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Covington -
The new Intel chip
Covington
Plantation - Golf Course
Covington
Connection - Xena Princess Warrior
How to Dump
Your Wife - Lee Covington book
Covingtons in
the U.S. Civil War
The
Shipwreck of Port Hunter - caused by the tug Covington
The
Syms Covington Journal - Voyage on The Beagle
Herbert
Covington Bonner - member of US House of Representatives
Felicity
TV series - the Ben Covington crush
Episode
of Highlander TV series - Earl of Covington
Grace
"Candi" Covington - Mystery Books
Lord
& Lady Covington - "Madeline" books
Riley Covington Thriller Series Paperbacks
Ships named 'Covington' served in 3 wars
The Covingtons - Michigan based band
Trisha Covington
Audio Clips
THE COVINGTON CHIP Article
in PC Week Oct 1997 Intel
zeros in on power by
Richard Barry PC
Week can exclusively reveal Intel's Pentium II plans leading up to the
millennium, The chip manufacturer is re-engineering the P11 processor to create
a faster; cheaper chip, code-named Covington, which will be released some time
in 1998 and manufactured on a 0.25 micron process. Covington
will be the second generation P11 processor and represents a major change in the
cornpany's approach to the sub-$1,000 (£595) market, which it terms
"segment zero". Previously Intel largely ignored this market. An
industry source said: "The plan is to introduce a powerful Pentium II at a
much lower entry without affecting performance." The source added:
"Intel is touting two technologies at segment zero. Covington will be its
answer to AMD's K6+ 3D and the IDT Winchip+, which both have L2 cache built into
the chips." Intel
is also working on a Pentium II that uses an enhanced MMX (MMX2) instruction set
on a 0.25 micron process, code named Katmai and scheduled for release in early
1999. Katmai will also be aimed at the consumer market and is likely to have 30
graphics capabilities built in. A
much more powerful processor; code named Willamette, is due by Q4 1999. Little
is known about Willamette except that it has a large cache and will perform
below the 64-bit Merced chip. Before
the planned processors appear, Intel will debut its 0.25 micron process with the
long awaited Deschutes processor which will be formally announced on January 26
as a 333MHz desktop processor with a 512Kb cache. The
mobile version of the chip, which will benefit from the 0.25 micron process
cooler, faster performance, will be announced in mid-1998. The
industry source also confirmed that by the summer of 1998, Intel will be
releasing 350MHz and 450MHz Pentium II processors on a slot 2 configuration with
up to 2Mb of level 2 cache running at the same speed as the processor. Slot II
will be primarily focused at the high-end workstation market where it will
support up to four processors. Intel
refused to comment on unannounced products. THE COVINGTON HOUSE -
VANCOUVER This
log cabin once served as a schoolhouse. It was built in 1848 by Richard and Anne
Covington, two of the area's first teachers. The cabin, originally located in
Orchards, was moved to Vancouver in the 1920's. Purportedly
was the first schoolhouse north of the Columbia River. Open Tuesday and Thursday
10-4 during July and August. Free admission. "The Covington House"
– by Grace, age 10 The
Covington House was built out of logs. It was first made in 1846. In the year
1926, it was moved to Leverich Park. When it was moved, they took it apart log
by log. Each log was numbered and put back together at Leverich Park. It is now
open to the public as a museum. For several years the Covington House was not
wanted. Some days it was even used as a shelter for farm animals during that
time. The
Covingtons came from London, England. Mr.Covington was an employee at the
Hudsons Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. In the year 1832, Dr.McLoughlin hired
John Ball as the first teacher at the Covington House. The first piano and
violin in town were owned by the Covingtons. Mr.Covington was very talented. He
worked in a patent office and farmed. He was very good at drawing plans for lots
of things like buildings.
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COVINGTON BAY - The
Online Soap Opera (http://www.covingtonbay.com) Love. Lust.
Mystery. Intrigue. Danger. Desire. Experience the powerful
emotions of the men and women Covington Bay sometimes
contains scenes and subject matter for mature audiences. Covington Bay Condominiums- a building of
high rent condos. Melody Sorensen lives in one. Covington Bay Fashions- an exclusive
fashion boutique where the townswomen can be found looking for the latest
designs. Covington Bay Health Club- where the
townspeople sweat and strain their muscles. Covington Bay Journal- one of the
local papers in Covington Bay, the other being the Covington Bay Times.
Lawton Fairchild is the owner and publisher of the newspaper. Drake
Williamson is the editor-in-chief. A.J. Lassiter is one of the top
reporters at the paper. Covington Bay Koffee Klatch- a
popular coffee house in town. Best known for their scones. Covington Bay Medical Center- the
premiere hospital in town. Dr. Glenn Dailey is Chief of Staff of the
medical facility. Dr. Gloria Lassiter-Dailey is Chief of Neurosurgery.
Dr. Zachary Dailey is head of the Alec Stone Memorial AIDS Wing. Dr. Grant
Rios works at the hospital as an AIDS researcher. Dr. Laura
Dailey-Harrison is a pediatrician. Simon Harrison is a financial officer for the
hospital. Dr. Darian Jackson is an ER doctor. Dr. Christopher Sloan
and Dr. Christina Sloan work in the field of heart medicine. Dr. Carrie
Bennett is an obstetrician. Melody Sorensen is a surgical nurse.
Natalie Lassiter, Dana Cooper and Melissa Stone are nurses. The hospital
has an adjacent teaching facility in conjunction with Covington Bay University:
Covington Bay School of Medicine. Covington Bay Police Department (Homicide
Division)- Walter Stone is head of the Homicide Department. Eric
Lassiter, Angela Sorensen and Jake Collier are all detectives for this division. Covington Bay University- the town's
college. It has: Covington Bay School of Law, Covington Bay School of
Medicine, Covington Bay School of Journalism and Media. Many of the town's
residents are graduates of this respected, elite private university. Covington Bay Times- local newspaper owned
by Quentin Greyhawk. The Times is tabloid paper with a conservative slant. Jack
Rios is a columnist for the paper and Patricia Tamakai-Lassiter is a reporter.
Covington
Hills-
the wealthy section of Covington Bay. Like it's name would suggest, much
of this area of town is high on a hill and the entire town of Covington Bay can
be seen from several of the homes. The Greyhawks and the Lassiters both
have homes in Covington Hills.
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COVINGTON CROSS -
The TV Series regulars:
A fanciful drama about life in medieval England
for Sir Thomas, a widower, and his four children. Richard and Armus are
stalwart young knights, but the other two children only wish they were. Cedric
is in training to be a cleric as his late mother wished. Eleanor finds it
difficult because of her sex, although she is as good on a horse and with a
crossbow as any man. (Another son, William, left for the Crusades after the
pilot episode and was barely mentioned again.)
