saints and sinners

2007-03-07T23:40:00.000-05:00

2007-03-07T23:39:00.000-05:00

2007-03-07T23:37:00.000-05:00

2006-09-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

proscan

2006-08-27T21:06:00.000-04:00

5071

myspace is foshizzle!

2006-08-16T13:18:00.000-04:00

http://www.myspace.com/dukiedave

France vs. Germany | August 12, 2006 (New York)

2006-08-06T13:30:00.000-04:00

achtung jacques, achtung!!


Location:	China One 50 Avenue B (btw 3rd & 4th St.), New York, NY View Map
When:	Saturday, August 12, 10:00pm
Phone:	(212) 375-0665
In the world of mathematics, chaos theory describes the behavior of certain nonlinear dynamic systems that under certain conditions exhibit a phenomenon known as chaos. Among the characteristics of chaotic systems is sensitivity to initial conditions, popularly referred to as the butterfly effect. Once in a while, there are events that confirm the existence of such a theory ... On Saturday August 12th, come witness the historic Franco-German birthday celebrations of Georg "Biesto turns 30" Bissen - underground deutsch DJ from New York City: http://www.djbissen.com/ and the bday / homecoming return of Julien "DanceValley" Horvath - infamous underworld frenchman from Amsterdam. Flap your wings with these euro lads at China One's decadent, cavernous, opium-smoke filled den of sin and meet your inner butterfly.

Saint Mary's Class of 1995 - 10 year high school reunion (September 2005)

2006-08-06T12:25:00.003-04:00

viva las vegas! the view of the strip from our hotel

2006-08-06T12:25:00.002-04:00

10 years later ..... some things change, but some things just stay the same. yours truly with hauet, jonno, niraj and finchy.

2006-08-06T12:25:00.000-04:00

apple garden inside the Wynn, which has the most amazing champagne brunch on sundays. biesto, al and i showed up around noon and left at about 5pm. those 5 hours till this day remain unaccounted for.

2006-08-06T12:24:00.002-04:00

the venetian

2006-08-06T12:24:00.001-04:00

2006-08-06T12:24:00.000-04:00

inside treasure island

2006-08-06T12:23:00.004-04:00

titan headquarters - treasure island

2006-08-06T12:23:00.003-04:00

caesars palace

2006-08-06T12:23:00.002-04:00

inside the venetian

2006-08-06T12:23:00.001-04:00

the paris hotel

#1 Duke marches on to Atlanta to face LSU

2006-03-22T15:45:00.000-05:00

ATLANTA - Nine Sweet 16s in a row. That has a nice sound to it. Nobody else in the country can come close to that achievement.

The good thing about Dukeâ€™s situation, as it faces a game against LSU in the Georgia Dome on Thursday, is that the Blue Devils can still play a lot better.

The last time they played in the domed stadium in Atlanta, in 2004, they defeated Illinois and Xavier to advance to Mike Krzyzewskiâ€™s 10th Final Four. If they do it again, it will be No. 11 since 1986, one year beyond the 64-team field being introduced, and a national domination that hasnâ€™t been seen since John Wooden retired at UCLA in 1975.

If there was a blessing to last week, and 10:10 p.m. starts certainly werenâ€™t it, Duke was playing in Greensboro, where it already had good memories of the seventh ACC tournament championship in eight years.

Duke's J.J. Redick named Naismith Finalist

2006-03-22T15:32:00.000-05:00

ATLANTA (AP) - Connecticut's Rudy Gay, Adam Morrison of Gonzaga, Duke's J.J. Redick and Allan Ray of Villanova have been named finalists for the 2006 Naismith Trophy as the top college basketball player in the country, the Atlanta Tipoff Club said Tuesday.

#1 Duke advances to 9th straight Sweet 16 - LSU & Big Baby Davis await

2006-03-22T15:31:00.000-05:00

GREENSBORO, N.C., March 18 â€” After watching his two freshmen starters struggle against Southern in the first round of the N.C.A.A. tournament, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski did what he had to do to beat George Washington in the second round and prepare his team for a championship run.

He put the ball back in the hands of those freshmen. Given a second chance, point guard Greg Paulus and power forward Josh McRoberts demonstrated why they are so crucial to Duke's title hopes this season.

McRoberts had 14 points and 13 rebounds in the Blue Devils' 74-61 victory over George Washington on Saturday at Greensboro Coliseum. Paulus had 10 points and 6 assists, driving the lane early, then adding some late free throws to help lift Duke into the Round of 16.

The top-seeded Blue Devils (32-3) face fourth-seeded Louisiana State (25-8) on Thursday in the Atlanta Regional semifinals.

ka-BOOM! #1 Duke Destroys #2 Texas 97-66 behind JJ Redick's career high 41 points (9 3's)

2005-12-12T17:01:00.000-05:00

Sometimes in life you get a glimpse of things which are far beyond what you can reasonably expect them to be. For us, once, it was a Junior Brown concert, where we heard a guy do things to guitars that aren't supposed to be possible, that are likely illegal in Alabama, Mississippi, and certain remote parts of Montana. But they happen sometimes, and when they do, you should be happy you are alive to see them. Take Duke's, and J.J. Redick's, performance against Texas for instance.

