Military Hertiage WWII HistoryWWII Quarterly
European Theater
Operation Market-Garden
U.S. Third Army
J.E.B. Stuart
William T. Sherman
Ancient Greece/Roman Empire
Medal of Honor Recipient
From Tolkien to Hitler: Famous Soldiers of World War I
Dick Winters and the Band of Brothers
The Battle for Omaha Beach: The Men of the D-Day Invasion
Napoleon Bonaparte's Last Campaign: The Battle of Waterloo
Killing Adolf Hitler
Antietam: The Civil War's Longest Day
Operation Barbarossa: World War II's Eastern Front
The Battle of Gettysburg: Turning Point of the American Civil War
Profiles of the American Revolution
Biblical Israel & Judah
WWII History
Revive Expanding Banner 1500×510
Putting the Cork in the Bottle at Los Negros
General Douglas MacArthur executed a dangerous gamble on the island of Los Negros where American landing forces were outnumbered by the Japanese.
Carl Gnam
Categories: WWII
By Patrick J. Chaisson
General Douglas MacArthur gripped the rail of the light cruiser USS Phoenix as the warship bombarded shore positions on the Japanese-held island of Los Negros. Alongside him stood Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, whose Seventh Fleet was then putting 1,000 U.S. soldiers onto this strategic Pacific outpost.
Without warning, return fire from Los Negros began landing all around the Phoenix. One projectile exploded just 200 yards away. As his flagship delivered a deafening broadside in response, MacArthur recalled that the last time he experienced such close-in enemy shellfire had in the Meuse-Argonne during World War I, a full quarter century earlier.
Aboard the light cruiser USS Phoenix, Vice Admiral Thomas Kincaid, commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, and General Douglas MacArthur, operational commander in the Southwest Pacific, watch the bombardment of Los Negros in the Admiralty Islands on February 28, 1944.
Yet the Los Negros landings, which took place in February 1944, started off relatively well for the Americans. Kinkaid's fleet quickly silenced pesky shore batteries, while hard-charging GIs took their objective—Momote Airfield—only 95 minutes after the first waves touched down. In mid-afternoon, General MacArthur went ashore to see for himself how this so-called "reconnaissance-in-force" was progressing.
After a quick tour of the front lines, MacArthur met with his senior Army commander on Los Negros, Brig. Gen. William C. Chase of the U.S. First Cavalry Division. He then made a momentous decision. Ordering Chase to "to remain here and hold the airstrip at any cost," the general transformed what was meant to be a low-risk raid into an all-out invasion. He did so without knowing the full tactical picture. There were far more Japanese on the island than some Allied officers had predicted—in fact, they greatly outnumbered their American adversaries.
That evening, MacArthur returned to his flagship and sailed off for an Allied base on New Guinea. Accompanying Phoenix was the light cruiser USS Nashville and all but two destroyers of Admiral Kinkaid's invasion fleet. This meant Chase's inexperienced cavalry troopers would enter battle on Los Negros armed only with what they had brought with them and a mere fraction of the naval gunfire support deemed necessary to back an island assault.
The Japanese waited for full darkness to begin their probing attacks. Some soldiers tossed hand grenades into American foxholes, while others stealthily crept through the lines. Just before sunup, two infiltrators were found and killed scant feet from General Chase's command post (CP).
Weary U.S. cavalrymen greeted the dawn on March 1 by counting the ammunition remaining in their cartridge belts. They also counted 66 enemy bodies killed in the previous night's fight before starting the arduous task of clearing snipers from their narrow beachhead. It promised to be a long day.
From captured documents, Brig. Gen. Chase realized that more than 4,400 Japanese opposed him on Los Negros and neighboring Manus Island. He could not know, however, that their commanding officer was even then organizing a full-scale counterattack intended to annihilate the lightly equipped invaders. Could Chase's troopers hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive? Or was Los Negros destined to become another infamous "last stand" for the U.S. Cavalry?
As supreme commander of the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), Douglas MacArthur kept his land, sea, and air forces extraordinarily active throughout the winter of 1943-1944. On December 15, 1943, American troops stormed ashore at Arawe on the southern tip of New Britain. Eleven days later, U.S. Marines landed farther up New Britain's northwestern coast at Cape Gloucester to seize vital airfields there. On January 2, 1944, the Allies made another amphibious assault at Saidor on New Guinea, their objective again a vital airstrip.
These actions were all part of Operation Cartwheel, a major campaign designed to overwhelm Japanese air and naval installations at Rabaul, New Britain. Since the start of the Pacific War, Rabaul—boasting a large harbor and network of airdromes—served as the center of enemy activity throughout eastern New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Allied forces could not safely advance without first neutralizing this threat to their own lines of communication.
Once MacArthur's hard-working engineers finished lengthening the runways on Arawe, Cape Gloucester, and Saidor, Rabaul fell well within the operational range of U.S. medium bombers and their fighter escorts. Slowly, inexorably, Allied airpower began choking off the Rabaul garrison's ability to defend itself and receive supplies.
Troops of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division land on Los Negros on February 29, 1944. Securing the island turned out to be a bigger challenge than MacArthur initially contemplated.
The primary architects of this aerial campaign were two aggressive aviators, Lt. Gen. George C. Kenney and Maj. Gen. Ennis C. Whitehead. Kenney, who commanded the U.S. Fifth Air Force, and Whitehead, his deputy, recognized that the vast distances and resource constraints across the SWPA presented ideal conditions in which to prove a new form of warfare. Both airmen believed the Allies could defeat their enemy without resorting to costly land battles. Rather, strike aircraft would sink every freighter in Rabaul's harbor and render useless all of its airfields. The Japanese would be left isolated and paralyzed, no matter how many troops they had under arms.
A ground commander by training and experience, MacArthur began to embrace the new capabilities that his air and naval arms were bringing to the fight. By January 1944, Rabaul's garrison of 98,000 Japanese had been left to "wither on the vine" by Kenney and Whitehead's relentless aerial attacks. And Kinkaid was growing into his new role as head of the Seventh Fleet, nicknamed "MacArthur's Navy."
The Seventh Fleet was a formation like none other in history. Lacking the armada of fleet aircraft carriers and battlewagons in Admiral Chester Nimitz's Central Pacific Area, Kinkaid made do with smaller, more adaptable task groups designed to rapidly put invasion forces ashore and keep them there. The sailors of MacArthur's Navy relied on a bewildering array of shallow-bottomed landing craft and destroyer transports (APDs in naval terminology) to carry assault troops and their gear all across the Southwest Pacific.
By the first week of February, Rabaul had become a "self-feeding prisoner of war camp," as described by one Allied officer. General MacArthur's gaze now turned to the Admiralty Islands at the northwest end of the Bismarck Archipelago. Seizing the Admiralties meant accomplishing two key Allied objectives. First, it would cut the last remaining air and sea lanes connecting Rabaul with Japanese bases farther to the west. Second, an excellent though undeveloped harbor there could be transformed into a major staging base for MacArthur's long-anticipated return to the Philippines.
For the Admiralty Islands invasion, SWPA planners set a tentative date of April 1, 1944. Staff officers then began the methodical task of gathering data on terrain, weather, and opposing forces. They learned the Admiralties stood 360 miles west of Rabaul and about 500 miles from the nearest Allied bases on New Guinea. There were two major islands, Manus and Los Negros, which together formed the arc of Seeadler Harbor—chief objective of the Allied operation.
Manus was the larger of the two. Resembling an ellipse, it measured approximately 49 miles long by 16 miles wide. A central mountain spine bisected this land mass, which was heavily jungled and unpopulated except along its northern coast. Separated from Manus by a narrow strait, the horseshoe-shaped island of Los Negros stretched 15 miles from end to end. Rugged terrain distinguished Los Negros's southerly regions, but flat land to the north held promise for future airbase construction.
Together, Manus and Los Negros framed a natural anchorage known as Seeadler Harbor. Six miles wide, 20 miles long, and with a depth of 120 feet, Seeadler was large enough to shelter an entire invasion fleet. A string of barrier islands—Koruniat, Ndrilo, Hauwei, and Pityilu—guarded the roadstead and its likely landing beaches.
Holding the Admiralty Islands was a collection of Imperial Japanese Army and Navy outfits commanded by Colonel Yoshio Ezaki of the 51st Transport Regiment. Ezaki's defenders included two understrength infantry battalions from the 1st Independent Mixed Regiment and the 229th Infantry Regiment as well as sailors belonging to the 14th Naval Base Force who guarded Seeadler Harbor with coast artillery positioned on its barrier islands. Total enemy strength exceeded 4,450 combatants.
The Japanese constructed two airdromes, one at Momote Plantation on Los Negros and a smaller strip near the village of Lorengau on Manus. They had, however, let these runways fall into disrepair after the Fifth Air Force stepped up its bombing campaign in February. Once Colonel Ezaki realized the Admiralties garrison was indeed marooned, he ordered his men to conceal their numbers, locations, and activities from American reconnaissance aircraft.
This story appeared in WWII History magazine.
Ezaki's scheme worked brilliantly. On February 23, three B-25 Mitchell bombers from the 17th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron flew lazily over Los Negros for 90 minutes without drawing antiaircraft fire or observing any other signs of enemy occupation. The entire area looked "completely washed out," pilots later reported to General Whitehead in New Guinea. "Crews say Los Negros and Manus are evacuated."
Whitehead immediately passed these reports on to Kenney in SWPA's Brisbane, Australia, headquarters, along with an unsubstantiated estimate of 300 Japanese soldiers remaining in the Admiralty Islands. Early on the morning of February 24, General Kenney took this news upstairs to his boss. "Los Negros," Kenney claimed, "was ripe for the plucking."
Ever alert to a strategic opportunity, MacArthur listened intently as Kenney outlined his plan. The aviator proposed sending 800 troops, a "reconnaissance-in-force," out to the Admiralties to occupy Los Negros long enough to ascertain whether or not the Momote airfield was indeed deserted. If Whitehead's information proved correct, this detachment should then immediately go on to seize Manus and its outlying barrier islands. Kenney also suggested sending in a small surveillance element ahead of the main body to confirm his aircrews' observations.
MacArthur paced the floor, considering Kenney's proposal. Finally, he halted and exclaimed, "That will put the cork in the bottle!" The supreme commander then summoned to his office SWPA's operations officer and Admiral Kinkaid. "We're going to the Admiralty Islands," he told them, "and we go on Leap Day (29 February)." It was a dramatic moment in a headquarters known for its commanding general's often dramatic presence.
The next morning, February 25, orders went out to all subordinate Army, Navy, and air commanders: "Land on [Los Negros Island] in the vicinity of [Momote airfield] and make immediate reconnaissance in force to determine the enemy strength and disposition."
