Roughly speaking from 1960 through end of the century and focused around two governors: Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt. They were both popular leaders who brought the legislature along with them far enough to pass sweeping changes in education, civil rights, and economic advancement such that North Carolina became among the leaders of southern states in these areas. Alas, much of this is being undone in recent years.
Don't worry, I wasn't suggesting the ACC tournament move to Providence Park. We are quite happy with the ACC players already here with the Thorns. (Portland is warmer than Cary in December.)
I do not think PDX would work. I think it is a Field Turf stadium. NCAA would not have the College Cup played on any artificial turf field.
OK. I watched the video and read the article. I now more fully understand the great fear being promoted and propagated by conservative organizations. Thank you for sharing this view. I did not know that this media focus was happening. The Heritage Foundation article in their Daily Signal tells stories of three women who were traumatized and sexually abused in their childhood or teens. Of course all of our hearts go out in the face of such pain and we are appalled and angry at their abusers and the inability of much of our society to rise to support and heal the victims. As is often the case, each woman in this article was abused over an extended period of time (months or years.) The video is a series of mug shots and photos with an ongoing narrative of the various kinds of (mostly) male sexual predators being depicted, many of whom are said to have dressed up as women and entered women's bathrooms for the purpose of voyeurism or exhibition. (I would have wished that the video had included some credits or a source so that its contents could be verified as being other than a bunch of photos with scary made-up stories attached, but it is completely anonymous.) But assuming that all of the stories in the video are true, it serves to illustrate that sexual voyeurism and predation have been going on long (decades) before any discussion of transgender use of bathrooms was broached. Allow me to share at this juncture that I have personal knowledge of boys that have been abused and raped. The results are equally as painful as for the three women depicted in the article (so shouldn't men's rooms be protected too?). I also can say that the transgendered people that I know (and those I know of locally) are typically shy and private souls who really do not wish to be noticed. Also, everyone of the gay and lesbian people I know are as horrified as anyone else regarding sexual predators. I'll also state that from what I have consistently read, most all sexual predators are heterosexual men, but some are women, and some are gay or lesbian etc. (So how do we protect women's rooms from women sexual predators?) Given all of this, what does it have to do with a transgendered woman walking in, using a toilet stall, washing her hands, and leaving? Answer: clearly nothing. But it equally clearly raises the fears in some quarters that some voyeurs or even sexual predators will take advantage of a more permissive use of bathrooms to pretend to be harmless transgender women and enter the bathroom for their own elicit purposes. And so the problem is how do we as a society work hard to lessen or eliminate inappropriate sexual behavior and predation and then at the same time find the correct bathroom balance between accommodating all kinds of users by providing a safe place for everyone? Answer: with 100% perfection, in this country, it appears that it can't be done. And if it isn't 100% doable, which piece of USA humanity gets the short schrift? That seems to be the argument. But some other countries do just fine. What is wrong with the US? I'm not sure that I have the answer, but the first steps would be to stop conflating gays, lesbians of trangender people with our sexual predator problem, and to stop fomenting fear and loathing.
The official NCAA policy is that Turf field with a two star FIFA rating would be considered for bids. Providence Park is considered to be one of the best Turf fields in the World, and the USWNT has played matches on the Turf, as have several European and South American teams (West Brom, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Boca Juniors, etc) . The Men's national team played Gold Cup matches on the Field, contrary to propaganda that the Men's National teams don't play on Turf. ( they also played in Cost Rica's National stadium, which is Turf) http://www.providenceparkpdx.com/node/305 The real issue would be to find a host school willing to take the task on at short notice at a venue not on campus. That will be true at any site. It's a good chance to have a venue other than the SouthEast for the next 8 years. But if you'd rather play on grass, Merlo field is one of the best pitches in the country. It was the host field for the first National championship at a predetermined site. Let me know and I'll talk to the Athletic director and President. I'll be having dinner with them in two weeks. I can talk to Meritt anything if there is money involved.