What can you possibly say about what J.J. Redick did to Texas? Awesome. Okay. Stunning? Sure. Phenomenal? Why not.
But a star turn like that goes beyond words, really. In the Duke pantheon, it goes down beside some incredible performances. Off the tops of our heads, we can think of Danny Ferry's 58 point game against Miami, Christian Laettner's game-for-the-ages against Kentucky, Fred Lind's legendary game against UNC, Shane Battier's performance in the 2001 title game, Jason Williams' almost singlehandly lifting Duke past Maryland when they were 10 down and with less than a minute to go.

Coach K said after the game that it was as good a performance as anyone has ever had at Duke, and while we haven't seen them all, we're guessing that's right. But it's not like it was a one-man show. If you take Redick's points out of the total, Texas would still only have won by 10. Of course, that's out of the "what-if-Eleanor-Roosevelt-could-fly" school of thought.

But Duke certainly held its own with a great rebounding team, getting 29 to 26 for Texas, and grabbing 10 steals and getting 16 turnovers overall.
Shelden Williams had a magnificent game, which was overshadowed by Redick's brilliant performance, with 23 points, six boards, six blocks, and going 7-12 from the floor and 9-10 from the line. He played hardball against a very physical front line, and at times looked as if he could shake the whole team off to get the ball. He was even more powerful than usual.
In some ways, no one had a better game than Sean Dockery, who had seven points, seven boards, two steals, and who also played sensational defense on Daniel Gibson.

And the freshmen, Greg Paulus, Josh McRoberts, and Martynas Pocius, all played well. Paulus had a very steady game, and as he has several times this season, made some remarkable passes for easy baskets. Shelden Williams must love having him on the ball.

Josh McRoberts did some very impressive things too. Everyone will remember the dunks, but what we noticed was rebounding and passing. There were three in the first half that really impressed us.

The first was at the 17:50 mark, where he couldn't quite control the rebound, so he just stuck his hand out and batted it over to (we think) Dockery.
At the 16:44 mark, he made a great outlet pass.
And at the15:33 mark, he rebounded and started the fast break himself.
He also defended well, though LaMarcus Aldridge got his. He is a really talented player, though, and he will usually get his. But it wasn't like he completely dominated the game.

At the end of the game, Billy Packer said the story of the game was that Texas didn't play up to its potential, and he was no doubt thinking of P.J. Tucker, who despite being a power player and physically superior to any of Duke's defenders, didn't spend enough time down low to satisfy Packer. He was also probably thinking of Daniel Gibson, who was hounded all afternoon by Dockery and who didn't have a particularly explosive performance.

But the bottom line is Duke played harder. Duke worked harder on defense, on rebounding, on screening for Redick, on chasing loose balls - pretty much Duke outhustled Texas across the board.

Redick's performance was for the ages, and Williams was a rock, and Dockery was relentless. But the story at the end of the day is that Duke played extraordinarily hard, and with great passion and unity.

Sean Dockery for President! Dock hits 40 footer at buzzer against Virginia Tech

2005-12-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

The nation was waiting for a moment when the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils would show they had something, anything beyond talent on paper or the ability to win one tough game on the road like their victory over Indiana on Wednesday.

People were wondering if the Devils were good ... and lucky.
Enter Duke senior guard Sean Dockery.

With Duke trailing 75-74 with 1.6 seconds left on the clock to visiting Virginia Tech on Sunday night, the senior from Chicago took a halfcourt pass on the right side from freshman Josh McRoberts, turned, dribbled and leaned into a 40-foot jumper that rattled through the basket to give the Devils a 77-75 victory.

After disengaging himself from a sellout Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd that included two of his cousins and an uncle, Dockery joked that the Devils (7-0, 1-0 ACC) have been practicing end-of-game shots all week.
"And I never hit the shot," Dockery said, "So right now, I'm like 1-for-30."
Good enough. Dockery's shot -- his 19 points were a career high -- and teammate Shelden Williams' 21-point, 19-rebound performance helped offset an All-ACC type game by Virginia Tech forward Coleman Collins.
In fact it was Collins, with a game-high 25 points on the night, who had just put the Hokies up by 1 by rebounding a miss by Zabian Dowdell and scoring on the offensive glass.

The final play was supposed to go to Williams with Dockery screening for Duke guard J.J. Redick as the second option. But when Duke associate head coach Johnny Dawkins saw how the Hokies (5-3, 0-1) were setting up on defense and leaving Dockery open, he called out to Dockery to go get the ball and take the shot.

"Johnny and Sean really combined to make a great play for us," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I'm glad I was on their bus because the one I was driving was going into the ditch."

Twilo

2005-08-09T14:19:00.000-04:00

Until its closing in 2001, Twilo was the most beloved and, its critics charged, most played-out nightclub to grace the streets of New York City since the seminal Studio 54. The gigantic "superclub" in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan regularly attracted a crowd of thousands to its warehouse-like dancefloor. Playing host to dozens of legendary DJs from around the world, the club was instrumental in popularizing international styles of house and trance music within the United States.

