace Prize winners Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter.

Famous Republican Presidents include Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery; Teddy Roosevelt, known for the Panama Canal; Ronald Reagan, credited for ending the Cold War with ; and the two Bush family Presidents of recent times. Republican President Richard Nixon was forced to resign over the Watergate scandal.

To compare the two parties’ presidential candidates in the 2020 elections, see Donald Trump vs Joe Biden.

The Divide Between Political Parties Feels Big Fortunately Its Smaller Than We Think

Image adapted from: Ben Sweet/Unsplash

Political polarization in the United States was once defined by ideological disagreement. Now, this ideological division has been fused with an us versus them sectarianism that feels reminiscent of divisiveness and vitriol more commonly seen in war-torn countries than in healthy democracies. To illustrate the current state of polarization in the United States, consider the following: in the lead up to the most recent presidential election, the federal government arrested a militia that allegedly planned to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, yard signs expressing support for both Democratic and Republican candidates were regularly stolen and vandalized, and businesses across the country boarded up their windows for fear of widespread post-election violence.

As social psychologists, we are interested in understanding how such a toxic form of polarization manifests in our everyday psychology, and how the mental models we hold can undermine social cohesion and democratic health. And as concerned citizens who are also scientists, we are also interested in identifying evidence-based solutions to overcome the division that defines American politics. Through a partnership between a research team at the University of Pennsylvania and the nonprofit organization Beyond Conflict, we work to translate research on political polarization into science-backed interventions to reduce conflict.

Why do these misperceptions matter?

Majority Say Climate Change Is Real

Americans who say climate change is real and agree with at least some methods of addressing it whatever their political affiliation have always been in the majority.

Belief in climate change has shifted over the past 20 years but overall has never dipped below 57% of all Americans, according to surveys by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. In 2019, it was 69%.

Whats changed is the context. When you look beneath the hood, concern about this issue has soared among Democrats, increased among independents but has stayed flat among Republicans, said Anthony Leiserowitz, who directs the Yale program.

He attributes the strength of the hard-line dismissives in part to fossil fuel interests putting money into delaying carbon reduction policies for as long as possible.

According to Yale survey data released Jan. 16, the proportion of Americans who are either dismissive or doubtful about climate change has decreased to 20%, down 5 percentage points since 2014.

The dismissives, people firmly convinced this is a hoax, are the smallest theyve ever been, Leiserowitz said.

That could be good news for creating policies on climate change that the majority of Americans will support. Theres broad-based social and political consensus on at least one of the main issues around climate change, the transition to clean energy. Its true among Democrats, Republicans and independents, Leiserowitz said.

Arizona Republicans Enact Sweeping Changes To State’s Early Voting List

Earlier versions of SB 7 would also have required disabled voters to produce proof of their status, such as documents from the Social Security Administration or the Department of Veterans Affairs. But that provision was later cut. The original requirements would have been unfeasible for many disabled people and would have exposed counties and the state to expensive lawsuits, according to Lauren Gerken, public policy analyst at the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, a state agency.

What supporters say: It’s meant to cut down on fraud

SB 7 was introduced on March 11, titled the Election Integrity Protection Act of 2021. Its stated purpose is “to detect and punish fraud.” But the legislation’s backers have not been able to point to many specific examples of problems they want to fix.

In April, Hughes was asked to list the places where election fraud had occurred in Texas. Rather than echo former President Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud in the 2020 vote, he pointed to the previous midterm election.

“In my district over in East Texas, I have a county commissioner under felony indictment … over mail ballot fraud from the 2018 election cycle,” Hughes told Amarillo TV station ABC 7.

“That case in Gregg County involved 38 ballots” that were questioned, the station’s Morgan Duerden noted.

What critics say: There is no widespread fraud

What supporters say:It’s meant to inspire confidence in the voting process

Coronavirus Likely To Supercharge Election

Democrats said the state’s plan would disenfranchise some citizens by leaving them out of the primary; Republicans argued that states’ voter rolls are often inaccurate and that sending out ballots to everyone could lead to the ballots getting lost or winding up in the wrong hands opening up the prospect for fraud.

Voter rolls are often the focus of disputes for these reasons.

People die, move and move out of state and so authorities periodically need to delete names. How frequently that happens, and for what reasons, can become controversial and the kernel of legal and political warfare between the parties.

Likewise with voter identification documents.

In Texas, for example, the Republican-dominated state legislature deemed that handgun licenses were acceptable identification at the polls but student IDs, even those issued by the state’s own universities, were not.

Which Party Is Better For The Economy

Princeton University economists Alan Binder and Mark Watson argue the U.S. economy has grown faster when the president is a Democrat rather than a Republican. “The U.S. economy not only grows faster, according to real GDP and other measures, during Democratic versus Republican presidencies, it also produces more jobs, lowers the unemployment rate, generates higher corporate profits and investment, and turns in higher stock market returns,” they write.???

However, rather than chalking up the performance difference to how each party manages monetary or fiscal policy, Binder and Watson said Democratic presidencies had benefitted from “more benign oil shocks, superior performance, a more favorable international environment, and perhaps more optimistic consumer expectations about the near-term future.”??

History Of The Democratic Party

The party can trace its roots all the way back to Thomas Jefferson when they were known as Jeffersons Republicans and they strongly opposed the Federalist Party and their nationalist views. The Democrats adopted the donkey as their symbol due to Andrew Jackson who was publicly nicknamed jackass because of his popular position of let the people rule. The Democratic National Committee was officially created in 1848. During the civil war a rift grew within the party between those who supported slavery and those who opposed it. This deep division led to the creation of a new Democratic party, the one we now know today.

A Plurality Believe History Will Judge Trump As A The Worst President Ever; Less Than A Quarter Of Young Americans Want Trump To Play A Key Role In The Future Of Republican Politics; Young Republicans Are Divided

Thirty percent of young Americans believe that history will Donald Trump as the worst president ever. Overall, 26% give the 45th president positive marks , while 54% give Trump negative marks ; 11% believe he will go down as an average president.

Twenty-two percent of young Americans surveyed agree with the statement, I want Donald Trump to play a key role in the future of Republican politics, 58% disagreed, and 19% neither agreed nor disagreed. Among young Republicans, 56% agreed while 22% disagreed, and 21% were neutral. Only 61% of those who voted for Trump in the 2020 general indicated their desire for him to remain active in the GOP.

If they had to , 42% of young Republicans consider themselves supporters of the Republican party, and not Donald Trump. A quarter indicated they are Trump supporters first, 24% said they support both.

We’re Less Far Apart Politically Than We Think Why Can’t We All Get Along

Partisans on both sides of the aisle significantly the extent of extremism in the opposing party. The more partisan the thinker, the more distorted the other side appears. And when we see the opposition as extremists, we them. Our tribal thinking prepares us for battle.

What’s the solution? More information? More political engagement? More ?

Surely more information leads to better judgment. But social scientists at the international initiative More in Common find that having more information from the news media is associated with a less accurate understanding of political opponents. Part of the problem appears to be the political biases of media sources themselves. Of all the various news media examined, only the traditional TV networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, are associated with a better understanding of political views.

What about more political engagement and education? Here again, we’re out of luck. Those who are most accurate in their understanding of each side’s political views are the politically disengaged. They are three times more accurate than the most engaged and passionate partisans. Even education is handicapping at least for those on the left. The accuracy of Republicans views of Democrats is not affected by higher education, but liberals with postgraduate degrees are the least accurate about their ideological opponents. They are also the most afflicted with affective polarization, hostile feelings toward people of the opposing political party.

Here Are The Texas Gop’s Reasons For Voting Restrictions And Why Critics Disagree

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“This is a preventative measure for us,” state Rep. Travis Clardy says of the Republican-backed Senate Bill 7, which sought to tighten voting rules, citing a need to prevent fraud. Here, opponents of the bill hold a rally last month at the Texas Capitol in Austin.

Texas Republicans say their controversial move to tighten voter restrictions is sorely needed to prevent fraud. But the few examples of fraud they cite have been out of proportion to the sweeping changes included in their legislation, which seeks to reshape the way many Texans exercise their fundamental democratic right.

Senate Bill 7 is now effectively dead after Democrats walked out of the Texas Capitol in a quorum-busting maneuver that prevented a final vote on the bill. But Republicans plan to call a special session of the state Legislature to revive their push for new controls.

“Election integrity legislation will pass during the special session. Period,” House Speaker Dade Phelan said late Monday.

The Republican election proposals we’ve seen so far are expansive. The failed bill sought to impose new limits on the vote-by-mail system and to restrict how and when people can vote in person. It also would have increased existing criminal penalties and created new criminal offenses around voting.

Regulating The Economy Republican Style

The Republican Party is generally considered business-friendly and in favor of limited government regulation of the economy. This means favoring policies that put business interests ahead of environmental concerns, labor union interests, healthcare benefits and retirement benefits. Given this more pro-business bias, Republicans tend to receive support from business owners and capitalists, as opposed to support from labor.

Whats Dividing Republicans And Democrats On Healthcare Reform

Since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010, Republicans have been determined to destroy it while Democrats insist its the countrys best chance at reforming healthcare to make it affordable and accessible. Both parties want reform, but the approach has been fundamentally different and for good reason. There are basic, core reasons why conservatives and liberals cant get on the same page when it comes to healthcare reform. Lets take a moment to dig into the details and figure out what is exactly keeping Republicans and Democrats from being able to find a middle ground on healthcare reform, so far.