Sir Thomas has developed a relationship with
Lady Elizabeth, who lives in her own castle nearby. Their other neighbor,
Baron John Mullens, is continually plotting to ruin Sir Thomas and take his
land.
The series was filmed on location at Allington
Castle and Penshurst Place in Kent. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Desmond Muirhead The Olympic Games is the greatest show on
earth. Every four years I take three weeks off to be a spectator at this
panorama of international goodwill. I spend two years looking forward to them
and two years looking back. I have met some of my best friends at the
Olympics. For three weeks, most of the world's
worries are forgotten. Even at the height of the Cold War, Russian and
American athletes talked freely together. At the Olympics, everybody,
spectators included, lowers their guard. Reserve atrophies, personal privacy
no longer seems an issue. This, one feels, is how the world should be. They
call it the Olympic spirit which reaches a zenith at the Closing Ceremonies.
The following day, up come the barriers again and coolness and distance
return. Alas, we learn so slowly. I have traveled to many countries in
order to be a part of the Olympics, starting with Melbourne, Australia, in
1956. This year, they were in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the friendliest cities
on earth, where by a strange coincidence I have a project, Covington
Plantation. This planned development includes my first American golf course
since Stone Harbor, New Jersey; the symbolic golf course which raised such a
furor (and still does) around the world (Executive Golfer, August
1988). The Opening Ceremonies of the Games were
terrific, much better than they appeared on television. On the following day,
I took I-20 Freeway east to Covington, a thirty-five minute ride from the
center of Atlanta. To reach the site, you turn right off I-20 on exit 46 and
proceed for one and a half miles down Hazelbrand Road. The project is centered
in a new fast-growing area of suburban Atlanta, where every month a large new
business development, employing several thousand people, seems to be
announced. Covington itself is a beautiful antebellum village saved like
Savannah from Sherman's destructive march during the Civil War. Covington Plantation is a development
with several hundred houses surrounding a densely forested single fairway golf
course which I have designed with a length of seven thousand yards from the
back tees. I have concluded recently that anything less than this length is
soon going to be questionable, because of the new titanium clubs, which are
making life difficult for us golf course architects. Soon the powers that be
will have to consider extending the length limits of the various pars. Was
ever a game so heavily controlled by the manufacturers of equipment? There is a confusion of clients on the
project. Scott Myers, from San Francisco, is the land developer who had
retained us. He gave the land for the golf course to Jim Haslam and Brooks
Simmons who own several golf courses in Georgia and Tennessee, and they will
own and run this one. The original land has been in the John Dearing family
for several generations. After a fair amount of cautious reconnoitering, we
are now all getting along extremely well. Some planning had been done before we
got to the project, as often happens these days, but for various reasons
we changed it and no road or golf hole is the same as originally planned. A
good local planner, Gary Hoopes, helped to put the final touches to the lots
and secured the zoning. As soon as the golf course changed
hands, the budget was cut, although I could hardly complain. I have often said
that I was anxious to give something back to the world of golf which has been
so good to me. However, we now have two million two hundred thousand dollars
for the contract and one million two hundred thousand dollars for the
clubhouse, maintenance shed and equipment, maintenance until opening, and our
(much reduced) fees which are being split between the golf course owners and
the developer, since he gets a great deal of benefit from the high quality
golf course we intend to build. I agreed to partial payment in land. All the
land around our recent golf courses has increased dramatically in value from
the initital offering by as much as a thousand percent in some instances. So,
we were hardly taking any risks. As was noted in the last article, the
cost of the golf course should not be a problem. As I said then, "The
quality of play is actually almost independent of the money spent. I could
reproduce Muirfield in Scotland or Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina for less
than a million dollars plus the irrigation. Given the scenery, Pebble Beach
would not be an expensive course to build, given the site, neither would Pine
Valley. "The rhythmic and sequential
arrangement of tees, greens, lakes, creeks, bunkers, is not dependent on money
spent. The sense of luxury from stone bulkheads, large-lined lakes, elaborate
bridges, extensive steep fared (and costly to maintain) ragged-edged bunkers,
additional landscaping, full coverage irrigation, expensive clubhouses might
be. We already have large trees. "There are other things which don't
cost anything. The quality of the original site which is paramount. The rhythm
of hard to easy holes, wideness and narrowness of fairways, small and large
greens and bunkers, open and closed holes, right and left angled greens and
doglegs, sequence of water holes, short and long holes, arrangement of pars,
and so on. There is also an understructure, a holistic field, as well as
originality, memorability, imagination, myth, mystery and the educational
breadth of the designer." I went on to say that, "I am
affected by tradition and convention, but not shackled by them. I am searching
for some deep-seated power of innovation in the human mind. I want my golf
course holes to have meaning, which is the biggest lack in most new golf
courses. I believe Covington Plantation to be structurally the best course I
have ever designed regardless of the money spent." These were heady words halfway through
the construction of a golf course and to avoid regretting them later, I
realized I would have to be around for the finishing stages of this course. So
this visit to the Olympics has been fortunate so far. It also occurred to me
that Georgia golf courses are park-type courses with tall trees and that even
Bobby Jones could not wave his magic hickory shaft and procure some links-like
wind for the Augusta National. He and his golf course architect, Alister
Mackenzie freely admitted their admiration for and debt to the Old Course at
St. Andrews and its famous winds. Run-up shots are difficult on watered
fairways and alternatives are at best hard to gauge. Nevertheless, I felt I
had learned a thing or two designing golf courses in the last few decades
although there are those who would disagree with this statement. As we began to tour the course on that
hot, damp July afternoon, I started to have second thoughts about
"structurally the best course I had ever designed." Suddenly, I was
grateful for the words "structurally" and "designed." I
was with Scott Myers, the developer, his manager James Hughes, and later Scott
Greenseth, the construction superintendent from Niebur Golf who were building
the course. We inspected every hole with the minute
care so necessary if you want to maintain the quality in a project. These
days, you have to fight for quality which is no longer as Aristotle said,
"A habit rather than an act." The customary two inches of summer
rain had fallen on the weekend and the fringes of the holes were a quagmire.