It was on the west coast just a few years ago. I am not so sure it was attended very well. Just like what will happen with the nscaa convention that will be on the west coast. Nothing against the west coast it is just that attendance will lack and there are many east coast coaches and fans that will not travel there due to the distance and cost factors. It may end up there due to the situation and I hope it will be well attended.
Cliveworshiper, I was trying not to take the bait... but what HE said! Charlotte, RTP... In a period of remarkably transformative growth, NC made the transition from a somewhat sleepy furniture and tobacco State to a southern locus for banking and finance (Charlotte) and high tech and pharmaceutical entrepreneurship (RTP). We were on a roll, and NC and TX were the two hot growth areas in the South as people realized they could no longer drive anywhere in Atlanta and Florida was going to be underwater... Our economy and population are still growing, despite a now hostile business climate in Raleigh, but if we don't reverse course our days are numbered. I'm still grinning about your comment, but you really shouldn't pick on us-- we were modest in our successes. It is only now that we are failing that we feel the need to be so brash and brassy. Also, Cary may be colder than Portland in Dec. but Cary is a DRY cold... much nicer. Finally, as an observation, I would rather sit in a closet and beat myself on the head with a mallet than play on Turf. However, if Canada can get the WWC on Turf, I'm sure the NCAA could cope in a pinch. Its just girls, right? . Last, this tourney is an ecosystem. Hundreds of kids come to Cary to play because they know the scouts will be here along with the tourney. Are the college scouts going to scout Cary without the NCAA? Will all the teams still come? Could any venue, on such short notice compile both a NCAA venue and a showcase? To that last-- no way! It is a bummer for a lot of young women who have worked very hard to become exceptional athletes and probably care little for who is taking care of their business in the adjacent (closed) stall. But there it is.
Yeah, it was here in San Diego back in '12. I attended it all. It was rainy as all get out for most of it. Not sure if that would impact attendance when most folks I guess get their tix in advance.
Well, we are making a bit of progress. At least you now admit that there are two competing concerns. However, you are still wrong a several points. The video is accurate, and you shouldn't just write it off just because it doesn't fit your preconceived notions. You could easily confirm the examples given by doing a bit of research. Many of the examples given involved transgender people, not just heterosexual male predators dressed up as women. That leads to the next point you are wrong on. Transgender men (i.e. who identify as women) commit crimes at the same rate as heterosexual men, including violent and sexual crimes. Finally, to assume these things only happen in the U.S. is very naive. All countries have transgender people, sexual predators, etc. Here is a follow-up video:
Another awesome post, this time from Soccerhuner, (#54). Could not agree more. I think I treat this forum a bit more playfully than most and just like to poke at people a bit. Every now and then a serious issue comes up.....dang it. Just like immigrants commit less crime on average than natural born citizens, trans folks are not more likely to commit predatory crimes in restrooms. What's that famous phrase, "you're entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts". (orange/rainbow crusader is welcome to provide credible sources for his allegations but for a 2nd post, cannot) There's just no evidence to support this law but sub-groups are very easy to target, especially ones that don't want to or can't always publicly defend themselves. Although, there certainly are a few more rainbows around thanks to you folks in NC! I wasn't sure I personally was going to go to CASL or not this year and now I certainly am not. (I did think about renting a condo so I could vote there in November though!) At least this year, NC businesses and citizens don't get any of my money. Would be happy if that changes. Here's a summary of the trans bathroom issues (with references): http://time.com/4314896/transgender-bathroom-bill-male-predators-argument/ Here's a reference about "rapists and criminal" immigrants from a "Conservative" source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mythical-connection-between-immigrants-and-crime-1436916798 "The data show that “for every ethnic group without exception, incarceration rates among young men are lowest for immigrants,” according to the report. “This holds true especially for the Mexicans, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans who make up the bulk of the undocumented population.”