Democrats want the federal government to legislate and administer healthcare while Republicans want private industry to helm the healthcare system with as minimal input from the federal government as possible.

Of course, there are always exceptions within each party because people arent one-dimensional. Moderates on both sides, for instance, would seek compromise wherever possible. But in general, these core ideological differences make healthcare reform particularly challenging, especially when one party holds more power. In 2010, Democrats passed the ACA without a single rightwing vote.

The Institute Of Politics At Harvard University

April 23, 2021

A national poll of Americas 18-to-29 year olds released today by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School shows that despite the state of our politics, hope for America among young people is rising dramatically, especially among people of color. As more young Americans are likely to be politically engaged than they were a decade ago, they overwhelmingly approve of the job President Biden is doing, favor progressive policies, and have faith in their fellow Americans.

In the March 9-22 survey of 2,513 young Americans, the Harvard Youth Poll looked at views regarding the Biden administrations first 100 days, the future of the Republican Party, mental health, and the impacts of social media.

As millennials and Gen Z become the largest voting bloc, their values and participation provide hope for the future and also a sense of urgency that our country must address the pressing issues that concern them, said Mark Gearan 78, Director, Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School.

What we see in this years Harvard Youth Poll is how great the power of politics really is, said John Della Volpe, the Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. With a new president and the temperature of politics turned down after the election, young Americans are more hopeful, more politically active, and they have more faith in their fellow Americans.

Top findings of this survey, the 41st in a biannual series, include the following:

Young Americans Are Significantly More Likely To Be Politically Engaged Than They Were A Decade Ago; A Sharp Increase In Progressive Political Values Marked Since 2016

Less than one year after Barack Obamas election, 24% of young Americans considered themselves to be politically active . Twelve years later, we find the share of politically active Americans increased by half and now 36% are politically active. The most politically active among this cohort are young Blacks .

Over the last five years, on a host of issues ranging from health care, to climate, immigration, poverty, and affirmative action–young Americans are increasingly more likely to favor government intervention. For example, we found:

A 19-point increase in agreement with the statement Qualified minorities should be given special preferences in hiring and education .

An 18-point increase in agreement with the statement Government should do more to curb change, even at the expense of economic growth .

A 16-point increase since 2016 in agreement with The government should spend more to reduce .

A 16-point increase in Basic health insurance is a right for all people, and if someone has no means of paying for it, the government should provide it .

An 8-point increase in agreement with Recent into this country has done more good than harm .

Actually Republicans Do Believe In Climate Change

Dr. Van Boven and Dr. Sherman are social psychologists.

July 28, 2018

It is widely believed that most Republicans are skeptical about human-caused climate change. But is this belief correct?

In 2014 and 2016, we conducted two national surveys of more than 2,000 respondents on the issue of climate change. We found that most Republicans agreed that climate change is happening, threatens humans and is caused by human activity and that reducing carbon emissions would mitigate the problem.

To be sure, Democrats agreed more strongly than Republicans did that climate change is a concerning reality. And among climate skeptics there were more Republicans than Democrats. Nevertheless, most Republicans were in basic agreement with most Democrats and independents on this issue.

This raises a question: If Democrats and Republicans agree about climate change, why do they disagree about climate policy?

As we and our colleague Phillip Ehret argue this month in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, our research suggests the problem is not so much that Republicans are skeptical about climate change, but that Republicans are skeptical of Democrats and that Democrats are skeptical of Republicans. This tribalism leads to political fights over differences between the parties that either do not exist or are vastly exaggerated.

Red States And Blue States List

Due to the TV coverage during some of the presidential elections in the past, the color Red has become associated with the Republicans and Blue is associated with the Democrats.

The Democratic Party, once dominant in the Southeastern United States, is now strongest in the Northeast , Great Lakes Region, as well as along the Pacific Coast , including Hawaii. The Democrats are also strongest in major . Recently, Democratic candidates have been faring better in some southern states, such as Virginia, Arkansas, and , and in the Rocky Mountain states, especially Colorado, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico.

1980, geographically the Republican “base” is strongest in the South and West, and weakest in the Northeast and the Pacific Coast. The Republican Party’s strongest focus of political influence lies in the Great Plains states, particularly Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, and in the western states of Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah.

Political Party Platforms And The Death Penalty

Reasserts 2016 platforms call for the abolition of the death penalty.

Protecting Communities and Building Trust by Reforming Our Criminal Justice SystemOur criminal justice system is failing to keep communities safeand failing to deliver justice. America is the land of the free, and yet more of our people are behind bars, per capita, than anywhere else in the world. Democrats believe we need to overhaul the criminal justice system from top to bottom. Sentencing decisions should be based on the facts of each case, including the severity of the offense and individuals circumstances. Democrats support allowing judges to determine appropriate sentences, which is why we will fight to repeal federal mandatory minimums, incentivize states to do the same, and make all sentencing reductions retroactive so judges can reconsider past cases where their hands were tied. We believe it is long past time to end the federal sentencing disparity between crack and powdered cocaine, which has contributed to the disproportionate imprisonment of people of color. And Democrats continue to support abolishing the death penalty.

The Republican National Committees Executive Committee voted on June 10, 2020, to adopt the same platform the party used in 2016.

For relevant excerpts of the , see below.

Regulating The Economy Democratic Style

The Democratic Party is generally considered more willing to intervene in the economy, subscribing to the belief that government power is needed to regulate businesses that ignore social interests in the pursuit of earning a for shareholders. This intervention can come in the form of regulation or taxation to support social programs. Opponents often describe the Democratic approach to governing as “tax and spend.”

Huge Differences Between Democratic And Republican Platforms

Gallery: Monday night at the DNC 2016 convention in Philadelphia

This post originally ran on July 28, 2016. For the latest on the 2018 Midterm Election, check out our voters’ guide or the on the Menendez vs Hugin race.

— It’s hard to say you don’t have a clear choice this presidential election year.

The and show views of world 180 degrees apart.

The Democrats’ statement of principles encompassed many of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ views, giving him a victory even as he lost the presidential nomination to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Republican platform shifted to the right of its nominee, businessman Donald Trump, amid concern that he wasn’t conservative enough.

At 55 pages, the Democratic document is 11 pages shorter than the GOP platform and mentioned Trump 29 times compared with just one of Clinton in the Republican document.

Here are 10 huge differences in the party platforms:

1. ABORTION

Democrats:“We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion.”

Republicans: Abortion should be illegal in all cases and the Constitution should ve amended to ban the procedure.

“We assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed,” the platform said.

The GOP argued that supporting the constitutional right to abortion was the “extreme” position.

2. SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

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wizardsnwookies · 6 years

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FOC122817 - Smash and Grab

“I’m thinking we hit them hard and fast, rush in before anyone has a chance to understand what’s happening.” Vrssl’s face was tinted a pale green from the holo reconstruction of the club pieced together from the droid footage. Thanks to their new toy they now had mapped every inch of the building.

What they couldn’t see from the social media photos was the two hallways on either side of the bar. To the Right was nothing special, refreshers and an emergency fire door at the end of the hall. The Left was were all the goodies were.

Just past the VIP lounge was the storage room, Rugor knew from his crash course upon hire that this was where all the alcohol stock was. It also had a red light just above the door jamb, Karl told him this was lit whenever they were “entertaining” and if he saw it on, it would be best if he found something else to do.

Further down the hall was another fire door, just opposite a flight of stairs that led up to a short hallway and eventually a door on your right leading into the small office where Kara was being held.

“So what are we thinking? Distraction?” Rugor leaned back and examined the floor plan. The Whiphids downstairs would have to be taken out of the equation, otherwise upstairs would be a death trap.

GRROOOONK

“Normally I’d say go for it. But your face is all over the holo net after your fight with the Rancor. You step foot in there it may cause more problems than solve.” Vrssl shook his head, it was a shame too. Graalbar was usually their go to for this kind of thing, it would make things much more difficult if they had to bench him.

“What if we cut the power.” Vrssl perked as the idea struck him. “Where do you need to be to do that?”

“There’s a power box in the storage room, not a problem.” Rugor smiled.

“Ok, now we’re getting somewhere.” Vrssl leaned in and placed a finger into the hologram, distorting the image near the end of the hallway. “We cut the power. This is our entry, blow the fire door, go up the stairs and overwhelm them.”

“We have to make sure both the Zabrak and Aisha are upstairs before we do this. Best we do this after closing.”

“Right.” Vrssl nodded and pulled out his comm link. “I’ll get my explosives guy to hook us up with remote charges, should have them before you start your shift.”

Rugor stood and sighed to himself. An honest night’s work as a barback was far less exciting, and clean, as a scoundrel. They had come to the ship straight from the club and he still smelled of back water, syrup, and death-stick smoke.

“I’m going to hit the refreshers than get some sleep, wake me when we’re ready to go.”

The evening passed in much a similar fashion as the previous night had. Rugor did his duties as bar back, and during trips to grab more stock from in back he took the opportunity to plant the charges. The electrical box was easy enough, he had a valid excuse to be there, but the fire door was a little more tricky. It was just the briefest of moments when he should be collecting another bottle of sparkling Corellian wine that he chose. When the Whiphids were occupied keeping an eye on one of Aisha’s visitors, he found a blind spot in the camera system (as guided by Vrssl and his spy droid) and made the drop.