As our wheels slipped on the Georgia clay, my heart was in my boots. What a foolish statement I had
made before the course was finished—best course indeed—I thought. Nothing
seemed to be going right. The quality of the course clearly depends not only
on the designer, but on the quality of the course builder and the maintenance
superintendent after that. Had I not repeatedly said that I would rather play
a good course that was well maintained than a masterpiece in disarray? Was this slippery mass of orange earth
and tangled Bermuda stolon destined to put joy and fear in acceptable
proportions into the hearts of those who played here? I doubted if it would
and was thoughtless enough to says so out loud to my companions. "Everybody else loves this course
but you," said Scott Myers with feeling. "What are we supposed to
think when all you do is to criticize?" An air of melancholy accompanied us as
we walked the 11th hole, a formerly clean and trim par-4 that now looked
absolutely terrible. This had been the only hole where massive regrading had
been necessary to make a reasonable landing area out of a twenty-five percent
slope, and we had had to make it look as if we had found it there. There was
considerable erosion tearing into the new grades, the Bermuda stolons were
half green and half brown in ragged lumps and the fairway was riddled with
shallow streaks and taluses like giant worm casts. The hole which had looked
great in earth now looked extremely untidy. And that was about as kind as you
could get. No. 12, the Sunburst Hole (see
illustration) looked worse. The original hole had seven depressions round a
central green. Three of these were supposed to contain water, but they had
been taken out because of cost. The state of this hole however was nobody's
fault but my own. I had seen the original earth work and had decided the
shapers had made the bunkers too shallow—a tendency that shapers have. They
forgot there's still six to eight inches of sand to go in on top of the
finished earth and tend to leave the final grade of the bunkers as if there
were no sand. This is sometimes also to avert criticism that the bunkers are
too deep. I like bunkers where you can only see the knees of the golfer.
Anyway, the shapers had dutifully cut another eighteen inches out of the
bunkers which were now round instead of quadrilateral. The form of the hole,
which I felt was innovative, was now destroyed. It is always hard to get
contractors to change things after the sand is spread, with some justification
on their part, and I knew I would have to ask them to re-cut these bunkers. As
we continued our inspection, Nos. 13 and 14 only looked average and you
couldn't see the fairway bunkers on No. 14 which is a no-no. Nobody should
tolerate blind fairway bunkers even if the 12th at St. Andrews is the
exception which proves the rule. My heart was now below the horizon as I
analyzed the impact of these three holes and fully realized the result of my
premature statement. But perhaps the name for No. 12 was prophetic. The slight
drizzle ceased, the clouds vanished and we were bathed in the blinding light
you get to expect in Georgia during the summer. They drove me to No. 9 and you could see
this fairway rocketing through a sort of peephole through the trees. The sweep
of the land was magnificent—there was no erosion. My spirits rose markedly
and I apologized to my companions who had joined me in my gloom. From then on
the course slowly seemed to improve and I felt there was a good chance of
fulfilling my original opinion. We humans are such mercurial creatures so
easily influenced in our changing moods. On each supervisory visit, you make some
contribution to the improvement of the course. Take the cart paths for
instance. They are often neglected. On this course, we had placed them among
the trees where possible to take advantage of their shade in this very hot
climate and to get them out of play. The subcontractor was in a hurry and the
cart paths on these first two holes were inaccurate, scrappy and badly
finished. After my associate Ed Easley made them tear half of them up and
replace them, the quality improved greatly for the rest of the cart path
construction. There were many other improvements involving shaping, soil
amendments, wall construction, and irrigation. You have to keep working at the
details or the whole comes apart. Since this is a traditional rather than
a symbolic golf course, as my clients had requested a classical approach,
philosophy of this course depends most definitely on its sequence and rhythm.
On this great site, I have attempted to create a balance between short, easier
par-5s, and long, hard par-4s. The par-5s are the birdie holes for good
golfers; the long, par-4s, the holes where all golfers can come to grief. A
balance between these two hole types sets up a cascading rhythm which grips
the golfer as he progresses into the round. The short par-5s and the long
par-4s are interlaced with some short exacting par-5s and long hard par-3s so
that I believe this course provides a unique set of challenges. The new
equipment has increased the length but hardly the accuracy of golfers, which
accounts for the mix of the holes on this golf course. From the back tees it
is a very challenging golf course and I know many players will curse me. But
the course is strategic and is designed for everybody but beginners who should
be on the driving range. The long hitters are going to find holes
where they have a definite advantage, others where they have no advantage
whatever unless they are also accurate. On some holes roll can be picked up on
the drive. On most of the holes the greens are partly open for a run-up shot.
This helps when the ground is dry enough to accept a run-up shot. This device
also helps the average golfer who is uncomfortable with a green which is
surrounded by bunkers. There are many other concerns and subtleties for both
the good and average golfer on this course. The green surfaces are reasonable,
seldom more than an average of three percent. They slope in general toward the
golfer, so that instead of a thin wafer he can see the whole green on the
approach and if this is not possible, I have graded the land until it is. If this is not a totally fair golf
course, we need to remember that no golf course is ever, or should be, totally
fair. At least here there's the illusion of fairness. I have made a determined
effort to make the golf course reasonable. As for grading the land, I have avoided
this wherever possible. When I did the original layout for Muirfield Village,
Ohio, I adapted the routing for three things: one was for the surrounding
housing since Muirfield was and is very much a golf course community on
fifteen hundred acres; two was to balance open and closed holes with existing
trees, although many have been planted since; and the third was to relate the
course to the existing land. We hardly moved any dirt on the fairways at
Muirfield and the green sites were more found than manufactured. Holes found
like this create a great sense of ease and comfort in the golfer. These holes
have found the spirit of the site. Now a lot of golf architects today recreate
the land whether it needs it or not. Then they put heavily designed greens on
top of carefully reconstituted green sites. Perhaps they feel they have to do
a lot of work to justify their involvement. The results may be handsome and
visually effective but there is an elusive sense of emptiness too. The spirit
of the original land has been violated and sensitive golfers seem to
understand this. I don't believe anyone will fail to notice the
straightforward relationship to the site of the golf course at Covington
Plantation. Perhaps now I can dare to repeat that
this is probably the best course structurally that I have ever designed. What
do I mean by "structurally"? Is this philosophy? Structuralism or
deconstructuralism. Roland Barthes, Jacques Derrida or Peter Eisenman?
Actually, it is much simpler than that. Underneath the course is another
course, an invisible armature, a structure which is filled with memory, myth,
magic and, I hope, meaning. Some of these ideas may take many rounds before
they are revealed. Some may remain a mystery forever. That is the essence of
sensitive design. I would like to discuss this in more depth in a future
article -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE COVINGTON CONNECTION
Gabrielle's Family Tree 1. Hecuba == Herodotus (Greece: Poteidaia) 1.a. Meleager, the Mighty (foster father) 2. Gabrielle, Amazon Queen (m. Hecuba; f.