This directive surprised many officers, but none more so than Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger of the Sixth U.S. Army. Krueger wore two hats in the SWPA; aside from his responsibilities as head of Sixth Army he also commanded Alamo Force, which coordinated American ground operations in theater. As such, this career officer supervised the planning of every amphibious operation that MacArthur wanted accomplished.
Four days was not a lot of time to move 1,000 men (Krueger persuaded MacArthur to raise the total number of troops from his original 800), but much preliminary planning had already been conducted. Krueger staged soldiers at bases near Oro Bay, New Guinea, while Kinkaid managed to assemble a flotilla of APDs and fleet destroyers to transport them 500 miles to Los Negros. Reinforcements could be expected to arrive on slower moving Landing Ships, Tank (LSTs) two days after the reconnaissance element made its landing.
Sixth Army intelligence officers questioned the Air Corps' claim that Los Negros and Manus had been abandoned. Their own sources showed that 4,500 Japanese still held on to the Admiralty Islands. Therefore, before dawn on February 27, a six-man team from the elite Alamo Scouts set out in a U.S. Navy PBY Catalina flying boat to evaluate the enemy situation on Los Negros and report back its findings.
Paddling ashore in a rubber raft, the Alamo Scouts then cautiously made their way through dense jungle toward Momote airdrome. Signs of Japanese occupation were everywhere. After evading several infantry patrols, the team turned around short of its objective and went to ground. That night its leader radioed in a brief but telling message: "The area is lousy with Japs."
Back in Brisbane, General Kenney discounted the scout team's report as the product of a frightened young lieutenant's imagination. Besides, the invasion fleet was already halfway to Los Negros with a quite senior commander accompanying it. Douglas MacArthur felt strongly that he alone should decide whether to continue to attack or withdraw. Only by seeing things on the ground, MacArthur reasoned, could he make an informed choice.
Nevertheless, MacArthur's hastily organized "reconnaissance-in-force" carried with it some tremendous risks. Amphibious doctrine required a three to one ratio of attackers versus defenders, which explains his decision to send 1,000 men up against the 300 defenders that SWPA's air staff believed still occupied Los Negros and Manus. In reality, however, there were four Japanese for every American set to make this dangerous invasion. Worse still, those GIs completely lacked battle experience.
Troopers of the First Cavalry Division left their horses behind when, in the summer of 1943, they deployed to Australia. There the outfit was reconfigured under a hybrid table of organization. Retaining traditional cavalry unit designations (squadron for battalion, troop for company, etc.), the division armed and trained itself to fight as infantry. Restless months spent in Australian training camps had left the division's men eager for a brawl. They would soon get one.
The First Cavalry Division (Special) was commanded by Maj. Gen. Innis P. Swift, who like many of his men had served in the prewar cavalry. His two brigade commanders, Brig. Gens. William C. Chase and Verne D. Mudge, each led about 4,000 dismounted horse soldiers. Field artillery, engineer, signal, medical, and service support elements rounded out the division's 15,000-man combat strength.
For the Los Negros mission, General Chase selected the 2nd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment to form the backbone of his assault element. Two 75mm pack howitzers from the 99th Field Artillery went along to provide fire support, while a dozen .50-caliber machine guns crewed by the 673rd Antiaircraft Machine Gun Battery covered the skies. Chase's 1,026-man detachment also included naval and air liaison teams, communications personnel, and recon scouts, as well as medical aidmen from the 30th Portable Surgical Hospital.
Task Force Brewer (code name for this "reconnaissance-in-force") arrived off Jamandilai Point along Los Negros's east coast before dawn on February 29, 1944. Under a steady rain, U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers began bombarding the shore while cavalry troopers loaded into Landing Craft Personnel, Ramp (LCPRs) for the ride in. They were headed for Hyane Harbor, a narrow channel just off Momote's runway and far from—it was hoped—Japanese coastal defenses.
Colonel Ezaki's men were caught entirely by surprise. Stunned by naval shellfire and a barrage of 500-pound bombs dropped by B-25s of the 345th Bomb Group, "Air Apaches," most of the Japanese holding this sector could only cower in their foxholes. Task Force (TF) Brewer's first wave touched down unopposed on White Beach at 0817 hours, two minutes behind schedule.
The eventual securing of Los Negros turned out to be a matter of hard fighting over a period of about a month. Its capture facilitated the development of Seeadler Harbor as an American base of operations.
Ezaki's defenders quickly recovered from their initial shock, though, and soon began shooting back at the approaching LCPRs. Subsequent waves encountered fierce return fire; U.S. destroyers struggled to find and destroy these hidden gunners, obscured as they were by a tropical downpour. Corporal Bill Alcine, a correspondent for Yankmagazine, vividly recounted his run into the beach: "As we neared the channel, the Navy men in the bow hollered to us to keep our heads down or we'd get them blown off. We crouched lower, swearing, and waited."
"It came with a crack," Alcine's account continued, "machine gun fire over our heads. Our light landing craft shuddered as the Navy gunners hammered back and answered with the .30-calibers mounted on both sides of the barge."
The troopers aboard Alcine's LCPR "piled out quickly at the beachhead" and went to work. Cavalry platoons advanced rapidly across Momote airfield and 300 yards into the undergrowth beyond. By 0950 they had taken their initial objectives. A few hours later, General Chase's task force finished unloading all men and supplies. For the cost of two soldiers killed and another three wounded, the Americans had established a toehold on Los Negros. But could they stay there?
Strewn all around them was evidence of a strong enemy presence, including several hastily vacated bivouac areas found about one mile south of the beach. Other patrols carefully investigated a network of bunkers, dugouts, and trenches scattered throughout the Momote perimeter.
Papers seized in one command bunker indicated there were as many as 200 Japanese antiaircraft gunners assigned to protect this sector of Los Negros. Most of them had run away when the shooting started, but they would be back once Colonel Ezaki organized a counterattack. For now, the only resistance consisted of occasional nuisance fire from a few stay-behind riflemen.
These skirmishers were still at it when General MacArthur toured the front lines later that afternoon. A cavalry lieutenant, concerned for his chief's safety, gestured toward one enemy hideout while tugging on the general's sleeve. "Excuse me, Sir," the young officer warned, "but we killed a sniper in there just a few minutes ago."
Unperturbed, the supreme commander replied, "Fine, that's the best thing to do with them." His remark spread quickly throughout the ranks, affording everyone on Los Negros a much needed chuckle. But the cavalrymen would need all the spirit they could muster, as shortly thereafter they received orders to dig in. MacArthur had made his decision: TF Brewer would "continue the assault."
Wisely, General Chase ordered his men to form a compact 1,500-yard night perimeter along Momote airstrip's western edge. The troops had no barbed wire, and their entrenching tools proved useless against Los Negros's hard coral surface. The task force's dozen .50-calibers, intended for air defense, went up on the line to cover likely avenues of advance. And with no room to emplace their howitzers, artillery crews filled in as infantry. Offshore, destroyers Bushand Stocktonstationed themselves to provide fire support for the cavalry task force.
The Japanese possessed a golden opportunity to push their "arrogant enemy" back into the sea, provided that Colonel Ezaki could launch a counterattack before U.S. reinforcements arrived. While most of his defenders were badly situated for a thrust against Hyane Harbor, Ezaki's 1st Battalion, 229th Infantry held a key position north of Momote airstrip. At dusk he sent this order: "Tonight, the battalion under Cpt. Baba will annihilate the enemy who have landed. This is not a delaying action. Be resolute to sacrifice your life for the Emperor and commit suicide in case capture is imminent. We must carry out our mission with the present strength and annihilate the enemy on the spot."
Had Baba been able to concentrate his efforts and punch through the inexperienced Americans' line, things might have gone much differently on Los Negros. Instead, he dissipated his combat power in an uncoordinated series of small, probing skirmishes. Together with a near constant stream of individual raiders, these intruders kept the troopers of TF Brewer awake all night but never seriously threatened General Chase's hold on the Momote perimeter.
There were, however, a few harrowing moments when Japanese troops followed U.S. communication wires back to the task force CP. Chase's intelligence officer, Major Julio Chiarmonte, heard two infiltrators whispering outside his dugout and dispatched both of them with a Thompson submachine gun.
The GIs knew enough to stay put after dark, shooting or grenading anything that moved. Private Walter E. Hawks of Troop E used his Browning Automatic Rifle to kill eight approaching machine gunners. Later, Hawks waited until a group of 20 charging infantrymen got to within 15 feet of his hole before mowing down the lot of them.
General MacArthur and Admiral Kincaid, ashore on Los Negros on the first day of the fight for the island, inspect the body of a dead Japanese soldier killed during the initial skirmishes after the American landings.
Better weather on March 1 allowed Fifth Air Force to resupply the beachhead with more than three tons of ammunition and blood plasma dropped from B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 375th Troop Carrier Group. Also flying overhead, B-24 Liberator and B-25 Mitchell bombers pummeled the foe's staging areas, especially a narrow spit of land just north of the airfield where natives once dragged their canoes from Hyane to Seeadler Harbor. This so-called "native skidway" measured only 50 yards across and acted as a choke point that channeled attacking troops into a deadly kill zone.
Wary cavalrymen devoted the day to "disinfecting" their lodgment of any last remaining infiltrators. Around 1600 hours there was a bit of excitement when another Japanese raiding party broke through and headed for General Chase's CP. Again, Major Chiaramonte and his Tommy gun helped wipe out the entire 15-man patrol, one of whom was later discovered to be Captain Baba.
With their captain now dead, the Japanese displayed markedly less fighting spirit during the night of March 1. This did not stop a squad of riflemen from sneaking up on Private Andrew R. Barnabei of Battery B, 99th Artillery. Hearing unfamiliar voices outside his foxhole, Barnabei calmly lobbed a fragmentation grenade that killed all five intruders.
Morale soared among the men of TF Brewer when at 0900 hours on March 2 six LSTs and nine destroyers appeared off Jamandilai Point. Under steady mortar and light machine-gun fire, 1,500 troopers from the 1st Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment and 99th Field Artillery Battalion came ashore, unloaded, and marched straight into combat. Meanwhile, bulldozer-equipped Army construction engineers and Navy Seabees of the 40th Naval Construction Battalion (NCB) began improving White Beach for future operations.
A courier brought General Chase more good news. The entire First Cavalry Division was on its way to Los Negros. Until those forces arrived, though, his mission was to hold Momote at all costs. Chase's freshly arrived reinforcements helped even the odds, but victory remained a long way off. And Colonel Ezaki still had a powerful surprise in store for the American invaders.
The soldiers of Ezaki's 2nd Battalion, 1st Independent Mixed Regiment, commanded by a Captain Iwakami, took longer than expected to gather at their attack position north of the native skidway. Allied airstrikes and naval gunfire obliged them to travel from their garrisons across Manus and on the barrier islands mostly during the hours of darkness. Thus, it was not until late on March 3 that Iwakami's men began readying themselves for the climactic battle for Los Negros.