He watched the VIP lounge while he worked. Aisha rarely left, when she did it was either to the refreshers or upstairs to the office. But she had plenty of visitors. All night, people of all species came and went, welcomed up to the lounge for a brief chat in hushed tones, sometimes an exchange, but never more than a few minutes before leaving. Business conducted in plain sight. The Zabrak made only the briefest of appearances from upstairs, but when he did Rugor was careful to notice what appeared to be the hilt of a vibrblade on his hip.

Slowly the crowd lessened after last call was announced, the lights were turned on, and the cleaning began. He was wiping one of the tables clean when the last of the Whiphids on the floor disappeared into the security room.

“It’s go time.” He whispered in his comm link before pocketing it and braced himself.

---

Jan Van Eyre crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the woman on the lounge couch. This would be the third night in a row he would be camping out on the floor of the office just to keep an eye on her. He missed his bed, and he wished Aisha would make up her mind what to do.

The Togruta sat in the office chair and bit on her thumbnail, a bad habit she picked up somewhere, it was a signal she was thinking things through. Overthinking, most likely, but he wasn’t about to question her now.

“I don’t know why you’re fussing over this so much. Just kill me so I don’t have to look at you two for another night.” Kara was only half kidding, she was bored, cramped from the bindings, and was wondering when the rest of her crew were going to-

BOOM!!

The entire room shook and the lights went out overhead. Wafting in from the open door Kara could smell the distinct burn of explosive charge. One further, it had just a hint of spice to it. It really didn’t serve any purpose, it was an ego thing among bomb enthusiasts. Each maker had their own signature, something to tell others in the know that “I was here.” The hint of spice, specifically Kessel spice from the northern hemisphere, that was Vrssl’s.

“What was that?”

“What do you think Jan, it’s a raid!” Aisha drew her pistol and grabbed Kara by the collar and yanked her on her feet. “Take care of it.”

Jan nodded and took a deep breath, trying to find his “wind.” It was there, he was connected to it. Time to go to work.

The Zabrak drew his vibroblade and peered around the corner, the single whiphid guard in the office with them nervously follwed a few convenient paces behind. The smoke and dust from the explosion was still settling, but he could see light pouring in from the alley. They had blown down the fire door. He would see them soon.

Clank.

Clank

Droids. Jan readied himself before the shined, rounded torsos crested the stairs. Strange looking droids at that, although somewhat familiar. In unison they stepped up and lowered their right arms, fist clenched, and red light exploded from their wrists.

Jan felt his body jerk to one side, almost like an involuntary twitch. That tended to happen sometimes, he figured it was an extension of his instincts. Whatever it was, it saved his hide more often then not, so he learned to go with it. He followed the jerk and threw himself against the opposite wall and a scorched hole exploded from where he would have been.

His ears were ringing as the droids kept firing. Some kind of arm mounted repeater. A custom job, no way these are legal. Either way, his trembled in his hand and reminded him that all it would take was one swift cut and the threat would be over.

Jan was already running towards the droids when a third form towered from the darkness, uttering a beastly roar that hit him in his chest and told him something was very wrong. At first he thought it was a double cross, one of his own men had come to kill them and clean the whole place out. When the vibroaxe cut through his armor and bit into his chest he stumbled and in the glow of blaster fire saw that it was no Whipid he faced, but a Wookie.

Behind him the guard fired off round feebly trying to fend them off, doing what he was paid to, not to think. If he did, he would know his energy would probably be better spent running. Jan reached out and arm and let his “wind” explode out of him, it was all he could think to do. The air rippled, settling dust and smoke was pushed back into the air, a horrible THUNK sounded as both droids were dented horrible before they and the Wookie toppled over.

“Alright,” he though. “Let’s see if we can turn this around.”

---

Aisha huddled on the floor where she had thrown herself and her captive after what sounded like a small explosion hit just outside the door. No smoke, but the air pressure seemed to spike for a moment, and a gust of wind blew in through the open door.

“Alright, Jan’s got this. Just breath, we’re not done yet.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”

Aisha turned and pointed her blaster at a small figure that already had his own repeating pistol trained on her.

“Impossible...how did you-”

“You should tell your buddy to be more aware of what happens below his knees, that is after you call him off.” Vrssl smiled and nodded to Kara who was grinning ear to ear.

“It’s about time you guys got here. They kept me in binders the entire time, even when I used the refresher! Seriously, who does that to someone?”

Outside another spike of air pressure blew in and a more sizable explosion was heard, only this time it was accompanied by the smell of acrid smoke. Vrssl sniffed and frowned, digging the barrel of the blaster into the top of the Togruta’s head.

“Ok, seriously. Call him off now, or I blow your brains out.”

Aisha looked into the creatures eyes and saw no bluff there. She was cornered. What killed her most was not knowing if Jan had the upper hand or not outside. She could roll the dice, call his bluff and hope Jan made his way back in before the worst could happen. Aisha let out a heavy sigh, knowing she was never much of a gambler.

“Jan, stand down. They’ve got the upper hand it seems.” Aisha glared back at Kara. This woman had been nothing but trouble for her.

A few moments passed before Jan entered the room, sword sheithed, and with a heavy gash across his chest. Behind him a lumbering wookie and...the bar back from the other night?

“What’s going on boss?” Rugor hung onto his pistol but had it lowered to keep the show going. Just before Aisha called the standoff he approached Graalbar from behind posing as if shoot him, hopefully get the Zabrak’s trust enough to get close for a fatal shot.

“It’s fine, just some business.” Aisha said.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Rugor smiled and turned to Vrssl, much to the surprise of both Jan and Aisha.

“Well, Aisha was about to tell us where our money is.” Vrssl popped out a small pocket blade and tossed it to the gungan. “But first I think Kara would appreciate getting out of those binders.”

Aisha’s eyes darted between them all, trying to piece things together. She knew the wookie well enough, the fighter from the holos. Which meant Kara was in league with all three of them.

“Ah, so I take it you are the crew that took out Nik?”

“What does this have to do with our money?”

“I apologize, I was merely trying to re compensate a client.” Aisha let herself sit up a little straighter. They were talking, now this was a situation she could maneuver, maybe even get control over.

GRAAAAH ROOOONK

“He’s getting very impatient.”

“Right. The desk, there’s a button hidden on the edge of the top. Push it and a panel on the right side will open. It’s all there...I hadn’t gotten a chance to deposit it yet.”

Vrssl kept the blaster trained on her while Graalbar followed instructions. From inside the desk he pulled out a large soft bag that appeared to just barely be able to zip closed.

“That’s my duffel.” Kara acknowledged.

“OK, that’s a start, now let’s talk about compensation for our troubles.” Vrssl had no smile to offer, he knew what the acrid smoke meant. His droids were most likely scrap. After all that time and work...

“Of course. I’m willing to offer you fifty thousand if we can all just walk away from this.” Aisha felt the tension in the room ease a bit, credits had a tendency to do that.

Rugor looked at Vrrsl with a raised eyebrow. “That about cover it?”

“Kara? You were the one who was stuck here for three days.” Vrssl nodded her way and before he could finish his sentence the woman walked up and in a fluid movement threw her fist against Aisha’s draw, sending her sprawling onto the floor.

“EVEN IN THE REFRESHER!!!” Kara stood over her and yelled out her frustrations, satisfied to see a trail of blood appearing at the edge of Aisha’s lips.

“OK, yeah I deserved that. Again, nothing personal, I was just doing right by a client.” Aisha sat up, not bothering to wipe the blood from her lip. “He pays me quite a bit to keep his collection stocked.”

“A collector? Of Jedi and Sith artifacts...” This got Vrssl’s attention. Graakus’s little hobby didn’t bother him, it was something to inflate his ego. He didn’t plan on doing anything with them, someone else however might not be so inclined to be so passive. “Who?”

“I don’t know, and you know I wouldn’t tell you if I did.”

“So, you’re totally fine with handing off items of power to someone you have no idea about?”

“Credits are credits.” Aisha shrugged.

“So, you sent Nik?”

“I delegated the job to him, I have an organization to run. He said he had some connections he could work to get tips.”

The group exchanged glances. “One of them by the name of ‘Charmer?’”

“I wouldn’t know, you’d have to ask Nik.” Aisha was starting to get tired of this line of questioning. She needed to get things back on her own terms. “So, what happens now?”

“Now, you work for Graakus.”

Whatever Aisha was expecting out of this whole thing, it wasn’t this. “Then you might as well kill me. I would never work for that slime.”

“Don’t be dramatic, so you take a pay cut, big deal.” Vrssl rolled his eyes and put away his blaster for the moment. With Graalbar in the room he wasn’t worried about anyone trying anything stupid.

“It’s more than that.” Aisha’s eyes filled with a fire and her posture became rigid and erect. Behind him, Graalbar noticed the Zabrak mime her attributes instinctively. “Graakus deals with slaves. He deals in drugs. He deals with the Empire. There is nothing he won’t do just to keep him wallowing in his opulence, and look where that has taken the city around him. Huttown is a slum.