Herodorus) 2.a. Lilac (s.) 2.b. Ephiny, Amazon Regent (step-s.) 3. Cufa (Northern Europe)
Era: 8th-9th Century 4. Covington (England: Huntingdonshire)
Era: 12th Century 5. _Covington (North America:
Jamestown Colony, Virginia) Era: 17th Century 6. Peter Covington (United States:
Allegheny County, Virginia) Era: 18th Century 7. Harry Covington (b. 186? d. 193?) -- ?
(United States: Virginia, Greece) 8. Janice Covington, Ph.D. (m. ?; f. Harry) (United States:
Virginia, Greece) 9. Janice Covington, Ph.D. (gm. Janice Covington) (United States:
California) Gabrielle Who Gabrielle met after the
death of her husband Perdicus is unknown. What is known is that she had at
least one child. (Some fan-fiction stories have Gabrielle's family raise her
child by Perdicus.) Since Xena and Gabrielle are devoted to each other, she
may have remarried after Xena's death. On the other hand given Gabrielle's bad
luck with men, she could have raised the child with Xena. When Gabrielle left her home,
Xena became her immediate family. Later when she returned to Poteidaia,
Gabrielle became close to Meleager, the Mighty. When he thought he was going
to be executed, Meleager willed his belongings to his 'daughter' Gabrielle [THE
EXECUTION (episode 41)]. Cufa Covington is an English
surname that means homestead of Cufa's people. Cufa is a Northern European
name, either of Saxon or Danish origin. Since she was also an Amazon Queen,
Gabrielle may have returned to her adopted Amazon tribe to live with Ephiny,
her step-sister. Her grandchildren were probably attracted to Norse men, since
women in Norse societies routinely used weapons. Covington - England: United States: Peter
Covington A large concentration of
Covingtons have lived in Allegheny County, Virginia since the early 1700s. The
county seat, Covington, was named in 1818 for Peter Covington, a long time
resident. Since Gabrielle had married Perdicus, Peter could have been an
English corruption of Perdicus. Some of Gabrielle's people became
mountaineers, from the Alleghenies, noted for their storytelling. Harry Covington Was called a grave robber, a
thief, and a mercenary, plundering graves for profit. He grew up in the
aftermath of the U.S. Civil War, when Union and Confederate armies occupied
western Virginia. Several skirmishes and one major battle were fought in
Allegheny County. Many men from the county served in the both armies, but few
survived to come home. Young Harry probably grew up without a father. As a
child, he certainly heard the story of the Xena scrolls countless times from
his surviving kinsfolk. Since there was nothing to keep Harry in Virginia, he
left the mountains to find the scrolls. Janice Covington Became a Doctor of
Archaeology to follow her father in searching for the scrolls. Many women of
her time were married off instead of being educated by their fathers. Perhaps
it was because her mother ran off and she became close to her father.
Unquestionably, her father saw to it that she was able to translate the
scrolls. Being from the mountains herself, Janice knew how to use a rifle, the
weapon of the mountains. Like Gabrielle with her staff, Janice learned how to
defend herself with a whip. After her father's death,
Janice searched relentlessly for the scrolls to vindicate him. Attacking
Janice for constantly defending her father's sordid reputation, Mel Pappas
pointedly told her, "You're living down your Daddy's reputation!"
Since the tradition of the Xena scrolls was so strong in her family, Janice
believed that she was a descendent of Xena. Her personal belief was so strong
that she thought that the blonde Callisto was her Xena. When Ares taunted her
that she was really from that irritating, blonde Gabrielle, Janice no longer
felt heroic [THE XENA SCROLLS (Episode 34)]. Janice Covington II
Janice
grew up hearing the stories of Xena from her Grammy Janice. These stories
inspired her to follow in her grandmother's footsteps. Today, Dr. Covington is
an advisor to the Xena Restoration Society, and is active in the preserving of
the history of Xena [the Xena Restoration Society].
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COVINGTON & BURLING
- LAW FIRM, WASHINGTON D.C.
Covington's
Gamble On the East Coast, his
80-year-old, Washington, D.C.-based law firm boasts major name recognition and
commands instant respect. It's a big player in regulatory and government
circles, represents the National Football League, and has strong ties to the
White House. But in the Bay Area, Covington
& Burling doesn't carry quite the same cachet, particularly in the Silicon
Valley, where the firm -- which opened a Financial District office in June --
hopes to make a big splash in the intellectual property pool. "Sometimes you are met
with a blank stare, and that's especially true with companies that are just
starting up," admits Snipes, the upbeat, 46-year-old managing partner of
Covington's S.F. branch. "We have a lot of people out there who know
nothing about our practice." And that's got to change if
Covington -- which had never before opened a domestic office outside its
Washington headquarters -- intends to fit into the Bay Area's pressure-cooker,
high-tech market. It's not that Covington doesn't
have IP credentials. It represents Microsoft Corp. on some fronts and does
work for a few Valley firms already. It also has an IP team numbering about 30
lawyers in San Francisco, Washington, London and Brussels, Belgium. And it
just merged with a 60-lawyer New York firm with East Coast IP recognition. It's just that to West Coasters
Covington -- as with most D.C. firms -- is synonymous with regulatory law. For
example, Washington partner Peter Barton Hutt is a former chief counsel for
the Food and Drug Administration, and just days ago partner Richard Meserve
was sworn in as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In fact, Robert Taylor,
managing partner in the Menlo Park office of Washington's Howrey & Simon,
says he didn't even know Covington had an IP practice. And David Slone,
managing partner of the Palo Alto branch of Townsend and Townsend and Crew --
a well-known patent firm -- says Covington never comes to mind in West Coast
IP circles. "If you asked 10 venture
capitalists if they've heard of them, I couldn't tell you if they have or
not," Slone says. "If you asked 10 patent lawyers if they'd heard of
them, I'd say most have not. They'd say: 'Isn't that a New York firm?'" That pretty much sums up
400-lawyer Covington's slightly prickly predicament: how to show it can
compete in the rough-and-tumble Silicon Valley IP wars without sacrificing the
core values and traditions that established it as one of the nation's premier
white-shoe firms. After all, many brand-name firms have arrived in the Valley
with a reputation of being one of the big dogs only to slink away later with
their tails between their legs. "Irell & Manella was
in Palo Alto. They're a fabulous firm in L.A., and they didn't make it,"
notes Martha Africa, a principal with the consulting firm Major, Hagen &
Africa. "Brown & Bain, from Phoenix, sank into the sunset." She
says Covington is up against its reputation of not being a tech firm.