By that time TF Brewer had extended its perimeter completely across Momote airdrome. A fresh squadron of cavalrymen was dug in to the left, or south, where General Chase expected the main enemy attack to occur. The 2nd Squadron, exhausted after four nights of near constant fighting, covered the skidway and northern approaches.
Directly behind 2nd Squadron the Seabees had dug a long defensive trench. They would occupy it when ordered, backstopping the cavalry. Nearer the beach, a full 18-gun field artillery battalion executed close-in fire missions while Australian and American destroyers standing offshore hammered suspected Japanese troop concentrations.
The encounter started in an unusual way. At 2100 hours a Japanese plane buzzed the perimeter, dropping eight bombs that severed phone lines and drove many troopers deep into their foxholes. Then two signal flares shot into the sky, and Iwakami's battalion surged forward.
Frenzied infantrymen hurled themselves across the skidway, which was now well covered by mortars, machine guns, and artillery. Many soldiers fell to mines and booby traps, while others were slaughtered by ferocious defensive fire. Whenever one wave of Iwakami's attackers stalled, though, another soon took its place. By midnight the weight of Japanese numbers began to tell.
Troop G took the brunt of their fury. Sergeant Troy A. McGill and his squad of eight troopers held a revetment against repeated assaults; by 0400 all but one of McGill's men had been killed, and that individual was badly wounded. Sending his comrade to the rear, the sergeant then singlehandedly resisted an onslaught by what was later estimated to be 200 Japanese. McGill, clutching his rifle like a club, was found dead in the midst of 130 enemy corpses. For this valorous act he received a posthumous Medal of Honor.
Automatic weapons proved decisive in this ugly brawl. The First Cavalry Division history reported that Troop G's Staff Sergeant Clarence D. Sparks "fired his machine gun … until it burned out…. Sparks [then] crawled to the rear and procured a new gun which he brought forward and speedily placed into action at his original position."
Iwakami's men employed several ruses to bait the defenders. One English-speaking raider called out to Corporal Joseph Hodonsky, "How you doin', Joe?" Hodonsky was doing fine, according to a Yankcorrespondent, shooting down the intruder with his .45 automatic.
Other enemy tricks worked better. Japanese infiltrators managed to tap the communication wires leading to 2nd Squadron's heavy mortar platoon. Imitating a senior officer, they persuaded the green lieutenant in charge there to withdraw at the worst possible time. GIs eventually recaptured their mortars, but by then Iwakami's forces had already pierced the perimeter.
An American antiaircraft quad .50 crew poses in position to defend Momote airstrip on Los Negros against Japanese planes. After the capture of nearby Manus Island, mopping up in the Admiralties proceeded until mid-May 1944.
One hundred Seabees of the 40th NCB put down their tools and picked up rifles to occupy a secondary defensive position behind hard-pressed Troop G. When enemy infantrymen threatened to overwhelm their left flank, sailors began hauling ammo crates up to fast-firing U.S. Navy machine gunners. The Seabees held firm, even at one point launching a counterattack to help restore the line.
Meanwhile, several barges loaded with Japanese soldiers tried to slip into Hyane Harbor. Bright moonlight betrayed their approach, however, and these boats were destroyed in short order by antiaircraft cannons, artillery, and heavy machine guns.
The final enemy thrust took place just before dawn. A column of 50 Japanese troops, all reportedly singing "Deep in the Heart of Texas," charged straight into a buzzsaw of heavy weapons fire west of the skidway. By 0730 Iwakami's desperate effort had spent itself. "We hold entire perimeter," General Chase radioed to Sixth Army headquarters later that morning. "Everything is under control."
Indeed it was, although the GIs of TF Brewer paid a steep price for their nocturnal victory. Altogether, 61 Americans perished that night while another 244 were wounded. The Seabees alone suffered nine dead and 38 injured.
By the evening of March 4, U.S. troopers had counted and buried the bodies of 779 enemy combatants. Some 168 of them were found in front of Troop G's position. A report captured afterward said that Colonel Ezaki lost 1,400 men during the action of March 3-4, 1944.
More U.S. reinforcements arrived that day, and on March 5, Maj. Gen. Swift came ashore to assume command of the Los Negros operation. By then, Hyane Harbor bustled with activity. Army and Navy construction engineers could be seen everywhere, working hard to improve port facilities and rehabilitate Momote airdrome for Allied use. Service units established ever expanding supply dumps, while medical teams tended to those wounded in action.
MacArthur's forces were on Los Negros to stay. At sunup on March 6, a total of 4,000 men of the First Cavalry Division kicked off an attack. Troopers rapidly seized the native skidway, now clogged with the decomposing remains of several hundred Japanese soldiers, and pushed on toward Seeadler Harbor.
That same morning a battle-damaged B-25 made an emergency landing on Momote airfield. Before long, Momote became home to Nos. 76 and 77 Squadrons, Royal Australian Air Force. Their Curtiss Kittyhawks, together with warplanes of the U.S. Fifth Air Force, day after day provided invaluable close air support to Allied ground forces then entering the campaign's final phase.
On March 9, the remainder of Maj. Gen. Swift's First Cavalry Division disembarked at a newly established beachhead along the western edge of Seeadler Harbor near Salami Plantation. Following a period of reorganization, they invaded Manus on March 15, 1944. Troopers steadily advanced toward the village of Lorengau while enduring torrential rains that turned jungle tracks into veritable quagmires of mud. It was a slow, grinding attack, one opposed by small groups of desperate Japanese soldiers who were determined to die fighting in their bunkers or from a sniper's treetop perch.
More action awaited the division on Manus's barrier islands, small, rocky outposts that had to be captured before Allied shipping could enter Seeadler Harbor. While several islets were left unoccupied, 45 holdouts from the Imperial Japanese Navy strongly garrisoned Hauwei. These gunners ambushed an unwary reconnaissance team on March 12, forcing the Americans to hastily withdraw aboard supporting U.S. Navy Patrol Torpedo (PT) boats.
One day later a larger group of cavalrymen returned to finish the job on Hauwei. By noon, aided by an M4A1 Sherman medium tank belonging to the 603rd Tank Company, U.S. troopers crushed all remaining resistance there. The last barrier island, Pityilu, fell into Allied hands on March 30 after a sharp but brief clash with its 60 defenders.
Mopping up the Admiralties took until May 18, when General Krueger finally declared an end to combat operations. Colonel Ezaki and his entire garrison had been annihilated; of the 4,400 Japanese defenders present, not one man surrendered. In this campaign the First Cavalry Division and attached units lost 326 troops killed and four missing; 1,189 Americans were wounded. Both the 2nd Squadron, 5th Cavalry and the 40th NCB received a Presidential Unit Citation for their gallantry on Los Negros.
In return, the Allies gained a superb naval anchorage as well as airfields that both supported the isolation of Rabaul and helped enable SWPA's next advances across New Guinea. MacArthur's bold gamble in the Admiralty Islands also hastened another, more personal victory.
On March 12, with events on Los Negros progressing satisfactorily, the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C., sent a radiogram to SWPA General Headquarters. Pleased by General MacArthur's gains in the Admiralties, the Joint Chiefs finally authorized his armies to invade Mindanao. It was an emotional moment for the supreme commander—he could soon fulfill his solemn promise to millions of Filipino people. MacArthur was returning to the Philippines.
Patrick J. Chaisson is a retired U.S. Army officer and historian from Scotia, New York. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Mr. Steven C. Draper and the staff of the First Cavalry Division Museum at Fort Hood, Texas, in the preparation of this article.
Top Ad Space
Top Ad Space 2
There are moments in military history that forever alter the flow of human events. Times when the very landscape appears to shift. In the annals of military history magazines, this is one of those moments.
It changed the world more than any other single event in history. There have been countless thousands of published works devoted to all or of it. But there's NEVER been anything like THIS before.
WWII Quarterly, the hardcover journal of the Second World War that is not available in bookstores or on newsstands, and can only be obtained and collected through a personal subscription through the mail.
Soviet Russia's Rugged T-34 Tank
World War II British Submarine Operations in the Pacific
Ordnance: Boeing B-29 Superfortress Game Changer
Weapons: Confederate Submarine H. L. Hunley
Weapons: WWII PT Boats
Middle Ad Space
Soldiers: Edward O.C. Ord
Soldiers: Casimir Pulaski
Soldiers: Quanah Parker
Band of Brothers' Buck Compton: One Man's Call of Duty
Bottom Ad Space
Soldiers: A Forgotten Hero
Profiles: ROTC Success
The Soviet Invasion of Manchuria led to Japan's Greatest Defeat
Pearl Harbor Attack Cover-up
The U.S. Navy's Seabees: Bulldozing a Road to Victory
USS Nevada's Run to the Sea
Warfare Topics
The Battle of Waterloo
© 2019 Sovereign Media
6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite A-100 McLean, VA 22101


H001581 MG34/42 HOT BARREL REMOVAL PAD. (Heiß Gewehrlauf Polster für MG34/42)
BACKGROUND: Among other restrictions, the Treaty of Versailles banned Germany from developing any type of general purpose machine gun. To circumvent this, German development of an all purpose machine gun was secretly being done in Switzerland in the early 1930's. By 1934 designer Louis Stange of the Rheinmetall armaments factory had made improvements to the secret machine gun developed in Switzerland and the MG34 was introduced as an all purpose selective fire weapon. In spite of the relatively high production cost, the MG34 was accepted by the HwaA, Heereswaffenamt, (Army Ordnance Office), a subsection of the OKH, Oberkommando des Heeres, (High Command of the Army), that was responsible for testing, evaluation and eventual issue of all ordnance and deliveries of the MG34 began in 1936. In 1937 due to the high cost and manufacturing time of the MG34 development began on another general purpose machine gun which utilized stamped and pressed components making it cheaper and quicker to produce. Further developments resulted in the introduction of the MG42 general purpose machine gun in late 1941. Of Note: With a rate of fire of roughly nine hundred rounds per minute, the MG34 was a formidable weapon with automatic and semi-automatic firing capabilities and production continued even after the cheaper and higher rate of fire, (1,500 rpm), MG42 was introduced. Both the MG34 and the MG42 were manned by a three person crew with one individual being designated the "#1 gunner". The gunner was equipped with a specific, gunner's belt pouch which carried special tools and accessories for the weapons and included a hot barrel removal pad. Due to the high cyclical rate of fire of up to nine hundred rounds per minute for the MG34 and fifteen hundred rounds per minute for the MG42 both weapons had the capability of actually melting their barrels. As a result both the MG's were designed with a quickly detachable barrel and came equipped with replacement barrels with specific spare barrel carrying cases and cloths or mittens to protect the operators hands when removing the heated barrels.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Roughly, 16cm x 13cm, coarsely woven, dual-layered, grey fabric pad with machine stitched outer seams, for removing hot MG barrels. The pad has two diagonally angled rows of reinforcement stitching running to the opposing corners of each side creating a large, "X". One side of the pad has a machine stitched on, white canvas, loop to secure the pad to the user's hand. Scarce.