“Meanwhile, my organization works to keep the slavers and drug runners out of the metropolitan area. Our protection racket keeps them safe from the gangs that spill over from huttown. And we would never stoop so low as to sell our souls to the empire.”

Vrssl put his hands on his knees and knelt down, crooking his head curiously at her. “Are you a rebel sympathizer?”

“The rebels are idealistic fools. A ragtag group of people who got lucky and now have all hell reigning down on them. While I have no faith in them, I have sympathize with their cause.”

Vrssl stood and paced the room for a moment. She was an odd breed of crime lord, at least out of the ones he had encountered.

“So tell me, would you be willing to offer something else?”

Rugor raised his eyebrows at Vrssl in surprise and even the wookie through all his fur looked shocked at the question.

“After seeing what you have to offer here tonight. Absolutely, and I have your first job at that.” Aisha stood to her full height and settled her clothing. She was back on top again. “Kill Numb Nib!”

#Star Wars Saga Edition #role playing games #campaign diary #fistful of credits

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burning-up-ao3 · 5 years

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20 Penguins Thoughts: The best trade-deadline approach is simple

February 12, 2019 8:13 AMBy Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Enough already.

Enough screwing around with Patric Hornqvist on the fourth line, splitting up the No. 1 power play or starting Casey DeSmith over Matt Murray against NHL heavyweights.

Enough with these wonky defense pairings and forget trying to swing some sort of trade, which may or may not be the 73rd move of the season for general manager Jim Rutherford.

Roll with the guys you got. Let them jell and build some chemistry.

The Penguins will return home with three of a possible six points on this three-game road trip, at least one fewer than they probably should have had.

But they’re lucky in the sense that Monday’s 4-1 victory over the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center should’ve delivered a key message: While the Penguins need work in certain areas, they do have enough key elements to compete. They just need to iron out a few wrinkles.

2. The only exception here, I suppose, is if Olli Maatta winds up missing a bunch of time … and boy does it look like that’s possible.

Watching postgame, it looked like coach Mike Sullivan knew something; he just didn’t want to say it. I wouldn’t be surprised to soon hear that Maatta has a separated shoulder, the only question, of course, being how severe?

If it’s bad, maybe Rutherford should grab a Mark Streit-type depth defenseman, but that should be it. Put Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang together, then see who works best alongside Justin Schultz. Shelter the remaining two with a metal roof.

3. Why didn’t Murray start Saturday in Tampa? Why didn’t Murray start Jan. 19 in Vegas?

Nothing against DeSmith, who’s a fine backup, but the Penguins literally chose Murray over Marc-Andre Fleury.

We can sit here and talk about DeSmith’s top-10 save percentage or debate the merits of showing Murray twice to Tampa in a 10-day span, but Murray is the proud owner of a pair of Stanley Cup rings. Per the Penguins decision-making, he’s the guy.

What his 50-save performance Monday told me was this: Here’s a guy who wants to be in the nets for big games, who thrives in them and who deserves to play every one of them the rest of the way.

4. The next time separating your top talent on the power play works, it’ll be the first.

I guess I understand why Sullivan did what he did for Monday’s game — putting Phil Kessel on what amounted to the second unit and using two defensemen with each group — but it didn’t work.

This power play runs through Kessel, although it’s unfortunate that path occasionally leads to odd-man rushes the other way. But using him less in favor of a third-pair defenseman (Marcus Pettersson) makes zero sense to me.

Figure out how to allow fewer short-handed goals or don’t. But removing Kessel shouldn’t be considered a viable solution here.

5. I can’t say I’m surprised that Evgeni Malkin will have a phone hearing Tuesday for high-sticking/slashing Philadelphia’s Michael Raffl.

It was dangerous, dirty and dumb, and it could turn out to be costly, if Malkin is suspended.

I just hope the NHL sticks with this precedent, where it’s seemingly addressing the act rather than the result. Far too often, that hasn’t been the case.

That said, Raffl punching Malkin in the back of the head was also dangerous, dirty and dumb. He should have gotten something. But whether Malkin missed his target — his explanation — you can’t let a stick-swinging incident like that go.

6. I don’t understand the decision to healthy scratch Teddy Blueger on Monday.

The rookie forward had two goals and three points in six games, plus a pretty solid fight in Tampa and plus-2 rating. I would’ve much rather seen Blueger stay in the lineup and either Dominik Simon or Tanner Pearson sit.

Blueger, by the way, has as many goals as those two combined over the past dozen games — of which Blueger, of course, has only played half.

I also don’t understand playing Patric Hornqvist just 9:10, which I believe is the lowest ice time for him in a game that he started and finished. Is he healthy? He certainly doesn’t look limited.

The effort with Hornqvist isn’t the issue, but he does need to be with people who create some of the trash that he’s so good at cleaning up. It’s a hard sell for me to be OK with him in the bottom-six.

7. To conclude this opening point, I don’t think the Penguins are a perfect team. They still have plenty to work on — role definition, depth scoring, defensive issues and the short-handed goals, to name a few.

But given their cap situation and what assets they would be dangling, I have a tough time seeing how one trade could be seen as the answer. Tell these guys that this is your team, now go work it out.

8. Moving on …

“I feel like if we keep playing that way, we’re going to get rewarded. We had some looks. I liked our line a lot.”

That was Derick Brassard after the Penguins’ 3-2 overtime win at Arizona on Jan. 18, talking about a line he centered with Pearson on the left and Simon on the right. By the next night, in Vegas, that line was history, separated as the Penguins faced a 3-1 deficit after the first period.

In talking to Brassard last week about why things didn’t work out in Pittsburgh, he brought up that succession of events as an example.

“Over the last year, you guys would ask me all the time, ‘Is it going to be good to have a few games and try to find some chemistry with your wingers?’ ” Brassard began.

“Me, Pearson and Simon in Phoenix, we had a strong game; we had a really good game as a line. The next game, it wasn’t clicking with [Sidney Crosby], [Jake Guentzel] and [Bryan Rust].

“Right away, you flip-flop Rusty and Dom. We just had a good game. We were thinking about that. It’s just the way it was.

“The lines were always switching. It felt like it was hard to get some timing and chemistry.”

9. Is that an excuse? Absolutely. Did Brassard make too many of them during our first one-on-one conversation last week? Yeah, probably.

But to his credit, Brassard did offer a few things I never thought about with the line switching.

“If Jake is set with Sid, that right side was switching all the time,” Brassard said of when things would dry up on the top line. “Sometimes it wasn’t working with Geno and Phil, and the left wing on that line was changing all the time.”

Brassard’s point, whether you agree or not, was that he wound up receiving the leftovers of whatever didn’t work with Crosby or Malkin.

10. Which, if you think about it, is exactly what should happen, right?

They’re the team’s highest-paid players, the big boys, the organization’s franchise centers … and Brassard doesn’t disagree.

“Sully was managing that right,” Brassard said. “He was just trying to get those two guys to always be producing and be on the top of their game. Like everyone knows, when those two guys are on, it’s hard to stop.”

Again, I see what Brassard is saying, but there comes a time when the player simply has to do what he’s being paid to do and that’s produce.

No matter the reason, Brassard wasn’t able to do that as much as he should have in Pittsburgh.

11. Funny anecdote from our second chat.

So Brassard did a scrum after Florida’s morning skate at BB&T Center. After the crowd dispersed, we chatted a little bit about the previous night’s interview and how the article came out. (Brassard said he doesn’t read but did receive some positive feedback on his end.)

After that, I said I had a couple more questions and wanted to ask him about why things never worked with Kessel.

“Oh, no,” Brassard said with a smile.

He never did answer the question. He pivoted to what I used above about the lines changing all the time.

12. We asked Rutherford a lot about Brassard, and he was always very honest with his answers.

In late December, Rutherford told me he thought Brassard “had more to offer” and it was close to decision time on whether or not he would remain the Penguins’ third-line center.

Last week I asked Brassard if he ever heard any of the GM’s criticism and whether he was OK with it.

Brassard said he had but that he didn’t have any problem with it because Rutherford said it to his face first.

“He has every right to criticize me,” Brassard said. “It’s his team. He’s the manager.”

I’ve tried to put myself in Brassard’s spot. I think I’d feel the exact same way … again, as long as Rutherford said it to me first.

13. One final nugget on the trade: Sullivan, not Rutherford, called Brassard and Sheahan to tell them they were traded.

Don’t know what to make of that. It’s honestly the first time I’ve heard such a thing mentioned; Brassard brought it up unprompted.

Hard to ascertain much more without context, but I do think it speaks to how involved Sullivan is in a lot of moves like this.

14. I spent some time in Florida chatting with Upper St. Clair native Vince Trocheck and J.T. Miller (Coraopolis) about the youth hockey teams they played on together along with Brandon Saad (Pine), Stephen Johns (Wampum) John Gibson (Whitehall) and others.

Miller had some fun with it last Saturday morning.

“There was this time,” Miller said, “when Vince had a turnover, and we lost to the Valley Junior Warriors. We were 12. Lost in overtime to Ottawa. It was the Bell Cup.

“Ask Vince about that.”

15. I didn’t, of course, since I had just come from South Florida and figured Trocheck probably didn’t need that text on the day of a game, but the insane amount of talent on those teams does amaze me.

“We didn’t know at the time,” Trocheck said, “but looking back, we had a pretty good squad.”