"The best thing they could do," she says, "is talk about who
their clients are locally and their reasons for being here." Snipes, who transferred to the
Bay Area from the London office, doesn't disagree, but says a lot of people's
perceptions about Covington are dated. "Some folks still think of us the
way we were 30 years ago -- as a regulatory firm, only as an East Coast firm,
a firm that represents only Fortune 500 companies," he says. "So
what we need to do is show them that we can do for them what local firms can
do, that we can plug some holes for them -- to do the regulatory and
international [work] as well. "Being the new kids on the
block," he adds, "we need to give them compelling reasons to come to
us." Sitting in his 19th-floor
office at 601 California St. with its view of Coit Tower and the Transamerica
Pyramid, Snipes explains that Covington was pressured by high-tech clients to
establish a West Coast presence. "Covington was one of the largest firms
in the U.S. that didn't have a domestic branch office," he notes,
"and the Bay Area was the clear choice for us." That's because the firm --
ranked by The American Lawyer magazine as 70th nationally in annual revenue at
$152 million and $485,000 in profits per partner -- wanted to raise its
high-tech profile. The firm's Washington headquarters already services
high-tech clients right across the Potomac River in Northern Virginia's Dulles
Corridor, but wanted a broader geographic scope. "Obviously, the Dulles
Corridor is important, but Silicon Valley is the center of things," says
partner Sonya Winner, Covington's chief litigation lawyer in S.F. "And it
really goes beyond Silicon Valley. We have a lot of West Coast clients and are
obviously looking to get more. And going 20 miles to Dulles is very different
than going a couple thousand miles out here." Snipes adds that it's
"hard to stay on top of what's going on without being out here." The firm's West Coast move is
part of a larger expansion this year. Just last month, Covington merged with
New York's Howard, Smith & Levin, a 60-lawyer firm that specializes in
corporate mergers and acquisitions. "That firm also had a strong
high-tech focus, and they've done a lot of work with start-ups in Silicon
Alley in New York," Snipes points out. "It gives us real depth and
expertise in public M&A and sophisticated finance work. And that's an
expertise we think will be very valuable to companies in the Valley." The S.F. office will emphasize
work in telecommunications, information technology and biotech, Snipes says.
Besides Microsoft -- for whom Covington is doing work on a software piracy
case and representing its interests on the Secured Digital Music Initiative,
an effort by several companies to develop a method for digitally downloading
music in a secure format -- Covington represents Caliper Technologies Corp., a
Mountain View-based microchip company; Electronic Arts, a Redwood City
entertainment software company; and San Jose's Adobe Systems Inc. Snipes says the game plan for
the Bay Area is still to sell Covington as an all-purpose firm that has not
only tech resources, but also expertise in many fields. "There's a lot of appeal
for one-stop shopping on regulatory and corporate and commercial work,"
he says. "It's always more efficient and cost-effective if you can get
that all under one roof." It also helps, he says, to have
offices in a couple of Europe's capital cities, especially if, for example, a
biotech start-up in Silicon Valley wants to conduct a deal with a European
pharmaceutical company. "What are the commercial and regulatory obstacles
you face in getting a drug approved and marketed in Europe?" Snipes says.
"Frankly, these days a lot of key commercial transactions are
cross-border." Ironically, though, Covington's
S.F. office was the center of attention last week for two strikingly non-tech
matters. The firm filed suit on behalf
of Bank of America, challenging San Francisco voters' initiative preventing
banks from charging non-customers fees for using automated teller machines. It
also sued for the NFL, accusing several Northern California bars of illegally
televising blacked-out Oakland Raiders games. "Both of those are
pre-existing clients, and both of those clients took advantage of our physical
presence here," says S.F. partner Winner. "Obviously, when we have
an office here, we don't have to have local counsel, and for cases like those,
that's the biggest issue." "It's never been our style
to go out and hire bodies. Our basic model is that we will grow and promote
from within," Snipes says. "With time we could change our view, but
our experience so far is that we've had great success on the basis of our
firm's reputation." Lynn Pasahow, a biotech and
patent litigation partner in McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen's Palo Alto
office, and Guy Chambers, an S.F.-based Townsend partner, say it's almost
essential for a new firm to hire a well-established local lawyer with a good
practice in place. "Certainly, that's the
recipe a number of these other firms have used," Chambers says. Pasahow
points out that that was the approach used by Washington's Howrey & Simon,
New York's Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and Los Angeles-based
Latham & Watkins and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Finnegan, Henderson,
Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, a D.C.-based IP boutique that's been in Palo
Alto slightly more than two years, followed the same pattern by hiring Ian
Ballon, a leading expert on Internet law, from Brown & Bain. "That has helped us a
lot," says Palo Alto managing partner C. Larry O'Rourke. "It's very
important to try to integrate into the legal community here. It's quite
different than the East Coast." But it's easier to talk about
grabbing a big name than doing it. "It's harder to attract good lawyers
than it is clients," says Howrey's Taylor. "There's a tremendous
growth in the demand for legal services, but the problem is that all the law
firms are clamoring for a small universe of people." Anna Marie Armstrong, a legal
search consultant for Major, Hagen, seconds that idea. "It's getting harder to
get those really big rainmaker partners to come over," says Armstrong,
who has done some work for Covington. "Either [Covington is] going to
maintain that traditional character -- there are still people who want the
stability of that -- or they can try to sort of mold themselves somewhat
differently out here." Even so, local experts say
Covington may regret not having opened an office in Silicon Valley proper. "If their business plan is
to represent Valley firms, it's critical to have an office in the
Valley," says Pasahow of McCutchen. "The Valley thinks of itself, as
it should, as a special place that has invented a way of doing business.! It's
part of being a community, of being part of the networks, of showing your
participation in the community by having an office here." Snipes says Covington
considered a San Francisco office "a sensible first step." It was
good for recruiting lawyers, he says, and was based partly on the belief that
Silicon Valley is inching northward. "If we need to establish a
presence [in the Valley] later, it could be done," he adds. "But my
hunch is that we'll establish a presence in Asia before we do more here." "They come with their
pinstripe suits and red ties, particularly to a place like Apple [Computer
Inc.], and they may find they won't get a friendly welcome," says
Townsend's Chambers. "There's a different approach toward business [in
Silicon Valley] that's less regimented." Slone of Townsend says that any
law firm wanting to do business in Silicon Valley must realize they will have
to conform to the local culture. "In the old days, the West Coast was the
minor leagues, and everyone had an inferiority complex," he says.
"And now, as far as technology goes, we're at the center of the universe.