GRADE **** PRICE $359.00


Urban Spaces
Shona's Resort
Project: Tourist
Construction Area: 1.105 m² / 11.890 sqft
Location: Koraalspechtweg, Curacao
Hotel Boutique 610
A new Classic Building in the downtown of Oranjestad, expanding a family home with historical memory, seeks to revitalize the sector with the beauty of Aruba's own architecture.
Its six rooms and open spaces such as the Salon Cafe on the Ground Floor and the Open Terrace on the top-level aim to provide a new, closer and more intimate experience with its visitors and guests.
Project: Tourist.
Construction Area: 412 m² / 4.433 sqft
Location: Oranjestad, Aruba
Jandi Resort
On a lot with three existing apartments, the new owner starts his business as a Mini Resort. The reforms to optimize the internal and external spaces were a real challenge with a tight budget under the clear and precise directions of the client.
Location: Cas Grandi, Curacao
Beach Bar La Mar
In a privileged area in the south of the island, a few meters from Baby Beach, this proposal arises in a place that seeks to reactivate the memory of an old local business with an architectural discourse appropriate to the environment.
Location: San Nicolas, Aruba
Recreational Complex La Lagunita
Complex that contains two diametrically opposed concepts. The recreational areas are developed with the premise of maintaining maximum contact with nature, while in the cabin areas it is intended to recreate the concept of city.
Construction Area: 9.450 m² / 101.682 sqft
Location: San Francisco, Venezuela
Luz de Luna Inn
Inn that is projected on an old farm. It is conceived as a place for meditation and rest; the low environmental impact, balance and harmony are integrated with buddhist metaphors as a philosophy that generates the concept. The Noble Eightfold Path.
Location: Chichiriviche, Venezuela
Itam Hotel
Project on the shoreline of Lake Maracaibo where the city, the lake and the bridge are the molders of the concept.
A dense city hotel that disintegrates in the lake.
Construction Area: 4.200m² / 45.192 sqft
About | Privacy Policy
2B1 Architects ® All Rights Reserved


Squeeze to Release New Recordings of Their Classic Hits With Spot the Difference
As teenagers on the South London Scene in the 1970s, teenage friends Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook formed Squeeze, the pioneering UK band that saw them dubbed 'The New Lennon and McCartney." Championed early on by the Velvet Underground's John
Emusician
As teenagers on the South London Scene in the 1970s, teenage friends Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook formed Squeeze, the pioneering UK band that saw them dubbed 'The New Lennon and McCartney." Championed early on by the Velvet Underground's John Cale, who produced their debut EP, Packet Of Three," Squeeze established their position as one of Britain's most beloved bands with 1979's Cool For Cats, setting off a career that would spawn decades and produce hits in the UK and abroad.
Now, some 35 years later, Squeeze have re-recorded 14 of their classic tracks for Spot the Difference, an album of all their classic hits re-recorded in a way so painstakingly faithful to the originals that they challenge you to spot the difference.. The album will be released August 3 in the US through Anchor and Hope Music. The quality of these "new" tracks cements the band's legacy, not only serving as a reminder of how great those songs were but how compelling they sound today.
Along with Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, Squeeze was one of the UK New Wave scene's few US success stories, with "Tempted" (which appears on Spot The Difference, with Paul Carrack reprising his vocal) becoming a massive hit in the States. Albums like Argybargy and the Elvis Costello-produced East Side Story led to a spate of UK hit singles which made their way to discerning music fans in the States: "Pulling Mussels from a Shell," "If I Didn't Love You," "Black Coffee In Bed," "Up The Junction," "Goodbye Girl" and others.
As befits one of the UK's most beloved acts, their witty, kitchen-sink lyricism and clever takes on modern relationships continue to influence current artists such as Mark Ronson, Kasabian, Lily Allen and Razorlight, to name just a few. Squeeze's impressive catalog, with its evergreen, universal appeal, sounds as vibrant as ever on Spot the Difference, with new fans and old flocking to the band's live shows.
Chris Difford's lyrics and Glenn Tilbrook's music have survived everything over the years, from the ever-changing musical landscape to their own internal reshuffles and acrimonious breakups - but Squeeze is here to stay, still going strong and still loving every moment.
Squeeze will be kicking off the US Tour in July with Cheap Trick, followed by dates with the English Beat.
Spot the Difference Track listing
1. Take Me I'm Yours
2. Slap And Tickle
3. Up The Junction
4. Goodbye Girl
5. Cool For Cats
6. Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
7. Another Nail In My Heart
8. Tempted
9. Is That Love
10. Labelled With Love
11. Black Coffee In Bed
12. Hourglass
13. Some Fantastic Place
14. Loving You Tonight
Squeeze US Tour 2010 - with Cheap Trick
* Squeeze dates only
Fri 9th Columbus, OH @ LC Outdoor Amphitheatre
Sat 10th Highland Park, IL @ Ravinia Festival
Sun 11th Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
Tue 13th New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Wed 14th Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
Fri 16th Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center
Sat 17th Guilford, NH @ Meadowbrook Pavilion
Sun 18th New Brunswick, NJ @ State Theater
Tue 20th Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre*
Squeeze US Tour 2010 - with the English Beat
Wed 21st Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
Thurs 22nd Minneapolis, MN @ Zoo Amphitheatre
Sat 24th Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
Sun 25th Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater
Tue 27th Las Vegas, NV @ Crown Theater
Wed 28th Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre
Fri 30th Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery
Sat 31st Napa, CA @ Uptown Theatre
Sun 1st San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
Thu 5th Seattle @ Showbox at the Market*
Sat 7th Niagara Falls, NY @ Seneca Falls Casino*
Dim Mak Releases Greatest Hits 2016
AES Study: Research Finds Audible Differences With High-Resolution Audio
NAMM 2013 Gino's Hits
Gold Panda Set to Release Debut Album, Tour With Autolux
Grouplove to Release Debut EP in January, Tour With The Joy Formidable
Rob Thomas to Release New Album
The Black Crowes Re-Release Classic Albums
ARP Plays Select Shows With Caribou in Support of New Album, The Soft Wave


How will Eagles handle setbacks in the secondary?
As the weeks have passed and the rigors of another NFL regular season present themselves, the Eagles secondary continues to absorb punches. From losing Rodney McLeod for an entire season, to bumps and bruises to Corey Graham and now the uncertainty now surrounding the return of Sidney Jones, what was once a unit boasting depth is now being tested in that area more than ever. The Birds' were able to get by against the Giants, but the injury to Sidney Jones may spark a few more changes.
The Eagles reverted to playing more two-safety looks, which is something that had been lost in the storm in recent weeks. No longer were cornerbacks left on an Island 8-yards way from the ball and instead, with comfort and help over the top, they were able to play much closer to the line of scrimmage. The downside was that the Safeties in play were on a different kind of lifeline.
"Certainly wasn't ideal because we were — I mean, that's sort of what we had, and being on a short week, even though we had only done walk-through and stuff like that, he was the guy that we had gotten up to speed right there." Jim Schwartz told reporters. :Then we lost Jalen Mills for a play and [S] Tre [Sullivan] went in at safety, so it's literally a situation where it's all hands on deck in a game like that. Whatever it takes to get through you have to do. That's where we were with it. Not ideal going forward but, you know, we'll make the best of what we have each week."
Moving forward, the Eagles will have to make an interesting decision. Avonte Maddox has gone from an underdog rookie who didn't play a single defensive snap for the opening games, to a starting safety and being named the team's sixth-captain in what feels like the blink of an eye. The question is, would they move Maddox back down into the slot, or leave him over the top where he's racked up 10 tackles in two games? We got a taste of what that may look like against the Giants and it's safe to say that his defensive coordinator was beyond impressed.
"I really have to take my hat off to [CB] Avonte Maddox the most on that because he had the most on his plate not only as a safety but then having to go in and [play] nickel without taking any reps there, just all mental reps and had a big part of us winning that game, his ability to perform and execute the defense."
The Eagles have to figure out which combination works best. If Maddox moves down to the slot, it would likely mean that even if Corey Graham returns, Rasul Douglas would be moving up to the Free Safety spot. Douglas finally got his taste of safety experience last game and it shouldn't come as a surprise.
However if they opt to keep Maddox at Safety, then Douglas would be playing in a position of slight unfamiliarity. At 6'2, the young corner is a little tall to be stacked up in the slot and is much more of a natural threat on the outside or around the ball. It will be interesting to see how Schwartz broaches this situation.
The wildcards are of course names like Tre Sullivan (who also got his feet wet last week) and Deiondre Hall who was acquired by the team in week two, but is yet to experience a snap in midnight green on defense. The recently-signed Dexter McDougle was once a strong contender to win the nickel role and his return may just give Schwartz the confidence to move some pieces around, knowing there's emergency cover. The only reason McDougle was cut by the Eagles was to make way for veteran linebacker Dannell Ellerbe who was needed to urgently replace the injured Jordan Hicks.
Instant analysis: Eagles bring back a familiar defensive back to patch secondary wounds
Despite a wobbly start to the season and a whole new level of adversity, Schwartz remains confident in his group and that says all you need to know.
"We're still a work in progress there. Let's not give us any gold stars yet. We've got a long way to go." The Super Bowl champion Defensive Coordinator explained. "But I think all those guys are serious about their craft. They all work really hard. [Eagles defensive backs coach] Cory [Undlin] and [Eagles safeties coach] Tim [Hauck] do a great job of getting those guys ready. There is a lot of pride in their group. I've said a bunch of times, it's not about the individual performance when it comes to our defensive line. I say the same thing with all of our position groups, but our secondary is an especially tight group. They do things together, they really take an all for one, one for all mentality and that serves them well."
Schwartz faces a tricky decision that carries a heavy domino effect over the coming days and how he approaches it may well dictate the success of the defense on Sunday when the team meet Carolina in week 7.
Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Faria | 26 mins ago


Pens Points
Pens Points: Improved Isles a Big Challenge for Pens
Duper a game-time decision tonight. Bennett started skating, return to full practice 7-10 days away. Leafs fans continue hurling jerseys to protest the early-season struggles. Can they lure Mike Babcock to Toronto?
By Natasha66 Oct 18, 2014, 12:19pm EDT
Share All sharing options for: Pens Points: Improved Isles a Big Challenge for Pens
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Happy Saturday everyone! Sitting through endless karate practices and French classes, so I thought I'd get you caught up with all the news before tonight's clash with the New York Islanders.