It was also small numbers-wise: just six forwards, four defensemen and a goalie, Miller said.

“We were, I think, fifth in the country,” Miller said. “We were really good. Plus, you never had to worry about ice time.”

16. Here’s something else Trocheck said that I really liked: They remain super competitive with each other.

Right now I think you could say Gibson is the best of the bunch, even though the Ducks are a mess. But not long ago Saad was a huge part of two Stanley Cup-winning teams, and last year Trocheck held the title with 31 goals and 75 points.

“We all grew up together,” Trocheck said. “We’re friends in the summer. We all hang out, work out together. It’s nice to see those guys doing well. But we’re definitely in a bit of a competition out there.”

17. This season has been a tough one for Trocheck, who broke his right ankle on a gruesome sequence back on Nov. 19. He returned on Jan. 18 and has five goals and 19 points in the 27 games that he’s played.

The injury was every bit as ugly as the one that Schultz endured, with Trocheck’s leg buckling underneath. But as nasty as I thought it was, Trocheck didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

“I’ve broken that leg before,” Trocheck said. “A little bit more severe this time. But I recovered from it. I’m just kind of looking forward now.”

18. One other leftover nugget from Florida: When Jared McCann was with the Panthers, he once shared a line with Jaromir Jagr.

McCann said that, without a doubt, it was one of the most intimidating things he’s done in the NHL.

“I was so nervous,” McCann said. “That was the main thing. He said to try and feed him the puck as much as possible. I tried to do that.

“Playing with a guy like that, it was incredible, something you’re going to be able to share with your kids.”

Man, I miss having Jagr in the NHL.

19. Stat of the week: 917

It’s too bad, huh? Had Crosby missed one more game in his career, Monday in Philly — when he had a goal and three points — would’ve been the night where he passed Mario Lemieux for the Penguins franchise mark.

So, so close.

20. Non-hockey thought of the week: Because colleague Matt Vensel covered Monday’s Flyers game, I spent Sunday visiting my mom in The Villages, Fla., and one of the things we did was go to the Orange Blossom Opry to see bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs.

If you are at all into that type of music or just enjoy terrific live performances, I can’t possibly recommend seeing Ricky Skaggs enough.

I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better musician/vocalist live, he was that good. Here’s a little clip. Hopefully it’s not too painful for anyone who dislikes this type of music:

Spending an extra day in Florida visiting my mom in The Villages. Seeing Ricky Skaggs, who is just incredible live:

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First Published February 12, 2019 8:00 AM

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comfsy · 4 years

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MONDAY MEMO #05

Good evening!

Welcome to the fifth edition of Monday Memo. A diary of fun things: new openings I’m excited about, exhibitions I like to go to, products I love, initiatives that caught my eye, news I want to share and much more. All related to hotspots, design and travel of course. Every two weeks 10 things, so let’s go!

Pizza in Amsterdam-Noord

Remember Restaurant Europa at Het Hem in Zaandam? They had to close the doors due to Corona, but they now opened an even better, pizza, restaurant in Amsterdam-Noord: Euro Pizza. Enjoy!

From Paris to Amsterdam

Luxury scented candle and perfume house Diptyque opened its first boutique in Amsterdam. You can find their whole collection here – including lots of exclusive editions.

Code terracotta

As long as Antwerp and Brussels are code orange we have to travel to alternative cities like Hasselt. Check out the new Z33 Huis voor Actuele Kunst, Design & Architectuur designed by Italian architect Francesca Torzo.

Picture by Olmo Peeters (+ openingsimage of Z33 K Vrancken)

Get some work done

It’s the start of a new season so we have to get some work done. Venu is a new stylish co-working space on the Haarlemmerdijk. Read my review here.

Leading role for photography

BredaPhoto starts on September 9th (until October 25th) and explores the world of tomorrow by exhibitions like ‘Power to the Models’, where Jan Hoek gives his models the full control on their portrait. Also check out Erik Kessels ‘Destroy my Face’ where he plays with how far plastic surgery can go.

Respect for nature

Kikubari in The Hague is a beautifully curated store highlighting the work of designers that make ceramics, incense and magazine with love for nature and humankind.

A Weimaraner named Man Ray

Everyone who loves dogs, fashion and photography should check out the exhibition ‘Being Human’ by William Wegman in Fotomuseum Den Haag. From September 5th until January 3, 2021.

Hip Hand Sanitizer

We’re doing it all day in these new normal times: washing our hands. Haanready is a hand sanitizer in a cool outfit.

The Netherlands Guide at MisterDesign

From September 1st every customer of MisterDesign, an on- and offline design store, receives The Netherlands Guide. Good excuse to go interior shopping!

New Magazine

First of all I’m excited to share that the new Petite Passport Magazine will be available from the 24th of September. Pre-order your copy now!

The post MONDAY MEMO #05 appeared first on PETITE PASSPORT.

MONDAY MEMO #05 published first on https://takebreaktravel.tumblr.com/

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doodlewash · 4 years

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My name is Cheryl Hodges, and I’m primarily a botanical artist from Jerrabomberra, Australia, near Canberra. I’ve been painting plants in watercolour for 20 years. In recent years, I have also ‘branched out’ into insects. My work is fairly detailed, in fact I’ve always been a detail person, which is why I think I was drawn to botanical art in the first place. After many years of creative pursuits, I did a one-day workshop in botanical art and it was just like a perfect fit. Finally, I was not only ‘allowed’ but encouraged to embrace the detail in my subject.

Botanical art is a great way to show the life cycle of a plant, which you can’t usually capture in one photograph. I love getting to know my subjects – I don’t have a botanical background so I usually learn about the plant as I’m painting it. Even if I’m not painting a ‘scientific’ style painting, I will always aim for botanical accuracy.

I do like to try slightly different approaches to my botanical art. One of my most scientific paintings was of a Dianella plant from my garden. I was able to view it over many months, and take pieces, dissect them, view them through the microscope, and paint all the plant parts and different stages of the life cycle.

Another theme of my paintings is ‘collections’ and I’m drawn to the work of Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel, Flemish painters from the 16th and 17th centuries. My painting Australian Native Collection was inspired those artists. It is on calf-skin vellum, a tricky surface but has a certain ‘glow’ which is beautiful.

I really love painting Australian native plants, and I think art is a nice way to raise awareness of our incredible range of flora. I am a member of a painting group at our Australian National Botanic Gardens and we are fortunate to be able to paint specimens which the rangers have collected from the Gardens (you aren’t allowed to pick these yourself). The variety of plants we see is wonderful, and we also hold an exhibition so that the public can also be inspired by our native plants.

My Process

In botanical art, preparation is key. I research the plant, observe the plant, sketch it, work out the composition, finalise all of that before I even touch the watercolour paper.

I generally start my paintings with a wet-in-wet approach. This gives great coverage and beautiful blending, and I can build up a few layers this way, with different colours showing through the layers. Then I paint wet-on-dry, building up more colour and tone, while being careful to still keep the paint fairly wet.

When it comes to adding the detail, my paint is getting ‘dryer’ – less water, more pigment. When I get to the final details, I am using a very fine brush (down to 0000) and what is called ‘dry brush’ technique – which is actually a damp brush and the ‘dryer’ paint. The hardest part when adding all this detail, is knowing when to stop!

Materials

I like to paint on Arches 300gsm hot pressed paper (hot pressed, or smooth is very important for achieving the detail required for botanical art). I use mostly Winsor & Newton artist quality paints from a tube, and some Daniel Smith. I use sable brushes (Raphael brand) a lot but occasionally use synthetic, they are cheaper, but don’t tend to last as long.

Painting Insects

When I started painting insects a few years ago it was a steep learning curve for me – especially those shiny, iridescent beetles. When I’m painting the elytra (wing case) of a shiny beetle, it’s almost abstract and I get lost in the patterns, colours, and high contrast. I really love painting moths and butterflies, those scales and hairs require a lot of dry brushing, which I find very therapeutic.

Again, because I like the detail, I view my insects through a microscope. It’s really the best way to figure out what’s going – along with consulting reference books, websites. Also, Facebook groups are really useful for obtaining information from clever and generous individuals.

Many of the insects in my collection are found dead in my garden or when I go walking, and people bring me ‘dead bugs’ – I love it! Insects that we think are ‘boring’ are absolutely fascinating when you look at them through the microscope – I really think everyone should have one.

Teaching

I started teaching botanical and insect illustration a few years back. It is really rewarding seeing the students’ confidence grow, along with their skills. People are always better at painting than they think they will be.

Really, anyone can do it. The ‘I can’t draw a straight line’ doesn’t wash with me – I can’t draw a straight line either! And I’m really bad at Pictionary because I can’t draw quickly. There is so much information available to us now, such as Doodlewash and other online resources – people should just give it a go. And practice!

Online Tutorial

I have taken a break from teaching for a while, but I get a lot of enquiries about classes. For this reason (it’s been on the ‘to do’ list for a couple of years) I have created an online tutorial. Being in Australia I decided to focus the tutorial on our iconic Eucalyptus leaves.

They are a great subject for practising the different techniques, and I have a troubleshooting section which addresses common issues in watercolour painting. Eucalyptus leaves are a great subject for painters of all skill levels. A simple wet-in-wet leaf can look stunning, or you can take it all the way to a really detailed study. These leaves usually have some imperfections caused by disease or insects, and it’s actually quite fun to incorporate those into your painting. They don’t look real if they are ‘perfect’.