Twilo usually kept at least one small room open most nights of the week--it is said that in New York, the weekend begins at the close of business Tuesday--but Saturday nights, hosted by resident DJ Junior Vasquez, were by far the nightclub's busiest. In line with other superclubs like Tunnel and the Roxy, Twilo's Saturday nights were ostensibly gay-oriented but seemed to attract at least as many straight partygoers. Friday nights, by contrast, usually saw a slightly younger and more "alternative" crowd.

The clientele at Twilo was likely the most eclectic of New York's large clubs. On any given night, one could lose oneself in a sea of college students, office workers, men, women, whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, ravers, punks and even an occasional clump of goths, contributing to a frenetic energy and harmonious vibe the likes of which, according to nostalgic fans, has yet to be duplicated by any nightspot in the city. Celebrity sightings seemed to be less frequent here than at other Manhattan clubs, a fact that many Twilo regulars considered a plus.

By the end of the '90s, Twilo had become known as New York's number one nightclub, boasting a friendly atmosphere and a steady lineup of top talent. Besides Junior Vasquez, other internationally renowned DJs to spin at Twilo over the years included Richie Hawtin (Plastikman), Carl Cox, Danny Tenaglia, Jeff Mills, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul van Dyk and Sven Vath. Many of these artists made appearances at Twilo before hitting the mainstream.

While few would dispute Twilo's "king" status among New York nightclubs of the time, readers would do well to note that Twilo and its multi-floored brethren represented only a small part of the city's universe of nightclubs. Many partygoers eschewed (and continue to eschew) such gigantic clubs, preferring smaller, less crowded venues where one can hear relatively unknown artists and DJs.

Twilo had been under pressure to close from then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani ever since the launch of his controversial quality-of-life campaign. Still, the club managed to hold onto its cabaret license until early 2001, when a spate of allegations surfaced that the club's manager had misused private ambulances to hide victims of drug overdoses. That May, after a high-profile undercover drug bust, Twilo padlocked its side street entrance for the last time.
The space formerly occupied by Twilo (27th St. west of Tenth Ave.) has recently reopened as a new club called Spirit.

summer in shanghai @ park 97

2005-07-02T14:54:00.000-04:00

inside park 97 with a few of the party faithful in shanghai. that's derrick, caroline, brandon, gigi and i sharing a black label & green tea (sounds like a wierd combination but its totally killer) induced moment.

vitamin D

2005-07-02T14:51:00.001-04:00

that's my moms, denise and i, getting in some o that good ol vitamin D. i love summer in new york, its great to be able to get some sun, walk around in shorts and flip-flops after the typically frigid winter months. looking forward to the weekends on fire island beach out in long island, should be hella fun as always.

the folks in new york (summer 2005)

2005-07-02T14:51:00.000-04:00

that's my dad, denise and i on a sunny afternoon by the winter garden near lower manhattan. my folks enjoy visiting new york, they love the restaurants, broadway shows and shopping. we had a great seafood dinner at the southsea port right by my apartment overlooking the east river. we saw "fiddler on the roof" the following day, which was immensely entertaining!

my fabulous sister (age 15)

2005-07-02T14:49:00.000-04:00

denise gettin' her shwerve on with the stuff she finds in my apartment when the folks popped by for a visit this summer. if you've never met my sister, that pretty much sums up denise cheong in a nutshell.

EA SPORTS ...

2005-07-02T14:30:00.001-04:00

its in the game! that's me as memphis and as pau gasol (viva la espania!), executing a pivot move in the paint and schooling my pal lancia, who got slapped around silly the first couple days but picked it up surprising quickly after enduring multiple beatdowns.

alessandro in the city

2005-07-02T14:30:00.000-04:00

alehandro and i testing our eye-hand coordination ...

2005-04-28T19:02:00.000-04:00

"all you have to decide, is what to do with the time that is given to you."

~gandalf, lord of the rings

2005-03-14T13:19:00.000-05:00

They came in as underdogs, a No. 3 seed that was supposed to have too little depth to compete against the new powerhouse teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. When the final buzzer sounded at the 52nd ACC tournament on Sunday, the Duke Blue Devils celebrated a 69-64 victory over Georgia Tech and reclaimed their customary perch as league champions. Tournament MVP J.J. Redick scored 26 points and Shelden Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds.

2005-03-14T12:47:00.000-05:00

The Atlantic Coast Conference brought its annual tournament to the nation's capital for the first time, and this version had all the excitement of the 51 that preceded it. And when all 400 minutes of basketball were completed, there was Duke, cutting down the nets to celebrate another championship.

2005-03-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

Bird's eye view of The Gates

2005-03-01T11:30:00.001-05:00

landscape art ?

2005-03-01T11:30:00.000-05:00

"The Gates" by Christo and Jeanne-Claude | Central Park, New York City (2005)

"we're gonna need a bigger boat"

2005-02-22T17:20:00.000-05:00

http://angryalien.com/

this is the funniest shite since homestarrunner!

2005-02-22T17:18:00.000-05:00

crazies give it up for JJ

AP Top 10 (Feb. 22 - Feb. 29)

2005-02-22T13:37:00.000-05:00

1. Illinois (72)
2. North Carolina
3. Boston Coll.
4. Oklahoma St.
5. Kentucky
6. Wake Forest
7. Duke
8. Kansas
9. Arizona
10. Michigan St.