Saturday night game against the Isles and nobody is yawning or making other plans. The Isles became good in a hurry this offseason, and even down Mikhail Grabovski they will be a formidable opponent for the Pens tonight and all season. Should they win tonight, the Isles would start the season 5-0-0 for the first time in franchise history.
After years of bleeding cash while owning them, Charles Wang made his money selling the Islanders for $485 million after acquiring them for $187 million.
After getting hit by a 75 mph puck in the back of his neck, scaring the heck out of everyone and getting stretchered off the ice, Super Duper has truly shown his superhero powers by returning to the ice on the very next morning. He is a game-time decision for tonight.
Dupuis revealed that he indeed lost feeling in his extremities following impact but that the whole scary protocol was due to the medical staff taking every precaution and Geno yelling at him to not move and lie on the ice. You don't mess around when the big guy yells at you.
If Duper can't go, we might see more of Blake Comeau up with Geno and Suttsy, while Ebbett would presumably fill in on the fourth line.
Beau Bennett has started skating, and although there is no firm timetable for his return to the lineup, the latest estimate is that he could begin practicing in 7-10 days.
James Neal scored his first goal as a member of the Nashville Predators. It was a fluky one, but a goal's a goal. With the Preds set to host the 2016 NHL All Star Game, will he get to participate in it again? Once he looked like a perennial All Star. We'll see if that comes to pass.
The Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs are playing a home-and-home set on Friday/Saturday. Friday night in Toronto the Wings crushed the Leafs 4-1 with Henrik Zetterberg assisting on all 4 goals. Another Leafs jersey found its way to the ice. This is becoming an epidemic of disenchantment, so no wonder that all the talk was centered around the future of Mike Babcock and if he might end up in Toronto.
As the series shifts back to Detroit tonight, here is a fond remembrance of times spent at the a Joe Louis Arena, which will be demolished to make space for area development as part of the city of Detroit bankruptcy settlement. Always sad when that happens, but better loved, well used, and remembered for its rich history than built for a snazzy event and never used by local communities like all those venues in Beijing and Sochi.
Should a goalie get back-to-back starts? An age-old dilemma in the NHL, especially for teams with capable back-ups. Give them a chance.
Back to tonight's matchup. Sid is the first Penguin to score a goal in each of the first 3 games of a season. Also, his career assist total currently stands at 498, and it would be awesome if he could make it a nice round number tonight. Go Pens!


Home » Music » Keke Palmer: Reverse Psychology
Keke Palmer: Reverse Psychology
Posted on 13 September, 2016 Author cheatbook
At age 21, Keke Palmer is the youngest actress and the first African-American to portray Cinderella on Broadway, having established herself as one of the fastest rising stars of her generation. Her talents span film, television, and music alike, recently making TV history as the youngest talk show host. "Just Keke" premiered in June on BET and covers topics ranging from pop culture and social issues to relationships, fashion and celebrity interviews. Most recently, Keke guest starred in the second season of Showtime's Emmy-nominated series "Masters of Sex." She also starred opposite Cicely Tyson, Blair Underwood and Vanessa Williams in Lifetime's "A Trip to Bountiful," which was also nominated for an Emmy Award. Her credits also include, Akeelah and the Bee, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Joyful Noise, Shrink, The Longshots, The Cleaner, Nickelodeon's "True Jackson, VP," "90210," "Cold Case," "Law & Order: SVU," "ER," the DirecTV miniseries "Full Circle" and Lifetime's TLC biopic "CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story." In addition to her acting, Keke has been hard at work in the music studio recording her new album. Keke also believes in giving back to the community, representing The Boys & Girls Club of America, Saving Our Daughters and Embrace Girls Foundation.
Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer is an American actress, singer, songwriter, presenter and television personality. Palmer was born in Harvey, Illinois and raised in Robbins, Illinois. After Palmer's film debut, Palmer and her family moved to California to help her pursue a career in acting. Palmer released her debut album, So Uncool, on September 18, 2007 through Atlantic Records. The album failed to chart on the US Billboard 200 but did chart at number 85 on the R&B chart. The album was preceded by the lead single "Keep It Movin'". Apart from her work in music, Palmer is also a recognized actress. She made her acting debut in the 2004 film Barbershop 2: Back in Business and rose to prominence in 2006 for her breakthrough role in Akeelah and the Bee as well as starring in Madea's Family Reunion.
Palmer has also starred in films such as The Longshots (2008) and Shrink (2009). In 2012, Palmer starred in four films Joyful Noise, Winx Club: The Secret of the Lost Kingdom, Ice Age: Continental Drift, and Virgin Mary. Besides films, Palmer has also starred in the television films Knights of the South Bronx (2005), Jump In! (2007), and Rags (2012) amongst others. Palmer has also had numerous television roles including the lead role in Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, VP. Palmer earned $20,000 per episode of True Jackson, VP, which made her the fourth highest-paid child star on television. She is currently a series regular on Scream Queens, a horror-camp television show, which debuted on the Fox Network on September 22, 2015. Wikipedia®
Keke Palmer: Reverse Psychology (Official Video)
Keke Palmer: Reverse Psychology Lyrics:
Category: Music Tag: Keke Palmer, Music
Previous PostThe Final Station Trainer
Next PostDead Rising Trainer


Life Arts 3/24/2017 at 15:05:41 H4'ed 3/24/17
Breslin and Berry, two originals: RIP
By Bob Gaydos (Page 1 of 1 pages) (View How Many People Read This) No comments
Chuck Berry and Jimmy Breslin, a pair of pioneers
(Image by deadline.com) Details DMCA
By Bob Gaydos
A brief look at a few of the significant stories of the week just past:
Jimmy Breslin died. He was 88. And a pioneer. If you're a New Yorker of a certain age -- at least in your 30s, but especially 50-plus -- you know the name and you remember the words. The quintessential big city columnist. Bold, brassy, tender, sarcastic, funny, biting, egotistical, fearless and relentless. For decades, his columns in The Herald-Tribune, Daily News and Newsday were the heart and soul and voice for millions of readers. I began reading his sports columns as a teenager with the Trib and followed him to the News and Son of Sam. I carried his philosophy of bringing a sports columnist's approach to writing about life in general when I left college -- where I was a sports editor -- and got a job as a police reporter. Don't focus on the score. Find the real story. Write it like a novel. Breslin had ego and attitude and an uncanny instinct for people. And he could write like hell. He pegged a fellow New Yorker famously known as the Donald as a phony who played the media ("the plural of mediocre," Breslin wrote) like a fiddle and used other people's money to con still others out of theirs. "A white Al Sharpton,'' Breslin once called him. I ran into Sharpton when I was writing editorials in Middletown, N.Y., and he was loudly defending 15-year-old Tawana Brawley against non-existent rapists in Dutchess County, across the Hudson. Fake news is not a new phenomenon. You can look it up. "30," Jimmy.
Chuck Berry died. He was 90. He was rock 'n' roll before it became rock, acid rock, punk rock and whatever other kind of rock legions of Berry wannabees dreamed up. He created the beat, the attitude and the philosophy that spoke to 1950s teenagers looking for a music of their own. "Sweet LIttle Sixteen," "Johnny B. Goode" and "Roll Over Beethoven" were upbeat, hard-driving and unlike anything previous generations had claimed as theirs. Irresistible. Plus, you could understand every word he sang and he could play the hell out of the guitar. Another pioneer. Check him out on YouTube, youngsters.
Shaquille O'Neal said the Earth is flat. The NBA Hall of Famer is known to be a jokester, but he's apparently serious about this. He says his proof is that when he drives from Florida to California his car does not go up and down 360 degrees. And, sorry, Mr. Einstein, Shaq's not convinced about that gravity theory either, even though something made his free throws fall far short of the basket. The flat-Earth theory is gaining traction among NBA players, which may be a commentary on so many of its stars coming out of college too early or not even going to college. Or it may simply be a sign that it's not just fans, but even the players are getting bored with the lack of meaningful games. Maybe if the stars played in all the games when they're healthy it would prompt more interest -- and less resentment -- among fans who pay hefty prices to see them sit on the bench. Put a round ball in your hands, dribblers, and stop thinking the sun rises and sets on your command.
FBI Director James Comey told a congressional committee in a televised hearing that there was no evidence that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped the residence of his successor, despite that successor's repeated claims to the contrary. Comey also testified that the FBI is investigating possible contacts between the current president's campaign aides and the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign with the goal of influencing the outcome in favor of the current president. Republicans in Congress appeared to be most concerned with how this possibly treasonous behavior came to be public knowledge. There was also no indication that the current president would apologize to his predecessor for falsely accusing him of a federal crime. Stay tuned.
Breslin would say I buried the lead. Not this week.
Bob Gaydos Social Media Pages:
Bob Gaydos is a veteran of 40-plus years in daily newspapers. He began as police reporter with The (Binghamton, N.Y.) Sun-Bulletin, eventually covering government and politics as well as serving as city editor, features editor, sports editor and (more...)
Related Topic(s): Al Sharpton; Breslin; Chuck Berry; Columnist; Congress; Fbi Director James Comey; Hell; Music; President; Readers; (more...) Republican; Rock; Shaq; Writing, Add Tags (less...)
It's time to un-dumb America
Look at me, would you believe 'the picture of health'?
Falling in love with squats, sort of
For shame, America, for shame
On acting my age, whatever that means
Alt-Right: A trumped-up label for bigots
"Fascinating, eye-opening, and extraordinary, Rob Kall's Bottom Up: Tapping the Power of the Connection Revolution explores the emerging paradigm of our age -- bottom-up thinking -- connecting an enormous range of disciplines and topics from systems, chaos, and complexity theories to the evolving role of technology in our lives. Not merely a cogent exposition of contemporary thinking, however, Bottom Up extrapolates from abstract ideas to derive practical, everyday steps we can take to improve our chances of global survival, peace, and prosperity. Following Rob's lead, we can change habits as individuals to deepen our connection with others across the planet."
Wendell Potter, former health insurance executive, co-author of Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It, and Founder of Tarbell.org


BECKO Shares New Single and Video "Darkest Days" Produced by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park
Pioneering trap metal artist Becko has shared his hard hitting new single "Darkest Days," produced by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park fame, live on Twitch as part of his fan-fueled artist development series #ShinodaProduceMe. "Darkest Days" is a genre-bending anthem which focuses on escaping from our darkest times in life, discovering our true self, and coming out stronger on the other side.
"This track is my best yet," says Becko. "I've put it all out there. All I know of music, life… everything. Mike Shinoda is one of my biggest overall inspirations and helped shape me into the artist I am today."
"I've had a lot of fun producing so many new, upcoming artists on Twitch, and Becko was definitely a standout," says Shinoda on the collaboration. "I'm excited for the song's release, and to see what he does in the coming years."