Be Inspired

Looking back over the last 20 years of painting, I have some great memories. Being involved in art committees, helping organise exhibitions, maintaining websites, designing promotional material, etc. There are always volunteers required in the art community and it’s a nice way to get involved and give back. I’ve met so many wonderful people interested in plants and art.

Once you start paying attention to the natural world around you, it’s impossible to stop. I’m inspired by most things in nature, from a pretty flower to a chewed leaf or tiny gumnut. Painting nature is a fantastic way to increase your appreciation of it. Be inspired!

It’s been fun sharing my story with you, and thanks to Charlie for giving me the opportunity. If you would like to know anything more, I’d love to hear from you. I hope I’ve inspired you to have a go at botanical painting!

Cheryl Hodges Website Instagram Facebook Youtube Online Tutorial (on Udemy)

GUEST ARTIST: “The Perfection (and Imperfections) of Nature” by Cheryl Hodges - #doodlewash #WorldWatercolorGroup #watercolor #watercolour #botanical My name is Cheryl Hodges, and I’m primarily a botanical artist from Jerrabomberra, Australia, near Canberra. I’ve been painting plants in watercolour for 20 years.

#WorldWatercolorGroup #artist #botanical #botanical illustration #Botanical Painting #Botanical Painting Process #doodlewash #featured #Flower Botanical Painting #painting #watercolor #watercolour

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marilynngmesalo · 5 years

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Sharks’ Evander Kane causes fracas with ‘savvy veteran’ move

Sharks’ Evander Kane causes fracas with ‘savvy veteran’ move Sharks’ Evander Kane causes fracas with ‘savvy veteran’ move https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

PITTSBURGH — Evander Kane couldn’t help himself. Skating near the Pittsburgh Penguins bench late in the third period Thursday, the San Jose Sharks forward took a peek at Pittsburgh’s whiteboard, which may — or may not — have written down the time it planned on pulling goaltender Casey DeSmith in an effort to get back into the game.

“I like to think a little bit of a savvy veteran thing to do, right?” Kane said. “If you can see it, why wouldn’t you look at it?”

Even if it was hardly necessary. Not with the Sharks well on their way to a dominant 4-0 victory behind two goals from Tomas Hertl and a short-handed marker by Kane in the first 14 minutes.

The Penguins, out of a mixture of frustration at their own sloppy play and Kane’s gamesmanship, took exception, and it bubbled over into a late on-ice dust-up that ended with the odd sight of Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby mixing it up with San Jose’s Micheal Haley, someone far more known for his work with his fists than his stick.

While Kane tussled with Tanner Pearson, Crosby traded punches with Sharks defenceman Brenden Dillon before Haley — who has nine career goals and 592 penalty minutes — jumped in. The two were separated relatively quickly, and Haley downplayed the notion he was actually brawling with the three-time MVP.

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“I don’t know if I’d call that a fight,” Haley said. “If all the fights were like that, I’d take it. My body would feel a lot better. No, actually. It’s pretty hard for me to get a hold of guys like him. But things happen in a hockey game, and I’m glad we came out on top.”

The scrum ended with Crosby, Haley, Dillon, Pittsburgh defenceman Marcus Pettersson all earning 10-minute misconducts, and Penguins coach Mike Sullivan getting ejected. Sullivan declined to get into why he was tossed. He was only a bit more expansive on his team’s first-period pratfall that allowed San Jose to take a commanding.

“We take a penalty a minute into the game and it snowballed from there,” Sullivan said. “We gave them three fairly easy goals. It’s hard to overcome that.”

Martin Jones stopped all 26 shots he faced to earn his 21st career shutout. Brent Burns picked up his 12th of the season late for the Sharks, who have won eight of 10 overall to pull within one point of Calgary for the top spot in the Pacific Division.

DeSmith finished with 29 saves, but Pittsburgh stumbled out of the gate and never recovered to lose for just the second time in six games.

“We made a few mistakes early and they happen to be big ones,” Crosby said.

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Hertl scored a hat trick in San Jose’s 5-2 victory over the Penguins on Jan. 15 and wasted little time going to work in the rematch. Pittsburgh defenceman Jack Johnson took a penalty for hooking less than a minute into the game, and Hertl put the Sharks in front when he pounced on a rebound and lifted it over a sprawled DeSmith 1:44 into the first.

Kane doubled San Jose’s advantage 10:01 into the first when Pittsburgh’s power play — which has careened between dynamic and dreadful all season — endured another breakdown that ended up with the puck in the back of its own net.

Burns tipped the puck away from Phil Kessel at the blue line, and Kane chased it down before flipping a backhand between DeSmith’s legs. Kane’s 27th goal of the season was also the 13th short-handed marker allowed by Pittsburgh, the most in the NHL.

Hertl’s 28th goal of the season — the one that pushed San Jose’s advantage to 3-0 just 13:19 into the game — might also have been his easiest. Logan Couture fought off two Penguins to keep the puck in at the blue line, and Hertl retrieved it before passing it to Joe Pavelski in front. Pavelski slipped it cross-ice to Kevin Labanc. Labanc held it for a second — just long enough for DeSmith and Pittsburgh centre Matt Cullen to collide — before passing it back to Hertl, who was just outside the blue paint when he put it into the empty net.

Cullen and DeSmith shook their heads in disbelief while Johnson — who has come under fire recently — angrily fetched the puck out of the net.

Click for update news Bangla news https://ift.tt/2GCt66l world news

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Why Do Democrats And Republicans Disagree

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-do-democrats-and-republicans-disagree/

Why Do Democrats And Republicans Disagree

Both Republicans And Democrats Cite Masks As A Negative Effect Of Covid

Patrick van KesselDennis Quinn

To gain further insights into these differences, researchers examined each of the nearly 1,000 open-ended responses that mentioned the term mask.

Despite The State Of Our Politics Hope For America Is Rising And So Is Youths Faith In Their Fellow Americans

History Of The Republican Party

Famous Republican Vs Democratic Presidents

To compare the two parties’ presidential candidates in the 2020 elections, see Donald Trump vs Joe Biden.

The Divide Between Political Parties Feels Big Fortunately Its Smaller Than We Think

Image adapted from: Ben Sweet/Unsplash

Why do these misperceptions matter?

Majority Say Climate Change Is Real

Americans who say climate change is real and agree with at least some methods of addressing it whatever their political affiliation have always been in the majority.

He attributes the strength of the hard-line dismissives in part to fossil fuel interests putting money into delaying carbon reduction policies for as long as possible.

According to Yale survey data released Jan. 16, the proportion of Americans who are either dismissive or doubtful about climate change has decreased to 20%, down 5 percentage points since 2014.

The dismissives, people firmly convinced this is a hoax, are the smallest theyve ever been, Leiserowitz said.

Arizona Republicans Enact Sweeping Changes To State’s Early Voting List

What supporters say: It’s meant to cut down on fraud

“In my district over in East Texas, I have a county commissioner under felony indictment … over mail ballot fraud from the 2018 election cycle,” Hughes told Amarillo TV station ABC 7.

“That case in Gregg County involved 38 ballots” that were questioned, the station’s Morgan Duerden noted.

What critics say: There is no widespread fraud

What supporters say:It’s meant to inspire confidence in the voting process

Coronavirus Likely To Supercharge Election

Voter rolls are often the focus of disputes for these reasons.

Likewise with voter identification documents.

Which Party Is Better For The Economy

History Of The Democratic Party

We’re Less Far Apart Politically Than We Think Why Can’t We All Get Along

What’s the solution? More information? More political engagement? More ?

Here Are The Texas Gop’s Reasons For Voting Restrictions And Why Critics Disagree

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“Election integrity legislation will pass during the special session. Period,” House Speaker Dade Phelan said late Monday.

Regulating The Economy Republican Style

Whats Dividing Republicans And Democrats On Healthcare Reform

The Institute Of Politics At Harvard University

April 23, 2021

Top findings of this survey, the 41st in a biannual series, include the following:

Young Americans Are Significantly More Likely To Be Politically Engaged Than They Were A Decade Ago; A Sharp Increase In Progressive Political Values Marked Since 2016

A 19-point increase in agreement with the statement Qualified minorities should be given special preferences in hiring and education .

An 18-point increase in agreement with the statement Government should do more to curb change, even at the expense of economic growth .

A 16-point increase since 2016 in agreement with The government should spend more to reduce .

A 16-point increase in Basic health insurance is a right for all people, and if someone has no means of paying for it, the government should provide it .

An 8-point increase in agreement with Recent into this country has done more good than harm .

Actually Republicans Do Believe In Climate Change

Dr. Van Boven and Dr. Sherman are social psychologists.

July 28, 2018

It is widely believed that most Republicans are skeptical about human-caused climate change. But is this belief correct?

This raises a question: If Democrats and Republicans agree about climate change, why do they disagree about climate policy?

Red States And Blue States List

Due to the TV coverage during some of the presidential elections in the past, the color Red has become associated with the Republicans and Blue is associated with the Democrats.

Political Party Platforms And The Death Penalty

Reasserts 2016 platforms call for the abolition of the death penalty.

The Republican National Committees Executive Committee voted on June 10, 2020, to adopt the same platform the party used in 2016.