Duke, Redick, Take Down Wake Forest 102-92

2005-02-21T12:23:00.000-05:00

Duke's DeMarcus Nelson, right, shoots as Wake Forest's Eric Williams defends during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. Sunday, Feb. 20, 2005. Duke defeated Wake Forest 102-92.

2005-02-21T12:20:00.000-05:00

Duke's J.J. Redick reacts after a 3-point basket in the second half against Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. Sunday, Feb. 20, 2005. Redick scored a team-high 38 points as the Blue Devils defeated the Demon Deacons, 102-92.

Duke, Accepted Everywhere ...

2005-02-12T15:26:00.000-05:00

Heinikens at Proof: $18
Cab uptown to Brother Jimmy's Bait Shack: $10
Coronas at Brother Jimmy's: $20

Duke upsetting #2 North Carolina 71-70: Priceless.

2005-02-10T13:56:00.000-05:00

But whatever. Duke is in a tremendous situation, and after being picked to finish fourth in the ACC, and then suffering all the injuries and having no bench...what can you say? Well, Nate James said it best: It's all about heart. Duke has more heart.

2005-02-10T13:55:00.000-05:00

Daniel Ewing (top) weaves through the UNC defense to put up an acrobatic layup. Sean Dockery, Ewing and Duke's other perimeter defenders limited UNC to 33.3 percent shooting in the first half.

2005-02-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

All-ACC PG Raymond Felton gets a warm welcome from the Cameron Crazies.

Crazies Bring Devils Home!

2005-02-10T01:01:00.000-05:00

Every once in awhile, you go to a game that reminds you just what is so great about college basketball. The fact that UNC usually is on the losing end is purely coincidental.

Cameron was electric Wednesday night. The Crazies were in rare form, the noise was overwhelming, the carnival was in full force. And then the game started.

Cameron Classic! Duke Edges Carolina 71-70

2005-02-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Rashad McCants drove for a layup in the final minute and brought North Carolina within a point. The basket was significant for another reason -- it was the only fast break points of the game for either team. "We were fortunate that we were able to get back and not commit too many turnovers where they had runs," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We committed turnovers, but they didn't have runs where they had the numerical advantage." By keeping the game almost entirely in the halfcourt, the Blue Devils and their vaunted defense simply were too much for North Carolina. J.J. Redick scored 18 points, freshman DeMarcus Nelson added 16 and Duke forced 23 turnovers to hold off the second-ranked Tar Heels 71-70 Wednesday night.

North Carolina squandered a chance to win in the final seconds, never getting a shot off after inbounding with 18 seconds left. David Noel dribbled the ball out of bounds just as the buzzer sounded and the Cameron Crazies raced onto the court, celebrating the Blue Devils' 15th victory in the past 18 games in this Tobacco Road rivalry. "It seemed like a long time, and I was just hoping that that clock went down before they got a shot off," Nelson said. "We played some great defense, and we made them try to do something that they weren't ready for." Ewing finished with 15 points and helped the Blue Devils (18-2, 8-2) move into a first-place tie with North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake Forest trails both by one-half game. Duke (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today; No. 7 AP) finished 21-of-22 from the free throw line and made 10 3-pointers. All but one of the Blue Devils' baskets in the second half were 3s -- only a layup by Nelson with about 10 minutes left came from inside the arc.

Instead of running with the Tar Heels, Duke held the ball on many possessions, milking time and letting Redick, Nelson or Daniel Ewing drive in the waning seconds of the shot clock. The strategy worked perfectly. "They slowed us down when they got the job done on offense," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. "I mean, they spread the floor and controlled the tempo that way. And in their pressure defense, there's no question that bothered us, too." Sean May had 23 points and 18 rebounds for the Tar Heels (19-3, 8-2), who couldn't overcome their shoddy ball control. Point guard Raymond Felton had eight turnovers and May added five, and the top assist team in Division I finished with only 10, 11 below its average. They were held to their lowest point total since also scoring 70 in a victory at Indiana in December.

"They're good, they're solid," May said. "They don't run many traps or scrambles, they're just solid man-to-man pressure. They play better D at home just because of the fans the atmosphere they bring. They're almost as solid as you can get." Felton scored 13 points and freshman Marvin Williams had 12 for North Carolina. But Nelson was the better first-year player in this one. He had a career-high four steals and came up big offensively when it counted, swishing two 3-pointers in a span of about 90 seconds in the second half to help Duke take a 49-42 lead. "It was obvious that DeMarcus just played at a level, or even a couple of levels, higher than he's played," Krzyzewski said. "We really needed that. To win a game like this, at times you need something that's different from what you normally do. DeMarcus did that."

Judgement Day (t minus 1)

2005-02-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

North Carolina(#2) vs Duke(#7)

(Wednesday, ESPN, 9 ET)

In case you've been entombed for the past 20 years or so, I'll quickly fill in the details. Conference rivals. Eight miles apart. State school vs. private. Locals vs. invaders from the Northeast. About a billion Final Four appearances combined. Legendary coaches. Great players. Two shades of blue. ...

OK, on to this year's game, which most people expected to be somewhat lopsided before the season started. Duke's healthier now, but still could wear down under the relentless North Carolina attack. Best bet for the Devils -- slow it down a bit, force the Heels to defend in the half-court, have Shelden Williams outplay Sean May and get a healthy dose of J.J. Redick from the perimeter. For Carolina, this is a statement game as well, because people want to see this core deliver in a hostile road situation.