Becko
Darkest Days
FiXT Radium
Previous articleALIEN WEAPONRY Reveals Charging New Single "Hatupatu" and Official Music Video
Next articleExclusive Premiere: SATELLITE CITI's New Music Video "Reaper"
Bobaflex Is Officially Disbanding
AUGUST BURNS RED Shares Reimagined Version of "Extinct by Instinct (Reprise)"
LIVING DEAD GIRL Announces Pre-Orders for Exorcism Debut and Reveals Album...


Music » The Hum
Happy Merry
Xmas shows, plus the usual rock, jazz, punk etc.
by Bob Doran
Cast of A Very Playhouse Christmas. Photo courtesy of Arcata Playhouse.
There are 12 shopping days until Xmas, but don't start counting those partridges yet, not unless you're part of the Christmas bird count. The "Twelve Days of Christmas" you hear about in song start on Christmas Day and run until Epiphany (the day the wise guys came to call).
What with the proximity to the big day, the entertainment is rolling into full holidaze mode, with diminishing club action amid dancing mice and visions of sugarplums. (What other time of year do people attend ballet performances?)
Up at the Van Duzer Friday, they have *Tomáseen Foley's A Celtic Christmas,*with Xmas stories and all sorts of Irishness — pennywhistles, stepdancing, you get the picture. Unfortunately, Riverdance has permanently spoiled Irish dancing for me, and I can't hear a pennywhistle without thinking of those horrid Irish Spring soap commercials.
I'm thinking A Very Playhouse Christmasmay be more my speed. If you haven't heard about it, it's a holiday-themed music/comedy review going into its second (and final) weekend at the Arcata Playhouse. The director is David Ferney, who runs the Playhouse wtih his wife, Jackie Dandeneau, who is one of three stars of the show. David explains that it's a direct result of Jackie's feelings for the holiday season.
"Jackie loves everything about Christmas," David told me, admitting that he just kind of likes it. "And she's always wanted to do a Christmasy show."
In the show, Jackie is Mrs. O.R. Ganize, an obsessive/compulsive type who organizes a Christmas show with help from her aerobics instructor Babbette LeJoie (Elizabeth Masters), an '80s New Jersey type who David describes as "over-the-top bubbly." Dell'Arte vet Tyler Olsen plays Mr. S.K. Rooge IX, who, as you might guess, is the Scrooge-ish anti-Xmas foil, in this case one who's intent on a politically correct holiday. The interactions of the trio provide a framework for slapstick, silliness and songs, with the always-amazing Tim Randles at the keyboard providing soundtrack and backing. They've also worked in a collection of guests including Tara Caraiso, Sarah Cory, Lewis Armin-Hoiland, theBlue Lake Children's Choir and the Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir. (The AIGC will be at the Playhouse Friday night; they're also singing on the Arcata Plaza earlier for Arts! Arcata. And they have their own holiday show in at the Presbyterian Church in Eureka Saturday evening.) The always enchanting Lila Nelson is in the Playhouse show Saturday. Just confirmed for the Sunday matinee, "the lovely and talented Beti Trauth" (David's words), who saw the review last weekend and was recruited on the spot. Come early or stay late for eggnog, hot cider and cookies.
The lovely, talented and tattooed alt. chanteuse Universalia Jane writes: "Jane here to let ya know that we (Universalia Jane and the Jet Set) are playing the Logger Bar with Tanuki (Tanuki is playing last) on the 15th of December. It will start directly after the Dell'Arte holiday show, The Hunting of the Snark, which probably, means around 9:30-ish." I've heard good things about Dell'Arte's musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's strange nonsense poem and about Deric's new band Tanuki. And Jane is just plain great. The combination should make for a fine Saturday night.
More seasonality: The theatrical folks fromShake The Bard are taping Static and Starlight: A Holiday Radio Show by Tim McDermond at the Accident Gallery Friday and Saturday. If you miss it or want to relive the experience, tune to KGOE (1480 AM) or KKDS (97.7 FM) on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 4 p.m.
The Pearl Lounge celebrates its second anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 15, with a performance by the band that opened the place, Humboldt Time with Michael Curran on drums, Jim Wilde guitar, Sam Maez trumpet, Jimmy Durchslag trombone and Geoff Daugherty bass. If you haven't heard of them and can't figure it out from the array of instruments, Humboldt Time is a jazz band. They also play the night before at Cecil's. "The world tour," says Michael, who's feeling just fine a year after heart surgery laid him low.
Since entertainment at the Pearl veers from jazz to alt. rock to DJ dance music, the second anniversary weekend also includes a Friday night party with DJ Danny and Zanapod.
More jazz? Are you a player? The Graves hosts another Sunday Open Jazz Jam Session on Dec. 17 (starting at 2 p.m.) with a core trio, Al Macy on piano, Shao Way Wu bass, Simon Lucas drums and whoever else shows up. (They're looking for vocalists in particular.)
If you're a fan of the Compost Mountain Boys and have been jonesing for the return of their once-a-month bluegrass-Thursday at Humboldt Brews, well this is it. They're back Dec. 13.
Friday at Humboldt Brews, it's a new band, Humboldt Buds (new name anyway) with master guitar jammer Rubin Diaz, his old friend from Tunesmiths Tim Stretton on keys and a rhythm section with Marty Holland on bass and Mike Meyers on drums.
Saturday Humboldt Brews jumps to another genre with a show featuring the fine local world beat/hip hop/funk fusion band WoMama with special guests Bloco Frimeza adding a spicy taste of samba.
I got a couple of reminders about that show, one from WoMama frontman Jesse Jonathon and another from Bloco drummer Melody Walker. Melody was worried that I was "offended by [her] uppityness" last week re: the trouble at Muddy's (I wasn't) and says she's resigned to an end to music at Muddy's. "Now I'm trying to think of more creative long-term solutions to the ultimate problem of a lack of venues (esp. all-ages) in Arcata, and where the hell the Menstruals will wander along to now." And she wanted me to know about her senior recital this Thursday at Fulkerson Recital Hall (at 5 p.m.). "I'm doing a mix of classical art song and opera, and South Indian classical, plus a pre-looped presentation of Meredith Monk's 'Panda Chant II.' In the second half of the recital I will be joined by AkaBella and then Bloco Firmeza to do some folkloric singing and playing." Eclectic enough for you?
Anna Banana Hamilton celebrates her 60th birthday Saturday at the Riverwood Inn, singing and rabble rousing with her band The Wild Cattahoulas, named for a breed of dogs that interbred with wolves. Joining in for the fun, local folkies The Hohstadts and SoHum swingers Off the Charts. Happy birthday Anna! (Are you still mad at me?)
Along with an announcement of Saturday's show at the Mateel, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (see calendar section for details), the Mateel sent along a teaser for next year's events, among them a Feb. 8, blast of psychedelic wildness from George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic. Tickets are on sale now.
Now that The Common Vice have moved on from 19th century rock opera, bandleader Lord Brett Baily (of Que La fame) is celebrating the release of a Victorian Modesty as Performed by The Common Vice CD with a gala event at the Jambalaya Friday night (post-Arts! Arcata). They invite you to "party like it's 1899." And as noted on the poster, "In addition to their gracious performance you will be astounded by the musical delights of the stately gentlemen of Strix Vega." Sounds delightful.
TheRubberneckers countdown continues: Friday's show at Big Pete's is their third-to-last performance ever. (Didn't Led Zeppelin say they'd never perform again 27 years ago?) Joining the 'Neckers for the show at Pete's is Ghostwriter, aka Steve Schecter, a country blues/punk songwriter from Oregon/Texas. I dig his song "People," from a recent album he did with Boxcar Satan. It's a bit scary, however, as he growls, "People. You can't live with 'em and you just can't kill 'em 'less you want to go to prison."
Saturday night's show at the Alibi is the last rock thing there until next year. What with this being the year of the Portland invasion, it features a doom-psyche-metal trio from the City of Roses called Paranaut along with locals Dragged by Horses. The Arcata rockers have a new album in the can. Deep in the Woods is due out on Chicago's High Wheel Records (home of Walking Bicycles) on Feb. 5, and no, it's not a new CD — it will be pressed on 180g vinyl (that's heavy) and released as an MP3 collection. (For preview tracks check the DbH MySpace.)
The Vista continues its role as home of all-ages punk and/or metal with a four-band show Thursday including This Moment In Black Historyfrom Cleveland, Kill The Switch, Sick Bitch and Instant Asshole (mostly tending toward punk). Saturday they have a more metallic lineup with Slaughterbox, Conducting From The Grave, Killgasm, Fate and Dungeon Master. In between (on Friday) it's something slightly different: a show featuring SHIM from Seattle, a band with a neo-classic rock sound and vocals that are sung rather than shouted. There's a bit of grunge in there, a touch of metal, kind of garage rocky, but not lo-fi. Since no one goes to shows without a local opener (or so I'm told) the earthy Arcata/Manila-folk/punk quartet Henpecker is also on the bill. (Not that they are not worthy in their own right.)
It's the time of year for Xmas parties. The Metro is having theirs at Six Rivers Sunday, Dec. 16, and inviting friends and supporters. Gini (the owner) notes, "Our three in-house Djs: Itchie Fingaz, DJ Red and Masta Shredda will all take turns on the tables and battle for the title of best DJ. (They've been talking about doing this since they were all hired.) God only knows what they'll come up with to play, but no matter what it's gonna be fun!" Hey, isn't that what the holidaze are all about? And as Little Jimmy from Henpecker says, "Merry Max Consumerism!" (Be careful with those credit cards.)
the Hum music


Man's best friend can be worst enemy
25 May, 2014 - 00:05 2014-05-24T15:34:13+00:00 2014-05-25T00:04:27+00:00 0 Views
Leisure Reporter
Unlike other countries, Zimbabwe does not have a Dangerous Dogs Act, and as such, there are no breeds that are illegal to keep.
In the United Kingdom, for instance, owners of killer dogs face up to 14 years in jail if their dog attacks someone, even if that attack happens in the dog owner's yard.
And after the recent legislative changes that ended decades of lax rules, it is now possible to prosecute if a dog attacks someone in the owner's home, closing a much-criticised loophole. Since 2005, 20 people in the United Kingdowm were mauled to death by dogs but the owners only faced up to two years' imprisonment.
But after the changes to the Dangerous Dogs Act, the sentence for a dog attack that leads to an injury has been increased from two to five years.
According to dangerousdogs.net, the five most dangerous dogs, in order of viciousness, are the Pitbull, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes.
In September last year, an 8-year-old child was mauled to death by two boerbull dogs in Bulawayo's Cowdray Park suburb after the pets escaped from the premises they were locked in. They escaped through an open gate while the owner of the house was parking his car.