For relevant excerpts of the , see below.

Regulating The Economy Democratic Style

Huge Differences Between Democratic And Republican Platforms

Gallery: Monday night at the DNC 2016 convention in Philadelphia

This post originally ran on July 28, 2016. For the latest on the 2018 Midterm Election, check out our voters’ guide or the on the Menendez vs Hugin race.

— It’s hard to say you don’t have a clear choice this presidential election year.

The and show views of world 180 degrees apart.

At 55 pages, the Democratic document is 11 pages shorter than the GOP platform and mentioned Trump 29 times compared with just one of Clinton in the Republican document.

Here are 10 huge differences in the party platforms:

1. ABORTION

Democrats:“We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion.”

Republicans: Abortion should be illegal in all cases and the Constitution should ve amended to ban the procedure.

“We assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed,” the platform said.

The GOP argued that supporting the constitutional right to abortion was the “extreme” position.

2. SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

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naturecoaster · 6 years

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Building Chinsegut Hill's Family

Chinsegut Hill, Manor House Museum and Retreat is a magnificent venue, featuring rich history, impressive architecture and natural beauty. The land was originally claimed by Colonel Byrd Pearson of South Carolina as part of the US Government land grant program, 160-acres he called Mount Airy. In 1904, siblings Elizabeth and Raymond Robins purchased the home and property for $6,000. Before they moved into the house, Raymond married Margaret Drier. Their furnishings, architectural style, liberal views, political connections, art and vision fill this unique piece of National history with more than enough fodder for a fine tour on a hot August afternoon.

Colonel Rick Lester provides a wonderful tour of the Chinsegut Manor Museum to our group. He is a gifted story teller, knowledgeable and animated in his delivery. On September 26, 1954, Raymond Robins passed away. He had made previous arrangements to donate the property to the government, as long as he and his “family” could live at the Manor House tax free until that day. At that point, the Federal government took ownership of the house and its contents, due to the Robbins having no children. In 1958, the University of Florida’s lease on the property expired and they removed over 8,000 books from Raymond Robins’ library, essentially abandoning the property. University of South Florida took leasehold of Chisnegut in 1962. It was used as a conference center, with seven cabins having been built near the Manor House and a kitchen/dining and educational conference rooms being added separately. In 1982 the USDA transferred title to of the 125-acre property to USF.

The Chinsegut Manor House was place on the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 2003. On November 21, 2003, Chinsegut Hill was added to the US National Register of Historic Places, but the manor house was becoming dilapidated. In 2008, the University of South Florida returned the property to the State, and the Friends of Chinsegut Hill, Inc. was formed “to preserve and sustain a historical, cultural, environmental and educational center pertaining to the homesite and property of Chinsegut Hill.” The Friends oversaw a $1.5 million renovation and began operating the Manor as a museum.

Natalie Kahler

Sherry Pedonesi

Jan Knowles A manager was hired, a website created, and events were held to help reconnect Brooksville with its local treasure. Volunteers conducted tours. Florida’s Adventure Coast Tourism Board joined in the mission to bring back “the Hill” with the Retreat Center being a great place for rentals, conferences and events. DAB Constructors, Inc., Cheyenne Asphalt, Inc. and Hernando County Department of Public Works (DPW) worked together to repair and pave the driveway up to the house in April 2016. The cabins were offered for rental, weddings were scheduled, quarterly dinners and monthly luncheons were held under the guidance of Chinsegut’s property manager Natalie Kahler, which drew crowds primarily from the local area. In May 2018, a new Executive Director was brought on board to help the Manor House Museum and its grounds fulfill its potential.

Melissa Kehler became Chinsegut's Executive Director in May, 2018. She welcomes the community to join in growing awareness of and participation with this wonderful treasure. “I was recruited by someone who was intimately involved with Chinsegut’s revival. They found me on LinkedIn and asked me to just visit the location,” Melissa Kehler shared. “I was on my way farther south, where I have family and was going to move, but I fell in love with this place. Chinsegut is an Alaskan word meaning “Place where lost things are found.” It worked its magic on me. Now it is my goal to get our community with its many organizations involved with this amazing piece of U.S. history. It’s OUR place.” Melissa is a dynamo who has worked to unite people in a common cause for many years. She spent ten years with The Good News Center in Utica, New York, building roots that connected the retreat center to its local community – and she “loves a challenge.”

Chair covers and white table linens upgrade the look of the dining hall for the August 15 luncheon. She described her vision for Chinsegut Manor Museum as connected to the local area as well as to historical resources nationwide. “When people go the the Edison/Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, they should be planning to stop and see Chinsegut Manor Museum as well. Right now, we need to make them aware that we exist and of the valuable history connected to this amazing property,” Michelle passionately explains. She will talk to Senator Wilton Simpson and other legislators to seek funding for renovations on the air conditioning and an operational budget, work with Florida A & M Agriculture College to get speedy internet, and have Chinsegut join reciprocal museum and historic membership programs for starters. “By reaching out to those throughout the U.S. and the world who are interested in history, Chinsegut Manor Museum and the Hill will draw more people to the Nature Coast and raise the perceived value of this National treasure,” Melissa shared, “I am simply the facilitator. Our community will benefit.”

Taylor and Joshua McAdams are the new caretakers on "the Hill," bringing outdoor foraging expeditions and hospitality skills to the team. The previous property caretakers, Ron and Sandee Lester, purchased a home in Brooksville and have chosen to move on, spending more time on their Resurrection Power Marriage Ministry. Ron gave tours on August 15, during the first luncheon under Melissa’s tenure. His knowledge of the property, it’s former residents and his skill at storytelling were evident as visitors learned about the pioneers of the area, its history with slavery, post-slavery, the labor movement, the women’s suffrage movement and the cold war. It was akin to a full U.S. history lesson from the 1840s through the beginning of WWII. The Manor Museum is full of furniture, art, letters and properties of the Robins’ family. It is in fabulous shape and going on the tour offers the opportunity to see what life was like, as well as imagine entertaining the movers and shakers of the age. We were invited to stay as long as we like to view photos, letters and artifacts in the second story museum area.

Rick Lester shows us one of the many books written about the Robins who lived at Chinsegut Manor Museum. The stories go on and on. The photos, letters, books and properties are all here. A new caretaker couple has come to live here. Joshua McAdams is a skilled naturalist who can lead foraging expeditions throughout the property and his wife, Tayor, has added the cottages to Airbnb. To kick off our luncheon, Josh rang the 1776 Liberty bell just outside the dining hall. The new caterer, Albanese Catering, provided a wonderful North meets South buffet menu of pulled pork sliders, Italian sausage with peppers and onions, cole slaw, salt potatoes with butter, and several dessert options, including brownies, peach cobbler, and cookies… topped off with root beer floats. The dining hall appears upgraded with seat covers over the chairs and a sparkling clean kitchen.

Albanese Catering is the catering partner for Chinsegut now. They provided a wonderful lunch on August 15, capped with a fun, delicious root beer float. yummmmmm... The view is still magnificent, and guests commented on how far one can see from this special place. At 350-feet above sea level, it is the third highest point in Florida (according to our tour guide). Melissa shares with us excitedly that the windows are slated for replacement with single pane models to improve the view. There has always been an air of magic on this hill. Visit the Manor Museum and tour Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday any time between 10:30 am and 2 pm. Guided tours are only $5 and self-guided tours are $3. Ages 10 and under are free, although the tours are definitely more geared to adults. The grounds are great for running around, with lots of open space, nature trails and huge grandfather oaks surrounded by azalea bushes near the main house. There is a family graveyard that houses several of the previous inhabitants of the house featured in the tour that you can visit. If you haven't made it up to Chinsegut Hill Manor Museum, take the time to get over for a tour. And if you love history and old pictures, schedule yourself some extra time to spend in the museum researching what is there.

Photographs, letters, archaeological finds and more are in the Chinsegut Manor Museum on the Hill. Several upcoming events are scheduled. You can keep up-to-date with them by checking the NatureCoaster calendar or their Facebook page. October 6 from 11 am to 3 pm, there will be Antiques on the Hill with the Mudds Live Blues and Jazz. A Veterans Day brunch is planned for November 11. The museum is seeking volunteers now. Would you consider being a docent or helping with landscaping or other tasks? If so, please call the museum at 352-799-5400. Leave a message if you don’t get an answer. They are also seeking Board members for the Friends of Chinsegut Hill, as well as members of the Friends group. The Friends of Chinsegut Hill will hold their annual meeting September 15 at 6pm with Peggy Macdonald providing a talk on the 15th First Lady of Florida, Floride Lydia Pearson and a report from the Board President, Eric Kessel. Wine from Sparacia & Witherell Winery and light hors d'oeuvers by Albanese Catering will be served. Read the full article

#brooksvillehistory #chinseguthill #chinsegutmanormuseum #chinsegutretreat #floridahistory

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Ramblings: Band-Aid Boys, Cy Young winners, Hart winners, a sleeper defenseman and more … (Mar 12)

My take on the Hart Trophy going to a player on a team that didn’t make the playoffs? I’m fine with it as long as the team is close. If the team is nowhere near the playoffs (ahem, Edmonton) then I don’t think that player can be the player judged to be most valuable to his team. Because a team near last place in the league, without that “valuable” player, would…what, be even worse? Thank goodness Edmonton had Conner McDavid because instead of being 26th in the league they would have been…all the way down to 29th? Wow. Valuable.