The notion is that whatever the culture will be, the culture here will
prevail." Finnegan, Henderson's O'Rourke
says his firm made some adjustments to life in Palo Alto as soon as he
arrived. "The very first was
[going] casual 100 percent of the time. In D.C., we have casual Fridays,"
he says. "Very seldom do we have clients that have a suit and tie on [in
Palo Alto]. They are younger, and other than that I guess the atmosphere is
fairly informal, generally, in California." Snipes admits that Covington
wondered whether its core values -- training, ethics and quality of service --
could be translated to the West Coast. "The sense was that some firms had
faced problems when a different culture arose in a branch office," he
says. But in the long run, firm leaders realized they had to take a chance
because it was "in [clients'] interests and our interests to be
here." Actually, casualness appears to
be the norm in the S.F. office. Snipes was tieless during a recent visit and
other partners were dressed very casually, one even in shorts. The firm, however, has decided
that it's not in its best interests to follow another uniquely Silicon Valley
law practice -- taking equity in clients. Even within the Valley, the concept
is controversial. "The real problem is the
ethical conflict," Snipes says. "Can we be sure that if we hold
equity in a client that we would be completely dispassionate in the work we do
and the advice we give?" For example, he says, would the
firm find it an added incentive to push through a deal if the lawyers knew the
stock would jump? "The question," Snipes says, "is whether one
can square it with one's duty to the client." Covington isn't alone in
its stance. Neither Finnegan, Henderson nor Townsend have made it po "There's technically
potential conflicts," Slone says, "but at first blush, you say you
are throwing your lot in with the client, so how can you be in conflict? We
are moving kind of cautiously in that realm, but there seems to be a
widespread enough desire to get something like that off the ground that we are
beyond asking whether we shall do it, [it's] just how will we do it?" Some firms also use the
practice as a recruiting tool in order to sway young lawyers who might be
thinking about going in house for a potentially lucrative start-up. Overall, it seems that
Covington has a lot to overcome -- establishing itself as an IP player without
hiring a local big gun and without setting up shop in Silicon Valley. And also
trying to appeal to junior lawyers who might see a big-firm practice as
stagnating. Snipes isn't worried. "I make the pitch that we
are a start-up too. Here we need all hands on board and there is plenty of
responsibility and not layers and layers of staffing on everything," he
says. "What we offer here is a big-firm practice in a small-office
setting." In addition, time is on his
side. "We're starting with a
very supportive parent," Snipes says. "There is no fixed time to
turn a certain profit, and that's taken the edge off." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOW TO DUMP YOUR WIFE
by LEE COVINGTON This divorce book for men is full of practical advice
about money, kids, lawyers, and the whole twisted legal system. Be prepared! Wild and without apologies, this politically incorrect
book was written by a woman who lives with a man who lost everything in his
divorce. He was cleaned out, folks. Sucked dry. And the poor wife, boo hoo,
lives like a queen. You can learn from his mistakes and find out important
things about money, kids, and lawyers that the usual writers (shrinks &
lawyers) will never tell you. It's funny, but true. Don't get divorced without
it. "It's like spinning a roulette
wheel. You get a judge assigned to your case. A lawyer with a robe on. You get
yourself a lawyer. Don't get your brother-in-law! Don't pick your best friend
who has known you since you were five. Forget it. Get someone you never met
before because in a few months you're going to hate his or her guts..." p. 86, from Chapter 9, Lawyers and Other
Scoundrels "As we all know, every dumped
wife in America calls the IRS. Scorned women are on the phone to them every
hour of every day. Needless to say, they don't go after every guy who files
for divorce. They only go after guys who cheat on their taxes..." p. 67, from Chapter 7, Prepare to Unload Who is Lee Covington? Are you one of the enlightened ones (like us) or are you
part of the problem? Tell us about it, Janet. Lee Covington does radio interviews all the time, but she
rarely appears at book signings or on TV. The P.C. world doesn't go for her
message. But millions of people who have been ruined by greedy ex-wives can
relate. Don't get cocky. It could happen to you. Only $16.95 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE COVINGTON TUG The
Shipwreck of Port Hunter - caused by the tug Covington Date Sunk: November 2,
1918. Chartered by the Furness,
Withy Company of Boston and with a general cargo that included war supplies and
ammunition for the American Mission fighting in France, Port Hunter's
first stop was New York City to join a convoy. Although armed with a deck gun on
its stern, the freighter stood little chance in the Atlantic crossing, where
Germany's U-boats were an ever present danger if left unprotected by a screen of
warships. Dive Site Conditions
Depth in feet: maximum 85,
minimum 25. Except for the bridge and
engine room sections, the Port Hunter is largely intact, listing to port
on the fine, white sandy slope of Hedge Fence Shoal. Depths vary depending on
the amount of sand build up. Only 20 feet of water covers her bow. Less than 100
feet aft on the port bow the "V" notch made when Covington
dealt the fatal blow is visible in the freighter's hull plates. Drifting sand
has engulfed most of its mid-section, which was blown apart by salvers looking
for a rumored contraband gold cache. Fortunately for divers, strong tidal
currents keep the stern section free from sand. Covered by 50 feet of water, a
deck gun can be found on Port Hunter's stern. At a depth of 85 feet the
vessels rudder and propeller shaft can still be seen, salvers removed the
propeller. Due to strong tidal currents it is advised to explore this wreck only
at slack water.
Historical Background
Constructed: in 1906 at
Newcastle, United Kingdom by Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ld. Salvage
Contemporary accounts of the
freighter's loss report that the Government waited 3 months before awarding
salvage rights. Red tape and carelessness were blamed for the delay. However,
the "Waterfront News" column of the Boston Globe reported daily
progress of salvage operations, which were hampered by rough seas. Many local
fishermen illegally removed material from the forward holds, which at the time
were only a few feet underwater. Quahog rakes and grapnels were used to
"fish" out small objects, including leather jackets, olive drab
shirts, woolen underwear and other Army garments. The Government put a halt to
this practice and confiscated much of the material. Sources: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FELICITY
- US magazine calls it "The College Years Of My So-Called Life"
which I agree. I find the story reminiscent of "My So-Called
Life." I love this innocent, honest, real coming of age TV show!
Another one that I haven't missed an episode. Yay! A STORY OF CHOICES Have you ever had a
crush? Well, Felicity Porter's crush has changed her life forever. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EARL OF COVINGTON -
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An author
who has featured Covingtons in her
Mystery Books.