There are rivalries ... and there's Duke / Carolina

2005-02-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

Cameron Indoor Stadium - Feb. 2, 1995 -- UNC 102, Duke 100 (OT)
In what may be the greatest game in the history of this rivalry -- the 202 total points remain the most ever scored in a Duke-UNC game -- the Tar Heels outlasted a severely undermanned Blue Devil team. Jerry Stackhouse's dunk over two Blue Devils and the ensuing free throw capped a 26-9 Carolina run to open the game. Duke used 3-point shooting to get within five points at halftime and eventually lead by 12 midway through the second half. The Tar Heels mounted a surge of their own and came back from nine points down with 6:18 to play to force overtime. UNC took a nine-point lead in the first overtime, but four Duke 3-pointers, including Jeff Capel's running 30-footer as time expired, tied the score at 95 and sent the game to a second overtime. Clutch jumpers by Donald Williams and a steal and basket by Jeff McInnis with under a minute to go sealed the 102-100 win for UNC.

Duke - Carolina | #2 Tar Heels take on #6 Devils in Cameron Indoor (Feb. 9, 2005)

2005-02-07T15:50:00.000-05:00

This Wednesday will mark the renewal of pleasantries between the blue-clad lads of Durham, and the somewhat less-than-blue-clad lads of Chapel Hill. Around these parts, folks start talking about this game in, oh, mid-April or so. Fans from both sides have great stories from this rivalry, some from on the court, some off.

During the 50 seasons since they last met unranked, Duke and UNC have combined to win six national titles (three each) and to play in 28 Final Fours (14 each). Actually, since both were in the 1991 Final Four, that means that either Duke or UNC has played in 27 of the last 50 Final Fours -- over half!

Bad omen for UNC ... In the last 20 matchups when both have been ranked in the top 10 (as this one will be), the lower ranked team has won 13 times.

Wake Survives Duke 92-89

2005-02-03T19:13:00.000-05:00

If we really thought hard about it, we might be able to find a time when we were prouder of a Duke team, but we'd have to work at that. Wake Forest won the game, but Duke won everything else, and you could tell that by the look you saw in the eyes of Wake's players. They saw a championship-caliber team tonight at the end of this game, and after the way the rest of the game went, they were not nearly prepared for that. (DBR)

Next up: Georgia Tech @ Cameron - Sat. Feb. 5, 1pm | CBS

Countdown to Carolina - 6 days, 4 hours, 37 mins

alexander 'livin' la vida loca' poh

2005-02-03T14:02:00.000-05:00

... and when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.

http://alexanderpoh17.blogspot.com/

ode to the goose

2005-02-01T21:48:00.000-05:00

so ahren was up this weekend for some fun and games in the city. before i continue, props to the W Hotel lounge on 48th & Lex. it is, quite simply, the foshizzle for your nizzle. anyways, it was a frigid friday evening, we had some spicy dumplings and noodles before hustling over to forbidden city on the lower east side where we promptly got reacquainted with an old friend, the goose.

now here's the thing about the goose - its Ultra-premium vodka produced and bottled in France. Made with water from the Gente Springs where the water cascades over porous limestone, a natural purifier through champagne limestone from the GentÃ© Springs of Cognac, France. The grains used are from the breadbasket region of France. Grey Goose is column distilled in small batches. Winner of the prestigious World Spirits Championship. Recently rated the number 1 vodka, 96 points by the Beverage Tasting Institute, and awarded the only Platinum medal. Grey Goose is created under the watchful eye of a master distiller.

long story short, its real smooth and goes down really really nice. so 1 monster tab later, we jump into a cab (bad idea) and head back for the happy home. i'm not the sharpest knife in the kitchen after an evening with the goose so i didn't notice the hoffer lean halfway out of the cab window right before commencing emergency ejection procedures (the now famous hoffman-hurl) on the fly. bellissima! his initiation to new york is now complete, having done the deed while in a NYC yellow cab.

gulp

2005-02-01T19:39:00.000-05:00

TIME magazine's coverage of Black Tuesday, November 2, 2004

titans in manhattan

2005-01-27T02:05:00.000-05:00

the boys in new york, summer 2004 @ club 284 (aka juju's apt.) alex has just recently moved to north america after 7 sleepy years down under. welcome to the continent pal! sadly, a few months later, juju announced that he is leaving the big apple and is headed back east to Tokyo. apparently, half the female population in the city took to the streets though it is unclear if it was in celebration or in sorrow. our 10th year high school reunion is this year, the class hasn't decided where to host the festivities but something tells me its not really going to matter. vegas is leading the polls at the moment.

the legend of lamda delta

2005-01-22T21:24:00.000-05:00

Started on February 23, 2001, the members of the German Hall 2001 began what would be considered perhaps the most intense parties on campus,hidden deep within the grounds of Edens at the Language Dorm (aka Lamda Delta) ...