Meanwhile, New Jersey isn’t a great team. Better than I thought and far exceeding everyone’s expectations, but not a great team at all. And while they may just barely miss the playoffs (that’s what I predict, anyway), without Taylor Hall this team would have been out of it in January. Nathan MacKinnon would get my first-place vote though, with Hall next and then my next three picks are tough. Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy are both equally valuable to Tampa Bay, and most of the other top teams have similar MVP vote splits (Subban/Rinne, Malkin/Kessel, Winnipeg/Everybody, Barkov/Huberdeau/Trocheck). If Brad Marchand didn’t get so many fines and suspensions this year he would have gotten my third-place vote, but that’s obviously out the window now. I’d probably look very closely at Alex Ovechkin, Jonathan Marchessault and Eric Staal as my other three votes. Where do you stand on this whole “only vote for players on playoff teams” thing?

The next generation of Band-Aid Boy superstars – Jack Eichel and Brock Boeser? Not official, of course, but I’ve got a strong hunch that is only getting stronger. I had that feeling about Boeser after this play on December 17…

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This was his second injury of the season, after missing one game in October with a foot injury. But then he came back the next game after the above blocked shot so I put it out of my mind. Then last month he had a hand injury and again just one game. And now this latest one that has him out for the season. Flukes? Yes. But that’s what happens to Band-Aid Boys. They get hit by fluke after fluke, and some of those flukes lead to re-injury or favoring one part of the body at the expense of another. For now, I have both he and Eichel penciled in as “trainees”. But I’ll be cautious with them moving forward in keeper trade talks or one-year summer drafts. All things being equal, I’ll take a similar player without that risk instead.

This year’s Cy Young Award winner (so far)? Michael Grabner, who has 25 goals and six assists. He beats out Artem Anisimov, who scored his 20th goal Sunday to go with his eight assists. Anders Lee (33-20) and James Neal (24-16) would also get consideration…

Speaking of Grabner, he’s pointless in eight games with the Devils.

By most accounts, Brian Gionta was horrible at the Olympics. I can’t say for myself as I only saw all of two periods of Team USA action. Just going by what I read from several sources, respected hockey minds. But he has six points in his first six games for Boston and even though he was pointless Sunday he had seven shots on goal. I wholeheartedly buy into the “new team adrenalin” production spike, but I’m still finding this one hard to believe.

Danton Heinen is pointless in his last six games – the six that he’s played with Rick Nash and Gionta in the lineup. His ice time has also averaged around 12 minutes during that span, when it was 15:30 per game prior to that. No surprise there, but I guess just disappointing. But you can’t fault the coach when Nash and Gionta are both doing outstanding. Heinen is a dropsy in all one-year leagues because I don’t see this changing barring two key forward injuries.

The question on everyone’s mind – is Anthony Duclair going to get a hearing for that dirty hit on Brad Marchand Saturday that left Marchand day-to-day with an upper-body injury?

I was just trolling you. But still…makes you think. If Marchand was hurt on the play, why would he do it intentionally? Marchand has missed one game already and it sounds as though he’ll miss at least one more, from what I’ve read.

Erik Gustafsson is a must-own short-term pickup. The Blackhawks defenseman may just be doing what Jordan Oesterle did two months ago, but the fact remains that he’s hot right now. White hot. Two points Sunday, three Saturday and one last Tuesday. The 25-year-old had 14 points in half a season with the Hawks two years ago but spent last year in Rockford posting middling numbers. This year, however, he’s been going nuts down there with 17 points in 25 games. Now in the NHL he has 11 points in 23 games. Both his points Sunday were on the power play and now it’s his turn to get the opportunity that Oesterle had. If you recall, Oesterle was given a ton of ice and PP time for about 25 games. He was hot for the first 10 and then did nothing for 15 before Joel Quenneville started rolling back the experiment. Looks like he’s doing the same thing with Gustafsson now. Oesterle didn’t seize his chance – possibly his only chance ever. Will Gustafsson?

Oesterle was off the PP Sunday while Gustafsson saw over five minutes. Lefty shots on the team are Duncan Keith, Gustafsson and Oesterle. Righty shots are Brent Seabrook, Jan Rutta and Connor Murphy.

Jonathan Toews has nine points in his last six games. Patrick Kane was on the ice for all nine of those points. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to conclude that Toews is a 55-point player without Kane, and a 70-point player with Kane. He spent the first half of the season with Brandon Saad and Richard Panik, the third quarter of the season with Saad and Vinnie Hinostroza…and now it’s Saad and Kane. How Toews will do in 2018-19 depends mightily and absolutely on whether or not Kane is on his line. For a prognosticator such as myself – the question is not in predicting his points by looking at historical stats and advanced stats in this case. It’s trying to guess the mindset of the coach and looking at the depth chart this summer. Will he play with Kane again next year and will it stick throughout? Such pressure! It ain’t easy, man…

Johnny Boychuk, with no PP time, picked up three points and was plus-5 Sunday. The Isles were 8-11-3 with Boychuk out of the lineup and are 22-18-7 with him in. That’s about six points (give or take) lost because of his injuries, which is enough to put them right around Columbus in the standings.

Mat Barzal has been shut out of four of his last five games. Josh Bailey has just three points in his last 10 games and is now in danger of losing his point-per-game status (has 65 in 65 right now).

Calgary defensemen combined for 22 shots against the Islanders. All Calgary forwards other than Sean Monahan combined for 23 shots. I found that interesting. Definitely a back-heavy team. Monahan, by the way, had seven shots. His 190 on the season are just nine shy of his career high.

Of interest to you, however, is the man who stopped most of those shots. Chris Gibson stopped 50 of 52 shots and remains undefeated in regulation (1-0-2) this year. He’s faced 138 shots – or 46 per game! I still don’t like him long-term (yet), but he’d been solid for Bridgeport. Short term I think he’s a good option if you’re desperate because Thomas Greiss is hurt and Jaroslav Halak is 0-4-2 in his last six games.

Riley Sheahan has 26 points in his last 51 games. This is the Sheahan we all expected when he had 36 in 72 back in 2014-15 and it took a trade to Pittsburgh to get there. His confidence is back and it doesn’t hurt that he’s seeing regular duty with Phil Kessel and Derick Brassard. I think he still has another gear yet, though his ceiling is still limited to fewer than 50 points. I think he’ll flirt with that number next year if he continues to be implemented this way.

Jim Rutherford has really dug up the gems this year. Aside from Sheahan, Jamie Oleksiak has been a revelation. He’s eating up more than 17 minutes per game for the Penguins and has 10 points in 35 games since joining them. He also has 52 PIM in those 35 games not to mention he’s been a hit machine. With Dallas he had 36 hits in 21 games (1.71/game). With Pittsburgh – 116 in 35 (3.31)!

Why the Dallas Stars will go nowhere in the playoffs – Jason Dickenson, Antoine Roussel, Remi Elie and Jason Spezza each saw below 10 minutes of ice time Sunday. Four forwards! Plus Brett Ritchie was at 11:03. That meant that each player on the top line (Alexander Radulov, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin) saw more than 22:30. You can’t win in the playoffs like that. Granted, Sunday was an extreme example due to Pittsburgh spending half the game in the box. But still…

Brendan Leipsic has been shut out of two straight games, but regardless his six points in six games with Vancouver have my attention. He’ll only get this kind of opportunity next season if a) Vancouver doesn’t sign another Thomas Vanek and b) if Adam Gaudette doesn’t make the team. If those things happen, then I like Leipsic’s outlook next year. That’s in relative terms, of course, since nobody other than Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser will reach 50 points on this squad next campaign.

Since returning to the lineup, Richard Panik has four points in six games for the Coyotes and is seeing top PP duty.

Last week I plugged Kevin Connauton as a player to grab. Since then – pointless and minus-3 in four games. You’re welcome.

Hey, I grabbed him myself so he failed me just as much!

“Darcy Kuemper has a 0.932 SV% in 15 games with LAK, he must be an awesome goalie!”

“Darcy Kuemper has a 0.906 SV% in five games with ARI, he must be a terrible goalie!”

You have five or six truly elite talented goalies and then you have about 50 average goalies…and from there it comes down to opportunity, coaching and contract. That’s what I let guide me with my fantasy hockey goaltending. Is there a c-word for opportunity? I’d like to have a “three c’s” thing for my goalie theory for when I preach.

Florida signed undrafted prospect Patrick Bajkov. Presumably to confuse Florida’s play-by-play guy (Barkov, to Bajkov, to Barkov, I mean Bajkov – scores!). As an overager, Bajkov has 93 points in 68 games for Everett of the WHL.

I was going to post the Top Prospects list Saturday but then I got sucked into going through them thoroughly. Usually I make adjustments throughout the month and then put three hours or so into them on the 10th of the month and then post. But every three or four months I kind of get sucked into the rabbit hole and delve deep. Long story short, I’ll try to have them up by tonight or tomorrow. I’m about halfway through right now.

Here are the latest 20 Fantasy Hockey Thoughts. See you next week!

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-band-aid-boys-cy-young-winners-hart-winners-a-sleeper-defenseman-and-more-mar-12/

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