Owner Bruce Dhliwayo was reported as having acknowledged that his dogs escaped through the gate without him noticing them and attacked two of his neighbour's children who were playing outside their home.
In April, police in Honde Valley area investigated the mysterious death of a 60-year-old man whose headless body was found lying some metres from his head, parts of whose flesh had been bitten off by dogs.
Across the country's borders, police investigations in Namibia revealed that Tendai Chiweshe — son to Judge President George Chiweshe — fell off a perimeter wall trespassing into private premises housing a tuck-shop from where he intended to purchase some petty groceries and was mauled to death by vicious dogs.
According to Namibian Chief of Police, Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga, in his desperate moment of trying to flee the charging dogs, he fell and was mauled by the vicious pets.
He was taken to Windhoek Central Hospital where he later succumbed to the injuries.
Inspector Phillip Munyaradzi, the officer-in-charge of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Canine Section, commonly referred to as "the dog section", said that all dogs can be controlled, as long as the owners of the dogs understand their behavioural traits.
"But we become worried," he said, "when members of society keep rare breeds which they have little knowledge of their history or how they should be kept, these are the dogs that become a danger to society."
He also encouraged dog owners, especially those who will not be in the know of how to train, handle and feed their dogs, to get in touch with the canine unit, which will gladly help them.
WHEN CASH BECOMES A CURSE02 Oct, 2022
South African actresses who visited Zimb...01 Oct, 2022
Arrested for lust over mother11 Sep, 2022


Home Blog Feed Lotto's Bull Charges to Safety as Mas' crashes Scare an Angry Movistar | Relegation Battle
Lotto's Bull Charges to Safety as Mas' crashes Scare an Angry Movistar | Relegation Battle
byRaúl Banqueri
We have reached the halfway point of the season and the relegation battle is tighter and more exciting than ever in 2022. The upward trajectory of Lotto Soudal and, to a lesser extent, Israel – Premier Tech is generating a lot of nervousness among other teams at risk such as EF Education-Easypost and BikeExchange-Jayco, who see themselves closer and closer to the relegation zone.
The Past Two Weeks
As you can see in the graph, Lotto Soudal is now nipping at the heels of BikeExchange and Education First, who are hovering just above the relegation zone. Back in mid-March this year, the gap was around 1200 points between Lotto and BikeExchange, with it now being a meagre 220 points (a margin easily closed by one rider in a .Pro race). Lotto has also added hundreds of points more than Movistar and Cofidis, leaving five teams in a range of less than 900 points with four months to go in a UCI calendar replete with bountiful races. After Bardet's abandonment in the Giro and the lack of scoring in the home ZLM Tour, DSM is treading water whilst the other team's below them continue to score.
The current scenario is ideal for a very exciting fight in the months of late August, September and October, when there is a high concentration of races. Unfortunately for Lotto-Soudal, the Benelux Tour, which coincided with La Vuelta and the Tour of Britain, has been cancelled this season. This is good news for teams like Movistar and BikeExchange, who have a paucity of top level riders who can score points, so overlapping races presents them with difficulties. We reiterate our comments in earlier articles, that more important than rider talent itself in the hunt for points is the participation in the races that provide the best opportunity for points – something that Lotto-Soudal adopted from the beginning of this year and certain other teams are only taking note of now.
Lotto Soudal has been the protagonist team of the last two weeks, thanks to the two victories of the impressive El Toro Arnaud de Lie in 1-day races in Belgium. However, the Belgian team is managing to score with quite a few riders at the same time. Climber Steff Cras scored 90 points between his 5th place in the Mercan'Tour Classic and 14th in the Dauphiné, while Andreas Kron scored 80 points with his podium finishes in the GP Aargau and the first stage of the Tour de Suisse. Even Caleb Ewan rode last Sunday's minor race Elfstedenronde Brugge, scoring 85 points for his 2nd place, almost twice as many points as in his Giro participation.
Arnaud De Lie (Belgium / Team Lotto Soudal) pictured during Ronde van Limburg (1.1) a one day race between Hasselt and Tongeren (202.6 KM) – Photo: Dion Kerckhoffs/Cor Vos © 2022
Israel has been able to put its bad feelings from the Giro d'Italia behind it, especially with the double of Fuglsang and Woods in the Mercan'Tour Classic. But the rider who has contributed the most to the team in the last two weeks has been Nizzolo, scoring 165 points in the four Belgian classics in which he has participated, with an outstanding 2nd place in the Heistse Pijl. The Italian sprinter has not been able to shine in the WorldTour this season after an ill-timed crash in Milano-Sanremo, but he could still be very useful for Israel by basing his calendar on smaller one-day races. That is also the strategy of the team with Sep Vanmarcke, who has deleted the Tour de France from his calendar to ride more one-day races in Belgium, Wielerflits reports.
Cofidis has overtaken Movistar in the last fortnight, although its margin with the relegation zone has diminished. As usual, the team has continued to exploit the continental calendar, with Consonni's 2nd place in the Ronde van Limburg and Jesús Herrada's 4th place in the Mercan'Tour Classic being the best results. The man who is scoring points most consistently is Belgian Piet Allegaert, who has already taken part in 24 one-day races so far this season. Although he has only been on the podium once, he has accumulated 478 UCI points, more than any DSM or EF rider.
Source – Procyclingstats.com
For its part, Movistar has again lamented a fall of Enric Mas in Dauphiné, where he should have finished in the top five of the general classification. Between his crashes in Tirreno, Itzulia and Dauphiné, Movistar have missed out on around 600 UCI points, which would have given them a lot of peace of mind in the relegation battle. Verona's stage win in the Dauphiné lifted the team's spirits, but their situation is becoming increasingly dangerous and nervousness is evident in the team. Speaking to Cycling News, general manager Eusebio Unzué described the UCI points system as "madness" and "unfair" as well as Carlos Verona deriding the points system as a "disgrace" on Facebook after his victory .
Like Movistar, DSM is seeing their gap to the relegation zone shrink rapidly. They have only scored 18 points in the last fortnight, missing a very good opportunity in the ZLM Tour, where there were only 3 WorldTeams. Two specialists like Degenkolb and Welsford failed to make it into the first echelon on the key day of the race and left virtually empty-handed. Despite being a Dutch team, they hardly run any minor races in neighbouring Belgium, but they will probably have to extend their calendar at the end of the season if they do not want to struggle in the relegation battle.
John Degenkolb (Germany / Team DSM) pictured during 33rd ZLM Tour (2.Pro) stage 5 between Made and Rijsbergen (168KM) – Photo: Dion Kerckhoffs/Cor Vos © 2022
However, the two teams in the most dangerous situation remain EF and BikeExchange. EF has overtaken BikeExchange thanks to the 250 points from the double top 10 in the Dauphiné general classification of Chaves and Guerreiro, but Vaughters' team has not participated in any race on the continental circuit in the last fortnight. On the other hand, BikeExchange continues to suffer from a lack of depth in the team, almost incapable of scoring points without Yates, Matthews or Groenewegen. Moreover, Groenewegen would have been much more useful in the Belgian classics than in a Dauphiné without flat stages, where he could not compete in any sprint for the victory.
As every fortnight, we share this interactive graphic where you can see which 10 riders contribute points for each team at risk. By clicking on the name of the team, a graph opens with the points of each rider of that particular team. As you can see below, 20 year old neo-pro De Lie, is the highest points scorer of any rider on the teams at risk.
2023 Wildcards
In the fight for the 2023 WorldTour invitations, decided by the 2022 annual ranking, Lotto Soudal and TotalEnergies remain in the two privileged positions that give access to the wildcards for the entire 2023 WorldTour calendar.
Despite TotalEnergies' two stage victories in the Dauphiné, Israel has managed to cut the margin by almost 300 points in the last two weeks. The French team will have to maintain its high level until the end of the season to secure the 2023 wildcards, as Israel seem to have changed course to focus much more on accumulating points as compared to earlier in the season. The contribution of Peter Sagan, their star signing, would be very useful for them as well.
The Next 2 Weeks (13 Jun – 26 Jun)
This week will be dominated by stage races, with four tours taking place simultaneously, plus the one-day Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge. The following week it will be the turn of the national championships. On the other hand, the Tour de Langkawi (2.Pro), which was scheduled for this week, has been postponed from 11 to 18 October, so it will be the last race of the year, along with the Tour de Guangxi (which is perhaps less likely to take place).
Races:
Tour de Suisse (2.UWT, 12/06 – 19/06) ALL
Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge (1.1, 14/06) (Israel, EF, Movistar, Cofidis)
Baloise Belgium Tour (2.Pro, 15/06 – 19/06) (Israel, Lotto, Cofidis, DSM)
Tour of Slovenia (2.Pro, 15/06 – 19/06) (BikeExchange)
La Route d'Occitanie (2.1, 16/06 – 19/06) (Israel, EF, Movistar, Cofidis)
National Championships, ITTs and Road Races (22/06 – 26/06) ALL
The Tour de Suisse will be the most important race of the fortnight, with several general classification contenders among the teams at risk. Israel needs a great general classification from Fuglsang to stay close to salvation, Lotto has Kron in very good form, while EF goes with Powless, Urán and Carthy, although they lost a bit of time in the opening stage.
Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Team EF Education – Nippo) pictured during 61st Itzulia Basque Country (2.UWT) stage 4 between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zamudio (185.6KM) – Photo: Miwa iijima/Cor Vos © 2022
The Mont Ventoux + Route d'Occitanie double is an interesting combination to score points and prepare for the Tour de France. Israel has requested an invitation at the last minute for La Route d'Occitanie and in theory Michael Woods will ride both races. Also Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) has added these two races to his programme at the last minute, under pressure to get UCI points. EF has a good option on Mont Ventoux with its climber Esteban Chaves, who arrives in top form after the Dauphiné.
Lotto Soudal will focus on the Belgium Tour with Ewan, De Lie, Campenaerts and Wellens supposed to ride, while BikeExchange will only race the Tour of Slovenia in the continental circuit, where Sobrero defends last year's podium. We are quite surprised to see an absence of other WorldTour teams at Slovenia, which offers more points than Occitanie and arguably has a weaker GC startlist in terms of depth. Of course, beating Pogacar in his home race in Slovenia is implausible, but even fourth on GC offers 100 points for just five days of racing. Even if Simon Yates was not in top shape, the race offered him a chance to prepare for the Tour de France as well as possibly finish in the top 3 on GC.
The round of National Championships in European countries will also be held prior to the Tour de France. The UCI establishes two categories for awarding points in national championships. According to the UCI regulations:
"Category A corresponds to the national championships of nations that had at least one rider starting the road race of the UCI Road world championships in the previous season. Category B corresponds to the national championships of all nations not included in Category A."