02/23/2001 - The Beginning
03/02/2001 - Pre-Spring Break Bash 2001 "Catholic Night"
03/30/2001 - Post-Spring Break Insanity!!
03/01/2002 - Pre-Spring Break Bash 2002

shanghai : the pearl of the orient

2005-01-12T19:01:00.000-05:00

Across the river from this retail mecca, a futuristic vision called Pudong sparkles as the city's new financial district on what was mostly marshland 15 years ago. By 2008, Pudong will boast the world's tallest building, providing Shanghai the superlative exclamation point it craves. This year, the city expects more than $12 billion in contracted foreign direct investment, nearly 40 times that of 1985. More foreigners now visit Shanghai than in the city's first heyday. Some travel from the new airport on what is perhaps the city's finest metaphor: a $1.2 billion magnetic-levitation train that reaches 430 kilometers per hour, making it the world's fastest locomotiveâ€”even though the entire trip takes only eight minutes. "I've lived all over Asia, and no place has the kind of energy that Shanghai does," says Rudi Butt, the Hong Kong-born executive director of the Yongfoo Elite, a private dining club in the historic French Concession, where a corporate membership costs $7,000.

jade buddha temple

2005-01-11T19:01:00.000-05:00

Many buildings from the 1920s and 1930s have also survived in the Old City section of Shanghai. A visit to the Old City is easily combined with a stop at Yuyuan Garden, a well-restored Suzhou-style garden created during the Ming Dynasty. The garden is immensely popular with local residents and visiting Chinese. In addition, Jade Buddha Temple, located in northwest Shanghai, is the most popular Buddhist temple in this city, drawing both worshippers and tourists. It is famous for two jade Buddha statues, one of which is reclining and the other seated.

the men of lamda delta

2005-01-10T19:01:00.000-05:00

the infamous eurotrash party @ the LD - winter 2001. here's to the seniors (and one sophomore: till you shoulda been in our class, what's up with that 2003 shite?) that made that semester possible: (top) dave "west on 27th" cheong, ahren "chocolate body print" hoffman, phil "the wurm" paik, james "i'm too sexy for your love" greengrass, (bottom) jonathan "barcardi 151" jesneck, till "ich bin ein berliner" brenner.

west on 27th (we will never forget)

2005-01-07T01:02:00.000-05:00

this is one from the archives - juju and i prepping for sessions @ twilo in his apt. on 39th & 3rd. spring break 2000.

monkeys in trees?

2004-12-22T19:00:00.000-05:00

if you look really closely, you'll be able to see the sock monkey body surfing the christmas tree.

bon voyage juju!

2004-12-05T19:14:00.000-05:00

so i find out today that one of my best friends is set to leave new york for shanghai in a matter of weeks! c'est uncroyable! juju's farewell party had a distinctive catholic school ring to it, and fittingly, it was a send-off for the ages. the irony of it is i had been telling him for the better part of 2004 what an awesome city shanghai is. bon voyage juju!

ps: turns out juju will not be in shanghai after all, the frenchman has been spotted @ lexington queen's in tokyo lately. all of new york is awaiting his triumphant return.

2004-12-01T19:16:00.000-05:00

manhattan's own DJ Bissen, resident DJ at club 284, shown here wandering around the premises before his set. joy's got a firm grip on that heini!

2004-11-05T13:33:00.001-05:00

Back to basics

Nov 4th 2004

Old electoral skills and an appeal to conservative values ground out a huge victory for George Bush in a hostile environment. What might the manner of his re-election mean for a second term?

Get article background

IT WAS close. It came down to a single state and to legal challenges. The voting blocks were similar; so were almost all the states the two candidates won. It was, in some ways, a repeat of the 2000 electionâ€”with two important exceptions. The 2004 election took place in the shadow of war and global terrorism. And this time, in their campaign tactics, the Republicans got right almost everything they had got wrong four years ago.

As a result, George Bush won a clear victory. He took 51% of the vote, 3.5m more than John Kerry, and in absolute terms the largest number of votes any presidential candidate has won. It was a big improvement on 2000, when Mr Bush lost the popular vote. Republicans have increased their majorities both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. And Mr Bushâ€™s majority was carved out of a larger electorate (Curtis Gans, of the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate, reckons that 119.8m people voted in 2004, 14.4m more than in 2000). This time, at least, there can be no mistaking the votersâ€™ judgment.

Mr Bushâ€™s victory is the more remarkable considering the Iraq war has split the nation and the economic recovery is shaky. Half the voters said they thought things were going badly in Iraq and, in economic terms, at home. He won despite, not because of, these things. His victory came from going back to political basicsâ€”sticking to one message, having a plan to get out the voteâ€”and doing them better than his opponents.

For a brief period, the race offered the disturbing prospect of a more exact copy of 2000. More than 12 hours after polls had closed in the crucial state of Ohio, it looked as if recounts of disputed ballots could prevent the emergence of a winner for weeks. Democrats thought the number of â€œprovisional ballotsâ€� (votes cast in the wrong precincts, requiring further legal confirmation) in Ohio exceeded Mr Bushâ€™s margin of victory. But the arithmetic was against them.
Ohioâ€™s secretary of state reckoned there were around 150,000 provisional ballots, compared with Mr Bushâ€™s margin of around 135,000. So Mr Kerry would have had to have won 90% of the outstanding votes to prevail. It was not a matter, as in 2000, of making up a few hundred votes. Nor was the national vote tied. Facing up to the inevitable, the challenger conceded the day, saying â€œThe outcome should be decided by voters, not a protracted legal battle.â€�
Back in 2000, Mr Bush and his campaign guru, Karl Rove, hoped to fashion a â€œpermanent governing majorityâ€�. In the end, the president had to grind out his re-election victory.