I don't have facts, but I am pretty certain that the CASL Showcase event brings in the most people with regards to the Women's Final Four event. NC businesses and citizens will still do fine this year since all the club teams going to CASL are stuck at this point! The future of the CASL Showcase and other NC events scheduled around the NCAA and ACC tournaments are going to be in some trouble.
You completely misconstrued what I wrote. I said criminality rates were the SAME for transgender people. Here is a credible study that confirms what I said. The study showed people who had undergone sex reassignment surgery had higher criminality rates compared to control groups, but not significantly. Hence, I said the same. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0016885 You are the only one to mention immigrants as part of the discussion. I don't know why because it has no bearing on the subject.
That research quoted is for Sweden from 1973-2003. I don't think anyone in NC is explaining the rationale for HB2 using very many facts or much legitimate research, and likely not research done in Sweden that's more than 10 years old. Cute YouTube videos are very credible though. And forgive me my attempt to point out there are lots of other completely false policy perspectives floating out there in this election season. Like "Mexico is sending us their rapists" and that we have a big voter impersonation problem in the US. The NC voter bill was also struck down by courts who clearly saw it was targeting ethnic sub-groups (aka Unconstitutional). Just in case you're curious - "In a 2014 study, Loyola University Law School professor Justin Levitt found just 31 incidents of voter impersonation out of more than 1 billion ballots that were cast in a 14-year span." About the Final 4 - if the Orlando City stadium were completed in time, it would be a no-brainer but I don't think it will be. I agree that a southern locale with a good airport would be helpful.
What about the Kennesaw, GA facility that was used 6-7 years ago? It received good reviews from players and fans. Weather was cold, but no colder than the NC venue.
Evidently, you can't cite any credible information that contradicts the research. The best you can do complain about the date. Pathetic. The videos are completely factual and the cases are a matter of public record. You can't effectively refute the facts, so you resort to calling them cute. That's the last thing I would call the deplorable acts they describe.
So, you can use decades old Swedish research and YouTube as rationale for your position. And I can use the US Constitution, US Federal Law, and common sense. Just stay out of my bathroom stall checking to see if I have the biology you expect me to have. And how about worrying about transgender VICTIMS of crime and harassment?
UVa has a beautiful field and stadium. I don't understand why it doesn't get considered for big events. Wake Forest also has a great venue , but whoops, that's in NC.
Accessibility and lack of necessary hotel rooms I'm guessing. College Station is in a similar situation and that experiment drew pretty universal criticism for those same reasons.
I enjoyed the 2009 CC in college station, tho it may have had to do more with the results than the venue! It actually snowed in Houston that weekend.
That was a fun college cup in the Atlanta area. Georgia aquarium on Saturday was awesome. Best college cup ever was San Diego 2012
Not a fun time to be in NC. Downright embarrassing. I live in Chapel Hill. I'd bet a vote on HB2 in this city would be 90/10 against.
Aquariums are awesome. Randomly stumbling into sea otter feeding time and shark feeding time was even better. (Otters are smart, and know what booted feet shuffling behind the door means: soon a human will enter carrying a bucket of fish. Humans are smart, and know what the extinction of light under the door means: the otters are packed 2-deep against it on the other side, so open slowly. Sharks are not smart, and actually just cruise and loll around for ~10' while all of the other sea fish in the tank gobble frozen fish chunks falling like popcorn. After the 10' warm-up, the sharks are doing about 15-20 knots like guided missiles on NASCAR tracks, and then ... it's on.) Even such a bland thing as a duck pool with waterline windows is quite eye-opening, as you begin to appreciate how fast ducks, loons, cormorants, et al. chase each other around underwater. I assume San Diego has an aquarium
OK...So the Horse is dead...has been for quite some time....in fact it is just a massive pulp of beaten flesh. So can we please discuss options for a venue? The Bay Area has a great new Soccer venue in Avaya Stadium....there are many options in LA (stub Hub will host USC/UCLA this season) Chicago and KC have excellent facilities but have weather concerns