Mama
Solves a Murder (1994) Mama
Traps a Killer (1997) Mama
Saves a Victim (1997) Mama
Stands Accused (1997) Mama
Stalks the Past (1997) Mama
Rocks the Empty Cradle (1998) Mama
Pursues Murderous Shadows (2000)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Movie : Madeline
Starring: Miss Clavel: Frances McDormand Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer. Written by Mark Levin and Jennifer
Flackett. Based on the book ``Madeline'' by Ludwig Bemelmans. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ships
named 'Covington' served in 3 wars
The Journal of
American Naval Fighting Ships lists three U.S. naval vessels that bore the
name of the city of Covington. At least one of them has strong ties to the
riverfront city.
USS Covington (1863) was purchased by
the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was assigned as a simple
gunboat with powerful rifled guns to intercept blockade runners attempting to
run the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America. Covington did not carry mortars or
howitzers, which placed her at a disadvantage when attacked riverside in
1864 by Confederate troops. Losing the battle, she was set on fire and
most of the crew fortunately escaped.
Covington, a side wheel steamer, was
purchased in February 1863 from Samuel Wiggins at Cincinnati, Ohio;
fitted for service at Cairo, Illinois; and assigned to the Mississippi
Squadron, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant J. S. Kurd in command. Serving in the Tennessee River to convoy Union
Army transports and other ships, Covington had frequent
encounters with Confederates along the banks. On 18 June, she was transferred to the Mississippi
River for similar duty on that river and the White, Black, and Red
Rivers. Arriving at Memphis, Tennessee on 20 June 1863, she sailed the
following day convoying General Lyon and Little Rebel. She
seized the steamer Eureka at Commerce, Missouri, on 2 July for
violation of the river blockade and sent her into Cairo, Illinois. On 6
August she aided Paw Paw, sunk by a snag. Ordered to report to Alexandria, Louisiana on 27
April 1864, Covington sailed with Signal protecting the
Army transport Warner down the Red River. About 25 miles below Alexandria, they were
attacked by Confederate infantry in force. After five hours of bitter
fighting, the transport was captured and the two escorts (Covington
and Signal) were so badly damaged that they had to be abandoned
and set afire. After Covington was set on fire by her crew,
Lieutenant Lord and 32 of Covington's crew escaped to Alexandria. Signal, however, was not so fortunate.
After setting the ship on fire, her crew was captured by Confederate
forces and made prisoners-of-war. was a transport for the United States Navy during
World War I. Prior to the war the ship, built in 1908 in Germany, was SS
Cincinnati of the Hamburg America Line. The transport was
torpedoed by U-86 on 1 July 1918 and sank the next day with six
men killed. Covington, named after the city of
Covington, Kentucky, was built in 1908 by F. Schichau,
Danzig,
Germany, as Cincinnati.; interned by customs officials at Boston
upon the entry of the United States into World War I
At the outbreak of World War I, Cincinnati
was interned in Boston with Hamburg America line-mate
Amerika;
North German Lloyd steamers
Kronprinzessin Cecilie,
Köln,
Wittekind,
and
Willehad;
and Hansa Line freighter
Ockenfels.
In March 1916, all except Kronprinzessin Cecilie and Ockenfels
were moved from their waterfront piers to an anchorage across the harbor
from the Boston Navy Yard. Daily "neutrality duty" by United States
Coast Guard harbor tug
Winnisimmet
kept a watchful eye on the ships. Many crew members of the ships
eventually went ashore, were processed through immigration, and found
employment, while a contingent of musicians from the vessels toured New
England, frequently playing at department stores and restaurants, and
drawing the ire of the local musicians' union. After the U.S. declared
war on Germany, Cincinnati and the other interned ships were
seized on 6 April 1917 and handed over to the United States Shipping
Board (USSB). The ship was transferred to the Navy 26 July 1917;
and commissioned 28 July 1917, Captain R. D. Hasbrouck in command.
Between 18 October 1917 and 1 July 1918, Covington made six
voyages from Hoboken, New Jersey, to Brest, France, safely transporting
more than 21,000 troops for service with the American Expeditionary
Force. On 1 July 1918 she was torpedoed without warning by the German
submarine U-86 off Brest; she sank the next day despite efforts
to save her. The convoy escorts succeeded in rescuing all but six of her
complement of 776.
USS Covington (PF-56), A Tacoma-class frigate, was the third ship
of the United States Navy to be named for Covington, Kentucky. The third Covington (PF-56) was launched on
15 July 1943 by Globe Shipbuilding Co., Superior, Wisconsin, under a
Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Miss. J. Phillips;
transferred to the Navy on 5 August 1944; placed in "ferry" commission
on 7 August 1944; and commissioned in full on 17 October 1944,
Lieutenant Commander F. S. Brown, USCGR, in command.
Covington arrived at NS Argentia,
Newfoundland, on 25 December 1944 for duty as a weather patrol vessel.
She remained on this duty, except for overhauls at Boston and
Charleston, South Carolina until 16 March 1946 when she was
decommissioned and loaned to the Coast Guard. Covington was
returned from the Coast Guard on 17 September 1946, and sold to Ecuador
through the Foreign Liquidation Commission of the State Department on 28
August 1947. Covington was renamed Guayas and
decommissioned in 1972. At a 1999 reunion held
for the first time in Covington, the 13 remaining members of the ship's former
crew gathered.
A Michigan based garage band of the 80s
featuring Freddy Fortune. Click the album cover to visit their website
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sears Names
New Apparel Brand Covington
Publication: Retail Merchandiser ,
Date:
Tuesday, April 23
2002
Sears, Roebuck
and Co. said on Monday its new private-label brand of
conservatively styled casual
clothing
will be called Covington and
will replace eight other proprietary lines including Crossroads,
Fieldmaster and Trader Bay.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New York — The assets of
decorative fabric supplier Covington Holdings LLC, including the
Covington name, have been purchased by the Kahan family. The Kahans have long been active in the fabric
business, operating Osgood Textile Co. in West Springfield, Mass., a
large retailer of decorative and apparel fabrics. The retailer was started in 1948 by the late Herb
Kahan, father of Robert Kahan who today heads the retailer. Herb Kahan's
son, Mark S. Kahan will become chairman of the new entity, which will be
known as Covington Fabric & Design LLC. Mayer Kahan, Robert's son and
Mark's nephew, becomes evp. Mark's son Jonathan will work on the
company's computer system upgrade. Several other Kahan family members, spouses and
in-laws are also investors. Roger Gilmartin, an owning partner in CH LLC,
remains with the company as president and ceo. Gilmartin said, "I think
the industry knows that I have been searching for a strategic investor
for Covington for some time. I am excited by the opportunity that this
transaction will create for all the constituents in our business and I
look forward to becoming a textile guy again after two years of dealing
with bankers and lawyers." Gilmartin noted, "The whole team will be the same,
and we will be at furniture market in High Point and we have a new line
in the pipeline for introduction at Showtime in June." In the next few
months, he added, "We will be introducing members of the family to key
customers and to key vendors around the world." In addition, Covington will show at one of the
off-site locations during Proposte in Cernobbio; at HD in Las Vegas; and
Decosit in Brussels in September. Gilmartin, with other investors, bought Covington
from the founding Gilmore family in January 2006. The company originated
in 1940 and grew to be one of the largest decorative fabrics converters
in the marketplace. In October 2007, Covington was refinanced. Mark Kahan told HTT, "My family have known and
been a customer of Covington for over 40 years. We were very excited
when the opportunity to acquire a business with Covington's name and
reputation became available." He added, "We know that the last few years have
been difficult for the company, but the underlying fundamentals of the
business are strong with loyal customers, vendors and associates, and we
believe that properly funded, the company can continue to be a major
player in the home furnishings market." "The idea for our involvement originated with Bob
and Mayer. They were aware that the original LBO wasn't working out, and
intersected with Roger," said Mark Kahan, the retired head of Spirit
Airlines and an attorney. "We got the impression that the business could
be fixed and there was no doubt it could operate on eight cylinders vs.