There was no break towards the incumbent in the final days, as sometimes happens when a country is at war. The eve-of-voting opinion polls found the race to be stable, and, in statistical terms, a tie. Mr Bush did not outspend Mr Kerry in the final days, as he had Al Gore. In all, the two sides spent around $750m on television advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts.

Mr Kerry captured 89% of self-identified Democratic voters, more than Mr Gore had got. On the weekend before voting, his campaign staged a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, which was the largest gathering the town had ever seen: 80,000 people lined the street outside the state capitol for half a mile to hear Mr Kerry and his support act, Bruce Springsteen (â€œlooks like Senator Kerry draws a pretty good crowdâ€�, said The Boss, laconically).

The Bush campaign sometimes thought Mr Kerryâ€™s undoubted weaknesses as a candidate meant he was ripe for the plucking. Yet, if anything, the challenger had the better of the last monthâ€™s campaigning, confirming his reputation as a good finisher. A successful performance in the three televised debates was followed by two weeks of bad news from Iraq, culminating in a report that hundreds of tons of high explosives had gone missing from a weapons site. Even a last-minute video message to voters from Osama bin Laden did not seem to have made much difference.

In fact, as of Wednesday night, the only state certain to have switched sides from 2000 was a pick-up for Mr Kerry (New Hampshire), though Mr Bush was ahead in two states where the vote was still being counted, Iowa and New Mexico, both of which Mr Gore had won.

The presidentâ€™s increased margin in the electoral college is due almost entirely to demographic change, not a decisive shift in the pattern of state votes. Because people are moving to Republican-voting states in the sunbelt, the presidentâ€™s electoral-college total rose even without winning any states from Democrats.

The seeds of victory
So what explains a performance that was better than in 2000 and more impressive than seemed likely during a race that remained neck-and-neck until voting day? The answer is a number of small shifts, and one potentially large one.

There was an incremental shift in Americaâ€™s ideological make-up. In 2000, half the voters described themselves as moderates and 29% as conservative. This time, the share of self-described moderates fell to 45%, and that of conservatives rose to 33%. In other words, America took another small step to the right.

Turnout rose, but not enough to help Mr Kerry. Democrats argued that a high turnout would mean lots of first-time voters, who would tend to vote for them. Surveys before the vote found that new voters favoured Mr Kerry over Mr Bush by about two to one. They tended to be younger, more likely to consider themselves â€œworking-classâ€� and to go to church less often. Democrats hoped the electorate would rise above 120m, or more than 60% of eligible voters.
In fact, at 59.5%, the estimated figure was the highest rate since 1968 and the rate of increase since 2000 was almost twice as great as it had been in 1996-2000. Rhodes Cook, a non-partisan political analyst, argues that a rise in turnout usually forecasts a change in party control (as happened in 1992 and 2000). This time, it did not.

Mr Kerry won first-time voters convincingly, by 54% to 45%. But there were not enough of them. Only 11% of people went to the polls for the first timeâ€”only slightly more, as a share of the total, than in 2000. Mr Kerry did equally well among young voters (18-29 years old), his most supportive age group. But they comprised the same shareâ€”17%â€”as before. He even won independent voters by 50% to 47% (most first-time voters register as independents). Mr Bush is the first president for many years to lose the independent vote.

But offsetting all this was Mr Bushâ€™s success at mobilising his base. In 2000, 39% of those who voted identified themselves as Democrats, compared with 35% as Republican. This time, the shares were equal at 37% each. This was the more remarkable because Democratic registrations have been increasing faster than Republican ones this year. Republicans may not have done so well at registering new voters, but they were much better at getting their supporters (new and old) to the polls.

As a result, the party managed to consolidate its base of support in Republican-voting areas, while eroding Democratic votes in swing areas. For example, Mr Kerry did as well as Mr Gore in the Democratic strongholds of Florida (Miami and the south-east) and of Ohio (Cleveland and the north). But Mr Bush increased his margins in Republican strongholds (Floridaâ€™s Panhandle, rural Ohio), while winning several counties in swing areas that he had lost in 2000 (such as Osceola County in Floridaâ€™s I-4 corridor).

This reflects the partyâ€™s greater success at get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts. Both parties spent roughly the same amount on contacting voters, some $125m each (for Republicans, that was three times their budget in 2000). But while Republicans ran their GOTV operations themselves, staffing them largely with local volunteers, Democrats relied more heavily on independent groups, such as America Coming Together, who were not supposed to co-ordinate their efforts with the Democratic Party. Anecdotal evidence suggests the Republican approach was more effective, or at least worked well enough to neutralise the Democratsâ€™ traditional advantage in voter turnout.

Because they could co-ordinate their efforts with the campaigns, Republicans could create precinct lists, with targets for voter turnout precise to two decimal figures. In West Allis, a blue-collar suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, clean-cut college students in pressed white shirts sat with Palm Pilots and a big box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, monitoring the flow of voters into the polls. As voters came in, the volunteers crossed their names off pre-programmed lists; the remaining names went to a central site in the state, so that likely Republican voters who had not yet come to the polls could be contacted.