The difference in UCI points is that the A national championships award 100 points to the winner of the road race and 50 to the winner of the ITT, while the B national championships award 50 points to the winner of the road race and 25 to the winner of the ITT. However, almost all national championships of countries that have riders in the WorldTour are Category A, so in the end the same UCI points are awarded for example for the Estonian or Latvian Championships as for the Belgian or French Championships, although their levels are very different.
Among the teams in the relegation zone, Lotto Soudal will take most of its riders to the Belgian Championships, with multiple chances to win. Elsewhere, Kron will also be one of the favourites at the Danish Championships. Israel, meanwhile, can use the Israeli championships to score good points, but then their Israeli riders will have to finish in the team's top 10 at the end of the season for their points to be useful. Nizzolo in Italy, Fuglsang in Denmark and Neilands in Latvia are other options at the national championships.
In the last two years of COVID, Movistar have preferred not to take their Tour de France squad to the national championships, which takes away many of their potential options for victories. If they maintain that decision this season, they will not take riders like Gorka Izagirre, García Cortina or Aranburu to the Spanish Championships or Oliveira to the Portuguese Championships. At least Alejandro Valverde will be sure to be in the Spanish Championships, as he is not part of the Tour de France bubble.
Alejandro Valverde (ESP – Movistar) – Gorka Izagirre (ESP – Bahrain – Merida) – Omar Fraile (ESP – Astana Pro Team) pictured during Spanish Championship roadrace 2018 – photo LG/LB/RB/Cor Vos © 2018
On the other hand, Cofidis usually takes the national championships very seriously, and this year they will have good options in the French, but especially in the Spanish with Ion Izagirre, Rubén Fernández and the Herrada brothers, as well as in the German with Walscheid and Geschke.
EF, the world's most international cycling team, will be able to participate and score points in up to 14 national championships, although it will have very few riders in each of them. Their best chances will be Valgren and Cort in Denmark, Bissegger in Switzerland, Bettiol in Italy, Guerreiro in Portugal, Eiking in Norway and Healy in Ireland.
As the national championships in Australia and New Zealand have already taken place, a large part of the BikeExchange squad will not compete, but they also have good opportunities with Groenewegen in the Dutch championship, Sobrero in the Italian, Mezgec in the Slovenian and Kangert in the Estonian.
We will be back just before the Tour de France with our fortnightly update. An element of this relegation battle we will explore will be the 'points velocity' of certain teams and whether we can expect particular teams to finish the season strongly, with their top riders having an abundance of 'in-form' race days saved for the back half of the season. It is possible that the fast starters have burned through the riders too quickly but equally possible that points were more easily scored in January and February before many teams began to take the relegation risk seriously, with points being much harder to come by in September.
As always, make sure to let us know on twitter if you have any thoughts on the article or what teams could be doing differently – if you enjoyed it, share it with a friend (or a Directeur Sportif in need).
Editor's Note: This article was prepared by Raúl Banqueri with contributions from the Editor, Patrick Broe. The cover artwork is by Louemans. Raúl Banqueri is a Spanish journalist who has been tracking the UCI points system for a number of years, with the UCI often correcting their ranking to accord with his.
Pingback: WorldTour 2020-22 Team Points Ranking - Updated Daily - Lanterne Rouge
Heribert says:
Amazing article like always


Sidney Powell Was Asked By Trump's Team To Intervene In Election Outcome
(NewsGlobal.com)- The leaker from the January 6 select committee struck again last week, supplying CNN with a series of text messages between former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Republican Senator Mike Lee and between Meadows and Republican Congressman Chip Roy.
The text messages show that both Lee and Roy were making suggestions for legal and constitutional methods of challenging the electoral college votes in several states.
They also revealed that both Lee and Roy flatly opposed the crazier ideas that were floating around and the January 6 riot itself. But that wasn't the part that the American corporate media focused on.
The text messages aren't all from January 6. In one text from November 7, Senator Lee told Mark Meadows that attorney Sidney Powell was trying to see the president but is being kept away. Lee explains that Powell claimed to have a strategy to "put several states back in play," and asked Meadows if he could help her see the president.
Meadows texted back telling Mike Lee that Powell was working on that strategy "at the president's request" but added, "she's being kept out."
Lee then texted Meadows two days later saying Powell had told him Trump's campaign lawyers were "obstructing the process." In his text, Lee described Powell as a "straight shooter."
However, after Sidney Powell hijacked a campaign press conference on November 19 to float her nutty claims, Mike Lee had a change of heart.
He texted Meadows that day expressing his concern about her remarks in the press conference. He told Meadows that there was a significant "potential defamation liability" for the Trump campaign and Trump personally "unless Powell can back up everything she said, which I kind of doubt she can."
Meadows told Senator Lee that he too was concerned about it.
Like many others, Lee told Meadows he was concerned that Powell jumping the shark may be a "temptation" to stop looking into election fraud and "do nothing for now."
When Meadows told him doing nothing isn't "a good option," Lee reiterated that unless Sidney Powell can "immediately substantiate what she said today," President Trump should "disassociate himself" from her and refute all unsubstantiated claims.
Senator Lee warned that if Trump didn't do that, as someone with "deep pockets," Trump would be opening himself up to lawsuits.
While the media has tried to portray Mike Lee as being involved in the so-called "insurrection," the text messages leaked don't back that up.


STEPHANIE BALDI
Readers Favorite Five Star Review
Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite
In Redemption by Stephanie Baldi, Carrie is the victim. Her life had never been easy, starting with having a mother who abuses her and then takes away her baby boy. Next, Carrie believes that if she leaves home with Travis, all of her problems will disappear but she learns quickly that she is not much better off than being at home with her mother. Carrie steals and kills to survive life with Travis and, after years of misery, finally has the opportunity to start again. She is happy at last living with her Aunt May in a small Pennsylvania town with her new friends until the past comes back to threaten her. Enter Nick; he is both the good guy and the bad guy rolled into one. What follows will keep you reading late into the night or forgetting about your chores because you cannot put the book down without knowing what happens next.
If you like a suspenseful story that starts on page one and never ends, then you must read Redemption by Stephanie Baldi. This is a really good story that has all the elements needed to be suspenseful, romantic, mysterious and exciting with nail-biting action throughout. Stephanie Baldi has created characters that are both easy to love and hate. Carrie quickly became my friend, although I did not like Travis at all and saw Nick as both someone I really wanted to meet and, at other times, someone I really wanted to stay far away from. I highly recommend you put Redemption on the very top of your reading list – I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Talk about a page turner! The suspense of what would happen next as this well-written first novel of Stephanie Baldi unfolded kept me mesmerized.
Her intricate plot made me pay close attention to the relationships of the characters. I feel like I really know these people. Her sense of timing is just the right pace to keep you on the edge of your seat!
I am eager for the next book.I would shop this book for a television series.
Sue Medeiros
I loved this book! I became emotionally involved with the characters. The author kept coming up with interesting plot twists that were totally unexpected. Definitely not your ordinary suspense novel. Quite the page turner. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended!!
Marianne Johnson
Starting at a run-down trailer park in Arizona and moving to sweltering Melbourne, Florida, and on to the small town of Laurel, Pennsylvania. Finally ending the journey in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Stephanie takes her readers on a journey not soon forgotten.
Each destination brings the leading character, Carrie Overton, and the reader, on a trek into the dangerous world of murder, deceit, and discovery.
The main protagonist, Carrie, takes the reader on a harrowing journey. It may be argued here that many of this novel's characters are sorely in need of redemption. One may also note that very thing could be said of each of us.
Yes, indeed, In Redemption, the author introduces us to a motley crew of characters. Authentic people, each with their own agenda. True, you might not want to 'hang' with some of these folks, but you will believe they are real. And you will care about what happens to them.
This crew of characters, if not all likable sorts, all have one thing in common: They are without exception: unforgettable.
We meet Helen, a fallen woman, addicted to cocaine, Nick a former NYPD detective turned professional hit man and Ricardo, the ruthless drug lord he works for.
We meet a kid, named Will, who is seeking to escape his abusive father. Last, but hardly least, Carrie Overton, the main protagonist. A woman who from childhood has been put down and abused. Yet within her small body, beats the heart of someone who will not be conquered. A driven woman, strong, with undeniable true grit.
An unlikely heroine, Carrie is best defined by one phrase: She is not a quitter. Who would not admire such a woman?
So, do yourself a favor, take the trip with Carrie Overton. You won't be sorry. One bit of advice, clear your calendar when you pick up Redemption. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. Put the phone off the hook. Whoever interrupts your reading will likely regret it.
Claudia Rowe Kennedy
Author of A Time to Sow and A Time to Reap
Redemption is a fun read with a great cast of very interesting characters. I found myself glued to the book wondering how Nick (the Hero of the story) would deal with the powerful client Ricardo. Would Carrie escape the trap(s) set by Travis? What will happen to Ricardo's beautiful daughter Carmella? Does she really love Nick? What will happen between Nick and Carrie (ah, that is the best part!)
The story moves from the opening scene in Florida to a run-down trailer park in Arizona, to the tranquility and "safety" of a small town in the Northeast, and finishing up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The author does a great job of describing both the characters and the places. You really get to know them and how they feel.
Each chapter is from a specific characters point-of-view. One of the things I really appreciated as I read this book was the name of the particular character being listed at the beginning of each chapter.
Peter K. Johnson
Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite FIVE STARS!!!!
Reckoning is the third book in the Sicario Files Trilogy by Stephanie Baldi and a spellbinding conclusion to the series. It reads well as a standalone story for those who haven't read the first books in the trilogy, thanks to the author's ability to weave backstories into the narrative without distracting readers. Miguel Medina is determined to get his revenge for the tragic night in which Carmela Santiago was killed in Tahoe. He still bears the scar of that night on his face. The man he plans to bring down is none other than Nicholas D'Angelo, a hitman with impressive skills. Miguel's plan is sophisticated - he is not only going to kill Nick but take Natalia, Carmela's daughter. But can he bring his plan to completion given the high stakes? A fast-paced, engaging thriller filled with action. This is one of those stories that I would love to watch on the screen. The author creates two strong characters, hitmen with rich backgrounds, and writes strong motivations into them. These characters are pitted against each other and as the reader follows them from one page to the next, they are anxious to discover what happens next. The suspense is impeccably written, the internal dialogues and the streams of consciousness adding depth to plot and fleshing out the characters. Reckoning is a gorgeous treat for fans of crime thrillers; the narrative is never lacking in realism and the characters are humanly and genuinely flawed. Stephanie Baldi deftly handles conflict and explores themes of family, love, revenge, violence, and parenting in a context that is sophisticated. Reckoning is a pageturner
The Sicario Files Trilogy
Redemption Excerpt
Retribution Excerpt
Reckoning Excerpt