the four cylinders it was currently on. It is a franchise that could be
rebuilt." He added, "I don't claim to be an expert on
decorative fabrics, but I'm not here because I'm an expert — Mayer is:
he has five years experience at retail in fabrics. He has a lot of
energy and will help restore the credibility in the market and in the
product. We will restore the company's reputation for delivery." Mark Kahan does bring financial, legal and
regulatory acumen. Intellectual property protection "is very important.
If businesses in the 21st century don't find ways to protect design,
they will have problems," he emphasized. Relating his family retail experience to
Covington, Mayer Kahan said, "We're a roll up the sleeves type of place.
We're going to stock a lot of goods, which is the Covington reputation,
and we're going to be a fashion business — we have to be on the cutting
edge and adapt to new markets." Among these are a renewed emphasis on
prints and outdoor fabrics — "a first step."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COVINGTON,
NORTH CAROLINA (fictional town) The Ladies of Covington Send
Their Love. New York: St. Martins Press, 2000. The Gardens of Covington.
New York: St. Martins Press, 2001. From the Heart of Covington.
New York: St. Martins Press, 2002. The Spirit of Covington. New
York: Atria, 2003. At Home in Covington. New
York: Atria, 2004. A Covington Christmas. New
York: Simon and Schuster, 2005. Two Days After the Wedding. New York :
Pocket Books, 2006. Grace Singleton, Hannah Parrish, and
Amelia Declose, described as women "of a certain age," were finding life
a little listless in the Pennsylvania boardinghouse where they lived.
When one of them inherited a run-down farmhouse in Covington, N.C., the
three women jumped at the chance for change and adventure. In each of
the novels the women explore the lively town of Covington while they
battle illness, welcome their children and other visitors, and meet the
challenges of caring for a rambling old house. Covington is a fictional
town in the North Carolina mountains, not far from Mars Hill.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- by Jason Elam & Steve Yohn
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix,
Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Adrien Brody The tiny, remote village of Covington has always
maintained an fearful truce with the menacing, mysterious creatures that
stalk the surrounding woods. The villagers don’t enter the forest; the
creatures don’t enter the village. But when an unforeseeable tragedy
happens, the villagers must send one of there own into the world outside
for help, and the only way to get there is through the woods.
That’s just about all that happens in
screenwriter/director M. Night Shyamalan’s spare, allegory-like story.
There are the expected suspense movie shocks and jolts, and, sure,
there’s also a fetching romantic subplot involving blind Ivy Walker
(Bryce Dallas Howard) and Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), the village
loner, and a number of fine supporting performances, including those by
Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, and Adrien Brody, but in the end, all it
adds up to is a signature Shyamalan twist. Like ‘Signs,’ Shyamalan’s last film, Shyamalan
seems to have started with the ending of ‘The Village’ in mind, and then
worked backwards, and the artifice of the story’s structure results in
numerous plot holes—but you’ll have to pick those out for yourself.
There are things that I liked about ‘The Village’—the acting, Roger
Deakins’ cinematography, a story with a healthy sense of mystery—there
just aren’t enough of them. Matt Parks (8.26.04)
Rainbow Six is fictional
character John Clark's position as director of the counter-terrorist
unit Rainbow that debuted in the 1998 novel Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy.
The book was adapted into a successful series of tactical first-person
shooter computer and video games, and is a planned future film
tentatively set for release in 2010. Tom Clancy also features Rainbow in his 2000 novel
The Bear and the Dragon. The novel Rainbow Six describes Rainbow as an international
counter-terrorism operation hosted by NATO. The base of operations for Rainbow is said to be located in Hereford
(home to SAS), due to the United Kingdom being one of the most
accessible countries in the world and also due to the press constraints
that would not be possible to impose in the United States. Most of the
characters in Rainbow are American or British, however, the NATO
countries of France, Germany, Canada and Italy, plus Israel have one
representative each. Clancy describes the structure of Rainbow
as having one Director, who oversees the entire operation, and one
Deputy Director, who is second in command. Rainbow is portrayed as the
"blackest of black" operations, and it works off of its very own
intelligence service which has intelligence contacts all over the world.
In the book, when Rainbow is called upon for help from another country's
government to deal with a terrorist situation, usually only one of the
two teams will be sent, but in some situations both will be sent. Both
teams have an officer as team leader and a senior NCO that is second in
command. Not including the team leader, each team is made up of eleven
men.
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the world and, to some degree, that might be true (in wrestling matches or
venture capital firms). But when her true love was trying to get divorced from
his second wife, Lee realized the truth. Feminists (all women are poor victims)
control divorce courts, family courts, and most state legislatures. Of course,
the feminists have their loyal conservative allies (some of whom are male) who
also believe that all women are helpless victims and cannot be expected to take
any responsibility. Feminists and conservatives agree that divorce is always the
man's fault and the man must pay. And beyond paying for everything, he must be
punished.
The embers of Felicity's crush are fanned to life by Ben's words. Much to her
parents' dismay, Felicity decides to pass on her longtime plans to study
medicine at Stanford. Instead, she follows Ben to the University of New York,
forgoing a sure thing for an unpredictable and financially unstable education.
Dumping everything to pursue a crush across the country to a strange city,
school and future doesn't sound like a rational decision. Could she be crazy?
Has Felicity made a "colossal mistake"?
.jpg)
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