The students sneered at the effort by Kerry supporters to do the same more haphazardly. â€œThe guy from MoveOn.org stopped in here once and tried to take the voter list,â€� one said. â€œBut these folks wouldnâ€™t let him. He wasnâ€™t very nice.â€�
But perhaps the most important explanation for Mr Bushâ€™s success was the unexpected appearance of â€œmoral valuesâ€� as the top issue of the campaign. In exit polls, more people said this was the most important issue for them than mentioned the economy, Iraq or terrorism. Four-fifths of those who put moral values first voted for Mr Bush.

Exactly what this means, however, is not clear. On the face of it, it suggests that issues such as gay marriage and abortion trumped the war on terrorism and the economy (Ohio alone lost 200,000 jobs in the past four years). In another Milwaukee suburb, a mother wearing a crucifix around her neck left the polls with her daughter, a first-time voter in ripped jeans and an oversized black T-shirt emblazoned with a giant skull. Both voted for the president, citing his pro-life views. All 11 states that held ballot initiatives to ban gay marriage approved them. Together with the Republican success at turning out the base, that suggests Mr Roveâ€™s ambition to win the 2004 election by using social issues to mobilise 4m â€œmissingâ€� evangelical Protestants (who, he says, could have voted for Mr Bush in 2000 but did not) worked triumphantly.

Yet there is counter-evidence. When asked directly about their attitudes to abortion, the responses this time were no different from 2000: 55% said it should be always or mostly legal. On gay marriage, 26% approved and 35% supported civil unions. So it is possible that â€œmoral valuesâ€� are not just a matter of social conservatism but also code for trust in the candidate, or respect for a manâ€™s willingness to take a standâ€”where Mr Bush won easily. Mr Kerry never quite managed to persuade voters of his leadership qualities.

Now turn right?

What might the manner of Mr Bushâ€™s re-election mean for a second term? In his victory speech, he appealed directly to Mr Kerryâ€™s supporters: â€œI will need your support and I will work to earn it.â€� But, having won the popular vote, he has a mandate for a programme, including radical tax reform and changes to Social Security, with little Democratic support. By increasing his partyâ€™s control of Congress, he is nearer the point of being able to use the legislature like a parliament, rubber-stamping his proposals without much involvement of the other party. And given his strong support from social and religious conservatives, he may be tempted to consolidate that support by proposing, say, like-minded judges for the Supreme Court.

Mr Bushâ€™s victory has spared America the pain of another indecisive vote. But it opens up worries of its own for government in the second term.
Copyright Â© 2004 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved.

arizona, meet paris

2004-07-30T19:00:00.000-04:00

christine and jonno were in nyc this weekend to indulge in some new york city decadence. juju was throwing his 3rd party @ club 284 in as many weekends, the theme this time being "adam & eve". before the party, JJ stopped by H&M to pick up a frilly open-chest white shirt and a massive bear-claw necklace (i don't know why that's supposed to be adam & eve-esque). christine didn't bother with the accessories in adherence to her "less is more" philosophy.

why is this frenchman smiling?

2004-07-30T17:55:00.000-04:00

the jujubear took an instant liking to the visitor from arizona. they became good friends. oui. viva la france!

2004-01-31T19:26:00.000-05:00

zoolander "i was not born an ambi-turner".

2004-01-29T19:19:00.000-05:00

apt01

2004-01-29T19:18:00.000-05:00

apt

proscan

2001-09-17T12:31:00.000-04:00

proscan a

saints and sinners

myspace is foshizzle!

France vs. Germany | August 12, 2006 (New York)

Saint Mary's Class of 1995 - 10 year high school reunion (September 2005)

#1 Duke marches on to Atlanta to face LSU

Duke's J.J. Redick named Naismith Finalist

#1 Duke advances to 9th straight Sweet 16 - LSU & Big Baby Davis await

ka-BOOM! #1 Duke Destroys #2 Texas 97-66 behind JJ Redick's career high 41 points (9 3's)

Sean Dockery for President! Dock hits 40 footer at buzzer against Virginia Tech

Twilo

summer in shanghai @ park 97

vitamin D

the folks in new york (summer 2005)

my fabulous sister (age 15)

EA SPORTS ...

alessandro in the city

"we're gonna need a bigger boat"

AP Top 10 (Feb. 22 - Feb. 29)

Duke, Redick, Take Down Wake Forest 102-92

Duke, Accepted Everywhere ...

Crazies Bring Devils Home!

Cameron Classic! Duke Edges Carolina 71-70

Judgement Day (t minus 1)

There are rivalries ... and there's Duke / Carolina

Duke - Carolina | #2 Tar Heels take on #6 Devils in Cameron Indoor (Feb. 9, 2005)

Wake Survives Duke 92-89

alexander 'livin' la vida loca' poh

ode to the goose

*gulp*

titans in manhattan

the legend of lamda delta

shanghai : the pearl of the orient

jade buddha temple

the men of lamda delta

west on 27th (we will never forget)

monkeys in trees?

bon voyage juju!

arizona, meet paris

why is this frenchman smiling?

proscan

gulp